12-21-2008, 04:59 PM
I think the problem with trying to get someone to post pics of a 4-8-4 on a 22 inch radius curve is that guys who recommend 30 inch radius for a 4-8-4 can give you a pic of their 4-8-4 running on 30 inch or larger radius curves, but probably don't have a 22 inch radius on their layout to put it on. Guys with the 22 inch radius probably don't have a 4-8-4 to put on it. There is a Southern Pacific 4-6-2 restored and operating I think somewhere, but I don't know where it operates or how close it is to a design available in plastic. Part of the problem with trying to do prototype steam modeling in plastic is that virtually every railroad had custom designed steam locomotives. Santa Fe's locomotives were totally different than U.P. which were totally different than what S.P. ran. I'm not familiar with other roads, but I suspect that G.N. steam was distinctly different from N.P. which would also be different from CB&Q. In short, people who model prototype steam either buy brass or they do a lot of scratch building. The only exception to this would be Pennsy modelers. Bowser is the old Penn Line, most of their models are of Pennsy prototypes. They certainly don't offer all of the Pennsy steam by a long shot, but they offer a bunch of prototypically correct Pennsy models.