The Espee converted one of their KMs into a camera car as well.
tatans
The Grande and SP KM’s were built and test-run in Germany (which is why the sloped-in sides; they had to fit the German loading gauge.) However, they were intended from the first for US revenue service. Considering that most heavy-traffic lines in Germany are electrified, a loco of that size, capable of running from one border to the other and back on a single load of fuel, would probably have been gross overkill on the DB.
Chuck
I believe Overland models produced both the hood and cowl versions of the KM in brass. Later, a second run of the hood units was done. Both hood unit runs included the standard road locomotive and the one-off camera car that SP built from an injured road engine. The first run had the older shaft-drive. The second run had the newer style drive, interiors, and probably better detailing overall. The second-run hood units are sweet. Division Point lists a number of cowl versions for production in brass late this year. The only survivor of the species is the SP camera car at the CA state railroad museum.
hi,
found one:
cheers,
nick
I used to think these locos were ugly as sin, but the more I look at them, the more they grow on me. Seems like there’s enough interest in having a relatively easy to get model. I wonder what Life Like (er,… Walthers) would say if we sent them an e-mail and suggested they make these in the P2K line? I just might do that… what the heck…
it seems more like the kind thing BLI would offer. It seems to specialized for life-like… er well wathers now. if some one would make them i think that woudl be awesome cause they are great locos, but its a very limited groups of people who would be interestood… DRGW fans and those fanatical SP crazies. althougth there are enough SP nut at least around here that I think it would still be worth it for some copany to do.
There was one loco built about 1946 that had a similar look. Built by a company that had been building ships for the war effort trying to diversify. As far as I know they only built the one. Somewhere I have a small side elevation GA drawing of it. According to the information it had a standard cab facing forward and basic controls in a vestibule at the back for switching moves… this seems like overkill as the whole point of what the makers called a “Turret Cab” was to give rearward vision.
The design looks a bit like an early F unit with the carbody behind the cab lowered and windows similar to the KMs. It was intended for branchline use… sort of an early BL.
if I recall correctly the thing was a cowl unit rather than a carbody having a heavy mainframe ather than the truss design of carbodies. The “turret” would have been a bit deeper than the KMs.
Elsewhere I read that SP went to Europe / KM because they couldn’t get an American builder to produce the higher horsepower… but once EMD saw the KMs they got their act together and brought out the higher power. I don’t know if this is true. The same source claimed that the Hydraulics were okay for Europe because the Socialist governments paid for full employment which allowed for the higher maintenand=ce requirements of these locos. Putting it politely… that did not ring true for me. British Rail developed and used diesel hydraulics on the Western Region. Running they were almost as noisy as the US turbines on idle. They were popular with the fans but among the first designs to be dropped. Strangely (thinking about it) the Western class locos had a similar mid-loco cross section with the tapered in sides above a high wais