2-10-4 on 22'' radius

[dave777]

I just got a Sunset PRR 2-10-4 and am having a little trouble getting it to work. My min rad is 22''. the engine although is big seems light.I run Trix BIG BOY and other big artics they have no trouble at all. could I do a little clearance work on front and rear trailing trucks? or am I just wasteing my time? help.

[dknelson]

The Big Boy is engineered with side play in the wheels and side rods to take that radius, and of course an articulated was intended to cut the total wheelbase more or less in half.
A 2-10-4 has a much larger RIGID wheelbase which is what is the source of your problem. I would be surprised if that locomotive would go around anything less than 28" radius curve. 22" is a very very tight curve and our models have all sorts of scale compromises built in so they can manage it. Your brass engine has fewer of those compromises. I would not alter the collectible value (and running properties) of the engine in an effort to make it go around such a tight curve.
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

Dave you are right. I have a 2-10-4 and it does
has trouble on 27 inch curves. I built 29.5 inch
curves and it is ok. I don't know how a 2-10-4
would even start to go around a curve that sharp.
I would think that the drivers would hang off of
the track. It's the same as running long rolling
stock on small radius curves. They say it can be
done but it doesn't look right and you won't be
satisfied. You are also right in not altering that
engine. Ross

[Anonymous]

I have a Mantua 2-10-2 Decpod that will run (poorly) on 18" radius curves, but only because it has blind drivers (no flanges) on the center three axles. Boy does it look ridiculous! I need a bigger layout! :)

[nfmisso]

You are wasting your time, and if modified, the value of your locomotive.

If you want to run it, start thinking about a new layout with 30" min radius, or join a club with one.

Nigel

[nfmisso]

I believe that you are referring to a Mantua 2-10-0 Decapod. This locomotive is MUCH MUCH smaller than the PRR J1 2-10-4. The J1 has 69" drivers, none of them blind, where as the Mantua has 61½" drivers.

Nigel

[dave777]

Sounds like I'd be wasting my. thanks for the input.I'll just sell it.

Dave777

[dknelson]

It is likely a very nice model and unless you badly need the money I would hang on to it
Someday you may have the layout that can handle such a large locomotive. And who knows if we will even have brass engines by then?

Some of you are probably too young to remember that back in the 1960s Tyco/Mantua's catalog would show a plastic PRR 2-10-4 that was announced for production. It was never actually produced and they quietly stopped talking about it after showing it for a couple of years. I suspect they just found no way to engineer the thing to take the sort of curves their target market was likely to have. And back then AHM had a brass 2-10-4 that was pretty cheap. I can't remember if it was $99 or $50 and maybe Tyco figured they could not beat that
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

Dave I have this engine. My father bought it new.
The price tag is still in the box it was $78.50
new. It was built in 1963. It runs great for
the age of it. I won't sell it and they will sell
for a lot more now than it was bought for.
Ross

[Anonymous]

But what if there is no club with that radius curves i mean not all clubs are standard gauge there are clubs with NARROW GAUGE.

~UP3593