Wheeling & Lake Erie O Scale Premier 2-8-4 Berkshire Steam Engine w/Proto-Sound 3.0 (Scale Wheels)

The Nickel Plate's 2-8-4 Berkshires belonged to one of steam's finest family trees. The first 2-8-4, Lima Locomotive Works A-1, inaugurated the superpower era in 1925. A four-wheel trailing truck allowed the A-1 to have a larger firebox and boiler, producing a combination of power and speed never seen before in a steam locomotive. Initially tested on the Boston and Albany Railroad, the new wheel arrangement was dubbed the Berkshire after the mountain range it conquered on the B&A.

At about the same time, the Van Sweringen brothers of Cleveland, Ohio assembled a group of railroads under their control, including the Chesapeake & Ohio, the Nickel Plate Road, the Pere Marquette, and the Erie Railroad. Under the leadership of talented designer John Black, an Advisory Mechanical Committee was formed to design engines for the Van Sweringen roads. The group turned out some of the finest locomotives of the super power era, and perhaps its crowning achievement was the "Nickel Plate Berk," a 2-8-4 introduced in 1934 and called by steam historian Eugene Huddleston "the greatest 2-8-4 ever to take to the rails." Engineers loved its looks, speed, power, and wonderful sound; as one recalled, "It was a thrill to operate them." Intended for fast freight, the 700-series Berks could also take off with an 18-20 car WWII troop train.

The Nickel Plate Berk returns to the Premier line in 2015, cataloged for the first time with Proto-Sound 3.0, upgraded with additional details and wireless drawbar, and featuring sounds from prototype NKP Berk No. 765, restored and in excursion service by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society.

• Die-Cast Boiler and Chassis
• Die-Cast Tender Body
• Authentic Paint Scheme
• Real Tender Coal Load
• Die-Cast Locomotive Trucks
• Engineer and Fireman Figures
• Metal Handrails and Decorative Bell
• Metal Wheels and Axles
• Kadee Coupler Mounting Pads
• Prototypical Rule 17 Lighting
• Constant Voltage Headlight
• Operating Firebox Glow
• Operating Marker Lights
• Operating Numberboard Lights
• Lighted Cab Interior
• Operating Tender Back-up Light
• Precision Flywheel Equipped Motor
• Synchronized Puffing ProtoSmoke System
• Locomotive Speed Control In Scale MPH Increments
• Wireless Drawbar
• 1:48 Scale Proportions
• Onboard DCC Receiver
• Proto-Scale 3-2 3-Rail/2-Rail Conversion Capable
• Proto-Sound 3.0 With The Digital Command System Featuring Quillable Whistle With Passenger Station Proto-Effects
• Unit Measures: 26” x 2 1/2” x 3 7/8”
• Operates On 54" Radius Curves Steam DCC Features
• Headlight/Tail light
• Bell
• Whistle
• Start-up/Shut-down
• Passenger Station/Freight Yard Sounds
• All Other Lights (On/Off)
• Master Volume
• Front Coupler
• Rear Coupler
• Forward Signal
• Reverse Signal
• Grade Crossing
• Smoke On/Off
• Smoke Volume
• Idle Sequence 3
• Idle Sequence 2
• Idle Sequence 1
• Extended Start-up
• Extended Shut-down
• One Shot Doppler
• Coupler Slack
• Coupler Close
• Single Horn Blast
• Engine Sounds
• Brake Sounds
• Cab Chatter
• Feature Reset
• Labor Chuff
• Drift Chuff