Union Pacific’s steam excursion program began almost as soon as the use of regular steam power ceased on the railroad in 1960. Over the years, the UP has operated FEF-3 4-8-4 no. 844 and Challenger 4-6-6-4 no. 3985 in excursion service, and railfans are anticipating the return of Big Boy 4-8-8-4 no. 4014 in the next few years.
To supply these locomotives with water, the railroad rebuilt two former FEF-1 tenders into auxiliary water tenders. Models of these cars in HO scale are now available from ScaleTrains.com.
The prototype. These tenders were built in 1937 with six-wheel trucks for use behind the 20 Union Pacific class FEF-1 4-8-4s. After the FEF-1s were retired, the tenders were converted in 1958 to carry fuel for Union Pacific’s gas-turbine electric locomotives.
The tenders were heated and insulated to keep the 25,000 gallons of heavy oil flowing in frigid temperatures. The gas-turbines were retired in 1970, and the tenders were used as stationary fuel tanks in Southern California until 1989, when they were assigned to UP’s steam fleet.
After more than a decade of service, the tenders were rebuilt in 2006 and 2008. The insulation and heaters took up usable space in the tanks, so both were removed. The top corners of the tanks were squared off, changing the appearance of the ex-fuel tenders. With the work finished, the tenders have a capacity of 28,000 gallons. The cars are named for former Union Pacific steam fitters.
The models. The ScaleTrains.com models represent the cars after they were rebuilt in 2006 (no. 814) and 2008 (no. 809). Number 809, the Jim Adams, carries an American flag placard.
These Rivet Counter models are fully assembled, and separately applied parts abound. Finding drawings of these tenders as they exist today was difficult, but an article in the January 2003 Mainline Modeler has a drawing of an FEF-1 and its tender. The overall length, truck center spacing, truck dimensions, and height of the tank deck all match the drawing.
The trucks have a wealth of detail, including rolling bearing caps, and pick up current for onboard Digital Command Control (DCC) decoders. The blackened, turned metal wheelsets were in gauge.
The tenders have lights at each end. The decoders, which also work on direct current (DC), support directional lighting. There is no provision to turn the lights on or off with a DC power pack.
In DCC, the lights can be turned on and off using function 0. The decoders are set to address 3 at the factory, and can be changed to have their address match their road number just as you would with a locomotive.
The tenders weigh 5.4 ounces, 1.4 ounces more than National Model Railroad Association Recommended Practice 20.1 for a 45-foot-long car. The rotating roller bearing caps contribute to one of this model’s few shortcomings. It isn’t very free-rolling. Testing on Model Railroader’s Milwaukee, Racine & Troy club layout showed the cars wouldn’t roll freely down a 3 percent grade.
I used a force meter – the same one we use to measure the pulling power of a locomotive in our reviews – and determined that a single tender had an amount of drag similar to two passenger cars.
The paint and lettering on the models is first-rate, with sharp separations between opaque, smoothly applied colors and lettering legible under magnification down to the smallest brake-system warnings. The one area that didn’t meet this high standard was the printing of the flag placard, which had visible dots.
Modern-era layout owners who want to run steam locomotives alongside contemporary high-horsepower diesels now have two of the more unique pieces of rolling stock needed for an accurate Union Pacific excursion train.
Price: $119.99
Manufacturer
ScaleTrains.com Inc.
7598 Highway 411
Benton, TN 37307
www.scaletrains.com
Era: 2006-present (no. 814), 2008-present (no. 809)
Features
▪▪36″ metal wheels, in gauge
▪▪Body-mounted metal semi-scale couplers at correct height
▪▪Commonwealth 3-axle trucks with rotating bearing caps
▪▪Directional lighting
▪▪Minimum radius: 18″
▪▪Underbody brake details and plumbing
I wonder if, as in real life, the bearings would “wear in” and this drag would lessen as the miles accumulated…….
I received my HO ScaleTrains UP water tenders and am so impressed with the quality and attention to detail. These show that detail can be affordable in plastic and equal to brass.