HO 4-4-2 E-6 Atlantic

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hello, All!
I have just started to try to replicate some of the PRSL , in HO,that both my Dad and I took from Ocean City to Philly/Lindenwold. I would love to do a steam loco, and I guess #460, E6 Atlantic would be the one. I know Mantua makes one, but they are tough to find!
At least, at first, I think I’ll settle for a static display,
so it doesn’t have to be in great running shape.
Does anyone have any suggestions to get me started?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks, and have a great weekend!
Bill Bell
Marmora, NJ

2

I don’t know about the Mantua one, but Bowser/Penn Line used to make one. They show up on ebay, as do some pretty affordable brass ones.

Ed

3

Thanks, Ed!

I will definitely check that out. I was not aware of them.

Cheers,

Bill

4

Bill -

If you are looking for appearance more than performance you might want to look on Ebay for older brass versions. they will probably cost you about the same as a Mantua or Bowser/Penn Line and may have better detail. You can always remotor it and add DCC at a later time if you want to. Good luck.

5

Thanks - that is a great idea!

I just checked, and might have found a Bowser. I am trying to find where #461 was used.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Bill

6

In a search of Pennsy records I found the number 461 assigned to four engines. Two were class D (4-4-0), one was class H1 (2-8-0) and the last was class D16 (another 4-4-0). I was not able to find where they were assigned or any details about their service lives. PRR did not necessarily assign locomotive numbers in sequence, so you cannot assume that because 460 was an E6, 461 would be of the same class. In some cases blocks of numbers were reserved for the same class, while others were scattered at random.

http://kc.pennsyrr.com/ Try this link to a wealth of PRR historical info. With a little digging you can find almost anything you want.

7

Model Die Casting also offered a kit for a Pennsy-style Atlantic.

Wayne

8

Thank you VERY much! That took some work, and that link is fantastic!

#460 was used for a time on the PRSL, and I was hoping that #461 might have also. I have not been able to find the numbers of the steam engines on the PRSL.

Thanks, again, and Cheers!

Bill

9

Hi Wayne,

Thanks - I did not know they also produced an Atlantic! Another great source!

Have a good weekend!

Cheers,

Bill

10

In a search of Pennsy records I found the number 461 assigned to four engines. Two were class D (4-4-0), one was class H1 (2-8-0) and the last was class D16 (another 4-4-0). I was not able to find where they were assigned or any details about their service lives. PRR did not necessarily assign locomotive numbers in sequence, so you cannot assume that because 460 was an E6, 461 would be of the same class. In some cases blocks of numbers were reserved for the same class, while others were scattered at random.

http://kc.pennsyrr.com/ Try this link to a wealth of PRR historical info. With a little digging you can find almost anything you want.

11

Sorry for the double post, almost 8 hours apart. Don’t ask me how it happened 'cause I dunno!

12

Hey, it was so good, it was worth reading twice!!

Thanks again!

Bill

13

The duplicated post on “461” is a good reminder about the Penny’s hard to fathom numbering system for steam locomotives. I found an article that had photos of E6s numbered 460, 92,1142, and 6085.

Fred Westing’s book Apex of the Atlantics (kalmbach, out of print) is probably the best single source for photos, data, and wonderful stories about these locomotives. Stauffer’s Pennsy Power is helpful too.

As far as Pennsy E6s 4-4-2 models go, the old Bowser, formerly Penn Line, is out of production, as are the super detailing kits that Bowser came up with to help bring the old PRR steamers up to modern standards of detailing. The tooling dates back to just about 1950, and frankly looks it, but when properly assembled, detailed, and painted, these all metal models can be handsome engines, and pull like crazy. The tender truck on the Penn Line version was not accurate. They have open frame motors that might not convert well to DCC.

The Mantua model, while handsome, as I recall lacked valve gear and in some ways more closely resembled an E3 or E7 which likewise had “inside” valve gear.

The Model Die Casting PRR 4-4-2 was reviewed in the July 1975 Model Railroader (the new “complete” DVD for MR makes citing such older issues more relevant than ever). Anyone finding the MDC kit and wanting to build it should definitely seek out that review because they had a considerable amoung of changes to suggest. For example cylinders and boiler sit 8 to 12" too high as it comes. And reading between the lines of the review, the drivers on the MDC kit were less than the scale 80" evidently because the wheelbase is scale. I think MDC was trying to make some use of its Santa Fe 4-4-2 tooling.

True, the E6s has been produced in brass several times. But if you can find the parts and have some skills, maybe the best of all solutions is contained in Ron Strachan’s article in the September 1978 Model Rail

14

There are Dolphin tender trucks shown HERE, although I can’t comment on their accuracy.

Wayne

15

Hello Bill,

When you find your Bowser E6, you might want to look up Tom Busack’s article “Apex of the Atlantics - superdetailing Bowser PRR 4-4-2s” in the December 1990 Model Railroader, p. 116.

Good hunting,

Andy

16

Thanks, Wayne!

I bookmarked the site - much appreciated!

Cheers,

Bill

17

Thanks, Andy!

I’ll try to “track” that down!

Have a great day!, and Cheers!

Bill

18

Hi Dave,

Thanks for all that good info! I did find a photo taken at the Ocean City, NJ train station, with an Atlantic, #1600 in front. I found out that this one did travel from Tuckahoe to Ocean City.

Being new to this - if I do get my Atlantic, are decals made so that I can make it either 460 or a 1600? (for the Keystone and the cab sides)

Thanks again!

Cheers,

Bill

19

Sorry Bill I am now a couple of decades removed from being a serious PRR Modeler so I have really lost touch with current resources such as decals. A quick internet search came up with this

http://www.dallasmodelworks.com/products/product_detail_accessories.asp?ItemNumber=MI-460-8766

which suggests that MicroScale (from any source, maybe even your LHS) might be your best bet for PRR steam locomotive decals, and even then the number board [sorry I meant Keystone plate] might well have to be blank (and they are in many models). You’ll also want good resources for how the E6s were lettered and striped – and you’ll also want to know what your era was.

Dave Nelson

20

Good Evening, Dave!

Thank you - a true Gentleman and Scholar!

That link looks like it should do it! Below is the lady I’m trying to do-

http://www.sjrail.com/wiki/index.php?title=Rails_Around_South_Jersey_Volume_1

As I’m sure you know, she has quite a history! As a sidelight, I was looking at a blog of all of us who spent precious time in Ocean City in our youth (1940s-1950s) . One writer remembered seeing #460, arriving in Ocean City, with his Dad aboard! She definitely was a “citizen” during the time frame I want to do!

Thanks so much for the link!

Cheers, my friend, and thanks again!

Bill