This may be a dumb question but are the draw bars and couplers installed correctly ? From looking at pictures and parts breakdowns it seems to me if either were installed upside down or incorrect things would hang lower and thus make contact, but as I don't have one I cant say for sure....but the first things I would check....hope this helps....Later All.....S.B.

   Al is a good guy to deal with, have gotten several things...including metal hand rails, from him. Almost always has them on there. He is and has been highly recommended.     Later All.....S.B.

 Water slide decals will adhere to most any clean surface, if you are concerned, try a setting solution. "smooth enough" is a matter of opinion and revolves around how you want the decal to look after....a metal sign or painted on old wood. My home made water slides settel down into grooves and "wood grain" nicely with the usual help and proding and Testors setting solution keeps them there. If you wish to smooth the area, fine grit sand paper in the 600 to 800 range will smooth things out but may discolor the area as well. Hope this is some help....Later All.....S.B.

...BBT, Barry's Big Trains....custom aftermarket, near indestructible replacement drive setup for the 4-6-0 he even makes one to convert to a 2-8-0...   http://www.barrysbigtrains.com/  Hope this helps....later all....S.B.

 I use inkjet water slide decal paper, make or modify designs in "paint" on my computer and print test pages on paper until I get size and color the way I want it. For signs, apply decals to lexan or sheet styrene. Before trying to even handle the water slide sheet after printing, give it 3-5 light coats of Krylon clear glaze to seal the ink to the paper or your fingers and the water will wipe them out. Have put custom decals on several Bachmann cars and with the help of Testors decal setting solution, they settle down into the cracks and gaps in the "wood" siding and you can see the grain in the wood through most. They look as though they were recently painted on. Be prepared to make a few runs till you get the amount of clear correct. Too much and it cracks and wont flex. Too little and the warm water and maybe the setting solution will bleed the ink. Had that happen on one reefer and I left it that way, kinda looks old and weathered.  This is the paper I use and have had good luck with.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/120661667228?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649   Hope this some help....Later All......S.B.

  I would say match the paint on the boiler around the stack ....remove the stack.....with a brush, run some paint around the inside of the hole the stack sits in, apply a few coats and give a day to dry then repress(push) the stack in and let sit a day or two. the end result should be a "paint weld", this should take care of the problem of the stack being too loose. If you glue it in, Murphy's"s law says that the smoke unit will intently burn out and you will not be able to do an easy replacement and hence be very unhappy. If you do choose to glue, which I don't recommend, use a cheap CA (super glue) ,acetone will break the bond(most times....no garunties).....Hope this is some help....Later All......S.B.

 Don't have a 2-6-0 nor do I have pictures the area in question...but from the parts diagram, http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/dwg/dwgs/G816X-IS002-2_CHASSIS.pdf       it looks like the side rods need to come off to get the gear box out and the wheels may need to as well to disassemble it.    Hope this helps....Later All.....S.B.

 Cant say for sure on the loose parts as I don't have one of these but on my 4-6-0 locos....there are parts that are little more than set in place(domes) and I think the stack should be at least a press (push) fit. Bachmann couplers will hook up to Aristo though they dint like to and requires a little finessing to make happen. Per the Kadee conversion list....http://www.kadee.com/conv/g1list.pdf    903 or 837 kadee couplers fit the 4-4-0 and 831's fit the bulk of the rolling stock....kadee's might mate a little easier with the aristo's, just not real sure.   Some one who knows a little more about it will step in at some point I'm sure....Hope this is some help....Later All.......S.B.

on30gn15
            Go ahead and share it....I posted it to share it anyway and as this is the only forum I have in witch do it, this is where it went....glad you enjoyed it.    Later All....S.B.

  Greetings all....hope all is well and the advancing new year finds you and your rail road in good operating order or at least close there too.   Had a neat experience a week ago I thought I should share....I had the roof walks on a few of my cars tested. In our living room we have a wood beam, upon which sits my wife's "goody" train that consists of a Gen 3 Santa Fe 4-6-0, 2 reefers, 2 box cars and a caboose....3 of the 4 fright cars are my personal costom B-mann cars and the 4th is a B-mann Hershey Kiss reefer. The test I spoke of is ...one night we were watching TV when a noise came from the train on the beam. We look up to see a good size mouse starting in front of the pilot..run down the beam behind the loco....up the tender step, across the coal load to the forward ladder on the lead car. Then along the roof walk of each of the other 3 three cars and the caboose....down the rear ladder and through a small gap between the beams we didn't know was there. After inspection....there is evidence of former excursions but no damage or "stuff" on the train....not so much as a "water" mark or claw scrape in the paint. The way the mouse ran and his size(comparable to a B-mann figure) put my mind to a conductor chasing a bum down and off the train. Trying to be Emperor of the North end of the house I guess. Not something of great importance as with most posts but I thought it was neat and thought it might break up the monotiny and maybe make a few smile.       Later All.......S.B.

  Have had luck airbrushing with Testors acrylics my self.....water wash up is convenient but still recommend acetone for the gun...  http://www.testors.com/category/137370?n=0 link to their RR colors pages...Hope this helps....Later All.......S.B.

   Depending on what power source you are using....you my be happier going with battery's and led's. They wont flicker, aren't affected by dirty track and don't make the noise or cause the drag that wheel pick ups can. Another thing to take into mind is your wheels.......most (if not all) Bachmann wheels have a pair of divot's(for lack of better terminology) drilled into the wheel right where the contact's would ride and unless you change out the wheel sets or do a really good job filling and smoothing the divot's, your going to eat up brushes. Do a search of this board, make sure to limit your search to the large scale board. I remember a post containing directions on making your own pickups from brass tube but at the moment I cant find it.             Hope this helps.....later all.....S.B.

  I would kinda like to see a 70 tonner myself.....Later all.....S.B.

   What is that ....about a '32 or so....small block chevy ?   got a 500 horse Mopar monster in the garage waiting for a Donor rig....last question....The body......metal of fiberglass??......Later all .......S.B.

   Before going through all the trouble and time of planing and building a mount for a second motor....look into one of Berry's chassis's.....He uses Pittmann motors if I remember correctly.....much better motor....Am going to upgrade at least two of mine at some point......Just a suggestion......Later All......S.B.