Keystone Customs now has an Erie Lima trailing Truck and Booster kit

[Lemosteam]

Keystone Customs announces a new kit for Erie modelers.  This kit is a Lima designed and built equalized trailing truck and booster engine designed to fit the LifeLike Berkshire (all variants).

This was designed for @Chris333 by request.  this is the truck the design represents:

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The truck and Booster engine kit can be purchased at keystone Details now:

http://www.keystonedetails.com/keystone-customs/2017/1/8/n-scale-erie-equalized-trailing-truck-and-booster-engine-kit

[wcfn100]

What wheels does it take?

Never mind, I assume the Berkshire has the odd size wheel on the factory truck.


Jason

[Chris333]

Much thanks to John for doing this! 

They are designed for the Life-Like wheels.

[Chris333]

Also for information sake what I've read is these were articulating because the loco frame ended at the rear driver. This truck supported the rear and firebox. The ashpan sat right on the truck. The truck also became the drawbar.

http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8475

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,3884580

I know they were also used on B&M 2-8-4's and T&P 2-10-4's. Does anyone know of other locomotives that used this design?

[Chris333]

@wcfn100  looks like CGW 2-10-4's also used them?

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/texas/cgw858-vollrath.jpg
http://www.railarchive.net/randomsteam/images/cgw854.jpg
http://trainweb.org/ucgw/op4902.jpg
 

[Chris333]

And I found this info:

A large increase in firebox area (from 66 square feet (6.1 m2) on the H-10 to 100 square feet (9.3 m2) on the A-1), characteristic of his work, necessitated adding another axle to the trailing truck, thus creating the 2-8-4 wheel arrangement. Built in the spring of 1925, the first Berkshire (a demonstrator owned by Lima) was dubbed the A-1. In addition to supporting the very large firebox and grate, the four-wheeled trailing truck carried the ash pan. For this purpose, the truck was redesigned as an articulated extension of the locomotive frame. The result was an ash pan which could hold more ash, allowing the locomotive to travel farther between cleanings. (For roads which burned coal, this was a significant innovation. But it was not without tradeoffs. The articulated frame reduced weight on the driving wheels, which did not aid tractive effort (pulling ability). The locomotives so configured also had more difficulty staying on the rails in reverse, particularly through yard trackwork like switch frogs.)

http://limalocomotiveworks.com/LLW_A1-72dpi.JPG

And Illinois Central also used them on 2-8-4's
https://photos.smugmug.com/Illinois-Central-Railroad/Illinois-Central-Railroad/i-sCdcGxC/0/L/ICRR%205%20-%20Dec%2022%201954%20-%202%208%204%20no.%208017%20at%20Fulton%20KY-L.jpg
http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/0/7/9/2079.1298897914.jpg
http://transport.castlegraphics.com/albums/railroad/steam/ic/ic_8012_2-8-4.jpg

[Lemosteam]

@Chris333 , thanks for all the research on these.  Maybe some more folks will want to use them too...

[wcfn100]

@wcfn100  looks like CGW 2-10-4's also used them?

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/texas/cgw858-vollrath.jpg
http://www.railarchive.net/randomsteam/images/cgw854.jpg
http://trainweb.org/ucgw/op4902.jpg
 

When you said T&P 2-10-4's had them, I went looking because they are often offered at the same time when done in brass.  It looked similar, but I wasn't sure.

Now I just need the rest of the locomotive!

Jason

[GhengisKong]

@Chris333 , thanks for all the research on these.  Maybe some more folks will want to use them too...

You are right. I have a T&P 2-10-4 I am building and this will help set it off, instead of the MbE trailing truck frame I would have used as a stand in.

[Spikre]

 
   most B&A Berks had them also,but not the last order called
   the "Sports Models".
   these articulated trucks weren't used on any new loco designs after
   1932 it seems.
   the last order of CGW Texas locos seems to be the final use of the trucks.
   they derailed a lot when backing up.
   after a number of years they loosened up the fireboxes also.
    the Erie S-1s built by Alco had regular full length frames.
      Spikre
         

[Chris333]

Any idea why the first built (25 S-1's) had a full frame and the rest (80 S-2,3,& 4's) didn't?

[Spikre]

 
   Cris,
    just guessing that Alco knew those trucks were a Bad Idea from the start.
   also the 1st Locos copied off the Erie Berks were the C&O T-1s that also had
   a Full frame,as did the Standard Van Swerigen Berks that followed.
   the Baldwin proposed Texas and 2-6-6-4s for Erie had full frames also.
   seems by the early 30s Erie had realized their mistake also.
   interestingly the Baldwin proposed Texas was larger than the C&O T-1s.
      Spikre
       

[Chris333]

Finally got a chance to take a photo of one painted up. 

[Spikre]

 
  Cris,
   since the trucks were a Lima invention,maybe Alco didn't want to Pay
   Royalties to Lima ?
   Baldwin seemed to be OK with the trucks on the S-3s,the largest Erie
   order.
    or possibly Erie used the S-1s as a "Control Group" to see which design
   was better.
   no Erie Berks were converted either way,so it seems to be a standoff.
      Spikre
       

[Spikre]

 
  did any 4-6-4s or 4-8-4s use this trailing truck.
  being mostly Erie-Centric am not really up to
  speed on those types.
    Spikre