Camelbacks, also known as Mother Hubbards were first built by the Pennsylvania and Reading’s shops in 1877 and were a common sight in the anthracite coal regions of the US in the late 19 th and early 20th Century. To take advantage of the available wealth of fuel, John E. Wooten developed the large, wide Wooten firebox to effectively burn anthracite waste that was both plentiful and cheap. Because of its efficient use of coal as a fuel the Camelback design was later adopted by railroads in the west and mid-west.
As the successful trailing truck used to support large fireboxes had not yet been developed, the Wooten firebox had to be mounted above the driving wheels which also improved traction. The problem now arose that, with a cab mounted at the then standard tender deck height, it would be impossible for the engineer to see forward around the firebox. Instead, a cab for the engineer was placed above and astride the boiler providing visibility and giving the Camelback it name. The fireman stood on the rear deck, covered by a small shelter, when firing the boiler. While the Camelback was designed for fast freight service, it was later used for hauling suburban trains.
Mantua Camelbacks, Goats B7a's and B8a's are some of the most interesting, desirable, rare and just plain cool model locomotives ever offered.
FEATURES:
C9 Mint Condition with Excellent Original Box.
Operating Directional Front and Rear Headlamps.
One-piece boilers, cabs and tenders of pressure-cast Zamac high impact plastic.
Castings are sharp and clean and include highly detailed boiler fronts, smoke stacks, control valves, steam pipes, fire door, and rivet heads.
Stainless Steel hand rails and coupler release bars.
Powerful 5-Pole Motor.
Smooth, quiet nylon gears assembled on knurled axles.
Authentic brass hex-head screws for spacer-assembled side rods.
Replaceable long-life brass axle bearings.
Easy rolling pivot point truck axles of cadmium plated steel.
Heavy cast metal locomotive and tender frames.
Optional Upgrades Available*
TCS MC2-KAC Standard DCC Decoder Installed
TCS MC2-KAC Standard DCC Decoder w/KA4 Keep Alive Installed.
