Prairie Steam Locomotives | A Rare Wheel Configuration 

Very interesting Sam. 2-6-2 Steamers had common wide spread usage in Germany as well. The major trouble of their arrangement is the symmetrical wheel layout; the centre of gravity almost sits over the centre driving wheels. The rods, working close to centre of gravity, induce severe side-to-side rocking and front-to-back (nosing) resulting in extreme instability. A longer wheelbase and/or leading and trailing wheels can reduce the problem somewhat but never really solve it. As far as we understand it, 2-6-2 engines were popular in the US and Germany though. Great upload again Sam. We can't actually run at 4K but the picture is much more crisp than ever.

I always thought the V2 was one of LNER's best looking locos with its symmetrical wheel arrangement

Forgot the V2 was a Prairie! Such a lovely loco! Will have to pick one of those up at some point!

👍Your 4k really shines, especially when showing the cab details . Thanks Sam ! Cape Cod Steve.

Remember the liner v1 tank, still available pre owned. Bachmann split chassis quite sturdy but runs well

Two major users of Prairie engines,in the US were the ATSF,and CB&Q,with the Milwaukee Road,and Northern Pacific as other lines running Prairies!Add too,the Lake Shore &Michigan Southern,(NYC Lines West)which ran the Twentieth Century Limited,with those engines!They were rebuilt into Pacific's,as were some of the ATSF engines!Anyway,the historical record has quite a bit of rebuilds,i.e.,from 2-6-2,to 0-6-0,on the CB&Q,and there were also logging engines[which I think Bachman used as protype,Lima and Baldwin both produced those type engines], so there is much territory unexplored,and good hunting 😀! Thank you very much for an interesting program 😀 👍 😉!

I Love my Dapol GWR Large Prairie. Can't wait for the Rapido GWR Small Prairie.

I absolutely love prairies because of how symmetrical and graceful looking some of them were. I think the reason the UK never had many to begin with was fuel capacity issues I think as a 2-6-4T could hold a larger bunker for increased fuel. Then again, I would have loved to have seen more prairie tender engines like the V2.

Interesting that the Ivatt 2-6-2T locos were tank versions of similar 2-6-0 tender engines. The tender versions were equipped with so called 'cab tenders, for good visibility when running in reverse so, unlike many earlier tender engines could be used at the same speed in reverse without turning. In this they matched the tank engine versions' flexibility so the main difference between tank and tender was in fuel and water range. The V2 was built as a prairie rather than a 2-6-0 to accomodate a long boiler with wide firebox, a common Gresley design feature to ensure high steaming capacity, as used on his Pacifics of the era.

I wish there was a model of the LMS Fowler 2-6-2T it would go well with Hornby's 4P 2-6-4T

Fun video as always. I don't think that anyone has mentioned it, but the 4575 class were preceded by the 45xx and that preceded by the 44xx class. Although they were all related, the 44xx has smaller wheels, and the 45xx had a straight tank top, with the sloped version being introduced on the 4575 class. So, there were sufficient differences that they were considered 3 classes by the GWR. Bachmann make a 45xx.

4:07 it's been awhile since we've seen this locomotive. Glad to see it's still working Cheers Jasper & Willow

Love the video Sam. Thanks for sharing.

There were LNER 2-6-2 tanks but I think the Bachmann was very old. The Ivatt 2-6-2 tank was used extensively on the Southern region. It was upgraded with standard fittings such as clack valves instead of top feed and the front fall plate fitted and classed as the BR 2MT 2-6-2 tank. The reason why the LMS didn't use the 2-6-2T arrangement much was because they already had a highly successful 2-6-4 tank starting with the Fowler., then Stanier 2 & 3 cylinder and finally the Fairbairn on which the BR standard was based. It meant that they could carry more coal in a larger bunker. They had an unsuccessful 2-6-2T in the Fowler and an even worse design by Stanier class 3 and totally improved upon by Ivatt's version.

That's amazing Sam

Always loved the jinty class

Haven't you forgotten your Bachmann V1/3? I think you gave it a bit of a mixed review a year ago. Mine runs superbly but it has the early 1990s body.

Excellent review Sam, I adore the prairie class locomotives and its great to see you do a compilation of these weird but lovely little tank engines (excluding that American one). Looking forward to your next video, keep up the good work :)

Hi sam hope you are ok I love the bachmann small prairie it may be outdated but it still holds up to modern standards

Hi Sam, Nice review of the 2-6-2, good choice, enjoyable All the best Brian 😃

The Russian S and Su classes and the German class 23 were 2-6-2 tender locomotives built in large numbers.

