Quote from: skipgear on February 04, 2011, 12:03:06 AM
The T3's could be made from the Light Mountains fairly close. The T4 would be a slam dunk on the Heavy Mountain chassis. Just having the tenders would be worth it.

I've been told Bachmann may have something up their sleeve for the NY Toy Fair announcements. We'll just have to wait and see.

3rd Rail (O scale brass) is making a B&O Mountain... I'm hoping that the knowledge that the B&O T 4-8-2s existed, and were both successful and eye pleasing will grow, allowing them to become manufactured.
You have insider info? I'll cross a finger or two.
I'm looking for anything remotely prototypically B&O... Ts, Ps, Qs or Ss!

I lettered an undecorated heavy mountain for B&O, and wrote the bachmann regarding the same thing two years ago.
B&O had T3 and T4 class 4-8-2s
T3:
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/bo5556s.jpg
Rebuilt out of boilers from S Class 2-10-2's
T4:
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/bo5656s.jpg
purchased from Boston & Main and "B&Oized".

Bachmann would have to add a few custom options... steam chest on pilot, some pumps... and a 6 wheel tender to make them really look the part... but at least the base is there. Most were standard tenders, but several were mated to Vanderbilts.
These entered service in the early 40's, and were still active on western district lines as late as 1958.

If Bachmann ever re-runs the heavy mountain, I BEG that they make a B&O superdetail, rather than another ugly C&O!

And then work on the pacifics! I need some P7s!

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/bo5309s.jpg
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/bo5316sa.jpg


(It's close enough to a K4 to make both...)

How about a heavy pacific? Including a K4? Many major roads used very similar heavy pacifics all based on the ALCO 50,000 prototype.
One model could basically pass for B&O, Southern, AT&SF, Southern Pacific, New York Central, Erie, Boston and Maine, C&NW, Milwaukee Road... and probably several others.
Add some minor additional detail additions, a la the C&O heavy mountain, like a belpaire fire box, PRR headlamp and pilot... and you've got a K4.


I can't understand that there isn't already a K4 model on the market...
But for some reason... don't hold your breath.

The first I had shorted, and blew up a decoder. The heat literally melted the tender deck.
Bachmann sent a replacement loco (which was too bad because I had painstakingly decaled the undecorated loco in B&O markings) and that second loco has been my favorite for about 2 years.
I've yet to run out of things to pull with it. And it looks good. Mine's even pretty quiet.
It pulls as much as my Kato Daylight, or N&W J, throttles all of the Berkshires or Pacifics I've got, and is just simply more interesting that FTs or E units.
Send it back to Bachmann. They'll send you a new unit.
Over all from what I've read this was a slam dunk loco.

Are you running it DC or DCC?
The first one that I received had a decoder short out, which was evident by the loco's hesitance to run and the tender decking melting.
I sent it back to Bachmann, and they quickly sent me another. I had to re-number/re-letter for B&O, but the service was quick and easy.

If the problem is constant and only that loco, it's probably just a lemon. Send it back.

It seems very strange that there is no N scale heavy pacific produced... at all.
It is more odd that no K4 exists.
In any scale, there are a few steam models that just have to exist... if for no other reason than their historical significance and/or presence in excursion service for many many years.
A N&W J
A SP G-4 Daylight
A UP Challenger
A NKP Berkshire
A Reading T1
A NYC Hudson
A PRR K4

Once you've made those basic models, you've got a platform to work with for about a million variants and road names (esp. the 4-8-4 and 4-6-2 platforms... EVERYONE ran one!)

Classic Iconic locomotives would find themselevs a home on many layouts... even layouts set in modern times...
Despite my modeling the B&O in the mid-late fifties, I have purchased a J, a Daylight, a GG1, and am awaiting my Hiawatha set.
Beautiful classic trains are simply to good to pass up. So what in real life the Capitol Limited never passed a Morning Daylight between DC and Pittsburgh... It also didn't occur in my basement...

Now that N scale steam is getting good... and in many cases REALLY good... thank you Mr Bachmann for your 2-8-0, heavy 4-8-2, and N&W J... it's still startling that some of the staples of mainline railroading across the country are so poorly represented.
Mikados are poorly represented.
Pacifics... Model Power USRA light...
Hudsons... a 25 year old Con-Cor model
It seems that the entire market is out there for the taking...

The B&O did indeed have E6's. There is one still at the B&O Muesum in Baltimore. The B&O was a pilot customer for E units, starting with EA's. They had FT, F3, F7, F9's as well, but their bigger passenger units were always E units.

The T3's were near balwin heavy mountain clones purchased from the Boston and Maine... T4's were rebuilt using old S class boilers, hence the taper. B&O mountains used a larger tender, with 6-axle buckeye trucks, but again, beggers can't be choosers.
I'd take a heavy mountain... period!
If they were smart, they'd make the Belpaire fire box an add-on detail that coul be easily left off... and make several without. B&O, Boston and Maine, Erie, NYC, Southern, IC, Milwaukee Road, AT&SF... just to name a few... could all be made using nearly the same boiler. The differences were details... steam pumps, domes, headlights...

but you can superdetail yourself.

You NEED the basic structure first!

