The Decapod wheel arrangement was never very popular on this side of the Atlantic. One author noted that 2-10-0s were either real lightweight power – the long wheel base broadly spreading the load on lines where bridge capacity or flimsy rails were a concern – or they were lumbering giants, such as the Pennsy’s I1-class.
Thanks to the Bolshevik revolution, one of the larger groups of the wheel arrangement in America were the so-called “Russian Decapods.” The United States Railway Administration assumed ownership of these locomotives during World War I.
The Decapods had been designed for Russia’s 5-foot gauge, so the USRA ordered all finished and partially constructed units be modified to accommodate the 4-foot, 8½-inch American standard. The fleet was scattered to railroads large and small, with the Atlantic Coast Line; Erie; Frisco; Gulf, Mobile & Ohio; Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis; Reading; Seaboard; and Western Maryland among the roads receiving them.
Considering these were such oddballs, it’s surprising that no fewer than six Russian 2-10-0s survive in American railroad museums.
Opening the box
Given the 2-10-0 wheel arrangement, I was expecting a larger, more massive locomotive than the O gauge model from MTH Electric Trains I unwrapped. This wasn’t a bad thing at all, because much of the model’s appeal stems from its lightweight look. It’s a welcome change from the ponderous mass of American heavyweights.
Physically, this steamer almost suggests a narrow gauge engine – probably because the boiler and frame were designed for a slightly wider rail gauge. The boiler seems larger than you might expect, and the relatively small drivers are almost hidden behind the side rods. I was left with the impression of something the size of a light 2-8-0. But smallish without being cute is a good thing when it comes to steam power.
And let me expand that point further. MTH says this model can operate on O-31 track, and it sure enough can. I was a bit skeptical that a model with five connected axles could do it and not look goofy, but it does and it looks fine doing it. As I said, small can be good.
There are some interesting detail contained on this model, the first of which can be found on the pilot. You’ll find a well-cast series of spokes and rivet detail on the “cow catcher,” with a dummy coupler attached to a simulated uncoupler arm. There is anti-skid tread on the end of the pilot, but not on most of the deck. Brake lines just don’t “appear,” but they run the length of the pilot and have simulated fasteners to hold them in place. The smokebox is supported by two stanchions rising from the pilot.
The smokebox face has good rivet and hinge detail. A headlight with a locomotive number plate is positioned in the middle of the face, and illuminated number boards are found on the sides of the lamp. Handrails run the length of the boiler and wrap around and beneath the smokebox as a continuous single piece. Marker lights are mounted on the top of the boiler, ahead of the smokestack.
I liked the stack. In some sort of fantasy mode, it reminds me of some sort of blunderbuss Elmer Fudd might have used to get that “wascally wabbit.” The boiler has nice, clear, and clean cast-in detail. The points that deserves most attention are the clean seam and latch details running along the top of the boiler. Add-on details are awesome and include two jumbo domes (one for sand and one for steam), sand and steam lines, valves with red-painted handles, a turbine, a bell, a whistle, and pop-off valves.
The running board has safety tread texture, and the boiler seems just as high as on the prototype. In fact, an Alco builder’s photo clearly shows a dark square below the boiler and on top of the drivers, which looks like a dead ringer for the gearbox on the model!
The running gear is complete and realistically subdued.
The cab roof is plain, but features a hatch that raises, and the cab windows slide back and forth. The cab also features two crew figures (neither of whom appears to be Lenin), firebox glow, cab illumination, and a detailed backhead. There is a drop plate for the use of the fireman when shoveling coal. It might have been prototypical, but it looked like the deckplate’s angled edges would be a falling hazard for an O scale crewman!
The tender is a short model, with a frame length of 7 inches, an inch of which is a pretty cool deck on the rear that features cast-on wood detail, a simulated uncoupler arm (though not attached to the coil coupler) and a ladder rising to the deck of the tender. The coal load is “chunk” style, rather than cast-in.
The tender sports a backup light with illuminated number boards. Beneath the water hatch, you’ll find the volume and smoke-unit controls. The 3-to-2-rail conversion controls are on the underside of the car.
The die-cast metal truck frames have brake chains that are connected to the center of the tender’s body.
Our sample was in the Pittsburgh, Shawmut & Northern paint scheme, which was basic black with some light gray accents on the smoke and fire boxes. The red-and-white Shawmut Line icon on the tender looks striking.
The model is also available in Atlantic Coast Line, Erie, and Western Maryland road names.
On the test track
The MTH Decapod was a fun model to operate. It was responsive to commands in conventional and DCS modes.
Our low-speed average was an impressive 2.7 scale miles per hour, and the high-speed average was 45.1 scale mph. My impression was that this was probably as close to the top speed as you’ll be able to get out of the model.
Drawbar pull for our sample was 2 pounds, 4 ounces.
The O gauge model features MTH’s wireless drawbar, which was fairly easy to connect. Surprisingly, there are only two power pickup rollers, both on the tender, and mounted 3 inches apart. The tender also sports a coil coupler. The first and last sets of wheels are flanged; the last set of drivers has traction tires.
The sound package was nice, with good reproduction, and the whistle is wonderful – it can make even a sour puss crack a smile. The smaller drive wheels mean that the prototypically correct four-chuffs-per-rotation sounds pretty machine-gunny at anything above a slow walk. And, yeah, I think that’s pretty neat.
ProtoSound 2.0 command features were all on target and worked with a single press of the remote button.
The smoke unit was pretty impressive, with large plumes of the white stuff being ejected in sync with the locomotive. Pretty cool.
The Premier line Russian Decapod is a high-end model of a compact steamer. Operational characteristics were solid, and its appearance differs just enough from the typical U.S. steamer design to stand out without being out of place.
Price: $999.95 (no. 20-3310-1)
Features: O-31 operation, can-style motor, die-cast metal construction, ProtoSound 2.0, coil coupler on tender
Staff comments: Surprisingly compact steamer, good operational characteristics and detail, but a bit pricey – Bob Operators with smaller layouts, or an appreciation of railroad history, should take a careful look at this one – Carl
If you are looking for something a little different,
sounds like this engine is for you, looks like a winner to me. Price a little steep though.