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What is the significance of each locomotive in the "Icons of Canadian Steam," line by Rapido?

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What is the significance of each locomotive in the "Icons of Canadian Steam," line by Rapido?
Posted by Engi1487 on Sunday, September 20, 2020 8:52 PM

I have a question regarding Rapido Trains Incs icons of steam. I would ask them myself but because they only answer brief replies on their social media, so I figured I would ask those on the forums for a more in depth answer.

The lineup according to Rapido comprises the 12 most iconic & notible Canadian built and run steam locomotives. I am not framiler with most of Canadas steam locomotives in the lineup and only know about a few notible ones such as CNR 6060 being the bullet nosed betty class, the CPR royal hudsons, the semi-stream lined CPR hudson, the CPR D10s (which I learned about after the Rapido Royal Hudsons came out, the CPR Jubilee class, the CNR steamlined 4-8-4 Northerns, and thats it.

I understand the project was propsed by one of Rapidos staff members who has passed away. I have to ask why each locomoive is considered iconic, why Rapido is doing them in the order they are doing them in, and why not include the CNR 4-8-4s and the two CPR 4-8-4s, being the K1-a class?

I think the K1-a class is sort of notiable as they are the only 4-8-4s of the Northern wheel arangment to be used by this road, but then I dont know if their former staff member thought of them.



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Posted by rrinker on Sunday, September 20, 2020 9:25 PM

 The chosen locos are all of large significance to Candian railroading. The Royal Hudson is quite a special loco, the 'royal' designation is not arbitrary. The only other model in preproduction now is the D10, which is noteworthy for being one of if not the most numerous single class of steam locos in Canada. 

 Unless there's a list of all of the proposed models, which I don't see on their site, with each one they have a pragraph or two explaining the significance of each class. And clickign the Icons of Candian Steam logo on each loco's page takes you to a more detailed history of that specific loco.

 I'm guessing the order they are doing them is based largley on demand and/or what they feel will appeal to the most modelers. Looking at the history of the D10, that should be a loco that appeals to a great many modelers of Canadian railroads, since it was pretty ubiquitous. It's sort of like asking why Bachmann does so many USRA based locos - because with minor detail tweaks they can represent an awful lot of locomotives used all over the US. 

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Posted by Engi1487 on Sunday, September 20, 2020 9:40 PM

rrinker

Unless there's a list of all of the proposed models, which I don't see on their site, with each one they have a pragraph or two explaining the significance of each class.



On their site  you look under steam locomotives they show future releases with dates, altough sicne they started slighly later, the dates may change. Also look online and some forums and articles will show on the announcment will show dates and which classes will released that year.

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Posted by Engi1487 on Sunday, September 20, 2020 9:41 PM

Lastspikemike

Oi vey, cannowurms opened here. 

So "Icons" might be a kind of Canadian humour in operation here.

To "get it" you need to know that Canada insisted on building their very own locomotive designs in their very own locomotive fabrication shops.



I understand these steam locomotives where built in Canada. I think I forgot to word that.

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, September 20, 2020 9:45 PM

Lastspikemike
When diesel electric came along this no longer worked. You could do "Icons of Canadian Diesel" but they wouldn't be.

Bigger than usual tub o'cow turds here.

FYI: there was this thing called CLC.  Another called MLW that was famous in its own right after Alco passed the torch.  There was this other thing called GMD.  In fact there was a while when GMD in London built the only EMD locomotives.

Then there were the first practical high-speed road locomotives in North America ... two of them.  Iconic.  And 100% Canadian in execution, including requested adaptation of the Beardmore motors to suit them for railway service.

I could go on, but your claim is already conclusively demolished.

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Posted by Engi1487 on Sunday, September 20, 2020 10:14 PM

Lastspikemike

 . 

Yup, Rapido plans a run of 16-44.....

 

Rapido is indeed doing a run of this 16-44 diesel locomotive as its avaliable for preorder at the moment.

 

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Posted by rrinker on Sunday, September 20, 2020 11:40 PM

Atlas did the TM in CPR. Multiple road numbers even. And CN as well. Rapido doesn't seem to like to duplicate unless they can make significant improvements.

