Hi, I have been looking at SOU 2-8-0 #630 on the Tennessee Valley Railroad. This loco was built by Richmond in 1904 but looks very like the old Spectrum, now standard line loco (except that #630's tender might be shorter and with higher raised coal sides). (see https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/SOU630attvrmgj.jpg).

I am wondering, was the Spectrum Connie ever issued for the SOU, or even as #630? If not, might I suggest that it ought to be!!!!!

Thanks,
Bill.

I have a pair of these locos with sound value, Southern #7080 (from a set) and #7082 (BAC #51815). These are great little locos but I have one question. Stationary or moving, both of them make a curious constant sizzling sound, like cross between a kettle simmering or bacon frying. This is not the loco frying - it stops when I mute the sound. But I do not have this sound on any of my other Tsunami locos, though these are my only "Sound Value" models. Is this normal, and what is it supposed to be? I spend some time around real steam engines, and they don't make this sound. It is a background noise, quite separate from the chuffs, blowers, etc. I am running them on DCC with an MRC Prodigy Advance 2.

I would be grateful for any enlightenment!

Thanks,
Bill.

Hi, when sold on its own the medium Vanderbilt tender came with a loco to tender cable set with plugs on both ends, so it could connect the Vandy tender, which had sockets, to a loco which also had sockets like the Spectrum 4-6-0. I have been searching the parts store for this cable but cannot find it. The parts store is organised by loco, which does not help in this case. Does anyone know where that cable is or the parts number, please?

Thanks,
Bill.

Spectrum 83408 "Richmond" 4-4-0 SAL #159 (wood cab) (coal, oil, or wood load for tender)
DCC Fitted.

A while ago I did a note here about the actual locos represented by the Bachmann Spectrum 4-4-0 models. I have now gone through the tables at the rear of "Seaboard Air Line Railway – Steam Boats, Locomotives, and History" by Richard E Prince to find more precise info on their origins, lives and fates.

General:

After the SAL absorbed several subsidiary lines in 1900 it owned 154 4-4-0 locomotives, mostly inherited from these RRs, so there were considerable differences between them. Many had started life as mainline passenger engines, but by WW1 they had been displaced and were employed on branch line and local services. The last two SAL 4-4-0s, #101 and #166, were retired from the SAL proper on 31 December 1936.

Many of the 4-4-0s operating on the SAL in Florida before WW1 burned wood, which was available and cheaper than bringing in coal. As older Florida engines were retired some coal-burning 4-4-0s from elsewhere migrated to Florida and were converted to wood-burners, but whether before or after arrival I don't know. By then technical advances had moved the spark arrestors from the chimney to the smoke-box, thereby eliminating the characteristic bulbous chimney of earlier wood burning locos and making them hard to distinguish from coal burning locos, so the Spectrum 4-4-0s are fine to represent them. Wood-burners began to disappear from the SAL in Florida after WW1, but I have not found when they finally went.

SAL 4-4-0 #159 + #160 (Only #159 has been used by Bachmann, for their "Richmond Modern" 4-4-0. There is a photo of sister #160 at Savannah in 1919 on page 133 of "Seaboard Air Line Railway – Steam Boats, Locomotives, and History" by Richard E Prince.)

In 1898 the Florida Central & Peninsular Railway ordered two new 4-4-0s for mainline passenger service, FC&P #73 & #74. They were built by The Cooke Locomotive and Machine Works at Paterson, New Jersey in December 1898. Works numbers were 2415 and 2416.  There is what looks like a builder's photo of FC&PRR #73 on page 79 of "Seaboard Air Line Railway – Steam Boats, Locomotives, and History" by Richard E Prince.

The SAL absorbed the FC&P on 1 July 1900 and re-numbered all of the FC&P locomotives into its 300 series, at which time FC&P #73 and #74 became SAL #354 and #355 respectively. At the same time the SAL allocated SAL #354 and #355 to class E6. Before WW1 the SAL began renumbering its locos by wheel arrangement, and the surviving 4-4-0s were given the 100 series. SAL #354 was renumbered to SAL #159 on 23 October 1915, and SAL #355 was re-numbered to SAL #160 on 3 November 1915. They were both retired on 31 October 1930, #159 at Arcadia, Florida and #160 at Savannah, Georgia, so they had drifted apart in their later days.

