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Value of Mantua 0-4-0 Camelback Goat

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Value of Mantua 0-4-0 Camelback Goat
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 4, 2006 7:04 PM
Looking for help in trying to asses a value on this locomotive. Age unknown, maybe 1960 to 1970 vintage. Any help appreciated.
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Posted by simon1966 on Saturday, February 4, 2006 7:39 PM
I don't think it is anything particularly rare or sought after. A quick review of E-bay completed items shows them selling for between $40 and $60 depending on the condition and if there is a box and its condition. There have been about 4 of them sold on e-bay in the last few weeks.

Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum

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Posted by rrinker on Saturday, February 4, 2006 8:15 PM
Ditto, not very rare, they made those by the ton. Still, it is a decent little Reading loco, even if it was built too high to accomodate the standard Mantua motor and drive. I think towards the end of Mantua (before Model Power bought them), they made a better quality version. The prototype sits in the Railroad Museum of PA in Strasburg (across from the railroad - they used to own it until their passenger traisn got too big for the little 0-4-0 to haul)

--Randy

Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by CNJ831 on Saturday, February 4, 2006 10:04 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by nelsonb

Looking for help in trying to asses a value on this locomotive. Age unknown, maybe 1960 to 1970 vintage. Any help appreciated.


First off, you need to define better just what you have. Mantua produced a brass and zamac version of the Reading A-5a 0-4-0 "goat" from the late 1930's up until around 1955. It was dropped from their line thereafter, only to return as a plastic model in the 1980's. There was no such Mantua model avalable between 1960 and 1970.

On the other hand, several other manufacturers offered Reading 0-4-0s (some quite primitive looking) during the period 1960-1970. Just what do you have, what is it made of and how did you indentify it as Mantua?

Incidentally, my own check of eBay does not indicate any pre-1980's Mantua camelbacks in the currently active listing, nor over the past two weeks in the completed auctions. The early 0-4-0s, at least those all in one piece, are certainly not common items.

CNJ831
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 5, 2006 11:27 AM
Thanks for the info on this. It is a plastic model with LEHIGH NEW ENGLAND decals.
Hope this will help ID this loco. Have someone who is interested in trading for it so I'm just looking for a basic value. Thanks to all who replied[tup]
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Posted by CNJ831 on Sunday, February 5, 2006 1:56 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by nelsonb

Thanks for the info on this. It is a plastic model with LEHIGH NEW ENGLAND decals.
Hope this will help ID this loco. Have someone who is interested in trading for it so I'm just looking for a basic value. Thanks to all who replied[tup]


OK. If it's plastic then what we are talking about is a post-1985 Mantua item that is indeed rather common and definitely not the far more rare, original and historically significant, brass/zamac Mantua "goat" of 50 years and more ago. Yours could have been produced even as recently as just half a dozen years ago. This recently offered model probably won't fetch more than around $50 on eBay...although prices can and do vary considerably from one day to the next.

CNJ831
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 5, 2006 6:43 PM
Thanks cnj831! Appreciate the help.
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Posted by ho>o on Saturday, January 28, 2017 10:35 AM

I am looking for information on what the 0-4-0  camelback goat (prototype of coarse) was used for in the late 30s in either Utah and or  Virginia areas. Any help would be appreciated,thank you 

 

Still plays with trains while dreaming of driving my 67 GTO 

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Posted by dknelson on Saturday, January 28, 2017 11:51 AM

It has been my impression that there is some pent up demand for Mantua camelback shells as kitbashing fodder, but even so I suspect the $40 or so price range is about what you'd be looking at, and likely at the high end at that given that it was a freely available commercial product.  The old old Mantua zinc and bent brass loco is something of a collector's item if in running condition - few are due to zinc rot and general age.  

Dave Nelson

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, January 28, 2017 12:09 PM

Dave, no offense meant, but the previous post asked for prototype information on 0-4-0 Camelbacks used in Utah or Virginia.

Unfortunately, he resurrected a thread which has been dead for over 10 years, instead of asking the question in the appropriate "Prototype Information" section.

To the question - I am not aware that any other railroad other than Reading used 0-4-0 Camelback switchers. One of the reasons the Camelback design was adopted, was the large Wootten firebox left no room for a cab. The Wootten firebox was developed to burn Anthracite waste, which was not available in Utah.

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Posted by dknelson on Saturday, January 28, 2017 5:56 PM

My bad, I did not notice the age of the thread itself.  I rarely look at that.

