PRR Locomotives

[Chris Webster]

Google eBay 6-18000 - these little switchers are now the bargains of O Scale. $200 is a very fair price; Trainz has had one for roughly that price for about two months.

Now Trainz is asking $139 just for the tender.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

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[bob turner]

I have seen them go, multiple times, at around $180. I missed one with a loose driver for $79. Should have paid more attention. They pop up all the time. They are a good value at $200, if you know how to 2-rail them.

[bob turner]

Oh, and Trainz? I am sure a lot of their prices are driven by consignment. I am watching an Eri-Built B unit in the $180 range (hoping someone else buys it before it hits my price point). They now have another - not as nice paint, but otherwise equivalent - $280! Who knows with those folks? Just keep your eyes peeled.

[bob turner]

Time for another? this is an almost-stock Scale Craft. A friend in Florida needed a set of drivers, so I stole them and installed a spare set of Loco Works coined drivers. Sort of spoils the antique look, but they are more accurate. I did not even mess with smokebox rivets - I usually rivet the cab, smokebox, and firebox on these things, and add boiler bands. Not this one - pure 1930:

[bob turner]

And yet another 100% stock Scale Craft. Just look at those buttons on the smokebox! This one has P-13 or Hudson drivers - note the crescent counterweights. Plus, few models around here escape having flanges on all drivers.

My problem is that my friend from OSW Don Massy kept bringing these to the show and selling them for cheap. Most just turned their noses up - indeed, I passed up the first one I saw. Dan Henon and I were standing in a hobby shop in Philadelphia one afternoon, and he said "Bob, you oughta buy this - $75 is a steal!" Me - "nah - too crude."

Well, they are crude, but they do have a certain charm - and they will run forever!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

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[rogruth]

And yet another 100% stock Scale Craft. Just look at those buttons on the smokebox! This one has P-13 or Hudson drivers - note the crescent counterweights. Plus, few models around here escape having flanges on all drivers.

I rather like it!

Me too. See another post about my abilities.

[R.K. Maroon]

I have had only one PRR steam locomotive pass through my shop, and it was a Scale-Craft K4:



Here is the tender:



This was one of several locomotives that Allan Wehrle sent me home with before his passing, with instructions to find them good homes. Allan had always spoke highly of Joe Foehrkolb as both a talented craftsman and an all-around decent fellow (I will second that thought), and Joe lives in PRR land, so I sent this one to him. The pilot and trailing trucks were in the box at the time, but the valve gear was missing. It was later located in Allan's parts collection, much to everybody's joy.

Joe reported after the model arrived to him that he had seen it before -- Allan had sent it to him to 2-rail. Further, it came to light that Allan had sent the tender to Bob Turner for the addition of rivets (nice work there, Bob). Joe gave it the workover, including replacing the original wound-field motor with a can motor. He reports that it's a smooth runner. No surprise there, as Joe is known for that. Here it is ready for assignment on his layout:



So many projects are never seen to completion -- especially after passing through several hands (and in pieces at that), so it was nice to see this one get finished.

Jim

[rogruth]

Nice to see it completed. I hope it gets used by someone.

[bob turner]

I bet Joe is using it. These things are work horses. Saginaw were similar; you have already seen a few H10s above. Time for me to add my collection?
The secret seems to be the size of the axle gear, and the materials used. That old phenolic, or Bakelite, or whatever it was, lasts forever if the teeth are large enough. Lobaugh used smaller teeth, and if a Lobaugh model was not well assembled or was mis-treated, teeth are always missing. Not so in these old 1930s models - they just go on and on . . .

[bob turner]

This huge beast was from Mort Mann - he needed to dump it because it had a flaw or two, and knew I could deal with it. My brother re-machined the drive wheels. Mort imported them in 2-rail, and those had fully sprung trucks. I am happy with one piece sideframes, and if I ever get unhappy, I know how to re-machine them for separate sprung journal boxes. (I should go back to the UP thread and point that out).



No, the PRR never painted journal boxes a contrasting color. I don't care; I like them this way.

[J. S. Bach]

Speaking of Scalecraft K-4s, many years ago I had a Scalecraft K-4 and I tried several times at northeastern O scale shows to sell it for $200.00; lots of lookers but no serious buyers, a couple of low-ball offers rejected. At one really small show in NJ (possibly hosted by Jan L. in his driveway), I, as a joke, set it out at $300.00; a few minutes later a guy came by, looked at it, and could not get his money out fast enough! To this day, I wonder if others thought that, as the original price was so low, there had to be something wrong with it. Note that at this time I do not remember if it was two or three rail.

[E7]

I have had only one PRR steam locomotive pass through my shop, and it was a Scale-Craft K4:

Jim

Sure looks like a B6sb 0-6-0 LOL

Sorry Jim, couldn't resist!
Rich

[bob turner]

Did I do this one? Run-of-the-mill USH: