George Dimond
With Bill Van Brocklin's new 4-4-0 on the turntable, the guys look on. Charlie Purinton, George Dimond, Bill Van Brocklin and Cap Purinton. August 22, 1987 meet at Carl Purinton's Boxford Outer Belt track. Photo by Bob Hornsby.
Locomotives Constructed
May 1984
The Canadian National's 6017 was a regular engine on the summer passenger run from Montreal, Quebec, to Portland, Maine. CNR locomotives were used regularly over the Grand Trunk (Lines East) when needed. During the winter months, when traffic was lighter, these passenger trains were handled by 5200 series Pacifics or 3400 series Mikados. George Dimond had seen the 6017 many times, pulling the Pullman-green Grand Trunk and Canadian National passenger equipment and developed a deep appreciation for its lines.
His first Live Steam locomotive was a Hudson which he bought, reboilered, rebuilt into a Pacific and ran for twenty-two years. He sold it in 1983. His second engine was a model of the Boston & Maine heavy Pacific Number 3714.
The CNR 6017 was George's third Live Steam locomotive and was completed in September 1969. Using available 5 inch drivers (scale for 80 inch drivers in 3/4 inch scale), he enlarged the boiler, cab, etc., a bit to compensate for the fact that the prototype had 73 inch drivers. It runs on 3-1/2 inch gauge track, even though George points out that it is not built to an exact 3/4 inch scale ... but the pictures would never show it. It's a beautiful replica of the 6017 as she looked in the late 1920s .. with inboard journals on the lead truck and before the addition of smokelifters. The 6017 has 1-3/8 by 1-3/4 inch diameter cylinders, 3/4 inch diameter piston valves, a copper boiler with 1/2 inch flues and is not superheated. It will handle about twenty cars and George up a one percent grade although it may balk at starting with that load on the grade.
Next came a Reading 2-8-0, Number 2017 - one of those powerful-looking brutes with the wide Wooten firebox. The Consolidation with 90psig will take George and thirty-five cars up that one percent grade.
Following the 2017 was a USRA Mikado, patterned after those owned by the Maine Central. It, too, is a beauty!
George now has under construction a Rutland 4-6-0, using the late Walter Allen's drawings.
We're looking forward to presenting a more detailed look at George Dimond's locomotives in another issue of Modeltec.
