1:24 SCALE C-16 STEAM LOCOMOTIVE
Manufacturer: Delton Locomotive Works/Caledonia Express, 9818 Cherry Valley Road, P.O. Box 308, Caledonia, MI 49316. Price: $479.00 each suggested list.
"C-16" IS A designation the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad used for a class of 2-8-0 locomotives it bought between 1881 and 1882. Originally the D&RG called them "Class 60" Consolidations because they developed about 60,000 pounds of tractive effort. An order of "Class 56" Consolidations preceded the Class 60s. The 56s were virtually identical except their boilers were an inch or two smaller in diameter and, as you might guess, they developed 56,000 pounds of tractive effort. Baldwin Locomotive Works built all the Class 56s but was unable to meet the demand for Class 60s on time so Grant Locomotive Works built the first 28 engines. Altogether the Rio Grande bought 92 Class 60s and, together with the dozens of 56s, such Consolidations for years were by far the most common locomotives on the line.
The Class 56/60 Consolidation happens to be my favorite "mainline" locomotive, bar none, because of its graceful proportions, classic appearance, and use in passenger, freight, and switching service. The D&RG, Rio Grande Southern, Rio Grande Western, Uintah, Silverton Railroad, Silverton Northern, Silverton Gladstone & Northerly, Nevada County Narrow Gauge (in California), and countless other narrow gauge lines around the country had ex-Rio Grande Class 56 and 60 or other very similar Consolidations on their rosters. So the model would be a credible addition to virtually any narrow gauge model railroad.
Unfortunately, a few of years ago, when Delton first offered the C-16, quality control was a serious problem. Some looked great but ran terribly; others ran all right but arrived with bent or broken parts. A few actually came through with nothing wrong but the mechanism was marginal. The expenses associated with that model helped to put the original Delton Locomotive Works into receivership.
The result has been a new Delton and a new C-16. Caledonia Express is now the parent company. And the model now has a new mechanism and much stricter quality control. Our sample also has an obviously updated superstructure
The "Original" (1882) version of the C-16 is still available, but the review model is supposed to represent the 1950s edition of Number 268 with its famous yellow, black, and silver "Bumblebee" paint scheme. That scheme was the result of a movie and ultimately became the basis for similarly decorated Rio Grande passenger cars on the Silverton run. Ironically, with the demise of Rio Grande narrow gauge operations and the advent of the Durango and Silverton tourist line, the "Bumblebee" scheme has lasted longer than any in the railroad's history.
First, let's give the new Delton/Caledonia C-16 a cosmetic once-over. It is a 1:24 scale mostly cast plastic model with solid brass fittings and metal tires on the wheels.
It is not an accurate representation of Number 268 in its later years. The discrepancies are simply too numerous to list. But the model is what Delton/Caledonia intended a very handsome freelance rendition of what a C-16 "could have been". And the improvement in quality control is evident everywhere. For instance, the manufacturer now packages the more delicate parts such as the boiler braces, pilot truck, and coupler in separate polybags to prevent damage. In the "old days" a new owner might open the box and find the boiler braces, in particular, badly bent.
Delton/Caledonia claims to have sent us a sample at random. The single imperfection was the pilot truck; the wheels were not square on the axle and wobbled noticeably. That had no effect at all on performance. Even in repeat runs through LGB 1200 turnouts the locomotive never derailed and the wheels are fairly easy to re-align by hand.
The fit, finish, and quality of the detail parts were all excellent. The model looks terrific.
Some critics have said the Delton C-16 seems too small. A careful check of all dimensions shows the locomotive's wheel base is ten scale inches short (probably to negotiate very sharp curves), the overall length is five scale inches short (but in proportion to the shorter wheel base), the driver diameter is two scale inches short (probably to compensate for the oversize flanges), and the tender is five scale inches short (compared to the as-built dimensions; the model's tender is completely different than the one 268 had in its later years). The width of the cab and tender are right on the money. So are the cab height and the height of the locomotive above the rails. The boiler even seems to be the correct diameter. So much for "too small".
Altogether, Delton's C-16 is one of the very most accurate mass-produced locomotives in the hobby, at least in the case of the 1882 version. The review sample, as I pointed out, is really a freelance.
The model's performance is pretty good but less exciting than its appearance. On the positive side the new mechanism is smoother and more quiet than the old. No longer does the manufacturer have to replace oversize blind drivers, binding side rods, and self-destructing gearboxes. The driver tires never even fell off as in the old days. The marker lights, headlight, and number boards all have illumination. The loco has a smoke unit. Even a light in the firebox. It lacks the electrical contact "sliders" common to LGB engines; instead it picks up power from all eight drivers and eight tender wheels. The right front driver has a traction tire for more pulling power. And the plug-in connector from the tender to the locomotive is much easier to attach than the earlier ones.
On the other hand the gearing still seems a little high, causing two side effects. The most annoying is marginal slow speed control; the model suffers a little from jackrabbit starts. Not of the "zero to sixty" kind. More the "zero to fifteen" kind. The other side effect is too much high-end speed. These little locos went all-out at around 35 miles per hour and typically ran between 10 and 25. The model will do 75 without breathing hard.
The only other criticism with regard to operation involves the traction tire, and it is quite minor. What you gain in pulling power you lose in level running; the model suffers a little from rock 'n' roll. That is a problem with all traction tires, though, not with Delton/Caledonia's engineering or qualtity control.
The C-16 handles LGB 1100 curves but is happier on 1500s. And, as is the case with virtually every mass-produced locomotive in our hobby, the little Consolidation would benefit from more weight. Incidentally, it comes with a dummy knuckle coupler on the pilot and a working truck-mounted knuckle on the tender.
Overall, Delton/Caledonia Express seems finally to have produced the model the old Delton originally intended an extremely good looking, accurately proportioned model with better than average performance. A mechanically inclined kitbasher could turn this version of the C-16 into a beautifully running masterpiece. But even out of the box it should make a lot of people very happy. RR
