Hello from Italy guys
I’m trying to collect more informations possible on a H0 NWSL / TOHO Milwaukee Rd “Little Joe” that i got from my uncle’s display case …shhhhhh [:D] …
I have tons of catalogues but unfortunally cant find any NWSL’s and it seems hard to find anything about Little Joe on the net.
At now I just know his nickname [:)] and that it was bought around 70-80s…so if anyone have some infos to share i would really appreciate [:)]…here’s a couple of pictures :
http://img403.imageshack.us/my.php?image=littlejoeperspmd7.jpg
http://img527.imageshack.us/my.php?image=littlejoebottomfrontgr3.jpg
http://img478.imageshack.us/my.php?image=littlejoetop2yg6.jpg
Thanks in advance guys.
Leo
The Milwaukee’s EF-4 class “Little Joes” have been imported in HO brass three times.
The first model imported, and far and away the most numerous, was the NWSL/Toho model imported in 1972 and again in 1973. According to “The Brown Book of Brass Locomotives”, 2,600 were imported. That’s a HUGE number for a brass model.
In 1986, Overland Models imported 170 models in four different versions built by Ajin.
The real “Little Joes” were so-named because they were built for export to the former Soviet Union, then under the rule of Joseph Stalin. When the Cold War intervened, GE found itself with 20 large electrics that it couldn’t legally ship to the USSR. They were regauged (they had been built to 5-foot broad gauge), then sold to other buyers. The Chicago South Shore & South Bend bought three, and the Milwaukee Road bought twenty. The other five were exported to the Paulista Railway in Brazil.
All three of the CSS&SB “Little Joes” have been preserved, with one each at the Illinois Railway Museum (Union, IL), The Lake Shore Railway Historical Museum (North East, PA, not far from Erie, PA, where they were built) and the B&O Museum (Baltimore, MD). Only one Milwaukee Road “Little Joe”, #E70, is preserved, on static display at Deer Lodge, Montana. The rest of the Milwaukee EF-4s were scrapped.
You’re right, there isn’t a lot of info on this model. I found one auction for a similar unit on eBay (link here). The seller includes a photo of the end of the box.
Here is the link for Northwest Shortline’s website, but I’m sure they haven’t imported Japanese brass since the 70’s at the latest. You might get some info if you email them.
http://www.nwsl.com/
[Edit] Thanks, Fritz.
Tips on getting them running.
Remotor them. The open frame motor that was installed is/was a dog. When I remotored mine they (NWSL) suggested the biggest dual armature can motor($40) they had. It works. Also the drivers need to be replaced ($20) with a 22 tooth gearing. Additional work may also be needed. Mine came with a warped drive shaft, not only did this cause poor power transfer to the drive wheels but it also bound the motor through the gear transfer. The second shaft, while straight, has no shims or washers and likes to shift inside it’s housing also causing poor power transfer (cost for both shafts and shims $60). Some of the models also have switch problems. The power switch on the top of the loco that controls where the power is taken from (catenary or track or idle) sometimes has issues. I have polished the contact areas and had to eventually replace the switch ($30).
So on top of the $300 price I paid I paid another $150 to get it running. It’s an average performer. I am planning to put a decoder in it, and from a club member and the staff at NWSL they have said that the performance goes from fair to good. So that will be another $30.
I wish they would make one of these in plastic and I would retire…no I wouldn’t, but I would prefer the plastic one to my brass one. They are great looking engines, but they do take a bit to get working, or at least mine did.
Oh one other note if you have the registeration card SEND IT IN. NWSL will still honor it. I found out too late and had already tinkered with the engine and so it voided the warrenty.
Chris
Thanks all guys for your quick and helpful infos …
i have his box, decals and paper but unfortunally dont have the registration card [:(] …Honestly, I dont know how mutch this model had run in the past but now it seems not to have the problems that Chris one had ( well…at least to my eyes ) …hope to avoid them in the future even if i think it will never run anymore…its place is probably into the display case [:)]…thanks anyway for the precious tips
Leo
Alco also imported one, built by KMT w/ all of the typical KMT problems(split gears, atrocious u=joints and realy bad open frame motor). I’ve dropped a hint to BLI/Precision pointing out that they could probably peddle a dozen in thinly populated N Idaho. We’ll see.
I have this engine and I had been debating re-powering it to PDT’s. If it just won’t go anymore thats what I will do, but it does run OK, having done some hard wiring for better pickup.
26 inch minimum radius for it. And believe it, their not small.
It needs a flywheel, how to fit, dunno.