Arnold,
Thanks for starting Steamday. The OGR Forum needs a good weekly discussion about steam locomotives.
My model of Boston & Maine Mogul 2-6-0 #1455 was made by Lionel (6-38019) with TMCC and a Pittman motor. It was listed in the 2005 Volume 1 catalog at MSRP $599.99.
I had wanted to buy a TMCC version of Lionel’s Mogul for years. It’s perfect for my 10’-by-5’ layout which represents a single-track New England branch line that passes by riverside mills, rural countryside, and a small town, the types of places that were served by B&M Moguls.
In 2021, a Lionel Mogul was listed “new-in-box” by Forum sponsor Trainz. It was on its way to me the next morning. It was packed well and, as best I could tell, had never been run. The pickup rollers were unmarked and the traction tires had no flat spots. The locomotive looked and ran like new, so the Trainz description and rating were accurate.
The Boston & Maine Railroad rostered 137 B-15 class 2-6-0 Moguls. They were built by Alco in Manchester, New Hampshire and Schenectady, New York between 1903 and 1910 and were used on branch line mixed trains, in local freight service, for switching, and on commuter trains around Boston until 1956. Moguls hauled wood sided passenger cars on the B&M into the 1950s.
As built, the Moguls were not superheated but some were modified around 1918, as can be seen on the Lionel model by the circular cover plates at the fronts of the tall steam chests above the cylinders, where piston valves replaced the original slide valves. A B-15 class diagram indicates an engine weight of 142,500 pounds and a tender weight of 89,000 pounds. Superheated engines had a tractive effort of about 25,000 pounds.
Lionel’s model closely resembles the prototype B&M #1455, which is preserved at the Danbury Railway Museum in Connecticut. The classic features that I like most are the arched cab windows. Train is running at 26 scale miles-per-hour in the videos.
MELGAR