I’ve always found the prairie class very interesting considering I own a old o gauge prairie from Lionel which runs very well

Awesome video Sam's trains

Sam I will always appreciate the work you put into making your videos the absolute best they can be. I'm getting back into trains after years and I personally havent found another youtube channel that matches the quality of your videos. Keep up the good work!

Very interesting video today Sam lovely looking locomotives

JNR C12 comes to my mind instantly thinking about this wheel configuration, near little steamer that one :)

4:00 it's actually based on a USRA 0-6-0, (you can look it up) for WW2. These locomotive were shipped out all over the USA across different railway. Cheers Jasper & Willow

I agree, your point of the hideous one, 100% spot on, not nice at all

The LNER V4 was also a prairie tender loco. Only 2 built

The SAR double prairie would be nice to see in model form

I think of all the Prairies that you showed in this video, I'm very intrigued by the LNER V2.

The underboilered Stanier 3MT of which at least one was fitted with a larger boiler. However the original design would interest me, in model form whereby the chunky chimney accentuates the inadequacy of the smoke box and boiler. Personally I prefer these to the Fowler variants whose appearances were marred by the condensing pipes for working underground.

Samstrains: Now My videos are in 4k. My phone: 1440p, no More!

I have to say, your new camera really does make a difference with the close ups.

Lima also produced a small prairie. A bit rough and a product of its time. Still good for modelling on a budget!

So 1000 prairies sound like a lot but when you compare it to the 25000 4-4-0, 11000 Moguls, and 6800 4-6-2 made it is actually a rare wheel configuration. Fun fact the reason it has the name Prairies is because it was being primarily used out in the Midwest part of the US along the prairies Hence of course it's name. The 2-6-2 along with the 2-10-2 might look balanced but ironically suffered balancing issues for the locos and could cause range to the rails. While it probably had some advantages it was really overshadowed but much better freight steam engines that didn't suffer as much as the prairies so it fell by the way side. Wonderful video as always and yeah the Bachmann prairie isn't the best but it was made as a budget engine which explains why it feels more toy like than a proper model.

Wow that 4k did a number on my eyes in a good way

I really like the ivatt 3mt, plus you forgot the lner v1/v3

Price and issues aside sam it's a lovely piece of kit best left in an unused siding as a static piece 👍

The French railways (Est) made a small number of 131tb prairie locomotives. Seemingly not that popular. But was made in model form by Hornby Acho and Triang r653 continental loco. Looks like the 141 (2-8-2) configuration ended up more popular across most of the railways pre SNCF. I'm guessing there must have been some unfavourable characteristics for it not to be more numerous in real life.

We should call that USA prairie “The Limping Lemon” I had the 0-6-0 variant years ago and it is no doubt the worst thing I ran on the rails

also available in RTR model form are the GWR 45xx, 5101, LNER V1 and V3,

Dude, Prairies ARE rare. I wanted a character I had (I write cringe audio stories about talking choo choo's) to be a prairie. So, I did a bunch of research to try and figure out what I should base the engine on. There's is stunningly little about prairies. Railroading is like that though. In my experience, you have to dig pretty deep to find any worthwhile info. Anyway, keep up the good work!

The Prarie is still relatively rare in America. Not many were preserved. In terms of more commonly used non-articulated wheel arrangements, its towards the bottom of numbers in US preservation.

We all spotted the one you missed, the Bachmann Gresley V3 tank!

Yes, the original Bachmann 0-6-0 is based off of the USRA standard design 0-6-0 Switcher locomotives that were very generic and common on many U.S railroads. The reason Bachmann made this loco was simply to make a "new product" for cheap and with using very little additional parts. While they theoretically could be kit bashed to resemble actual U.S Prairie types, they aren't based off of anything. This must be confusing to people overseas! But to be fair, some Prairies that existed aren't too far off from the Bachmann model in size or scale...

Still wish Britain had done a one off experiment 4-8-4 loco.

Well for strange wheel configurations, there's a mad quadraplex locomotive the Belgians cooked up.

This video was so cool to watch, the 4K makes a huge difference and I love it. very educational learning about all type of prairies out there. you should turn it into a series lol. (wheel configuration convocation with Sam) love the work Sam.

