A few years ago I bought a special edition Mantua 4-4-2 in the Glacier Green livery, a found out a bit later that it was actually a Pennsylvania 4-4-2, which would explain the Belpaire firebox. I later obtained a few brass GN steamers including the GN 4-4-2 which looks nothing like the Mantua model.
How could the GN steamers be ignored for so long? I guess it must be as they are too unique looking with their unusual Belpaire fireboxes.
Ignored? You must be too young to remember all of the Tenshodo GN brass steam engines imported by PFM over the years. GN steam has been well covered. There is something like 46 brass engines/cars on eBay right now.
Although GN steam has been well-represented in brass, I can’t think of any reasonably accurate versions in plastic or Zamac.
Since Pennsy was probably the biggest user of Belpaire fireboxes (at least on this side of the Atlantic), and models of many of those locos have been offered in plastic or Zamac, you may find some that could be useful starting points for GN conversions.
Canadian National had some Mikados with Belpaire fireboxes, but the only models of which I’m aware are also brass:
To my knowledge, no GN steam (at least prototypically correct) has been offered in plastic in HO scale. I know that an S-2 is (or was) available in N scale, but that’s about all I can remember.
Brass, of course, is a totally different matter, but you weren’t asking for brass.
BLI had announced an HO S-2 some years back in a brass ‘hybrid’ model, but I don’t know whatever became of that model–the production of it seems to have been put on the back burner.
Too bad, too, because like you, I think GN steam is very handsome. I have several older Tenshodo models on my MR, used as ‘run-throughs’ off of the old WP/GN “High Line”. I like them and they’re very nice runners.
The BLI USRA Heavy Mikado is accurate for an “as delivered” GN O-3 class engine - although technically by the time the “side facing goat” herald came along in 1936, most of the engines had had some changes made…so I guess replacing the herald with the older “front facing goat” would make it more correct. These engines primarily were used on the eastern end of the railroad, and were often seen in the Mesabi Iron Range, Duluth/Superior, and the Twin Cities.
The Spectrum 4-4-0 in GN livery is pretty close - the rear driver should be farther back for example. But overall it’s pretty good.
If you wanted to do a mild “kitbash”, it’s occured to me that a Spectrum heavy Mountain with a vanderbilt tender would, if properly decorated, be pretty close to the GN’s Mountains.
Actually a lot of GN engines didn’t have belpaire boilers, particularly the 19th century engines.
Rivarossi offered their heavy USRA mike in the GN scheme. It was a fairly accurate model as the GN did take some of the USRA copies. This was when they were also offering a Ps-4 Southern heavy pacific with the elesco feedwater heater. While this was a good copy it did suffer from several discrepancies. The trailing truck was one of the standard Deltas offered on most of their models, while the real Ps-4’s had the Cole/USRA trailing trucks. There were also major differences in the tender. This may also be where the GN model suffered as well.
Yup, that would be the reason. That is also why I switched from being a GN modeler to a NP modeler at one point in my MR career. Too expensive for the brass locos, too hard to kitbash even starting with PRR bases, and too hard to scratchbuild.
I agree, there are a variety of GN brass locos for sale from some reputable sellers, I saw 2 beautiful brass GN locos for @ $300 each, fully guaranteed, so there seems to be a lot available in brass which isn’t a bad deal .
Actually the GN O-3 Mikados were USRA engines, not copies. Four of the heavy mikes went directly to the GN in April 1919. They later bought five more USRA heavy mikados that originally went to the El Paso & SouthWestern Ry. during the USRA time, but that road found them to be too heavy for their tracks.
“Steam Locomotives of the Great Northern Railway” by Middleton and Priebe is probably the best source of GN locomotive information.
GN owned six or eight wheel arrangements where at least some of the engines did not have Belpaire fireboxes.
That only signifcant if one is doing a small layout where many locomotives are not required. I am certain there are branches where a Belpaire was hardly ever seen. One of those classes would be the Z-6 Challenger of which there were only 2, very restricted in range, and short lived time wise. My research back when I thought I was going to model the GN indicated that any sizable GN steam era layout would look very strange without locomotives that have Belpaire fireboxes. Otherwise one is modeling the exception rather than the rule.
