Collias mentions this switcher in his chapter on 0-6-0s but offers no pics EXCEPT that I seem to see a slope-back tender on a small engine in the top pic on p 265 at the North Springfield Coaling Tower. Anybody have info?
Collias, pg 216: "in the midst of the 0-6-0 numbering scheme resides an 0-4-0, No. 3698 (Pittsburg 1889) and an 0-4-2, No. 3699 (Baldwin 1886) both former Birmingham Belt engines..." 3698 is the right number?
Re: Pics/data on 0-6-0 3698 http://www.frisco.org/vb/showthread.php?3657-3698-0-4-0& The drawing posted by Karl shows a slopeback tender.
Somewhere in last year, I saw a photo of this Birmingham Belt 0-4-0, and I started going back looking for it recently and can't seem to find it anywhere. Don't remember if it was in a book or a web site or where, but I seem to remember it was in a book. But it's not in Stagner's or Collias' Books. Anyone know where a photo of this loco is? Thanks, Brian Johnston
Given the 1925 date on the photograph and in spite of the 1921 locomotive diagram, it appears that the locomotive was never placed in Frisco livery. She is a tired-looking machine. Number 23, which would become 4409, has her stack covered and she is also out of service at this time.
I have a Life Like HO 0-4-0 with slope back tender...like this one... ...without the messed up paint job and added pilot. It was my 2nd locomotive and my 1st steam locomotive. It was by far the fastest locomotive I've ever owned. It was so fast that it couldn't hang a 22" radius curve at full throttle with no train. It needed racing stripes out of the box! The motor still runs like nobody's business but unfortunately it has a plastic gear in the center of the rear axil that is now stripped in one spot, rendering the locomotive inoperatable. It has been in "retirement" but I would like to do a "full restoration." It's not exactly like SLSF 3698 but it's close enough for me to run on the Modern AT&N as an ex-SLSF 0-4-0...if I could get my hands on some replacement parts. Any suggestions...other than ebay?
Maybe you could look for one at a train show?? Most every show has several tables with older equipment that people pick through for plastic shell and parts. TG
Thank you very much for posting this photo of Birmingham Belt 0-4-0 #5. I still cannot figure out what book, magazine or web site where I had seen a photo of this loco, but here is one. Several of my friends and I are 3-rail O-gaugers, and my friend had commented at the time we saw photo that the Lionel little sub-scale PRR style steamer would give a passable loco to letter to BB #5. Thanks again, Brian J.
Start with a Mantua 0-4-0. Swap out the cross compound steam chest for the square top steam chest from an older 0-6-0 from Roundhouse. Look for the 0-6-0 metal boiler from the Roundhouse engine. Remove all the details and shorten the boiler. I'll have to look for an appropriate cab. This one though might need to be made from styrene. This locomotive should be a very easy unit to model and quite accurately.
I won this 0-4-0 on ebay today... the same model as the one I got for Christmas 1990. Now it's time to replace a gear and bring her out of retirement!
Y'all are getting me back in the mood to build locomotives again. Dang it, and I just got all this brass now. Hahrumpf!
Tonight, I ran my very first steam locomotive, a 22-year-old Life Like 0-4-0, for the first time in about 17 years - all thanks to the drive axil gear off of the duplicate 0-4-0 that I bought from ebay. I replaced the worn out plastic gear and it ran again just like old times. I plan on replacing the ebay tender's hook horn coupler with a knuckle coupler so that, with the switch of a tender, I can easily pull my older hook horn rolling stock or my newer knuckle rolling stock... both with the little 0-4-0. It was a dream come true to see that little speed demon topple over in a curve again at full throttle! Gotta slow down. I've got to figure out which roadname and number I'm going to go with...B'ham Beltline, AT&N, or Frisco even though it doesn't really model a prototype of any of those. I'm pretty sure I'll have a video sometime within the next week. - Brandon
