LE New Northern

This forum is dedicated to the Live Steam Hobbyist Community.

Moderators: cbrew, Harold_V

Miserlou57
Posts: 151
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:06 pm

LE New Northern

Post by Miserlou57 »

Hello,

I'm interested in knowing a little bit about the LE New Northern. Does anyone have any experience with them?

They look like they share the vast majority of the parts as the LE Atlantic, Pacific, and the larger boiler of the Hudson. I don't see very many of them around. Their site says its basically a Southern Pacific design, but do they mean it's derived from the Atlantic/Pacific which were true SP engines, or is it actually very close to the SP GS-1 Northerns? Are they prototypical of anything "out of the box" or are they freelance?

I struggle to find any info or pictures of them online aside from on LE's site.

Any info would be great.

Thanks,
DS
Hudson Honey
Posts: 1124
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:56 am
Location: San Diego area

Re: LE New Northern

Post by Hudson Honey »

It can be pretty much built as anything you like.....it is generic enough you can fudge details to create any northern you wish. If you go this route......use a laser or waterjet cut one piece frame rails ..not the built up

You could also go the route I did......I was building a hudson ...but scraped it and went with the hudson version of the old northern which has been drastically redesigned with many improvements.
The old northern is an alco design


Pamela
User avatar
LivingLegend
Posts: 2149
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 3:55 pm
Location: The Boonies of Alabama

Re: LE New Northern

Post by LivingLegend »

The old LE Northern is based upon an earlier UP FEF class..... The new LE Northern is based upon a SP GS-1 class.

Neither LE Northern is exactly 100% to the prototype loco.

I believe you'll also find the new Northern is a lighter version of the older one.... With a smaller boiler. Frame, engine truck, drivers, and some valve gear parts appear to from the LE 4-4-2/4-6-2, with the cradle and trailing truck appear to be from the new Northern. I think the new Northern has it's own cylinder casting.

Although the new Northern has piston steam valves as opposed to the old version's slide steam valve..... Both are outside admission.

Anyone out there able to offer additions/corrections to the above?

EDITED for Boo-Boo

LL
Last edited by LivingLegend on Fri Sep 14, 2012 1:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Do it right.... Or don't do it at all
I have no life. Therefore, I have a hobby
It's not that I'm apathetic, I just flat don't care
An Intellectual is nothing more than an Over-Educated IDIOT
Blogs: Where people with nothing to say..... Say it
WJH
Posts: 1417
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:29 pm
Location: Florida

Re: LE New Northern

Post by WJH »

LivingLegend wrote:The old LE Northern is based upon an earlier UP FEF class..... The new LE Northern is based upon a SP GS-1 class.

Neither LE Northern is exactly 100% to the prototype loco.

I believe you'll also find the new Northern is a lighter version of the older one.... With a smaller boiler. Frame, engine truck, drivers, and some valve gear parts appear to from the LE 4-4-2/4-6-2, with the cradle and trailing truck appear to be from the new Northern. I think the new Northern has it's own cylinder casting.

Although the new Northern has piston steam valves as opposed to the old version's slide steam valve..... Both are inside admission.

Anyone out there able to offer additions/corrections to the above?

LL
Inside admission with a slide valve? I've never seen that before.
User avatar
LivingLegend
Posts: 2149
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 3:55 pm
Location: The Boonies of Alabama

Re: LE New Northern

Post by LivingLegend »

Forgot....

The prototype SP GS-1 had smaller drivers.... around 73" diameter. The LE new Northern's drivers (like the old Northern) are 10" diameter.... or 80" prototype. The new LE drivers are spoked like the SP GS. The old LE drivers are Boxpox like the UP's.

LL
Do it right.... Or don't do it at all
I have no life. Therefore, I have a hobby
It's not that I'm apathetic, I just flat don't care
An Intellectual is nothing more than an Over-Educated IDIOT
Blogs: Where people with nothing to say..... Say it
User avatar
LivingLegend
Posts: 2149
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 3:55 pm
Location: The Boonies of Alabama

Re: LE New Northern

Post by LivingLegend »

Unless LE has come out with a new piston valve steam chest for the old Northern cylinders in recent years.... The original design old Northern used a slide valve in the steam chest, as did the LE 4-4-2/4-6-2. This is why the eccentric crank has a backwards set.... Because the valves use outside admission.

