Model Railroading > New Pennsy Shark Nose in Tuscan Red coming next year.

Broadway Ltd. reports they will be releasing the Pennsy Baldwin Shark in Tuscan Red next year.  I remember seeing one at Pilot Brothers in the scrap line near EMD in late 1960's.  I hope that, just like one I saw, it sports a Leslie S-3L chime horn with all bells forward  (bells 25, 31, and 44).  Sign me up on the wait list.

This would, most likely, be the larger shark with six wheel trucks.  Were they ever used in freight service?  I have only seen them (live and in photos) in passenger service.

boejoe Wrote:
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> This would, most likely, be the larger shark with
> six wheel trucks.  Were they ever used in freight
> service?  I have only seen them (live and in
> photos) in passenger service.

Model Railroader ran drawings of the passenger Sharks back in the 60's and they had a shot of a single unit being used on a local freight somewhere in the Midwest. Other than that, I can only remember pix of them on passenger, mostly NJ commuter trains late in their lives. You'd think they'd have been decent freight power (in flat territory, at least) with those big Westinghouse traction motors.

PRR ran an veright train from Chicago to Louisville called the "Kentuckian" with BP20 diesels in the mid-1950's. They were sometimes used on local freights in southern Indiana during their layover as the passenger train didn't depart until around 11 pm. I saw one running backwards pulling a local freight one day.
-JH

The pics I see of the 6 axle units seem to be much larger than the four. Were they comparable in size to the EMD E-units, compared to the F's?
 

The Pennsy classification referenced above (BP20) tells me Baldwin, Passenger, 2000 HP.  I would say this was Baldwin's offer to meet Alco PA series and EMD's E series.

According to Stauffer's Pennsy Power II, 28 BP20A and 9 BP20B units were purchased to dieselize the NY&LB in1948, where it was soon found that the replaced K-4's were superior to the task. Stauffer also says that "several" BP20's were regeared for freight service in 1952-53.  Eighty feet long!

In regard to Baldwins on Pennsy, one of my geat laments is that Volume III of Eric Hirshamaki's Black Gold - Black Diamonds never appeared in print. The first two volumes were brilliant, some of the best descriptions of railroad dieselization ever produced (note, I am primarily an SP fan). Volume III  was supposed to be all about how first generation units actually worked out in service. It would have been fascinating reading. The books were turned out by Milepost Publishing in Ohio, which seems to have gone belly-up before the third volume appeared.

The first two parts did not quite get me modeling Pennsy, but did inspire a large fleet of various Baldwin cab units on my freelance railroad. I wish that I could afford BLI's Sharks. They certainly are are beauties.

Regards
Ed Gibson,
Wx4.org

 

boejoe Wrote:
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> This would, most likely, be the larger shark with
> six wheel trucks.  Were they ever used in freight
> service?  I have only seen them (live and in
> photos) in passenger service.


The BP-20.

Bob

Panamerican99 Wrote:
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>  I saw one running backwards
> pulling a local freight one day.

I think that's what the photo in MR showed. Sellersville, Indiana, stands out in my mind as the location.

The Sharks in Tuscan will be the regular freight versions in a fantasy scheme.Not the BP-20 passenger version. Shame -----  Ken

I have to agree about Eric Hirshamaki's books, they were outstanding.  I was REALLY hoping the series would continue.  I wonder if anyone has considered picking up where he left off?

hogheaded Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In regard to Baldwins on Pennsy, one of my geat
> laments is that Volume III of Eric Hirshamaki's
> Black Gold - Black Diamonds never appeared in
> print. The first two volumes were brilliant, some
> of the best descriptions of railroad dieselization
> ever produced (note, I am primarily an SP fan).
> Volume III  was supposed to be all about how
> first generation units actually worked out in
> service. It would have been fascinating reading.
> The books were turned out by Milepost Publishing
> in Ohio, which seems to have gone belly-up before
> the third volume appeared.
>
> The first two parts did not quite get me modeling
> Pennsy, but did inspire a large fleet of various
> Baldwin cab units on my freelance railroad. I wish
> that I could afford BLI's Sharks. They certainly
> are are beauties.
>
> Regards
> Ed Gibson,
> Wx4.org
>
>