ANTHRACITE RAILROADS STEAM POWER

With the exception of the Reading and Central New Jersey and Lackawanna, and NYO& W few anthracite steam locomotives have been available in HO, let alone N scale. This is odd, considering the compelling grip these roads continue to have on model railroaders. Commonly, they are modeled in the transition and full diesel era.

Anthracite steam is Eddystone's major area of concentration. A lot of anthracite "one-off" custom built, overhauls, and detail jobs are ordered, and a growing fleet of production locomotives are anthraciters.

Just released is the Lehigh & Hudson River 90 class Consolidation. L&HR # 90 was delivered to Warwick, New York, where it was last seen a mere 57 years ago. These locos were built by Baldwin in the late 1920s, and had a tractive effort rating of 71,500 pounds. The Eddystone model will easily handle 30 plus, car freights on level track. They use the Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 mechanism, for plenty of smooth, quiet power.
With a Soundtraxx T'sunami system, and only the steam loco sounds to be heard, this locomotive is breathtaking as it rolls along with a heavy freight in tow.

The Eddystone model represents #s 90-93 in 1940s configuration. The L&HR had added a dog house, and Worthington feed water heater system in the 1930s. The model is unusual for the density of detailing which faithfully replicates the consequence of the L&HR having so much applied to a large example of a basically medium sized locomotive. In one area the piping is four levels deep. This would be no fun for shop and roundhouse forces, but it is the way it was, and it's the way it is with the model. Not only is the cab interior done quite well, the doghouse has a painted interior, complete with head end brakeman.

The L&HR was a short, but very important bridge line between the Allentown / Bethleham / Phillipsburg area and Maybrook Yard-- the gateway to New England. It was the creature of several railroads with which it interchanged. Trains of such roads frequented its line, making it as close to a typical model railroad as a real railroad can be.

The L&HR can be easily modeled in HO- and its equipment operated over other tracks in the Allentown- Phillipsburg area. Other modern L&HR steam power included USRA light Mikados, 4-8-2s built to the same specs as the B&M R 1 d. Good running, nicely executed models of the 4-8-2s were done in brass for Gem Models by Olympia and are available on eBay now and again. While well done, they are not a super sought after model, and so can be had at reasonable prices.

Eddystone also offers the accuratizing of USRA Mikados, making for very accurate L&HR 80 Class locos. See the Products section.

The L&HR quickly dieselized at the cusp of the 40s-50s, with Alco RS 3s. These have been offered by Atlas, and show up from time to time.

Before the L&HR started buying Mikados it was rostered by smaller, often camelback six and eight coupled types. Many of these survived until well into the 1940s. Several are fairly easy to model using plastic steamers as a starting point.

Here are the highlights of what's available to order, and what is coming. You may always order something else, custom built.

Current offerings:

LEHIGH VALLEY:

1) M 35 Camelback 2-8-0

2) J 25 4-6-0 rear cab w/ Bachmann 4-6-0 drive

3) LV N4 2-8-2 Mikado

This is the Lehigh Valley class N4 Mikado. If it isn't "Lehigh" nothing is. Loco was developed from Baldwin and LV drawings, specifications, and photos. Input from a veteran steam era LV engineer was also most helpful. There aren't many of those fellows left, glad I know one who loves to help me get things right. It handles substantial size freights.

Here's the fireman's side of 426. Note how electrical harness is made to look like loco / tender connections-not like an NMRA spec. decoder harness, hung at the wrong elevation, and colorful enough to make your eyes hurt-not to mention the model's overall appeartence. Notice too how full the area under the firebox is. Loco does not require really wide radius curves'; it's all just done right.

LEHIGH & NEW ENGLAND:

1) E 12 2-8-0 Camelback w/ Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 drive

2) E 14 Rear Cab 2-8-0 w/ Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 drive

3) G - 1 2-8-2 rear cab w/ Bowser mechanism/Eddystone's As 36 drive

LEHIGH & HUDSON RIVER:

1) 80s class 2-8-2 Overhaul of Broadway Limited USRA light Mikado or Athearn USRA light Mikado.

LACKAWANNA:

2) C 12 0-8-0 Heavy Switcher w/Eddystone's As 36 drive

3) L&HR 90 Class Consolidation on Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 mechanism

READING:

1) I-10 sa 2-8-0 rearcab pverhaul of Bachmann 2-8-0 w/ Bowser parts and Eddystone's AS 36 drive

2) P - 7 rear cab 4-4-2 Atlantic in the 350s # series w/ Bowser mechanism

3) G2 sa 4-6-2 Pacific w/ Bowser mech parts/can motor add with Eddystone's As 28 drive

4) I-9 sc 2-8-0 rear cab Consolidation. Will have Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 machinery, or Eddystone As -36 drive- not yet determined.



