> STEAM GENE wrote:
> > It's not on the Proto site yet.
>
> But the Krauts have been pretty much on the ball before.
Yeah, but the first photo is of a compeltely wrong locomotive- this one shows one of the C&O's ex-Lehigh Valley 2-10-2s, which was not the locomotive that Life-Like described. The second photo isn't quite right for what was announced, either.
The situation with the Life-Like 2-10-2 is complicated.
- First, All American Trains listed the locomotive as the Wabash/C&EI/C&O 2-10-2. These are not USRA 2-10-2s. On the C&O, these were their class B-2 and B-3, #2000-2001, 2003-2005 and 4000-4001. On the Wabash, they were its L-1 class, numbered 2501-2525. They had very clean lines and comparatively little externally-visible piping. The Wabash ones started out with a single sand dome ahead of the steam dome, and later had a second one added between the steam dome and the cab.
- Then, AAT added the photos shown at formatting linkThe one shown at the top of the page is a very interesting looking locomotive, but not the Wabash/C&EI/C&O 2-10-2 that Life-Like originally announced. This is of one of the former Lehigh Valley 2-10-2s #4060-4075- the Hocking Valley got these and renumbered them 130-145. These later went off to the LS&I, the C&O, the Pere Marquette and to Woodward Iron Co. On the C&O, they became its class B-1, with numerous variations, but retaining the distinctive "twin kettle" domes up top, and the Wootten firebox. These were numbered in the 2950 series.
The locomotive shown at the bottom of the page (Wabash 2523) is of the correct series, but the ones which went to the C&EI and the C&O (former Wabash #2509 and 2513) did not have the prominent externally-mounted feedwater heater shown in the photo. Nor did most of the Wabash 2-10-2s.
- Recent conversations with the guy in my Historical Society who is our liaison with Life-Like suggest that they are considering changing the project to produce a USRA 2-10-2. He didn't say whether it would be the "light" or the "heavy", though.
In short, this project is a little complicated, and AAT has muddied the waters on this one with their choice of photos. If Life-Like goes with their original plan, it won't match the photos on the AAT site, nor will it be a USRA 2-10-2. If they make a USRA Light or a USRA Heavy design, instead, the roadnames will have to be changed. In either case, the locomotives won't match the photos on the AAT web site.
-fm Webmaster of the Pere Marquette Historical Society, at