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Imagine my pleasant surprise to find these plans published a few years before Lionel released their General sets, the cars were obviously based on these plans and they match up almost exactly. The plans are from a 1957 copy of Rolling Stock Manual of HO And O Gauge Car Plans. It’s a really neat book.

4E3F8014-E9E3-4804-A701-CE9125DC73CD

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@StudeDude posted:

Imagine my pleasant surprise to find these plans published a few years before Lionel released their General sets, the cars were obviously based on these plans and they match up almost exactly. The plans are from a 1957 copy of Rolling Stock Manual of HO And O Gauge Car Plans. It’s a really neat book.

4E3F8014-E9E3-4804-A701-CE9125DC73CD

Kits for these cars were also produced by Robico - 4 different cars in all

I've been a proponent of this style of locomotive from the Forum's earliest days. As one of the few people actually modeling the 19th century, these engines are must-haves.

From a manufacturing point of view, the American Standard 4-4-0 is a no brainer. Why? Because..."Standard."

While there are differences, the American Standard was as close to a universal design as can be imagined. Starting with a standard wagon top boiler, cab, tender and running gear, simple detail changes like different domes, stacks and headlights can be used to model a staggering number of different engines.  Want a typical "old west" 4-4-0? Fine: Use fluted domes, box headlight and funnel, diamond or balloon stack. Done!

Want a more "1890s" engine? Round domes, round "arc" style headlamp and a shotgun or cap stack.

No less a rail fan than Walt Disney used this exact same technique on his first two Disneyland locomotives, which are mechanically identical. But detail changes created two starkly different engine styles.

I've basically given up that this style of engine will be mass produced. But one can still hope.

Last edited by smd4

While I cannot add more to the topic regarding what 4-4-0s are out there (all have been pretty much been stated) I have said for years the O scale market needs a basic, generic O scale 4-4-0 that could be adapted to many different roads, something like the Atlas N scale 4-4-0. Most importantly, it needs to be more scale proportioned.

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