I will make partial amends by noting that I did find an internet image of a camelback 0-4-0 used by the E & G Brooke Plant, Wickwire Spencer Steel Division, The Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation.  It is not unlike the Reading locomotive in general outline.

http://www.northamericanrails.com/yahoo_site_admin1/assets/images/Brook_Iron_0-4-0_4_Camelback_-_Copy.129114408_large.jpg 

 

Dave Nelson

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Posted by ACY Tom on Saturday, January 28, 2017 8:35 PM

The photo shows the ex-RDG 0-4-0C that worked in Birdsboro, PA and eventually found her way to the Strasburg Rail Road in PA. The Mantua model is very similar, except that no. 4 has a different cab roof contour.

I'm a bit confused by the request for info on camelback 0-4-0's used in Virginia or Utah. That's quite a geographical range! Camelbacks were very rare in both locations, if they appeared there at all. Camelback 0-4-0's were particularly rare.

Tom 

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Posted by rrinker on Sunday, January 29, 2017 1:29 PM

 Yes, the E G Brooke works was in Birdsboro, PA, right outside of Reading. Despite being owned by the Colorado Fuel and Iron Co, this loco did NOT operate in any state west of Pennsylvania.

 Camelbacks are pretty much an Anthracite railroad thing, which pretty much confined them to the northeast quarter of Pennsylvania. Reading, CNJ, DL&W, etc.

                 --Randy


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by ACY Tom on Sunday, January 29, 2017 2:47 PM

A few Camelbacks were used by U.P., Rock Island, and others outside of the Anthracite region, but not many. Recently somebody mentioned the Southern as a user, but I've never seen documentation. I believe a Virginia shortline absorbed by N&W had at least one. B&O had a successful class of Camelback E-19a 2-8-0's, which survived into the 1930's and were photographed at least as far west as Ohio. They were able to use poor quality waste as fuel.

Camelback 0-4-0's were exceedingly rare. Aside from the Reading, I don't know of anybody else who had them. 

Tom

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Posted by Capt. Grimek on Sunday, January 29, 2017 8:34 PM

ACY, can you fill us in on the U.P.'s use of Camelbacks? I've got an old Mantua (plastic0 version I would like to justify on my Western Roads layout.

Thanks.

Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.

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Posted by 7j43k on Sunday, January 29, 2017 8:59 PM

Here's a bit on the UP camelbacks:

 

http://steam.wesbarris.com/camelback/up.php

 

The 2-8-0's were rebuilt by UP 1893-1895.  Likely, they were de-camelbacked then.  They were renumbered to 100-110.

Can't find anything on the 4-4-0's, yet.

 

 

Ed

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Posted by ACY Tom on Sunday, January 29, 2017 9:31 PM

I have to rely on Kratville & Ranks, Motive Power of the Union Pacific (Kratville Publications, 1966) because I'm a bit shaky on early U.P. motive power history. It looks like U.P. had two classes of Camelbacks, both built in the 1886-7 period. There was an unspecified number of 4-4-0's built by Rogers, plus Baldwin 2-8-0's 1301-1311. The book says there were ten 2-8-0's, but the number series says eleven. The book shows a Rogers builder's photo of 4-4-0C 768 on page 15, and a Baldwin builder's photo of 2-8-0C 1301 on page 26. According to Kratville & Ranks, the engines were unsuccessful at burning Rock Springs, Wyoming coal, so they were converted to conventional fireboxes with conventional cabs at Omaha in 1891 (4-4-0's) and 1893 (2-8-0's).

This is not an area where I feel very competent. It's not my era or locale. Anybody with better info is invited to chime in. 

Tom 

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Posted by Capt. Grimek on Sunday, February 5, 2017 12:18 PM

Thanks Ed and Tom. Sorry it took me a while to get back to this thread!

Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.

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Posted by trainman05 on Thursday, July 26, 2018 1:15 PM

I have been looking for one of the later (85-) units and haven't found ANY! I don't see how you guys (who are all probably more qualified than me) find them to be common. I have looked on eBay for a number of years and have only ever FOUND  a dozen, none of which were in my price range.

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Posted by 7j43k on Thursday, July 26, 2018 5:00 PM

trainman05

I have been looking for one of the later (85-) units and haven't found ANY! I don't see how you guys (who are all probably more qualified than me) find them to be common. I have looked on eBay for a number of years and have only ever FOUND  a dozen, none of which were in my price range.

 

 

It's 12 years after "you guys" found them common.  Things change in 12 years.

 

Ed

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