Does this sets cars come with metal wheels?

And question for Jonathan since he collects the engines(0-6-0's)
How reliable are the newer generation engines??

has anyone attempted this or have any references or photographs of this done?

Be interesting how the possibilities unfold

Let's say for example I have 2 never opened bachmann n scale heavy 4-8-2's that I bought and they weren't the DRGW roadname I wanted would it be possible to trade them in to get the Rio Grande engines instead??

Hi everyone I'm looking for Norfolk and Western 16,000 and 18,000 gallon tenders, much like ones found some of their articulateds and K3:




The D&RGW western used them on some of their mikados and their F-81 2-10-2 later in their service, The Rio Grande also bought a few K3's from N&W calling them the 1550's M-69 class on their roster

I love D&RGW engines and a little bit of N&W, I saw someone converted a bachmann 2-6-6-2 into a more Norfolk and Western looking engine with a different smokebox front, worthington feedwater system and the N&W tender in place of the USRA tender

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj0cMJDBWoA

I have never seen this before nor have I seen any footage of these awesome superpower standard gauged steam engines in film before. But take a look!!

This locomotive was bought marked in sleepy valley marking, I tried doing some research to see who might be the original owner and failed. The pictures above shows the engine plopped on a new old stock varney chassis because the original sprung chassis disintegrated due to age. I posted a topic on this forum about converting a brass engine to run on a spectrum chassis and the topic of this came up whether to keep it an 8 driving wheeled switcher or consolidation or turn it into a full blown heavy switcher 0-10-0

The boiler and tender were SCRATCHBUILT, and I was so impressed by it's character I purcased it for about $100

I opted to use a spectrum decapod chassis just because its simpler that way.

I took the boiler and the vanderbilt tender it came in and tried stripping the paint off as best I could. I used acetone and paint thinner and it wouldn't come off, it only loosened it up.

So I took a rotary tool with a fine metal brush attachment and used that to clean it up and it came out pretty good, the engine had alot of paint gunked on it and the inside of it had lead weights, a prewar lightbulb and tons of dusty buildup.






And then I prepped the decapod chassis to fit the new boiler and eliminate shorts as well as taking out the pilot and shortening it:



Then I was looking at comparisons and different tenders to use:

Any chance this would be available for seperate sale? I really don't want to buy 4 2-10-2's just for the tenders

The ongoing mikado project at the Valley Railroad here in connecticut is nearing completion. The engine was an imported chinese SY locomotive built for the knoxville and kane, but due to an arson at their roundhouse it completely destroyed the scenic routes ability to continue(very sad what some evil some people can do) So what was left of the equipment was auctioned off and bought and the valley railway bought the SY mikado in the hopes of getting another Steam locomotive in time for #40's overhaul in 2014. They predict this project is going to be finished sometime this year.





more can be seen on their blog: http://theenginehouse.blogspot.com/


concept drawing



in light of this maybe bachmann could make these from their existing SY market offerings, with a newhaven style cab and a clear vision tender

watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-8gV4DJZUw

i was amazed

I've been kicking myself in the pants for a while for not having a layout for my exquisite HO collection. I have a huge christmas lionel lionel layout for those who remember that project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsnTUTvCmqU


From as far back as I can remember I've drawn all sorts of plans for layouts that some will never see the light of day or the spacing and measurements were way off.

I've designed double track thinking that would be my favorite route to go but that limited the things I could do in space(I would need twice more room just for routing traffic) I've designed and built layouts with 4%+ grades that an IHC mogul would simply slip hauling it's own butt up the grade.

So I sat down and made a list of bare essentials that I want in a first layout

-mountains with grades not too steep(2%)

-a triple over and under track plan with bridges(a simple over and under looked way too cliche for my tastes)

-one or two sidings for 2 train operation

-22 inch radius MINIMUM on the mainline(it's bad enough I'm diving into brass but I want to run them too I always modify my steam to make it run within my parameters)

-bridges, tunnels and narrow gauge

-giving a sort of freelance rio grande/colorado look

and I added them up and thought of a layout that my father built when I was living in new hampshire, he had taken a plan from a layout planning book and altered it to include ideas and inspiration from John Allen's, Malcolm Furlow and John Olsen and squeeze it all into a 5 x 10 foot layout with tall mountains and narrow gauge, with bridges tunnels and just a maze of track but it all came together.

