Great Northern S2


Great Northern Railway S2 4-8-4

Great Northern S2 Locomotives are in stock (kits and factory built)

The GN S2 is the latest US locomotive model produced by Aster. Equipped with a very efficient C-type alcohol burning boiler it will pull a 8 car J&M heavyweight passenger consist or a 40 car freight drag for approximately 1 hour on one tank of fuel. For technical details see the spec sheet below. Don't miss out on this superb engine. Total production for World wide distribution is only 257 units.

Below, the GNS2 pilot models # 2584 in green and # 2575 in black under steam.

Black S2's numbered 2575 (in kit form or factory built) will only be available by special pre order.

Notice: We have commissioned a few additional black kits. Some are still available on a first come first served base.

Some technical facts. The black version GN S2 # 2575 is identical in design and performance to the green version # 2584. Only the engine number and color is different. Each kit contains 875 manufactured components and 950 hardware items such as screws, nuts, pins, o-rings, springs, wires etc. All pilot truck, trailing truck and tender truck axles are coil sprung. The four driving axles are equalized. Other functional features are reverser-, regulator-, blower, and whistle valve. Cylinder drain cocks, water by-pass-, boiler blow down valve and water gauge glass. Axle driven feed water pump, tender water pump, tender water drain plug and removable alcohol fuel tank, Boiler safety valves, steam oil tank for cylinder lubrication, functional fire box door and a battery powered headlight and working knuckle couplers. All metal construction, no plastic parts. For additional details please call or e-mail.

The shipping carton pictured is the same for kits and factory assembled locomotives with a slight difference in weight only.

We ship UPS ground / insured . Shipping costs are not included in the sales price of the locomotives and will be quoted on a individual bases.

Any questions about this locomotive ? Please e-mail, or call us during business hours.

Errata information and helpful tips for kit assembly. Please read and print out this information before starting your kit assembly. Click thumbnails below.

click thumbnails below for full size view

Meet the two designers of the Great Northern S2 project.

Mr. Hitoshi Miura (on the left) is a veteran designer of 20+ years with Aster Hobby Co. Inc. Many Aster locomotives can be attributed to his skills and expertise. Mr. Ko Shimada (on the right) has joined the Aster company beginning of 2007. He has proved his skills by designing the beautiful GN S2 Vanderbilt tender, a first for him and Aster Hobby Co.

click thumbnails below for full elevation drawing of live size S2 locomotive

(The only preserved GN S2 locomotive is located in Havre MT. It does not represent the correct Great Northern "Glacier Park" color scheme).

Introduction

In 1930 Baldwin locomotive works supplied 14 high speed passenger locomotives to the Great Northern Railway. These fast and massive looking type S2 4-8-4's serviced one of the most remembered names in passenger train travel, "The Empire Builder".

Originating in Chicago IL, the "Empire Builder" operated on Great Northern track from Minneapolis MS across the great plains and Cascade mountains to Seattle WA. (The name and route remains in use today by AMTRAK.) The S2's where the last steam locomotives in express passenger service for the Great Northern before Diesels took over. Engine 2584 (pictured above) is the sole survivor of the series and remains on public display in the remote town of Havre / Montana.

Aster Hobby Co. Inc. of Japan is manufacturing the legendary # 2584 from original Baldwin drawings, decorated in its famous "Glacier Park" paint scheme. Locomotive # 2575, which was the first of the 14 S2's delivered to the Great Northern will be produced in black livery (as eventually all of them ended up when demoted to freight service). Pictures of the pilot model development in progress will be posted on this web page as they become available. The production release of this exiting new engine is projected for spring 2008. The completed pilot model will be officially introduced at the Diamondhead MS 2008 steam up. We hope you will become one of the proud owners of this milestone US steam locomotive.

The pictures below reveal noticeable modifications applied to the entireS2 fleet during their period of service. Locomotive # 2575 poses as delivered from Baldwin in 1930 while locomotive # 2584 reveals technical changes applied before retirement in the late 1950's. Both Aster models will be built in "as retired appearance".