Over on Weekend at the Movies, you can see a double-header of UP Lionel Big Boys at the National Capital Trackers display at Baltimore's B&O Railroad Museum. The locomotives prompted lots of questions to their owners (OGR Members) from the public. "Are those modeled on a real train?" "why do they bend like that?" etc. etc. What prompted such questions? Well, take a look as they "articulated" themselves around the curves! It was close on that one bridge, but they made it.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Way back when I was contemplating G scale, my girl and I were at York for their G scale meet. She saw the Challenger by MTH and actually said she liked it !!.....??.......!!
She said it was cool the way it hung over the curves. I think it marveled her a bit.
Beautiful Big Boys! I think one of those may be Matt's ( OGR Member- Matthew Flanagan)
I love scale Big Boys (and other big articulated locos) but I hate the boiler stick out on curves.
I love scale Big Boys (and other big articulated locos) but I hate the boiler stick out on curves.
Even the UP had a problem with the "overhang" on curves prior to the delivery of the 4000 class locomotives, in 1941. Thus, prior to delivery of #4000, during 1940 and 1941, the UP had to move sidings and some double track, between Cheyenne, WY and Ogden, UT. So you shouldn't be too upset with that "overhang" on your layout.
Our model curves are so much tighter than real world.....the hang over is much more apparent on the model than the real thing......didn't anyone ask about 3 rails?!?!?!?
Very nice, love watching them navigate the track. I have always loved the articulation.
I love my semi-scale Big Boy. But it doesn't actually swing that far off of an O36 curve. K-Line made it so that the cab over hangs the track more than the front of the boiler. Anywho, I seem to remember reading/hearing at some time that these large articulated locomotives (in general) had removed a head or two because of this swing on curves.
the lionmaster big boy also overhangs more on the cab end than the front end. still one of my favorites.
I love my semi-scale Big Boy. But it doesn't actually swing that far off of an O36 curve. K-Line made it so that the cab over hangs the track more than the front of the boiler. Anywho, I seem to remember reading/hearing at some time that these large articulated locomotives (in general) had removed a head or two because of this swing on curves.
Unlike the prototype, the K-Line, RailKing and LionMaster Big boys are designed so both engine sets pivot. The helps to mitigate the overhang.
Rivarrossi pioneered this method in HO in the 1960's.
Rusty
"helps to mitigate the overhang"
what it primarily does is allow operation on curves tighter than O72.
"helps to mitigate the overhang"
what it primarily does is allow operation on curves tighter than O72.
And thereby mitigate the overhang.
In other news, here's and image from Dallas before the 4018 move from their website. She's sitting on a 20 degree curve, about as tight as a Big Boy can take:
Note the overhang is considerably less that the typical Lionel or MTH Scale Big Boy.
Rusty
I'll have to double check tonight, but I think the rear powered set is ridged with the boiler on my K-line.
I tink the Steam Team had issues with overhang when it ran 3985 on the ex-Clinchfield some time ago.
"helps to mitigate the overhang"
what it primarily does is allow operation on curves tighter than O72.
And thereby mitigate the overhang.
In other news, here's and image from Dallas before the 4018 move from their website. She's sitting on a 20 degree curve, about as tight as a Big Boy can take:
Note the overhang is considerably less that the typical Lionel or MTH Scale Big Boy.
Rusty
but it sure looks cool when our models do it.
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
