The Glade 4.0

Birthdays are still awesome at 38, even though I wish I could slow things down. Babies get old too fast. My oldest will be a junior in college this year, my second in 2nd grade, and the 2 babies will not really be babies much longer.

But.. you still get birthday money! Which is awesome. Between what I got from relatives and what my wife will spend on me, I can afford a present up to around the $300 range... and of course, what better place to spend birthday money than a new HO steam locomotive!?! Why no place, of course! How silly of me.

Unfortunately, there are just.... so.... many... of them. In every shape and size, from the tiny 0-4-0 switcher and the 4-4-0 of the civil war to the monstrous Challenger and Big Boy in the West and the mighty Y6b's and Alleghenys in the east. The compact Hudsons of the New York Central. The ubiquitous Pacifics, Consolidations, and Mikados. The Berkshires of the Polar Express. The beautiful 4-8-4 Southern Pacific #4449 that passes through railroad crossings like a queen before her subjects. The Strasburg Railroad 2-10-0 Decapod that pulls real freight trains in revenue service past Amish farms.

So there's the problem. HO locomotives can cost under a hundred dollars for a cheap steamer that will barely pull 4 cars to over $2,000 for massive articulated locomotives made by the finest manufacturers. The price curve drops fast though; so at a $300 budget, I''m guaranteed something pretty nice if I shop online for a bargain.

So, I've narrowed it down to 4 possibilities (5 really, but the last is just a matter of which railroad)

First up: The Pennsylvania RR T1 4-4-4-4 Duplex drive locomotive. These were extremely fast and powerful post WWII passenger locos that suffered mainly from untrained engineers. They are very unique in appearance. It is a very cool locomotive; it represents steam power at or near the cutting edge, with potential that was undeveloped when diesel took over. Its downside is that it is the most expensive model, and it is primarily for passenger trains. I can't really run passenger until I build a bigger layout with wider curves.
PRR T1

Next: The Norfolk and Western J-class. This passenger locomotive is.. well, just exquisite. It ran at 100mph easily and is sleek and elegant. Unfortunately.. it's a passenger locomotive. Then again, it will hndle 18-inch radius curves no problem. It is also the least expensive option.

N&W #607 #611 in this class still exists and is in the process of restoring to operation. Hopefully it will be operational next year!

Third: The Pennsylvania railroads 2-10-0 I1/I1a class decapods. These are entirely unromantic freight haulers that rode rougher than hell, but exerted 96,000 pounds of tractive force and were major freight haulers for the Pennsy during WWII. The model will handle my curves, and it is a classic locomotive of large size from the right era and location... but it's.. well.. a big, and moderate-slow speed locomotive. Just lacking in a certain appeal, and while it's a solid component, it's not one that just appeals to me in the way the fancy ones I already mentioned do. Then again, I have all frieght so.. it wouldn't.

I1/I1A Decapods (Decapod refers to the 10 drive wheels.)

Last, the 2-10-4 Texas-type (Selkirk in Canada.. Taly.) This is a big, but not giant, freight locomotive that could also handle average passenger runs, although not the fast prestige trains of the first 2 I posted. It is a big, powerful frieght locomotive, and is available in either Pennsylvania RR or C&O livery. C&O matches the Allegheny I have (in the GG&N thread) and some of my rolling stock, but I have no Pennsy locos,and some of their rolling stock so far. Also, the Pennsy is my wife's favorite, and both have a little engineer in the cab. Downside is this is the least curve-tolerant locomotive.

2-10-4 in C&O and Pennsy

These are in-between priced.

So.. what should I get?

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

I like the Decapod! Has lots of character

That's my vote DE!

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Dream as if you'll live forever...
...Live as if you'll die tomorrow

Vivere Senza Rimpianti

I like this one a lot: N&W #607 Pretty spiffy. Can you soup it up at all? Overclock (!) it?

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This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Haven't you already set a theme? If so, go for the one that fits it.

It does look good! It's already pretty souped-up; the J-class was designed for 100 mph speeds and was one of the last (and therefore most advanced) passenger locomotive classes.



Yeah, I have. The problem is the theme isn't limited to one specific railroad, but rather railroads that had a heavy presence in the Alleghenies, Pittsburgh area and generally nearby. The Pennsylvania, New York Central, C&O, B&O, N&W and a few others all fit. That's mostly how I narrowed it down to these 5; I eliminated any railroads from the midwest, the south, New England, and of course those in the western half of the country. I just like too many of them to narrow the theme any farther.

I'm kind of leaning away from either the T1 or the C&O 2-10-4 because I already have a large C&O steamer, and I'd like more of a freight locomotive. I would rule out the #607 for the same reason, but it's unfortunately one of my most favorite real locomotives. It was hard enough accepting that Southern Pacific GS-4s don't fit the theme!

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

I can understand your indecision, DE. I like all of them, too. I agree with Kirra and your wife, though. Those two are great looking engines.

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"Said I never had much use for one, never said I didn't know how to use one!"~ Matthew Quigley

"nothing like a little meow in bed at night" ~ Bruskey

"I gotta float my stick same as you" Hondo Lane

"Fill your hand you son of a *****!"

Holy crap!

???

I didn't think this was news. I've been talking about her on here since she was 12, when we were on Glade 1.0.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Well, I finally settled on the PRR 2-10-0 Decapod, for 2 main reasons: First, it's more curve tolerant than the 2-10-4 and my present layout has very tight curves.

Second, I liked the way Kirra put it: It has character. It's an unglamorous moderate-speed freight locomotive, but it's a real workhorse for hauling heavy loads like coal and iron ore.

Eventually I'd like one of each of them, but sadly, I can't spend $1500 on locomotives.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."