NYC L2-a 4-8-2 (was: desperately seeking drivers)

John,

That is a pretty rare engine.. O Scaler Tom Harley modified two standard L-2A's to add the Scullins.  There was one L-2A with Scullins, road number 2726.  I recall that he had to reduce the width of the brake hangers to use the Scullins, which I believe came from a USH L-4.

Your best bet would be to try to find the USH or Westside spoked drivers that were used on the L-2A.

Wow - learn something new every day.  I picked up the L-2A a few years ago at the Chicago O-scale meet.  It is beautifully painted with extra details, far beyond the standard US Hobbies level.  Also has large Pittman can motor.  Surprisingly, it is Road # 2726.

I don't know Tom Harley, but could it have been his engine?  I have some friends in NYCSHS and they weren't aware of any L2s with Scullins.  That's why I thought it was wrong.  If I can confirm 2726 had Scullins, (photo anyone?) I would be delighted to leave it alone!

Thanks, John

More info...  There was an L-2a with Scullin disk drivers!  Per P.225 of Al Staufer's "NYC Later Power", 2726 was the only one.  There is a nice picture there.  I actually found this from an old post in this forum.  

I'm sure glad I didn't change out those drivers!

Thanks to all --- John

Yeah - and a "Tom Harley" engine would be worth more than a run-of-the-mill USH.

John Orwin posted:

More info...  There was an L-2a with Scullin disk drivers!  Per P.225 of Al Staufer's "NYC Later Power", 2726 was the only one.  There is a nice picture there.  I actually found this from an old post in this forum.  

I'm sure glad I didn't change out those drivers!

Thanks to all --- John

From another OGR posting...

Kudos to y’all for figuring it out!...I was waiting on the side lines to see if John was gonna put that pup up for sale, I’d sure snap it up!.......I’m glad y’all got John straight!....post up a pic of that beauty John!...I bed that’s a pretty monster!..........Pat

Update:  Just thought I'd post pictures of my NYC Mohawk 2726 with the prototypically correct Scullin disk drivers.  As I was working with it, I found a little sticker inside the tender:  Ed Harley...  

From the comments, I guess he was an O-Scaler of some note.  

Thanks again -

John

No - it was Tom Harley.

bob2 posted:

No - it was Tom Harley.

Did you ever think there might be more than one person out there named Harley?

Simon

E.T. Harley, Tom to his friends, was a noted mechanical engineer and O scale modeler.  The following profile is contained on page 87 of Tom's book Pennsy Q Class CLASSIC Power 5.  Tom joined the PRR in 1949 and rose to become the railroads last Assistant Chief Mechanical Officer- Locomotive in 1965.  After leaving the railroad he became Vice President - Equipment for Trailer Train.  Tom was a skilled O scaler and rebuilt locomotives for many of his friends.  Tom reworked a Williams PRR L1s for me along with super-detailing USH 90F75 L1 tender.  I understand he reworked quite a few  NYC prototype steam locomotives for Mike Hill and other NYC fans.  He also had a number of NYC brass locomotives in his own collection.    Tom was active in a group of O scalers in the Philadelphia area that included Frank Miller.  The Philadelphia group and our DC area O scale group exchanged layout visits for many years.  Tom was a long time member of the PRRT&HS and was a go to source for information on PRR locomotive practices.  I have been unable to learn what the initial E in Tom's first name stood for, (possibly Ed??), but have little doubt that he did the work on the Mohawk that was the type of project he liked to take on.

Quite sure there are any number of Harleys in the O Scale community.  I apologize for thinking this might have been Tom.  I am personally not acquainted with Ed's work - I am sure he was a dedicated hobbyist.

Too bad - the model would no doubt be worth more as a Tom Harley project.  Tom wrote and published books on steam locomotives.

John Orwin posted:

Update:  Just thought I'd post pictures of my NYC Mohawk 2726 with the prototypically correct Scullin disk drivers.  As I was working with it, I found a little sticker inside the tender:  Ed Harley...  

From the comments, I guess he was an O-Scaler of some note.  

Thanks again -

John

What a hunk of iron looks like it could pull a fair sized freight train.Could pull a train of 25 boxcars or maybe 45 boxcars.Given it has a large can motor in it.Can motors are very strong.

bob2 posted:

Quite sure there are any number of Harleys in the O Scale community.  I apologize for thinking this might have been Tom.  I am personally not acquainted with Ed's work - I am sure he was a dedicated hobbyist.

Too bad - the model would no doubt be worth more as a Tom Harley project.  Tom wrote and published books on steam locomotives.

I'm not trying to start an argument, and I have no knowledge of either Ed or Tom, or if they happen to be the same person. My comment is based on the idea that if someone tells you that his model is marked Ed, we should probably take his word that it is so.

Simon

And I do.  I apologized.

Simon Winter posted

I'm not trying to start an argument, and I have no knowledge of either Ed or Tom, or if they happen to be the same person. 

Simon

Same person. When Tom was alive he would put locomotives for sale on Tom Shure's tables at the Strasburg meet. Tom Harley would come to the show but never had tables himself as I recall. Shure's tables were the first ones inside the main hall and I had the tables right behind his. Shure and Harley are both gone now.

R. Heil - Sunset Models / Golden Gate Depot