GMD built at least one uniquely Canadian loco - the GMD-1. No US road had those. And of course Rapido made models of it. Even the oddball 5 axle Cuban ones this last run. The passenger C-Liners with their B-A1A trucks weren't the only 5 axle oddballs. The New Haven, LIRR, and NYC all had those passenger C-liners in addition to the CN ones build by CLC. The CLC ones were only 1600HP units, the other were all 2400, except for some of the LIRR ones which were 2000HP.  CP had some 1600HP 4 axle passenger ones, also built by CLC.

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, September 21, 2020 12:38 AM

This started with a fairly interesting question... What is the significance of each of the locomotives in the Rapido Icons of Canadian Steam series.

So far, I have not even learned what locomotives are in this collection.

-Kevin

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Posted by doctorwayne on Monday, September 21, 2020 1:33 AM

Lastspikemike
CPR was the only Canadian locomotive manufacturer and they quit when diesels came along.

I'm guessing that your quoted words are offered in jest.

The following Canadian companies built locomotives for the CNR and its predecessors, but as the railroad finally got its act together, they needed a lot of locomotives quickly, in order to replace many of the outdated ones which they had acquired with the amalgamation, hence their dependence on the American builders.

The Locomotive Machine Company of Montreal, built 189 locomotives, from 1902 to 1908.

The Canada Foundry Company Group, in Toronto, built 109 locomotives between 1904 and 1913, and Canadian Allis-Chalmers, part of the same Group, another 60 locomotives from 1913 to 1918.

The Canadian Locomotive Company Group, a conglomerate of several smaller companies, which eventually became the Canadian Locomotive Company Ltd., cranked out 1083 locomotives, in the period between 1854 and 1940.

Canadian National Railways Family Group (another conglomerate of smaller shops: CNR Moncton N.B., Point St. Charles, Montreal, Que., and Transcona, Man.) built 72 locos in the period between 1928 and 1930.

The Grand Trunk Railway of Canada (Pointe St. Charles, Montreal, Que.) chipped in another 495 locomotives in the period from1880 to 1923.

The Intercolonial Railway of Canada, in Moncton, N.B. added 12 locos from 1899 to 1914.

The Locomotive & Machine Company of Montreal added another 184 locomotives between 1902 and 1908...

...then, from 1908 to 1949 as the Montreal Locomotive Works Ltd, as an Alco subsidiary, contributed another 1274.

While perhaps not an amount to rival those out of the CPR's shops, more than 2200 locomotives (not counting MLW) is not insignificant.

Wayne

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Posted by richhotrain on Monday, September 21, 2020 5:07 AM

SeeYou190

This started with a fairly interesting question... What is the significance of each of the locomotives in the Rapido Icons of Canadian Steam series.

So far, I have not even learned what locomotives are in this collection.

-Kevin 

Gotta agree with you, Kevin. I kinda lost interest when I reached the 'ours versus yours' part. I sure hope this forum doesn't become one of, our locomotives are bigger and better than yours.

Rich

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Posted by gmpullman on Monday, September 21, 2020 5:14 AM

I have the Royal Hudson. I just hope I live long enough to snag a GTW U-4b (some were built in Lima, Ohio)

https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/Grand_Trunk_Western_No._6407

I seem to recall the original projection from Rapido was August of 2026 or thereabouts.

I suppose I could settle for a U-2g as well:

 6218_Chatham by Edmund, on Flickr

 6218_Chatham-cab by Edmund, on Flickr

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by richhotrain on Monday, September 21, 2020 5:21 AM

gmpullman

I have the Royal Hudson. I just hope I live long enough to snag a GTW U-4b (some were built in Lima, Ohio)

https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/Grand_Trunk_Western_No._6407

I seem to recall the original projection from Rapido was August of 2026 or thereabouts.

2026???

Seriously, Ed?

We may all have passed away by then. Laugh

Rich

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Posted by BATMAN on Monday, September 21, 2020 10:12 AM

doctorwayne

 

 
Lastspikemike
CPR was the only Canadian locomotive manufacturer and they quit when diesels came along.

 

I'm guessing that your quoted words are offered in jest.

The Locomotive Machine Company of Montreal, built 189 locomotives, from 1902 to 1908.

The Canada Foundry Company Group, in Toronto, built 109 locomotives between 1904 and 1913, and Canadian Allis-Chalmers, part of the same Group, another 60 locomotives from 1913 to 1918.

The Canadian Locomotive Company Group, a conglomerate of several smaller companies, which eventually became the Canadian Locomotive Company Ltd., cranked out 1083 locomotives, in the period between 1854 and 1940.

