# Alaskan 2-8-0



## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

http://www.alaskarails.org/pix/form...ne_557.pdf 
I really like this steam loco.

The large 57 inch drivers on a realitively short boiler really looks great to me.

Has anyone kit bashed this or a similar loco?

Any ideas what locos would be needed to make this loco?

Aristo's Consolidated seems to have too small drivers.


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## DKRickman (Mar 25, 2008)

Wow, that's a funky, chunky little engine. I wonder how it compares to other US Army locomotives, such as 610 at TVRM? 

I was under the impression that the Aristo drivers were 57" in 1:29, but maybe I'm wrong? I'm pretty sure the Big Hauler drivers, at 2", scale out to 58" in 1:29 as well. Are you up for a scratchbuilding project?


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

I was only assuming the Aristo drives were smaller going by looks. 

As for my scratch building, it would be a major under taking for me for sure as I have no experience with sucessful kit bashing. 

I'd most likely have to pay someone with far more ability to have it done. 

The white walls probably make the drivers look taller and as a American Flyer enthusist, they really appeal to me.


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

The Aristo Consolidation *does* have 57" drivers!  
(B&O E27 Class) 
Its perfect for this project.. 

The Aristo drivers look too small, because the rest of the loco is larger, and MUCH taller, than the Alaska loco..but the drivers are the same. 
For the Alaska loco, you would need to scratchbuild a new boiler and cab..but that's the easy part, compared to the drivetrain.. 




















Or maybe you could use the Aristo boiler, if the size matches well enough..Move it back, lower, and shorter in length.. 
(cut a chunk out of the boiler in front of the cab, and move the cab forward, and while you are at it, lower the cab so the cab roof is closer to the top of the boiler)
Quite doable project actually! to get it *really* accurate it would be best to scratch-build a new boiler and cab, to get the right look..
but moving the Aristo boiler around might get you 80% of the way there...could definitely capture the overall "feel" using the Aristo boiler and cab I think.. 

(The 2-8-0 is a "Consolidation"..there is no such thing as a "Consolidated")

Scot


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

ok, so the Consolidated drivers are the same, but the drivers have what looks like a thin outer edge. 

It's take some work to match the wider white walls. 

I have an old green Bachmann Big Hauler boilers that came from the early R/C loco. 

But I think that boiler had a step up in it. 

I think the existing Aristo Consolidated boiler can be shortened and lowered on the frame to get close to the look of the 557. 

The lead truck would need to be moved back closer to the front driver along with either changing the drive rods or just shorten the main drive rod.


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

I wonder if the Aristo Mikado has a larger boiler with 57 inch drivers?


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

I think the Aristo Mikado has the same drivetrain as the Consolidation..but the rest of the Mikado is WAY too big for the Alaska project.. 
the Aristo Consolidation is definitely a better starting point than the Mikado.. 

Scot


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Scot I was thinking the boiler for the Mikado would be bigger and since someone said the Consolidated's boiler was too small, maybe the Mikado would be the better choice for the donor boiler. 

I understand the boiler will need to be shortened.


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## Robbie Hanson (Jan 4, 2008)

I'm pretty sure the Mikado's boiler is the same size as the Consolidation and Pacific. 

I'm not sure if you know the whole story behind the locomotives, either... 

Basically, after WWII, the Army ordered a large batch of locomotives that could be used in Europe. Europe has a smaller "loading gauge", so the dimensions of the locomotive had to be smaller. The USA S160 class had the largest boiler they thought they could realistically fit within the Continent's closer clearances. In the end many of the locos ended up in Alaska, or the Reader in Arkansas, and some stayed at various military bases (Fort Eustis is a good example of this--TVRM's 610, 611(in restoration somewhere on the East coast) and the now ex-Cass 612 all were originally there). 

So basically, by building a model of the Alaska engine, you're taking a normal engine (Aristo 2-8-0) and removing whatever space there is between the major components, such as the boiler and the wheels. The boiler looks to me to be near the right size. 

The biggest issue in my book will be the smokebox front; the S160s had a small offset smokebox door unless rebuilt otherwise. 








(not sure if the pic will work, will edit post if it doesn't) 

So the cab needs to be smaller/narrower, the boiler needs to be shorter, tender likely needs to be narrower/shorter (the Alaskan locomotive you linked to received a new tender when it left Alaska, which has not returned with it). 

Original tender is seen here: 










It's definitely doable.


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## DKRickman (Mar 25, 2008)

Looking at the Aristo model, it sure looks as though the cylinder centerline is significantly above that of the drivers. If that's the case, simply moving the entire boiler-smokebox-cylinder assembly down might go a long way toward getting the right look. Chop off the front of the smokebox, make a new front, replace the domes, lower the cab, and you're about there from the look of things.


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Robbie Hanson on 20 Aug 2012 02:13 PM 
I'm pretty sure the Mikado's boiler is the same size as the Consolidation and Pacific. 


The Pacific and Mikado might share the same boiler, but the Consolidation definitely has a completely different boiler,
and its much smaller than the Mikado boiler..two photos roughly 1:1 size:

















Posted By rlvette on 20 Aug 2012 12:36 PM 
Scot I was thinking the boiler for the Mikado would be bigger and since someone said the Consolidated's boiler was too small, maybe the Mikado would be the better choice for the donor boiler. 

I understand the boiler will need to be shortened. 


I think whoever said that was mistaken..or confused because the Consolidation boiler sits so high, that its hard to judge its relative size..
to my eye, the Aristo Consolidation is a MUCH better overall match that the Aristo Mikado..the boiler size looks much better to me, for the Alaska project..
The Mikado boiler looks far too large, in all dimensions..
But to confirm, we need some real measurements..of both the Alaska engine, and the Aristo Connie and Mikado..otherwise we are just making rough guesses based on photos,
which can get us close, but is not an exact method! 
but based on what we have seen so far, I totally vote Connie..

Scot


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