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Description
Here is Day Eight of Diamond Jubilee's Advent Calendar: a sprite of an American steam locomotive and also a request from Pikash823 — the PRR B6sb, number 1670, but with British mods (shorter funnel and domes, buffers, different couplings, life guards in place of cow catcher).

The Class B6 was the Pennsylvania Railroad's most successful switcher (or 'shifter', the term which the road preferred). The PRR built the first member of the class at its Altoona shops in 1902, with the road's trademark square-shouldered Belpaire firebox. The class had four-foot-eight-inch drivers and had piston valves driven by Stephenson motion. The B6's were built as saturated engines, but were later rebuilt with superheaters and re-classified B6s. 79 were built between 1902 and 1913 by Baldwin and Lima, as well as the PRR's own Altoona shops.

A batch of 55 were built entirely by Altoona between 1913 and 1914, but had the Stephenson gear replaced by the rather more conventional Walschaerts valve gear. Unusually, this subclass was built with a round-topped radial stay firebox; most other PRR steam locomotives had the road's trademark Belpaire firebox. They had outside steam pipes, and were built with superheaters. One B6sa, number 60 (the 27th member of the subclass built, in December 1913), survives as a plinth though in a sorry state on one of the Wilmington and Western's sidings in Hockessin, Delaware. The 60 had a somewhat interesting history after her retirement in 1952; she was sold to the Chemline Corporation in Harmarville, Pennsylvania for potential use as a stationary boiler. For some reason this was not to be, and the 60 was left to rot on a siding for 30 years, as elements and vandalism hastened her deterioration. She was however purchased and saved by the Wilmington and Western Railroad and it lives there today, though no longer fit to run.

The Belpaire firebox returned on the next group of engines— the B6sb's. Between 1916 and 1920, 238 examples were built. The final 97 had their piston valves mounted outboard rather than inboard, giving the cylinder casting a distinctively outward slope. All B6sa's and B6sb's were retrofitted with power reverse so as to make the hectic task of switching back-and-forth in the yards much easier. Although PRR steam ended in 1957, number 5244 (itself a B6sb, built in 1916) was leased to Union Transportation in New Egypt, New Jersey until its withdrawal in July 1959 (two years after the end of steam on the Pennsylvania); sadly the 5244 was— most likely— eventually cut up, leaving number 1670 the only surviving B6sb.

1670, built in March 1916, is the only other surviving Pennsy B6, having worked in the Baltimore area for most of its life before withdrawal on the 15th of October, 1957. It was the penultimate member of its class to be withdrawn, but it was chosen by the Railroad for its historic collection (it represented the PRR's 0-6-0). 1670 was moved to the Northumberland roundhouse for safekeeping until it was donated—along with the rest of the collection—to the new RR Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg some years later. Unlike its sister, it is in pretty good condition though it is missing some parts (except that the connecting rod was placed on the tender).

You can use it if (or however) you like to use it, but credit is due.

ENJOY!

Thomas and Friends © HiT Entertainment, Britt Allcroft (Thomas) Ltd/Gullane, and Mattel.
The Railway Series © The Awdry Family, HiT, and Egmont Publishing.
Sprite style © Cj-The-Creator and LeMuffinQueen

Description
Here is Day Eight of Diamond Jubilee's Advent Calendar: a sprite of an American steam locomotive and also a request from Pikash823 — the PRR B6sb, number 1670, but with British mods (shorter funnel and domes, buffers, different couplings, life guards in place of cow catcher).

The Class B6 was the Pennsylvania Railroad's most successful switcher (or 'shifter', the term which the road preferred). The PRR built the first member of the class at its Altoona shops in 1902, with the road's trademark square-shouldered Belpaire firebox. The class had four-foot-eight-inch drivers and had piston valves driven by Stephenson motion. The B6's were built as saturated engines, but were later rebuilt with superheaters and re-classified B6s. 79 were built between 1902 and 1913 by Baldwin and Lima, as well as the PRR's own Altoona shops.

A batch of 55 were built entirely by Altoona between 1913 and 1914, but had the Stephenson gear replaced by the rather more conventional Walschaerts valve gear. Unusually, this subclass was built with a round-topped radial stay firebox; most other PRR steam locomotives had the road's trademark Belpaire firebox. They had outside steam pipes, and were built with superheaters. One B6sa, number 60 (the 27th member of the subclass built, in December 1913), survives as a plinth though in a sorry state on one of the Wilmington and Western's sidings in Hockessin, Delaware. The 60 had a somewhat interesting history after her retirement in 1952; she was sold to the Chemline Corporation in Harmarville, Pennsylvania for potential use as a stationary boiler. For some reason this was not to be, and the 60 was left to rot on a siding for 30 years, as elements and vandalism hastened her deterioration. She was however purchased and saved by the Wilmington and Western Railroad and it lives there today, though no longer fit to run.

The Belpaire firebox returned on the next group of engines— the B6sb's. Between 1916 and 1920, 238 examples were built. The final 97 had their piston valves mounted outboard rather than inboard, giving the cylinder casting a distinctively outward slope. All B6sa's and B6sb's were retrofitted with power reverse so as to make the hectic task of switching back-and-forth in the yards much easier. Although PRR steam ended in 1957, number 5244 (itself a B6sb, built in 1916) was leased to Union Transportation in New Egypt, New Jersey until its withdrawal in July 1959 (two years after the end of steam on the Pennsylvania); sadly the 5244 was— most likely— eventually cut up, leaving number 1670 the only surviving B6sb.

1670, built in March 1916, is the only other surviving Pennsy B6, having worked in the Baltimore area for most of its life before withdrawal on the 15th of October, 1957. It was the penultimate member of its class to be withdrawn, but it was chosen by the Railroad for its historic collection (it represented the PRR's 0-6-0). 1670 was moved to the Northumberland roundhouse for safekeeping until it was donated—along with the rest of the collection—to the new RR Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg some years later. Unlike its sister, it is in pretty good condition though it is missing some parts (except that the connecting rod was placed on the tender).

You can use it if (or however) you like to use it, but credit is due.

ENJOY!

Thomas and Friends © HiT Entertainment, Britt Allcroft (Thomas) Ltd/Gullane, and Mattel.
The Railway Series © The Awdry Family, HiT, and Egmont Publishing.
Sprite style © Cj-The-Creator and LeMuffinQueen