front pilot

[Anonymous]

would i be able to put a front pilot on a 0-6-0 steam engine, to make it a 2-6-0??

[joseph2]

What scale arewe talking about? HO or 1:1?

[Anonymous]

Your subject is a bit unclear. After reading yr question, what you are asking is if you can add a pilot TRUCK to a locomotive. The word "pilot" means the front "bumper" as termed in prototype (pilot beam in model parlance) and its attachments--either a "cowcatcher" in some form or else footboards only.

Are you asking about prototype or model? In either case, the answer would be yes, but a lot more complicated and expensive in prototype due to equalization/springing/weight transfer problems.

In a model loco (G gauge or smaller) you would likely have to extend the front mainframe to provide room for a lead truck. (A 2-whl lead truck is also called a "pony" truck, whereas a 4-whl lead truck is generally called an "engine" truck.)

Once the frame is extended to allow sufficient room, mounting a leading truck is fairly simple. A prototype which might shed some light on the subject for you is a 2-6-0 used by the B&O Chicago Terminal. These engines look very much like 0-6-0 switchers except for their pony trucks.

Photos can be seen at www.northeast.railfan.net

[Anonymous]

I don't think there would be any problem with such an idea because prototype railroads did just about anything you can think of, so I'm sure some railroad in the past has made a mogul out of a 0-6-0. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head but I know lots of railroad took off the pony or pilot truck of engines such as consolidations to make them more fit for yard duty.
Fairmont Motorcar Fan.

[cprted]

Actually, the front truck of a steam locomotive is called the pilot truck because it guides the loco into curves.

[cprted]

If we are talking 12":1' the simple answer is yes however it would be purely for visual purposes. Because the loco was designed and built as an 0-6-0 the suspension is set up to distribute the weight among axles so the heighest possible tractive effort is achieved without surpassing axle-load limits. To make the pilot function would require a lot of rather time consuming and expensive work. The downside to having a pilot that just floats is they have a nasty habit of derailing (I operate a 4-8-4 Northern with a floating pilot, believe me it is not fun to rerail!). So, my advise would be to leave her as she is and have fun.

Happy Steaming!

[Anonymous]

um HO scale

[wallywalkabout]

Ted, you are actually correct. In real life this would not be attempted by any railroad. Model railroaders can do what they want. Beware of the derailment problems tho!

[Anonymous]

I hate to tell you truth be told in real life railroads HAVE added pony trucks to locomotives. I seem to recall that some railroad out here in Ohio rebuilt a number of Mason Bogie locomotive to conventional 2-6-0's and I know Cedar Point, an amusement park still uses 2-4-0's rebuilt from 0-4-4t's. Some it has actually been done, though not necessarily on a large engine. This proves it could be done but back to another point, why would any railroad want too! No railroad in their right mind would convert an 0-6-0 or other switcher to a road engine, however, in the case of Model Railroading I still think this is perfectly acceptable if a person is that desperate to get ahold of a 2-6-0 or whatever, seeing as that is exactly what Bachmann did for theirs!
ConnottonValley2652