3/4" Scale, 3-1/2" Gauge P-7 Class 4-6-2 #5300, PRESIDENT WASHINGTON, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
A classic live steam "Pacific" designed by Mr. H.J. Coventry, Baltimore MD, in 1931-32
A 1931 advertisement for the 3/4" P7 in "The Modelmaker" magazine. You can buy the EXACT castings that were mentioned in this ad, and build your own P7, today.....88 years after the ad was run.
The P7 "President", as built by Ted McJannett. Photo by Jim Leggett, used with permission.
The original P7 "President Washington" in 3/4" scale. Built by H.J. Coventry about 1932.
H.J. Coventry's original (1932) P-7 "President Washington", as seen in MANUAL OF MODEL STEAM LOCOMOTIVE CONSTRUCTION by Martin Evans, 1960. Compare to the other photos on this page.
Another example of the 3/4" scale "President Washington", by a different builder, and as formerly seen in the Miniature Power Products catalog.
An ad for the 3/4" P7 from 1931 in "The Modelmaker" magazine. Friends Models is pleased and honored to offer you these exact same castings, from the same patterns, 88 years after this ad was run. All castings are "sand cast" the old fashioned way at local, "neighborhood" foundries in New England, USA.
The prototype P7 #5300 locomotive was built by Baldwin in 1927 for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Twenty locomotives of the class were built, and they were named after the first 20 presidents.
This 3/4" scale live steam locomotive was designed by Mr. Coventry in the early-1930s at the request of several live steamers who had built Mr. Coventry's 1/2" scale version of it (starting in 1928) and who wanted a larger, heavier "live steamer" to build and run. Thus the 3/4" scale P7 "came to be" and debuted in the early 1930s; it was advertised in "The Modelmaker" magazine at that time. It became Mr. Coventry's most popular and well-known design. Many examples were built and are still running today.
The 3/4" scale P7 design was commercially available from Mr. Coventry until sometime in the 1960s. In the 1960s, the P7 design was sold to a new owner. By the 1970s, the 3/4" scale Coventry P7 design had changed ownership no fewer than three times; it was off the market for most if not all of that time; and it even traveled from Connecticut to California during these ownership changes. Finally, it was purchased by Miniature Power Products in Ontario Canada in 1979, which put it back on the market and produced castings for it from 1979 until 2010
When "Friends" acquired the design, Friends had new coring made, brand new, that would allow a cylinder to be cast that would be exactly to Mr. Coventry's original design specifications. With all complex "steps" and passages "cored in", the cylinder is able to be much-more-easily machined by "amateur" or "hobbyist" machinists, than prior. In fact it can be done on a 10" lathe with faceplate. This is the first time since the 1960s that these cylinders have been produced with this specialized coring; and the first time in decades that the cylinders are "as Mr. Coventry" envisioned & designed them.
Other details on the locomotive include:
Coal Fired 5-1/8" diameter boiler; copper, silver soldered Piston Valves 5" drive wheels Superheater Steam Brakes Power Reverse Hand pump in the tender; axle pump between the frames Left and/or Right Injectors, and VanBrocklin duplex water pump, optional
The H.J. Coventry "President Washington". This is classic 3-1/2" gauge coal-fired live steam.
Front end details up close.....the smokebox front, headlight, cylinders, the front deck, the front beam, the pilot (cowcatcher), the coupler and coupler pocket.
The valve gear and motion. The Walschaert valve gear drives a piston valve which works in a steam chest that has all ports "cored-into" the casting, thus eliminating what was, for hobbyists, a nearly-impossible "step boring" operation in the steam chest.
The P7's cab. The roof removes for easy access to the throttle, blower, steam brakes, power reverse, injector, and VanBrocklin steam pump.
The P7's backhead.
The Power Reverse. Powered by live steam from the turret, it actually works! Power Reverse Cylinder, Steam Chest, and Guide are shown.
Want to look the project over?
Complete set of drawings $295.00 plus shipping. The drawings are the same quality as regular engineering drawings. Each component is completely detailed, so as to avoid any confusion, or difficulty in interpretation.
For shipping outside the USA, please contact me for payment details. Friends Yankee Shop Models ships worldwide.
Castings List & Pricing
The following is the complete list of castings for the 3/4" scale "President Washington". All are "in the rough" and require machining to blueprint specification (blueprints are available above). Castings are of cast iron, bronze, brass, and aluminum. They may be purchased in "sections", as listed below.
All shipping prices are to the USA. For other countries, please inquire about shipping rates, or please make your purchase and pay the "USA" shipping rate, and I will send an invoice for the shipping balance for your country.
Sections with no shipping price specified are large or heavy, and shipping will be calculated based on your address and location. For these sections, please make your purchase and I will send a shipping invoice after your purchase. Thank you!
