The 4-4-0 American-class steamer was the most common locomotive at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th.  It was the first steamer produced in large numbers, and is the one that opened up the west -- it's also probably the one that you see in all of the old wild-west pictures.  Both of the examples, above and below, are from the Central RailRoad of NJ, better known as the Jersey Central.

Here's the Jupiter, a 4-4-0 American, today preserved in a museum collection

Here's an American-type located in the California State Railway Museum in Sacramento; I took this photo during my visit there.

This is Central Pacific #1.

Here's the New York Central #999, the first locomotive to go more than 100 miles per hour.

Finally, here are some photos of the Pennsylvania RR #1223, which I took at the Railroad Museum of PA.

Around Christmas of 2005, MTH brought out a premier model of the PRR D16d 4-4-0 American steam locomotive.  It's a model of a small late 19th/early 20th century locomotive and it's very attractive as you can see in the following photos.  The first shows the locomotive and tender broadside.

The next photo shows the locomotive.

The third photo shows the tender with its beautiful pinstriped decoration.

The next photo shows detail around the cab.  Note the firebox protruding far into the cab.

The next photo shows the front end detail.  Note the old style headlight and marker lights.

Here's the builder's plate, clearly readable though quite tiny.

Here's the face of the locomotive -- isn't that a happy face! 

Finally, here's the rear of the tender, showing the old style backup and marker lights.

For comparison, here's a photo of a prototype PRR class D16d American.

Up above, I have a photo of NYC #999 as it exists today.  When it was built, it was a very different locomotive, with massive 86" drivers designed to allow it to achieve great speed -- over 100 mph!  In early 2006, MTH brought out a superb model of the #999 and here are some photos.  The first shows the locomotive.

The next shows the tender.

Note the trucks with spoked and pinstriped wheels on the tender!

Here's the detail on those massive drivers.

The detail continues on the front end of the locomotive.

Here's the locomotive posed for an action shot!

This is the 'face' of the locomotive.  Note that the link-and-pin drawbar is not a painted casting but is an actual separate detail piece that moves!

Here's our engineer, about to take the #999 out on the mainline.

This is the fireman's side of the locomotive.

There's our fireman!

Detail abounds on this locomotive.

This is the backhead; you had to be skinny to work in this locomotive!

Last updated: 24 Feb 2023

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