I have a Denver & Rio Grande Western caboose (Walthers Platinum Line, 30’, 3- window with offset cupola).
I want a D&RG steam locomotive to go with it. Can someone please tell me what to buy that is available on the market?
Thanks much
There should be some HO steamers available lettered Rio Grande. IHC has done some, I believe. Try hunting for Rio Grande on Ebay.
However “Through the Rockies, Not Around Them” (their motto), Rio Grande is the classic mountain railroad whose motive power roster was littered with lots of big articulated steam engines that are not readily available outside of brass models. Even the ones that are available are not cheap.
If you are looking for a truly “correct” DRGW standard gauge steam engine, your choices become somewhat limited:
P2K USRA 2-8-8-2, DRGW (Class L-107)
MTH or Athearn warbaby Challenger 4-6-6-4, DRGW (Class L-97). Original Whistle Stop may still have a few left. They are getting harder to find. Note: DRGW preferred their own design, Class L-105, but were not allowed “custom” orders for more at the time, whereas the UP design was tacked onto an order already in construction to save on “valuable wartime materials”. DRGW hated the UP Challengers, leased them only, and returned them promptly after the war–they ended up with Clinchfield.
The challenge for anyone attempting to model DRGW is, excepting the ex-Norfolk and Western 2-8-8-2’s they also received during World War II, they never received a USRA steam engine other than their class L-107 2-8-8-2 (a USRA “copy”). Otherwise no smaller, non-articulated steam engine that they had in standard gauge is even close to anything USRA or anything else available in plastic.
If and when the DM&IR 2-8-8-4 ever becomes available in plastic or hybrid–they spent some winters on the Rio Grande and were well liked by Rio Grande crews.
John
John summed it up to a fare-thee-well. Except for the Proto 2-8-8-2 and the Genesis UP-clone 4-6-6-4, Rio Grande steam power in affordable plastic is pretty nil. You have to go brass.
Caboose Hobbies in Denver has a pretty remarkable collection of both new and consignment Rio Grande brass steamers, everything from their 2-8-0’s up through their big L-131 2-8-8-2’s. However, the prices can be VERY hefty.
One brass loco you might take a look at, if you’re looking for ‘smaller’ Rio Grande steam power, would be their C-48 2-8-0. LMB had a model of it some years back, and the last time I checked Caboose, they had several consignment models available for a pretty reasonable price (for brass)–around $250. I’ve got one, and with a little ‘tweaking’, it’s turned into a very nice runner. And it’s the perfect size if you have a layout with tighter radii (it’ll squeak around an 18" radius and through #4 turnouts with very little trouble.)
But I’m afraid that we Rio Grande standard gauge steam fans (and I model Rio Grande steam) are at the present time, given a choice of brass or mostly nothing. I’ve been modeling Rio Grande for the past umpteen years, and except for the two locos that John mentioned, my rather large steam fleet is still all brass.
BLI, MTH and Spectrum evidently haven’t learned how to go “Through The Rockies, Not Around Them,” yet, LOL![:-^]
Tom [:)]