CNJ:

1) L 7 4-6-0 Camelback

2) : P6/ A 28 4-4-2 Camelback Atlantic 590-595

A note of Special interest:

I am working with DLW steam experts Jerry Segrue and Henry Peterson in order to produce a definitive DLW steam series in HO. This is a long-term project. Nickle Plate Products gave us most of the DLW steam that's out there. Much of it doesn't run well, and much of it was rather nominally detailed. The Eddystone DLW steam line is building outward from the original Steamtown tooling. This is being reworked to bring the products up to date in both mechanical and appearance work. This is inevitable as the Steamtown work was done ten years ago, and the locomotives were engineered to run short distances, computer actuated, with no train in tow. All Eddystone models will have the drive on board the locomotive, with DCC/ Soundtraxx options. Locomotives to be built from Jerry Segrue's excellent drawings when such is available for a given class-and he continues to draw.

Lehigh Valley steam and LNE steam rosters are to be major focuses down through the years. Little was done in brass for these roads, and little, if any more is to be expected in brass. Do not look to Bachmann, Life Like or BLI to become major players in the anthracite steam market as they won't get to so much as break even on most of what you'd like to have.

Orders for CNJ and RDG steam continue to grow, so expect more to be offered. You can always order a custom built or an overhaul or detailing now, rather than wait to see if your must have model will be offered as a limited production run job.

Eddystone also does 19th century steam work. I recently outshopped a model of the first Consolidation, LV # 63, ca. 1870 with working eccentric driven water pumps. See photos by clicking on custom built locomotives. I have and will continue to develop tooling for ca 1880 2-8-0 Camelbacks NYOW, D&H, etc., a 4-4-0 Inspection locomotive, and an ever growing collection of parts such as tender tanks, cabs, cylinders, pilots, water pumps, stacks, headlamps, domes, etc. Currently, a project to do Winans Camels, for RDG and B&O, ca. 1870 is underway.

FALLEN FLAGS ? PICK UP THE FLAG !

Below is a gallery showing a mix of Production anthracite steamers you can order, and some "one-off" custom builts. The "one-offs" are shown as samples of custom building. Thorough overhauls of mass produced models, and scratch built models are the two forms of custom building which I do. Go to the Products section for more information on Production locos. Enjoy!

This is a standard type cab CNJ T 38 4-6-0 Camelback in final appearance. If you know the brass versions of this prototype, and look carefully at the picture-with a magnifying glass-you'll see it's superior to all brass versions of this class.

Here is soulmate, # 774, with the " altered cab" profile enabling loco to run through the L&NE's Lansford, PA tunnel. 774 was the last steamer to run on the CNJ. Looks like it still is running on the CNJ !

Just another look before you return to the 21st. century. Hey ! What's that weird thing hanging down behind the final drivers? ATC pick up shoe, of course ! Freshly coaled, the fireman is writing up the fuel ticket before they move on. Once the loco is out on the road, the scene changes. Out on the road he's taking a brief break, scanning a magazine.

There they go, as seen by a fourteen year old who is smoking one of Dad's cigars, out behind the garage. Note the Davis counterweights on the drivers. I had to make the wheels myself using parts from England, and individually made counterweights, made here in PA. Loco has electrical pick up on both sides-all six drivers, pick up on tender, using 2 wheels on both sides. You bet it runs well. 774 has Eddystone's AS-36 drive.and Soundtraxx with 1" speaker.

D&H E 5 A 2-8-0 # 1111 " The Four Aces" in final form. This is one of Eddystone's all time best sellers, it's sister loco, 1112 is also available.. These locos are re-introduced, in forth version, now using AS-36 drive. Soundtraxx T'sunami w/ 1" speaker, or Digitrax decoder, or straight DC. These locos perform quite well throughout their speed range, and will handle 20 or more car freights-depending on layout conditions. Top ( left side) picture shows the cab roof ventilator is open. You can catch a glimpse of the backhead through it. Note the sander cover is missing from the right side forward sand box. That anomalie comes from a period photo-just something which happened back in the day. It's an aspect of Eddystone's commitment to railroading realism in steam locomotive modeling.

This is an NYO&W P class " Orrie". The choice of name is lost to us. When the locos appeared, the battleship, USS Oregon had recently been christened, it may be in honor of that. Also, a certain bar maid known to NYO&W road crews was named "Orrie"-it may have been in honor of her.
213 pulled the O&W's last steam train on July 16, 1948 Notice the coal gate planks thrown up on the coal pile, along with the coal tools. Mechanism is very time consuming to build. The side rods are hand made, due to the axle spacing, and the driver wheel sets take a good while to put together. The parts, except for the counterweights come from England. The counterweights are individually added, etched brass. Loco has 12 wheel electrical pick up to give maximum reliable running. Loco has Eddystone's AS 36 drive.

