Icken PRR E6s

Good enough for me.  I shall start a search - but in the meantime I will set aside a brass casting that might work.  I will need your address.

I love the paint on the tender.  What a nice antique!

I shall post my E6 collection in a minute.

WOW! I learned something new here!

Pal Park! I lived in the borough next door. I wonder where in Pal Park they were located?

Okay.  Still looking for the good parts,  but guarantee I have something.  Here are my E6 models.  First is one I made from parts, including an H10 boiler, Saginaw frame, Lobaugh drivers, scratch tender.  Second is a stock Saginaw model, with tender of unknown provenance.  Both are 1/4" scale.

Thank you for posting photos of your E6's .....high stepping engines ... Icken was a top notch builder ...

Bob nice job on your E6's also ...the straight Saginaw E6 seems to be a hard one to find .....so far ...  lots of Saginaw 2-8-0's... Bill other offers a bit thin on the ground ....war no doubt curtailed production prematurely . 

If you ever need a layout to run the E6 on with outside 3rd  and you're in Chicago ..stop on by ...

Cheers Carey

Hello Icken fans ....  during the 1930's Fred Icken ..world head quarters for locomotive production was at 23 Broad Ave Palisades Park, NJ ...second floor above Kempf's Deli ( per Hal Carstens ..who went to school with Betty Icken..Fred's daughter ..found in 150 Years of Train Models ) .      

By 1946 Fred Icken's production had moved to Harrington Park ,NJ ...

Sometime between the two address..Icken was in Blauvelt , NY ..just up the Hudson across the state line. 

Here is a current photo of Fred's locomotive works during the 30's ....just up those stairs..under the #23 .

Does anyone have any detailed addresses for Fred whilst in Harrington Park or Blauvelt? 

Thank you 

Cheers Carey 

also a photo from mid 30's of Fred ...with a E6 !

Just think, this could be the same E6s as I have as pictured in Carey's post!  Does anyone have any idea how many were built by Fred? I know he had a catalog full of all the models he could build. 10? 20? 30?. Over the years I think I only seen one other for sale, and possibly a second but  that may actually have been a Saginaw.  I have a Kluppenberg PRR G5s. I have learned, from others, that he only built 2. One in 1938 and another in 1980. The 1980 one is in someone's collection, making mine the 1938. Cool coasting drive in a 1938 model!  I'll post photos later.

Yep.  You are now officially obliged to do so.  Letter is in the mail.

Thanks for parts Bob. As for the Kluppenberg G5s. Here are some photos. I'm not home right now so these are photos when I first acquired it in 2007. Another neat thing is I was able to obtain the Kluppenberg "builders photo" of the model when it was completed in 1938. Same place where I acquired the G5s so most likely originally built for that customer. Also shown is a photo of the unique coasting drive gear arrangement. At the time I took that photo I still did not know who the builder was. That info came later from the help of Begler, Kline, Miller and a few others. 

Kool ! loco and unique drive, and great find, not to mention a bit of history. I thought I saw a K4 in the back ground there?   cTr....( Choose the Right )

Stephen, nope. Not a K4. It's an L1s, also built by Kluppenberg. But with traditional gearing, not coasting drive. I'll post some pics later today of that.

All three custom built during the 1930's by two builders, Herman Kluppenberg and Fred Icken. 

Stunning.  Thanks.  Please post in that other 2-rail forum - last I checked photos there were higher resolution.

Great to see these historic models!

PS - I note the rivet detail on those tenders is about as good as it gets!  Usually older models do not have such precise rivet impressions.

Bob, I made a mistake on the tender photo. I believe that's actually a PRR 110P75 from an Alexander built K4s. Still kicking myself for not acquiring that 9ne too. But here is the Kluppenberg 110F75 tender for the L1. I'm not going to start a debate on who was a better builder when it came to rivets but here is the detail work of the Kluppenberg way. He would use Dyken bluing ink to scribe the lines and then punch the rivets in the line. Spacing must have been done with a template. Pictured is the tender top, which Kluppenberg left as a lift out piece. Same as the L1s tender, although no bluing ink remains. The tender rivet detail is as neat in appearance as the Alexander, if not more precise. And I believe the floor is partly bakalite.

Great thread.  Love seeing these historic models that still rival some current production models.

And here is the K4s I wish I acquired. Had it in my possession but didn't keep it because I already had my dad's K4s. Has the right looks to it. I'm thinking it's an E.P. Alexander model but not sure. It could very well been built by another custom builder. Tender had a wood floor. It too was 3 rail, but I noticed it could be changed back to 2 rail because there were little pieces of metal soldered to the tire rims and driver centers. I desoldered them and whala, back to 2 rail. So they were insulated! This would have needed to be repainted I believe. Could have looked really nice. Dang 😕 

Hello all ...PRRk4s .. you have .some beautiful pieces ....   the coasting mech is wild ....

The K4.......I'm unaware of Alexander using cast frames ... .. it is a lovely piece .... Croydon ...offered K4 's early on  but no clue as to what they look like ....Scalecraft ..had cast frames ( two varieties) ...but that's not SC ...  

How many engines did Icken make ???  there is a list ..that I'm trying to get my hands on ...when it surfaces ..I'll let you know .... from verbal of the list ..most models in production were 

10 or less ... but I'll know more when it's in my hands ...   there are 2 other Icken E6's in the world that I know of .......but it would be a small club if all the Icken E6's got together 

If you like PRR engines ..here is a M1  from Scale Model Railways circa 1938 ..(runs like a swiss watch) ....and what I believe to be a Paul Egolf ..going back to the 1927/8 range (wrong tender)  next to a ScaleCraft 

Cheers Carey 

Alexander K4 had a gorgeous sand cast frame.  Two piece, a left and a right.  Boiler was also sand cast, but not as faithful as Scale Craft.  It was, I believe, tender drive.

My example of the frame? Some klutz soldered it together, then found it was too wide, and belt-sanded all the exquisite detail off one side.  

Thank you Bob I stand corrected ...at least in the 1937 Alexander catalog ..they do mention the cast frame ..and yes tender drive .......   earlier Alexander's I believe are a different beasts.... 1930-32 +- catalogs  .. showing the Icken -Baker line ..no mention of cast frames or tender drive ....

Alexander offering both outside or inside 3rd rail in the early period ....yes they did swing both ways 

cheers Carey