As #159 ended its days at Arcadia it is tempting to believe that it may have been a wood burner. It depends on whether it was originally built or converted to burn wood, and if so whether the SAL would have bothered to convert such an old engine back to burn coal after WW1 or left it to burn wood until retirement in 1930. In the builders photo of #73 the tender is empty, so it is not possible to say if it was originally built for wood or for coal. Other FC&P 4-4-0s photographed in service around 1900 definitely have wood in their tenders, but they also have metal rails around their tender tops like those that come with the Bachmann wood load. #73 does not have these rails in the photo, but nor do the other FC&P 4-4-0 builders photos, so they may have been fitted after delivery.

My #159 came in the old Spectrum "big black box", with coal in the tender but complete with alternate wood load or oil tank for the tender. It came fitted with a medium slatted "cow catcher", but a with larger one and a smaller solid plow in a bag. Unlike the Baldwin 4-4-0 it does not come with a set of alternative pilot and tender trucks or wheels, or a choice of chimneys.

In the photo of #160, dated 1919 and so eleven years before retirement, it is hard to tell what the fuel is. There is no coal or wood showing over the tender top, and there might be an oil bunker or that might be part of something behind the loco. However, all the other photos of SAL 4-4-0s in Georgia and Alabama in the 1920s and 1930s show tenders heaped with coal. That includes #173, also photographed at Savannah in 1919, and I am guessing the SAL would not have operated a mix of fuels in the same section.

So how does the Spectrum model compare with the 1898 (#73) and 1919 (#160) photos of the originals? I will start at the front:

#73 has a large slatted cow-catcher, available in the spares bag. #160 appears to have the smaller version as fitted to the model, so both can be matched;

#73 has spoked pilot wheels. #160 has solid pilot wheels, as does my model. But I have seen one on ebay with spoked pilot wheels, and they are available from the Baldwin 4-4-0 spares if needed.

#73 has a large, square headlight mounted on the smokebox. #160 has a smaller round electric light, close to but maybe slightly smaller than the model, so we are close enough for post WW1 days;

#73 has a straight chimney, distinctly taller than either dome, and virtually identical to the model. By 1919 #160 has acquired a shorter, flared chimney, the same height as #1 dome. The model does not match the latter, but the chimney is a separate part attached with a screw so it can be changed. The spare chimneys in the Baldwin 4-4-0 are the right shape but too tall, but could be shortened;

#73 and #160 have identical, tapered boilers and the model looks very similar;

#73 has smooth but slightly less modern domes than the model, but not as ancient as the ringed domes on the Spectrum Baldwin. #160 has more modern domes, still not the perfectly smooth bell-shape of the model, but close enough. The dome covers are removable parts, and so could be modified by the purist, or even replaced, and again I assume are interchangeable with the older varieties supplied with the Baldwin;

#73 has a wood cab as on the model. #160 still has a wood cab in 1919, though it has acquired full-length sun-shades above the windows. It is tempting to assume that the SAL did not bother to replace the cab before scrapping in 1930. The cab lettering on #160 is consistent with Bachmann's lettering on #160 in terms of location and style. So the cab on the model is fine.

#73 has a tender virtually identical to the tender with Bachmann's Baldwin 4-4-0 rather than their Richmond. #160 has a modified or newer tender which now had raised sheeting beside the coal space which makes it closer to the Richmond, though there seems to be no outward flare at the top as on the model.  My verdict – close enough. Style, size and placement of tender numerals on #160 match those on Bachmann's  #159.

#73 has tender trucks which match those on Bachmann's Richmond. The tender trucks on #160 are completely different, nor do they match either of the alternatives supplied with Bachmann's Baldwin.

The tender of Bachmann's #159 is fitted with chains to restrict the swing of the trucks on tight curves and in the event of derailment. #73 has no such fittings. #160 has what might be tethers, but they are differently arranged and independent to each truck.

Overall verdict – Spectrum #159 will do fine and can justify the wood load.

All the above means that SAL #160 is still available to Bachmann for this model, as indeed are #354 and #355.

I will post a note on "Baldwin" 4-4-0s #106 and #108 when I have finished it.

Bill.