Canadian National Railways Family Group (another conglomerate of smaller shops: CNR Moncton N.B., Point St. Charles, Montreal, Que., and Transcona, Man.) built 72 locos in the period between 1928 and 1930.

The Grand Trunk Railway of Canada (Pointe St. Charles, Montreal, Que.) chipped in another 495 locomotives in the period from1880 to 1923.

The Intercolonial Railway of Canada, in Moncton, N.B. added 12 locos from 1899 to 1914.

The Locomotive & Machine Company of Montreal added another 184 locomotives between 1902 and 1908...

...then, from 1908 to 1949 as the Montreal Locomotive Works Ltd, as an Alco subsidiary, contributed another 1274.

While perhaps not an amount to rival those out of the CPR's shops, more than 2200 locomotives (not counting MLW) is not insignificant.

Wayne

 

Thanks Wayne.Tongue Tied

Brent

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Posted by riogrande5761 on Monday, September 21, 2020 10:57 AM

I read about the Icon's of Steam when first announced; they seemed like BIG plans but my impression having followed it somewhat since the original big announcement  is the list may never be completed and what is produced is naturally based on demand.  I've read a number of issues here with the first release and Rapido has been ramping up production of many new projects and seems to be moving forward very slowly with the next project.  Only time will tell.

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Posted by davidmurray on Monday, September 21, 2020 11:13 AM

Diesel locomotives were built in the London Ontario EMD shops until the 1990s, if not longer.  Many were for overseas markets that ran on non standard  guage tracks.  They also built amphibious vechicles for the US Marines.

Gm restructuring meant the plant was sold to Caterpillar, and when the workforce refused to go to a company run, defined contribution pension plan, the plant was closed.

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Posted by wjstix on Monday, September 21, 2020 11:14 AM

"Icon" is defined in the dictionary as "a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration". Although some engines may have been chosen for their uniquely Canadian qualities - like a streamlined 2-10-4 - or because they were very famous, some were chosen because they were representative of common Canadian engines...the engines a Canadian modeller would need to build a CP or CN layout: work-a-day Ten-wheelers, Consolidations, and Pacifics.

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Posted by Engi1487 on Monday, September 21, 2020 12:19 PM

riogrande5761

I read about the Icon's of Steam when first announced; they seemed like BIG plans but my impression having followed it somewhat since the original big announcement  is the list may never be completed and what is produced is naturally based on demand.  I've read a number of issues here with the first release and Rapido has been ramping up production of many new projects and seems to be moving forward very slowly with the next project.  Only time will tell.

 



Now that you say thismyou are most right. Only time will tell and e must be patiant, as Rapido does need demand to go thru with each. Being 26 I can wait, and if some are not produced I could look into brass if some of the classes interest me, but then again having revamped versions made by Rapido is better as it saved work installing DCC and sound, along with improved tooling.

I do feel for the older modellers as they are worried about not living long to see them all released. Only time will tell, so lets enjoy the ride as best we can.

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Posted by BATMAN on Monday, September 21, 2020 1:04 PM

I would like to see a woodburning CP 4-4-0 but I know it will not be built. A woodburning 4-4-0 represents the genesis of the CPR for me and would be cherished. 

I did a FB poll on how many would buy a Rapido CPR 4-4-0 and the numbers were better than I had thought they would be for such a small FB group.

Brent

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Posted by selector on Monday, September 21, 2020 2:51 PM

Lastspikemike

... Generally, and exceptionally given other engineering areas, our versions were either bigger for the same wheel arrangement or more powerful for the same size.  The punishing grades and curves just West of where I live drove innovation in our steam locomotive design and fabrication. For example, we had no use for articulated power but preferred extensive use of pushers.  

I don't know how you came up with this assessment.  The majority of Texas Type 2-10-4 engines south of the border dwarfed the Selkirks in both mass and power.  For example, the 5001 series on the ATSF produced the highest recorded piston thrust of any two-cylinder locomotive at 219K lbs. They outweighed the Selkirk by 100k lbs.  Tractive effort was about 20K lbs higher on the American versions, including notably the T-1 and its successor on the Pennsy, the J1.

A quick look at the 4-6-4 type shows that the Canadian version was 'average', with the C&O and ATSF versions substantially larger and more powerful.

