Burlington streamlined Aeolus 4-6-4

Mark,

That is really a beauty. One of my favorite, in fact it is my favorite, followed by any of the Q Hudson's then any Q EA's. Oh ****, everything Q is my favorite!

RAY

Please see the side view - it got knocked out from the exploded views, but is in the thumbnail photos.

Thank you Ray.  It is a handsome locomotive and model. Even the water bunker in the tender has mirrors simulating water, when the hatches are open !!

Spectacular model no matter how you look at it. My PSC S4 #4002 is the roster's queen. Yet after all the wonderful Burlington equipment that has been done in such high standards in O scale, how come we don't have a proper 9900 Zephyr? I refuse to upgrade an early sunset set, it's simply too crude.

Thanks for the pics, Mark. Beautiful model indeed.

A friend asked me to fix the tender trucks on one of those.  He was willing to pay my usual rate.  I turned him down - each truck apparently has 128 separate pieces.

One more shot....

@bob2 posted:

A friend asked me to fix the tender trucks on one of those.  He was willing to pay my usual rate.  I turned him down - each truck apparently has 128 separate pieces.

Thinking that might be a bit of an fairy tale. 127 maybe.

Simon

A very handsome engine.

A bit reminiscent of the Reading Crusader.

Chris:   the original Aeolus was rebuilt/streamlined Hudson #3002, done in 1937.  The Crusader was created in 1937.  Wonder if one was influenced by the other? But which one ? !!

Note: there were two Aeolus locomotives, #'s 4000 (1937) and 4001 (1938).

Was this locomotive called "Big Alice the Goon"?

Yes. Both #4000 and #4001 were called "Big Alice the Goon", or shortened to Alice, by railroad men.  Apparently Big Alice the Goon was a cartoon character in Popeye, from the 1930's.

@mark s posted:

Chris:   the original Aeolus was rebuilt/streamlined Hudson #3002, done in 1937.  The Crusader was created in 1937.  Wonder if one was influenced by the other? But which one ? !!

Note: there were two Aeolus locomotives, #'s 4000 (1937) and 4001 (1938).

And one of these 2 locomotives sits in a city park in La Crosse, WI with the streamline shrouding removed.  I believe it would be the former 4000 locomotive.

@Nation Wide Lines posted:

And one of these 2 locomotives sits in a city park in La Crosse, WI with the streamline shrouding removed.  I believe it would be the former 4000 locomotive.

It is the 4000.  The streamlining was removed from both locomotives 1940/41 as the E5's were being delivered.

Interesting note: The 4001 was built specifically to be an Aeolus as traffic demands were such that another Hudson couldn't be pulled from service for streamlining.  It was a different world back then.

Rusty

Yes, "Big Alice #4000 is on display in LaCrosse. #4001 had a sadder demise. We were on a Burlington fantrip with 2-8-2 #4960 in December 1960, and passed the Eola Reclamation Plant (near Aurora, IL) and 4-6-4's 4001 and 4002 were there back to back,  shorn of their cabs, with drawbars  welded together. The tenders were retained for MOW work. Believe they were both scrapped at Eola.

A few years back when talking to Scott at the O scale meet,  he had interest in possibly doing this locomotive . I'm in . lets see if we can generate enough interest to have Scott do it!!!!    Its a beautiful piece of architectural art !!

Almost positive he did it before - I will check my photos.

Yep.  Herewith:

I was talking about doing the Aeolus which was only done by precision.

Sorry.  Your post was under the 4000 post.

@bob2 posted:

Sorry.  Your post was under the 4000 post.

To be accurate, "Aeolus" was ONLY the streamlined 4000 and 4001 versions of CB&Q S4 Hudsons. Once the streamlining was removed, neither locomotive was "Aeolus" anymore. Simply 4000 and 4001.

Did PSC make the first Aeoulus #4000? There are some interesting (noticeable and subtle) differences between the first and the second Aeolus.

Should Scott offer this I see three possible offerings, in fact.

1. #4000 with single Burlington herald

2. #4000 with Burlington and Aeolus heralds (post-1937)

3. #4001 (Marks' model)

I'm in for the streamline version

Precision Scale did only the 4001 in o scale. #4000 was done in HO scale by both Precision Scale and Nickel Plate Products. The skirt over the drivers on #4000 is cut at sharp angles and it retained the open cab of #3002.

Thanks for the info, Mark. Just to enrich the conversation, here are some images of my PSC S4 #4002. As it turns out, I have Scott's early version #3007 coming my way. I'll document her for the forum's record.

I would buy a 3RD Rail Aeolus #4000 or #4001 in 3-Rail O-gauge.  

I prefer the version with both the BR Herald & Aeolus medallion on the nose along with the whisker stripes.  

The nose of Mark's model has all of these features.

Mark, Bob S, & Santiago:  thank you for posting your photos !!!

According to a "Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Co., Lines East of the Missouri River, Time Table of the Galesburg Division, of the Eastern District" employee timetable No. 44, Effective Sunday, September 25th, 1938, "Engines of the S-4-A (Aeolian) type when pulling light weight Zephyr equipment will use the speeds prescribed for such trains when powered by diesel motors". The "Aeolian type" was made up of the two streamlined S-4-A's (4000 and 4001), plus the never streamlined but upgraded similarly with all roller bearings and lightweight rods, numbers 4002, 4003 and 4004.

As always, Santiago, magnificent portraits of your "Aeolian type"  !!

CBQ Bill - The Burlington Route herald, Aeolus medalion, pin striping and an anti-climber went on #4000 pretty soon after streamlining at West Burlington shops, as they were working out the most eye-pleasing arrangement.