It's definately not PRR fans... although starting with a K4 is most logical... as even non PRR modelers will probably buy one. (i.e. GG1)

I'm a B&O guy, and the B&O P7 is almost identical in height, weight, driver size, and length. There are little differences, but I'm sure that most of us would be very willing to kit-bash a little, or accept the little things to have a nice heavy pacific.
I use the heavy mountain to represent B&O's T class. They aren't perfect, but they are a lot closer than the nothing I'd have otherwise!

Well... we got the 4- and the 6-...
now just change that 0 to a 2...
4-6-2

It would have to happen wouldn't it?
Too bad for Kato that they put out the later era Broadway set... they would have sold a far greater # had the train had the option of being headed by a K4.
Oh, and someone actually produced one.

It's bound to happen.
I guess I'll have to continue to be happy bashing a Model Power pacific into what I'm looking for.
(which is late-40's era PRR K4 and B&O P7)

Mayfield and Mayfield Heights, OH are eastern suburbs of Cleveland located along I 271 at and north of rt 322 (mayfield rd.).
There are no actual railroads running through either of the burbs, but they are closest to the New York Central's lakeshore route, and the Nickel Plate Road's Buffalo to Chicago main line.
The PRR's Pittsburgh - Cleveland line is a couple of miles south east.
The B&O came nowhere near there as it stayed south through Akron, only running a branch to Cleveland.
Your best bets for a Cleaver era passenger train-
NYC 20th Century Limited (E units pulling a streamlined consist)
PRR Broadway Limited (Kato makes a full consist... but get E8's not the GG1)
Nickel Plate Alco PA's and streamlined cars from Con-Cor(even though NKP ran steam well into the 50s using pullman green heavyweights and hudson's for passenger service- you'll never find the peices in N scale!)
Those would be the most prototypically correct for that town and time.

Quote from: skipgear on April 11, 2010, 12:18:35 PM

The ConCor 2-10-2 is wrong in so many ways. If I remember correctly the wheelbase is over a 1/4" longer than any 2-10-2 produced should measure. The drivers are spaced much to far apart and are the reason for the stretched frame. This makes the loco look very disproportionate (sp?). I have one downstairs that I am working on for a friend. I will do a side by side comparision later to the 2-10-2 I built that is the correct length (at least for a B&O S-1). It has other problems also and if you get one that runs good, it runs very good, but most don't, thus the reason I am working on my friends.



The Walthers Berkshire is the correct prototype for the NKP engine, which is what they used to take measurements from. The C&O version, which was more numerous had a few changes, most importantly (visually), the sand box placement. We can only hope that Walthers is going to re-issue another run of Berkshires with a C&O correction and traction tires but considering the last 2 runs had to be blown out at firesale prices, I don't think it will happen any time soon. Our Walthers rep said there are no further plans for N scale steam in the near future which is sad because they have quite a few nice HO loco's that could be copied in N scale that I would buy.

It's too bad that Walthers won't update the Berkshire. My pair run as smoothly as any other loco I own, but are a little power starved. 16 box cars and a caboose on a good day. Oddly my first run 717 pulls 4 more cars than my second run 765. Go figure.
A traction tire and a shorter draw bar would be nice. And DCC.

Making the C&O adjustments really wouldn't be all that difficult, especially moving the headlamp down. I mean, if Bachmann can do it for their Heavy Mountain...

Not funny man. Not funny.
I hate april first.

Is an N scale K4 really that much to ask?

I'm hoping simply for a 2nd run of Heavy mountains with B&O included in the road options.
It Bachmann were really smart they'd do what they did on the C&O Heavy Mountain and make a PRR M1a before Broadway Limited gets theirs out!
Running another road # in B&O for the 2-8-0 would be great also...

And there is always the Heavy Pacific I'm dying for!

Broadway Limited has had a PRR M1a "in the works" for a couple of years now. Every once in a while the threaten us with actually making the damn thing (I have two reserved) but most of us believe that it will never happen.
Fox Valley Models just announced a 4-4-2 led Hiawatha train set...
If a road specific loco and cars such as the Atlantic version Hiawatha set is produced, and sold for only $300 for loco and 6 cars... how has no one taken a chance on a K4? Or any heavy pacific for that matter?

Go visit www.steamlocomotive.com and look up the pacific wheel arraingment...
MANY roads ran 4-6-2's derrived from the ALCO 50,000 prototype.
Erie ran the actual prototype.
Notable pacifics derrived from this loco-
B&O P7
ATSF 3400 class
Boston and Maine
C&O F19 (George Washington)
NYC K3
Southern Pacific - some were "Daylightized" with skyline castings
PRR K4

I don't get it.

I'd love to see an Allegheney too.

You would think that if something as road-specific as the Hiawatha, or the Daylight, or GG1, or Cab Forward, or N&W J would fly, then a K4 should be at least equally as profitable.
Expanding upon that... how about a heavy pacific? sure the K4 has a Belpaire firebox... but minus that and with boiler fronts with high and center mount lights a manufacturer could make very similar Heavy Pacifics in about 15 major US roads.
Starting with a K4 would seem a no brainer.
You'd think that certain models would be a given-
We've got the N&W J, Daylight, Big Boy, and the Van Sweringen Berkshire...
But where is the K4?
Modern NYC Hudson?
How about an Allegheny?
Reading T1?
B&O President?

They're finally getting good at N scale steam...
Time to start producing it!