If I have a model of Great Northern 4-8-4, can I use it on freight trains.
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If you have the Belpaire boilered version with 73" driver that was used almost exclusively on freight trains, the radially boilered version with 80" drivers was almost exclusively used on passenger trains.
Rick Jesionowski
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“Almost exclusively” !
So, it sounds as if the GN 4-8-4 could be used for both passenger and freight.
Rich
Depends a lot on time frame. When new, they would have been used to haul the top passenger trains of GN, especially the Empire Builder. After GN bought diesels for the Builder in 1945, they could still occasionally be seen on the train, but otherwise would drop down to less prestigious passenger trains, and to GN’s long-distance fast-freights. By the time those trains had been all dieselized, the engines were around 20+ years old and so were retired rather than being put on like local freight trains and such.
The GN S-2 Northerns are right behind their P-2 Mountains as my favorite steam locos of all time.
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