Santa Fe Mikado

Beautiful engine!  

George,

Beautiful loco and so is Ray's layout. That 2R bug has got you good ain't it George.

Malcolm

Nice engine, and just the right size for an O scale layout.

Nice.

The little touches like the rusty coupler and canvas awning really make it work.

She's a beauty. I like Mikados as they look right with a few cars or a dozen.

Ok, comment from the grouch wing:  beautiful paint work, beautiful locomotive. But why a rusty coupler? What's "the reason" for it? Did the prototype locomotive painter start at the back of the tender and run out of paint by the time he got to the front? Having seen steam locomotives in regular service and on fan trips, don't recall a discrete rusty coupler. Generally if the coupler is rusty, the whole locomotive is rusty........and pretty homely! But I will acknowledge my preference runs to "shop fresh" equipment - just like I prefer my car washed vs. dirty!

Were couplers painted as steal rusts and  colors appear fast on unprotected surfaces.

Phill

Mark,

You really need to get more in touch with REAL RAILROADING. It was against the lay to paint couplers, and still is to this day. Bothe GE and EMD go to great lengths to mask-off the couplers, and also the wheels, so as NOT to get even any paint over-spray on them.

Surprisingly, back in the day, the Santa Fe got away with painting the front and rear couplers silver (bright aluminum) on their passenger diesels and observation cars.

Trying to compare to steam locomotives in today's excursion service is not a fair comparison to what was done in the steam days.

That's a pretty broad and unsubstantiated generalization.

Rusty

Since we're talking about Mikados...did Sunset ever make an SP Mikado?  Matt

The loco looks excellent, George.

Thanks for sharing.

John 

Yes. Going from memory, here are the Southern Pacific steam locomotive models that Sunset/3rd Rail has offered"

Cab forward, two different types

GS-4, multiple road numbers, both "Daylight" colors & black

MT4/MT-5 4-8-2s

SP-1/SP-2 4-10-2

F-5, 2-10-2, two versions (large tender and smaller tender).

P Class Pacific (P-8 & P-10)

2-8-2s

2-8-0s

2-6-0s 

And just being shipped, AC-9 2-8-8-4 in either coal or oil burning.

To me, Soo Nut's 3160 Class is spectacular.  Very well done!

With regard to Sunset, I've been trying to get them to do an ATSF 3160 or 4000 Class "Mike" for years.  I don't think I will ever see them do one.  I would like to see at least one more "modern" ATSF steam freight engine.     

Not true at all. Have you ever seen a "new" coupler right after it's been installed on a new engine, or replaced a broken one? They are rusty, usually bright orange rusty from sitting around without paint. You'll see brand new diesels come out of the paint booth, all bright and shiny, with 2 rusty couplers.

In this picture, you'll see a brand new knuckle they brought out to install on the front of the 4014 before it was towed to Colton. Notice what color it is? It's new! Of course they cleaned it up and rubbed it down with some oil after it was installed.

Rusty or unpainted couplers appears to be a component of contemporary railroading. The above Challenger photo is contemporary. As good a  source for photos of in service, steam-era steam locomotives is to be found in the Morning Sun book series.

Examples of railroads with black couplers on steam locomotives:

-"Union Pacific Trackside", by Lou Schmitz. See p. 56, 4-8-4 #821.....black coupler. The entire book is loaded with steam photos, all with couplers the same color as the locomotives.

-"Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, in color, Vol 1", by Michael J. Spoor. P. 66 & 67, 2-10-4's steaming through Mendota, IL, 1956......black couplers

-"Western Maryland in color, vol 2", by Jeremy Plant, p.16 & 17, 4-8-4's and 4-6-2 #209.......black couplers

-"RioGrande in color, vol 3", by James Sandrin, p. 21 & 22, 2-8-8-2's and 4-8-4......black couplers

-"Pennsylvania Steam Years" by Ian Fischer, p. 98 & 99, J1 2-10-4's.........black couplers

"Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway, in color", by David Schauer, p.34 & 35, 2-8-8-4's.........black couplers

       Now before I am set upon, I fully acknoweldge that the pulling faces of steam locomotive couplers are rusty, but for obvious reasons. They are chaffing against other steel couplers. 

