Mystery surrounds the origin of the name "Pacific." One theory holds that the 4-6-2 earned the name when some locomotives of this type of arrangement were shipped across the Pacific to New Zealand. Another theory suggests that the name was derived from the Missouri Pacific following delivery of a batch of 4-6-2s to that railroad in 1902. Whatever the origin of the name, the advantages of the Pacific over the Atlantic were its longer boiler, greater horsepower, and the excellent pulling power from the weight distribution on the six drivers.

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Most parts of the Pacific are common to the Atlantic but the longer boiler, extra wheels, and greater weight enable the Pacific to pull extraordinary loads. A visit to almost any live steam club will find our Little Engines Pacific serving as the work horse pulling large loads of as many 50 adults hour after hour. The Little Engines Pacific is modeled after the Southern Pacific 2400 series P4 but as with the Atlantic, the engine’s superstructure can be changed by the builder to duplicate many other prototype locomotives.