B&O Steam Power

I'm quite happy that the B&O has become an important part of my work program, because I am a B&O fan. I have good access to B&O steam historians and archivists, some of whom are veteran steam era B&O men who ran / repaired B&O steam. My own B&O files are pretty stocky, and growing.

As with Anthracite railroads, Eddystone Locomotive Company is quite responsive to customer requests to develop new projects--- unlike the major manufacturers. All but one project below are indeed responsive to the requests from serious B&O HO modelers. I initiated the Q4 project in 2002. My goal was to surpass Westside, etc. and offer the most accurate, and still very good running, Q4 / Q4Bs ever. These locos used the Athearn Mikado machinery for parts. It went out of production during my production run, so my production ground to a halt. However, two years later, more requests came in for it. This resulted in the current ( V-2) offering, which uses upgrades Akane mechanisms, and gives you a choice of use your old tender, or buy an Eddystone tender. See Products

So too, the " Big Six Fix" job began with Bruce Elliott wanting me to put Greenburg 57" drivers under his Rivarossi Big Six. I counter offered to merge the just released, metal framed , excellent, IHC 2-10-2 machinery with his Rivarossi. He agreed, and a great looking, great running locomotive has emerged, and is being ordered by others Click on Products

Pre-production concerns with the BLI Presidents P 7 4-6-2s spurred the latest project into existence. See Products section. In short, modernized, still P 7 class locos, and subclasses c, d and e are to be tooled, and built. They will use an Akane President or Mantua Pacific mechanism, as appropriate to give you reasonably priced models, otherwise only available, now and again, in brass. At this writing a brass P7D (Cincinnatian streamliners) is offered on eBay, bids to begin at $1,100-- The Eddystone won't cost that much, to say the least. See Products.

Finally, a B&O P6 was built as a one-off custom built loco in 2006, and a Winans Camel in the same year-although not lettered for B&O. These are shown below.. Eddystone castings are used by some of the B&O fraternity's leading private model builders. Some B&O modelers who model the " east End" also own Reading and CNJ and PRR locomotives from Eddystone. I guess that's forgivable, as it's inevitable !
To see Reading, and CNJ and PRR offerings, go to Anthracite Railroads Steam Power, and later, click on Products for more information. Happy Modeling, and remember " The B&O is the way to Go !"

Currently available B&O Power
1) Q4/ Q4Bs combining repowered Akane mechanisms with Eddystone superstructures, details.

2) " Big Six Fix" combines metal framed, great running IHC 2-10-2 engine parts with Rivarossi Big Six superstructure and details, and superior to Rivarossi, Eddystone details

3) E 62 2-8-0 This is a cosmetic make over which transforms a generic, great running 2-8-0 into a loco which features proper B&O characteristics. It does not have a precise B&O prototype, but represents how locos which came with bought out smaller lines in W VA and took on B&O characteristics with subsequent rebuildings. If you didn't know it doesn't have a B&O prototype, you'd neverv'd guess it.

Forthcoming B&O Power,

1) P7, no subclass, but in post 1942 appearance. 5300 for example. 5311 is pictured below

2) P7 c-the subclasss which really set the course for P7 modernization

3) P7d-the famous Cincinnatian, post war streamlined locos, they also ran Washington to New York, and Cincinnati to Detroit., late into the transition era.

4) P7e-the most completely modernized P7s The work was done while dieselization was in full swing. B&O meant to get the very best from these old champions. They served system wide, and gave excellent service till the end of steam .

Note: the P7s will be built, consistent with what you turn in for rebuilding. An Akane must remain all spoked drivers, a Mantua can be all Box Pok, or a mix of Box Pok and spoked, or all spokers , to model specific locomotives. I do not buy used locomotives for customers on eBay as it takes too much time, and I have to charge for my time. Thanks.

Gallery of B&O steam power. It's divided into commercial work, and some of my own locos. Note that most of my own locos, while running, are not completed. It's hard to find the time to do that, as I'm so busy building for you ! Enjoy.

SOME OF MY OWN B&O STEAM POWER

The original B&O class T Mountain: This loco is derived from the Rivarossi Big Six, set onto a milled brass frame, with Bowser drivers. The prototype was also a shop-developed job-performed at Mt. Claire shops as an experimental venture into the 4-8-2 wheel arrangement. These locos wer quite successful, working heavy passenger and express mainly. Their success led in 1930 to two experimetnals, class T-1 from Baldwin. During the war, class T 3 was built, recycling old boilers, and after the war, some Mountains were bought second hand from the B&M-the various T4 types..
2) B-18 # 2020. This is an old GHC 1950s brass import, I repowered it with the Eddystone As 36 drive, painted it over, and made a few other cosmetic changes. Oh, those tall, lush hardwood forests of Baltimore county !

) B&O D 30 0-6-0 medium switcher. This is a heavily reworked Bachmann 0-6-0 (USRA) loco. Although an entry level low priced product, this one ran exceptionally well, so I decided to detail it quite a bit, give it a new tender, open roof ventilators, crew, etc. Naturally, the decals were barely set up when Life Like announced they were going to offer really high quality off the shelf USRAs ! Still, turns out I outdid them on several points. Really sharp steam guys will notice the remaining coal pusher, on a tender with 5" lettering. HHHmmmm. That's on purpose. I like the coal pusher, I model the B&O which broke all of its own rules, and it's for my enjoyment, not for a customer, so I treated myself to this anomalie--- for the heck of it.

Below is shown a " what if ? " loco. I've wanted an Aristo Craft "_B&O Royal Blue" ten wheeler since I was a kid, and they were new. I got a good price on a " good " condition / deteriorating box copy on eBay.. Once lubed, it gave jack rabbit starts and top speeds at 150 or better.and drew high amperage. I would have none of it, and tore it down, installed my AS-36 drive, added weight so as to get a well balanced, heavier model, and it took to behaving itself, very, very, well. I couldn't handle the primitive, mass market appearance, so I added a Cap herald, class lamps, a good quality bell, whistlee, crew, window glass, automatic knuckle coupler, etc. This was just a starter, someday I'll strip it and finish the job.

The Aristo Craft loco is a fairly good shot at class B 17c. --- once the locos were converted from compound to simple.

I've always appreciated how back in the day, the B&O did things like the Museum, excursion trains, and pageants show casing certain steam power- often, old timers. Consistent with all that, the way the loco is shown here is " as if" Larry Sagle had collaborated with the Mechanical Department for excursion service. The livery is very B&O, but of my own devising. I also have an IC " Casey Jones", regeared, and painted green and Russian iron, lettered ca. 1890s for excursion service; and a Bachmann Lafayette train set. There's a 20 car 19th century passenger car roster for the ten wheelers to pull. The B 17 looks great in front of a dozen car consist. Usually passed over by modelers, the late nineteenth / early twentieth century era offers some of the greatest opportunities for beautiful trains.

4) More to come with future website revisions.

IF YOU MISS THE TRAIN I'M ON,,,,,,,,,,,YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM GONE…….YOU CAN HEAR THAT WHISTLE BLOW, ONE HUNDRED MILES……
Peter, Paul & Mary