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Lumber and Ore steam engines

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Lumber and Ore steam engines
Posted by hwolf on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 10:19 AM

My layout is in a large part Lumber and a Mine from the 1950's.

What other Steam Engines other then Shay's & Climax where running at that time. My last Bachmann Shay is gone and I don't want to only run Climax's.

Harold

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Posted by RR_Mel on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 10:40 AM

Checkout this site:
 
 
Mel
 
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
 
My Model Railroad   
 
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I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
 
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Posted by NVSRR on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 11:01 AM

Some early diesel designs go back to

the 30s.    The Northampton and Bath hee in PA deiselized in 1934 with westinghouse centercab engines. The first all diesel operation in thecountry. They replaced them with nw2's in 1947.    So a logging line could conceivably pic the used units up on the used marked.    There also odd ball contraptions that where half steam. Half diesel.   Some of these logging companies took geared engines,  pulled the boiler and cab off the frame. And stuck a diesel and cab on.    Usually center cab style.   One logging co did that with a 4-6-0       Wierd looking thing.    makes for some interesting opportunities

 

 

Wolfie

A pessimist sees a dark tunnel

An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel

A realist sees a frieght train

An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space

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Posted by 7j43k on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 11:53 AM

Well, of course there's the Heisler.  Some people are fond of the Rivarossi.  It DOES seem to get good marks for reliability.

Another option would be a Vulcan, though it's not exactly a geared locomotive:

 

 Besides the Bachmann geared engines, there are many many versions in brass to explore.

Common locomotives for logging roads were 2-6-2 and light 2-8-2 and 2-6-6-2--all small and with or without tender.  Again, there are versions in brass available.

For mining, I would think a 2-8-0 would be common.  The famous Russian Decapod would also be a candidate, in my mind.

A good thing about a logging (and mining?) railroad is that it wouldn't need very many locomotives.  Thus the price of brass is less of a problem.

 

Ed

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Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 12:10 PM

Ed's post sent me to Brasstrains.com, where they have a tank logging mallet.  You might enjoy this youtube vid   https://youtu.be/JmAiOQaqygc

Painting a brass steam loco is a bit more than I, personally, would want to do.

https://brasstrains.com/Classic/Product/Detail/078750/HO-Brass-Model-NWSL-TOBY-Baldwin-Saddle-Tank-Logging-Mallet-2-6-6-2T-Unpainted

It is a cool engine though.

 

 
 

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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Posted by RR_Mel on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 12:16 PM

I have Mantua 2-6-6-2 logger and it’s a very nice locomotive, smooth runner, good traction and nice detail.  It’s a bit gear drive noisy but a sound decoder would cover that.  A couple of hours running after some Labelle Lube and its not as bad as it was out of the box.
 
It’s a really good looker, if I needed a second one I wouldn’t hesitate.
 
Mel
 
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
 
My Model Railroad   
 
Bakersfield, California
 
I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
 
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Posted by selector on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 2:49 PM

You would see 0-4-0's, 0-6-0's, 2-6-0's, 2-6-2T's, 2-8-2T's, and Heislers.  You'd also see smaller 'light' 2-8-2's with blind middle axles for turnouts and curves regular Mikados couldn't handle.

This Heisler really did run in the distant hills around Courtenay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia about 75 years ago or more.

This Baldwin Mikado's center driver axles are clearly blind. It operated on excursions in and around Woss, about 100 km north of Courtenay as recently as 1990.  Prior to that it was a working logging engine for CANFOR.

The excursion engine used by the Alberni Pacific heritage railway is a Baldwin 2-8-2T with a saddle tank draped over its boiler.  It was always an oil burner, to my knowledge, but it certainly is now.  Both of these engines have modern valve gear with spindle valves, no slide valves. I don't know if the Mike is super-heated, but the tank engine is.

Bachmann makes a nice tank engine in their regular line. You can still find Rivarossi Heislers.

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Posted by wjstix on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 3:15 PM

Ya, logging engine doesn't necessarily mean a geared steam engine. Frank King in one of his books pointed out that the most common logging railroad steam engine in Minnesota was a 2-6-0. Diesels would work fine in the 1950's too.

Stix
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Posted by hwolf on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 4:02 PM

One of my engines is a Baldwin 4-4-0.  It does not seem to have any pulling power like my climax. 

Harold

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Posted by dehusman on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 5:30 PM

Depends on what you mean by "mining".  The big mining roads in the iron ore regions and the copper roads in Utah were using 2-8-8-2's and larger engines.

Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com

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Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 8:24 PM

Aside from seeing posts about the Reading Tank engines, these really weren't on my radar screen until today.

Coincidentally MRVP posted a video about a tourist railroad Mt Rainier RR that uses a logging tank engine.

 

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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Posted by hwolf on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 9:17 AM

These engines are to large for the layout which is 10' x 16'. They don't look good.  The small engines ( Climax & Shay's) look better.  They also handle some of the tight turns better close to the mine.  I only pull  6 ore cars plus caboose at any one time.

Harold

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Posted by 7j43k on Thursday, November 9, 2017 6:35 PM

hwolf

These engines are to large for the layout which is 10' x 16'. They don't look good.  The small engines ( Climax & Shay's) look better.  They also handle some of the tight turns better close to the mine.  I only pull  6 ore cars plus caboose at any one time.

Harold

 

So, the Heisler I mentioned is "too large"?

The Vulcan I showed is "too large"?

2-6-2T's mentioned earlier are "too large"?  Mine's shorter than your Bachmann Climax.

And my logging 2-8-2T is about a 1/4 inch longer.  So you're correct on that one.

 

Sorry we couldn't help.

 

Ed

 

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Posted by snjroy on Friday, November 10, 2017 2:15 PM

Bachmann produced a tiny 0-6-0 saddletank a few years ago that would probably fit well with your geared steam and mining setting. It was very light on its feet and would have a tough time pulling 6 cars and a caboose. But it's a cutie! They do pop up on Ebay from time to time.

Simon

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 10, 2017 9:17 PM

7j43k

 

 
hwolf

These engines are to large for the layout which is 10' x 16'. They don't look good.  The small engines ( Climax & Shay's) look better.  They also handle some of the tight turns better close to the mine.  I only pull  6 ore cars plus caboose at any one time.

Harold

 

 

 

So, the Heisler I mentioned is "too large"?

The Vulcan I showed is "too large"?

2-6-2T's mentioned earlier are "too large"?  Mine's shorter than your Bachmann Climax.

And my logging 2-8-2T is about a 1/4 inch longer.  So you're correct on that one.

 

Sorry we couldn't help.

 

Ed

 

 

Ed...

dehusman

Depends on what you mean by "mining".  The big mining roads in the iron ore regions and the copper roads in Utah were using 2-8-8-2's and larger engines.

 

I think the OP was responding to this, but could be wrong.

 

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