KETTLE VALLEY CONSOLIDATIONS PART 1

The name "Consolidation"  is applied to a locomotive with a eight driving wheels, a single axle pony truck and without a trailing truck; thus a 2-8-0 (pronounced two-eight-oh).  These Locomotives abounded on the Kettle Valley till the end of steam.  They were the backbone of the fleet.  There were three classes of them and then some variations within each class.  We present here some information on them as an aid to modelers.  This post is by no means exhaustive but it "just grew" as our various resources were consulted to the point that another two-part treatment was necessary.  Here we will discuss some of the early Consolidations with a view to modeling them in HO and N scales.  We must ignore the earliest locomotives of this wheel arrangement on which the author has no information.

Soon after construction of the Kettle Valley Railway, Class M1 locomotives appeared.  Here is Number 3223 at rest in Penticton Yard in 1918.  This engine is quite small compared to most later Consolidations, especially American versions.  Built in 1899, she had 57" drivers and 20" x 28" Cylinders.  Weight on Drivers was 138,000 lbs.


Credit Okanagan Archive Trust Society. Image Number KVR 10.


From my collection, here is a shot of 3281 taken about 1935.  Not a KV number but good for detail.  

In appearance, she had some resemblance to the D4g class of Ten-wheelers of which our 443 is a representative. One major detail difference was that the 3200's had a Belpaire firebox which is the squarish projections of the boiler in front of the cab.  On the other hand, the placement of domes and bell and headlight are common to both.  The stacks seem to be identical.  Perhaps the boiler and frame were longer to accommodate the extra driver set.  The 443 had 63" drivers but of course only three of them as compared to the 3200's 57" drivers but this shot should help a little in the calculations for a model of these early consolidations.  Additional shots showing the left side appear on pages 65-66 in the book, Steam in Canada, by Donald C.Lewis.  The tenders seem to vary. GTC Collectibles sells a photo of 3216 in Penticton in 1943.

Here is a CPR drawing of the M-3b class which could be close in dimensions to the M-1.  Certainly the wheelbase would be a starting point, the difference being that the 3200's would have all-equal driver spacing unlike that of the rear driver of the 3300's.  I have no knowledge of 3300's working on the Kettle.  Acocrding to Gerry Doeksen in his book, Kettle Valley Railway, published in 1996, M-1a consolidations that saw significant service on the Kettle Valley were numbers: 3210, 3214, 3216, 3217, 3218, 3226, 3235, 3260, &3280.  All were gone by 1930 except 3226 which hung around until 1943 according to Doeksen.  As mentioned already, GTC sells a photo of 3216 in Penticton in 1943.  One more help is the recent book by Robert Turner on the E&N The CPR Steam Years, 1905-1949.  It has many photos of 3200's including on very good broadside which could be used for scaling dimensions.  The known dimension there would be the driver size.

The biggest challenge to modeling these gals is finding a suitable chassis and mechanism to start with.  The small 57" drivers for a consolidation of this size are not produced by any present day manufacturer.  One possibility is to compromise and build one from a USRA 0-8-0 switcher such as the one by Walthers Proto 2000 series.  The wheelbase is close at 15 feet but the drivers are undersize at 51".  Since H O scale flanges are oversize, the drivers would look closer to 53" which is getting there.  The boiler of the USRA switcher would be grossly oversize so one would have to roll your own or find a suitable and cheap plastic model on eBay or at a swap meet.  To help you get started on finding something, Google USRA 0-8-0 switcher.

In N-scale the second run of the Walthers proto 2000 0-8-0 switcher is similar and makes a good starting point but there is a more excellent 2-8-0 model by Kato and here is a link to an article giving many kit-bashing techniques: http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=30560  This is a photo from the article.


 

Moving on with the prototype locomotives, in 1904, heavier Consolidations were designed and built and eventually replaced the M1 class. Here is a photo of 3405 at the Coal Cute in Hope in 1930.  This was the next step in the evolution of the Consolidations and was one of the CPR class M4a, numbers 3400 - 3440.  She had slightly larger 58" drivers and 21" x 28" Cylinders.  Weight on the drivers was 178,000 lbs.  Credit Okanagan Archive Trust Society. Image Number KVR 098



These engines received some modifications in their lifetime as other photos in Lewis' book reveal.  On the left side, the large air tank was at some point shortened to accommodate the double air pump which replaced the original single.  On some engines the high headlight was replaced by one mounted on the centreline of the boiler front.  At least two of these engines lasted into the late KV steam era in Yard Service: 3460 & 3480.

Here is a photo from my collection of 3495 taken in Quebec in 1940.  This is not a KV engine number but gives good detail.  She carries a footboard pilot and the tender also suggests she was working in a yard. 
Here is the CPR drawing for the 3400's and 3500's.  Note the position of the bell which was placed here on some engines. 
The 3500 series, built in 1907-09 with the same 58" drivers, were similar in appearance.  They had larger cylinders at 22 1/2" x 28" though still classed as M-4g and M-4h.  Here is another plan published by O SHO ME in the 50's (?) .  I hope I am not violating copyright by publishing this drawing but they have been out of print for many years.

There was one model produced of the 3400's by United Models which looks good but I have no experience of it.  I simply found it on the internet and here is a link to a site that has one for sale: http://www.brasstrains.com/Classic/Product/Detail/056433/HO-Brass-Model-Train-PFM-United-CPR-CP-Canadian-Pacific-2-8-0-M-4-e-3449-Custom
Update: Less than 24 hours after this post the model was sold.  It can still be viewed along with another M 4 model that has also been sold.  I believe now that these models are custom built or modified from other brass models. The site info describes them as having 57" drivers and were manufactured in 1964 by United.  Checking with a knowlegable friend, he discounts them as "manufactured" but insists that they may be custom.  I believe he is right.

An article appeared in the  November 1994 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman which revealed how Herb Mason built engine 3512 with parts from two other brass locomotives.   This particular locomotive did see some service on the KV but worked more on the Kootenay Division.  In 1947 she slid off a barge to the bottom of Slocan Lake where she rests to this day.
Herb used a Southern Pacific C-10 2-8-0 chassis by Sunset Models and they are available on eBay.  One was listed there by a seller in Duncan BC for $249.
I have a similar aspiration to one day replicate a 3400 in HO with a D-10 boiler and a Santa Fe Consolidation Chassis by United Scale Models.  These are the pieces and there is much work to do as you can see.  I picked these items up a few years ago for a very reasonable price as they were both basket cases.  Plastic models with 57-58 inch drivers do not exist so one must look to the 0-8-0 compromise or look for older brass models to modify.



Here is the same Santa Fe model listed on eBay for $125. http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNITED-BRASS-HO-SANTA-FE-2-8-0-CONSOLIDATION-LOCOMOTIVE-OB-/331222516568?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item4d1e668358 

The boiler is oversize but the chassis is good and the United models are very well constructed.


 
Bargains can be had on eBay and here is another example of a good possibility for a 3400/3500 starting point.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Trains-INC-Brass-HO-D-RGW-C-48-2-8-0-in-its-box-/121355486812?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item1c4159c6

An accurate Stack and headlight among other appliances are available from the Miniatures by Eric catalogue. 

We will continue next week with the later and heavier Consolidation Locomotives in the 3600 and 3700 series.