By 2000 LGB needed the American market more than ever. The American LGB fan shelled out big money for engines without hesitation where(as) the German and European customer was holding back when prices got 'too high'. And the Mikado was the perfect engine for that. A big steam engine, easy on the eyes with a history of success and some even built for narrow gauge it made for a wonderful engine to offer the US LGB customer.
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| A German built Mikado - Courtesy of wikipedia.com...by Olaf |
She needed to be designed. Molds needed to be made. LGB had never made a 2-8-2 Mikado before. In addition, Guenter Ruhland, head mold master LGB since 1968 had just retired. And your Famous Klaus who in the past had consulted Gunter Ruhland technically had just emigrated to the USA and had no longer any connections to LGB. Now what? A completely unfazed Rolf Richter just commanded to have a Mikado built and that was that, right? It would come to haunt him.
In short succession LGB announced these Mikado types as new engines to come:
LGB # Year (of manufacturing/delivery)
20872 2001
22872 2002
21872 2003
23872 2003
24872 2003
25872 2003
22871 2004
A hand model was built and looked great. Well this one didn't need to operate. Tools were made. Manufacturing and partial assembling had been transferred to China. Rolf Richter was hoping for a deluge of small volumes so he could offer an onslaught of new models a few times a year. He had them advertised accordingly.....(see previous blog remarks on this topic).
Then the first Mikados were ready to be shipped and delivered to customers, mainly in the USA.
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| LGB 20872 hand model - LGBoA 2000 INFO note the upcoming LGB Mikado numbers already listed |
The complaints started coming as soon as the first LGB Mikados hit the track. Was LGB trying to catch lightning in a bottle or were they just in too deep? Facts were: The Mikado was the most challenging design of the LGB (built) locos with the largest wheels and it was also the heaviest LGB loco. That engine design required an articulate drive train.She called for a fully suspended drive with three kardanic shafts.
Rolf Richter ordered manufacturing of the most complicated engine design ever built by LGB at a time where he had shifted manufacturing to China (tool and mold testing?) and had lost the majority of his most experienced,creative and craftsmanship manpower (technical problem solving).
The man in charge tried his best: to keep it simple LGB utilized an old kardanic design which is to be found in the LGB 2066-1 Railbus. A plastic coupler was pressed on an axle and that was it. What is good and sufficient for the Railbus must not necessarily be fitting for the Mikado. Pretty soon these couplers started slipping on the axle with the disastrous effect that the Mikado axles got out of sync. More ramifications followed...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++to be continued...................................
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