I model the the 1980s which is all diesel BUT on the cover of the 2017 "Model Railroad Planning and on page 66 of the same are a couple of steam engines that I like. Would someone please ID these two engines and tell me what company probably makes them? The first one I can't tell if it is a 0-8-0, I understand the second one is a A5 0-4-0 from the picture but who makes them? Thanks
Sadly you aren't going to find them new. And for the pennsy prototypes, you'll have to look to brass.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
Going by the not-very-large reproduction in the 'SHOP' tab, it looks like a USRA 0-8-0. If I was searching for one in HO, my first thought would be E-bay. At present, Walthers has none in stock. OTOH, for one month's mortgage payment you can get an O scale version from several sources.
One company, which scrapped numerous locomotives, retained several 0-8-0s in operation as plant switchers into the 1980s. The owner thought buying a new diesel would entail higher costs than running steam bought as scrap.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I don't have the MR Planning book so I cannot say for sure. I can say that Bachmann, Walthers/Proto, Broadway Limited, and Mantua still make steamers. Broadway is nice but pricey. I have some Bachmann and some Mantua and they are very satisfactory.
Train shows have used steamers often at very good prices. With a new paint job, decals, and perhaps some detail castings added, make very nice engines.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
The engine on the cover is a USRA 0-8-0 which is Walthers Proto from several years ago. There is another thread on the Forums which speculates that Walthers may not be bringing out more steam, so this would be a swap meet/Ebay search. The engine is painted Virginian because it was used for MR Virginian project layout. Check this website because there is a whole series of videos about building the project layout.
By the way, former Grand Trunk USRA 0-8-0s were used into the early 1980s at Northwestern Steel & Wire in Sterling IL (served by the BN and the C&NW) so you would not be stretching things too much to include such a locomotive on a 1980s layout. The day I was there (1979 or 1980) there were three 0-8-0s in steam, all working hard and whistling for every change in direction. A trip back in time to be sure! The elderly owner of the huge steel mill kept steam on the property. Within days of his death the fires were dropped and diesels were doing the switching. The place is now closed.
The engine shown on page 66 (and 67 and 68) is as the text says, a Pennsylvania Railroad class A5 - small, yet one of the more robust 0-4-0s. One has been preserved. It has been available in brass in HO. It was available in cast metal and plastic from Bowser until about a decade ago -- scour the swap meets and you might find one. Bowser also sold a super detailing kit for that locomotive. You can find information on this page (scroll down):
http://hoseeker.net/bowser.html
Going way back to the late 1950s. the John English firm offered the locomotive in cast metal. Their catalog called it the Yard Bird.
http://hoseeker.net/hobbyline/hobbyline2000Kyardbird040pg2.jpg
Cal-Scale offered the valve gear as an after-market part. The June 1950 issue of MR (available on the digital archive) has an excellent article on super detailing this model. As it came the detail was pretty rudimentary.
In plastic, Hobbyline offered a plastic nonpowered version that sold for about $1.50 in 1960 and you still see those at swap meets. Hobbyline was sort of an offshoot of John English.
http://hoseeker.net/hobbyline/hobbylinecatalog1957page1.jpg
Some guys took the plastic boiler and cab from the unpowered Hobbyline engine and grafted it onto a Mantua/Tyco 0-4-0 frame. It needed added weight but was a fairly do-able conversion. Indeed the Mantua metal "shifter" 0-4-0 with tender somewhat resembled a Pennsy A5 without the Belpaire firebox. The cab is also not really Pennsy but some didn't care.
http://hoseeker.net/mantuainformation/mantuacatalog1960pg03.jpg
and again back then some guys added simple Belpaire fireboxes to Mantua Tyco engines with tin, brass, or even cardstock and a bit of filing. It wasn't exact but it was close. You still needed an aftermarket part for the valve gear, but Mantua itself offered a valve gear set for their 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 models. Not easy to find now at swap meets.
For a time, AHM offered a Pennsylvania Railroad 0-4-0 in plastic, but it was an earlier A3 class from about 1900 which unlike the A5 did not last into the transition era.
http://hoseeker.net/ahminformation/ahmcatalog1979page04.jpg
Dave Nelson
Dave covered the PRR A5s 0-4-0's very nicely and very thoroughly. The P2K USRA 0-8-0 is probably the most readily available and affordable USRA 0-8-0 on the past or present market. The USRA 0-8-0 has also been avaiable in HO scale brass versions from Tenshodo, Akane, Oriental, Precision Scale, W&R, and probaby others in various versions ranging from "stocK" to a number of road-specific variations. Prices can vary pretty broadly, and many of these models represent a good value.
