All About Aurora Postage Stamp Trains
4863: Donkey Steam Switcher
Prototype Information
Aurora's "Little Donkey" is certainly an oddball, given that it's a European style locomotive accompanying a
product line otherwise comprised exclusively of North American trains. This 0-6-0 steam switcher represents a
Royal Prussian Railway Administration Class T3
shunter. Later, it was also painted to represent a German Federal Railways
Class BR 89 shunter.
Model Information
Introduced in 1964, catalog number 2914 was
the first N Scale locomotive Trix
ever made. Production continued through the late 1990s. Sometime in the mid-70s the shell was retooled with added details such as pipes, rivets
and springs; these would not be original Aurora-era locos (even though some people try to pass them off as such). Incidentally, there's nothing wrong with the center drivers; that's the way the model was made.
They do not contribute to traction or electrical pickup, even though they're powered; they simply transfer motion to the front drivers.
Below is the maintenance sheet included with original Minitrix locos, showing how to dismantle and lubricate it:
Packaging
