I have seen many layouts and locomotives that include a PRR locomotive with the signature firebox and I was wondering, where can I find the kit as I am preparing to build a large layout with a friend and he is a PRR fan.
thanks in advance
Bowser made a number of PRR loco kits with the Belpaire firebox. I believe they are out of production now, but readily available at reasonable prices on auction sites.
Jim
sucks they do not make it anymore.
While they are not kits BLI has come out with several Belpair boiler PRR steamers. They run good and have sound too. http://www.broadway-limited.com/
The PRR was not the only American road with the Belpair boiler. The Great Northern was another. They also painted their locos green. A lot of shades lighter though.
Bowsers kits were a great alternative to scratch building. Very strong pullers and if done with care they ran great. They are also going for a premium price right now when they come available. Some have the super detail castings and some do not. My I1sa is one of the best running locos in my fleet. The B6sb can pull 20 to 25 cars. They are a lot of work to assemble and detail is not up to modern RTR stuff but they make great locos.
Pete
I believe the Soo Line also had belpaire fireboxes on some engines
But they were not one size fits all. Bowser, using the old Penn Line tooling, used the same basic boiler for the K4 Pacific and the L class 2-8-2; ditto the E6 Atlantic and the H class 2-8-0.
For a time they also used the K4 Pacific boiler for their I class 2-10-0 but it was undersized; later they introduced a correct size boiler/firebox
And they are not easily added to a normal boiler casting either.
Years ago I did take some sheet stock and made a belpaire firebox to fit over a Mantua/Tyco Pacific boiler (which had been otherwise modified to more closely resemble Pennsylvania RR practice. It would not have passed muster but was good enough for me, The big challenge was how to integrate the front edges of the belpaire firebox into the boiler casting itself. I was never very happy with how it turned out.
Dave Nelson
I know the PRR is the only American, other than the Great Northern, to have that firebox style while England pretty much used the style forever.
I didn’t know that. I always thought Soo Line was just a small line that began growing to run nothing but diesels.
Besides the Belpaire firebox, Pennsy locos have a straighter shape to their boilers than many other locos, that is, they don’t taper down as much from the cab to the smokebox.
It gives them a more massive look.
Eric
i never knew that.
I will bet that if someone knocked on the Bowser HQ doors and offered a big pile of money they could walk away with all existing tooling, parts, and intelectual property rights for the steam kits.
Anyone think they could make it a go? (I’m keeping my retirement funds elsewhere.)
Which is what the Pennsy did, they used the same boiler on the K4 4-6-2 and L1 2-8-2, along with a number of other appliances, as standarization saves money.
The same is true for the later H Class 2-8-0, E Class 4-4-2, and G Class 4-6-0 all shared the same boiler but different running gear and the same appliances.
Rick J
standarization everywhere lmfao muahahahahahhahahaha
Yes the Pennsylvania reused certain standard boiler sizes and Penn Line/Bowser followed suit. The problem is that the castings also included running boards and other details which were NOT identical between the classes – but the overall heft and appearance of the engines was very very close to accurate.
I suppose we should add Norfolk & Western to the railroads that used the Belpaire firebox because when they were under Pennsy control, the N&W 4-6-2s were for all practical purposes the same as Pennsy class K2 or K3.
As to the Soo Line, I am not referring to the 1949 or 1961 corporate actions that created a railroad that used that name but the original MStP&SSM plus (original) Wisconsin Central . That dates back to the 1880. They were not a small railroad by any means. They had a considerable steam fleet over the years and while an impressive 19 Soo Line steam locomotives have been preserved, I do not know of any were of the type to feature a belpaire firebox.
EDITED POST Good news, maybe. If you have the DVDs of the complete Model Railroaders going way back, or if by chance you have access to the December 1949 issue, master craftsman Mel D Thornburgh had a mutli part series on scratchbuilding a Pennsy K4, and the December issue contains his techniques for building the belpaire firebox (and the rest of the boiler too). There is a useful drawing full size for HO showing the side view and a section view. Since he was using all brass, he filled in the open parts where the belpaire firebox meets the tubular shape of the boiler with solder. He also advised making templates out of cardstock to test everything out.
Dave Nelson
The N&W E3’s were ex-PRR K3’s that the Pennsy was getting rid of as more K4’s came on the roster. The K3’s were the odd man out on the Pennsy for some reason (one of which was they were a Lines West design).
Rick J
Bachmann made a Spectrum line Pennsy K-4.
AWESOME!! I will look for that issue and/or DVD 
they could always use the K3s they didnt wanna use and create another loco, but that’s probably just my creative side speaking.
For which scale?
HO scale. They still make them. They are light on their toes but do have some room for added weight. The latest version has available sound.
Pete
You were talking about Bowser earlier, so I assumed you were interested in HO.