# AHM(Rivarossi) 0-8-0 IHB Switcher



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

I always liked the look of the Indiana Harbor Belt Ry 0-8-0s with their brutish looks and Elesco feedwater heater mounted on the front end.

I have an HO AHM/Rivarossi 0-8-0 that I like, so I figure I would shop around for the O scale version. They are fairly plentiful on EBay as model kits to which you may add a motorizing kit. I found a factory built example with the motor and gear already installed at the factory.

These engines were made in Italy by Rivarossi and sold under the AHM brand. They are two rail DC. The model features the booster motor tender truck. The booster was a geared steam motor that was used to start very heavy trains and maintain slow drag speeds as the drivers had the tendency to slip under heavy loads.

The actual model I have needs a bit of work. I was able to buy parts for it. The front pilot footboard is missing. All the other details are there. I plan on painting the silver hand rails and cut levers to black and the weathering the engine...

Tom


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## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

I have always like that engine too. Never realized they made a motorized one from the factory. Probably not too hard to add pickup rollers to the tender and at least add an E unit if not command of some sort. Is the body pretty much all plastic?

Pete


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

Very nice looking engine. I'm a little confused. You say it's 2 rail but the photos show it on 3 rail. Did you convert it to 3 rail or is it just for the photos.


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## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

No, I just used my test track to take pictures of it. I thought about converting it to three rail.

It is just like their HO version, very light weight and all plastic construction. It definitely would need some weight added. Light as a feather compared to a Lionel or MTH steam engine...

Tom


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## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

It appears the flanges are pre NMRA which were larger than NMRA flanges. I believe it would handle three rail track OK. You could verify that capabilty by just adding a full wave bridge along with some pickups before investing in more sophisticated electronics. Using any caboose or other car with pickups and you wouldn't even have to mess with the tender at all.

Pete


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## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

Norton said:


> I have always like that engine too. Never realized they made a motorized one from the factory. Probably not too hard to add pickup rollers to the tender and at least add an E unit if not command of some sort. Is the body pretty much all plastic?
> 
> Pete


Here is the box it came in...pretty rough...

The box side pic show the various stages you could buy it in...

Tom


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## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

Norton said:


> It appears the flanges are pre NMRA which were larger than NMRA flanges. I believe it would handle three rail track OK. You could verify that capabilty by just adding a full wave bridge along with some pickups before investing in more sophisticated electronics. Using any caboose or other car with pickups and you wouldn't even have to mess with the tender at all.
> 
> Pete


Thanks for the suggestions, Pete.

It is pretty old. I would like to look into converting it. That or slipping a three rail Locomotive chassis into the boiler somehow...

Tom


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

Looks like if one wanted to, it could be easily turned into a 2-8-0 or 2-8-2.


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## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

Yeah, it would be a good candidate for that. I am a 0-8-0 fan, so mine will stay that way. 

It would make a great, massive road engine with the addition of a pilot truck, trailing truck or both...

Tom


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Nice engine. A real brute, particularly with the booster engine. I would love to have one in three rail.


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## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

Lee Willis said:


> Nice engine. A real brute, particularly with the booster engine. I would love to have one in three rail.


I am surprised that nobody has done a model in three rail. I would buy it in a second!

Tom


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

How many of you noticed that this is a three cylinder locomotive?


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## PENNSY484 (Sep 1, 2019)

Yeah, that really is a good looking, utilitarian looking locomotive. I was wondering about the flanges, they do look like somewhere between two rail and three rail sized.
Interesting fact about the preNMRA flanges, as well as the idea of using a caboose or other car with rollers to house and implement a rectifier for a quick and easier conversion. I am new here and can already tell I am going to learn a lot on this forum! Good stuff!


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## HarborBelt1970 (Sep 24, 2015)

Big Jim said:


> How many of you noticed that this is a three cylinder locomotive?


I’ll put my hand up for yes; the internal third cylinder/booster is an interesting detail. I am not sure if it was specific to the Indiana Harbor Belt.

I have one of these made for two rail O scale with a motor and headlight. I ran it only once and it has been a display item since.

Regarding a 3 rail version, Lionel cataloged one in Harbor Belt livery in the 2016 Signature edition but I have never seen it and am not sure it was in fact produced. In any case, the catalog illustration does *not* show running gear on the front tender wheels and so the third cylinder detail may have been omitted. :smilie_daumenneg:


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## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

HarborBelt1970 said:


> I’ll put my hand up for yes; the internal third cylinder/booster is an interesting detail. I am not sure if it was specific to the Indiana Harbor Belt.
> 
> I have one of these made for two rail O scale with a motor and headlight. I ran it only once and it has been a display item since.
> 
> Regarding a 3 rail version, Lionel cataloged one in Harbor Belt livery in the 2016 Signature edition but I have never seen it and am not sure it was in fact produced. In any case, the catalog illustration does *not* show running gear on the front tender wheels and so the third cylinder detail may have been omitted. :smilie_daumenneg:


Lionel made it. There is one on eBay now. Its simply a USRA 0-8-0 with none of the IHB detail.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LIONEL-6-8...260019&hash=item287b7a3b34:g:KwAAAOSwV~tcr3d-

Pete


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## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

Some of the builder shots I saw online have the third cylinder cap in plain, bright steel so it would stand out. 

The Lionel version is typical of some of the smaller 0-8-0s the IHB used. Just the headlight is mounted in the wrong place...

Tom


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## HarborBelt1970 (Sep 24, 2015)

A bit of digging around, including the website where this roster appears http://www.dhke.com/ihbarchive/ihbsteam.html suggests that there were only three "SuperSwitchers" with the third cylinder and booster made for the IHB, numbered 100-102. As noted above, there were several more different 0-8-0's used on the IHB. 

The model is actually much more interesting than I realized when I got it off fleaBay many years ago. Mine came in a dilapidated original box.


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