Several roads in the USA had larger 2-8-2 locomotives than the CPR's, notably the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western.  CPR's versions were generally above average, though, in terms of size and power.

The CPR's 4-6-2 G Class was, across the board, somewhat smaller than most of the American production, as a glance through the listings at steamlocomotive.com will show.

It really serves no practical purpose, during discussions, to generalize.

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Posted by doctorwayne on Monday, September 21, 2020 3:11 PM

Lastspikemike
I don't know but logically the Ten Wheeler would be followed by the Mikado, most numerous in part because pretty much every Consolidation was rebuilt as a Mikado. Then they should do the Consolidation.

Consolidations were more likely to be converted to 0-8-0s than to Mikados, as the latter would require a new frame.  Many CNR (and possibly CPR) Consolidations were pretty close to equals of the Mikes, as far as tractive effort was concerned.

Lastspikemike
...Since I have not looked into Steam Locomotives of the CNR I do not know in what way Canadian built CNR locomotives might be Icons of Canadian Steam...

Mike, I have amended my earlier post on Canadian locomotive builders, as I had neglected to mention that those Canadian-built locos were for the predecessors of the CNR, and then later, for the CNR itself.

Rapido did include some CNR locomotives in their Icon list, one of them being the CNR's H-6 10 Wheeler.  However, decent brass models of the H-6 seem to be everywhere, so there was not much support for that one, which was slated to be done at the same time as the CPR D-10s (or in-lieu-of the D-10, had it not received adequate demand).

Here's one of mine in-service...

...and another getting some modifications to represent a specific locomotive...

I'll be using the original chassis for the tender, but will build a different body to better-match the particular prototype that I wish to represent.

Wayne

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 9:08 AM

Lastspikemike
We like to claim our Selkirk was the most powerful non articulated steam locomotive in the Commonwealth World.

Which it was.  Had CPR wanted a larger design they would -- and certainly could -- have built it.
How does the CPR Hudson class compare to the most usual USA Hudson class in size and power?
Relatively tiny.  (Of course it was larger than the MEC's fearsome class Ds!)  Sometimes small is choice, of course; ask Nancy Kerrigan.  The real contender, though, is That Other System's Hudsons (justly, two of the five examples have been preserved) which I believe holds the record for fastest locomotive in Canada, which is notably faster than certain larger United States 4-6-4s with 84" drivers were capable of reaching.
My impression is that CPR built quite different designs. It's only an impression though, at the moment.
Now that you mention it, I've never really thought of them as being all that different in proportions from United States steam of comparable size, particularly the Mikado that was the subject of so much consternation a year or two ago.  While many of the details are different, notably the cabs, that's the sort of thing that resin casting has filled in the automotive and aircraft modeling communities for many years, and would surely do so here.

Heck, I've only just sorted out the different valve gear types used on all steam locomotives....

<grins wickedly>You've probably just scratched the surface...  Can you describe the cam followers on a locomotive with Renaud poppet gear?  Or what the salmon rods on Cossart do?  Much to learn on your road to enlightenment...

I assume you've read the Shields article on Evolution of Locomotive Valve Gears -- if not, find it.  Then, if you have not located and downloaded your copy of Charlie Dockstader's valve-gear wireframe simulator, do so -- if you have to acquire a used computer to run it, do that too; it's worth it.  You will learn a great deal about practical valve-gear design by playing with the many variables and observing the result.

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 10:39 AM

And another thread is swirling into the sanitary system.

I thought we were going to discuss what made certain Canadian locmotives iconic.

Oh well.

Confused  Sleep

-Kevin

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Posted by Engi1487 on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 4:07 PM

SeeYou190

And another thread is swirling into the sanitary system.

I thought we were going to discuss what made certain Canadian locmotives iconic.

Oh well.

Confused  Sleep

-Kevin

 



Hi Kevin. I am glad you say this as this is what I was expecting what would happen, and hoped would happen. I hoped that some forum membes would list each of the twelve classes and tell me why each was iconic and chosen by Rapido.

I am glad for the responses even though they where not what I was hoping for. The amount of technical info is overwhelming.

Ah well.

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Posted by richhotrain on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 6:08 PM

Engi1487
 
SeeYou190

And another thread is swirling into the sanitary system.

I thought we were going to discuss what made certain Canadian locmotives iconic.

Oh well.

