History: Locomotives
of the 4-4-4-4 type represented advanced mechanical engineering concepts
of the very popular 4-8-4. Both wheel arrangements were similar, but testing
showed that doubling up on cylinders and machinery produced great benefits
to railway travel. This new development was to be dubbed "duplex".
Duplexes had lighter machinery, had a shorter cylinder stroke, utilized
less wear and tear on the parts, had a lower piston thrust, had smaller
cylinders, and had a rigid frame.
The first two T1 engines, which were experimental, were the 6110 and 6111
in the year 1942. The 6111 got a Franklin booster in its trailing truck,
and with this addition was now able to carry up to 13,500 pounds. The
total length of the engine along with the tender was 122 feet.
In 1945, the Pennsylvania Railroad placed an order for fifty engines.
Altoona built the numbers 5500-5524 and Baldwin built 5525-5549. Then
things started going wrong for the T1. Cost for poppet valve maintenance
rose sharply, contour rotary cams were tried out, the economy was in a
poor state after World War II, and some locomotives were fitted with Walschaert
valve gear to become class T1a. By the mid-1950's, the T1's were all but
obsolete.
Another problem that the T1 faced was being slippery on the rails due
to weight transfer from front to back of the train. Plans were designed
to make the train adhere more to the rails, but no feasible solution was
ever found to save the T1. The T1 was popular in its day because it was
an unusual engine; however its career was to be short-lived. Unfortunately,
none of the T1's were ever saved.
The new T-1 Kit Includes: A new
die cast boiler, tender body and cylinders along with over 35 brass "Super
Detail" parts. In addition, the boiler & tender body have
been pre-drilled to enable installation of all of the "Super Detail"
parts. No soldering is required. All supderdetail parts may
be glued to the zinc casting using your favorite glue (ACC, Goo, Ambroid,
2 part epoxy, etc.).
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.
