"Steam Engines For Dummies" - I'm the dummy

[GraniteRailroader]

Up front and honest - I've got absolutely no idea about steam engines.

I want to build a transition era layout. On the diesel side of things, an RS-1, maybe an early Fairbanks engine if I can find one in N-Scale, and then the coal-chuggers. 

The layout, atleast in planning, will include a small yard to interchange with fictional representation of the Central Vermont, as well as the Rutland. The only industries to serve will be the "REA", a freight house (shipments to local station Agent), a small transload type facility to accompany the freight house, and a few smaller assorted businesses that may take a single car in. 

On the steam side of things, were there such things as "road switchers", comparable to the likes of an Alco "RS" series locomotive? Now what about yard service? What about smaller "local freights" servicing one or two towns?

I've tried looking up transition era steam, tried surfing Wikipedia, and am just going in circles. 

Help?

[Onrman]

First of all I am not an expert . . . but I would recommend a 2-8-0 Consolidation class steamer for some of your freight operations and in my part of Canada the 4-6-2 was used as a "roadswitcher". The 4-6-2 was also used for passenger operations in our region. A 0-6-0 would make a great yard engine - our steam CNR operations utilized two in our yard in the early 1950's. The great thing about Canada is that we used steam for a longer period than the United States. In my province, Saskatchewan, we used steam until the late 1950's. You also could get away with using a 4-6-0 as a very old switcher in the yard. If you are modeling the Central Vermont, don't forget that CNR steamers could visit your area. I hope this helps you.

[Guilford Guy]

CV had a bunch of 2-8-0's from CN which were great for the local freights. Their 2-10-4's, and 4-8-4's/4-8-2's, I think they were 4-8-2's, were the mainstay for fast freight and passenger service. CV let go of steam in '57 when the final order of GP9's came. RS3's, RS2's, GP9's, RS11's(1957), F units, C Liners, were all found on the CV during the transition era. 0-6-0's and 0-8-0's were the mainstay of the switch yards, but roads which expiremented with diesels early, often had a few of these in the yards(B&M).

[gmcrail]

Up front and honest - I've got absolutely no idea about steam engines.

I want to build a transition era layout. On the diesel side of things, an RS-1, maybe an early Fairbanks engine if I can find one in N-Scale, and then the coal-chuggers. 

The layout, atleast in planning, will include a small yard to interchange with fictional representation of the Central Vermont, as well as the Rutland. The only industries to serve will be the "REA", a freight house (shipments to local station Agent), a small transload type facility to accompany the freight house, and a few smaller assorted businesses that may take a single car in. 

On the steam side of things, were there such things as "road switchers", comparable to the likes of an Alco "RS" series locomotive? Now what about yard service? What about smaller "local freights" servicing one or two towns?

I've tried looking up transition era steam, tried surfing Wikipedia, and am just going in circles. 

Help?

 GR, to answer your questions:

1.  There were no such designations in steam engines.  Any road switching to be done was done by the road engine.  Usually, that type of activity was done on local freights, using smaller engines.

2. Yard service was handled by 0-6-0's for the most part.  Smaller yards might have an 0-4-0 still hanging on, while really large yards might have one or several 0-8-0 switchers.  In the latter part of the era, the steam switchers mostly disappeared in favor of SW1s, SW-7/1200s, and Alco or FM switchers. 

3. Locals and way freights would be handled by smaller or older engines.  Much of that work was done by 2-8-0's, probably the most common wheel arrangement of all the many types.  However, old passenger engines downgraded from passenger runs by diesels could often be found trundling local freights down the line.  Toward the end of the "transition era" (generally considered to be the period between 1930-35 and 1960), almost any low-grade job could fine a passenger engine or an old freight engine (2-8-0, 2-8-2, 4-6-2) hauling freight or mixed trains (a mixed train was a small freight train with an old coach or combine thrown on to haul paying passengers).

The transition era is probably the most-modeled era for those who want some steam.  It gives you the opportunity to have "modern" steam plus some of the cool 1st-generation diesels, and still follow prototype practices.

Have fun! 

[tomikawaTT]

One of the New England railroads (I'm not sure which) had a 'thing' for 2-6-0 Moguls for light freight service.  You might want to look into that.  Of course, light peddler freight is exactly what the Alco RS and EMD GP diesels were designed for...

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[Dean-58]

GR:

I received my copy of Kalmbach's 'Modeling the '50s--The Glory Years of Rail" some weeks ago and have been really poring over it this weekend.  Since I got interested in railroading in the '50s, this book is like visiting home in a time machine.  If you're going to model the steam-Diesel transition you probably should find out about steam operations.  Steam engines required a lot more attention than Diesels, which was one of the factors that led to their demise.  However, for the model railroader, this is all to the good, as it provides you with more modeling and more action.  Unless you're modeling a terminal, you probably don't need to model a coaling tower (or bucket coaling station), ash pit, etc.  But steam engines needed a drink about every thirty miles on the flat, more often on "up" grades, so a water tower would be nice to have.