I’d agree with that. If I were going to model GN in the “steam era” I would probably fudge a little bit and model more the very early transition era…say circa 1941. By that time, GN had a fair number of diesel switchers, and had just received their first FT’s which were used in both freight and passenger service. Those are readily available in plastic model form. Then maybe a couple of BLI USRA heavy mikados, and a Spectrum 4-4-0 for branchline trains, and at least you could start operating. Over time you could fill out the roster with brass engines, purchased over several years to help soften the blow of the cost of brass.
All I have to say is “welcome to the world of steam era modeling”.
With rather limited exceptions, it is very difficult to assemble a reasonably correct road specific roster of any railroad that isn’t PRR without using lots of brass models. There just weren’t that many railroads that used standardized or “off the shelf” designs. That’s one reason why in the past so many elected to “freelance” their own railroad. We hobbyists might prefer the articulated from road A and the 4-8-4 from road B and the 2-10-4 from road C.
Union Pacific: Sure, you can get Big Boys and Challengers, but the other engines are very unique to UP with relatively long front smokeboxes. The BLI 4-8-2 and brass hybrid 2-10-2 are not that common, and in the case of the 2-10-2 can cost more than many other brass models that are out there. Even the MTH 4-12-2 is now harder to find and in serious brass price territory now. Also, UP never owned a 2-6-0, so the cute little Bachmann 2-6-0 with sound and DCC is a “none such”.
There are many more “none such” engines painted up for the other railroads.
Santa Fe: Excepting a few recently done 4-8-4’s and 2-10-2’s by BLI, and the Bachmann 2-10-4 and 4-8-4, and a russian decapod 2-10-0 that ran on a Santa Fe subsidiary, one must use brass to properly model Santa Fe. The 4-8-4’s and 2-10-4’s ran on the mainlines–to actually “model” Santa Fe, one is going to need other motive power found in brass in limited quantities and sometimes questionable quality. However, the 2-8-0 is common in brass and sometimes affordable, but may require detail upgrades. You cannot just use a Bachmann 2-8-0–the Santa Fe version is way different.
Southern Pacific: OK, one can get Daylight 4-8-4’s and cab forwards–but they had an extensive roster of everything else, most of which is
I have started to fill the GN Roster with brass. Have most of the GN steamers with the exception of the mallets. As fantastic as they look my layout is just too small.
Most of the duplicates on my roster are the H5 Pacifics and O Mikes as they were the mainstay, branchline filled with E class 4-6-0’s and F class 2-8-0’s
All I have to say is “welcome to the world of steam era modeling”.
With rather limited exceptions, it is very difficult to assemble a reasonably correct road specific roster of any railroad that isn’t PRR without using lots of brass models. There just weren’t that many railroads that used standardized or “off the shelf” designs. That’s one reason why in the past so many elected to “freelance” their own railroad. We hobbyists might prefer the articulated from road A and the 4-8-4 from road B and the 2-10-4 from road C.
Union Pacific: Sure, you can get Big Boys and Challengers, but the other engines are very unique to UP with relatively long front smokeboxes. The BLI 4-8-2 and brass hybrid 2-10-2 are not that common, and in the case of the 2-10-2 can cost more than many other brass models that are out there. Even the MTH 4-12-2 is now harder to find and in serious brass price territory now. Also, UP never owned a 2-6-0, so the cute little Bachmann 2-6-0 with sound and DCC is a “none such”.
There are many more “none such” engines painted up for the other railroads.
Santa Fe: Excepting a few recently done 4-8-4’s and 2-10-2’s by BLI, and the Bachmann 2-10-4 and 4-8-4, and a russian decapod 2-10-0 that ran on a Santa Fe subsidiary, one must use brass to properly model Santa Fe. The 4-8-4’s and 2-10-4’s ran on the mainlines–to actually “model” Santa Fe, one is going to need other motive power found in brass in limited quantities and sometimes questionable quality. However, the 2-8-0 is common in brass and sometimes affordable, but may require detail upgrades. You cannot just use a Bachmann 2-8-0–the Santa Fe version is way different.
Southern Pacific: OK, one can get Daylight 4-8-4’s and cab forwards–but they had an extensive roster of everything el
Regarding GN steam, the Great Northern Historical Society recently published a truely outstanding book on the topic. This will most likely serve as the number one reference book for GN steam fans for many years. … I have a copy, and it is hard to put the book down.
!(http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m620/northern10/Great Northern/gne154-6-0painted.jpg)Has there ever been a plastic model of a Great Northern steam engine released?