There was a 2nd successful british Prairie tender engine, the LNER V4. Gresley's final design as a lightweight version of the V2 (although taking much more from the V1/V3) with much greater route availability, only 2 of them were made (3401 Bantam Cock and 3402 (dubbed Bantam Hen by enthusiasts)) because Thompson took over after Gresley's death, and replaced the production order for the class with his own B1 design, which was a better decision for wartime needs. A 3rd member of the class, 3403 Highlander, is under construction in Darlington, although her construction will really move on after the P2 is done.

It gets a lot worse when you realize that the USA Prairie is just their USRA 0-6-0 with a set of trucks on the front and back.

Gresley also produce his V1 and V3 tanks from the 1920s. Bachmann produced them

Great video Sam! Really enjoy it in 4K. Have a great rest of your week. -Oliver

Nice loco

Is that a bell on UP 1836? It reminded me of Friar Tuck of Robin Hood fame!

Nice selection of Prairie locomotives! I like the first one you showed and I really despise the Bachmann USA Prairie with how hideous it looks.

Pretty sure Bachmann made the LNER V1 or maybe V3 rairie tank ( Edit: they did both after checking 👀) . Its a shame nobody makes a model of the Gresley V4 which was another tender engine , which although only a small class it had a interesting history. Get your printer out Sam !

Someone should make a 2-6-0 inside cylinder loco, I'll love to see that. Cheers Jasper & Willow

I miss these vids

5:35 and Bachmann are still making this, obviously the chassis has been updated but the body is exactly the same. Cheers Jasper & Willow

Really enjoyed the video, thanks Sam. Alot of other comments seem preoccupied by the rarity of prairies...so perhaps it's worth mentioning that over 3000 ran in the USSR, classes S and Su. However, I don't rate your chances of finding one in OO or HO !

Thanks Sam interesting I don’t know much about trains but I find your vids very informative.Can I ask you I saw the vids on your Hornby turn table. You used the Barrie Davis vids the wire yours up..I was doing it with Barrie’s wiring but he took them down before I had finished. I was wondering if you still have the videos so I can Finnish the wiring many thanks John.

Looks like somebody is ready for a Class 23 Neubaulok...

Prairies are cool. Great video. Would you please consider re-reviewing the Bachmann 4MT tander and Ivatt 4MTs please?

"It isn't wrong, but we just don't do it." - probably the designers' thoughts.

just combine the 2mt with the other one and u got a very good model

Can you bring out all of your e2 locomotives for a video ? Hornby Thomas Bachman Thomas Hornby brown old E2 Hornby green new E2 There . And have you found the smoke box door for the old brown e2 locomotive because the last time we all saw it it had a Thomas face . Yes all I wanna see is all of your E2 locomotives and maybe try to 3D print your own E2 with your printer based on Hornby Thomas for the paint but with a smoke box door . (Realistic thomas) Yes all I want to see is your E2 locomotives again

I suspect the next 3D print project will be a prairie.

in sweden sj had a 2-6-2 loco but in the tank loco version. those type of loco is rare in sweden due sj opted for larger tender locos. i can do a small check on that. 👍👍👍👍🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪

Have to disagree with you Sam over the Gresley V2 being the only successful tender design. Paul Pilkington mentions the V4 in the comments. The pair of V4s were apparently very successful in Scotland - so good in fact that the A1ST have decided to build a replica. One of the original pair was named Bantam Cock, the replica officially advised as being named "Highlander". I think the V4 is one of the most beautiful steam loco designs ever in the UK I am sure that a ready to run model will eventually be produced

I don't know if this is the actual reason, but this is the reason I would argue about why tender prairies are not common. This is my understanding of information provided by a real steam locomotive engineer. Also RU-vidr named Hyce! Go check him out too. He's an awesome dude. Now from what I learned from watching heist videos is that more or less? Everyone wants to use a smaller engine like a bigger engine so you want it to be as capable as possible in the locomotive world. This means the getting the most tractive effort that a little engine can provide. Now a small engine can provide more tractive effort than a large engine if it carries the fuel/water weight on the engine chassis as that puts more force onto the rails. In addition to not having the fuel and water weight providing more traction to the driving wheels, the engine now also has to tow its fuel and water in the tender which is all dead weight detracting from what it can do further. Supposedly an engine with a tender is also more cumbersome to operate in switching yards and reversing operations. So the tank engine format is more common for smaller engines than the tender.