The layout was only partially built and when I was 5 years of age  my mother decided she wanted to move to connecticut(big mistake in my opinion) and the house was sold and my father didn't  build the layout so it could be moved so he salvaged what he could off of it and left it behind, I only saw it once a year later and the family that lived there hadn't done a thing to it, it just sat there collecting dust empty and vacant, i don't know whats become of it but I've decided to rebuild it to my specifications and make it so it can be moved.

he had made it so it was a 21 inch minimum radius so I went with 22 inches took out a reverse loop and made that one loop  go straight off to a possible extension, adjusted the track grade and switching arrangement. Did some measurements and made a plan:


basically a rough draft, had to be built longer to 10 feet

so i started construction and built 2 5x5 foot pieces from wood used to ship corvette hoods. The wood was perfect for it and most of all "FREE"



then I started cutting out pieces for the trackwork out of half inch plywood and began to construct the basic foundation for the layout at the same time making it so it can separate



I figure I wanted some original looking bridges and I was short on cash to buy an atlas through truss(was saving for a brass DRGW Mountain) so I decided to scratchbash a bridge to look just like the atlas one







I put it on the layout to see how it'd look and I liked it:



I worked away and started laying track and figured out the bridge wasn't wide enough so I ended up buying a an atlas through truss anyways, I'll use the smaller one for narrow gauge.

and so I laid the track all the way around eventually laying the golden spike on a siding

and after one week I got this far:





the first run around with a spectrum 2-8-0 proved my track flawless which never happened to me before, but I guess taking my time laying track has helped out

I shall post more as progress continues

opinion and advice welcome

-Ryan

does anypne have any ideas on how to eliminate scratches on a rail head so it doesn't collect crap?

allow me to share one of my favorite scenes in film history from the Movie  "the Silver Streak" in 1934 Featuring the Burlington Zepyhr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyzzeMTXNaI

I love good old fashioned steam movies from back in the era, they were made to bring tons of action based on railroads alone

"Danger Lights" Another favorite, I'm 22 now and this still remains a favorite since I've watched as a 3 year old watching turner classic movies

watch the shorten version of the film on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-8zyhPJ01E

the reason I say it's shortened is because I have the original film and there's at least 30 minutes of footage cut out for some reason

I have over the 22 years of my existence looked at many steam locomotives in awe and loved their construction and the way they look, and the sounds they make. But one series of engines seems to always catch my eye ever since i've seen them and thats the D&RGW 4-8-2's M-75's and M-78's which in any scale can ONLY be found in brass, and with my job prospects and the poor economy, I doubt I can get a few of these under my belt before I'm 25(I've surprised myself before, who knows) I've wanted a fleet in HO and would even hack at the thought of scratchbuilding a boiler and details in G scale(1:32 or 1:29) and I can even think of doing the same in HO since the boiler is pretty straight.

But then there's things like sand domes, cabs, cylinders, drive rods(I can make a chassis, it would have to match the wheel diameters), the actual tender, etc, etc.

So I was wondering my dear model railroading friends, would it be better to make the  financial dive into getting brass again or  is there an easier way to scratchbuild the engine

I have even thought of buying a brass engine, disassembling it to make lost wax lead castings(like varney did sort of)

Let me know what you guys think-->

I would request bachmann to make these but, I doubt there's enough market for them(do tell me I'm wrong)

Here's some pictures:

now is it possible to say BUY these seperately for steam, with the dual function DC/DCC ability?

Hi all,
it's been a rather long time since you've heard much from me, I apologize. Life's Circumstances get in the way and financial and labor isn't the easiest to maintain in this day in age(I know I wouldn't have to tell you all that) And for those wondering the G&D 4-10-0 is still under construction, I want to make sure i can make that mechanism bulletproof before going any further, that engine has to run really good and look really good, so high expectations.

Okay enough with the catch-up, recently I found a job and been working so I've been able to pay the bills and save for more steamers I was intentionally going to purchase a Proto Heavy 2-10-2 w/snd with the interest that I needed more heavier non-articulated steam on my roster. The BLI heavy mike isnt cutting the mustard for me, so I've been eyeballing heavy 2-10-2's and 4-8-2's like brass D&RGW and DM&IR prototypes because those engines seem to catch my eye more and have a strong heavy freight appearance.

