Quick Casey posted:ETS makes a tin small electric.
But I would prefer a plastic bodied unit from MTH or Lionel. Heck, WBB for that matter.
The yellow TTC one looked like the one which switched the Pearl Brewery in SA, TX. But I am no paying $500.00 for one!
I have had this wreck for probably 25 years. Don't know anything about it, nor have I been able to find any parts. It is O ga 3R. Any help would be appreciated.
tplee
Being a big Milwaukee Road fan and wanting to have one of these on my roster I picked up an Overland version and converted it with a ERR CC lite and sound. I still need to install the front and back lights and do little tweaking but runs pretty good. When I get the time I'll get some paint on it. Here a short clip:
Milwrd
tplee posted:I have had this wreck for probably 25 years. Don't know anything about it, nor have I been able to find any parts. It is O ga 3R. Any help would be appreciated.
tplee
That's one of the IMP imports from the 50's - International Model Products - that also imported a slew of the the Japanese prototype box cabs. They were available in several formats - 2 or 3 rail - and in kit form. They are still reasonably available - drives in them tend to be poor, and the white metal parts of the trucks are prone to crumbling from "pest". You're missing sideframes off the one truck and the one trolley pole, too.
They can be dressed up to be pretty decent vs. chasing down an Overland or Car Works $500+ brass import.
I'd be in for a Milw Rd steeple cab, but I'd also like to see someone do those GE "pups" that were once common, used all over the country including four on the North Shore Line. You're right, Don, both MTH and Williams now have the frame and trucks for the engine. All they need to do is tool up for a cab.
Paul Fischer
I'd buy one maybe two, one for a good friend of mine and one for myself then we would build a traction layout together, that's all that is holding us up is the almost impossible to buy little steeple cabs.
Roo.
Roo posted:................. impossible to buy little steeple cabs.
They are about - I picked this one up at one of the Strasburg meets last year.
Total scratchbuilt job; body is removable from the frame and it was powered by a nice set of Wagner trucks - single drive. Needs a bit of cleaning, and some minor repair work, and I'll swap out the non-insulated trucks for a set of insulated trucks.
Should not be hard at all to make a copy of it from either brass or styrene, 
And, I have a complete kit on my bench for that Derr 25T - no frame included, trucks & couplers - on your own - not sure if I'll sell that off or use it as masters to cast a few bodies in resin....
This stuff is out there.
A small steeple cab and/or a boxcab with digital capability should have been offered by one or more of the major manufacturers years ago.
Ditto for the center-cab switchers, but at least Bachmann got in on that one, and MTH is supposedly doing likewise. The need for small motive power is significant because the majority of hobbyists today, particularly those new to the hobby and seniors who are downsizing, are not going to be willing or able to devote huge amounts of space to an O gauge layout.
Dominic Mazoch posted:Quick Casey posted:ETS makes a tin small electric.
But I would prefer a plastic bodied unit from MTH or Lionel. Heck, WBB for that matter.
The yellow TTC one looked like the one which switched the Pearl Brewery in SA, TX. But I am no paying $500.00 for one!
If it comes from the big L I sure that's what the price point will be! From MTH you'll be lucky to get one for 350 to 400, at least msrp.
A small steeple cab and/or a boxcab with digital capability should have been offered by one or more of the major manufacturers years ago.
I think the electronics package for the center cab that Mike is bringing to market should be allow for several smaller machines. I think a steeple cab would be one example, another might be other small diesel switchers. I know the motors are in the trucks, but how much fun would a ps3 driven Beep loco be!?
i think that the price would (should) be the same as the price for the 44 tonner. MTH is supposed to be out with that one soon. Williams already has theirs out, but I'd prefer the MTH simply because I only operate command control locomotives, both TMCC and DCS.
Note that the Milwaukee Road steeple cabs were much larger than the standard 45 ton "pups". I think that they were rated at some 70 tons and were taller than standard ones. The thought occurs to me that a manufacturer could design one cab that would fit both of them, if they could design an insert piece that would fit under a standard cab for the bigger engine. Also seems to me that Kennecott Copper mines might have also used a version of the larger locomotive. So that would improve the market even more.