I really like the 45xx, I have 3 of them and they run great. Cheers Jasper & Willow

I would've thought 2-10-0 wheel configurations within the uk would be the rarest with only 9f's, WD austerity's being included. I can't think of any more. That said I can only think of two 0-10-0's as well being big Bertha and the GER Class A55 👍👍

Hi Sam, just watched this on my big screen TV and it looks amazing! Great subject too - love the prairies as well. I have a couple of the Lima ones that are bit noisy but were very reliable and could haul up hill better than the Bachmann one that I purchased to upgrade things! Maybe you should do some hill tests with models back to the earliest ones?

My first European steam locomotive model was a Roco model of a Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) class 23, a 2-6-2 tender locomotive. If I am not mistaken my model, 23 105, was the last steam locomotive that was delivered to Deutsche Bundesbahn. The West German railways received it in 1959.

Probably the rarest configurations, especially in the UK, was the Baltic (4-6-4). Triang used to make an "American/Continental" version, but I've never seen a British outline model

can you redo your review of the hornby railroade flying scotsman good vid

Only other tender prairie from uk was the v4, gresleys last design, only 2 built

A very interesting format. Yes, more please?

Not sure I've seen a video like this on your channel... Part of a series? Might you do more configurations?

Decent video Sam, favourites of mine has to be the V2, the 3mt and the ivatt locomotives, V2 probably comes out as my overall favourite, would like to get one of the new tooled bachmann versions preferably green arrow.

Will you do Pannier Tank Engines running session? Especially Black 2721 class pulling GWR Genesis Coaches?

Even on my rather old laptop the 4K makes a difference. I enjoyed it, a great video, but I have a question. I was at Shildon looking at the V2 a couple of years ago, and noticed that the front buffers have two cylinders or pistons, rather than the usual one. I wanted to try and push the buffer in, realising of course that even Desperate Dan would be hard pushed to succeed LOL. Am I right in thinking that the V2 is the only locomotive that has this weird arrangement? I've seen a lot of steam locos over the years but never one like the V2.

hey Sam - how about a video of all the 0-8-0 wheel engines? They are pretty rare and I think they are so ugly that they look good haha

Sam, Good day to you! There was a mechanical advantage to having smaller drivers on the American version. It offered more torque at the wheels at slower speed it may have been used as a shunter/switcher AKA "Yard Goat" or have been used in locations that had steep grades to climb over. America had a lot purpose built locomotives because the land wasn't as developed as it was in Europe. I hope this clears up any indifference between the appearances of locomotive & the regions of where they were used.

my biggest want as a child!!

Sam, Do you have the Great Western Prairie 5526, if you would like to see that running around your layout

Rare? Plenty of 2-6-2Ts in Britain (LNE, LMS, and GW), plus 180+ LNE V2 tender engines. And then the couple of V4s too... Hardly a rarity!

Thanks I hadn't realised that the LNER had produced the V2 as a Prairie, regardless of which railway company has produced them I do like them all. I can't quite put more of a finger on it other than an elegance in the design and uniqueness that make them stand out!

I absolutely love the Dapol Large Prairie, recently got one and it is easily my best. Wasn't too bad a price either considering I got one DCC fitted. Might have a look for one of the V2s, it does look quite good

Great video but what about the v3

Hi sam I hope you are well interesting video Some interesting models there Do you plan to do other wheel configurations Thank you for sharing your models with us Keep safe ARP

Is it possible that we could see a running video in the future where the locos are pushing/pulling their consists backwards? I don't know why but there's something satisfying about those trains being run atypically

Hey There Sam, Was Asking Could You Do A Review On A Fenfa Train Set And Tell Us What Do You Think.

I have this Lionel steam train that has 2 non driving wheels in the front and back

I know that it is nòt a currently produced model, but what about the Bachman V1/V3.?

The Prairie configuration is probably my favorite, though the Texan and Santa Fe ones are pretty neat too.

Sam where is the other uk tender 2-6-2 the midland Paget???????

Love this new concept of looking at a wheel configuration, little bit of history, little bit of model review, it’s great and very informative Maybe a dumb suggestion but can you theoretically just replace the pope body on the Ivatt seems a waste of a good cassis and mechanism

just got a bachmann 56xx what is ur opinion on it sam