Randy, thanks for the link to that pic of the two baldwins. I need to take a closer look at my model as far as the hood design goes but one distinct difference I noticed is that my model has four stacks as opposed to the pic which shows only two per unit.
Check here for pictures.
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/rdg_rstr.html (if you have a Reading one)
Baldwin was very inconsistent. 1 stack, 2 stacks, 4 stacks - it all depends on the production date.
The Bowser model is definitely one still powered by a Baldwin prime mover.
The original VO series was fairly early on, so in some cases they were as much experimental as standard production units, which is why there were so many variations. All things Baldwin can be found here: http://baldwindiesels.railfan.net/contents.html
There is a nice internal Baldwin document on the VO series under the 1939 heading on the right.
–Randy
VERY cool link for the Baldwin locos, Randy. Love the internal pics and partially-built units. The top-side views of the hood are quite nice, as well. I’m defintitely bookmarking that one. [Y][8D]
The 660 units are considerably different from the VO-660 series diesels. Was this a prototype unit for those? (It looks more like an elongated Alco S- with the front headlight and side vents.) The front grill on the VO-1000 is also more open. Again, perhaps prototype shots for the article?
Tom
The prime mover went through some changes - the early ones, the oil sump was part of the loco frame, later on it was a more ‘traditional’ engine design witht he oil sump part of the crankcase and the whole prime mover bolted to the frame deck. If you read through the stuff on the Baldwin Diesel Zone site, you can see some of the changes and how they tout them as new and improved. There were two variations of 1000HP units as well, 8 cylinder NA, and 6 cylinder turbo. Standardization? What’s that? We used to build steam locos! That’s also why, at least witht he ones I got, which were all still under the Stewart name, they included the stacks seperately so you could install the proper ones for the prototype you were modeling. Same railroad, same class, could have different stack arrangements. 4 offset, 1 centered, 1 offset, there are a lot of variations. Need to work from pictures to get them right, if you care about such details.
–Randy
Those early VO 1000s had a problem with overheating. That’s why you see some with supplemental radiators.
Yea, that’s what I did with both my VO-660 and VO-1000: On the NYC the VO-660s had one stack (nearest the cab) and the VO-1000 had two stacks; both toward the front of the hood.
Grateful for websites like Fallen Flags where these sorts of pictures can be found. My New York Central System Diesel Locomotives book has been invaluable, too.
Tom