Confused  Sleep

-Kevin


Hi Kevin. I am glad you say this as this is what I was expecting what would happen, and hoped would happen. I hoped that some forum membes would list each of the twelve classes and tell me why each was iconic and chosen by Rapido.

I am glad for the responses even though they where not what I was hoping for. The amount of technical info is overwhelming. 

Ah well. 

Too bad that the software doesn't permit an OP to block certain members. That would solve the problem of overwhelming technical info.   Zip it!

Rich

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Posted by Engi1487 on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 7:37 PM

richhotrain

Too bad that the software doesn't permit an OP to block certain members. That would solve the problem of overwhelming technical info.   Zip it!

 Rich

 



Hi Rich, I dont want to block certain members or their replies. I am grateful for the info, but I only so much about steam locomotives, and the info gets a bt overwelming at times. Prehaps I should have included a note to only make topic related replies.
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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 7:58 PM

richhotrain
Too bad that the software doesn't permit an OP to block certain members.

At one time it did!  If you remember Juniatha, she would occasionally make use of that both to remove posts she thought were extraneous in, or to keep certain culprits out of, 'her' threads.  This in the good old days when Kalmbach TOS gave an OP the ability to restrict thread drift and actually enforced the policy against it.

Probably a better solution was the 'foes' function that the Forums had up until just a few years ago.  As I recall the documentation saying, this would quietly suppress posts from anyone a particular used designated a 'foe', a bit like a user filter on an e-mail system.  Judicious use of this would neatly solve a number of issues people have; I have been tempted for decades to put a little routine in with the parsing for browser display compatibility that scans for certain keywords and suppressed or flags any post that contains them; if Kalmbach IT were motivated in designing the vaporware New Strictly-from-Commercial User Experience they could easily set this up as a kind of 'negative keywords list' for flagging posts of interest. 

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 8:10 PM

Engi1487
I hoped that some forum member would list each of the twelve classes and tell me why each was iconic and chosen by Rapido.

Well, the first half of that happened back at the beginning of the thread, but in a link.  If you follow it and do a little judicious cutting and pasting you can get a list of the engines and post it here for further directed comment.

I'm only honorarily Canadian and don't have any interest in most of the list, so I can't, and haven't, provided itemized comments for the great majority.  I'd be reasonably sure that Jason Shron could, whether or not he's psyched himself out of building the whole series as indicated, but it can't hurt to ask him.

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Posted by CNCharlie on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 8:48 PM

Lastspikemike, the Jubilee that set the speed record was a Fa2 which was built before the Fa1. The Fa2 is the model that is listed on Rapido's Icons of Steam list but I believe it is last on the list. While the 2 are both Jubilees they had different drivers, different pilot and a few other things that can be seen in any photos of the two. By the way a Fa2 was used on the Calgary-Edmonton train for a number of years. I think it was #3001.  Several Jubilees(Fa1) ran out of the Brandon, MB division as they accelerated quickly and so were good on local trains on the prairies. I have several photos in the books by Lawrence Stuckey. He was a rail photographer who also was a fireman/engineer on the CP out of Brandon. He quit when diesels took over from steam and ran a photography business. Try to find his book Prairie Cinders. He has great comments on many of the CP steam classes. The book was published in 1993. He also published a couple of photo books 'Steam in Manitoba'. 

CN Charlie

 

 

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 9:09 PM

CNCharlie

Lastspikemike, the Jubilee that set the speed record was a Fa2 which was built before the Fa1.

I think you are confusing your steam and diesel classes -the big Jubilees are F2a.

These do not greatly differ in mechanical details from  the Milwaukee A class, which Alfred Bruce (head of the company that built them) said would easily go 128mph.  If a PRR T1 can have balance faster than that on 80" drivers, so could a Jubilee with better rod geometry ... and greater and more effective (on a proportional basis) radiant-section design.

The little Jubilees are like Hudsons downsized to handle little, rather than light, consists, and do just fine producing about ⅔ the drawbar pull of a corresponding enlargement to 4-6-4.  Piston valves, not-too-sophisticated ports and passages, and relatively low drivers should preclude T1-style slipping even on indifferent trackage, I suspect.

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Posted by CNCharlie on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 10:00 PM

Oops, you are quite right, it was F2a.  The F1a had 75" drivers same as the Hudsons. 

CP only built 5 F2as .  CN too only built 5 locos with 80" drivers, their only Hudsons.

CN Charlie

 

 

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