I think one of the handsomest small steam locomotives made was the G5s used by both the pennsy and the Long Island Railroad.
It was used for commuter runs on Long Island. When I was a child in the 50s, we used to go to the main line and put pennies on the rail and wait for the train to come barrelling through town. What a job that locomotive did on that penny !
I had been waiting to buy an HO model of that engine for many years, but now I find out that Bowser no longer sells steam locomotives.
Oh, well I waited too long. Anyone know where I could find one for sale?
Frank inAnderson, SC
retail9761@yahoo.com
Can't help you with an HO model, however Mike's Train House does an O gauge version of the G5. It' s part of the Premier line so it ain't cheap, but with Mike you definately get your money's worth.
I would try E Bay. There are lots of unbuilt Bower kits out there.
Westside Model Company (Katsumi) made one in brass back in the 1970's, both in a PRR version, and an LIRR version, of which I have the latter. FWIW, my wife's grandfather was a tower operator at Ronkonkomo (hope I'm spelling that correctly). It's a nice model, but its worst feature is that the motor is mounted in the cab, eliminating a backhead for the boiler. IIRC, the LIRR preserved #'s 34 and 39, and there is a PRR G-5sa in the Pennsylvania State Railroad Museum at Strasburg.
The Bowser Kit is very simple and detail is rudimentary in the extreme. I'd go with brass if you can find an engine in good condition.
Try E-bay. That is where I found mine about a year ago. Search under Bowser. I did the same thing growing up on Long Island with pennies. There is a web site called Arrts Arrchives dedicated to the Long Island Railroad. Art also sells photos pertaining to the Long Island.
The Railroad Museum of Long Island has the G-5 #39 under restoration. The bolier was being done at Strasburg shops. The last info on their web site was from June 2009. Does any one have any updates on the status. The museum is also doing an old Brooklyn Eatern District 060.
Don't know of the status of the Railroad Museum of Long Island's restoration of the G-5, but I DID hear that they've got a problem of nowhere to run it when it's done! The LIRR won't allow any steam on the line! Maybe things will change, but it's a shame to think of the G-5 "all dressed up with nowhere to go"!
Thanks for the info about the possibility of #39 not running. They must have spent a bundle having the boiler redone. If it is true, it would be a shame as the museum is doing that 060 themselves. Their web site said they were going to have a new all-welded boiler fabricated.
Frank,
There is a Bowser G5 kit available on ebay now. Go to Bowser under HO trains and search for locomotive, PRR or steam
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