Unitah mallets in On30

[logger]

How about a nice model of the Unitah Mallets in On30?  Actualy Bachmann could do them with and without the side tanks to cover the lifetimes of these beasts of the narrow gauge.  I know I would have both road numbers if these were ever done!     Mike

[ASIANLIFE]

Hi Mike

there is a conversion kit for the Mantua HO Mallet to convert to On30, from Backwoods Miniatures. Pictures on the web-site look nice. Not sure how accurate the model is dimensionally.

The company also do a lot of dress-up kits for Bachmann stuff as well.

Paul

[ksivils]

MMI, the die-cast division of Precision Scale Company, is going to produce in On3 and On30 both the Uintah 50 & 51 and the Sumpter Valley 250 & 251.  If you are interested, check their web site for dealers so you can reserve one.

From personal experience, I recommend Randy Lee, of Grizzly Mountain Engineering.  You can contact Randy through his web site.

Hope this helps for those who are interested.

The MMI locomotives to date are more expensive than a Bachmann locomotive, but they are essentially as detailed as a brass locomotive, AND, they weigh a ton so they pull a ton.

[Nick_Burman]

Rather than a Uintah what about a Uintah-esque loco in On30? Bradden Copper Co. once had BLW draw up a preliminary design for a 30" gauge tank Mallet, the loco was a almost-spitting-image of 50 and 51 except that it was summat smaller (not all that smaller, but a boon for layouts anyway) and had outside frames.

Cheers NB

[az2rail]

I had a chance to buy a Manitua Unitah mallet a couple of weeks back. I was thinking  about converting it to on30, but I am still new to this scale,  and I thought it might be to small , being HO. bruce

[Melinda]

The Mantua 2-6-6-2 is too small for an O Scale model of the Uintah locos. It's about right for an S Scale model. The MMI model will be a lot bigger.
There was a very small narrow-gauge 2-6-6-2 somewhere that's about the right size, but I can't remember where. Model Railroader once had an article and drawings of it; maybe someone else will remember.

[ksivils]

The article was by Charles Small and the 2-6-6-2 you have is a pretty close match to the prototype in question, the Angelina.

Go to Bruce Pryor's web site and you will find a builder's photo of this little Baldwin on the web site.

I do not recall which issue of MR the kitbash conversion is in.  Perhaps an e-mail to MR would get an answer for you and maybe you can by a backissue or at least get a photocopy of the article from them.

[Charlie Mutschler]

Biles - Coleman Lumber Co, which operated out of Omak, in north central Washington state, did inquire about a truly tiny 2-6-6-2T for their 36 inch gauge logging railroad.  Baldwin's proposal was used by John Lewis to prepare a set of drawings, which appeared in _Reservation Narrow Gauge_ ,  a history of the B-C logging railroads.  Other three foot gauge proposals included 2-6-6-2 proposals for the Colorado & Southern, East Tennessee & Western North Carolina, as well as several proposals for the D&RGW.  The D&RGW opted for the K-37 class 2-8-2s instead of 2-8-8-2's.  ALCO built some very large three foot gauge 2-6-6-2s for Nacionales de Mexico, none of which survive.  The Uintah's pair of simple articulateds, which went on to the Sumpter Valley and then IRCA, were the only three foot gauge articulateds built for use by a narrow gauge common carrier in the USA. 

[Ken]

The article was by Charles Small and the 2-6-6-2 you have is a pretty close match to the prototype in question, the Angelina.

  The Article was done by Allan J. Brewster, with plans for the engine
and a layout of the Mantua model for comparsion. I have a copy of the
plans & a conversion 80%done. Downside is I have no year for article,
have the month Nov MRR. Believe it was in the late 60s early 70s.

   Ken
     GWN

[amdaylight]

I had a chance to buy a Manitua Unitah mallet a couple of weeks back. I was thinking  about converting it to on30, but I am still new to this scale,  and I thought it might be to small , being HO. bruce

Bruce

I have two of these locomotives converted to On30, the first is is the old V&T Car Shops conversion kit and the second is the Backwoods Miniatures version.
While neither is even a close representation of the either the Unitah or Sumpter Valley's two locomotives they both look great and run well. And to my way of thinking they look great. Using on of the Mantua's 2-6-6-2 of any other mechanism in On30 to build a unique locomotive is one of the fun things about this scale. So go ahead. If it pleases your eye than DO IT! And don't worry about if it is close to some prototype or not, it is your railroad!

Andre

[az2rail]

Andre- Your right. I will have to look for it at the next train show.  Bruce