Hi all, I am looking to purchase my 1st Locomotive. I am looking for a DCC steam Pennsylvania RR Loco from the 1930s-1940s.
I have looked at several manufacturers and it can be confusing and overwhelming. I want good quality that won’t break the bank. Any suggestions would be appreciated! [:D]
Hi. Your locomotive must meet certain conditions already, I see, but there are others. For example, on what kind of rail system do you intend to run it, what scale, and what curvature radius will you have as a lower limit? It all matters.
The top PRR model seller right now would have to be Broadway Limited Imports. They have several engines to offer on their website.
An idea of how big the bank is, would be a good place to start. 100,200,300. No sound, what is the minimun radius that you need, like 18’‘, 22’’ and so forth, that will determine what will work on it before you buy any steam locomotive.
My apologies, I was trying to fit alot of info into the description but left out half of it. It is HO scale with 18" curves. I understand some BLI locos are $300 and accept that, but if there are others that are good and cheaper I am all ears. Also I am having a hard time finding any BLI’s that fit my perameters INSTOCK.
Low budget probably means Bachmann. Buy something new if you’re not used to this. Also, if you have a small pike, avoid a loco with more than 6 driving wheels. I would avoid logging locos (for now). Take your time, shopping is also part of the fun! Simon
We don’t know how this engine will be used, so I don’t think the K4s would be my first recommendation. I would probably look for a good price on the BLI H10s. The K4s was strictly a passenger locomotive. Any use of a K4s on freight would be highly unusual. The H10s was the standard 2-8-0 for Lines West of Pittsburgh until around WWII when a lot of them began to migrate east. After that they were found pretty much system-wide. They were widely used on locals, branch lines, yard jobs, helpers, work trains, and just about any other duties. It was rare for them to be used of passenger trains, but it did happen. The H10s was extremely nimble, and the new one from BLI should be able to handle fairly tight curves. They lasted till the very end of steam in 1956-7.
Another option would be the P2K USRA 0-6-0. PRR had 30 of them, all built for Lines West, and I think they pretty much stayed in Pittsburgh or lines west of there throughout their careers. Most were disposed of by about 1950, although a few lasted until about 1952-53. They were mostly restricted to yard service, so they would not be suitable for as many different jobs. I don’t know how easy it might be to find one of these, but it would be cheaper than the BLI H10s.
The USRA L2s 2-8-2 from BLI might be worth considering, but after the 1920’s PRR only had five of them and they were restricted to service out of Cincinnati, and were all retired in 1948.
Maybe none of these prototype considerations are important to the O.P., but the info is here if it is important to you.
One other thing: Don’t forget model railroad shows where you might find a decent price on an old Penn Line/Bowser engine. You could do worse.
Just thought about your name, which suggests you’re probably from New Jersey, and may intend to represent that area in model form. If so, bigger PRR engines like the I1s, M1a, J1, T, or Q would be out of place. If any of these ever found their way to N.J., it was probably a pretty rare event. As for a passenger engine, an E6s 4-4-2, a G5s 4-6-0, or a K4s 4-6-2 would all be very good choices, but the only one readily available on the market right now is the K4s. For a general utiulity engine, I’d stick with the H10s mentioned above, which is supposed to show up at hobby shops “soon”. If anybody were to produce a B6sb 0-6-0 switcher, that would be a good choice, too. Some folks have expressed a wish that somebody would produce an L1s 2-8-2. I’m not sure about use of those locos in N.J.
GREAT INFO, THANK YOU! I am from N.J.! I am not modeling a speciffic line or town… all fictional, but I want something true to the era and used in this area (jersey shore).
PRR H8/9/10 2-8-0s were identical except for cylinder diameter, and would be a good choice for PRR around the Port of New York. At least one crossed the bay to Brooklyn and ended up serving the Long Island RR (a wholly-owned Pennsy subsidiary at the time.)
Right about the differences in cylinder diameter, which would be impossible to detect in HO without a magnifying glass and very careful measurement. But the H9s had “snifter” valves cast into their cylinders and H10s didn’t. That’s the only reliable way to tell them apart, and it’s a pretty minor item. As far as I can tell, the Long Island received 19 second hand H10s from PRR between 2/1928 and 6/1929, and numbered them 101-119. PRR could spare the engines. They had hundreds of H9s and hundreds of H10s. If you’re looking for a freight engine, the H10s is probably just about ideal as long as your curves are no tighter than 18" radius. Broader curves if you can manage it. Now go out and look for bargains.
I model Canadian RRs, so I’m learning a lot here, thanks guys. The thread contains a lot of recommendations towards more expensive locos. Since this would be the first loco purchase, I wonder if this is the best option. Earlier, I recommended a Bachmann product, not because I’m a big fan of that, but simply because it is probably lower risk, especially the Spectrum line. There are lots of dollars involved in this hobby, and the loco is just the beginning. DCC requires a proper system that fetches a lot of dollars, track is not cheap, and decent rolling stock is also expensive if good couplers are required. And when we start the hobby, we don’t always realize what we like best… so I stick with my recommendation. The 4-6-2 K4 is a really nice model, and a search on the web shows that they were even used for freight on occasion (search “K4 used as freight engine”). The latest Bachmann 2-6-0 is also an option, even though it’s not prototypical for the period. Unfortunately, there are no low priced 2-8-0s, which would have been nice. Anyway, I guess the idea here is to keep in mind the other purchases the come and the many unknowns when we embark in such a project.
Thank you all for such an interesting discussion about PRR (even though it’s not Canadian…)
Absolutely right. I have a tendency to let my prejudices get in the way. One of my strongest (worst or best?) prejudices is to favor prototype accuracy. That’s not so important to a lot of folks, and they should not let my bullheadedness dictate what they ought to do. The price factor is the reason I suggested the possibility of a used Penn Line/Bowser PRR H9s. Used engines can be problematic, but the H9s has a robust mechanism , and it might not be too hard to find a good one. There’s no question that some of Bachmann’s less expensive offerings are good value for the money, and deserve consideration. As for that K4s, NJ is the last place they were used in significant numbers, so it is a contender.
If you are interested in prototypical information on PRR steam locomotive assignments in NJ, I have included a link to a pdf file, PRR Form MP229. Just click on the link and decide which year you wish to research. Scroll down a little to the “New York Region.” The chart will show the PRR classification and road numbers of the locomotives.