# need help identifying brass mallet loco



## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

searched the net and can't find much about this one, ho scale, bottom of rear truck plate reads 'JAPAN', and old style open frame vertical motor is labelled 'KMT', .. 
the only photos that i could find of this arrangement showed prototype narrow gauge locos in australia...

anyone have any idea of manufacturer or importer??
or of what actual prototype it was modeled after??
from the motor im guessing 70's era ??

thanks


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## dablaze (Apr 17, 2012)

They are logging loco's imported currently by Redball, I believe yours is missing a front truck & is actually supposed to be a 2-4-4-0

Craig


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

It was offered by Red Ball and Ken Kidder. Its wheel arrangement is correct, a 0-4-4-0, offered as a branch line logger...I'll look up the ads for you as they were rather frequent in the late 50s, early 60s.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

using the information i was given here [ thanks ], it looks like red ball / kidder import from 1964, made by kumata, qty 500... i got it on ebay as a 'parts' loco, removed the extremely heavy solder 'repairs', and redid them with paste, turned out okay, the brass driven gear had one tooth chipped off, and found some newer diesel style axles on ebay last night, they have same axle diameter and tooth count, plus 2.50 is cheap enough to take a chance on..be nice to see it move, lol ..
apparantly there was a review of this loco in MR 9/64 , so im going to try and find that as well, perhaps there was a photo there, as i havent found any photos as of yet..

thanks for the help, appreciate it ..


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Let me know if you could use a gear box if that does not work out. Like the diesel gears, it's worth a try. I envy you, I've wanted one of those since I was like 6...:thumbsup:...nice score.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

i wish it had a gear box, but it doesnt.. vertical motor goes straight down, and drives the rear axle of the back truck, no drive on the front truck...i put a cut down athearn plastic gear on for a trial, but the diameter is smaller, very little tooth engagement , and the loco needs to be stripped, and either recleared or painted...
unfortunately it probably wont be run, the only place for a decoder would be inside the boiler, and it would be a pretty tight fit...
but it's still winter here, who knows ??


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## dablaze (Apr 17, 2012)

I only figured it because of what looked like an extra hole near the pilot.


One like yours


And pics of each configuration (scroll down a bit)


Seems that Shay is right, I think the lead truck in the above was an added item.

It is a very cool little loco. I run about a dozen to 15 different logging locos and will have to hunt up one of those now.

Craig


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

It be a Red Ball/Howell Day import from May of '64...:thumbsup:


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

The way I read the ad is that it's a US prototype, .. However it shows real dates of 1911 / 1913, twenty five years newer than the era I'm trying to model, and a backwoods logging operation would not have had a " brand new " loco.... So I guess it's time to let this one go .. Too bad, stripped the old lacquer, a bit of soda blasting and resoldering , and a fresh coat of clear lacquer later, and its a display queen now, for me at least ...looks like I'm getting less choices for doing 1890's ... Lol


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## The New Guy (Mar 11, 2012)

wvgca said:


> ...it shows real dates of 1911 / 1913, twenty five years newer than the era I'm trying to model...So I guess it's time to let this one go. To bad...


That certainly is your prerogative. I'd keep it at least as long as you don't have what you need for your current era - perhaps you'll need to move your target. 

Sure would like to see the finished pictures.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Send it my way...my display shelves are a wall of anacronisms...


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## blackz28 (Jan 6, 2013)

so i guess a SD70ACE would fit into the 1890s lol


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

blackz28 said:


> so i guess a SD70ACE would fit into the 1890s lol


...and I don't lose a lick of sleep or have a mite of shame over it either...:thumbsup:


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

blackz28 said:


> so i guess a SD70ACE would fit into the 1890s lol


You betcha, holds the foam down while the glue is setting better than steel plate, lol
All joking aside, I don't really need most of what I have, eventually all the diesel will go, just average stuff, nothing special, and the bigger steam, well , maybe might have to hold onto the brass, at least some of it, just looks too nice to part with readily today.... ..
Will keep two spectrum shays, one with sound, same with two climaxes, one with sound again, and two 0-6-0T spectrums, no sound...reliable decent runners, would like to get a heisler, keep bidding just a bit short on eBay, they were 80 bucks six years ago, double that now easily..
I should get the track down in the next month or so, got maybe 120 feet down so far, not quite half, spend most of the time waiting for that pl300 foam safe glue to dry, then real work for the summer, and landscape / scenery next winter ..
It's all good...


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