I had decided to buy an IMC Premier 4-6-2 because I liked the look and it fit with the 1880’s theme I was going to build. It was on sale for a good price, evidently because they are closing out that model. Anyway, they don’t have the model they showed, and had a list of other color schemes–but of course some could be hind-end-ugly.
So I don’t mind that I can shop around on the internet and ebay and see lots of good looking trains probably some good bargains. But I haven’t a clue about quality. Figuring I am willing to spend $100 on a loco, and hope to spend less. What would be the brands to look for, and more importantly, which brands should I watch out for.
Did you look at the IHC web site? www.ihc-hobby.com Some of the 4-6-2’s are still in stock at under $60.00 The IHC loco’s are great value. Not as detialed as others, but in my experience they have been very reliable.
You’re not crazy by a long shot, Fergie. The IHC’s are good runners, and perfect candidates for super-detailing. I bought my nephew one for Christmas sometime back right after the Civil War, and it’s still chuffing around his layout very happily, thank you. I’ve got an IHC Mountain (C&O style, and somehow lettered for GN) and it’s a smooth, sweet puller. But what do you mean 1880’s? Or was that a slip of the fingers? The Pacific didn’t come into being until around 1900 as far as I know, and the IHC is a sort of USRA type, which would date it to about 1917 or 18. Anyway, I’d go ahead and get one. They’re pretty nice locos.
Tom
You are right. They came out in 1902. It doesn’t really matter, though, I’m just going with a Pacific Coast Mountain Redwood theme. I just like the steamers.
On Trainworld.com (http://trainworld.com), they have IHC Streamline Pacific 4-6-2 Assorted Roads for $59.99. Call them up and ask them for the specific line you are looking for. Here’s the direct link to the Clearance page:
(It’s about 2/3’s the way down the page.) Trainworld is a great place to order from. You’ll usually receive your order in 3-4 days. Look around the web site. They may have some other good deals.
SpaceMouse: If your theme is Pacific Coast mountain/redwoods, why are you buying a Frisco engine and passenger car? The Frisco ran in the southern Midwest and South (Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma and thereabouts.)
Also, the passenger car appears to be a metal heavyweight passenger car. If you are modeling the 1880’s, that type of car would not have been built for about 40 years. The engine, similarly, is at least 20-30 years ahead of an 1880’s timeframe. So you would have seen that style of engine and car together–in the Southern United States, in the 1920’s.
So, you might look for the following things: A 4-4-0 or 2-6-0 locomotive, with a smaller boiler and diamond stack (west coast railroads typically burned wood until oil became the fuel of choice for western steam engines), and a wood-sided passenger car with a clerestory roof, painted for a Western railroad (for the pacific Northwest, perhaps Northwestern Pacific, Great Northern or Northern Pacific?)
Union Pacific ran in the Midwest until fairly recently–until UP bought Western Pacific in 1982 one would not have seen UP engines in northern California. UP’s rails originally stopped at Promotory, Utah, where the Central Pacific’s (later Southern Pacific) began.
That engine looks a little modern but might not be too bad–although I suspect it is a coalburner, rare in California due to the lack of coal on the west coast. According to the IHC website there is a version in Southern Pacific colors with an oil tender–it would definitely be too modern for an 1880’s layout, but otherwise would work fine.
An 1880’s locomotive would look more like this (admittedly, an 1860’s locomotive:)
Have you looked into Southern Pacific? Their mainline ran north from Sacramento through Redding and into the Siskiyous, through some fairly impressive terrain, including redwoods.
Passenger cars: In the 1880’s one would see wooden-sided passenger cars with clerestory roofs for ventilation, and platforms at the end of each car, necessitating hopping from platform to platform to change cars. I think some cars had diaphgrams stretching from one car to another (like modern trains) but they were still pretty rare.
Here’s an open-vestibule passenger car.
Overton passenger cars would be perfect for a late 19th Century passenger train! Just the thing.
The engine is a little contemporary but it would certainly do the job, and the 4-4-0 (American) configuration was a very common early passenger hauler.