Frame
Guide Yoke Motion Beam Bumper Beam Deck Plate Front Coupler Pocket Cross Tie Frame Brace Brake Hanger Brackets
Brakes and Valve Gear
Brake Cylinder Brake Lever Brake Hangers, 2 left and 2 right Brake Hangers Brake Shoe Ring Transverse Equalizer Link Brackets Reverse Shaft Brackets Lifting Arms
Drivers
Main Drivers, heavy counterweight (2) Front and Rear Drivers, light counterweight (4) Main Bearings Bronze Bar (for bottom of main bearings, and for front truck bearings) Axle Pump Body Axle Pump Eccentric Strap Axle Pump Eccentric
Cylinders
Cylinders Front Covers Rear Covers Glands Crossheads
Front Truck & Trailing Truck
Engine (front) Truck Frames Front Truck Bolster Front Truck Transom Center Plate Truck Wheels Rear Cradle Trailing Truck Frame Trailing Truck Wheels Trailing Truck Journal Box
Front End
Smokebox Front Smokebox Ring Smokebox Door Smoke Stack Stack Base Petticoat Washer Petticoat (draft) Pipe Exhaust Pipe Base Exhaust Pipe Tip Superheater Header and Throttle Dry Pipe Flange
Boiler
Mudring Front Tubeplate Firedoor Ring Firedoor Top Feed (for water) Pipe Flange Steam Turret Top Feed Flange Gland Blow Off (Blowdown) valve
Boiler Fittings
Sandbox Steam Dome Cover Cab Front Cab Sides Power Reverse Cylinder Power Reverse Chest Power Reverse Guide Headlight Bell Bracket Bell Frame and Yoke Compressor Pump (dummy) Oil Tank Brackets Brake Valve
Tender
Tender Underframe Tender Truck Frames Tender Truck Journal Box Tender Bolster Tender Wheels Tender Tank Filler Hole Couplers (2) Hand Pump and Handle
Machinery Requirements: 9" (or larger) lathe, small to medium sized milling machine, drill press, grinder, machinsts' layout tools, hand tools, etc.
The complete set of approximately 120 castings in iron, bronze, brass, and aluminum are available for purchase in "sections". To purchase by PAYPAL or your credit card, click below. Money orders, personal checks, and "non Paypal" credit cards also accepted. For more information, please contact me.
Frame Section
Frame
Guide Yoke Motion Beam Bumper Beam Deck Plate Front Coupler Pocket Cross Tie Frame Brace Brake Hanger Brackets
Brakes & Valve Gear
Brakes and Valve Gear
Brake Cylinder Brake Lever Brake Hangers, 2 left and 2 right Brake Hangers Brake Shoe Ring Transverse Equalizer Link Brackets Reverse Shaft Brackets Lifting Arms
Drivers
Drivers
Main Drivers, heavy counterweight (2) Front and Rear Drivers, light counterweight (4) Main Bearings Bronze Bar (for bottom of main bearings, and for front truck bearings) Axle Pump Body Axle Pump Eccentric Strap Axle Pump Eccentric
Cylinders
Cylinders
Cylinders Front Covers Rear Covers Glands Crossheads
Trucks Section
Trucks
Engine (front) Truck Frames Front Truck Bolster Front Truck Transom Center Plate Truck Wheels Rear Cradle Trailing Truck Frame Trailing Truck Wheels Trailing Truck Journal Box
Front End
Front End
Smokebox Front Smokebox Ring Smokebox Door Smoke Stack Stack Base Petticoat Washer Petticoat (draft) Pipe Exhaust Pipe Base Exhaust Pipe Tip
Superheater Header and Throttle Dry Pipe Flange
Boiler
Boiler
Mudring Front Tubeplate Firedoor Ring Firedoor Top Feed (for water) Pipe Flange Steam Turret Top Feed Flange Gland Blow Off (Blowdown) valve
Boiler Fittings
Boiler Fittings
Sandbox Steam Dome Cover Cab Front Cab Sides Power Reverse Cylinder Power Reverse Chest Power Reverse Guide Headlight Bell Bracket Bell Frame and Yoke Compressor Pump (dummy) Oil Tank Brackets Brake Valve
Tender Section
Tender
Tender Underframe Tender Truck Frames Tender Truck Journal Box Tender Bolster Tender Wheels Tender Tank Filler Hole Couplers (2) Hand Pump and Handle
Two views of a different 3/4" scale HJ Coventry P7 class "President" under construction, this one back in the early 1980s. Top view shows the trailing truck, cradle, and grate. The bottom view is of the chassis as seen from above. Brake cylinder, guide yoke, and motion beam are clearly seen in this rare view. This design has been successfully built by live steamers since the 1930s. The blueprints are complete in every detail, and each part is individually shown.
Joe Hild runs his 3/4" scale P7 class 4-6-2 Pacific "President Washington" at the New England Live Steamers track behind the Friend Box Co. in Danvers, MA in the 1940s. Donald Hills, photo.
Herbert Hild runs Joe Hild's 3/4" scale P-7 class PRESIDENT WASHINGTON at Danvers, MA in 1946. Photo by Donald Hills, courtesy Robert Hornsby, used with permission.
Brothers Herb Hild and Joe Hild on their 3/4" scale PRESIDENT WASHINGTON at the NELS track at Danvers, MA in the 1940s.
H.J. Coventry's original 3/4" scale P-7 class 4-6-2 #5300; shown here in 2009 before its cleanup for display.
