Lima 2-6-4 Q1B Camelback

[bsoplinger]

These things are a blast from the past, circa 1970.

They have the silly pancake motor, a tiny round thing that sits traverse wise on the frame.

The loco picks up power from one wheel of the lead truck and the drivers for one rail and the pair of trailing wheels for the other rail. All held onto the rail by a spring which if too tight lifts the loco off the rail and if too loose means the wheels won't make contact with the rail.

That said, I got one and it runs. Well sort of, its the springs.

Has anyone ever managed to get one of these to be a runnable loco?

[Bob Bufkin]

Had one of these years ago.  Never ran worth a damn so I put it in a scrap yard.  Gave it away many years ago.  You can still find them on E-bay now and then.
Bob

[3rdrail]

It's not a Camelback, it is a rough representation of a Reading Company 2-6-4T suburban tank engine that was used prior to electrification of the Reading's suburban services out of Philadelphia in 1930. A couple of US railroads, Boston & Albany and CNJ, continued to use these into the 1950's, and the CN used them in suburban service out of Montreal until the late 1960's.

I do not believe it is an any way salvageable.

Here's a photo of the real thing:

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/rdg382s.jpg

[nscalesteve]

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/rdg382s.jpg

Chris ? your next project... ?   

[bsoplinger]

It's not a Camelback, it is a rough representation of a Reading Company 2-6-4T suburban tank engine

I just used the name/description from spookshow's N-Scale Locomotive Encyclopedia.

Its just such a unique model its too bad nothing will make it go successfully. Oh well.

[Chris333]

Little bit too strange for me 

Here are some 4-6-4T (close enough):
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/steamtown/shs3a.htm

[Mark5]

I always wanted to pick one of these up for a few bucks and see if I could make it work - even with a different mech.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I've always thought that the way the Reading spelled its name on older tenders was very classy.

"The Reading"

[David Leonard]

If not good for anything else, the Wooten firebox might be useful for kitbashing.

[bsoplinger]

If not good for anything else, the Wooten firebox might be useful for kitbashing.

Trouble is the only thing Wooten about the firebox on the model is the fact that its a huge pregnant bulge in front of the cab. Of course its square on the model. I'd guess its actually a model of a European loco but the running gear is so badly modeled its impossible to tell.

Here's a link to the spookshow page for anyone who wants to see what the model looks like:
http://www.visi.com/~spookshow/lima264.html

[up1950s]

I wonder if that old Bachmann 2-8-0 would be a good donor boiler and firebox for the 2-6-4T . Still would need lots of work though .

[brokemoto]

Kato sells a JNR 2-6-4T.  It is easy to make it North-American appearing; all that you really need do is saw off the alien smokebox cover and replace it with one sawed from the front of a Bachpersonn USRA 0-6-0.  It fits nicely and a little putty, sanding and paint makes it look right.  You must also do something about the pilot.

It is not a bad running locomotive.  The trailing wheels are live, but the presence of a traction tyre does tend to compromise the contact.  Pulling down the trailing truck and pushing up the contact plates  does help the contact, but it also tends to lift the tyred drivers off the rail thus compromsing the pulling power.  If run with a live auxiliary tender, it is a good locomotive, but is useful only on a non-historic as no US prototype 2-6-4T looked much like this one.

[up1950s]

Kato sells a JNR 2-6-4T.  It is easy to make it North-American appearing; all that you really need do is saw off the alien smokebox cover and replace it with one sawed from the front of a Bachpersonn USRA 0-6-0.  It fits nicely and a little putty, sanding and paint makes it look right.  You must also do something about the pilot.

It is not a bad running locomotive.  The trailing wheels are live, but the presence of a traction tyre does tend to compromise the contact.  Pulling down the trailing truck and pushing up the contact plates  does help the contact, but it also tends to lift the tyred drivers off the rail thus compromsing the pulling power.  If run with a live auxiliary tender, it is a good locomotive, but is useful only on a non-historic as no US prototype 2-6-4T looked much like this one.

I had to see it . too bad the driver spacing is spread apart . This would be better bashed from a good Prairie chassis , which we still don't have . As it stands now , it would take 5 or more locos to do the one 3rdrail has a link to .

[railspike55]

Not to change the subject

I have one each of early katos Japan steamers and find that even though they have different wheel arangments they all run at the same speed on DC. So one can triple head them.  I have ran these around the N Trak layout and they stayed with in 1/4" of each other.

Ron N.

[Mark5]

Hmm, that cab not looky north american. It would have to go.