Rivarossi Heisler Steam Locomotive #92 3-Truck HO Scale DCC Ready Model Train

The Heisler was invented in 1891, and Charles L. Heisler received a patent in 1892. This locomotive made a significant impact on the logging industry of the United States through the turn of the century and on into 1941, when it was still being operated regularly. Although the Heisler was considered the fastest of the geared steam locomotives, its notoriety came from its impressive pulling capabilities. The high tractive effort was perfectly suited for moving long, heavy strings of loaded log cars both on flat ground and uphill.

On the two-truck model, the cylinders were centrally located under the drive shaft. The drive shaft is extended into the tender on the three-truck model for more fuel and water capacity, allowing for longer and heavier trips. These locomotives were set apart from the rest by the cylinders being slanted inwards at a 45-degree angle. The center shaft only drove one axle per truck as the wheels in each truck were connected with a side rod. Around 625 Heislers were produced, ranging from 17 tons to 95 tons.

Rivarossi, the Italian manufacturer and now part of the Hornby Hobbies family of brands, has produced some of the most iconic locomotives in steam, diesel, and electric over the last 50 years. Their Heisler locomotives and rolling stock feature knuckle couplers and are DCC Ready, configured for a 21-pin socket decoder for easy upgrade to Digital Circuits HO 1:87 and OO 1:76 Gauge railway layouts.

Add the Rivarossi Skeleton log cars to your layout and finish off the look of a Heisler, as they were regularly seen pulling these log cars out of the woods in the upper Midwest and Western United States in the early 20th century. After over 70 years of success, the St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company merged with the St. Regis Paper Company, a world-renowned producer of paper all around the country and founded in 1899. The St. Regis Paper Company's Heisler could be seen pulling logs out of the forests of the Pacific Northwest from the Milwaukee Railroad Line connecting the west to the east, as well as the Northern Pacific.

Building your model railway layout has never been easier! Hornby offers brands such as Skaledale and Skale Scenics that bring your layout to life, from buildings and monuments to trees, adding realism to any layout or diorama. Essential in the development of the west, steam locomotives became the new workhorses in forestry, able to navigate the difficult terrain to haul timber that was quickly manufactured in paper mills and used in constructing new towns as business continued to grow and shape the recently inaccessible mountains and dense forests.

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