Tom
dknelsonhttp://hoseeker.net/bowser.html
That link works, but for the rest of them, traditionally, most of us have had no luck in the past with links to specific pages at HOSeeker. One can use the clues in the hyperlinks to navigate from the HOSeeker homepage to the specific image.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Chips:
The Louisville & Nashville, which served your town of Paris, TN, used USRA pattern 0-8-0's, but not in your time period.
If you're searching the internet for a Bowser A-5 0-4-0, you may want to view this thread which takes you through the construction of the last version offered by Bowser, with the can motor, gearbox, and super detailing parts.I have one of these kits, and will be building it for a friend. I hope that my version will turn out as nicely as this one did.
Wayne
Chips,
I'm sure this idea has been floated a few times before on other occasions, but with a steamer (especially a smaller one), you can always include it in a modern area layout. Just attach an old passsenger car, gondola with benches, etc. or two and use it as operating power donated to a historical RR society, club or summer excursion business. That's also a great way to make use of an old caboose from another railroad than is your focus. And if what you acquire turns out to be a not particularly great runner, you can always put it on display in a park setting - at least most of the time. That way it doesn't need to be weathered but can be nice and shiny - away from the dirt and grime of its former days!
https://www.brasstrains.com/BrassGuide/PDG/List/HO-Scale-Steam-Pennsylvania-Railroad/1.1d216
First 2 are A-5s. If you create an account you can set up email alert lists for the locomotives you want. They may or may not be in your price range. Others have had varying degrees of sucess creating an account on their website. If you have problems, its probably not just you.
If you want a variety of steam locos that will actually fit on the average layout, Bachmann currently offers several very nice models of small steamers including a Porter 0-6-0T, a 2-truck Climax, an Alco 2-6-0 Mogul, a modern 4-4-0 American, a 4-6-0 Ten Wheeler, and a 2-8-0 Consolidation. I own one of the Sound Value Moguls and it is a sweet little runner that did not cost much. If Bachmann ever releases a Sound Value version of the 2-8-0, I will definitely buy one (or more).
Bachmann also offers several locos from 2-8-2's to 2-8-4's should you want something a little larger. They even offer a 2-8-8-4 should you really want something big. All are much better than the Bachmann products we remember as kids.
Hornblower
On the 0-8-0s, I'll presume we're talking HO. I'm not clear whether you are interested in the steamer 0-8-0 arrangement generally or whether you want a very specific RR logo and related prototypical details for that RR. If you are flexible on prototypical features and/or willing to accept various roadnames and/or repaint and decal to your desires there are some good options.
Note that with shorter wheelbase locos (e.g., 0-4-0) that pickup reliability can become an issue, especially if turnout frogs are unpowered and/or the tender (if there is one) does not have truck pickups on both rails.
There are a number of reasonable HO 0-8-0 options, all of which you will often find on EBay, quite a few in like new condition, even if up to 15 or so years old. The LifeLike Proto 2000 Heritage (orange box) is one I bought in DC and am happy with. It must have been designed by LL (even if the sold by Walthers) as all the documentation and labelling simply says LifeLike. I don't know whether there were any of those that Walthers sold in a similar Heritage box (later release) with any modifications and Walthers mentioned on the labelling or documents. I do know there is a more recent Walthers "Proto" (not 2000) version of a couple years ago. I don't know what differences (few or many) might exist other than road names and/or adding DCC offering.
I see the Proto 2000 Heritage version (maybe not like new) on Ebay today for $139. I converted mine to DCC by adding a LokSound Select decoder, a 28mm HiBass speaker and LED lighting. I added a Keep Alive (or Current Keeper) as one of the few locos that need such on my layout. I like it lots.
Also on EBay you will find some recent years BLI (Broadway Limited Imports) at least in DCC/sound. Unsure whether those are available in DC.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
Found a Walthers Proto 0-8-0 at Nicholas Smith Trains a few months back. Had an 0-8-0 when I was a kid, have wanted one ever since so I got me one :). They may still have a few.
Thanks for all the information, guys. I appreciate it. Like I said before, I'm normally a diesel guy but there just happens to be something about those two engines that I like. They might not fit my normal time frame but having a "50s - 60s night" on my layout always brings out a lot of my older engines. My best to ya'll!!