This is a Reading I-10 Consolidation, similar in size and output to the above shown D&H Four Aces. Anthracite railroads, D&H, Reading, and Lehigh & Hudson River and Lehigh & New England all had really large, end of the era 2-8-0s for lower speed, medium speed, heavy freight work.

This model began life as an el cheapo Bachmann job. Much of the cast integral detailing was removed, and superior, free standing detailing, with some modification to the pipe work was applied. It was re-engined with a Bowser frame and drivers, and a combination of Bowser an d Bachmann rods. It is better than numerous Japanese brass imports of the I-10 in both detailing and performance. Amazing what can happen
to an el cheapo, when you put your mind to it. The Bachmanns can be found on eBay for $ 25-50, and then overhauled for truly superior results.

The L&HR 90 class 2-8-0 will soon be built, and the L&NE E 14 2-8-0 will be the next Production loco to be released. It will debut in late fall, 2007. Watch for it on this website--- and maybe even set money aside for one .

Two views of the Lehigh Valley J -25 4-6-0. These were fully modern ten wheelers, built by the Lehigh at their Sayre, PA shops. They were developed for branchline use, where light rail and bridges were the norm. They lasted until the end of steam, often replaced by Baldwin switchers. The J 25s are Eddystone's second branch line mainly, LV locos. This past year, the first LV main line loco was released-the N4 B Mikado.
See both in the Products section for more information.

Also a n important branch line working LV loco, the class M35 camelback. The M 35s are available with both the cab shown in the first two views and another cab with a very LV rear of cab roof overhang. The different cab roof is shown in the bottom picture, 706 from the left. That important option came into being when Harry Owens requested a specially made model-- # 706 for his Bowman Creek ( out of Wilkes Barre) Branch operation. Harry is a noted author and authority on the Bowman Creek Branch-and many things Lehigh Valley. Harry is a most helpful supporter of Eddystone in the development of LV steam power; and as you might expect, a major customer. Best of all- he's a good friend.

This locomotive "Cernunnos"-"Lord of the Beasts" was built to handle freights up a helix, connecting two levels of owner's layout. Loco is ca. 1870s, has Eddystone AS 36 drive, and weighs a whopping 17 ounces ! It just may be the heaviest, and highest output HO 1870s locomotive around. Real steamers were sometimes designed to perform a certain task. A number of Eddystones have been designed / built that way too. Custom means custom, doesn't it?

Note two extra handrails on the left side of cab. This is so hostlers and firemen can get to the side steps to add water at the filler on top, or add sand to the sandbox. There are no front doors on the cab, due to the saddle tank. Overall form of the loco is based on 1878 " Uncle Dick" shown in an old engraving in possession of the Smithsonian. Below the running board valences were found on some tank locos of the period.

This locomotive began life in the 1950s as a dog of a Japanese brass import. It was thoroughly overhauled at Eddystone to represent this Long Island RR freighter as it appeared in the 1920s. The model pioneered the Eddystone AS-36 Drive Owner is estatic about it. Gee, I wonder why?

The secoder won't be hooked up till loco has been painted. Tender wrapper was required because the original rivets were as big as grapefruits. Note raised coal boards. Air pumps, reservoirs and domes, and cylinders are urethane castings, made for the job. Cab now has full interior.

Now that's more like it ! Smell the hard coal smoke?

Broken in, and road tested, # 155 stands in the Eddystone departure yard, ready for delivery. A dog has been remade into a prized possession, and another model railroader is very happy..

This is a "one-off" custom built model of the famous DL&W P class heavy, 3 cylinder mountains. Final picture is of it under construction is to give you more insight into the amount of work which goes into custom building. The Gresley patent valve gear on this loco--note the conjugated valve gear in front of the cylinders, actually works. Most, or all brass models with Gresley have a static valve gear-as it's much easier to do. Prototype was built by Alco in the late twenties. These locos were quite successful, although of course the extra machinery increased maintenance expense. Loco has a properly modeled Elvin ( co) stoker-very, very rare in HO.

The DL&W C 12 class 0-8-0s were built in the Scranton., PA shops. The boilers were taken from no longer needed N -13 Pacifics, and the first water course with an unusual taper resulted from a shortening of the boiler. These switchers were very sucessful, in yard work, and on mine runs, out Berwick way.
The Eddystone models weigh over a pound, and will use AS-36 drive henceforth. Low speed performance is very good, and they will handle the longest cuts in your yards.

The L&NE E 12 / E 13s have been one of our best sellers historically. They are quintessential L&NE camelbacks, quintessential Baldwin camelbacks. They were developed from Baldwin drawings, and numerous photos. As demand just won't quit, the model has been upgraded over the years. It now uses a modified Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 engine, for plenty of smooth, quiet power. They are quite superior to the Lee Town, brass and cast, on Bowser models, which are fine, and quite good in their time.

