2009W. 71st St., Prairie Village, Kan.
Page 34 of the Jan.-Feb. 1961 issue of the Iron-Men Album has a
letter from Mr. J. W. Hendricks describing his locomotive and
stating that he never heard of a miniature locomotive with air
brakes.
Wagner and Son of Plainfield, III., have built several
Railway Equipment Works of Wisconsin Dells, Wis. have built at
least three locomotives of 15 inch gauge with two cylinder air
pumps. These locomotives have air brakes on the drivers, but I do
not know as to the tender. No train air brakes however. To the best
of my knowledge, both concerns are still in production.
Many years ago there was another builder of miniature
locomotives with air brakes. I have even heard that trains built by
this concern had air brakes on the entire train, but have nothing
definite on this. Herschell -Spillman Co. of North Tonawanda, New
York. A successor company is still building amusement devices and
diesel trains.
Most miniature locomotives of a size suitable for amusement park
service have no brakes of any kind. Friction is greater than one
might expect, in spite of the greater use of roller or ball
bearings. I speak of locomotives built commercially for amusement
park use, not scale models.
I have photos of over 100 miniature steam locomotives and am
interested in buying or trading pictures. I have some photos of
Sandley and Wagner engines, which show the air pumps. However, I do
not have a photograph of any Herschell-Spillman engine, other than
the illustration in the Jan. 1939 Railroad Stories. This view shows
the air pump. There have been two other views of this engine in
Railroad Magazine, but they showed the other side of the
locomotive. I would especially like to have photographs and post
cards of any type of little locomotive used in the park
service.
If you wish, I can supply you with pictures of park size
locomotives with no brakes, hand brakes, steam brakes or air
brakes. I never heard of any vacuum brakes on an American
miniature.