The steam chests and valve seats are/were just like those on a cylinder using slide valves.... as an engine like the old slide valve American would have.

The specs on the new Northern say it has piston valves. But the valve gears setup is for outside admission gear.... So the valve is outside admission. Right?

LL
Last edited by LivingLegend on Fri Sep 14, 2012 1:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Do it right.... Or don't do it at all
I have no life. Therefore, I have a hobby
It's not that I'm apathetic, I just flat don't care
An Intellectual is nothing more than an Over-Educated IDIOT
Blogs: Where people with nothing to say..... Say it
User avatar
cbrew
Posts: 3161
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 12:17 pm
Location: Vancouver Wa

Re: LE New Northern

Post by cbrew »

LivingLegend wrote:Unless LE has come out with a new piston valve steam chest for the old Northern cylinders in recent years.... The original design old Northern used a slide valve in the steam chest, as did the LE 4-4-2/4-6-2. This is why the eccentric crank has a backwards set.... Because the valves use inside admission.

LL
LL, I think you have it backward,
its not possible for a slide valve to be inside admission, where piston can be both inside and out side admission.

IIRC the "old" little engine locos where all outside admission slide valve engines which is the reason the eccentric crack is reversed.
I do believe someone offered a piston valve conversion that was still outside admission so the use did not have to change the valve gear,

the "new" little engines loco had true inside admission cylinders which had the correct valve gear configuration.
If it is not live steam. its not worth it.
User avatar
LivingLegend
Posts: 2149
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 3:55 pm
Location: The Boonies of Alabama

Re: LE New Northern

Post by LivingLegend »

Chris...

You are right.... I'm thinking backwards today. I ment outside admission. I see piston valve cylinders and automatically wrote inside instead of outside.

I'll correct the above.

LL
Last edited by LivingLegend on Fri Sep 14, 2012 1:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Do it right.... Or don't do it at all
I have no life. Therefore, I have a hobby
It's not that I'm apathetic, I just flat don't care
An Intellectual is nothing more than an Over-Educated IDIOT
Blogs: Where people with nothing to say..... Say it
Miserlou57
Posts: 151
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:06 pm

Re: LE New Northern

Post by Miserlou57 »

Are either of these GS-1's made from the LE New Northern? How much modification would be needed? I have no idea what an LE New Northern truly looks like...

Image



I fixed the youtube links :) cbrew
User avatar
LivingLegend
Posts: 2149
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 3:55 pm
Location: The Boonies of Alabama

Re: LE New Northern

Post by LivingLegend »

The loco in the videos is based on the new LE Northern.... Larger boiler and Boxpox drivers.

The loco in the photo isn't an old Northern. (Note that the builder in reversed the smokebox front ring .... The ring's door hinge bosses are on the engineer's side instead of the fireman's.)

If you want to see a true model of a GS-1.... Look up Don Yungling's GS-1 up at Sacramento.... That loco was scratch built.

LL
Last edited by LivingLegend on Fri Sep 14, 2012 1:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Do it right.... Or don't do it at all
I have no life. Therefore, I have a hobby
It's not that I'm apathetic, I just flat don't care
An Intellectual is nothing more than an Over-Educated IDIOT
Blogs: Where people with nothing to say..... Say it
User avatar
neanderman
Posts: 896
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2012 7:15 pm
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Re: LE New Northern

Post by neanderman »

Miserlou57 wrote:I'm interested in knowing a little bit about the LE New Northern.
Newbie here. LE?
Ed

LeBlond Dual Drive, 15x30
US-Burke Millrite MVI
Atlas 618
Files, snips and cold chisels

Proud denizen of the former "Machine Tool Capitol of the World"
User avatar
LivingLegend
Posts: 2149
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 3:55 pm
Location: The Boonies of Alabama

Re: LE New Northern

Post by LivingLegend »

LE = Little Engines.

LL
Do it right.... Or don't do it at all
I have no life. Therefore, I have a hobby
It's not that I'm apathetic, I just flat don't care
An Intellectual is nothing more than an Over-Educated IDIOT
Blogs: Where people with nothing to say..... Say it
Post Reply