Given the circumstances, the price for a Proto Heavy 2-10-2 makes me cringe a bit and after battling it out in the auctions I tend to lose even though I bid higher than I really wish to spend on the model err $180, I've rather spend $150 on a bachmann DM&IR 2-10-2 with sound and plop a heavy mountain boiler on it but in due searching I saw one of my wish-list engines, an LMB, KMT brass DM&IR 2-10-4 and ended up bidding on it making my absolute high price of $310 for it(hey it's brass and it's not your everyday prototype engine   ) so I went for it at that price and landed it for $293 which isn't bad, I originally thought someone was to outbid me but my luck has to be good sometimes

Pictures:









Well knowing me I'm definitely going to be freelancing this locomotive up some. First starting with the detailing on the locomotive itself, adding some marker lights on the smokebox front and some additional details as well like open reefer hatch-like cab vents(prototype on my railway) like they have on UP 2-10-2's. The paint job is going to follow the DM&IR look anyways simply because I love the color scheme to it.

Picture of a paint 3rd Rail Brass DM&IR 2-10-4:


As far as the tender is concerned, other than the doghouse on top, I really think the tender looks too bland not to mention too long for my turntable by at least 2 or so inches, so I figure I take the doghouse of and sell the tender, and buy a bachmann DM&IR clear vision tender shell and plop on one of my extra bachmann tender chassis I have laying around. Slap a franklin booster on the front tender truck(love those gizmo's   ) and take off the decals, maybe change the motor out of the engine install DCC with a sound decoder and there we go, another Rye Guy Engine for the roster

now would bachmann be planning on releasing the clear vision tender they had on the DM&IR 2-10-2 for seperate sale? Because I was debating on buying a couple of the tender shells from the parts catalog or just buying and bashing the locomotives themselves. They don't seem to come up by themselves at all online ie; ebay

does anyone know where I can get 5 sets of drivers for a 2-10-0 that are 40mm??

Well, i started this little interest of mine when i had bought a 1/35 self propelled armored railcar, and being 1/35 is very far from 1:32 i decided to convert it to run on G gauge track which turned out to be a success and then as money became an issue my interests in the subject deterred away and i focused on other thing(much of you know I don't always stick to one project at once;there will be more christmas layout updates soon since ive done alot already)

Recently, I caught the armored train bug again and i had some money and being it my birthday less than a week away I decided to spoil myself and bought 3 kits two are mail-order and will be arriving in a couple days maybe tomorrow the tracking says its in NH and im in CT who knows

but I dropped off my parents at the airport and went to the Time Machine Hobby Shop in Manchester CT and I stopped in and saw they had one part of the series I was buying which is the Orange box value thingy that Dragon Models is doing I got a gondola car and a low-side gondola/flatcar  via mailorder but I wish I had bought the flatcar and tank via mail order but its okay my birthday was coming up and despite the teeth gnawing and gnashing price tag I decided what the heck might as well, it was just $5 more than had i bought it online with postage and all
well here it is:


Parts:





I did some cutting and adjustments with washers:




now how it looks on G gauge along with my first project:




I must say it beats spending $250+ for a imported marklin flatcar, I only spent $51

yes it is summer, and by that it's usually when I start preparing for big projects like these:

Last year's layout in HO:


^you'll notice the kitbashed Athearn mike with a hudson boiler(to be brought up in another topic in the future as I do have construction photos)





Youtube vids:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl-aZrcNUGw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_QdRs4DZ90



Well considering the extent of how delicate HO is and the amount of maintenance as well as upkeep i have to do during the show at the local park(not to mention kids prying hands and the like) I have come to conclusions that this year I'm attempting a different approach where I will be using my unused excess of Lionel Post-war trains and track to some good use(not to mention I've been a bit of an Ebay addict lately buying alot of parts and locomotives and sets) and I've wanted to do the American flyer Rochester Department Store Layout ever since I saw it in person in a New Haven S gaugers Train Show(for a show that small I came home with huge ideas) Heres the actual layout on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KJVCUnuoE4

A photo Album featuring the layout:
http://myflyertrains.org/gallery/DepartmentStore

The American flyer Track plan:



Now looking at curves and how tight they are with lionel, I've discovered that I can do the same layout in less space!!! In a 8' X 12' track plan.

My rough draft:

(the funny thing in high school was I always drew up track plans instead of doing my work but I aced my geometry class and my shop classes way ahead of my peers, so it has it's benefits)


That's my rough draft, I'm debating on what to put in those empty spaces alotted as well as the nice 2'X 8' emptiness on the bottom(turntable and yard possibly?) The controls will be in the lower left corner.

Tell me guys what your opinions are, and what I should/might add to this

like as if you'd direct the electric flow directly to the motor? And doing so, its possible you can't run AC so maybe use DC?