In the 1920s the Lehigh Valley ordered a lot of new power to meet the demands of increasing traffic which had to be handled at higher speeds. The LV had owned both Mikados and Pacifics since the " teens". In 1923, the LV worked closely with Baldwin to develop class N4 B. The locomotives were delivered in 1923 and 1924. Several, class N4B had boosters. The N4 boilers were a new application of the K 5 Pacific boiler, although outward differences in running boards, and other construction details keep this from being obvious. The N4s were quite well suited for the work they were built for, and they remained in service through the steam era on the Lehigh.
Eddystone now offers the N4 B with booster for the first
time in HO. It is the third LV production series loco; our first full
size LV " modern" road power. The Eddystone N4s use a modified
Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 engine for smooth, quiet, reliable and noteworthy
output.. The models are developed from BLW and LV drawings and specifications,
as well as some veteran LV road crew input. There are a couple of features
which are surprising, and should be explained, lest a customer think they
are errors. First, the steam pipes to the valve chests are not on the
same centerline as the stack. This is extremely unusual, but comes from
the BLW drawings. Second, the cab sides are not vertical all the way up,
they angle inward a bit from about the base of the cab windows. This too
is from the drawings, and shows in some photos.
The tender chosen to model is the original type; although most N4s later
got higher capacity tenders. This choice gives us a tender which can also
be correctly used on two other Valley road locomotives. The N4 tooling
has opened the door to later offering the K5 Pacifics, also.
The Eddystone LV N4 Bs can be had with a limited choice of road numbers which are corect for the loco with booster. Some of the booster piping is cast integral, and is not easily removed, so I'm not offering the loco without a booster. All the usual options such as weathering, slight variations when two or more are bought, DCC, and Soundtraxx T'sunami sound are offered. See How To Order.
If you have long wanted to model LV steam beyond owning
a few brass Wyomings and streamlined Pacifics, or various inaccurate Mantua
camelbacks or IHC semi-streamlined Pacifics; you obviuously now have what
will likely be your only chance to do so. This is Eddystone's third LV
production steamer, and more are to come. The next LV road locomotive
will not appear till 2009. Ten years from now, none may still be available.
If you want to model LV steam, now is your window of opportunity to do
so.