NPC - No 1 - Sauselito

Prototype Research

This was the first engine purchased by the NPC. Baldwin builders records show her listed as builder no 3495, constructed in 1873 as a 2-6-0. According to Dickenson, she was delivered on June 15, 1874. She had 12x16 inch cylinders, 40 inch drivers and weighed 40,000 pounds. Dickenson states she had a straight boiler, a fact that appears to be born out by the photos. She was purchased for use as a construction engine.

No photos have surfaced of her as a 2-6-0 or with NPC lettering. The following two photos show her as a 4-4-0 working for White River Lumber. She was dismantled in 1903 and had her boiler installed in a creamery.

	Note the non-Baldwin front pilot wheels and the unusual front pilot. These non-Baldwin components are likely to be a part of her conversion to a 4-4-0. Click photo for a larger image.
	The sand dome placement is the opposite of its position on later Baldwin Moguls. Was the sand dome moved as part of the conversion to a 4-4-0? Click photo for a larger image.

This kitbashed Baldwin 2-6-0 is a really ugly engine as modified in these photos. The modifications make it difficult to identify her origins although it is certain she started out as a very early Baldwin 2-6-0. Here are builders photos from the 1872 and 1876 Baldwin catalog of early Moguls.

	This photo from the 1872 catalog shows a Baldwin 18D. Note the equal spacing between the drivers.
	Only four years later, the Mogul wheel arrangement had changed materially. This appears to be a shot of a 20D. But the engine was also available with 18 and 16 inch cylinders.

Specifications from publications on the NPC list No 1 as having 40 inch drivers. This is consistent with Baldwin specifications that indicate these engines were delivered with 36 to 40 inch drivers.

There has always been a fair amount of mystery surrounding this engine, its history on the North Pacific Coast and the reason for its conversion to a 4-4-0. Bruce MacGregor in his "The Birth of California Narrow Gauge" bases his theory on entries in NPC shop records that show the engine going through a major shopping in 1875. Noting an entry for 'turning the tyres', McGregor explains that the engine was showing premature tyre wear for an engine only in service for one year. The conversion of the 2-6-0 to a 4-4-0 shortened the rigid wheelbase from 11 feet 8 inches to to 7 feet 6 inches. According to MacGregor, she continued to serve the NPC until 1882 when she was sold to the L. E. White lumber Company in Elk River, California.

The above photos show her as a 4-4-0 but MacGregor notes that she still shows the crosshead, center bolted steam dome, and other features characteristic of a Baldwin 18-D.

Modeling Challenge

Given MacGregor's statement on her wheelbase and lacking evidence to the contrary, I'll assume her wheel arrangement is that of the later 18-D shown in the 1976 photo as the Baldwin specifications for that engine indicate a wheelbase of 11 feet 8 inches. The wheelbase of the earlier engine would have been shorter.

I considered two base engines as options for modeling this engine.

	Bachmann Spectrum 2-6-0 - this would be the logical choice as it is modeled after this class of engine. But I already have a model conversion in process of a Spectrum 2-6-0 to NPC No 13, the later early 2-6-0. In addition, the model as well as No 13 sport wagon top boilers while the No 1 carries a straight boiler.
	Aristocraft C-16 - I have one of these in my basement awaiting a bash. And I've wanted to do David Fletcher's Masterclass 2001 bash of the Aristo engine into a Mogul. A major down side is that at 1:20.3 the drivers scale to 30" well short of the driver diameter of the prototype.

To adapt a popular quote, "A bird in the hand is always cheaper than a bird in the bush." I'll go with the Aristo C-16. It is interesting to note that the drivers scale to 36" at 1:24, a diameter very close to the prototype. Of course, she'd appear undersized in relation to her 1:20.3 Baldwin 2-6-0 and 4-4-0 cousins. Yet somehow it feels fitting that the first of the NPC engines might also be the smallest. 1:20.3 or 1:24? Check out the specification page in the top left corner of this page to see why I decided to model in 1:24.

The top left-hand menu also links to other pages for this project.

NPC - No 1 - Sauselito

Prototype Research

Modeling Challenge

(c) 2007 Iron Horse 1:29