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Life-Like - 920-90022 - Locomotive, Steam, 0-8-0 USRA - Indiana Harbor Belt - 317

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N Scale - Life-Like - 920-90022 - Locomotive, Steam, 0-8-0 USRA - Indiana Harbor Belt - 317 Image Courtesy of Wm. K. Walthers
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Stock Number920-90022
Original Retail Price$174.98
BrandLife-Like
ManufacturerWalthers
Body StyleLife-Like Steam Engine 0-8-0 USRA
Image Provider's WebsiteLink
Prototype VehicleLocomotive, Steam, 0-8-0 USRA (Details)
Road or Company NameIndiana Harbor Belt (Details)
Road or Reporting Number317
Paint Color(s)Black
Print Color(s)White
Coupler TypeAccuMate Magnetic Knuckle
Coupler MountBody-Mount
Wheel TypeChemically Blackened Metal
Wheel ProfileSmall Flange (Low Profile)
DCC ReadinessReady
Announcement Date2007-08-23
Release Date2008-01-31
Item CategoryLocomotives
Model TypeSteam
Model Subtype0-8-0
Model VarietyUSRA
Prototype RegionNorth America
Prototype EraNA Era II: Late Steam (1901 - 1938)
Scale1/160



Model Information: Model introduced in 2007 in the Heritage N Scale Steam Collection and re-run in 2008.
Features:
  • All Drivers Geared
  • Traction Tires for Superior Pulling Power
  • All-Wheel Electrical Pickup on Loco & Tender
  • Flywheel Equipped for Smooth Operation
  • Constant Intensity & Directional LED Headlights
  • RP-25 Contour Wheels
  • Operates on All Brands of Code 55 or Larger Rail
  • Heavy Diecast, Split-Frame Chassis
  • Three-Pole Skew-Wound Motor
DCC Information: DCC Ready – NMRA 8-pin / NEM 652 Socket in Tender
Prototype History:
The USRA 0-8-0 was a USRA standard class of steam locomotive designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration, the nationalized railroad system in the United States during World War I. This was the standard heavy switcher of the USRA types, and was of 0-8-0 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or "D" in UIC classification.
A total of 175 locomotives were built, under USRA control, by ALCO, Baldwin and Lima for many different railroads in the United States. After the dissolution of the USRA in 1920, an additional 1,200 examples of the USRA 0-8-0 were built for many railroads.

The last steam locomotive to be built in the USA for a Class I railroad was 0-8-0 no. 244, a Class S1a switch engine erected by the Norfolk and Western Roanoke shop in December 1953.

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and no trailing wheels. Locomotives of this type are also referred to as eight coupled..

Examples of the 0-8-0 wheel arrangement were constructed both as tender and tank locomotives. The earliest locomotives were built for mainline haulage, particularly for freight, but the configuration was later also often used for large switcher (shunter) types. The wheel arrangement provided a powerful layout with all engine weight as adhesive weight, which maximised the tractive effort and factor of adhesion. The layout was generally too large for smaller and lighter railways, where the more popular 0-6-0 wheel arrangement would often be found performing similar duties.

From Wikipedia
Road Name History:
The IHB is an independent railroad which is jointly owned by Conrail Shared Assets Operations (51%) and Canadian Pacific Railway (49%). These shareholders trace their ownership stake in IHB to previous mergers and acquisitions in the railroad industry. This came from Conrail, which had owned a 51% controlling interest. Conrail's ownership is traced back to the Penn Central Transportation Company and prior to that, the New York Central Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad. Canadian Pacific's ownership is through its subsidiary, the Soo Line Railroad, which had inherited it from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad.

The line comprises 320 miles (510 km) of track?30 miles of single mainline track, 24 miles (39 km) of double-main track and 266 miles (428 km) of additional yard and side track?starting northwest of Chicago in Franklin Park, Illinois, traveling southeast around the city to its headquarters in Hammond, Indiana.

The line's largest yard, [Blue Island] is located in Riverdale, Illinois with other yards in Burnham, Calumet City, Alsip, Argo, LaGrange, Rose and Franklin Park. In [Indiana] Whiting, Hammond, Michigan Ave, Lake Front in East Chicago. The Gibson Yard located in [Hammond], is arguably the largest auto-switching operation in the United States.

Throughout the 1970s and 1990s to the present, Indiana Harbor Belt operated an extensive interlocking tower system including: East End, Osbourne, Calumet, State Line, Gibson, Stewart Avenue, Graselli, 55th Street and Argo towers with switch tenders at North Harvey and Columbia Avenue in Hammond. They later took over State Line tower from the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad.

From Wikipedia
Brand/Importer Information:
Life-Like Products LLC (now Life-Like Toy and Hobby division of Wm. K. Walthers) was a manufacturer of model railroad products and was based in Baltimore, Maryland.

It was founded in the 1950s by a company that pioneered extruded foam ice chests under the Lifoam trademark. Because ice chests are a summer seasonal item, the company needed a way to keep the factory operating year round. As model railroading was becoming popular in the post-war years, they saw this as an opportunity and so manufactured extruded foam tunnels for model trains. Over the years, Life-Like expanded into other scenery items, finally manufacturing rolling stock beginning in the late 1960s. At some point in the early 1970s, Life-Like purchased Varney Inc. and began to produce the former Varney line as its own.

The Canadian distributor for Life-Like products, Canadian Hobbycraft, saw a missing segment in market for Canadian model prototypes, and started producing a few Canadian models that were later, with a few modifications, offered in the US market with US roadnames.

In 2005, the company, now known as Lifoam Industries, LLC, decided to concentrate on their core products of extruded foam and sold their model railroad operations to Wm. K. Walthers.

In June 2018, Atlas and Walthers announced to have reached an agreement under which all Walthers N scale rolling stock tooling, including the former Life-Like tooling, will be purchased by Atlas.

Read more on Wikipedia and The Train Collectors Association.
Item created by: Alain LM on 2019-02-24 12:23:13. Last edited by Alain LM on 2020-12-13 06:40:58

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