Hi I have just added SOU #1004 (Spectrum 84904) to my pre-existing #1006 (Spectrum 82304). I am wondering if anyone knows which actual Southern locos these most closely match. The #s were allocated to SOU class F11, which comprised # 1001-4 built 1899 Schenectady, #1005-8 built 1900 Richmond, and # 1009-40 built 1901 Burnham, Williams & Co. But that class all had 70-inch drivers, so do not fit the models. I ask in particular because the models include a detail pack with tender chains to restrain excess truck-swing, alternate pilot detail, and there is always the question whether they should be coal, oil or wood burners. It would be nice to find a photo of a more exact prototype operating in SOU colors, and if anyone has already done the research and can provide a quick reference I would be very grateful.

Thanks,
Bill.

Hi, I have Spectrum 81703 ACL Russian Decapod #8003. It has "Atlantic Coast Line" in a straight line across the tender. I am wondering, did Bachmann ever issue this model with the ACL roundel herald? (see photo https://www.flickr.com/photos/alcomike/6523878995).

If not, does anyone make a decal set for this herald? It looks a bit too complicated to paint! and I have not found one online. Dry-print would be better than waterslide to avoid the need to disguise the film. I believe that the roundel was introduced circa 1938 with the 4-8-4s and on them at least was a separate embossed metal disk, so waterslide would not be fatal, but in the photo of #8007 it looks more like paint. It may be that it was polished metal on prestige locos but white paint on lesser beasts.

Also was it ever offered with DCC + sound for the ACL? Mine has the solid tender floor and the weight in the wrong place to fit a speaker.

Thanks,
Bill.

Thought someone might be interested to see this pic I found today. Looks pretty close to me.

http://www.railarchive.net/randomsteam/canw167.htm

Best Regards,
Bill.

Hi, I am looking at an ad for "Bachmann #57804 L&N #549 Alco 2-6-0 Loco with EZ App Train Control". It says a load of stuff, including "ready to launch and use instantly after downloading the FREE Bachmann E-Z App™ from the Google Play store or Apple App Store".

I have no idea what this gobbledygook is about. I have no intention of buying a mobile phone and paying exorbitant monthly rental just so I can run one of my engines. And I dumped my Bachmann Dynamis because I got fed-up with a system where the batteries would run out at an inconvenient moment and it would go haywire from time to time for no obvious reason – I am now strictly cable.

Will this loco work on a plain old MRC Prodigy Advance controller? I read elsewhere on the EZ App board the general comment that "These locos do not have DCC or sound. The control comes from the phone and the sound plays from the phone not the locomotive. You can however modify things to how you desire depending on your abilities."

Grateful for any advice.

Thanks,
Bill.

I am, for the very first time, about to dirty-up a boxcar. Why? Well I have a pile of old Athearn / Bev-Bel / Roundhouse kits unbuilt that I could either sell for not very much or do something with, that something being something I would not be bold enough to do to a modern, expensive, state of the art gem.

My first candidate is Bev-Bel 1094, Louisiana & Arkansas 40' Boxcar in boxcar brown with Southern Belle herald, built 11-47. I am going to model this with the door open on one side, with some guys handling the cargo, so that it can either be run apparently closed-up, or stand stationary being loaded / unloaded, simply by changing the side on view.

My questions are, would a car of this era have a plain wood-planked floor, linoleum, or what and what color? And would the interior walls / ceiling be painted white to maximise visibility?

I have found lots of guidance on how to weather the exterior / roof / underframe / trucks / wheels / etc., but not much detail on the interior.

Grateful for any advice / info,
Thanks,
Bill.

Hi, I am trying to track down whether the ALCo modern 2-6-0 models in the Bachmann range for the Southern (#7080, 7082 and maybe others) represent a real Southern class. The database on steamlocomotive.com is no help as the Southern was composed of so many constituents (over 150) it is impossible to search it. The Southern Society website does not have a list of SOU steam classes, nor does anywhere else I can find on the web.

Does anyone know, or maybe know where to look?

Maybe Mr B can say where he got the #s from?

Grateful for any help,
Thanks,
Bill.

