Athearn Mountain

[r.cprmier]

In the latest edition of Model Railroader" there is an Athearn ad for a 4-8-2 Mountain.  Interesting.  I haven't as yet seen anything on an upgraded Athearn Pacific.   I have been waiting with my hand you know where for that BLI Pacific, one I can turn into a New Haven I-4, but nada, no dice, ixnay, etc.  What does anyone know about this latest effort from Athearn?
Rich

[Atlantic Central]

Rich,

Athearn has a new manufacturer and a new mechanism for the Genesis Pacific and will offer it under the Roundhouse name. There is info on the Roundhouse site and itr was announced last week in the Athearn e-mail news letter.

Due in June or July if I recall correctly.

The Mountain has been in the works for some time and that info is up on the Athearn site as well.

Sheldon

[Guilford Guy]

What type of mountain? All I can find on Athearns website is an MT-4.

[SteamGene]

Mt was Southern Pacific for "Mountain," IIRC.  WP may have had a similar loco, but I'm no expert that far west.
Gene

[japasha]

Gene,

The MT-4 was unique to the SP. It was an all-around passenger locomotive that also did fast freight and secondary runs.

Most were built in the SP shops at Sacramento. After the war all received skyline casings.

The WP had second hand USRA mountains that were purchased from the FEC. Both mountain types were well liked by the crews though they prferred the GS class on both roads.

My information is that the mountain will be here in June and the USRA Mike and Pacific at the end of the year.

I have one Bachmann USRA re-lettered for the WP. Isaw the SP Mountains in service on the commuter run from San Jose to San Francisco. They rarely missed the schedule

[andrechapelon]

Mt was Southern Pacific for "Mountain," IIRC.  WP may have had a similar loco, but I'm no expert that far west.
Gene

WP's 4-8-2's were ex FEC locos. Cotton Belt's L-1's were also 2nd hand FEC locos.

I can't find a picture of a Cotton Belt, FEC, or WP 4-8-2. However, the Central Vermont U-1a's were very similar in overall proportion and specs.

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?//april99/04-11-99/cv601.jpg

Andre

[SteamGene]

If the WP and Cotton Belt Mountains were ex-FEC, than they were most likely USRA heavys.  FEC received 50 of them and sold all or most of them because of a bankrupcy.  I've never found where they went to, except to "other railroads."  I think I noted when the Bachmann USRA heavy came out that it was strange that the railroad which received the most wasn't included in the road names.  The CV looks like a USRA Heavy. 
Gene

[Yukonsam]

Hi

"The MT-4 was unique to the SP. It was an all-around passenger locomotive that also did fast freight and secondary runs.

Most were built in the SP shops at Sacramento. After the war all received skyline casings".

All 21 MT-4 locomotives were built in Sacramento, as well as 18 locomotives of class MT-3 and 10 class MT-5. They were almost identical, except for the location of air pumps, bells and a few other detals.

MT-1 (28 locomotives) were built by Schenectady, and differed from the MT-3, MT-4 and MT-5 mostly in cab-details and tenders.

Class MT-2 were built by Brooks for the El Paso and Southwestern at about the same time SP took over the EP&SW, but that is another history.

All this according to "A Century of SP Steam Locomotives" by Guy L. Dunscomb.

Regards, Yukonsam

[andrechapelon]

If the WP and Cotton Belt Mountains were ex-FEC, than they were most likely USRA heavys.  FEC received 50 of them and sold all or most of them because of a bankrupcy.  I've never found where they went to, except to "other railroads."  I think I noted when the Bachmann USRA heavy came out that it was strange that the railroad which received the most wasn't included in the road names.  The CV looks like a USRA Heavy. 
Gene

No. FEC had light and heavy Mountains, although the lights were not USRA. The heavies were numbered in the 800 series, IIRC, and the lights were in the 400 series. Like I said, the FEC lights were very close in specs to the  CV U-1a's and were the ones that got sold.

Here's a picture of FEC #809, one of the Heavies. http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?//june98/06-17-98/fec809.jpg

Andre

[TonyD]

Yes, I believe the Central Vermont's were off the shelf USRA lights, as built in early 20's, but over the years they got all the Canadian National upgrades, so by the time people started taking lots of photos, at the end of steam- they looked like they were on steroids.

[andrechapelon]

Yes, I believe the Central Vermont's were off the shelf USRA lights, as built in early 20's, but over the years they got all the Canadian National upgrades, so by the time people started taking lots of photos, at the end of steam- they looked like they were on steroids.

The CV U-1a's were NOT USRA locos. They only had 44,000 lbs TE when initially built (boiler pressure raised later). They had 26x28 cylinders. The USRA light had 26x30 cyliners and 53,900 lbs TE.  The CV engines had 73" drivers, the USRA 4-8-2's had 69" drivers.

Recipients of the USRA light (either originals, copies or both):
NYNY&H, NC&StL,  L&N, Southern and MP.

Andre

[TonyD]

quite right quite right. Excuse me for typing in generalizations. I thought it was common for the term 'USRA' to be used for any post federal controlled production of locomotives based on the emergency board's accepted blueprints. I do believe, but will stand corrected, in thinking there was a 'USRA design' switcher built in the  early 50's by the N&W? As far as the Central Vermont, sorry, I did not pull my reference books before typing, I was speaking off the top of my head, from memory, of what my postal worker uncle told me about these engines when they were new, and he worked the rpo's behind them. the crews called them USRA's, they were proud of the custom ordered high drivers, which btw, I will guess is why the piston stroke, traction and tonnage were different from the 'USRA standard design'. I guess an LL Bean Ford pick up is different than an Eddie Bauer Ford pickup...
and I am open for correction again on that too...now Rich, I put a rivarossi heavy Pacific/ Mikado 2 piece boiler shell on a Bachmann k-4 chassis, and went to town with the cast or scratch built details, actually, the stubby yet tall tender was the toughest job. I have it on the layout now, I'll take and send you a couple pics later this week.... as you may have guessed, I am not a rivet counter....

[r.cprmier]

HI, Tony;
I am looking foward to seeing it.  Rivet counting is for  those with too much time on their hands.  As you know, I do not neccessarily adhere to any prototype in terms of my road; I ninstead, research what I would need for a particular application, such as the Santa Fes or the Texas I am presently working on.  As there is a lot of hills in New England (where the road is situated), especially the White Mountains and the Berkshires, and the trains long and heavy, beefed up versions of engines abound.

It is odd, but I have not had trouble with either the Athearn mikes or pacifics I own.  I hope I am not speaking too soon...

RIch

[Virginian]

N&W's 0-8-0s were improvements to C&Os 0-8-0s which they and VGN had bought, which incorporated several improvements to the basic USRA design.
The USRA 2-8-8-2s were basically N&W's Y-2s.  It is said N&W borrowed the design back after the war, but I think that is a gross misstatement.  N&W proceeded with the improvements to the Y2 they had already intended to pursue, and that resulted in the Y3.  The evolution continued thru the Y6b.

[gcodori]

Since the MT-4 from Athern is an SP prototype - I'm guessing it will be close to the SP details.  How closely does the Spectrum heavy mountain (with vanderbilt tender) map to the SP?  What is wrong with the spectrum model? 

Is the spectrum model "close enuf" for those who already own it or will we start having buyers remorse?  How do the Athern locos run compared to the spectrum?

Thoughts?
GC