Lionel's New NYC Heavy Mikado #9506 - Prototype Photos

Wrong rear trailing & tender trucks too.

I had completely missed those, good catch and will add to original post.

As you all know these engines changed over the years. Even among the same class you could see different pilots and tenders at a given point in time. Lionel's pictures depict the USRA as built. It was common for individual railroads to modify them to suit. 9508 may be the only one that differed from the rest.

 

 

Pete

 

Maybe a cab number change is in order? It appears from Nicks phot that six axle "hudson style tenders ended up behind some of the "mikes" just as they did with the a1 berks which initially came with four axle tenders. This all makes since seeing as the A1 berks where nothing more than "beefed up" mikes.

 

Heres 9510:

   

 

 

Pittsburgh & Lake Erie

Class	Qty.	Road Numbers	Year Built	Builder	Notes
H-8a	5	9500-9504	1916	ALCO	1
H-9b	5	9505-9509	1919	ALCO	2
H-9d	10	9510-9519	1919	Baldwin	3
H-8d	5	9520-9524	1920	ALCO	4
H-10a	10	191-200	1923	ALCO	5
H-10b	11	201-211	1924	ALCO	6

No doubt that is how the P&LE received them. BTW that would be an H9d. I suspect after WW1 the U.S. went away.

 

Pete

The "newer" trailing truck is a Delta type.  Apparently several railroads changed the trucks from the original at a later date.   Not sure about the NYC engines, but when the Milwaukee changed out the trailing truck, it was to accommodate a booster engine in the truck.  So either truck that Lionel might supply would be correct.

 

Paul Fischer

As pointed out above, one would simply have to pretend the locomotive has JUST been delivered and has not received the signature NYC touches yet. I personally want those road-specific features on my NYC models so I'm out for now. Frees me up to go after those PC E8s 

I guess the key words are, delivered and  which changes... or not. Heres H-8 9500 which seems to have an even shorter 4 axle tender and is lettered for New York Central Lines.

 

USRA locomotives were designed with Alco's Cole trailing truck.  The later Delta truck could support a booster.

 

Did the P&LE H9b have a booster added?  It would have needed to get a Delta trailing truck to support it.

I feel exactly the same way about the CNJ version Nick.  It is an ok representation of the as-delivered Mikes, but quite a bit different than the CNJ-customized versions that I was hoping for.  There's something about the huge 12-wheeled tenders and Elesco feedwater heaters sitting up on top of the smoke box that makes for a much more rugged and mean-looking Mike!!

When did NYC change thier lettering font and when was the switch from "Lines" to "System". To me it seems this engine is from a earlier period than most modelers use.

I would love for US companies to take a hint from the UK model companies and adopt Era designations to help people pick era appropriate products.

Not unlike  The A1 berkshires, some had 4 axle tenders, others had six like the Lionels version.

 

Heres 9510 comes up as an H7, maybe a cab number change is in order?