Hi everyone. Looking for info and advise on steam loco's. I am trying to find a HO steam loco that will be able to pull 4 or 5 polar express cars, slow through my village. I have been told that it will take a large heavy loco to do this. I am just getting started in the hobby with a train in my xmas village. For now this loco will be used once a year during the season. Their are so many makes and models that I just don't know about. Any ideas of a brand, like bachmann that will do the job. Don't want to spend a lot of $ on a loco to use once a year. Not trying to be cheap. just practical. Oh and the wheel thing 0.6.0 2 82 do wheels make the difference?..I didn't think it would be this difficult. maybe I am the one making it that way. Thanks Tedley1
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- Thread starter tedley1
- Start date
Mixed Freight
Well-Known Member
Hello tedley1,
Well, any 8-driver'd steam loco should fit the bill quite nicely. Anything built in the past 20~30 years by any manufacturer should run fairly decently. In order to save money, you don't need one that is decoder-equipped or sound-equipped. Just a plain old, DC-powered loco should suffice.
Steamers to look for...............
2-8-0 Consolidation (late-era preferred, early-era Consolidations are smaller and lighter).
2-8-2 Mikado.
2-8-4 Berkshire!!! <--- (This is the type of engine that pulls the Polar Express in the movie)!
4-8-2 Mountain.
4-8-4 Northern.
Any of the above steamers should be heavy enough to pull your passenger cars. As an added note, these bigger steamers have been fairly common with model manufacturers over the years, so they should be reasonably easy to find in both new and used. A 0-8-0 steamer would work too, but it's basically a switch engine. Nothing wrong with that if you don't know anything about trains, or don't care.
Hope this helps.
Well, any 8-driver'd steam loco should fit the bill quite nicely. Anything built in the past 20~30 years by any manufacturer should run fairly decently. In order to save money, you don't need one that is decoder-equipped or sound-equipped. Just a plain old, DC-powered loco should suffice.
Steamers to look for...............
2-8-0 Consolidation (late-era preferred, early-era Consolidations are smaller and lighter).
2-8-2 Mikado.
2-8-4 Berkshire!!! <--- (This is the type of engine that pulls the Polar Express in the movie)!
4-8-2 Mountain.
4-8-4 Northern.
Any of the above steamers should be heavy enough to pull your passenger cars. As an added note, these bigger steamers have been fairly common with model manufacturers over the years, so they should be reasonably easy to find in both new and used. A 0-8-0 steamer would work too, but it's basically a switch engine. Nothing wrong with that if you don't know anything about trains, or don't care.
Hope this helps.
Thanks, will check these out. thanks TedHello tedley1,
Well, any 8-driver'd steam loco should fit the bill quite nicely. Anything built in the past 20~30 years by any manufacturer should run fairly decently. In order to save money, you don't need one that is decoder-equipped or sound-equipped. Just a plain old, DC-powered loco should suffice.
Steamers to look for...............
2-8-0 Consolidation (late-era preferred, early-era Consolidations are smaller and lighter).
2-8-2 Mikado.
2-8-4 Berkshire!!! <--- (This is the type of engine that pulls the Polar Express in the movie)!
4-8-2 Mountain.
4-8-4 Northern.
Any of the above steamers should be heavy enough to pull your passenger cars. As an added note, these bigger steamers have been fairly common with model manufacturers over the years, so they should be reasonably easy to find in both new and used. A 0-8-0 steamer would work too, but it's basically a switch engine. Nothing wrong with that if you don't know anything about trains, or don't care.
Hope this helps.
Iron Horseman
Well-Known Member
No, it will not take a large heavy locomotive to do this. 4 or 5 cars is not a heavy load, especially if you are not going up and down hills, which most Christmas layout don't do.
Or the Lionel version
http://www.lionel.com/products/the-...le-locomotive-and-tender-with-remote-6-58018/
The proper locomotive for the polar express would be the Bachmann 2-8-4 decorated for Pere Marquette #1225.
https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=258_276_283&products_id=5756
You can find them for less than the manufactures suggested retail price and also ones that do not have DCC and sound which would be even cheaper. There is also the used market.
But you also don't need to run the proper locomotive. The Bachmann 2-8-0 Consolidated or even the one they call the Alco 2-6-0 would work just fine. I would say the Bachmann 0-6-0 is too small as is the 2-10-0. Be careful with their Mikado class, the older ones were really bad, the newer ones are ok. as below.
https://www.trainworld.com/shop-sca...-sound-value-nickel-plate-bachmann-54307.html
