steam locos

[Anonymous]

Hey everyone, just got my first set! I've always liked the steam locomotives. Does anyone know what era my Praire 2-6-2 with Tender would be from? I'm a rookie ok. I'd like to get some period cars to go with it but don't know where to look. Thanks

[dknelson]

I am not sure what make (or scale) your Praire is but the 2-6-2 wheel arrangement can generally be thought of as circa 1895 to 1910 in manufacture. I imagine some Praires kept running well into the last years of steam in the 1950s but not on major main lines. For example the Illinois Railroad Museum has a 2-6-2 that they got from the famous Tuskegee Institute where I think it was used in the school's steam boiler operation to bring in coal cars.
The common plastic 2-6-2s somewhat resemble that locomotive. I think it was in active service into the 1960s but was probably built closeer to 1905 or so
Dave Nelson

[joseph2]

Freight cars from that time were wood sided or riveted steel.I think Athearn and MDC make wood sided 40 foot long box and stock cars.In Indiana the Milwaukee RR used that type of engine for coal trains,the cars had two bay hoppers.