After going to a local train show on 9/3/11,I came back with an engine type that had always caught my eye- a Prairie.Then, while looking on ebay, I noticed a Kemtron cab-forward nose piece.Immediately, an evil idea formed. Since prairies were used on uneven trackage (i.e. a logging line), and the northwest being one of the biggest logging areas, and also having MANY tunnels, it seemed feasible to assume someone had thought of such a combo back then, but hadn’t found it neccesary to follow through. But what if…
YOU will decide the fate of my Mantua Praire- type locomotive!
Please send your ideas & comments for further mulling over.
If it has a coal tender, it can’t become a Cab Forward. You’ll have to change to a tender for an oil-fired engine.
That does present a lot of possibilities for a very unusual engine, even if it’s not “prototypical.” Logging railroads in particular were very adept at cobbling together some very unique equipment, so your idea of a Prairie Cab Forward is not beyond the realm of possibility.
More than one railroad modified coal tenders to carry oil by simply putting in an oil tank where the coal would normally be stored. This wouldn’t be hard to do on a model tender. Close in the coal storage area with sheet styrene and add a fill valve assembly and whatever else that would be necessary.
An old Bachmann 0-6-0 short Vandy tender. All metal machined, not sintered Kadee, wheels Sound in tender. All wheel pickup on tender. All drivers pickup.
