NEB&W Guide to Precison Craft Steam Locomotive Models

Last Update: 2009-02-07

Loco Models Table of Contents
Locos Table of Contents
Rolling Stock Table of Contents

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This is a new company as of 2006. Ready-to-run locos. Locos are all available with their propritary "LokSound" or not. All version equipped with DCC and can be switched to run on an ordinary DC wired layout. Each loco includes an optional (rubber?) tired driver to increase traction.

• N&W 2-8-8-2 Y6b - Based on a specific N&W class of locos, which in turn were copies of the USRA standard design of the same wheel arrangement. Same prototype as the AHM/Rivarossi model. The N&W Y-class of locos date back to the original USRA locos and over time they got a total of 191 of these.
  • [Original USRA Mallet, 1922 Loco Cyc.]
  According to Steve Orth (Dec. 2005 Railmodel Journal), the N&W, Virginian, and Clinchfield got the original engines. After WWI, clones were acquired by the D&RGW and NP. The Pennsy and Santa Fe got original USRA Mallets from the N&W.
  Perhaps the biggest difference between a USRA Mallet and the Y6b/this model is the cab. The USRA loco had a pretty standard looking style cab, while this version had a shorter slanted-front cab. If you were desperate, you could backdate this model by substituting a cab from the USRA Pacific or Mikado. The tender, too, is more modern looking and using a USRA tender, the so-called long version, would help. (Bachmann and Life-Like have models of the original USRA version, so backdating isn't worth it - I just point it out to make a point.)

• 88 PRR 2-10-0 - Numbered 4471, with a high headlight.
• 89 PRR 2-10-0 - Numbered 4268, with a high headlight.
• 90 PRR 2-10-0 - Unlettered, with a high headlight.
• 91 PRR 2-10-0 - Numbered 4440, with a low headlight.
• 92 PRR 2-10-0 - Numbered 4538, with a low headlight.
• 93 PRR 2-10-0 - Unlettered, with a low headlight.
  Class I1sa. (Not sure what the "a" subclass was. The "s" stood for superheated, first used when this was a rarity. When it got to the point that most were superheated, they just dropped the letter in the class designation.) These were the heaviest locos on the PRR, first built right after WWI. The driver diameter was 62 inches.
  • [Postcard.]
  • [PRR 4300, Railway Age, 1923.]
  I belived the first one was built in 1916, thoroughly tested, and then 122 more built, for heavy traffic on the mountainous western division. In 1922, they ordered another 100 from Baldwin. (At the time, the PRR was moving about 11% of the entire freight traffic of the U.S., and of this, 6,700 cars a day over the Alleghenies.)

• 100 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Washington", no. 5300. With sound unit.
• 101 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Jefferson", no. 5302. With sound unit.
• 102 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Madison", no. 5303. With sound unit.
• 103 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Monroe", no. 5304. With sound unit.
• 104 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Van Buren", no. 5306. With sound unit.
• 105 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Buchanan", no. 5313. With sound unit.
• 106 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Lincoln", no. 5314. With sound unit.
• 107 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Washington", no. 5300. Without sound unit.
• 108 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Jefferson", no. 5302. Without sound unit.
• 109 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Madison", no. 5303. Without sound unit.
• 110 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Monroe", no. 5304. Without sound unit.
• 111 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Van Buren", no. 5306. Without sound unit.
• 112 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Buchanan", no. 5313. Without sound unit.
• 113 B&O 4-6-2 - Lettered "President Lincoln", no. 5314. Without sound unit.
  The B&O P7 class of Pacifics were built in 1927. These 20 locos were the so-called "President class" since they were named after the first presidents. Davy Cormack said the P7 class was very similar, but not identical to the USRA heavy, when built, but then extensively modified (at least in external appearances later on in the '40's, including the use of 80 inch Boxpok drivers. Other P7 locos had a mix of driver types in later years. Nos. 5314 and 5316, for example, had Boxpok, while others such as nos. 5309, 5315, and 5312 had standard spoked drivers. I believe these models are to be the as-delivered version, which would make it easier to do several numbers - otherwise each version would need different detailing.
  • [B&O George Washington, 1927 builder's photo.]
  • [B&O 5314, as rebuilt in later years. Photo courtesy Davy Cormack.]
  • [B&O 5314, with 12 wheel tender. Photo courtesy Davy Cormack.]

• 23 GN 4-8-4 Northern - Model painted Glacier Park green and numbered 2580. Said to be a model of the S-2 class. The S-1 class were 6 locos built by Baldwin in 1929, with 73 inch drivers. The S-2's were also built by Baldwin, in 1930, some 14 locos with 80 inch drivers, numbered 2575-2588.
  • [GN 2577. Baldwin builder's photo.]

