Mantua and Tyco Booster 0-4-0 and Little Six 0-6-0?


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NP2626

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Mantua/Tyco tank 0-4-0 and 0-6-0?

Does anyone know if the Mantua/Tyco Booster 0-4-0 and Little Six 0-6-0 have any basis in fact; or, are they the figment of someone's imagination? Both the Booster and Little Six use the same boiler and cab castings. I am in the process of re-building and re-motoring the Little Six and wonder about its' basis in reality. I have seen photos of real side tank 0-6-0s; but, they are not copies of this Mantua/Tyco locomotive. That my model would be fictitious has no bearing on my interest in it.
 
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Sorry, can't say for sure. But there tends to be something, somewhere that inspired both the Booster and the Little Six. As Mantua was located in Pennsylvania, I tend to look at the Eastern roads in the late 19th to early 20th Century period. Since these types of tank engines were used in yards and industrial areas, and docks, that would also tend to narrow the search somewhat as well. Good luck.
 
For the 0-6-0?
hsi3.jpg


From here:
http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CLC/steam1.htm
 
tycoflier1962pg02.jpg

Not the best picture there is; but, it will have to do. The middle loco in the second row shows the 0-4-0 "Booster" from Tyco/Mantua. Imagine this locomotive as an 0-6-0 and you have the "Little Six", which is what I now have, now.
 
HPIM7674.jpg

I got to thinking that I could show what it is I am working on. The two front drivers have been removed from the geared axle, to make room for the new motor a gear from North West Short Lines. The motor kit that is coming from them was specifically designed for both the 0-4-0 Booster Loco and the Little Six. The new motor will draw a maximum of .85 amps and the gear will slow the locomotive down some. As designed these locomotives (as were almost all older locomotives from the early days of the hobby) where capable of Super Sonic speeds.

This loco came to me as a finished kit, someone had built. They painted it with some sort of Gloss Black spray paint. Gloss black is not appropriate for this loco which would be used as a shop loco; or, yard goat. There where literally years worth of crusted on oils from the loco never having been cleaned and re-lubricated. First order of business was to dunk the chassis, drivers and motor into some type of cleaner. All I had on hand was Denatured Alcohol. So, into the DNA it went. When it came time to remove from the DNA, I noticed that the paint on the chassis was all wrinkled up and easy to remove. Since I was going to strip the locomotive of paint, bake on some primer and repaint. I dunked all painted parts in the DNA and stripped off the old gloss paint.

The most difficult problem has been widening the front coupler pocket which was .185 in width. To install Kadees, I needed a minimum of .250. I used my Dremel tool to hog out some of the Pot Metal and finished with my needle files. The back coupler area was a hole in the frame, I have no idea how a coupler had been installed there. I used some plywood and a popsicle stick to make a place to mount my Kadee on the rear end of the locomotive. There had only been a Baker style coupler mounted in the front.
 
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Once the NWSL motor and gear get here, i will start the re-assembly of this locomotive. It will have power pick-up on all six wheels. This will be one of peep Rivers Logging Company's locomotives.
 
Well, I have to say that it looks as if the DNA really did a nice job of cleaning?
When I first looked at the picture - I thought that you had found a "brand new kit" to assemble.
Looking forward to seeing the end result.
 
Well, I have to say that it looks as if the DNA really did a nice job of cleaning?
When I first looked at the picture - I thought that you had found a "brand new kit" to assemble.
Looking forward to seeing the end result.

I didn't know you could track the genealogy of a zamack kit by DNA! ;) (Yes, I know you mean DeNatured Alcohol.)
 
Your photo shows a saddle tank loco, mine has side tanks.

So more like this guy?
bedt_13_04.jpg


From this site:
http://www.rgusrail.com/parmpyard.html

"
This 0-6-0T (Tank) was built as #14 by H. K. Porter in 1919 for the US Navy to operate at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In 1922, it was sold to the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal, which renumbered it #13.It weighs 128,000 lbs, with 18" x 24" cylinders and 40" drivers. An oil burner operating at 180 psi, it delivered 25,865 lbs tractive effort.
In 1963, it was sold to Rail Tours Inc., to haul excursions in York, PA. It was donated to the museum in 1976. In
2011, it was donated to the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, OH, where it now resides."
 
Yes, KB02, pretty similar! Thanks!
 
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I had hoped to be working on this little switcher, however, NWSL has to make the worm gear for the motor/re-gear set I ordered, so there is a hold up. I am clearing up other projects in the meantime.
 
KB02, The more I study your photo, the more that it does closely resemble the Mantua 0-6-0 Little Six. The NWSL re-motor kit has arrived and I have began working on the locomotive again. I doubt that I will finish this project before the summer sailing season begins. I have thought about removing the cast on grab rails and replacing with wire grabs. However, this might be more work than it's worth as filing off the old grabs is a particularly onerous job. Because I had to remove the driver wheels and gear from the front axle, so I can replace the gear with the new NWSL gear. I almost considered spending $40.00 for NWSL's quartering tool, that I would likely never use again! However, I think I have come up with a way to make sure of the quartering without this tool. So, it's back to the workbench!
 
My way of quartering the drivers on the gear shaft has worked out; so, it's time to install Kadee Couplers as the loco had Mantua (Baker) style couplers on it. Once I determine the coupler height is correct, it will be time to Prime and Paint this loco.
 
Little Six.jpg

This is the model I am re-doing. Although somewhat difficult to see, the tops of the cylinders are round, not square. This would suggest to me that the valves are piston valves. However, there is no visible valve gear, which suggests Stephenson Valve Gear. My guess is that Mantua used a set of cylinders from an existing locomotive, instead of building a mold and casting a new set of cylinders for this locomotive!

I am in the process of painting this locomotive at this point.
 
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View attachment 61251

This is the model I am re-doing. Although somewhat difficult to see, the tops of the cylinders are round, not square. This would suggest to me that the valves are piston valves. However, there is no visible valve gear, which suggests Stephenson Valve Gear. My guess is that Mantua used a set of cylinders from an existing locomotive, instead of building a mold and casting a new set of cylinders for this locomotive!

I am in the process of painting this locomotive at this point.

I just found a Mantua 0-4-0 in my collection. (Don't recall where I got it, and haven't run it, though I did check it out and it does run!) It looks like be the same cylinders were used on Mantua's 2-6-2 Prairie locomotives, which do have external valve gear. The diameter of the wheels are the same, 52 scale inches, and you can see on my 0-4-0 cylinders where the valve gear piston rod would fit in. The Mantua Prairie's valve gear assembly and main rod went back to the third set of drivers, so you could probably use them, if you could find a set. The alternative would be to grind/file the valve boxes square to match Stephenson valve gear.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. For my use, I will leave the cylinders stock and am not interested in changing from the Stephenson valve gear set-up. I had the Mantua/Tyco 0-4-0 "Booster" when I was kid. Mine was a very smooth runner and I expect the "Little Six" to be even better with the new gear and motor from NWSL, which has a small flywheel.
 
Need phosphor bronze, any suggestions on where to find?
 
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I bought some Phosphor Bronze Wire off of Ebay, so I am good.

The way that Mantua designed this locomotive is that it picks up power from the front and middle "blind" divers, no pick-up is employed for the back driver set. In actuality, this means that for the most part, Power is only picked up by the single front driver, as the middle "blind" driver only very intermittently makes contact with the rails! I noticed this when I removed the connecting rods between drivers and ran the locomotive on the track by hand, that the middle drivers didn't move; but, occasionally. I will correct this problem with the Phosphor Bronze, by making contacts with the rear drivers on my loco.
 
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