2-6-6-2 with DCC

[sumfred]

Does anybody know if this new engine comes with traction tire?

[2-8-8-0]

My 2 dont have traction tires, and dont seem to need them, they both pull pretty nicely.

[GN.2-6-8-0]

Just received my new C&O H4 and there are no traction tires on these loco's

[sumfred]

   thanks for the info.
I'll just have to take the good (DCC) with the bad (no TT)

[skipgear]

Sumfred has seen this but for others......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J03_K46Cc-8

[johnTom]

While going through my book about The B.R. & P. -BUFFALO ROCHESTER and PITTSBURGH RAILWAY- which my friend authored and autographed (Mr. Pietrak).This railway had 2-6-6-2's and were lettered for B.R.& P. RY. and classed in the LL series numbers were :

B.R. & P. RY 700 - 754 
These LL class 2-6-6-2's were built between 1914 and 1923 for the B.R. & P.
during Bachmann's production run of the 2-6-6-2 this railroad was neglected. Not everyone models u.p.rr, PRR, BN and ATSF etc..

[skipgear]

Those BRP 2-6-6-2's eventually made it to the B&O as KK4's. I plan to kitbash one of the H4's into a KK4 at some point in time. Unfortunately a simple repaint and number job is not enough to hide the C&O heritage of these loco's. They are uniquely C&O with the flying pumps on the front.

There was an ariticle in the B&O Modeler a year or so back on how to convert an H5 into something more BRP/B&O like. There is a lot of appliance relocation and you can't forget to put the airtanks on top of the boiler. It is achievable if you want to do some modeling with out too much effort.

The H4 may make a better starting point with the slide valve front engine. The delta trailing truck is available from Model Power and a USRA standard tender from Bachmann would replace the vanderbuilt well.

[2-8-8-0]

The B&O modeler article was in HO, but shouldnt be much harder in N at all. The short vandy that comes with the H-4 could come in quite handy for your other B&O projects as well, it would look quite good behind a Kato mike!

[kiasutha]

Yah,use the new H-4 for the front cylinders. Sell the vandy to a C&O guy-I hear B'Mann wants a mint for it
New tender, modify the cab roof, move the pumps etc and some other details should get it pretty close.
Some of us "early" BR&P modellers (half a dozen? )don't need the tanks on the boiler top; those came  later on the LL's.
I don't remember the year anymore. Seems to me they were origional equipment on the XX's though...
Be nice if Bachmann did a BR&P/B&O version for us; there were 55 of them after all...

[johnTom]

The XX class mallets of B.R. & P. RY were 2-8-8-2's, not 2-6-6-2's.

[kiasutha]

The XX class mallets of B.R. & P. RY were 2-8-8-2's, not 2-6-6-2's.

Yes, I'm well aware of that.
It was just a comment in regards to the boiler top air tanks & when they started showing up.
Guess I should have been more specific in my post.
edit-For what it's worth; the LL's got the boiler top tanks in "early" 1929 according to Mike Z's book.

[kiasutha]

Skipgear:
Been looking at my photos of the LL/KK4 class locos & stumbled on something interesting with the trailing truck.
Do you have any pics of the early production locos from the first batch? (700 to 704/7504)
I have good ones of 701 (builders shot) and of B&O 7504 in 1949. Both have trailing trucks that seem to more resemble the one on the C&O H-4 class. (sorry, I don't recall the name of that type)
I have none clearly showing the trailing truck on batch-2 (705 to 709)
All the pics I have of batch-3/4 have the familiar Delta style truck.
My eyes could be tricking me; but could it be that the stock truck is better for at least the first  batch of these locos whether on the BR&P or B&O?
On another note- do you know the Model Power part number & if they still have the Delta style truck?

[skipgear]

The stock trailing truck is I believe called a USRA trailing truck. It has visible leaf springs.

I'm sure there are versions with both trucks out there. All the ones I saw initially had Delta's on them. Model Power has been out of the Delta trucks for a while. When I first found out about them, bought 6 of them and I am down to my last one. There is a new production scheduled from Model Power for later this year so hopefully they will have more parts when those loco's arrive.


B&O KK-4 (BRP 700-705) no pictures for reference that I can find.
B&O KK-4a (BRP 705-709) only one picture for reference and I can't tell.
B&O KK-4b (BRP 710-725) appear to have the USRA trailer on them.
B&O KK-4C/d (remaining production) seem to have Delta trucks.

[kiasutha]

Interesting. Thanks very much for the added info.
From what we "know", it looks like (if not certain) batch 2 would have had the USRA (works for me) style truck too.
BR&P construction "batch 3" was 710 to 740, so maybe the truck style changed after 725.
(the photos of 3rd. group locos I looked at with the delta truck were later than 725)
It might be one of the reasons B&O broke this group into 2 sub classes at that point; I'm pretty shy of info from the B&O years so I don't really know. I guess I should try to do something about that.
Would I be correct that the KK4d would be the heavy frame jobs; 741 to 755 then?

In any case, it seems we can do many of these without replacing the trailing truck; for either road.
It doesn't help for the "heavies"; which were (I've read) the only ones the BR&P usually double headed...
So it goes. And hopefully, Model Power will come through with more locos & parts soon.