I’ve been pouring through all of my train books, and have as of yet to come across a consolidation that’s pulling passenger service. I thought maybe it might just be the books I have ?.
With the small driver wheels, it was generally used in freight service but this came up in another thread and it was stated that they were really general purpose locos. I’m sure there were instances when they were used in passenger service.
Like virtually every model of steamer, there were several versions, and these tended to be improvements for intended purposes and use as time went on. For example, there were light and heavy Consolidations just as there were light and heavy Mikes. They were made in those forms for specific requirements. Some locos had small drivers for slower but stronger freight service, while others were provided with larger diameter drivers for fast freight (persihable stuff) and passenger service.
Edit - found this thread in the Protoype forum, under the Layouts and Layout Building
What this is all about is that I’m trying to justify selling my Spectrum Santa Fe Consolidation and buying a Model Power Santa Fe 4-6-2 Pacific to pull passenger service. So far the Pacific is in the lead…
TL: Consols were sometimes used in passenger service, but generally it was in slower mountain service. Both the Rio Grande (standard and narrow gauge) used them in branch-line passenger service and as helpers on main-line passenger service. Western Pacific had several 2-8-0’s that were used for passenger service, and both Colorado Midland and Southern Pacific used 2-8-0’s either as main or helper locos on some of their passenger trains. But for the most part, once heavier passenger power such as 4-6-2, 4-8-2 and 4-8-4 locos came into use, the 2-8-0 vanished on varnish. Tourist railroads such as the Grand Canyon Railway use 2-8-0’s in passenger service today, but it really wasn’t as common during the age of steam.
So if you want the best of both worlds, hang on to your 2-8-0 and supplement it with the 4-6-2. Use the Consol as a helper on your grades.
Tom [:D]
You’ll regret trading a Spectrum for a Model Power. You are going down two notches in quality. Even Bachmann’s regular line is a cut above MP. My Spectrum Consolidation is my favorite non-BLI loco. Model Power is trainset quality, i.e. bottom of the barrel.
Gosh, don’t get rid of that loco unless you want to be very unhappy with yourself later. EVERY STREAM LAYOUT, okay, most, should have a Connie because they were ubiquitous. They came in huge droves, across the country, and were followed by Mikes. If you want a Pac, go ahead, but get a good one when you can afford it. Better yet, get a UP Mike if one is for sale at Outlet Direct. They pulled passenger trains.
I guess it might have helped to mention that I’m an N scaler… I already own a Model Power Southern Pacific 4-6-2 Pacific, and don’t really have any complaints about it other than the fact that the shell is cast metal and it can’t pull but about ten cars at most. As long as the Santa Fe would be powerful enough to pull four 65’ Bachmann passenger cars or at least ten freight cars without any problem, I wouldn’t complain too much…
They were general purpose. i know for instance that CNR used their consols ( and they had piles of them ) for both. In passenger service they used them on lighter railed lessor travelled branchline’s usually pulling mixed trains. Check out the candian Branchline miniatures web page. Ian Wilsons 6 book series on the CNR steam in the 50’s has many shots of Consols and 10 wheelers pulling passenger equipment on the branchlines.