Hi, I am wondering if anyone can fill out my list of Spectrum steamers for the Dixie Line. I have:

Baldwin USRA "Light Mountain" 4-8-2:

- NC&StL #553, DCC Ready. Spectrum 81604

- L&N #408, DCC Ready. Spectrum 81608

Baldwin 2-10-0 "Russian Decapod":

- NC&StL #953, DCC Ready. Spectrum 81708

- NC&StL #952, w/DCC & Tsunami Sound. Spectrum 84305

Baldwin 2-8-0:

- NC&StL #390, DCC Ready. Spectrum 11425

Baldwin Modern 4-4-0:

- L&N #7, DCC on board. Spectrum 80102

- L&N #144, w/DCC & Tsunami Sound. Spectrum 80127

I am also aware of the P2K USRA 0-8-0 for the L&N

I am busy upgrading them all to DCC + Sound whilst the relevant Spectrum parts can still be easily found in the spares shop or on ebay, replacing the tender chassis where necessary with the sound-ready versions. I might as well catch any that have escaped my net at the same time.

I would be grateful to know of any omissions,
Thanks,
Bill.

I have always liked this tender and have an undec one (coal). I am wondering which RRs used them, ideally one of the many lines that ran into Minneapolis- St Paul, or that operated around Florida / the Gulf Coast. I know the SP used them or similar, but they were oil in all the photos I have seen. I am thinking of mating one with a Spectrum undec 4-6-0 high boiler or 2-8-0, which could then rub shoulders with my Spectrum Rock Island 2-8-0s and C.St.P.M.&O 4-6-0s (Twin Cities); or my SAL 4-4-0s and Decapods (Florida); or another area would be southern Appalachia, as I have a bunch of Spectrum L&N + N.C.&St.L. steamers. I have tried looking on Railroad Picture Archive, but it is like searching for something from the wrong end.

Grateful for any thoughts,
Bill.

The T&P 4-6-0 was on my list, but I paused after finding the new 4-6-0 models had been down-detailed. But I just saw a large-size photo of the ATSF version showing the opposite side to all the Bachmann stock photos, and the left side looks distinctly better as there is more separately applied detail. This caused me to re-visit the T&P model.

I am not sure what Bachmann are intending here, but I have assumed it is to model the loco as preserved and running on the Texas State Railroad. There are some great vids of this online - search for "Texas State Railroad - Rebirth of T&P #316". There are a couple of points about the model:

Use of Bachmann's small Baldwin tender is correct, but the real #316 has an oil bunker, not coal. This is an easy fix as Bachmann have produced an oil bunker for this tender, as used on the Great Northern 4-4-0 and in the undec Baldwin 4-4-0 as a spare. Unfortunately the spare parts store does not list the oil bunker separately, but only with the GN tender shell, which is sold out. Maybe the Bachmann could make the bunker available again, and maybe add it in with the model in future?

The loco itself is more of an issue. In Bachmann terms the original is "high boiler", i.e. it has high footboards above groups of pipes and air cylinders on both sides. However, there are aspects of the old Spectrum high-boiler 4-6-0 model which don't look right for #316, notably the four levels of footboard on the left side and the vacuum brake cylinders below the highest of these. So all-in-all the low-boiler model may be the best compromise in terms of appearance.

Finally, you will see from the vids that the real loco and tender are painted in high-gloss. Again this can be fixed - by the brave!

Just some thoughts,
Bill.

Hi Mr B, I see that these new 4-6-0s are due end December (or so say Trainworld). I am planning to buy two DCC ready models, Bachmann #52202, Baldwin 4-6-0 (Low Boiler, 52" Drivers) B&O #1357 and Bachmann #52205, Baldwin 4-6-0 (Low Boiler, 52" Drivers) Texas & Pacific #316. I have two spare Spectrum tenders with Tsunami sound from the Baldwin Modern 4-4-0 and I am wondering, can I just swap the tender tops and plug them in or will they blow the light bulbs? I ask because Life-Like always stress the need to replace the bulbs when adding a decoder, but Bachmann instructions are always silent on this matter. I know that some decoders have built-in protection to allow the old 12v DC bulbs to be left in place, which is why I mention which decoder I will be using. I have plugged Spectrum Tsunami tenders into DCC ready Spectrums before, but only for short tests, and I notice that the lights glow a whole lot brighter than they do on DC.

I would be grateful for your advice.

Thanks,
Bill.

