History: The K-4
has come to be known as "America's most famous Pacific". The first K-4
engine developed was locomotive 1737, produced in Juniata Shops in May
of 1914; it's original design remained basically unchanged. This model
was so popular it was mass-produced in 1917, and would be copied 424 times
in the next 18 years. The first K-4s produced utilized the common
boiler design. They came equipped with screw reverses, were superheated,
and hand fired. They came with 80" drivers, used 205 pounds of pressure,
weighed 308,890 pounds, held 7,000 gallons water, and carried 12 1/2 tons
of coal.
The last engines were built in 1928. Motive power chief J.T. Wallis and
his assistants, Alfred Gibbs and Axel Vogt, would be the first men to
evolve the K-4. In 1919 a small group of engines were built containing
power reverses and Street underfeed stokers. These stokers were deemed
unreliable, and removed until the mid- 1930's, when the revolution of
the K-4s began. At this time, the K-4s were fitted with dependable standard
stokers. This move was considered to be the largest single operational
improvement of the K-4. Stokers greatly increased the performance of the
K-4 engine.
Originally the K-4 was designed to haul 11 cars and could achieve an average
speed of 60-75 miles an hour. With the implementation of the stokers,
engines could now pull up to 16 or more cars, still achieving high rates
of speed. A test train even reached a maximum speed of 92 miles an hour
in 1938! They were also fitted with larger tenders, known as Kiesel tenders,
(sometimes referred to as Baldwin tenders) named after its developer W.F.
Kiesel, Jr. Superheaters were also introduced, and would come to be known
as the best overall improvement made to the K-4, as its efficiency was
increased by 20% after their installation. The superheaters collected
the engine's steam in a series of boiler tubes, and then re-routed and
dried the steam.
By 1956, only 72 K-4 locomotives were left in existence. Only 20 were
in use, all of which were located in New Jersey. The Pennsylvania Railroad
preserved some of the K-4 engines. The K-4 was one of the most successful
and widely recognized locomotives ever developed.
The Deluxe Kit Includes: The locomotive
and tender complete kit, a painted engineer and fireman, and all of the "Super
Detail Kit" parts. In addition, the boiler & tender body have been pre-drilled
to enable installation of all the "Super Detail Kit" parts and the valve gear
has been assembled. Please note that some holes may need to reamed to fit
the posts on some parts.
Complete Kit and Accessories: The locomotive
and tender complete kit has all of the parts to build a working model. You may
wish to add your own details or purchase our "Super Detail Kit". In addition
we have a painted engineer and fireman, a smoke unit kit and assemblies available
as optional equipment to compliment your kit-building needs.
Kit Components and Replacement Parts:
The following parts are listed in order to identify parts in your kit or to
replace parts that have been lost, damaged or simply worn out. This is
not a complete list of all of the individual parts available for this model
- please call Bowser with your specific requirements
if you cannot find the parts you need. You may also use our on-line
catalog to find parts by description. Please note that part numbers
with a price of "Call Us" may be part of an assembly and may not be available
as a separate purchase item.
Cylinders
27" x 28"
Firebox size 79-7/8" x 126"
Steam pressure 205 lbs.
Starting tractive force 44,460 lbs.
Weight of engine in working order 308,890 lbs.
Weight of engine on pony truck 53,640
Weight of engine on trailing truck 53,420
Weight of tender, loaded 198,400 lbs.
Weight of tender, empty 82,300 lbs.
Length
with Tender 11-7/16"
Height 2-1/8"
Weight 2 lb. 7 oz
Minimum Radius 18"
Recommended Radius 22"
Power DC-71 Motor
Drivers 80" with RP-25 flanges
Color Brunswick Green
Kit Packets - Photos of individual parts(click
on any image to enlarge)
Side Rod Kit
Miscellaneous Kit
Lead Truck Bag
Valve Gear Parts
Castings Parts
Boiler Detail Parts
Trailing Truck Parts
Photos of
Superdetailed Locomotive and Tender model built by Tony Wasilewski
Front-Right
Boiler-Side-Right
Boiler-Side-Left
Side-Right
Side-Left
Tender-Rear-Left
Tender-Side-Right
Tender-Side-Left
Boiler-Top
Collage
Prototype
Locomotive and Tender Photos
Front #1
Front #2
Front-Side-Right
Front-Side-Left
Collage
Parts List: List
of parts included in Bowser's K-4 Super Detail Kit (see parts list above)
