Greetings all,
Does anyone know of styrene or resin models of the Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific GE EF-4 Little Joe locomotives? In HO scale, preferably.
Thanks & have a great day!
MTH just did one in HO not too long ago.
Yep, that’s the only plastic model made. the rest have been brass from NWSL, ALCO Models and OMI.
Wow. Those came and went without a lot of fanfare…
Hi Loco-breath,
Welcome to the forum!
The MTH models are not due out until next month according to the MTH website. Here’s a link to the product page for the version I have on order: #80-2039-1
The product description refers to the body as “die-cast,” which could mean either plastic or metal construction. In O-scale MTH does all their electric locomotive bodies in die-cast metal. We’ll have to wait and see if they do the same in HO. Personally, I’m most interested to see the operating pantographs in action. In O scale the MTH operating pantographs are beautifully refined. I’m anxious to see if they’ve successfully shrunk them to HO without sacrificing the smooth operation and durability.
The locos were initially built for Russia, but could not be delivered with the outbreak of the cold war. Some of them went to the Milwaukee Road, others were delivered to the Brazilian Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro.
Frateschi in Brazil makes a plastic version of the EP-4, which is a 2+C+C+2 loco.
See their homepage here
Also, three of them walked to the South Shore Line for a few years. (Before being sold, I believe to MILW)
The South Shore 800s stayed on the CSS long after the MILW quit the electric train business.
I just looked at that page, and it says: “New for 2010, the M.T.H. Little Joe duplicates the brute strength and dependability of the original, complete with a detailed die-cast metal body and, for the first time in HO, operating pantographs that raise and lower automatically according to the direction of travel.” Clearly states metal.
Those are off a bit from the prototype (2+D+D+2) , and is old technology, pizza cutter flanges and a cheap motor, they run bad. MTH is the way to go.
[:X]
I should have finished my statement…
“Yep, that’s the only plastic/die cast model made, the rest have been brass from NWSL, ALCO Models and OMI.” Out of the three brass models, the OMI is the best model, runs very well but is out of production and very expensive if one can be located. Its very expensive because it is made mainly out of brass, as as we all know, brass from OMI can be very expensive because they are excellent brass models with a high level of detail and excellent running characterstics and pulling power because it is brass, and a little heavy, as most brass models are.
[swg]
That thing is weird. What direction is it going? LOL
Mistaken I am then.