Here’s 3rd Rail early S4 Hudson for added interest. I’ve always wanted a spoke wheel version. Maybe I’ll add a ladder for a “straighten gear ladder still in placer era”...

Electronics and upgrades upgrades pending!

I have the HO version of the S4 which is one of my favorite engines. Mine is numbered 3001 and is the "as built" version. Although I really like the more modern look with the Mars light installed above the head light.

RAY

Ray - Your number 3001 was the last Burlington 4-6-4 to operate, pulling fan trips on 08-31-58 and 10-19-58. I rode the August trip to the Quad Cities (IL) and we really ripped on the return trip, due to being quite late, running at 89 mph much of the way. We had a consist of 16 heavyweight and streamlined passenger cars.

Here’s a video of the Aeolus pulling a train of heavyweight (Golden Gate) cars on the Rockford O Scalers layout.

What a sight, Frank! Thanks for sharing.

Mark & all other posters:

I love this thread !!!  

Thank you all for your input, experience, & photos !!!

I will attempt to post a few photos on related Aeolus content.  I have never posted photos to OGR Forum before, so hope I can figure it out.

Let's keep these Aeoli #4000 & 4001 comments running !!!

I attended the BRHS 2016 Fall meeting in LaCrosse WI in OCT-2016.     

At the swap meet, the 4000 Foundation had a HUGE 2-rail model of the #4000 Alice for sale for only $100.00  !!!  

So naturally, I scooped on it !!!

However to my dismay, they explained that I did not actually buy the locomotive.  

I did buy a lifetime membership in the 4000 Foundation.  

I did receive an Aeolus mesh cap & a white tee-shirt with the red, white, & black Aeolus logo.  

Please see my photos below of the Aeolus cap & tee-shirt.

After viewing, climbing on, & photographing Alice, I realized that she would not fit into my Toyota Sienna minivan without severe overhang.  

So it is good that I actually did not buy Alice !!!  

Even if I had gotten her home, she would would not have fit in my basement.   

Enjoy !!!

Here are some photos of the 1:1 scale Aeolus in LaCrosse WI from 10-30-2021.

CAUTION:  Alice is unshrouded in these photos and therefore is "nude".  So be careful with these photos around your children & grandkids !!!       

She was also in the middle of a paint restoration project, so her cab numbers were not yet repainted onto the cab sides.

That is me in the cab & by the main Boxpok drive wheel.  

Enjoy !!!

MTH RailKing has made two fantasy models of the CB&Q Aeolus.  

For both of these models, they used their C&O Yellow Belly Hudson tooling.  

The first one was numbered #4000 with PS-2.  I passed on pre-ordering this one. A few years later, I saw one operate at a show & liked it.  

So when MTH offered it again with PS-3 in 2016, I pre-ordered it.  I contacted MTH right away & suggested that this new one be numbered #4001 for variety.   I received it in mid NOV-2016, unfortunately this was after the BRHS LaCrosse meet.  

MTH also used this C&O Yellow Belly tooling with Santa Fe & other RR paint schemes.  

The model is more of a caricature of the Aeoli locomotives than an exact model.  I can live with that & that is what MTH advertised it as.  

The slant in the model's nose goes the wrong way for Aeolus.  The nose does not have the BR herald, Aeolus medallion, vents, or whisker stripes.  BR heralds do adorn both the left & right sides of the smoke box (similar format to the C&O logos on the C&O Yellow Belly model & prototype).  Although both sides have the Aeolus name in Zephyr Gothic font, the A & E are not combined as in the prototype & Mark's PSC model.  The model's locomotive skirting does not extend down over the trailing truck.  All six drive wheels are spoked; the model does not have the Boxpok middle drive wheels.  

Even with these deviations from the prototype Aeolus, I really love this RailKing diecast model.  I plan to improve its appearance with the following modifications:

1.  Add an Aeolus medallion to the front of the nose.  I will scan the medallion from the 4000 Foundation's tee-shirt at Staples and then make an approporiate ~1/48 decal on Micro Scale decal paper.  I will mount the decal on a silver painted styrene sheet disk.  Then the medallion disk can easily be affixed to the model's nose.  

2. Possibly add vent decals for either side of the headlight.  Drawings of these vents may be available in the BRHS Bulletins on the Aeoli & Hudson locomotives.  If not, I can probably easily draw them myself & then shrink them down to -1/48 scale onto Micro Scale Decal paper.  

3. Paint the trailing trucks, drive wheels, & cylinder housings silver.  Notice in the MTH catalog page in my photo how much better the C&O model looks with silver trailing trucks, silver drive wheels, & silver cylinder housings.  Likewise, my model's Silver Tender trucks stand out well in comparison to the model's black trailing trucks.  

The photo is from my display at the BRHS 2017-Fall meeting in Rochelle IL.  Most BRHS members are HO-scalers & many others are N-scalers.  O-gaugers & O-scalers are minorities within the BRHS membership.  At least half of the attendees liked the MTH-RK Aelous; the rest said it was too weird for their tastes.  

I really love running this MTH-RK Aeolus under the Christmas tree.  It is rugged & can take a minor accidental kick from excited family members on X-mas morning during the mad scramble for fetching & unwrapping their gifts.  To my knowledge, this model is the closest model to an Aeolus in  3-rail O-gauge that exists.  

However, I would certainly buy a scale O-gauge Aeolus if one is ever produced by 3RD Rail or any other O manufacturer.  

Enjoy !!!