The Y6b was the evolutionary pinnacle of Norfolk & Western locomotion. The overall Y6-class engines were built from 1936 to 1952, with the final group of 30 Y6b-class members constructed in three batches between 1948 and 1952. All Y6s were built in the railroad’s shops.
These engines may have been among the most sophisticated freight engines of the steam era, and the Y6-class earned acclaim from engine and shop crews for reliability and power.
Only two Y-class engines survive today. A Y6a donated to the Museum of Transport in St. Louis, and a Y3 that was donated to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union.
For more information about Norfolk & Western articulated engines, check out N&W: Giant of Steam by Lewis Jeffries (Pruett, 1979), Norfolk & Western Railway: Pocahontas Coal Carrier by Richard E. Prince (K/P Graphics, 1980), and “N&W 2-8-8-2’s From Y2 – Y6b” by Robert L. Hundman, Mainline Modeler, April 1994.
The model
I love RailKing steam locomotives. Since 1995, MTH has offered at least 27 different die-cast metal steam locomotives from a tiny 0-4-0T to the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy in its O-27 RailKing line. These locos are not scale models. They are reduced in size – primarily length – to negotiate tight curves, and in detail to fit tighter budgets.
It has been some time since we tested a RailKing articulated engine, the 4-6-6-4 Challenger in the January, 1997 issue. Without a doubt, it has been worth the wait to see the Y6b.
The Y6b model measures 26 inches long and 4 inches high, or 104 by 16 feet in O scale. The prototype is 114 feet, 101/2 inches long and 15 feet, 8 inches tall.
It might just have been the angle at which I studied it, but for my money the standout features of the real Y6bs are the forward steam chests. They just seem to leap out at you!
This “look” has been pretty successfully carried over to the RailKing model, and once again I found myself walking along a layout, pacing the engine from slightly behind, not ahead, in order to get a good look at the side rods and those big ol’ steam chests!
The front deck of the RailKing locomotive is great and features a headlight and number boards as well as steps, deck, and handrails. The boiler is a fairly straightforward affair with add-on handrails, pipes, a bell, a whistle, and pop-off valves. The cab has a nicely detailed backhead and firebox glow, but no crew figures.
The tender is built a like a rock, holding the sound system and volume control and featuring a working backup light. It is a good representation of a Norfolk & Western tender, and I liked the recess at the front of the bunker. The coal load is cast into the shell.
On the test track
Running on a layout with O-42 switches and curves, the engine delivered top-of-the-line performance and easily handled whatever freight or passenger consists we tacked on behind. Both sets of drivers pivot for maximum flexibility on curves. The locomotive is about the same length as a postwar Lionel no. 746 steamer, so it doesn’t look too awkward on sharper curves.
Running around with the volume turned low, you’ll mainly hear side-rod sounds. The motor of our sample was nearly silent.
Our low-speed test average was an impressive 5.1 scale mph and our high-end average was 103.9 mph. It’s a tad high for the real Y6b (with a reported 50-mph top speed), but just right for toy train operation!
Drawbar pull distinctly falls into the manly range, a robust 3 pounds, 9 ounces, which translates to approximately 170 pieces of modern rolling stock. At 11 pounds, 7 ounces, this is a hefty engine, but I suspect its six traction tires have a lot to do with its pulling power. Pulling a 25-car freight train at 18 volts, we clocked the Y6b at 62.9 scale mph.
We tested this engine before the availability of MTH’s Digital Command System, so our operations were in the conventional mode only.
The new ProtoSound 2.0 steam sounds were very, very good. As with other ProtoSound 2.0 engines we’ve tested, the audio quality is a significant step above the previous ProtoSound system. The locomotive, with a synchronized chuff rate and a fan-driven puffing smoke system, puts on quite a sensory show, especially at low speed. And despite 16 driving wheels, the ProtoSound 2.0 “cruise control” function can get the Y6b slowed down to a crawl.
Our only problem came when we hooked up the MRC Dual Power O-27 transformer to the track. With the sound off, the Y6b seemed to perform fine in response to the hand-held unit’s commands. With sound on it was “pass the ear plugs.” The transformer’s modified wave form triggered a pretty continuous whistle blast, which was not a whole lot of fun.
The Y6b was a big old ugly steam engine designed for handling tons and tons of coal from mines and tipples throughout Appalachia. It lacked the sleek looks of a New York Central Dreyfuss Hudson, or the celebrity of a Union Pacific Challenger, but it made its name through doing its job day in and day out. As one staff member noted after having run the locomotive “What more could you ask for in an engine?”
