Hi everyone.
With spring time around the corner and my garage getting back to temperatures that you can actually stay alive in I have returned to MRR for the season. Last night I ordered 2 E8A+B diesels, 9 Pullman heavyweights and 24 coal hoppers from walthers. Now, the E units will pull the passenger cars but I need a steamengine for the coal trains. It’s all B&O abd the date is somewhere 1960(58-61). What engine should I look at and from wich manufacturer?
It’s HO and DCC.
Thanks Lillen
EM-1. Brass. Don’t mess around.
I believe steam was long gone from the B&O by your time frame, but I am not a B&O expert.
Most steam dissapeared from the B&O in the late 50’s. They may have kept a couple around as helper engines in the mountain areas.
The first three shots are 58 to 61. Steam was mostly gone. Sorry.
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/bo/bo-s659l.jpg
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/bo/bo-s660.jpg
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/bo/bo-s705a.jpg
!957 below and a few runs in 1958 are about the end of steam for the B&O.
Lillen,
It’s too bad that you layout use is so seasonal. As others have stated your time period is too late for the steam on coal drags. I don’t know how defined you are to modeling that exact period. If you are flexible and use modelers license, who cares, it’s your railroad.
The heavyweights are absolutely fantastic. Pulling them with E8s is a great choice. A complete “trainset” of the Capital, National etc in the blue/gray/ black using these heavyweights would also be before your timeframe. It’s seems with that the models you like, you should be late 40s to mid 50s. This is only if you plan to run totaly ptototypical.
The late 50s/ ealy 60s coal drags were 100 ton 3 bay and pulled with various motive power, like GP7/9, F7 A&B, SD7/9.
I haven,t found much in the way of B&O steam that would fit even an earlier time frame w/o buying expensive brass. Your 24 hoppers, esspecially if you add loads will most likely need to be double headed if you have any serious grades above 1 1/2 to 2%.
There are many suitable stand-ins for the steam until BLI or someone will produce the EM1.
Maybe others more knowedgable on steam can chime in. I model 1st/ 2nd generation diesel B&O thru Chessie.
If you would like to really have your question answered just go to:
That’s one heck of a shopping list for the new season. If you want to run steam, run steam! Your little world. I recently saw that some company is hauling freight in eastern Ohio with some restored steam power. Doing it to subsidise (spelling?) their tourist trains.
Except for the used brass market, I don’t think there’s much B&O steam available, though I could be wrong.
AKANE produced the EM-1 2-8-8-4 and several series of 2-8-2’s in the mid to late 1960’s, and I think Sunset and Key both came out with a 2-8-2 in the 1980’s.
Rivarossi produced the 2-10-2 in a plastic model, but it had oversized European flanges and a not-too-hot motor. They also took the trailing truck off of their N&W Y-6b and put a vandy tender on it and passed it off as a B&O 2-8-8-0.
Seems to me to be kind of slim pickings for a railroad that had such handsome and distinctive motive power.
Tom
You guys are forgetting that there ARE three B&O-prototype steamers n the market: P2K’s USRA 0-8-0, the various USRA light 2-8-2s, and Mantua’s Pacific. The switchers and Mikes were running well into 1958 (IIRC, the last revenue B&O steam run WAS a USRA 2-8-2).
Unfortunately, basically all other engine types (2-8-0s, 2-10-2s, 4-8-2s, 4-8-4s) will either have to be brass or stand-in plastic models. The EM-1s are RUMORED to be on someone’s design table in plastic, so we might see one within 2-4 years.
Thanks everyone for the great tips.
I’m not really dead set on the period. I wan’t it to be something around the 50’s and and early 60’s. When did the B&o run E8’s with heavyweights behinds them? Because they are the main reason for choosing the B&O. They are just so beautifull. Could I for example go fo 1950 instead? I don’t really care as long as I can use my beautifull trains to play with.
And yes it is a shame about the cold up here. I live in northern Sweden and right now it’s about -20 degrees celsius in my train room/garage. But spring is a coming and that is about the time for my arrivals from Walthers. Acording to one shop there was a BLI steamegninge available that seems to fit the last days of steam but all the other stores says '07.
Is there any unmarked late Mikados out there with DCC?
Many thanks, Lillen
Yes; BLI makes a USRA light 2-8-2 unlettered, with DCC and sound preinstalled.
I found this? But only at this site and nowhere else? Does it exist?
http://internethobbies.stores.yahoo.net/bli-102.html
Lillen
Having been a B&O fan since 1962 (birth year) I have a few suggestions for steam power.
Some of the last B&O steam locomotives were the T-3 4-8-2s built from '44 to 48 at Mt Claire shops in Baltimore.
Westside imported these in the mid 80s, and are very nice runners.
A passable Pacific can be had from a Tyco/Mantua unit, the cab profile is not right, and msot B&O 4-6-2s had high mounted headlites, but they are passable.
