Would something like this be possible?

Harry

your overhang would likely look a bit odd on the curve. Why try to undo what the articulated engines have accomplished?

Steve

I thought about articulated but I think that an engine with that many drive wheels joined together would be a beast to watch. Maybe some other time I'll do an articulated one.

If articulated, it would look like ......

If articulated, as stated above, it would look like something already available (and capable of doing 72 inch curves). So, that, the 2-16-4 designation you used, and the fact you talk about grinding off flanges, leads me to think you mean a non-articulated. I have though a good about this, mainly because I have seriously thought of dping much the same thing to make a model of the Soviet-era AA20-1, a 4-14-4.  

Yes, you could do it.  If I were doing it I would not grind the flanges off, but buy or find or buy blind (flangeless) wheels and switch them out.  Regardless, my comments are:

- It would be possible to do.  The chassis, etc, particularly if working with a WBB product, would not be hard to make.  

- The boiler/cab,etc. would be no more difficult than some I've bashed so this, too, would be possible, just a lot of work (to make it look good).

- The loco would be capable of negotiating curves of some diameter of curve, depending on how many blind drivers it had, where they were, and where the flanged dirvers where.  I am not certain it could do 72 - maybe only 96 or so - and if it could it would probably look silly.  Realize the UP 4-12-2 had blind drivers that hang completely off the rails on a curve - this would have two more sets of wheels.

It would be an interesting project to make, but a lot of work for a loco that you probably could not run much.  

Hello guys and gals..

i dreamed and dreamed for years to make a 2-12-4 using 61 inch drivers and using the 

brass Sunset 3rd S.F. 5011's boiler, trailing truck ,pony truck and cylinder. I dont have the machinst skill to make frame for that Oh well.  The 61 inch drivers can be used from the USRA Mikado and the siderods too. Oh such a dream i had for long time. 

Tiffany

How about a 4-8-2 + 2-8-4 East African Railways Class 59 Beyer-Garratt?

I don't really like the look of those locomotives. I did come up with an idea for two small steam engines facing opposite directions with a single tender connecting them in the middle. I decided that was kind of weird, though. Maybe in the future.