Does anyone make one? Or has anyone out there kitbashed one? I was thinking about bashing a Spectrum 2-8-0 and seeing how close I can get.
Mantua offered one about 20 years ago. It was really their “Petticoat Junction” Sierra Ry 4-6-0 with an extra set of drivers. (That 4-6-0 has a large gap between the middle and rear drivers so it wasn’t hard for them to make the alteration.)
I have one, I used the Mantua retro-kit to add a Sagami can motor, repainted it and attached an MDC “old timer” tender. Runs very well but light and not much pulling power. Haven’t converted it to DCC yet, so haven’t run it for a few years.
Afraid that other than the above mentioned 4-8-0 12 wheelers were only produced in brass
A kitbashing we’ll go !
Brass models are up for auction on ebay. I’ve been searching for 4-8-0 there for about 3 months and only brass has showed up.
Cool guys, thanks for the help.
I needed a reason to start 'bashing.
Here is my model of an SP TW-2 Mastodon no. 2947 kit bashed from a Tyco 4-8-0. The Whale-back tender was scratch built.
Peter Smith, Memphis
Yoiks ! ! What a great looking locomotive, seems we never see enough of these really old locomotives, is there a great market for this type and era?? does (did) anyone make these either in brass or plastic??
Westside made brass models of SP prototypes, and Sunset and PSC made models of the Northfolk & Western version. I recall seeing a model of each offered for sale on ebay earlier this year.
“Twelve-wheeler” was the more common name for the 4-8-0 in the U.S. The Central Pacific (Southern Pacific) built the first 4-8-0 in its Sacramento shops in 1882 where it was given the nickname “Mastodon.” Nevertheless, this was overshadowed when CP Sacramento shops produced a 4-10-0, the El Gobernador in 1883 which captured the “Mastodon” nickname.
El G. wasn’t successful, probably because of the great disparity between its enormous cylinder volume and small grate area, and was dismantled after 10 years. On the other hand, some of SP’s twelve-wheelers were quite successful in that they lasted into the early 1950s for use on lightly-built branch lines due to their low axle-loading, despite being considered large, mainline locomotives when built. N&W’s twelve-wheelers also lasted into the 1950s. They were larger and heavier than SP’s.
Twelve-wheelers were not common, probably because the simpler 2-8-0 could do as much or more than a 4-8-0. Twelve-wheelers weren’t built for speed, so the extra stability provided by a 4-wheel leading truck would normally be unnecessary.
Mark
Aaaahhh, whalebacks! [^] My favorite type of tender. That’s a nice looking model [bow].
Peter, did you model the 1892-as-built compound version, or the 1911-modified simpled version?
Mark
Mark, thank you. You ask a very good question and I do not have a good answer. I probably have almost every photo of the SP TW class locos ever published. I have modeled TW-2 No. 2947 for which I have photos as it appeared in 1895, 1913, 1920 and 1945. The 1895 photo indicates to me that it was a compound. The 1913 photo indicates that it had been converted by that time to simple. Looking at other photos of this class and other SP class locos, it appears to me that SP modifications in general were not all made at a certain date. For example, the injector piping on 2947 in the 1913 photo shows it traveled directly into the cab where as SP modifications made this piping external to the cab on many of their locos at a date earlier than 1913.
For my own reasons, I would prefer to model the year 1909. Without further photos, I have made my 1909 version of this model simple not compound .However, I like to consider myself as an impressionist not, a realist ( Rivet Counter) and I can live within the period 1909 to 1911. If it can be verified that this class was converted to simple after 1909 ( 1911) I would consider this to be very valuable information.
Peter Smith, Memphis
Whaleback tender? Some SP personal called it a “haystack tender” Enough with simantics, one SP example is stuffed and mounted in Bakersfield Ca. Interesting about the Manatua conversions. New Zealand rail makes a similar wheelbased 4-6-0 in S narrow guage, no conversion kit, but does give one food for thought as to the fiesibility of a standard guage conversion…
Dave
The TW-2s like your #2947 were simpled between 1908 and 1919. The ones simpled earliest were 2946 and 2953 in 1908 and 2949 in 1909. So, three of #2947’s sisters had been simpled before 1910. All of the dates here are from Diebert and Strapac’s Southern Pacific Steam Locomotive Compendium (out of print).
Mark
Mark
Ah yes, a 4-8-0… like an old dump truck with a rear spoiler! [:D]
For those who may feel the 4-8-0 arrangement is not unique enough… there was a camelback version – the CNJ Class K-1, which was available in brass from Daiyoung.
Jim
I have thought about making a N&W 4-8-0 M2 class version, none exist in HO that I know, er maybe Sunset did make it?
I think the MDC-Roundhouse larger 2-8-0 is about the good size of the 4-8-0, its drivers are too large, it would take an all new frame, and wheelsets then a 4 wheel pilot and whatever needed modding, and it sounds like a champ to me.
Kewl Mastadon, Peter! [8D] Really excellent work. [^][tup]
I had to have a Mastodon for my free-lance ore hauling RR since the real Duluth & Iron Range (prior to merging with the Duluth Missabe and Northern) used some 4-8-0’s in iron ore service.
Dear Peter,
I am producing a train game for iPad/iPhone/Mac/PC. One of the main components is a historic campaign where you will build the First Transcontinental Railroad between Omaha and Sacramento in the 1860’s. It is not as serious as most other train simulators (Trainz, Railworks, etc). I would rather compare it to Sid Meier’s Railroads! - but with all the economics removed, much larger worlds, some strategic elements added and a bit more focus on building tracks and running trains. You can spend countless hours building a railroad empire/network stretching across the entire US, or you can play in short bursts in 5-10 minutes and still get to do some exploration, make a few strategic decisions, build a few miles of tracks and watch the trains runs on your new line 
I already have about a dozen locomotives included from that area (1850-1900) but hoping to include at least another dozen. While searching for reference images for the 4-8-0, I came across your wonderful model (although I was under the impression that only the 4-10-0 would be called “Masterdon”).
I am wondering if you could please help me with some more reference images of your 4-8-0?
Regards,
Sven Myhre, Norway
For reference, I have included the 4-4-0 American (Central Pacific “Governor Stanford”) as it looks on the iPad version
Dear Sven, Since my wife passed away last December 20th I have not touched my model RR or done any reseach. When I got home from visiting my son in Chicago for thanksgiving this year I found that lightening had struck my house and I just now got my e-mail up and found your message. I am leaving for San Diego to visit my daughter on December 22. I will try to give you further references but most of my references are from hard to find magizines in the US.
Best regards, Peter Smith, Memphis
I have done a lot of research and I can only come up with brass versions . I model N & W in the fifties and would love to have a fleet of affordable M class 4-8-0s . The only M class one I have been able to find was made by sunset and they are difficult to find and expensive . I would like to have more , but I cant afford them . Would love for someone to produce a quality plastic version either powered or dummy . RON
Dear Peter,
I am truly sorry to hear about your losses, yet it is good to hear that you have some family around you to support you through difficult times like these.
I was just amazed by the 4-8-0 model of yours - I think it was a true beauty! And the tender you had built from scratch was the definitely the best part! I would definitely appreciate it should you come across any reference images in the coming months - otherwise I will do the best I can myself - though I can assure you that hard-to-find-magazines are even more rare to come across in Norway
Best regards,
Sven Myhre