In any case, the engine should be available with either a pantograph or with trolley poles.
Paul Fischer
I would except it would have to be lettered for Iowa Traction Railway in Mason City Iowa and have to be DCS compatible.
Paul, many of the small electrics had both poles and pantographs. The Milwaukee even had poles on their big electrics to build up air before start up. Don
As I see it, command control capability is something of a "must have" in any small steeple cab or boxcab. After all, the fun in having a small switcher is in...well...switching.
Don: yes I'm aware that some locos had both pans and poles. What I was thinking is that a model GE steeple cab might have a broader sales appeal if it could come with either power collector, so that the correct one might be used with that road. Seems to me that the Sacramento Northern had both, didn't they? But it also seems to me that they primarily used Westinghouse-Baldwin locos.
While I'm a big Milw fan (although I never had a chance to see their electrics in operation) and I know that the Road had a big following, I just thought that there could be broader appeal for an engine that could, correctly, be offered in several liveries. And then, if that model could be made in both 45 ton and 70 ton versions, without changing too much, that would attract even more buyers.
Paul Fischer
A few pics of one of My HO Pups
Paul, your right. You can still see two Sacramento Northern electrics in operation at the Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista, California. That would be a good place to get sound for a sound system. It's out in the country so its quiet. Don
Thanks Bob, do they still pull the non powered one around sometimes? Don
Got to ride the old Yakima Valley Railroad when it was still running. Don
mwb posted:I'd like to see anybody produce / import a steeple cab, but the real question becomes which one and what style - the variety of steeple cabs that were in use is huge. Reality of producing anything these days lies in the bottom line of numbers and sales...
Yes, exactly. What adaptation of an outdated loco would have widespread appeal to the current market?
For now I just pretend that my postwar Lionel 627 loco is a sort-of steeple-cab but with flat hoods. A spare shell might have kitbash potential.
Anyone venture a guess if Lionel, Atlas, MTH or 3rd Rail Trains looks at the forum? Hope so. Don
Hopefully, if anything ever is produced or put for reservations (3rd Rail), it will be a steeplecab that had reasonably broad prototypical use and not something generic nor something obscure.
Marty.
I'm afraid it's totally out of the question of scratch building, modifying, or kit building a locomotive.
It's not that we don't have the skills and equipment it's time.
Bruce the friend I mentioned has already built a number of locomotives even made the wheels yes turned down each individual wheel on a lathe but that was all before the layout that we have now.
The layout takes top priority over everything and to keep it running in perfect condition takes a lot of work we are operators we like to switch trains we never tire of this so between keeping the layout in top condition and using it we don't have a lot of time left over for building locomotives.
I can knock up first class bench work for a traction layout in a couple of days we can lay track, even the overhead (I had catenary on the layout once) still have the jigs somewhere but finding the time to build anything else is impossible so a couple of steeple cabs at the right price would suit us.
And of course we do have to take our wife's out to dinner sometimes and maybe spend a bit of time with the grandkids we can't lock ourselves in the layout room 7 days a week although we try!
I'm out of here got to prepare the layout for tomorrows session.
Roo.
I have three criterion for a steeple cab electric:
1. Has to be of a size that is suitable for traction / trolley line use;
2. Must come with trolley poles;
3. Has to be an affordable Rail King product with PS3.
Roo posted:Marty.
I'm afraid it's totally out of the question of scratch building, modifying, or kit building a locomotive.
It's not that we don't have the skills and equipment it's time.
And, that's why I stated that they are "out there". These can be found with a little patience - I've not been bothered to build any steeplecabs myself...........yet! All of mine have been finds at various shows or huge luck on eBay in the case of a Car Works class B.
Got a few decent photos of some early wooden ones that I should be able to scratch together.......maybe even in my column,
If one were to be imported I just would like it to be based on some realistic prototype and have the appropriate trucks under it.
