Hello all,

I read with interest the ongoing discussions regarding On30 Bachmann geared locomotives, and the problems that seem to be associated with the premature failure of the gear trains.  This is enough to dissuade me from buying one.

However, I do have a Bachmann HO Shay (81901) which has had very little use, as I have since moved to On30.  Recently I have  acquired a Boulder Valley Models (#255)  kit to convert it into a Gilpin style 16-tonner in On30.

My question then: do the HO Shays suffer from the same premature gear failures as their On30 bigger brothers? 

If they do, there is not much point attempting the conversion...and wasting valuable time and effort, when I could be turning my hand at some other more worthwhile task. 

Do any HOers out there have any ideas?

Many thanks.

Hello all,

I read with interest the ongoing discussions regarding Bachmann geared locomotives, and the problems that seem to be associated with the premature failure of the gear trains.  This is enough to dissuade me from buying one.

However, I do have a Bachmann HO Shay (81901) which has had very little use, as I have since moved to On30.  Recently I have  acquired a Boulder Valley Models (#255)  kit to convert it into a Gilpin style 16-tonner in On30.

My question then: do the HO Shays suffer from the same premature gear failures as their On30 bigger brothers? 

If they do, there is not much point attempting the conversion...and wasting valuable time and effort, when I could be turning my hand at some other more worthwhile task. 

G'day everybody,

I have just received my Spectrum On30 Rail Truck from WKW, and the very first thing I noticed about it was its diminutive dimensions!

I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I have very serious doubts that the model is in 1:48 scale.       Either that or the Mack truck chassis that it is based on was only a Ford Model AA truck sized vehicle, rather than the somewhat larger (REO type) truck that I was expecting.

The supplied seated driver measures out at a shade under 5 scale feet tall (when adjusted to a standing position) and the cab windscreen is ony 3 feet across.  

It is nicely detailed though, and the driveshaft to the rear wheels actually supplies the torque to the rear axle. It also runs nicely, and handles my sharp radii very well.......the only problem is that it is completely dwarfed by my gas-mech, as well as the 0-4-0 Porter!!

Can anyone confirm that this is not in fact, an S Scale model?  

Hey fellas,

Many years ago, I built up a white metal kit of a small saw shop and plank mill in HO.

It had the saws, logs, a dipping tank, overhead belt drive, and a small donkey engine on a sled powering it (static only).

I think it was from Woodlands Scenics, but I can't be sure. 

Does anyone know of a similar small kit - preferably white metal - in O Scale?

I would just love to stick one in a vacant corner of my On30 layout.

Hi guys,

Walthers have currently reduced the Bachmann Spectrum 29161 Rail Truck to a super low price, and as such, I am thinking of purchasing one for the Hill End and Gronan Creek layout that I am building.

The truck is DCC on board.....can anyone tell me if it will operate satisfactorily from old straight DC?

Thank You.

G'day all, 

I want to add some thin pinstriping to the sides of my Bachmann Combine coach, which I am rebuilding into a Gas-Electric Rail Motor with a Backwoods Miniatures conversion kit.

I have had a bit of difficulty adding the yellow and black warning chevrons to the front of the cab, due to the convoluted nature of the material.

Decals are not the answer, for they will not mould themselves to the surface correctly, so I have opted to pick the stripes out with a fine paintbrush. This is acceptable, but the result is far from perfect.

So, does anyone have any suggestions for adding thin horizontal stripes to the metal sides. and making them appear 'even',  from a side angle, without the usual 'bleeding' ??

Many thanks.   

Hi guys,

I have had a few attempts recently at trying to get my order through to Carstens Publications for the current 2010 issue of the On30 Annual. I have also ordered a few back issues, and quoted my CC details, but have not yet seen any results.

A couple of follow-up emails have not received any replies.

Is this the case with all international orders for this great magazine, or is it only me that is having troubles?   

Hello all,

I have a Bachmann HO 3-truck Shay that I acquired several years ago, and which has had very little use (less than half an hour).

I am thinking of bashing it into a (small) On30 runner, by replacing the cab, smokestack, and sand domes, as I have already done with some older 00 and HO 0-4-0 locomotives.

Has anyone else ever attempted anything like this conversion, and what are your views?

Hey Bach-man,

I have been trying to post an article with a diagram for a couple of days now, but all I get is the following Error Message

"The upload folder is full. Please try a smaller file and/or contact an administrator."

Am I doing something wrong?

Hi guys,

I have just received my new Bachmann Saw Filer's Car, and apart from the other issue with the under-sized doors, (dealt with elsewhere) it has a very nice future on my On30 mine layout.