You make two Baldwin Modern 4-4-0s for the L&N, #7, DCC and #144, DCC + sound. I have just taken delivery of Spectrum 80127 L&N 4-4-0 #144. This comes with various alternate parts, though I note that it does not have the oil bunker that used to be present with the Baldwin models.

I also have a book "Louisville & Nashville Steam Locomotives" by Richard E Prince. This has 4 pages, 13 photos of L&N 4-4-0s, all taken in the 1920s except #143 (twin sister to #144) in 1939 and #7 in 1947. All thirteen locos have the low tender as in your models, but only one (L&N #2 in 1922) has the "low" coal load as on your model. The other twelve all have a raised bunker on the tender top for the coal, which on all in the 1920s is clearly made of stout planks but on #143 and #7 might be steel sheet. Indeed the photo of #7 shows no coal-heap over-topping the bunker walls and it really looks like an oil bunker, and unlike any of the others it has the L & N lettering actually on the bunker side which to my mind confirms it is steel, but as the photo is at South Louisville why would #7 be converted to oil (it still operated on the Cumberland and Manchester from whom the L&N inherited #7).  I emphasis that these bunkers all sit on the tender top, within the pre-existing flared side-walls, and do not involve an extension of or alteration to the tender side walls on the models.

So I am wondering whether for future releases you might provide such an option for your 4-4-0s, rather as you provide the oil bunker option, which could be fitted by simply levering off the standard coal moulding and putting the bunker in its place using the existing pin-holes, much as the oil bunker is fitted. I suspect this increased bunker capacity was fairly common on railroads still operating small-tendered steamers from the 1920s onwards, and it will help model railroaders vary their stock.

Meanwhile I will be getting #7 shortly, so I need to sort out the coal or oil question, if anyone knows. Fortunately I have a spare oil bunker from the undec model, as I got four of the undec DCC + sound Baldwins from my favourite Brooklyn emporium when they were clearing them at $149.99 each. I also got one each of the B&O Baldwins, #1400 and #1401, so am pleased to see that a B&O 4-6-0 with small tender is emerging shortly. I also seem by default to be drifting towards Appalachia, which probably provides the best all-round scenic modelling as whilst the Rockies and the Rio Grande are spectacular they are also a might inhospitable!

Best regards,
Bill.

Hmmm. I am pleased to see the 4-6-0 back, but....

The opportunity fumbled - Texas & Pacific #316 - This is a preserved loco and so a welcome addition. The problem? Bachmann have two 4-6-0 models in their stable, one with 52" drivers, the other with 63" drivers. The real #316 has 63" drivers. So Bachmann use the model with 52" drivers - why? Its not as if the real loco is not there to check. Texas State Railroad confirm their #316 as being built by Cooke in 1901. In fact from a batch of 42 delivered by Cooke in 1901-2, to T&P class D9 built between 1900-6 by Rogers and Cooke, and the most numerous single class of 4-6-0 on the T&P. Driver Dia 63". And there are plenty of photos of #316 online.

There is one good point - it comes DCC ready so we don't have to pay for then throw away a limited spec chip to replace it with the real deal. Does it come with a speaker pre-fitted? That was something Bachmann promised for all new high-end DCC ready locos some years ago.

And the opportunity missed. I see a range of schemes for major RRs which may or may not have had Baldwin 4-6-0s with 52" drivers. But sadly none for the SAL, which really did have some Baldwin 4-6-0s with small drivers, e.g. SAL #689 from a class of four built 1907-10 for the Charlotte Harbor & Northern (56" drivers), and several others built by Burnham Williams for the Georgia Florida & Alabama, variously with 50" or 56" drivers, e.g. SAL #684 (50") or #686 (56"), and by various ALCo constituents for other small lines absorbed into the SAL.

This miss seems especially strange considering the extensive coverage of the SAL on the Baldwin and Richmond 4-4-0 series.

And there are no undecorated models.

I have mentioned these SAL small-wheeled 4-6-0s several times before in these pages in the context of future runs of the 4-6-0. Maybe next time? Or maybe we will see a "high-boiler" 4-6-0 for the SAL next year? They had several of those too - even some with spot-on 63" drivers and built by Burnham Williams / Baldwin.

One can but wish!
Bill.