In the late 50s, Gp7s and 9s wer common as well as F units, from FTs to F-7s.
Heres some recomended reading;
B&O Power
Slagle and Stouffer.
excellent book on the road, from it’s begining in 1827 to the early 1960s
B&O locomotives, the last 25 years.
TLC publishing
Smaller version of B&O Power, some photos are a little muddy, but servicable.
Thunder in the Alleghenies
Carstens, by Deane Mellander
Out of print for many years, but recently back from Carstens. Good, action photos, of late steam in action.
B&O in the Potomac Valley,
Kalmbach, Martin McGurk
Another good monograph, although the location of Sand Patch is wrong in several maps and graphics.
Impossable Challenge, East End, West End, and Sand Patch Clash of Titans
Charles Roberts, publisher
Authors Roberts, Hollis, Harwood.
The complete reference for fans, a four book set can be pricey, but well worth the money. Complete from Baltimore in 1827 to Grafton W.Va and Connellsville Pa. 1993.
The History of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
John Stover
Perdue University press
The definitave reference for all things B&O business history.
Good, but dry.
Hope this helps
I think Athearn’s lite USRA Mike was a B&O design. I think I bought at least one B&O to redecorate because of the high headlight and footboard pilot. Athearn’s old website is gone so that’s no help now. Anyway, if you could find one of those without gear problems or one that has been fixed, they are excellent little engines and about 15 hoppers on any grade and they are maxed out. I don’t know about the Lite Mike, but I have a BLI heavy 2-8-2 and it is an excellent runner and puller, and I like the whistle too.
Good luck.
Also, B&O ran heavy engines west of Brunswick Yard. All “Big” engines were taken off there and given smaller engines for the run into Baltimore or other points.
It’s your railroad run what you want to. Those 24 hoppers will require power if you have any grades. In my little world a set of B&O F ABBA units is the last word in grade running. However there are a variety of smaller steam that will do well. I think BLI makes a wonderful Mike.
Heavy stuff like the Yellowstone 2-8-8-4 is not yet made in plastic. And I think the 2-8-8-0 was by Riversossi. Neither are very good choices in current plastic.
You will need to go to Brass offerings for accurate BIG steam in B&O until BLI or someone makes a proper B&O engine like the “Big 6” or the EM-1… HINT HINT…
Keep in mind the B&O ran Manifest as well as lots of Coal. I think Harpers Ferry around the mid 50’s was full of big steam running for the hill to the west as fast as the drawbars can stand. But very soon after it’s the deisal that got the job. I was just sad that I was born just too late to see such steam in it’s work on that part of the railroad.
The USRA light Pacific is also a B&O prototype. For diesels of that era you can use any of the big 3 builders examples from GM Fts through F-7s, Alco FA/B units and (my personal favorite) Baldwin frt Sharknoses. I think BLI is suposed to come out w/ the frt Sharks and since B&O was one of the only 3 RRs to buy them new, it’s a pretty safe bet that they’ll have them in B&O.
The U.S.R.A. Mikes all had high mounted headlights.They were delivered with centered lights but were quickly changed.The centered lights do take away from the realism of B&O.
Their P-7 Pacifics did have some with centered lights.
Terry
Well, so it seems that there are no available B&o steam engines then. What a shame. BUT, if I would buy an unlettered one and order some stickers for it?
Any sugestions for A: Decals to put one the loco.
and
B: A good Loco with DCC that fits into the 50’s(wich I have decided on going for since the E8’s were in traffic then)
All of you, thanks alot for helping a poor uneducated swede out!
Lillen
Lillen
The following list shows the E8’s were purchased in 1950 and the very last B&O E8’s were new in 1953, and one replacement in 1954 for a wreck. You might choose 1951 to 1956 to include steam and the E8’s. I rode behind one of the B&O E units in the early fifties in Illinois on heavy weights. I high lighted in bold the units purchased in 1950 era.
|
. |
. |
|||||||
|
10.53 |
18675-18682 |
E8A |
B&O |
26,26A-32,32A even |
8 |
. |
. |
|
|
12.53 |
666:2 |
E8A |
B&O |
51:2 |
1 |
. |
. |
|
|
10.53, 01.54, 08.53 |
765:2-767:2 |
Freight locomotive models that fit 1950-1955:
http://precisioncraftmodels.com/PCM---Baldwin-Sharknose,-HO-c3070.html
http://precisioncraftmodels.com/B115-USRA-lt.-2-8-2,-painted-&-unlettered,-HO-i30853-c3366.html
and take a look at all the models here:
The Stewart Baldwin AS-16 are great for coal drags:
CAZEPHYR , thanks alot for that help. Most apreciated. I will go for a 51-56 layout then. Now what do I use for steam?
Lillen