Streamlined "O" Steam Locos - Suggestions?

I'd go for Q1 Andrew - remember, trains will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no trains!

Update: had a health scare—had my annual check-up at Memorial Sloan Kettering and they found a high cancer marker, so needed a CT scan. Had that hanging over me from mid-November until last week, when results showed no new cancer. Big relief! But didn't think about trains for an entire month. Still have 4 engines packed in their boxes, unopened—and postponed work on displaying more engines until I knew where I stood.

Off next week to the World Science Fiction Convention in Washington DC by train. Incredibly, my very first of those conventions was also in DC, in 1963, the weekend after the March on Washington. A mind-boggling 58 years ago!

@Andrew-Porter posted:

Off next week to the World Science Fiction Convention in Washington DC by train. Incredibly, my very first of those conventions was also in DC, in 1963,

Sci-fi. Used to read a lot of it starting in the 50's. Still watch it when it's good. A lot of it is; a lot of it isn't, and for some reason "fantasy and horror" (ghosts and such) got lumped together with the sci-fi over the years. Not good.

Heinlein. Asimov (and many others). Yeah. Spooks and demons? Nah.

The PRR S1 actually longer than a Big Boy!

Ron

@Andrew-Porter posted:

Update: had a health scare—had my annual check-up at Memorial Sloan Kettering and they found a high cancer marker, so needed a CT scan. Had that hanging over me from mid-November until last week, when results showed no new cancer. Big relief! But didn't think about trains for an entire month. Still have 4 engines packed in their boxes, unopened—and postponed work on displaying more engines until I knew where I stood.

Off next week to the World Science Fiction Convention in Washington DC by train. Incredibly, my very first of those conventions was also in DC, in 1963, the weekend after the March on Washington. A mind-boggling 58 years ago!

Andrew;

Glad to hear you got great results... enjoy the convention. Looking forward to the unveiling of your latest additions to the streamline collection.

@D500 posted:

Heinlein. Asimov (and many others). Yeah. Spooks and demons? Nah.

D500;

Asimov is still my favorite Sci-Fi writer (Heinlein and Bradbury are in a close race for second). I can’t remember the name, but Asimov wrote an amazing story that begins as a trip on the Lexington Ave. subway, beginning at the Junction (Flatbush Ave.), Newkirk Ave., Beverly Road...

@Apples55 posted:

Asimov is still my favorite Sci-Fi writer (Heinlein and Bradbury are in a close race for second). I can’t remember the name, but Asimov wrote an amazing story that begins as a trip on the Lexington Ave. subway, beginning at the Junction (Flatbush Ave.), Newkirk Ave., Beverly Road...

Asimov is one of the many science fiction authors I know and knew. Here's one of my photos of him (on the right). He's using an engraving tool to autograph someone's Macintosh computer!

I was told about a coming Stout Auction for the Southern Tennessean, and have placed a bid for it.

Update: I've bought a Williams GG-1 (Williams 41851, PRR #4909) to replace the K-line one (K2780-49121C) I bought a couple of years ago; the new model is not a condensed GG-1. I'm giving the old one to a friend.

I also bought a  Weaver Southern Tennessean via a Stout auction, paying way too much for it (with premium, handling, shipping, it came to about $1,700). And I've been playing musical books and trains, in order to display everything. Here are the two locomotives:

Well, I lied to myself. Said I wasn't interested in streamlined Diesels, but... Just bought an MTH 20-20357-1 Streamlined Zephyr Diesel set from someone here on the Forum. Just hope I have the room to display it all in one piece. This:

I see it was a while back, but glad to hear about the clean scan!  Had one myself a couple weeks ago.  Still have the port in my chest from a bout with the big C.  We are the lucky ones.  Now that you have a clear head again you can enjoy those cool trains.  Great job!

I've put the Williams 5010 PRR K4S 4-6-2 on my wish-list at Trainz.com. In the last few weeks I've taken a big hit on the value of my stocks, but the pressure of "must-buy-more-trains!" is starting to build up again, so...

@Andrew-Porter posted:

I've put the Williams 5010 PRR K4S 4-6-2 on my wish-list at Trainz.com. In the last few weeks I've taken a big hit on the value of my stocks, but the pressure of "must-buy-more-trains!" is starting to build up again, so...

As mentioned a couple of times in this topic, the four "Streamlined" engines like this K4 1120 by Williams are better liked by many over the K4 "Torpedo".  The Torpedo is fully streamlined but for some reason just doesn't look right to me, like the proportions are off or something.  My 1120 looks great double headed with a non streamlined K4 pulling passenger consists.

in O scale would be my wish ... and the cars to go with -

Sunset did a brass HO scale version -

Ron

@ryoung3 posted:

in O scale would be my wish ... and the cars to go with -

Sunset did a brass HO scale version -

But I only collect O Gauge trains, so will pass on this!

