First revenue run...

[doctorwayne]

by a recently acquired USRA 2-6-6-2. Accompanied by Erie Northshore 2-8-2 632, the pair have their train well in-hand, as they head for the TH&B interchange in Port Maitland.

With the name and number of her previous owner painted over, a spokesperson for new owner Elora Gorge & Eastern declined to speculate on which road this "new" loco would be assigned to. Roundhouse rumours are that the loco will go into the shops for a major rebuild, including shortening of the tender, which will enable her to fit on the Erie Northshore's Lowbanks turntable, shortest on the system.

While this loco runs well, and can negotiate all of my mainline trackage, the tender is prone to derailments due to the placement of the plugs between the loco and tender. When the tender is shortened, the circuit board will be removed and the wiring simplified, with new plugs moved to a less troublesome location. This loco is not a great puller compared to either the Bachmann Consolidation or the Athearn Mikado, but I'm confident that it can be substantially upgraded in this respect. I'm not planning too much in the way of cosmetic alterations, other than the tender, although the cab, which has some damage, will be replaced. I have a few other ideas for this loco, but it's pretty far down the rebuild list right now, so you'll not likely see too much of it for a while.

Wayne

 

[Nomad]

That's a great looking loco. I don't blame you for wanting to fix her up.

Loren

 

[UP SD40-2]

Outstanding Engine!!!

SLAP FANTASTIC looking 2-6-6-2 Wayne!!!:thumb::thumb::thumb: i am GLAD you are going to do something with the tender:winki: . i have a VERY STRONG feeling THIS new engine will be my favorite of ALL of your steamers:thumb: . i implore you to move this engine to the VERY TOP of your priority list of "things to do":winki: :mrgreen: . the EG&E(i hope:mrgreen: ) REALLY NEEDED an engine of this magnitude:thumb: . i CANT WAIT to see this one finished!:mrgreen:
:deano: -Deano

 

[Ralph]

WOW! Looks great! God luck with the minor alterations to keep it running derailment free. Looking at your steamer photos I sometimes wonder why I'm such a diesel fan.

 

[tomkat13]

What a pair!.....That's some big time power.....I bet those work-horses can realy pull!...I realy enjoy your post's and thats what got me to this forum...keep 'em coming....tkat

 

[doctorwayne]

Thanks for the kind words, guys.
tomkat13, :welcome1: to the Gauge. The Athearn Mike pulls pretty well, but the articulated will need some upgrading in that department. The pair do run well together, though.

Dean, I'm not sure where this loco fits in to the shops' rebuilding plans, but I have 3 Bachmann Consolidations to redo: one will become the fifth Grand Valley 2-8-0, although I plan to make it a bit "different" from the others. Of the remaining two, one will become a CNR N-2-b, while the other is slated for rebuilding as a TH&B G-s. There are also 2 Bachmann 4-6-0s that will be modernised with new cabs and piston valves, and an old (probably early '50s) John English Pacific to be rebuilt. Here's the Pacific:

At the absolute top of the list is an old Akane USRA 2-10-2, owned by my friend cn nutbar, that I'm converting into a CNR T-3-a. We have talked about this project for years, and I finally found this loco at a nearby hobbyshop. It has been remotored by the previous owner, and runs well and pulls well, too. It took some time to gather up all of the parts needed for the conversion, and I hadn't gotten too far into the project when I was conscripted to do a home renovation, which took me most of last year. Worse yet, that project sapped my enthusiasm for train projects and it's only recently that I've restarted work on this loco. Sadly, my skills are in need of some sharpening, so the project is moving quite slowly. Here's a photo of the loco as we received it. The tender is a Bachmann USRA-type, which needs to be modified to follow CNR practices. The brass tender that came with the loco is a USRA long type, not at all suitable for this CNR loco and not as easy to modify as the plastic Bachmann version. Changes planned include a new all-weather cab, a completely new front end, including pilot and Elesco fwh system, and all new boiler piping and details.

We'll see where that articulated fits in when the 2-10-2 is finished.

Wayne

 

[UP SD40-2]

Wayne:wav: , well....since its nutbar's 2-10-2, i guess I'll let you slide on that:winki: :119: , it looks good now, i cant wait to see how it turns out after you do your "magic" to it:mrgreen: .

now as far as the "other" engines go....:eeki: :toug: :119:
i REALLY think the EG&E is in dyer need of that 2-6-6-2:winki: .

BTW, that Pacific looks like it has GREAT potential:thumb: .

:deano: -Deano

 

[Triplex]

and an old (probably early '50s) John English Pacific to be rebuilt. Here's the Pacific:

I've never seen one of those. What prototype is it - or does it have one?

 

[doctorwayne]

I've never seen one of those. What prototype is it - or does it have one?

The loco as you see it here is in at least its third guise since I've had it. I believe Ray Marinaccio may have one of these in more original condition. Many years ago, I "converted" it into a CPR loco with the addition of the Kemtron all-weather cab and some running board skirting. The "coal" load in the cast zinc tender was filed flat with a large mill file to allow me to create an oil tender, and the whole works was painted and lettered for the CPR. Later, I removed the skirting, and since I wanted a coal tender, scratchbuilt the one shown in the photo. The Elesco fwh was added, along with a few other details.
I had originally planned to replace the all-weather cab with one from a Bachmann Consolidation, to give this loco a "family" resemblance to my Grand Valley Consolidations, but I may leave it as it is. I do intend to remove the Elesco system, and change the entire front-end treatment, including the pilot, plus move the steam dome back where it belongs, and I have a Bachmann tender to replace the current one.
When I got this loco in the late '50s (it was purchased used by my Dad) it had working class lights and is one of very few that I own that has working lights of any kind. They'll be removed in the rebuild. I recently added pick-up shoes to the loco, as all drivers are brass and subject to the same electrical problems as brass track. The loco still has its original open-frame motor and runs like a charm.
The original box has a price, pencilled on the end, of $29.95, while the price printed on the enclosed assembly sheet is $19.95 (U.S.). A photo of the finished model shows the loco to have an appearance similar to a NYC K-11, with some USRA influence. According to the accompanying copy, "The Pacific is the standard passenger locomotive on all the nation's railroads, and no model railroad is complete without at least one speedy 4-6-2 in its lineup." It goes on to state that the model is "patterned after USRA and Sante-Fe (sic) prototypes..."
The valve gear was an optional kit from Central Valley, "available from your dealer at $2.95." :smile:

Wayne

 

[ocalicreek]

Personally, I'm not one for the all-weather cab look. (Sorry, my Canadian friends) However, you could justify it by saying it was transfered from a division of one of your roads where the loco wasn't suited to the territory, and the all-weather cab was chosen as an experiment in 'progress'. Or something like that.

What sort of tender will you substitute?

 

[doctorwayne]

I have a Bachmann USRA-style tender for use with the Pacific, which I'll modify to look like the one in the photo below.

The 2-6-6-2 will get a tender similar to that used on my Grand Valley Consolidations. This will allow it to fit on the turntable at Lowbanks, and, with my generally short runs, should still be prototypically feasible.

Wayne