Hi, I have a test track which comprises two parallel straight tracks with four Peco set-track turnouts arranged as a loop to test new engines. My Spectrum 2-8-0s always derail on running round the loop. I had assumed that this was because of the four driving axles, but today I accidentally send a Spectrum light mountain round the loop and it managed it perfectly. So I sent it back and forth several times, all without problems. I then carefully observed a 2-8-0 on the loop and found that the derailment is because the front pony cannot swing out far enough before the wheels hit the inside of the cylinders. This problem does not happen with the mountain because the cylinders are between the front and rear wheels of the leading truck when it swings. I am thinking that I can enable my 2-8-0s to go where they have never gone before if I file-off some of the inside of the cylinders. Before putting knife to plastic I am wondering if anyone else has tried this and has any advice to offer?

Thanks,
Bill.

Hi, I am wondering about the Bachmann #58158 N Scale 4-8-4 Northern for the Rock Island. Am I right in thinking this is not a Spectrum loco?

I have seen one for $93 new, which seems a bargain but I am thinking of giving it a miss as the detail looks poor in the photo I can see and the model looks very much an approximation of the RI class it purports to represent.

The reason I am considering it at all is that the 4-8-4 did become the premier RI fast freight loco and I don't know of any other model. It has some of the character of the RI late 4-8-4s, e.g. box-pok wheels.

Customer reviews suggest that the front truck is inadequately loaded and does not track well, tending to derail on transitions between straights and curves, and that the coupling rods can dis-assemble themselves after a few hours running.

Can anyone recommend this loco, e.g. on grounds of performance / reliability / durability? Or that the appearance is better in the flesh than in online photos (I will have to buy mail-order and cannot inspect one first).

Grateful for advice,
Thanks,
Bill.

Hi, I am assuming that Mr B bases his model paint schemes on photos of real locos, even if they are not quite identical to the models. I am puzzling over the "C&NW" 4-6-0. This has as the loco part C.St.P.M&O #237 attached to a medium USRA tender bearing the C&NW herald. Is there a photo out there somewhere?

The C&NW had a controlling interest in the Omaha Road from the 1880s but they did not begin the formal takeover until 1957, by which time the 4-6-0s would have pretty well disappeared. I believe that when Benjamin Heineman took over the C&NW in 1956 he set about scrapping the remaining steam fleet as quickly as possible, which he was able to do because he re-organised locomotive utilisation much more efficiently and turned a motive power shortage into a surplus. So unless this is a preserved loco the window of opportunity for this particular combination must have been very brief.

All the photos of Omaha road 4-6-0s I can find have C.St.P.M&O on the cab side and large numerals on the tender, not a logo. All the photos of C&NW 4-6-0s I can find have: early: C&NWR on the cab side and numerals on the tender, or late: the C&NW logo on the tender and the number on the cab, without initials. They also have the headlight mounted in the middle of the smokebox door, not on top as on the C.St.P.M&O and on the model. I have not been able to precisely identify #237. All the likely candidates seem to be built by Schenectady, not Baldwin.

I would be grateful if anyone could point me to a photo of the real #237. I am minded to simply lose the C&NW logo from the tender and replace it with numerals. Railroad Picture Archive has a very clear photo of C.St.P.M&O #338 which had 63-inch drivers and was of their I-1 class, built 1901-10, which is about right, though the domes are more modern than the model.

Happy New Year,
Bill.

Hi, the DCC ready Life-Like P2K models all say you need to change the light bulbs when you fit a decoder. The Spectrum steamers do not say this, so I am wondering whether they are OK just with Bachmann decoders or with any, decoder.

Also do the lights perform optimally if not changed? I think some lights would be difficult to change as they are located between the cast chassis sides.

Also, are some of the early Spectrum steamers not DCC ready and if so if they need a different approach?

I know there is an article signposted on the DCC FAQs board about adding DCC to a DCC Ready 2-8-0, but when you follow the link it is actually about adding sound to a DCC equipped 2-8-0 by replacing the Bachmann decoder with a Tsunami, and it clearly relates to a late production model as it refers to and shows a pre-moulded speaker mounting baffle located on the tender floor of the USRA Medium Coal tender which does not exist on earlier models.

I would be grateful for any experience / views.

Thanks,
Bill.