I’ve been doing some research on 4-8-0 Twelve Wheelers because I want to add two to my roster. I’ve come to find out that they were not very popular in North America, only a handfull of roads even owned them, and they became pretty obsolete around the turn of the century. I can only find photo’s of Monon, N&W, and NP loco’s, but they’re not very great shots. Does anyone have any suggestions on bashin’ one? I’m thinking of starting out with a Spectrum 2-8-0, lengthining the pilot and adding a four wheel lead truck. Thanks for the help everyone. Dave
Check the August Issiue of Trains.
There is an Article by Ed King that talks about 4-8-0s and there is a side bar of surviving examples.
James
Its spooky because I was also thinking about this as a project!
Your dead right not many railroads seemed to like them. I tend to like eastern roads (maybe because in my visits across the “pond” I’ve yet to travel further west than Chicago!) and had my eye on the N&W M class. There are lots of great photos of these in O Winston Link’s “Last Steam Railroad in America” book, its just one of those books a rail fan should have.
My thoughts on a starting point for the N&W M was an MDC Harriman 2-8-0 kit. Although I have never seen a drawing of this class, it looks about the right size, and has the destinctive sloping section in the boiler (wagon top boiler?). The pilot would need to be altered and a 4 wheel leading truck installed and a coal tender subsituted for the Vanderbilt.
The only drawing of a twelve-wheeler I have seen is in Kalmbach’s Steam Locomotive Cyclopedia Vol 1 which has a drawing and photo of a GN G1 class. This has a low pitched boiler with a typical GN Belpaire firebox, putting both the Bachmann and MDC Harriman Consolidations out of the equasion as starting points. Maybe the C19th Consolidation MDC did might be a better starting point for this engine?
Excellent idea Boxcar. By using the MDC kit I can free lance it, and make it to look as if the G&D shops built it instead of a major locomotive manufacture. I’m going to keep the Vandy tender though since this particular model is going to be an oil burner. Thanks for the idea. We’ll have to share pics when our projects are complete. Dave
Dave;
I would suggest starting with the low drivered Spectrum 4-6-0 (listed at 52" diameter, but measures 56"), then lengthening the chassis. The N&W and SP 4-8-0 had un even driver spacing - like the 4-6-0 and unlike the 2-8-0. The biggest challenge of creating a 4-8-0 is around the cylinder/lead truck and main rods. Trying to fit the trailing axle of a four lead truck between the cylinders and lead driving axle of a 2-8-0 is very very difficult.
A number of SP’s 4-8-0’s survived quite late. TW-8 #2914 survived and is on display in Bakersfield.
You might want to consider the obvious. Mantua made a 4-8-0 and they’re frequently available on eBay. Personally, I think the Mantua model looks a bit awkward, but it might be a good starting point for one of the earlier SP 4-8-0’s as well as using the mechanism as outlined below.
It might be possible to cobble up a reasonable model of an SP TW-8 using the Mantua mechanism and the MDC Harriman boiler, cylinders, cab and short Vanderbilt tender with which a number of TW-8’s were outfitted at one time or another. Below is a link to picture of #2914. Note that not all the TW-8’s were equipped with two sand domes and that most carried the headlight mounted in the standard SP slightly below center postion on the smokebox front. Just from eyeballing it, I believe the MDC Harriman boiler is the closest in overall size to a TW-8 boiler.
http://espee.railfan.net/nonindex/preserved/2914_sp-steam-tw08-kevin_stevens.jpg
You might also be able to bash a TW-3 using the chassis of an MDC Old Time 2-8-0 as a starting point since all the drivers were equally spaced on that class (unlike the TW-8) and lengthening the frame forward of the front driver. The Mantua boiler might be useable, but would probably have to be sh