Old timey engines are available from several manufacturers and there is plenty of rolling stock for just about every type of railroad, whether a mining or logging road or a connection route hauling freight over the Rocky Mountains.
Hartland Locomotive Works has produced something nifty: a large scale 4-4-0 American-type steam locomotive that combines realism with just a touch of playfulness, resulting in a steam locomotive model with turn-of-the-century flavor that suggests it could have been running on the Baltimore & Ohio in 1864, the Rio Grande in 1890, or the Walt Disney World RR today.
As with Hartland’s Duchess 2-4-0 (CTT, July 1999) the Vonita Jean is maroon with gold trim and a gray boiler. The locomotive sports the Denver & Rio Grande road name, the number 97 on the headlight, and the name Vonita Jean on the side of the cab.
The engines measures 23 inches from tip of the cow-catcher to the end of the coupler and 7 inches from the rail to the top of the smokestack. Reviewing photos of countless real-life 4-4-0s suggests that this engine might be a bit taller and shorter than many prototype engines, it still looks “about right” for an engine built decades before really big steam power.
There are some nice detail items such as brass sand and steam domes on the boiler, as well as metal simulated bell and whistle, piping, and boiler bands. There are interesting gold-colored caps on the steam chests.
The large, square headlight is pretty impressive and the high-stepping drivers look terrific. The cab has interior detail on the backhead and there are seats for you to place the crew figures of your choice.
The tender looks great and has nice detail items such as a simulated brake wheel and a terrific load of fire wood. There is a plastic drawbar and a thin tether between the tender and engine for power pickup.
The overall effect is something that appears to have leapt from the pages of the American Heritage History of American Railroads.
The Vonita has a great can motor that delivers exceptionally smooth acceleration and deceleration. Our low speed test averaged 8.7 scale mph on the low end and a high speed average of 74.9 scale mph. The 7 lb. engine also averaged .93 lbs of drawbar pull, equal to roughly ten modern, free-rolling pieces of large-scale rolling stock.
Hartland’s 4-4-0 is a fun engine that looks more like an engine run by a “real” railroad. The larger diameter wheels make this a speedy locomotive and the decoration, suggesting an era when crews were exceptionally proud of their locomotives, is more tasteful than circus-like.
If you are interested in finding a classic 19th century engine for pulling your old-time freight or passenger consist, the Hartland 4-4-0 engine would fit right in.
