Trolley freight locomotive

I like this a lot - could be a fun build. 

Slanted decks for weights?  Possibly.  Seems to be a pipe running down the middle.  What for?  No air tanks, resistors, etc. and no real space for them either.  Light sideframes for those trucks.  Stake pockets; probably just a standard feature from the builder and possibly used to secure "stuff".

Search back a year of two, a forum member created something similar, a bit more robust.  I believe he produced several car bodies that were to be mounted in a scale 44t locomotive frame.  It was a very well done freight motor that I would have bought if I modeled that type of RR.  Not sure what search terms to use, perhaps someone can assist with that.

The Providence & Danielson Railway must have been electrified but I don't see a trolley pole on the locomotive. Can anyone explain?

MELGAR

necrails posted:

Search back a year of two, a forum member created something similar, a bit more robust.  I believe he produced several car bodies that were to be mounted in a scale 44t locomotive frame.  It was a very well done freight motor that I would have bought if I modeled that type of RR.  Not sure what search terms to use, perhaps someone can assist with that.

That was a much larger steeple cab.

Both the Ballston Terminal and P&D were electric lines; I can't explain why no pole, except maybe it was to be added after the unit shipped.  Hard to see where the compressor and air tank were for the Christensen brake system, unless they hadn't been added yet.  I am putting together a PowerPoint on this line, which derived 25-30% of its revenue from freight.  

I like those lokey-on-a-flatcar beasts - it's almost like Jackson & Sharp added extras to a stock flatcar design.

MELGAR posted:

The Providence & Danielson Railway must have been electrified but I don't see a trolley pole on the locomotive. Can anyone explain?

MELGAR

Maybe the photo is a posed "as delivered" w/o the pole(s) in place?

It does look very clean.

What about powered rails?; possible?

Neat.

Scale Rail Don was doing steeples on the B.mann 44t frame (and for another frame too); but not a delivery version.

And the pipe... maybe their idea of a handrail or footbrace? I think I see a bar along the rear pilot too; I.e. I don't think it's symmetrical front vs rear; & think the "front" is fwd here. The rear bar may be to stop things sliding off the slant if no car was pulled.....?

I do not see any traction motors mounted, could it be on builder's shop trucks at the factory?

Funnily enow, I'm currently freelancing a steeplecab using a K-Line S-2 chassis, a couple slope back tender shells and the cab from a GE U-boat:

Mitch 

Mitch - I like your steeple cab - very funky, and there was so much variety on these early engines, many of them being home built, that there has to be a close prototype somewhere,

Dave - I think you are right about these being shop trucks.  I just downloaded a very high resolution of the same photo from the Delaware State Archives and you can see some blocking between the body and the front truck.  These photos are so good that you can read the name of the foundry that made the wheels (Lobdell Car Wheel Co. Wilmington).  This archive does not have all the photos that are at the Smithsonian, but it's online and the photos are very good scans, so if you're researching a Jackson & Sharp prototype it's worth a look:

https://cdm16397.contentdm.ocl...onn/and/order/nosort

Bruce Clouette posted:

Dave - I think you are right about these being shop trucks.  I just downloaded a very high resolution of the same photo from the Delaware State Archives and you can see some blocking between the body and the front truck.  These photos are so good that you can read the name of the foundry that made the wheels (Lobdell Car Wheel Co. Wilmington).  This archive does not have all the photos that are at the Smithsonian, but it's online and the photos are very good scans, so if you're researching a Jackson & Sharp prototype it's worth a look:

https://cdm16397.contentdm.ocl...onn/and/order/nosort

I went to the link and did not find the freight motor but did fine a Ballston Terminal Railroad coach mounted on the same style trucks.

The search function is very literal, so yes, only the combine came up with "Ballston" but if you search "B. T." you get the engine. Sorry, I should have cited the complete link:

https://cdm16397.contentdm.ocl...3coll6/id/2336/rec/1