Susquehanna River and Western Locomotive 10

The standard gauge Perry County Railroad purchased all of it's engines used from the Pennsylvania Railroad. All of the locomotives purchased prior to the 1903 sale to David Gring were 4-4-0 type Americans.

Locomotives 1 and 2 were not included in the sale due to their light construction and advanced age. Locomotive 3 was scrapped in 1911, being worn to the point that it was no longer serviceable. Locomotive 4 threw a driving rod sometime prior to 1924, destroying most of her right side gear. That left locomotive number 5, herself being a lady of vintage.

Locomotive number 6, a light 2-4-0, was purchased from the Baltimore and Ohio to fill the void, but proved insufficient even for the short 11 mile line and was soon scrapped. The last locomotive to be purchased was an ex-PRR H3b Consolidation like the one pictured above. It was numbered 10 and served the road until abandonment.

The H3b is not available in N scale, but the Bachmann Spectrum Consolidation comes close. The biggest difference is the lack of a Belpaire firebox. For my purposes, this shortcoming can be overlooked.

Bachmann locomotives have a deservedly poor reputation in regards to standard N gauge steam offerings, but the Spectrum Consolidation is one of the best locomotives on the market in N scale. It runs quietly and at closer to prototype speeds than the train set varieties, the detail is superb, and the running qualities are second to none.

Here, then, is my version of SR&WRR Number 10 in it's unlettered and un-numbered form. It is the last of 3 Bachmann Consolidations purchased, and is the only Spectrum on the roster so far. The other two are standard (in other words, train set) locomotives and are quite different in appearance. In fact, the only thing the two locomotive types share is their wheel arrangement.

As you can see from the upper photograph, the Belpaire firebox is quite evident just in front of the cab on the prototype locomotive. Anyone who is familiar with PRR engines will recognize right away that the model is not an accurate copy of a Pennsylvania H3b. If I were so inclined, it may not be difficult to modify this locomotive's shell. There is ample room between the cab and the first dome to add the Belpaire, but honestly I'm not that concerned about it. However, for anyone wishing to make an accurate copy of the PRR H3 class, Bachmann's Spectrum Consolidation would be a fine starting point.

H3b photo courtesy of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.