Thanks everyone, the order has already been placed. Glad to hear your high opinions because the OF is so great.

Hamish : thanks for the information. The length would work just fine for me - but I would rather change the track configuration on the branches than concede performance. Like the 2-8-0 the outside frame 4-4-0 purrs along so smoothly and quietly that I would sooner switch than give up that performance. Anyone any observations on performance?

I have the outside frame 4-4-0 which has to be as close to a perfect model as can be obtained, it's only drawback is it's length. Just a tad too long for some of my situations.
Am wondering if one of you with both the inside and outside frame versions can report if the inside frame version has the same sweet running, silent, mechanism and estimate just how much shorter it is. Thanks.

For as long as there have been commercial model rail(way)(road) models someone has been running equipment of one scale on a smaller scale track; mostly this has been very few people in any one scale/gauge combination,and mostly in the Uk and Europe. Super niche activity with a lot of scratch building involved. I think it fair to say that On30 is really the Bachmann scale (as is FN3 the 1:20 large scale products). Since the introduction of this range of products more people have become narrow gauge railroaders than all the narrow gauge modellers put together until that time. We owe a great deal to the inspiration of Mr Riley and the confidence of his management in trusting his judgement.

I suspect that one reason for choosing the Garratt may be the quality of coal available since the broad/deep firebox capability should be a great advantage with low quality fuel.
Also maybe this is a good thread to raise the issue of the universality of Bachmann's On30 line. Seems to me that just about anywhere in the world where there are On-30 modellers this is the preferred source of material -thus where something ran may be of much less importance than in other scales. On that thought how about the cool 0-6-0 + 0-6-0 Garratt's built for the Buthiduang-Maungdan tramway in Burma in 1913. Maybe a the perfect prototype for the Spectrum line - and it is the correct guage!.

It will be great if this thread encourages people to again look at the clever engineering and just great designs that H.W. Garratt came up with. I would, however, submit that the original K-1 (or K-2) produced for Tasmania or the later slightly heavier model made for the Darjeeling line would be better suited to On-30 and the current Bachmann line. Still the SA models do look great in steam on the Welsh Highland line in N. Wales.

The Bachmann MK-2 coupler with the spring closing work as well as any coupler on the market and are generally lower cost than the others. Short and medium shank is good for most On30 situations. I also use Kadee #148 couplers to good effect and have not found them to be a problem in the stock Bachmann coupler box (the old Kadees auch as the #5 with the separate centering spring will however bind in the B'mann box). With over a years experience I can say that both K #148s and B Mk-2s perform equally well. Just amke sure that all match in lateral height!

I agree,Bachmann continues to do a great job supplying the On30 market - remember it is little over a decade old! For those of us who have been in On30 for a long time (for me over 50 years) just having anything ready made of this quality is almost too good to be true. I, and I am sure, many other would prefer to see a secure market established with a SLOW, STEADY, stream of products coming on a regular basis rather than of flood of new stuff with not enough buyers to keep Bachmann satisfied with sales volume. Be gratefull and accept that so far Bachmann is doing a great job marketting a niche segment of the hobby.

How about adding the sound decoders as an after market item? Bachmann already sell the non-sound decoders this way so it would be nice for those of us on a budget to be able to buy the silent version and later add sound to those engines that come with an 8 pin plug.

Or, engineer them so that we can buy, inter-change bodies and mechanisms to suit our whims! Bachmann have done a great job of providing a good array to meet the basic requirements of just about any serious modeller. We are, however, a bunch of unique people and they will nevfer satisfy us all - even part of the time. Back in the not so great old days it was more common to buy kits which enabled relatively easy individual preferences to be modelled. Perhaps you can pursuade Mr. Riley ot offer us more "parts" so that we can put together our own Baldwin spec engine be it 0-4-2 are 2-6-2 or whatever. The life would be truly great.

Thanks for the input. You demonstrate an important point about the prototype. Reference to the Viacao Federal Centro Oeste (VFCO) section of Small's Brazilian Steam Album, Vol. 1
(pages 78 to 99 and especially 84 to 93 for the loco photos and pages 82 and 96 to 99 for the station at Sao Joao Del Rei) at least suggests to my eye that a very similar body was carried over 4-4-0, 4-6-0, and 2-8-0 chassis. Making these Baldwins unusually flexible models. This series of Small books are great inspiration for modelling.

I had a similar problem with the Bachmann decoder in a Forney. With this decoder (and it may be a unique problem to this particular decoder) I found that I had far better control - started at a lower speed step and better control after that if I switched to 128 step mode in rthe command station. That is with an MRC PA2 wireless system, but the reaction was similar with a Digitrax Zephyr unit.

I agree that the WW1 engines would be a good choice - since they were widely distributed after the war. I always liked the Pechot-Bourdon as a smaller relative of the
Garratt - such as the Tazmanian K-1 (I always considered using a couple of the smooth running Porter 0-4-2s as the basis for a Garratt). Many of us would appreciate an approximation of any of these engines. It would interesting the see how well a universal "kit" loco would sell. The current 2-8-0 has enough spare parts packed in teh box to create some completely different looking engines - I know that drove me to have to have more than one. Spare parts to change the appearance or the availablity of alternate parts to purchase combined with rub-on lettering or decals nay just allow Bachmann to profitably enter the lower volume market for us small layout niche modellers.

I agree that any changes either horizontal or vertical need to be very smooth or you will experience and dramatic illustration of the principle of levers.

I have another strange experience with my Forney. With the supplied decoder it will start at speed step 3 of 14, 6 of 28, or 1 of 128. I have never before had 128 step settings start at a lower ss than a 28 step setting. Also if I install a TCS decoder it will start at ss 1 with CV2 at 0 and giver very smooth control - except for the light which is permanently on. I wish Bachmann would give detailed instructions on programming their Decoder - normal efforts seem to be over-ruled by the rest of the electronics  bachmann instal in the engine.