It was always my intention to fit it out as a bunk car, and I have since sketched out my idea for the interior. Remembering my old Army days, and the way they always seemed to find organised ways of fitting things together, I came up with this idea for seven bunks, all with storage underneath, and a kerosene heater at the near end.

The door at the far end is sealed, allowing the fitting of the seventh bunk, but could be made to open if only six bunks were fitted.

I will construct the interior on a separate 'drop-in' module, which can possibly be removed in the future, if I decide to turn it into a mess car, or a shower car, or an explosives storage car......you get the idea.

The car will have a removeable roof, and will be illuminated internally, as well as having a couple of illuminated keroene lamps hanging from hooks above the steps.

Hope someone else finds it useful .

Hi guys,

On my latest layout, I have just started using Peco On30 Electrofrog turnouts (after using Insulfrog for over 35 years) and I am finding them to be something of a headache when it comes to routing power to the selected roads.

I have painted the sides of all the rails (except for the contact ares) but have not as yet, added ballast to the turnouts. The rest of the layout has been ballasted.

The problem seems to be in the contact blades, for when a locomotive stalls, I can usually get it running again by applying added pressure to the throw rod.

Has anybody else had similar problems using Peco?

What do you think?

Hello Bach-mann,

I am currently awaiting the delivery of my On30 (160-26994) Saw Filer's Car, which should arrive in about three weeks from yesterday.

I am planning on fitting this thing onto a spur track on my mine layout, and I am looking at a rather small area that has been begging for some focal point.

If anyone has one of these things (or the similar 160-26994 Mess Car) would I be able to trouble them for the external dimensions? The Bachmann site doesn't list this information at all.

This will allow me to  prepare the spot now, and save a few weeks of guess work.



Many thanks

Hi guys,

It just occurred to me...

"On30 lets you put MORE into LESS...."





=)

Hello all,

Having just installed a turntable (Atlas HO) on my newest On30 layout, and taking great pains to assure that the drive mechanism is hidden from view, it has just occurred to me that nearly all the pictures that I have seen of turntables over the years have not shown any form of propulsion for the decks.

Now I know that they can be motor driven, presumably by a small (steam or diesel or petrol fired) engine and adequate reduction gearing.

I also know that they can be operated via vacuum or compressed air, drawn from storage cylinders, and also, that in their simplest form, they can be man-handled by the old 'armstrong' method.

But how do I show this in O scale? 

If I place a couple of likely figures manning a pair of push levers, they will look out of place when the deck is rotating, as their legs will not 'walk'. Also, if I were to reverse the direction of rotation, as one tends to do, they will look even more ridiculous.

I can fit a couple of compressed air 'tanks' and a small operating cab off to one side, I guess...........but.....I just went to a lot of trouble to cover the mechanism - in this case, it is under a shelf of overhanging rocks that make up a cliff face.

Does anyone have any great ideas?

How do you show your turntable operating under its own power, without getting into the ludicrous?

Thanks to all.

G'day blokes,

I am having a spot of trouble with my new Bachmann On30 Gas Mechanical Loco.

I run my layout on DC, and when power is applied to my G-M, the LED headlamp illuminates, but more often than not, the loco just sits, doing nothing. No amount of pushing seems to assist.

Other times, it all works correctly, and for the main part, runs well.

I have cleaned the track, and the loco wheels, and my DMM indicates sufficient voltage to the rails.

All my other locos (including the repaired Forney) run perfectly.

I am wondering if the DCC chip may be causing problems....

Has anyone else noticed similar erratic behaviour from this loco?

Hello all,

I recently had the misfortune to watch helplessly as my (almost) new Bachmann 2-4-4 Forney took a tumble from the layout track and landed on the carpet. <Ouch> 

The mishap broke the rear bogie (truck) from the king pin, as well as tearing the two contact wires from their mounting screws. Some other body parts were also broken off, but I managed to find all the bits.

Calling myself every useless kind of moron that I could lay my tongue to, I set about the repair.

I soldered the tiny wires back onto their eyelets, screwed them back into their locations, and re-mounted the bogie onto the king pin. I also used some silicone lube on a cotton bud to grease the king pin slot, just to make certain that there would be no binding.

Now, I cannot seem to keep the thing on the rails. The rear bogie/truck appears to be very sloppy on the king pin, and as a result, keeps derailing and rattling along behind, which causes the loco to stall at the first turnout it comes to.

(Before the mishap, the Forney was my smoothest and most reliable-running loco, easily negotiating my less-than-minimum radius curves....)

Has anyone else had any similar trouble with these fiddly things?

Additionally, is it possible for me to purchase spare parts for my Spectrum locos direct from Bachmann?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.