Here is a video of the Lionel S1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igee9ENbP_k
Lionel says that for each engine they took a real recording of that locomotive, as nice as the Lionel engines sound, I find that claim hard to believe. Weren’t most of the big steamers on the PRR equipped with the same 3-chime whistle? So in theory, the T1, Q2, and S1 would all have identical whisltes?
I listened to the Lionel S1 sound and it is not a PRR whistle in general. Many of the other Lionel whistles that I have heard could be questioned also for their source.
I watched the PRR on the St. Louis mainline for eight years when I was young before they turned to the diesel power in early 1954. The T1’s, K4’s and J1’s all had chimes but the J1 whistle was just a tone different than the passenger power. Overall, they all had the typical PRR sound which is a nice chime whistle. I got to see a Q2 in Chicago in 1948 but it was being serviced and we did not not hear the whistle. My guess, it sounded much like a J1 whistle and the BLI model seems to have that sound in general.
These are some of the pictures that I have of the PRR in Effingham Illinois.
T1 westbound with a J1 eastbound on the far track.
J1 westbound being serviced.
A better choice for drag and mineral service (as I think the PRR called coal, ore, rock, etc) would be an I1 2-10-0 (pre [and post] J1) or if in the Western part of the system, a 2-10-2 N1 or N2.
If memory serves, the J was a good compromise, as it could pull heavy tonnage, but could also pull regular freights at moderate speed (50+ MPH?).
Without looking it up, I think PRR had 500 some I1 units and about 130 N2 and 60 N1 class.
I think they only had about 125 Js and 50 Qs.
The Ms had awfully tall drivers for drag service.
If you look up a video of the Prr I1sa on the Elmira Branch on Youtube, it has my favorite whiste. According to the person that posted the video, its actually not a banshee, but an overblown chime whistle, I agree with him about liking the way the engineer blows it, I love the effect. Its haunting.
Here it is.
The PRR ended up with 598 I1 locomotives and 25 production Q2’s. I believe the prototype Q2 number 6131 made the total of 26 Q2’s.
The N1’s and N2 locomotives were completely worn out by the early forties and the J1 design was borrowed as you probably know from the C&O T1 class to build the new engines quickly for WWII effort.
CZ
You are correct about Q2 production numbers, but the 1949 MP229 (assignment of locos) shows at least 18 N2sa assigned to Columbus and 20 N1s assigned to Erie div. there are a few more N class assigned to Cincy and Indy as well. I suppose they could have all been on the dead line, although I1s of the same age were still running.
Thanks for the list of assignments. The N class were still active in 1949 but as backup mostly. We still had two H10’s in Effingham as protection power at the coaling tower up until about 1950. I believe they were there late into 1949 or so. One would be facing east and the other one west in case an engine failed on the road. It was a hundred miles to St. Louis and those H10’s were the protection locomotives.
The N1’s and N2’s were around in 1949, but had been bumped from most main line assignments in general. The ones that were on the Indy to Cincy assignments were probably still being used since J1’s were not used on that line for what I have been told. The N class probably was used longer out of Columbus for the summer coal train traffic to Sandusky and probably served as helpers for the climb out of Columbus north. In general, the I1 class seemed to be longer than the N class in the fifties.
I have a picture of one N2 in 1947 at Effingham pitch hitting for a J1, but that was the last one that we noticed on the St. Louis line. The J1’s were the standard frieght power on the St. Louis line during the late forties and early fifites. That is my dad’s 35 Ford in the picture. Sorry about the quality but the box camera in those days did not get quality pictures unless it was a bright sunny day.
The N class in general was replaced by the J1’s as the main power on most main lines.
Where can I see the assignment of the locomotives you referred to?
Thank
Seems lie I’m either a thread killer or threads I’m in get mutated [oX)]
Jerry Britton’s kc.pennsyrr.com has links to several mp229 forms.
http://kc.pennsyrr.com/motiveops/index.php
They show LOTS of H10 class around in Ohio in '48-'49.
I think the N1 class was built in Ft. Wayne, right?
Lots of the USRA power hung around in the Columbus area, as did FM diesel power.
I’m not nearly old enough to remember it, but that the area I’m loosly modeling (Xenia) and have done tons of research on Lines West.
Those loco assignment forms are fascinating. You can see how different classes got shifted around over time.
I’m going to try putting enginehouse assignment decals on my fleet based on the Keystone Magazine issues from the 1970’s (and hopefully my ability to see and manipulate things that small).
Now if only BLI (or anyone else) would do a quality plasic H10 with modern drive and pickup for about $150-$200…
I’m building/bashing my own, but it’s expensive and a lot of work.
That '35 Ford looks like a ringer for the CMW HO '36 one.
Thanks for the link. I did not know that one and still enjoy looking at PRR history photo’s and all that goes with it. The 35 and 36 were fairly close in detail. They would only change a few production things in those days unlike the fifites and sixties era.
The H10’s were all over the PRR in the late forties for sure, but were used in local and some switching in certain areas. We had the two in our town as protection and would get on them now and then with the workers at the coaling tower to check the status of the presure and water level. They were kept hot but not up to normal working stea
Those are great photos. Thanks for sharing.
I can’t quite tell if that coal tower is square or cylindrical.
The one at Effingham was a square type of coaling tower.
These are probably the best shots I have showing the coaling tower. It was wider than the lenth but square in design. They had one larege water steel tank.
This is a J1 setting out a reefer with a hot box and the water tank is visible beyond the storage grade for the coal cars. You can see a light spot, which was a fire on the journal of the front truck of the reefer. This was a real hotbox.
CZ