I am new to Steam Locomotives. I have heard of Mallets(4-8-8-4)and Garrets(2-6-4+4-6-2) and have seen photos of same. However I have just read a very brief description of a triple-articulated locomotive(2-8-8-8-4-6) originally manufactured by the Baldwin Loco- motive Company in 1916 for the Virginia Railroad. Has ANYONE ever seen one of these monsters? Got any photographs? I currently have 2 HO UP Big Boys in my collecttion now and would like to know more about very large steam locomotive models. Is the triple-articulated available as a model? Who makes it? How about the Garret? Is that loco motive available as an HO model also? Any in- formation and/or photos will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Posted by RGB600V (Member # 2503) on :
I think the locos you were referring to were a 2-8-8-8-2; the Erie had a couple also. They were not successful-- they had too many cylinders for the amount of steam the boiler could produce & ran out of steam regularly. If they would have had smaller cylinders or a larger boiler things may have been different, but they spent most of their short lives in helper service on drag freights. You could say they were sort of an experiment that didn't work out. Bob
Posted by Challenger (Member # 1298) on :
Now I remember what your talking about. Yes I have seen those. After the arrangmetn was deemed a failiur, If my memory is right, I do beleave the Virginain aquired the Erie examples and rebuilt the whole lot of them as reggular 2-8-8-2s and then lasted through World War II on the Virginian in such fashion.
Posted by Suburban90 (Member # 2450) on :
Does anyone know where I might be able to find information on these short live bigger boys on the internet?
Posted by Tom H (Member # 53) on :
Do an internet search for 'Erie Triplex'. If you get the same results that I did, there are 50 pages (Yes, PAGES) of sites that have something to do with this unique stam locomotive.