Steam & Excursion > Frisco's BIG Mikes

Frisco took delivery of 20 of these engines from Baldwin at the beginning of the Great Depression.  They had ordered them before the market fell and tried to cancel the order but Baldwin already had material ordered and started on them.
They, when built were the largest 2-8-2s in the world until Great Northern came up with the O-8 class which was heavier. 4200s and the O-8s were impressive and handsome engines.
4200s performed yeoman service between Springfield, MO and Kansas City and Springfield and Birmingham. 
They reportedly were Frisco LOUD according to a retired engineer in Ft. Scott KS.
4209 in Birmingham in June of 1946 by R. J. Foster

---

I gotta say the Friscos' Mikes were a lot better looking than GN's O-8's.....

A truly "handsome" Mike!
Bob

Txhighballer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I gotta say the Friscos' Mikes were a lot better
> looking than GN's O-8's.....

Take it back. 

Cheers, GN Dave

That is a whole better looking than Hallmark's Frisco mike.

Great looking locomotive.  Really looks powerful with nice lines.  Just a neat photo.

Hillcrest Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Txhighballer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I gotta say the Friscos' Mikes were a lot
> better
> > looking than GN's O-8's.....
>
> Take it back. 
>
> Cheers, GN Dave

LOL! I respect them both, but give me an ATSF 4000 Class any day....

Rollers on the drivers but friction bearings on the pilot and trailer trucks?  What gives?

-John

Why do you say that there's roller bearings on the driver axles?
How'd that come up?.... my memory is that rollers for driver axles became 
 available after 1935.  And these were completed before then.

​W.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/24 19:35 by wcamp1472.

jcaestecker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rollers on the drivers but friction bearings on
> the pilot and trailer trucks?  What gives?
>
> -John

No rollers on any Frisco steam engine.

tomstp Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That is a whole better looking than Hallmark's
> Frisco mike.

Hallmark's junker didn't ever resemble a 4200.   I built one in HO that was right.

---

Sure is a handsome beast.

What amazed me was the smoke 'density light' at the front of 
the smokestack: very common on oil burners, I've never seen
one applied on coal burners.

( One modeling note: at the triangular frame Baker valve gear:
   the reversing-frame there is  a major operating yoke that is controlled
   by a power reverse cylinder.

  This tilting "yoke" leans to the rear, if the engineer wants to go in Reverse...
   or tilted & leaning forward --- for Forward motion.  

   Full-forward = leaning forward, at about 30-degrees of arc.
   A 'centered' Baker yoke leans slightly to the rear, like about 10-degrees 
   aft of vertical.  And, Reverse is equal to about as shown on this model).

  If it is possible on this model, see if you can move this yoke, to either
   near vertical, or sloping forward.  A straight-up, near-vertical yoke,  
   is at the 'speedy', fast-forward position ---- like speeds above 35 mph...
   ..... about a 25% cut-off.)

Its a beautiful model, well done in HO!

Photo #1 of 4209, has it parked with the 'Baker's yoke' leaning just aft of vertical;
&  the engineer's-lever in the cab is set at straight-up, & vertically centered;
and the Baker's yoke is in it's 'centered' position, leaning slightly aft of vertical.

Thanks fo posting!

​W.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/24 11:54 by wcamp1472.

Frisco1522 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> tomstp Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That is a whole better looking than Hallmark's
> > Frisco mike.
>
> Hallmark's junker didn't ever resemble a 4200.  
> I built one in HO that was right.

Wow, that is great work!

Posted from iPhone

BKLJ611 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Frisco1522 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > tomstp Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > That is a whole better looking than
> Hallmark's
> > > Frisco mike.
> >
> > Hallmark's junker didn't ever resemble a
> 4200.  
> > I built one in HO that was right.
>
> Wow, that is great work!
>
> Posted from iPhone

I must totally agree!!  A great job done on your own 4200 "Frisco"!   I wonder what you could do with a Hallmark RI R-67 #5100 Series 4-8-4!!

Don is one of the best locomotive re- builders I have seen.

wcamp1472 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What amazed me was the smoke 'density light' at
> the front of 
> the smokestack: very common on oil burners, I've
> never seen
> one applied on coal burners.
>
The A&WP 290 had one in regular service. The New Georgia, known more for ostentatious red number boards and hot bearings than for historical accuracy, removed it. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/24 08:16 by Worthington_S_A.

rrman6 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BKLJ611 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Frisco1522 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > tomstp Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > That is a whole better looking than
> > Hallmark's
> > > > Frisco mike.
> > >
> > > Hallmark's junker didn't ever resemble a
> > 4200.  
> > > I built one in HO that was right.
> >
> > Wow, that is great work!
> >
> > Posted from iPhone
>
> I must totally agree!!  A great job done on your
> own 4200 "Frisco"!   I wonder what you could do
> with a Hallmark RI R-67 #5100 Series 4-8-4!!

From what I saw of the RI 5100 models when I painted a couple, they were beautiful direct from Hallmark.  They were built by GOTO in Japan who was a marvelous builder.   The 4200s were an early model from Dong Jin in Korea and were awful.

Frisco1522 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> tomstp Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That is a whole better looking than Hallmark's
> > Frisco mike.
>
> Hallmark's junker didn't ever resemble a 4200.  
> I built one in HO that was right.

Beautiful work by a true craftman.  Excellent work Don.