• SP 4-8-4 Northern - The famous GS-4. Lima built 6 4-8-4 streamlined locos to the Southern Pacific about 1937 to haul the new Daylight between San Francisco and Los Angeles, with another 14 engines the next year.
  • [SP 4412 in Los Angeles, 1937. From Railway Age.]
  • [SP 4412 in a freight yard, 1937. From a Lima ad in Railway Age.]
  • [SP loco at the head of a passenger train. From a 1937 Lima ad in Railway Age.]
  The second batch had 80 inch drivers. (Pretty sure they all did, but I only know about this second group.) The following were said to all be similar:
  • GS-3, nos. 4416-4429.
    • [Lima builder's photo, 1938. (Can't read the number but would think this was a GS-3.)]
  • GS-4, nos. 4430-4457, built by Lima 1941-'42. (Should be 20 locos if the above is right, 6 and 14.)
    • [SP 4436. From a 1941 Lima ad in Railway Age. (Note this has the twin headlights.)]
    • [SP fleet. From a 1941 Lima ad in Railway Age.]
  • GS-5, nos. 4458-4459.
(Bet the "GS" stands for "Golden State")
The Western Pacific got 6 locos built to this design, due to the wartime restrictions on new designs. I believe these would have been painted black. (These might have been copies of the SP's GS-6 built in '43, nos. 4460-4463 with less streamlining and only 74 inch drivers. They were painted black and used intended for freight. Might be interesting to use this model to represent this class. Just repainting the loco would go a long way to suggest this class, even if you didn't swap out the drivers for smaller ones.)
• [SP 4462, GS-6. Builder's photo.]
• 587 Reading T1 4-8-4 - According to an article in the April 1946 Railway Mechanical Engineer, the RDG built themselves 20 of these locos in 1945 and another 10 a few months later. (I understand the last 10 actually used the boiler from a 2-8-0, possibly the same prototype as the older Bachmann Consolidation, although it would not be practical to convert that model into one of these T-1 locos.)
  • [Photo, 1946 RME.]
  By the way, I was born just too late (1950) to have seen steam in action, but was fascinated by it nonetheless. My parents took me to one of the Reading "Iron Horse Rambles" in 1960, a fan trip out of Bethlehem, PA powered by one of these T-1's, so this was the first working steam loco I ever saw.

• 80 SP 4-8-8-2 Cab Forward - Numbered 4294, with sound.
• 81 SP 4-8-8-2 Cab Forward - Numbered 4277, with sound.
• 82 SP 4-8-8-2 Cab Forward - No engine number, with sound.
• 83 SP 4-8-8-2 Cab Forward - Numbered 4294. No sound.
• 84 SP 4-8-8-2 Cab Forward - Numbered 4277. No sound.
• 85 SP 4-8-8-2 Cab Forward - No engine number. No sound.
  These were locos on the SP that were built to run cab first, because of the many and long tunnels and snowsheds. This kept the crew in front of the exhaust, not trailing it. These engines burned oil which could be piped to the firebox. Otherwise they couldn't have separated the firebox from the tender.
  According to the review of the AHM model in the June '66 MR, there were several classes of cab forwards, AC-4 through AC-12. The first three series (AC-4 through AC-6) had a flat front to the cab, while the rest had a rounded front.
  The classes are as follows:
  • AC-4, nos. 4100-4109, built in 1928.
  • AC-5, nos. 4110-4125, built in 1929.
  • AC-6, nos. 4126-4150, built in 1930.
  • AC-7, nos. 4151-4176, built in 1937.
  • AC-8, nos. 4177-4204, built in 1939.
  • AC-9, coal-burning "cab backwards" locos.
  • AC-10, ?
  • AC-11, nos. 4245-4274, 30 locos built by Balwin in 1942-'43.
  The AHM model was based on the plans of AC-11 no. 4272 in the June '48 MR and reprinted in Steam Loco Cyclopedia. This model is of the AC-12 class.
  • [SP 4100, Railway Signaling, 1926. Built c. 1923, the first locos, up until no. 4150, had a flat front. (Those holes under the cab were later plugged.]
  • [SP 4100 with plugged portholes. W.C. Whittaker photo.]
  • [SP 4101. Railway Age, 1943.]
  • [SP 4117, being turned. Railway Age, 1943.]
  • [SP 4152 (I think, it might be 4132) on a long freight. Railway Age, 1945.]
  • [SP 4159, Railway Age, 1938. The bowed front allowed them to check the staybolts without having to remove the cab.]
  • [SP 4177, one of 20 being built by Baldwin. Railway Age, 1939.]
  • [SP 4211, Railway Age, 1942.]
  • [SP 4272, Railway Age, 1948.]
  • [SP 4272, Railway Age, 1948. Fireman's side.]
  • [AHM model numbered 4272, in the post 1945 lettering. This upgraded model c. 1979 has reduced .039 inch deep flanges.]
  The first cab forwards were the MC-2 class ("Mallet - Consolidation) built in 1910. "AC" stood for "articulated - consolidation", probably meaning they were not compound engines. The SP had a total of 256 cab forwards and no other road is known to have had any.
  • [Class diagram of the 2-8-8-2 Mallet. Railway Age, 1911.]
  • [Postcard c. WWI. (The most distinguishing feature is the bulky arc headlight.)]
  There was the AC-9 class, 12 locos built by Lima in '39, which being coal burning locos, had to have the cab back by the tender. These locos looked like backwards cab forwards - the article in a '39 Railway Age even mentioned this. (And one could suggest these with the model turned around, although these had a streamlined skyline casting). These locos were used in the southwest, burning low grade bituminous coal from Dawson Field, NM. The driver diameter was 64 inches on these.
  • [Builder's photo SP 3800.]
  • [Builder's photo front. (The pilot is sheet metal with the "spokes/slats" painted on.)]
  • [Ad. Railway Age, 1943.]

• UP 4-8-8-4 Big Boy - WHAT! Does the hobby need ANOTHER Big Boy?
  By many attributes, this class of locos were the biggest steam engines ever produced. Only the UP had ones like this. These locos were constructed in late 1941 (nos. 4000-4019), with five more built in '44 (nos. 4020-4024). Legend has it that the name came about when some unknown worker at Alco chalked "Big Boy" on the smokebox front. They stayed in service until 1962 and a large number (proportionately) were preserved.
  • [UP 4002, broadside. Railway Age, 1941.]
  • [UP 4002, front. Railway Age, 1941.]
  • [UP 4000, in service. Railway Age, 1941.]

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