I normally model the Nickel Plate Road but I have a Russian Decapod I’m thinking of doing as DT&I #301. Anyone have any Info/pictures of the loco? Also, what caboose would be appropriate to use with it and does anyone offer the model? The link below is the only picture I could find.
Steve
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4016288
You haven’t mentioned era, and that might not be important to you. I’ll let you be the judge.
DT&I owned fifteen “Russian” 2-10-0’s, all built by Alco’s Brooks Works in March, 1918. They were conveyed to DT&I around 1919, becoming DT&I 300-314. Five (300-302, 308, and 314) were sold to the Minneapolis Northfield & Southern in September, 1933, becoming MN&S 500-504. The remaining ten (303-307 and 309-313) were sold to the Seaboard Air Line in January, 1935, becoming SAL 537-546. DT&I number 311 was re-sold a couple times and eventually belonged to the Gainesville Midland in Georgia. She is preserved at the Historic Spencer Shops in North Carolina in her appearance as SAL 544, and is the only surviving DT&I steam locomotive.
Wright Trak had a resin kit for a DT&I steel caboose several years ago, but it is out of production and represents a design that didn’t exist when the Russian Decapods were active on the DT&I. There was also a brass model of this prototype, but I don’t remember the importer.
DT&I had a class of forty wood cabooses, numbers 60-99, built by Standard Steel Car in 1925. These were identical to a group of cabooses built by or for the Buffalo Rochester & Pittsburgh, which later became B&O class I-10. The Montour also had a small number of identical cars. About five of the DT&I cars are believed to exist (one in service on the Strasburg Rail Road), plus at least one Montour preserved in Canfield, Ohio, and several B&O/BR&P at various locations. Plans were in August, 1958 MR (a great issue, by the way), and a brass model was produced by Overland. I believe the Overland model was produced in two versions: original and as rebuilt by B&O in later years. The original version should be identical to the DT&I car, if you can find one on the second hand market. Otherwise, you can use the MR drawings to scratchbuild one, or modify an available car to be a close match.
Wi
Gidday Steve, some links that should help…
https://www.waverlyinfo.net/d-t—i-steam-engines-1.html
http://dti.railfan.net/Pototype_Images/Motive_Power/Steam/Steam.html
http://dti.railfan.net/Pototype_Images/Non-Revenue/Cabooses/60-99Cabs.html
http://dieseldetailer.proboards.com/thread/8301/dt-wood-caboose
Cheers, the Bear.[:)]
Sorry to say the only kit available for that caboose, was made by Brian Everitt and he has sold all he made, and he does not want to make any more. I have one and will not part with it, as it will get made in the future.
Here is the prototype caboose, which was rescued and rebuilt by Brian Yax, that caboose is now in beautiful condition.
Rick Jesionowski
Great photos, guys! I was not aware that the DT&I cars evidently lacked the small restroom window on one side, which was standard on the B&O/BR&P (I’m not sure about Montour). The text with the MR drawings says the same design was used with side doors on the Unadilla Valley.
This Standard Steel Car caboose design would be a natural choice for a kit manufacturer like AMB. They were used by several different roads with only very minor variations, and several found their way to other owners such as Strasburg Rail Road, Youngstown & Southern, and Wellsville Addison & Galeton in later years. They have a near-perfect “railroady” look that would fit in on a freelance road, no matter what its theme or theoretical location.
Page 154 of Trostel’s book shows DT&I caboose 3, which came from predecessor Ohio Southern, and bears some resemblance to UP’s standard wood caboose, available from Walthers.
Tom
I would probably be looking at 1920-25 for era as I like the “Russian” look of 301. I assume this would be a wooden cab?
Steve
Thanks, Bear for the links. Looking at the pictures in the link below #301 has what looks like the original smoke box cover and light while #307 and 311 are updated. Is this an update that happened to all the Russian pods?
Steve
Hard to say whether all of DT&I’s Russians got new smokebox fronts, but they probably did. Just when this occurred is hard to say, but your best guide would probably be photos with well documented dates, if you can find them. It’s possible that the records of DT&I loco modifications might exist somewhere in the form of official RFP’s (Requests for Purchase), but this is highly doubtful, and even if they do exist they might not go into sufficient detail to answer your questions.
Also, I doubt that the cab was wood. Steel was pretty much standard by 1918, although some wood may have been used in the interior lining of the sides and roof.
Tom
Tom
Sorry about the confusion, when I said “cab” I meant the cabin car. I would make sense that they would update all of them. The picture of 301 is probably closer to when they were delivered.
Steve