Are Denver & Salt Lake L-77 steam engines pure freight engines or can i use the loco also for passenger trains?
Probably with 50’ drivers and a low 225 psi. I think their 300 class 4-6-0s with 63’ drivers would better fit the job.
It is your choice.
Luke
I’ve seen a photograph of one of them running as a HELPER to a passenger locomotive (a Rio Grande K-59 2-8-2) during the time when Rio Grande had taken over operations on the Moffat Line. At that time the Moffat Line rail weight restricted the locos that the Rio Grande could use on the line (mainly 4-6-2, 2-8-2 and the lighter 3400 2-8-8-2’s). However, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Moffat Line didn’t use those neat little 2-6-6-0’s as passenger power over their 4% Rollins Pass route, prior to the opening of the Moffat Tunnel. With 17 of those powerful little Mallets on their roster, I"m sure that the D&SL used them in all kinds of service.
I’ve used mine as a helper for one of my 4-6-0’s on my own Yuba River Express. Looks neat. [:P]
Tom
I will take every opportunity to remind potential manufacturers the D&SL 2-6-6-0 Mallet would be a very popular model if they’d produce one. It would be perfect for small layouts even if, as it should, only the first set of drivers were articulated like the prototype. They’re darn handsome too.
Mark
I’ll second (and third) Mark’s opinion. The D&SL 2-6-6-0 is the perfect Mallet for an HO layout–it’s small, compact, handsome as all get-out and even with the prototypical articulation can take smaller radii without unsightly boiler overhang.
Unfortunately, right now they’re only availble in older PFM brass imports–which usually tend to run fairly expensive (mine cost $600 used almost 10 years ago). It would be a perfect project for Spectrum or BLI to produce and probably prove very popular with steam enthusiasts.
Dang good little Lokie, IMO.
Tom [:P]
Acually, these engines have been going for under 400 dollars since I started keeping track of them about 5 months ago. I’ve seen at least a half a dozen go on Ebay since then. My Dad picked one up on Ebay last October that needed some work for under 250.00. I remotored, regeared and painted it for him as a Christmas present. This was one of the harder engines I’ve had to re-gear. There isn’t much room in these little engines for the normal NWSL Hi-Low gearboxes.
Can’t speak for the models, but I have driven over Rollins Pass and I can assure you that nobody who wanted to live to see the next morning would have been running fast, either upgrade or downgrade. The curves on both sides of the summit were TIGHT!!! The same curves on a highway would have had 25MPH yellow signage.[|(]
Very interesting trip, on a one-time basis. Drove west-to-east. When I got to the bottom (next to the Moffatt Tunnel portal) on the east side I saw a sign that claimed the Needle’s Eye Tunnel was impassable. I had driven through it about forty minutes earlier.[:-^]
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Chuck,
The county probably just wanted to keep out the yahoos. County employees probably got tired rescuing the incompetent.
Mark
Onequicknova:
That’s a BEAUTIFUL job on that locomotive. When I re-motored mine, I finally gave up trying to figure out where a hi-lo might fit in it and just connected the NWSL motor shaft to the original gearing. It’s still fairly noisy, but it runs much smoother than the original open-frame motor (which died on me, LOL!).
It’s still a really sweet little lokie, though. Like it a lot. And they pull like a house afire![:P] Glad to know that the prices have come down on them, also. Makes me think about looking for another one.
Tom [:)]
Chuck:
I wonder how long that sign’s been there, LOL! A buddy of mine and I did it in a jeep east to west back in the late '60’s and decided that we’d just go as far as Yankee Doodle Lake above the Ladder. This is when the rotting ties were still lying on the roadbed. Got as far as the big curve above the lake, then decided to just go for it. Scary and spectacular! Ended up at the West Portal with no problems except for bruised rear ends. Dang, what a trip! Like to do it again before I cash in–that is some INCREDIBLE scenery up there. Favorte spot was bumping down the grade below the site of Arrow–you don’t realize the grade until you see where that level spur went. Whoa!
Tom [:P]
Thank Tom.
My dads engine didn’t come with the original gear boxes, or I would have used them also. It took a lot of trial and error, but I finaly got the NWSL Mod-3 gear boxes to fit. If I remember correctly, the only modification to the engine its self was to remove a little material from the bottom of the boiler to clear the new U-joint between the two gear boxes.
John.
D&SL 2-6-6-0’s in passenger service
This D&SL loco is the first and only brass loco I have ever purchased at full new price. I bought it from my LHS back in the 70’s when it was less than $300 new in its blue PFM box. I used it only in freight service on my old Disputanta and Danville Western HO layout. (pictured below)
I still think it is one of best looking little mallets I have ever seen or run. I haven’t run it since the early 80’s.
I was just back from 4 years in the air force and had not honed my skills in MR’ing at most levels (painting, or scenicing) so forgive this ancient image.
I don’t know a whole lot about the Moffat Road, other than what’s in"The Giant’s Ladder", as I’m a B&O guy generally. But it is intersting that these little mallets were based on B&O’s 'Old Maude" 0-6-6-0, after D&SL’s observer at the Sand Patch trials was mightily impressed. D&SL was one of the very first buyers of articulated engines, and their first ten were delivered as 0-6-6-0’s, later having pilot trucks added.
As far as models go, I wonder if the old Aristo Craft model could be kitbashed? A really good article appeared in MRing mag years ago where they kitbashed a very nice little 2-6-6-0 model using the Mantua logger articulated and a Tyco Chatanooga Choo Choo boiler, along with a Bachman Reading tender. This might be available online at Train Life.
This would indeed be an excellent model for some builder such as Bachman. Those small drivers, articulated, could probably handle 18 inch curves easily.