anyone have any suggestions to back date either a Bachmann 2-8-0 or IHC 4-6-2 to this time period. Don’t have very much room and the rolling stock of this period will work , 36 foot freight and 50 foot passenger. Also what other engines would fit this period. Not very good at soldering.
Carl, both of those engines fit in the post 1900 time frame. IIRC, 4-6-2 engines started appearing around 1903, and the Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 is a classic turn if the century engine. Not real sure about back-dating the 4-6-2, but the 2-8-0 would have had a high smokebox mounted lamp, rather than the electric lamps used leter.
Freight cars were in the 36’ to 40’ range back then(still lots of wood/truss rod underframes). Passenger cars were already up to 80’, but with wood siding. There were still a lot of 50’-60’ passenger equipment, but mainly baggage cars.
Most of those 50’ open platform passenger cars were something from the 1870’s
From the freight and passenger car descriptions given here are some locomotives that I think would match:
Bachmann 4-6-0
MDC 4-4-0, 4-4-2 look for the “old timer” designation on the labels.
Rivarossi 2-4-0, 4-4-0
IHC 2-6-0, 2-6-2, 4-4-0, 2-8-0 (motor is in tender)
1910 was sort of a pivotal year for locomotives, where things started changing rapidly from those listed above to the classic designs used by USRA in WWI. Research will be required to get the exact details for any given wheel arrangement for any given railroad for 1910. Some railroads were more inovative than others.
Many short lines such as the Maryland and Pennsylvania continued to use open platform 50’-60’ passenger cars. Closed vestibule were the “modern” passenger cars and came in 50-60’ lengths as well as 80’. Locomotives with trailing trucks were just beginning to be made. 2-8-0, 4-6-0, 4-4-2, and 0-6-0 were popular. 2-6-0 and 4-4-0 were still around also. 4-6-2’s were in their early stages. 2-6-2’s were around but not real popular. Most models made represent later versions with later fittings. But check the manufacturer’s websites, many of them give the prototype and year for their model.
The Bachmann 2-8-0 is a 1903 Baldwin prototype. To backdate it to pre-WWI, you should probably at least change out the valve gear and cylinders, remove the muffler and generator, and change the headlight to a large kerosene-type (but probably NOT to the old-fashioned box-type headlight). Spoked lead truck wheels would help backdate it too. More advanced conversions would include changing out the air pump for an older single-phase, removing one of the air tanks and at least some of the cooling pipes, and possibly backdating the check valves and class lights.
The IHC pacific is a USRA light Pacific, making it only appropriate for post-1920 use. The only early pacific on the market os the Bowser NYC K-11, which dates to 1910 (the Bowser engine can be kitbashed into a 1907 era K-3). Again, simplify the valve gear, change the cylinders, and remove most of the piping.
Neither engine would have been built with wood cabs, at least not for a class 1 road.
Well, you don’t NEED to solder a metal steam kit together, so I’ll include Bowser and the old Roundhouse and Mantua lines of engines:
2-6-2 - 1901
2-10-2 - 1902 (yay ! i’ll be able to run these on my 1903-19-5 layout)
2-8-2 - 1903 (1897 for shipment to japan)
0-6-6-0 - 1904
0-10-0 1905
2-6-6-2 - 1906
2-8-8-2 - 1906
most of these locos were built for specific railroads and not all of them would have been seen on all railroads , so further research into what was used on the railraod you’re modelling will be required . unless you’re freelancing then you can run pretty much whatever you like