@PRRronbh posted:

Ron

Nice—and I've already got one! Here it is in the MTH catalog:

I am sucker for streamlined 4-6-4's. The  Milwaukee Road Hiawatha,  CB&Q Aeolus,  Canadian Pacific Royal Hudson. Even the C&O Hudson is stunning. The one that I really think is a beautiful engine is the CNW 4-6-4. MTH made one and it is a beauty.

RAY

@Andrew-Porter posted:

Nice—and I've already got one! Here it is in the MTH catalog:

Andrew, is this Premier or RailKing?  I do not recall an MTH Premier model.

Ron

@PRRronbh posted:

Andrew, is this Premier or RailKing?  I do not recall an MTH Premier model.

Ron

RailKing.

@Ray of sunshine posted:

I am sucker for streamlined 4-6-4's. The  Milwaukee Road Hiawatha,  CB&Q Aeolus,  Canadian Pacific Royal Hudson. Even the C&O Hudson is stunning. The one that I really think is a beautiful engine is the CNW 4-6-4. MTH made one and it is a beauty.

RAY

Yup. It's in one of those plexiglass displays on the bookcase just behind my chair as I type this. Here's one of my photos of this:

I wish someone would make the T&NO Sunbeam. That is the Texas version of the Daylight and ran between Houston and Dallas. Here is a picture of the Sunbeam used in an ad from Coachyard. T&NO Sunbeam

@ryoung3 posted:

in O scale would be my wish ... and the cars to go with -

Sunset did a brass HO scale version -

I wish too. Will only happen when cows fly.  Actually, probably not even then ☹️☹️

@Texas Eagle 77 posted:

I wish someone would make the T&NO Sunbeam. That is the Texas version of the Daylight and ran between Houston and Dallas. Here is a picture of the Sunbeam used in an ad from Coachyard. T&NO Sunbeam

I’d love to see this one too !!!!!!  It’s very Texas-centric. I don’t think enough “Every day” Espee fans would join the Texans to get this to fly. It would take a firm 100 reservations to fly at 3rd Rail. Who knows what the price would be even with 100 reservations. Brass steam in O gauge has gotten very difficult to get enough support to fly. ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️

@Andrew-Porter posted:

Update: I've bought a Williams GG-1 (Williams 41851, PRR #4909) to replace the K-line one (K2780-49121C) I bought a couple of years ago; the new model is not a condensed GG-1. I'm giving the old one to a friend.

I also bought a  Weaver Southern Tennessean via a Stout auction, paying way too much for it (with premium, handling, shipping, it came to about $1,700). And I've been playing musical books and trains, in order to display everything. Here are the two locomotives:

I passed on that Southern Tennessean as it got WAY past my max. 😮🫢😵‍💫😳

@TrainBub posted:

I passed on that Southern Tennessean as it got WAY past my max. 😮🫢😵‍💫😳

If you look at earlier posts here, you'll see that I have no wife, no kids. I get a lot of satisfaction at staring at my engines, on my shelves—some in front of the books I've also got a large collection of. Here's a photo of a train in front of one of my bookshelves. I think the fact that the engine ¢o$t so much is balanced by the pleasure I have in owning it.

Since you live in the New York City area, you should be familiar with the old New Haven Railroad. The NH ordered 10 of these streamlined Hudson types around 1936  from  Baldwin Locomotive Works and were delivered in February-May of 1937. Sadly they were only used until 1950 and on January 8, 1951 they were determined to be obsolete. None were ever preserved. To the best of my knowledge, only Weaver made an !-5 and they are like hens teeth to get today. Just another for you to consider adding to your collection. This is one of the best performers on my layout.  Bill

https://ogrforum.com/...3#159096764955570883

OK Andrew: now get yourself the Proto3 MTH conversion, the MTH 30-1415-1 sound file - probably have to ditch the weaver sleuth smokestack - and you be rockin'

@Andrew-Porter posted:

If you look at earlier posts here, you'll see that I have no wife, no kids. I get a lot of satisfaction at staring at my engines, on my shelves—some in front of the books I've also got a large collection of. Here's a photo of a train in front of one of my bookshelves. I think the fact that the engine ¢o$t so much is balanced by the pleasure I have in owning it.

One of my own favorite locomotives and the silver ones can be had for less than the dark gray ones. Easily upgraded, as well!

thanks!

