Tomalco 2-8-0: Denver & Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) #223

Tomalco

2-8-0

Denver & Rio Grande Western (D&RGW)

C-16

Sn3

1976

223

500 (between Sn3 & Sn42)

Brass

unpainted

This was Tomalco's second locomotive. According to Bruce Blalock, Pacific Fast Mail wanted to produce a nice Sn3 steam locomotive, but they couldn't get cooperation from their regular factory in Japan. So, they contacted Dick Truesdale, who was using a different factory in Japan for his Westside Models company (Dick was a Pan Am airline pilot, and so was able to make regular flights to Japan to check up on his projects being built there). PFM contacted Tomalco to for them to produce a number of detailing parts for the engine project. This is how both the PFM and Tomalco name shows up on the boxes of these engines. The only motor that they could get to fit in the model at the time was an open-frame Pittman-style motor, which had disappointing performance. Since PFM wound up with a large, unsold inventory, Bill Peter, of Foreground Models (at the time, later renamed to P-B-L) bought the inventory at "fire-sale" prices and started making complete train sets in Sn3.