Pacific for Light Freight?


Brakeman Hal

Well-Known Member
Would an O Scale 2 Rail 4-6-2 Pacific loco seem out of place hauling my short freight consist?

I can't find a 2-8-0 Consolidation anywhere in 2-Rail, but I found a Pacific on PDT.

Brakeman Hal (Here's my train)
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They were originally designed as fast Passenger power, originating in New Zealand, where light rail loadings was a requisite, but with longer range and higher boiler pressures because of the larger firebox, but like most mainline locos, finished their days in freight hauling service for many years, once track improvements allowed more powerful/heavier locos to be built.
 
Then I may select a Pacific if I can't find an O-scale 2-Rail Consolidation.

Thanks for reversing the Johnson Bar! (getting back to me)

Brakeman Hal
 
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A Pacific would do fine. Toot is correct, designed for passenger, but in the later years often found on freights. It was also common to "run in" bearings on freshly shopped engines in slow freight service.
 
Another option came up:

In addition to the 4-6-2 Pacific, a 4-4-2 Atlantic also becomes a possibility for hauling my O-Scale 2-Rail short consist freight train.

Either of these locos are available, so which would you choose for the train I've pictured on my 40" curve?

Thanks,
Brakeman Hal
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Toss a coin. Your curves don't look that tight to me. Any manufacturer's minimum radius claim on them?
 
MTH says the Pacific will run on 42" radius curves and the Atlantic on 72" curves. (Which has got to be an error; it has 4 drivers against the Pacific's 6!)

Hal
 
I'd go by the radius recommendation then, 42" is just above, but probably OK, 72" is way above, unless it was a typo. If that's what it says on the box, I'd believe it, It's unusual for makers to deliberately overstate a minimum radius (or understate, whichever way you want to read it), sometimes removing the flange from the center wheel/s is a solution to getting around tighter curves, but a lot of extra work to either do or even replace if such wheels are available.
 
The center drivers on the Pacific are blind...they have no flange.

Also, the Pacific was designed for fast Passenger service...I'll be hauling a medium-slow Freight, so my 40" curve may be able to handle it.

Brakeman Hal
 
If you can find out what the overall wheelbase between the centers of front and rear axles is, you might be able to make up a cardboard or light plywood rectangle based on that and the gauge, lay it onto the track and check how the wheels would sit on the rails, to see what angle they cross the track at and whether the flanges would bind. Make the rectangle a bit longer (out to the overall measurement of the wheels), just mark the wheelbase with pen or pencil. That would also give you an idea how much the middle wheels would overhang inwoods, or be actually, off the rails.
 
Hey Toot, (if I may...)

I'll just order the loco and wait to see how it will handle my 40" curve. If I have to enlarge the radius, I'll just pull up the flex track and do it!

I didn't know that the Pacific was a Kiwi development!

Hogger Hal
 
MTH says the Pacific will run on 42" radius curves and the Atlantic on 72" curves. (Which has got to be an error; it has 4 drivers against the Pacific's 6!)
Don't forget in O-gauge lingo, things measured in "curves" are a diameter measure. That is an "O-72 curve" is 36" radius. So it is totally reasonable a Pacific would be 42" radius while and Atlantic would be an O-72.
 
Looking at it that way, you're right!

I would expect a 4-4-2 Atlantic to run on a smaller radius than a 4-6-2 Pacific!

Thanks,
Hogger Hal
 
I didn't know that the Pacific was a Kiwi development!
Hence the Pacific title. (they obviously thought if they named it NZ, everyone would say "what the hell's that?") It's funny how the arrangement is possibly the most used wherever there have been passenger steam railways.
 
Check the NEW/BLT dates on your cars to see if they would have run with a Pacific. My guess anything older than the 1950s would not have been pulled by one of those. Why not get a 2-6-0 or 2-8-0 to pull your freight cars? But most RRs had stopped using steam by the mid 1950swhen they had more diesels.
 
Cajon, the Mogul or Consolidation was what I was looking for, except I couldn't find them in 2-rail with DCC and Sound.

The 4-6-2 Pacific or 4-4-0 Atlantic are available, however.

Hogger Hal, age 82
 
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I ordered an MTH O Scale 2 Rail 4-6-2 Pacific today.

I'll try the loco with my analog DC power, but may get the MTH DCS Commander controller later, so I can access some of the loco's 28 sound effects.

Hogger Hal
 
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