A recent call to an old friend in the Chatham-Kent Model Railroad Club told me about a Rivarossi 2-8-0, low boilered version made of metal. It is from anywhere from the 60’s to the 80’. Could anyone tell me anything about this engine?
He also has a Canadian Pacific 4-6-0, all metal construction, again from rivarossi. How good is this engine, again, from the same time period as the 2-8-0.
Rivarossi never made any steam engines with all metal construction. They did have a 2-8-0 for a short time in the early 60s. The tender frame was metal, but many deteriorated and self destructed over time.
Rivarossi’s only 4-6-0 was the “Casey Jones”, which had an upright motor in the cab. I think they’re pretty good as long as they’ve been kept in good shape.
They also made a 4-4-2, a very SP looking engine, I have what’s left of two of them but the frames turned to “dust”. From the late 50’s as best as I can determine but the cabs and boilers were a very heavy unusual plastic, almost like Bakelite. Probably nice little engines before they turned to dust, I acquired mine in the mid 1960’s and one had a “piece” of the frame left and said Rivarossi on it. They both had the same tender as was used behind the 0-8-0 but that could have been changed I guess.
Mark
WGAS
Maybe the 4-6-0’s were casey jones engine, but what paint schemes did they come in? The guy says they are Canadian pacific, or is that a custom paint job? He also said that the 2-8-0 was a well running engine. Maybe the tender is off of a different engine?
There was Rivarossi stuff BEFORE AHM became their prime distributor in the US. Sometimes that earlier stuff would show up in an AHM “funeral sale” of broken or defective engines. Without knowing the full history of the line I’d be reluctant to say there was never a metal boilered Rivarossi product. All I know of is plastic.
This page shows some steam locomotives that were pre-AHM including a 2-8-0 and that 4-4-2.
http://www.rivarossi-memory.it/ENGLISH_VERSION/Riva_American_Locos/Riva_American_Steam_Locos.htm
Dave Nelson
The Rivarossi 2-8-0 was a model of the Italian State Railways class 740. Later versions of this were made until the end of Rivarossi’s independent production.
It was sold in a USA version, lettered (I think) for Santa Fe and possibly other roads.
There was a 4-4-2 sold in both USA and Italian versions but it had no Italian prototype. the details were similar to the 2-8-0. There was also a Milwaukee Road streamlined A class 4-4-2 which ran with Italian prototype cars that resembled pre-war Hiawatha cars.
M636C
Recognize that Rivarossi of that period used the deep, European-style flanges. Code 100 rail would be a requirement; They may pound your spikes for you with Code 83; and on Code 70 it is a very bumpy ride, if they run at all.
Bill
Well, you are partially correct there, while “most” of their engines had deep flanges that 4-4-2 I mentioned did not. I still have the rest of those locos including the drivers and the flanges were not of the European variety and would easily operate on code 83 and possibly code 70 as well. As for most of the rest of their line up you are correct…BIG, DEEP flanges.
Real shame they made the frames on those 4-4-2’s out of such brittle and substandard metal as they are nice looking engines. I was going to build new frames for mine but then in the late 60’s I picked a pair of the MB Austin 4-4-2s and shelved the idea along with the parts. Since then there have been several SP 4-4-2’s imported with much improved details so now it’s a non-issue issue.
Mark
WGAS