Odd and Obscure Steam Locomotives You Would Like a Model Of

JonnyAce posted:

It seems like every time I do some more research, I run across another really cool locomotive that I inevitably want to add to my collection, but unfortunately it's too odd or obscure for the major manufacturers to produce. Case in point: one of the seven Baldwin-built 2-6-6-4's for the Pittsburgh & West Virginia. Seriously, these things are really cool. They've got some very interesting details, like the Belpaire firebox, the booster engine on the rear tender truck with counterweights and side rods,

Only the J1 class were built with tender truck boosters, which wound up being a maintenance headache, and were removed. The J2 class locomotives were not even built with the tender booster.  

smokebox-mounted air pumps, and the relatively tall twin stacks. This got me wondering, what about some of you guys? What unique locomotives would you love to add to your collections that are too obscure for the manufacturers? Let's see some pictures. 

How about a New York Central 2-6-6-2? Lots of folks model the NYC ( even Hot Water) so it might be a good seller.

Maybe its even small enough to accommodate a tighter radius than the more popular larger articulateds currently produced making it an option for more modellers.

I've long admired the P&WV 2-6-6-4. I expect the sales potential is nil.

It's the sort of model for which you might contact a custom builder, if any still exist.

One of the members of the Youngstown Model Railroad Association has that locomotive in O scale 2 rail. It was built by a builder by the name of Kloppenberg. It pulled a 60 car train at a recent open house it a fantastic piece. I will see of we can get some photos of it. No its not for sale, I already asked.

Custom Brass did a NE2 2 6 6 2 they did about 40 of them in 2 rail and came with a factory Kleinschmidt drive. 

While I model transition era, I would like to have an IC Consolidation #638. And I’d like a detailed, prototypical quality model.

Although certainly not "obscure", I have never understood why neither Lionel nor MTH have offered either the NYC H5b series 2-8-2 locomotives, nor the C&O K3a 2-8-2 series steam locomotives. Back when Sunset/3rd Rail announced both of these models, they could never get enough orders/reservations to produce either, in highly detailed brass.

Thus, the odds of ANYONE producing a model of such an "obscure" locomotive as the P&WV 2-6-6-4, is surely slim to none!

Hot Water posted:

Although certainly not "obscure", I have never understood why neither Lionel nor MTH have offered either the NYC H5b series 2-8-2 locomotives, nor the C&O K3a 2-8-2 series steam locomotives. Back when Sunset/3rd Rail announced both of these models, they could never get enough orders/reservations to produce either, in highly detailed brass.

<snip>

The B&O would seem to fit in the second rank of favorite locos. Yet 3rd Rail has done several. The secret is for a bunch of us to pester Scott and promise to buy the loco of the moment--the Q4b, the T3, the P7 and P7d (plus the gorgeous Cincinnatian train set) etc.

So, I surmise that NYC and C&O fans just aren't motivated.

rex desilets posted:

Hot Water posted:

Although certainly not "obscure", I have never understood why neither Lionel nor MTH have offered either the NYC H5b series 2-8-2 locomotives, nor the C&O K3a 2-8-2 series steam locomotives. Back when Sunset/3rd Rail announced both of these models, they could never get enough orders/reservations to produce either, in highly detailed brass.

<snip>

The B&O would seem to fit in the second rank of favorite locos. Yet 3rd Rail has done several. The secret is for a bunch of us to pester Scott and promise to buy the loco of the moment--the Q4b, the T3, the P7 and P7d (plus the gorgeous Cincinnatian train set) etc.

So, I surmise that NYC and C&O fans just aren't motivated.

And there, in my opinion, lies the difference between the "toy train" folks, and the "scale modelers", in our hobby.

N&W 0-8-0 S1a

N&W 4-8-2 K1 Heavy Mountain.

The Milwaukee Road had a good number of 2-6-6-2 steamers also. Would love to see someone make them. Don

I'd love to see Strasburg RR #90 in O gauge. It may not qualify as obscure, but it is a bit unique as I'm pretty sure it's the only operating decapod in the U.S. 

John 

BlueComet400, that's not entirely true about the Decapods. True Strasburg #90 is a Decapod, and she is operational, but so is Frisco #1630. She's been operational and in service at the Illinois Railway Museum for years. That makes two that I know of.

An accurate model of this SAL streamlined pacific:

Never happen but hey.

BlueComet400 posted:

I'd love to see Strasburg RR #90 in O gauge. It may not qualify as obscure, but it is a bit unique as I'm pretty sure it's the only operating decapod in the U.S. 

 

John 

There's also IRM's Frisco 1630:

And even though MTH has made two production runs of a Russian Decapod, they've totally ignored the 1630.

Rusty

Bob Delbrigde, I'd buy a model of that SAL streamliner, too! That period of railroading created some fantastic looking locomotives. 

Texas and New Orleans MK-5 #786.

Texas and New Orleans Sunbeam PS-14 4-62 #650 

Texas and New Orleans 2-10-2 #982

Good news:      Believe NJ Intl did the NYC 2-6-6-2 about 25-30 years ago. SP 2-8-2 and Russian Decapod done by Sunset 3rd Rail.  C&O/N&W 0-8-0 done by Precision Scale.

mark s posted:

Good news:      Believe NJ Intl did the NYC 2-6-6-2 about 25-30 years ago. SP 2-8-2 and Russian Decapod done by Sunset 3rd Rail.  C&O/N&W 0-8-0 done by Precision Scale.

I remember Sunset Models doing a 2-rail O-scale Russian Decapod way back when (1980's?) but not Sunset 3rd Rail. 

And as I mentioned earlier, MTH did two production runs and totally ignored the Frisco, yet released the same Santa Fe number (the only ex-KCNM&O "Americanized") twice.

Rusty

NYC NE2 2-6-6-2 - yes!

As stated above, it's relatively "small".  So - it could be a scale Mallet that could dip down into some RK and Lionmaster curve territory, at least on the upper end. Thsis is actually prototypical, as the NYC did have some trackage that was fairly twisty, and needed some real power, but the big Mike and the Mohawk freighters were not comfortable there.

It would also give us NYC fans who also like articulateds a chance to have it both ways, and for others something unusual in a road name that doesn't call Mallets to mind. And, it's a nice-looking machine.

These should not actually be "obscure" - the NYC had over 60 2-6-6-2's, most of them like this one.