Farmer Bill I think most of us are looking for a more scale/detailed electric than those Semafor jobs. They are nice but a little toy like. Don
It's been discussed before no doubt, but what are the manufacturer's considerations when it comes to modifications of a production model? It might not be a long stretch to produce an electric "44-tonner" as the Niagara Junction had. They were actually 96 tons, but something of a hybrid between all the O gauge "44-tonners" seen out there.
http://www.trainweb.org/wnyrhs/nj15.htm
Firewood posted:It's been discussed before no doubt, but what are the manufacturer's considerations when it comes to modifications of a production model? It might not be a long stretch to produce an electric "44-tonner" as the Niagara Junction had. They were actually 96 tons, but something of a hybrid between all the O gauge "44-tonners" seen out there.
I'm glad I'm not the only one to remember Niagara Junction. We looked at the steeple cabs up in their shop shortly after they were retired. As I recall, several wound up going to Kennicott.
Let's get back to the basic question. Let's look at the GE or Westinghouse small electrics that hundreds of railroads and private companies used. Yes, there were different versions but I think most of us would like Just one or the other of the most common. I would love the Milwaukee big GE version but I don't think anyone would make it because there were so few. I would love this forum to push MTH, Lionel, Atlas or anyone else to make us one. Don
Don,
Count me in for one or two... or maybe more - depending upon quality/price. However, I'm not at all interested in a reflux 44 tonner with pantographs and Blomberg trucks and I doubt that many of the folks at or near the scale 3 rail level would be, either. My primary interest would be in the MILW ES-2 - that's a definite - but would consider one each in CA&E, CNS&M and CSS&SB, if offered.
I would like one in New Haven made by MTH, Lionel or 3rd rail.
I'd buy a 3-rail 0 model of the Milwaukee Road steeplecab switcher in a heartbeat. But I hope they would only make it in one paint scheme so I wouldn't do like I did with the boxcabs and buy both because I couldn't make up my mind.
Hey Southwest Hi, nice to see you posting again.
Milwrd
ETS Trains of Czech Republic makes 2 steeple cabs in European paint schemes in 2 and 3-rail o gauge. I am talking to them about doing one in Milwaukee Road. If there is interest, please contact them. you can contact Zuzana Tomcova at zuzana@ets.cz
I have a 3 Rail model of a Garrett and the Sequoia Lumber mallet and they work great.
I would only buy a steeple cab locomotive if it were an MTH Rail King with PS3.
I would also prefer an MTH or Lionel but I don't want to wait forever
coach joe posted:I would like one, however with all the electronics that current manufacturers would feel compelled to include in a new engine I would probably be priced out.
Agreed, my friend.
Don: In perusing the comments received on your original post, I believe I see two somewhat separated markets for a GE style steeple-cab engine. One, of course is the standard, cataloged production GE 45 ton unit used by interurban lines all over the country. ( On the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee, they were called "pups" and were often MU'd with as many as three units together. This might be a terrific excuse for a prospective buyer to purchase more than one engine.) The other variation, of course, was the heavier duty and somewhat larger steeple cab like the Milwaukee Road or the copper mines in Utah used. i understand that these were rated at 80 tons and "sat" higher off of the rails due to a higher lower cab extension. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that a production model of the GE steeplecabs could be designed to be offered with or without this extended cab, simply by making a piece that can sit on top of the frame with the bottom of the standard cab fastened to it. Should give you the "heft" that you're looking for and also should be able to be painted with the cab and the extension together, leaving almost no parting line between the two sections.
If they were offered, as such, I'd be in the market for a pair of the "pups" in North Shore colors, of course, but also one of the larger Milwaukee Road steeple cab switchers that you're familiar with. Incidentally, I also own one of those imported, brass, Japanese made W-B steeple cab electrics like you show on one of your photos. Mine is still in two-rail configuration and I don't plan to run it on my layout because it just isn't quite correct for the MR operation. Neat little engine, though, and I do recall them on the Chicago South Shore and South Bend RR. In fact I have a whistle from one of them. Had the headlight, too, but it got stolen during one of my personal moves.
I would like to see you go ahead with your project and bring to market both versions of these prolific little locos. Be a great time to introduce them at York next month. Are you planning on being there?
Paul Fischer
If these are being offered as kits, I am interested in one. Thanks:
Found on eBay it's Milw Rd E81 1/48 scale, but 2-rail that I need to convert:
Size comparison with 44-toner that is used as the base for the KIT version.
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