As to road-switchers, as someone else said, the road engines did their own switching out on the main, setting out and picking up cars or cuts of cars.  Trains that did a lot of switching, like way freights or "patrols," as some roads called them, usually did more "drilling" than the bigger freights, pulled by bigger engines.  A 2-8-0 or 4-6-0 was used as a road switcher, and some roads, such as the Soo Line, used them to switch small yards that wouldn't really need an 0-6-0 or 0-8-0.  Believe it or not, Larry Sagle or Al Stauffer, whoever wrote the caption, mentioned in "B&O Power" that the road used Mikados (or MacArthurs, as they called them during WWII) "like modern road switchers."

As "Modeling the '50s" says, that transition period had a lot more structures around the tracks than later eras, when roads "cleared the decks," for more streamlined--less taxable!--properties.  There were a lot of little shanties and sheds around railroad yards in those days, which adds atmosphere.  And remember, the transition years saw a lot more dependence on railroads, when a large protion of industries had their own sidings, which makes for more operation than later eras.

Who knows, you may get hooked on steam locos!  Have fun!

Dean-58

(Dean H. Hammons

  Duluth, MN)

[dinwitty]

The ":steam" road switcher would be your smaller engine like the 2-8-0, 2-8-2, but depending on the railroad  and how it selects its motive power, it could even be a big 2-8-8-2.

engines like an 0-6-0, 0-8-0 are really meant more for yard duties, pilot and rear wheels are meant for better riding and guiding the engine at speed. But if the needs need it, they'll go out for road duty.

 

[challenger3980]

One of the New England railroads (I'm not sure which) had a 'thing' for 2-6-0 Moguls for light freight service.  You might want to look into that.  Of course, light peddler freight is exactly what the Alco RS and EMD GP diesels were designed for...

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

  I Believe that was the Boston & Maine that was so fond of the 2-6-0 Mogul type. As I recall it was a Jack of All Trades on their Branch Lines pulling duty in Freight, Mixed Trains and Light Passenger Service.

                                                      Doug

[dehusman]

For an "all purose" engine pick a 2-8-0, 2-6-0 or 4-6-0.  All of these types were used for general work.  If you want to dedicate an engine to yard work, use an 0-6-0.  If you want a generic road engine pick a 2-8-2.  In later years 2-8-2's were also used as locals.

Dave H.

[wjstix]

A quick rule of thumb is the first set of wheels (or lack thereof) will tell you what an engine was designed for. A "0" like an 0-8-0 was used as a slow speed switcher in yards; a "2" like a 2-8-2 was used in freight service, and a "4" like a 4-6-2 was used in passenger service. Early engines generally were all drivers, like 0-4-0's, but it was found that putting a lead axle ahead of the drivers allowed the engine to take curves better, and later 4-wheel lead trucks were even better for high-speed service.

Unlike diesels, which could be re-geared for various speeds, the speed vs. pulling power of a steam engine was set when the engine was designed and built, and was largely determined by it's driver wheel size. A freight engine like a 2-8-0 would have drivers from say 51"-63" which allowed it to get a lot of power while getting up to maybe 45 MPH or so. A passenger engine like a 4-6-0 could have drivers of 80" or more, some got into the 90"+ range. This allowed engines to run very fast (100 MPH), but limited it's pulling power when starting.

Because of this and other reasons, railroads had to design steam engines for specific jobs....big 4-8-4's for their top passenger trains, 2-8-8-2 Mallets for their long mainline freight drags, 2-8-0's and 2-8-2's for general freights, 0-6-0's for yard switching etc. Of course there were exceptions, 4-8-4 and 4-8-2 engines were often used for fast freight runs, like reefer expresses and such, and you could occassionally find a 4-6-0 running a branchline freight train.

[sparkyjay31]

One of the New England railroads (I'm not sure which) had a 'thing' for 2-6-0 Moguls for light freight service.  You might want to look into that.  Of course, light peddler freight is exactly what the Alco RS and EMD GP diesels were designed for...

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

  I Believe that was the Boston & Maine that was so fond of the 2-6-0 Mogul type. As I recall it was a Jack of All Trades on their Branch Lines pulling duty in Freight, Mixed Trains and Light Passenger Service.

                                                      Doug

With this area called "Mogul Country" I would think that says it all...

[Guilford Guy]

The moguls were so versatile that they outlasted much of the larger steam. The last 2-8-0 only ran until 1955. Many 4-8-2's went to B&O, and many 2-8-4's went to SP/ATSF. When the moguls, pacifics, and consolidations, faded in 1956, road switchers took over. Some Branches, such as the Stoneham Branch, had so little freight traffic, that they only used an 0-6-0 on them, but commuter service was so good, that they had 2-6-0's, and 2-8-0's (this was where the last 2-8-0 was used).

[jblackwelljr]

Up front and honest - I've got absolutely no idea about steam engines. 

 

 

Try here http://steamlocomotive.com/   It helped me.