- Mario

@ryoung3 posted:

OK Andrew: now get yourself the Proto3 MTH conversion, the MTH 30-1415-1 sound file - probably have to ditch the weaver sleuth smokestack...

As I stated earlier here, and elsewhere on the OGR Forum, I don't run the trains, just display them. So don't care about "updating" or "sound files," or anything involved in their movement. Don't even have a transformer (well, I have one: the one my father bought us back in the 1940s). And no room in my 1-bedroom NYC apt for a layout.

No posts here for a while, but I wanted to mention that the exchange rate for the US Dollar versus the UK Pound is very favorable at the moment. The commercial rate is £1 = $1.22 as of this morning, he best for us in several years. So if anyone is thinking of buying anything from Hatton's Model Railways, or The Station Master's Rooms, now is the time to seriously think of acting.

These are what I have:

Andrew, you should have seen the recent e-bay auction for a like new Southern Tennessean. You mentioned the total price of yours at the Stout Auction - your hammer price was a bargain compared to the winning e-bay bid ($2144).

@Andrew-Porter posted:

Thanks. Didn't know about the Southern Tennessean. Will definitely acquire that!

Did Weaver ever do catalogs, and are they on line anywhere?

So from a year ago, my post really cost you some money. I had no idea that engine was going for that much. I admire the fact that you are very space limited and have to be selective about what you acquire. I was much less selective and have very much enjoyed what I acquired. But Disney tells us there is a circle of life and in my circle I am somewhere in the process of "thinning the herd". The acquisition was more fun than the thinning.

Gerry

@gmorlitz posted:

So from a year ago, my post really cost you some money. I had no idea that engine was going for that much. I admire the fact that you are very space limited and have to be selective about what you acquire. I was much less selective and have very much enjoyed what I acquired. But Disney tells us there is a circle of life and in my circle I am somewhere in the process of "thinning the herd". The acquisition was more fun than the thinning.

Gerry

Gorgeous engines! Good that you've got room for a layout. I have all these. Happily, my cousin, who is in my will as my executor, both reads science fiction (and has already taken some of my Tolkien books), and collects trains himself—though he's into "G"...

The next engines I want to acquire (though the Rivarossi is HO):

Andrew,

In an earlier post to your thread I mentioned Kuhler's autobiography My Iron Journey and I recommended it as something you might want to consider reading.  I thought I remembered his having something extra to say about the Southern engine so I looked it up this weekend.

  Based on the book text it sounds like the Southern never paid Kuhler for the design.  In his one page discussion he states he and his associate had a hurried meeting with Southern representatives, made their presentation, left a copy of the design with Southern, and heard nothing more.  A few months later Kuhler was heading out of Washington when he spotted his design sitting on an adjacent track.  When he had the chance he called his associate and asked if he had received the Southern order - the answer was "no" and, of course Kuhler had not been contacted.

  In the book his final comment was that he classified the design as a classic with minimum shrouding and he was grateful it was an exact copy "instead of being b*****d up with [Southern] backshop improvements."

Weaver did several custom runs (l think) of the Valley Flyer, (and maybe others?), and one of those was a Colorado and Southern partial streamliner of a Cheyenne to Texas C&S Pacific that resembled that of the Valley Flyer.

Haven't purchased any new trains since the Stout auction acquisition. Was planning a train trip to Chicago and back for Labor Day Weekend (this year's World Science Fiction Convention; next year is in China, and no way am I going) but tripped and broke my arm in early August, so had to cancel.

Still doing physical therapy for the break, but have started thinking about my next acquisitions...see my July 17th post.

Just bought this HO model from the Hatton's website in the UK. I know the exchange rate is pretty good in our favor right now, about £1.00 = $1.14. There was another HO loco available there, but it has Zink Pest disease, so...:

Passing on this one, with Zink Pest:

@Andrew-Porter posted:

I've put the Williams 5010 PRR K4S 4-6-2 on my wish-list at Trainz.com.

This became available again from Trainz.com, and I bought one.

I also found a source, at the Greenberg show after Thanksgiving, for the RivaRossi 2598 [cat #0339] HO engine I'm currently lusting for, but haven't yet sealed the deal, as they say. This:

Don't forget Hafner!

@Andrew-Porter posted:

I also found a source, at the Greenberg show after Thanksgiving, for the RivaRossi 2598 [cat #0339] HO engine I'm currently lusting for, but haven't yet sealed the deal, as they say. This:

I spoke to the dealer at the show, then I called him (twice!) and e-mailed him, and he's never gotten back to me. So I'm back to still wanting this. Very disappointing.

How about a Mercury?  One is listed at an upcoming Stout Auction.