       The photographic record seems to support the observation that completely different colored rusty couplers was not the rule in the steam age.

Mark,

You can look at all the photos from the "good old days" you desire, but the couplers were NOT painted. Yes, they may have gotten very darkened/weathered from all the coal soot, cinders, ash, and flying lubrication, but the ICC Inspector (FRA Inspector now) would have been unhappy when ever he found a painted front coupler (the paint would hide cracks, you know). Same reason the ICC Inspectors would not allow painted side/main rods, i.e. the paint hides cracks. 

Its called soot, dirt, grime... Mark. NOT paint! They were originally rusty. It doesn't matter how many books you look at.

So besides hijacking the thread with an argument about what color the couplers are/were or supposed to be.... the model is spot on! Fantastic modeling, and very prototypical!

IRM's 1630's front coupler.

No paint, just bare steel and oxidation.

Rusty

Burlington Lines East steam locomotives had painted rods. The pictures I cited portrayed couplers the same color as the total locomotive, indicating they were the same color - black. Yes, work, grease stained, but black. And would not the flying ash, cinders, grease, flying lubrication, etc. be traveling away from the front of the locomotive? If you would care to have garrish, rust colored couplers on your locomotives, you are free to do so - this is a democracy we live in!

       Rusty - Again, contemporary picture of IRM's Russian decapod. I rode the first fantrip pulled by CB&Q 2-8-2 #4960 - Dec 28th, 1958, Chicago-Ottawa, IL - The 4960 had just the week prior been removed from regular service at Herrin Jct. IL, pulling coal mine runs. She had a black coupler and black rods. I rode the Burlington 2-10-4/4-8-4 doubleheader Sept 6th, 1959, and the 6315 had black rods and a  black coupler. As did the 5632. The 6315 had been pulling 8000 ton coal trains only 10 months earlier. Rode behind Burlington 4-6-4 #3001 on Aug 31st, 1958.......black coupler and black painted rods. Same for Burlington 4-8-4 #5618, July 2nd 1958. Saw Burlington steam locomotives that were called back to service in 1956 - black couplers! Saw Milwaukee Road, C&NW, Grand Trunk Western, Illinois Central, New York Cenrtral and B&OCT steam locomotives in regular service, as well as Canadian and Mexican steam locomotives in regular service, again, do not recall an unpainted coupler in the lot. But perhaps I have defective rods and cones!

        Now, in that I am a courteous, polite fellow and devoted to accuracy, I will fully acknowledge that in the Burlington color photo book I cited above , there were EMD GP7's with unpainted couplers, in the steam era. And SW's in the near post steam era, simarlily unadorned. Could possibly unpainted couplers be an EMD practice? I am not an absolutist; I am sure there were steam locomotives in the steam era that had unpainted couplers. But none visible in the bulk of the photos I find. But, as was long-ago observed in a 1950's Model Railroader, the minute one says something never existed, some cat will show up the next day with a photo refuting it!

         But, again, if one likes rusty couplers on the front of a pristine, shop fresh locomotive, I say, be my guest! If one, further, would care to paint tiger stripes and polka dots on a steam locomotive, by all means, do it! (just jesting a bit - everyone please keep your feathers unrustled)

Extremely nice engine and layout. Great picture. Thanks for sharing.

Oh I'll jump in on this painted-unpainted coupler issue.The picture of Soo 4-6-2 #2718 on a fan trip being coaled at Dresser WI has a black painted coupler. The entire loco is clean and shinny. Now here is a pic. of rusty coupler and black rods. Just about anything goes!

Here is a Rio Grande PA with a silver front coupler.

And Finally fokes, a Nickel Plate PA with a blue coupler.

I was trying to stick to small steam power in my collection to run on my layout and have bought a 2-8-0 but thinkng how nice a mike wold be I need to start looking.

Phill 

Just for grins...

Here's a picture of 1630's contemportary, the 1625, in service at Eagle Picher.  The coupler don't look painted to me...

Rusty