The Reading P7 sb is a magnificent race horse, derived from a failure in the early 20th century. The failed design was the C-1 4-4-4-. They had an excellent boiler, but were unstable at speed. They were soon converted to Atlantics, and proved to be one of America's best passenger locomotives. The P 7s were about the same output and size as the more famous PRR E6 Atlantics which were developed at about the same time. The high stepping Reading Atlantics were the basis for the Reading G-1, then G-2 Pacifics, which could pull heavier trains with the same speed.

Here's another " one-off" custom built locomotive, done for a major customer. It's a Reading L 3 camelback, ten wheeler. The major difference between scratch building in brass, or composite construction as shown here is materials, not time ! Composite construction has some clear advantages. I came of age as it was becoming ascendant over brass scratch work, so composite is the path I have taken. A few of the advantages of composite over brass are more consistent, crisper rivet detail, and stronger construction.
Eddystones are built to be handled and run, they do not shed delicately soldered on parts ! Other advantages include matched board interior cabs ( not done in brass), and far superior backhead detail for far less than it would cost in brass-often a savings of about $ 100.00. That frees me up to put more value, elsewhere, in your model.

This L&HR 2-8-2 began as an overhaul of an Athearn 2-8-2 Mike. It ended up yielding a kit of useful urethane castings, so that the job can more be offerd to others. The sa,e job of course can be done using the BLI USRA light Mikado, etc.. In the pictures, what is white is styrene, what's grey is urethane castings.. What's gold is of course, brass parts. The right material for the right job.

The L&NE G-1, ex- PRR L-1 Mikado is far more accurate than just slapping a fried egg on a Bowser L-1 Mikado, which is what the most frugal modelers do. Of course, they are stuck with the wrong tender, and a long list of other incorrect details. Brass L-1s can be closer, but it's still not going to be as accurate as the Eddystone. Mine shows a scar where the doghouse once was ( on the prototype,) has road number specific tender patches, and scoop controls remaining, but scoop mechanism removed-just like on the L&NE 500's. Any steam locomotive's appearance tells a story; faithful modeling demands that the model tell the same story ! That's the underlying principal of realism in model locomotive work

This is the world's first Consolidation, named " Consolidation" by the LV to celebrate the absorption of several smaller, feeder lines. The locomotive was built by Baldwin in 1866. The model was developed from a comprehensive set of Smithsonian drawings, and an as new, Balwin photo, Model used an MDC 2-8-0 mechanism, quite modified, and loco weighs 12 ounces, and pulls very well. The eccentric driven water pumps off the last driver set actually work Cab casting has been used again, on " Cernunnos" also shown in this gallery. Owner wanted it used to increase family resemblance.

This is a Winans Camel, ca. 1870-well into its service life. Winans camels are best known as B&O power, but the Reading and another road or two owned some. This loco serves in the coal country, and is described as having been bought by the PA & NY from the Philadelphia & Reading. Winans Camels predated the anthracite burning Wooten firebox Camelbacks which appeared around 1880. So although this loco began on the Reading, it was not an anthracite burning wide firebox camel ! That's history for you.

The model is a " one-off" custom built. It has a 70 to one gear reduction, top scale speed, 22 mph. It has 12 wheel pick up- from front to the very rear. It is a very powerful, 14 ounce model, and was designed and built to pull trains up a helix, connecting upper and lower levels of a period layout. It was a bear to build, and had a four figure price tag.

Less costly, higher speed, lighter Winans camels, using the MDC 2-8-0 mechanism can be built for substantially less.

The PRR E 6 Atlantic is not really an Anthracite loco, is it? No, but as they ran up the Delaware river from Trenton, NJ to Stroudsburg, PA and were serviced at Gravel Place terminal ( DL &W) they are definitely part of the scene. This model was built for a fellow who fired it, while a student, at the end of steam on the PR&SL, out of Camden, NJ. It is an accurate model of his favorite E 6, and goes far beyond the stock Bowser product Note the cast urethane tender, made for the job.. A fine runner, it has won cudos for owner, and builder alike at clubs, and operating sessions at friends'. Too bad there isn't much steam running any more. If there were, there would be far more modelers with a first hand acquaintance with this or that loco.

This gallery is new for the Autumn, 2007 website revision. I hope it's more fun than the old list of what anthracite power is offered, what is scheduled for Production model development. With subsequent revisions, still more, more recent locos will be added to this gallery. A DLW Pocono rebuild is on the table right now, and will be shown in the next revision--- yet another overhaul of a so-so brass loco into a first rate runner at a high level of accurate modeling. Till then, ALL THE BEST ! Dave Grover, Eddystone Locomotive Co.