Please accept my apologies for any typos that you may find in this post. The spell checking routine on the blog software isn't working correctly and it has been difficult to check for all of the errors. They still tell us that they are "working on it..."
Milepost 641
A few entries ago, I mentioned a "kooky kitbash" whereby I would take the mechanism of an On30 2-4-4-2 and add an HO scale boiler to it to create a small 2-4-4-2 HO scale "pocket mallet." Well, since that time, I found one on Ebay so I won't have to go through the painstaking and possibly expensive effort to build my own. Once this little guy receives appropriate markings, he will go to go to work in the coal mine area of my layout.
The 2-4-4-2s were actually designed as logging locomotives and not really intended for main line use. Note the oversized domes, spark arrestor on the smoke stack and the smaller tender. Their ability to haul heavier loads and to negotiate the often sharper curves found in the tight confines of the forest made them ideal for that environment. I'm stretching things a bit by using this in a mine setting but such use is plausible for a small, heavy duty switching locomotive so I'm not too far off base. Besides, that spark arrestor should help prevent any fires from coal lying around.
This particular locomotive is actually much smaller than many fixed frame steam locomotives but has most all of the characteristics of the much larger articulated locomotives found on the main line. Technically, it is not a "pocket mallet" since it is more along the lines of a special services unit but it will serve its intended purpose well. "Davies Mine" (see earlier post on this subject) isn't big enough to have such a large switcher but Model Railroading Rule #1 comes into play here... "It's MY railroad and I can do as I please!" Too often we forget that and lose some of the fun of this great hobby. :)
dlm
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