Mantua 2-6-6-2 with tender

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I just sent an email to Model Power asking the following.

1- Does the loco has pickup from all drivers (both side)?
2- Does the tender has pickup from all wheels?
3- Is there any rubber traction tire on the loco?
4- Does each set of driver are powered (front and rear)?
5- Is the motor a can motor with skewed 5 poles armature?

I am asking here also as I think reply will be faster

Thanks in advance

2

based on the 2-6-6-2T version:

  1. Pickup is right-front drivers, left-rear drivers. No pickup from lead or trailing wheels.
  2. Not sure, but tender is probably cosmetic. It’s a foobie add-on to a tank loco prototype.
  3. Rear engine, right main driver has a traction tire.
  4. Both driver sets are powered from a single motor. Flex link is neoprene tubing.
  5. Motor is a can - but armature design is ???

If you have all solid rail and power to every rail length, the limited pickup is no problem. It would also be easy to add insulated pickups (either flange-back or rail slider) to both engines. I leave extending pickup to the tender as an exercise for the student.

My cosmetically-modified 2-6-6-2T has been tested down to 300mm radius, at which point the drive begins to bind. Don’t know if there would be loco-tender conflict at that (or some wider) radius.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

3

To add to what Chuck has offered, the tender does have electrical pickup - one truck from each side.

As for its prototype, don’t know that either version follows a specific prototype real close, but both are typical of early logging engines of that type.

Sheldon

4

Uintah RR 2-6-6-2 50/51 is a reasonable guess to prototype. The boiler side tanks were removed and a tender (#251) was added after it went to Sumpter Valley

5

I have one of the most recent 2-6-6-2Ts. It’s mostly like tomikawaTT and ATLANTIC CENTRAL have described, but the lead and trailing wheels are also metal now, giving it a little more electrical pickup, and the drive tubing has been replaced with a metal universal. The motor is a 3-pole, straight slot flat can from Mabuchi, but performance is actually very similar to a 5-pole skewed motor.

It’s obvious that Model Power’s cut corners to save on manufacturing costs, but they’re still pretty nice.

6

Jalajoie,

I have one of the Mantua 2-6-6-2 with tender models, Mantua # 345005, the DC version roadname Southern Pacific, road #3932. It has power pick-ups on the tender trucks, one for each side. I also have one of Mantua’s 2-6-6-2T models, Mantua #353001. The tank engine appears very much a match for the tender version, mechanically. The tank version has power pickup only on the front right and left rear drivers. And since the middle drivers on each engine are blind, power pickup is marginal at best. This thing staggers, a lot. I’ll be designing and installing additional pickups per a suggestion from one of the very-learned posters on this thread. There is a traction tire on the right rear driver on both of these locos. I removed it from the driver on the tank engine before I discovered it was a waste of time, since that set of drivers doesn’t have power pick-up capability. The 2-6-6-2 with tender’s prototype, for the Southern Pacific model, appears to be the class MM-3 of Southern Pacific (if the road numbers had extended that far - there were two MM-3s, road #'s 3930 and 3931).

Wilton.

7

Thanks to all for your reply, my interrogations are pretty well covered.

If I buy one it will be use to pull a railfan train.

8

I have one of the early production ones from the 1980s. It was Deep River Logging, I repainted it for my freelanced Bunker Hill & Eastern. It runs on 18" R track, and is a smooth runner. I have added a Cary dressup kit that was offered back then. It includes a smokebox installed air pump, sander lines and a few other goodies, all brass. They are probably still available from Cary/Bowser as individual items. Also changed to constant lighting.