I know I am not the only one intrigued by Bachmann's decison to release the OF 4-4-0. As it arrived less than a year after the inside frame 4-4-0 it was clearly planned before that release. While it is quite a different loco it appears to share quite a few parts. This is in fact prototypical - Baldwin made standard designs that had a lot of common parts, and you could have mix and match variations. Is Bachmann planning to take this further - e.g. use the boiler and superstructure of the OF 4-4-0 to make different wheel arrangements, perhaps an OF 2-6-2? This could be close to the Maine 2 foot locos and some 30 inch gauge 2-6-2s that went to Mexico and other countries. Of course with a tender OF 2-6-2 a tank version, along the lines of one of the Hawaiian 2-6-2t or 0-6-2t OF locos might be possible. Or even the Australian "Puffing Billy" 2-6-2t (a standard Baldwin design). Other locos, with different wheel arrangements, would also be possible using at least some common parts.
Hamish
Dear Hamish,
Who knows what ideas lurk in the mind of Mr. Riley?
Have fun!
the Bach-man
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.
Quote from: the Bach-man on November 25, 2008, 11:40:19 PM
Dear Hamish,
Who knows what ideas lurk in the mind of Mr. Riley?
Have fun!
the Bach-man
I'm not sure...but whatever it is, it probably ran east of the Mississippi or south of the Rio Grande ;D
Have to admit it would be nice if you can buy parts. If I could find a Forney that took a header or something for a cheap price I'd buy it just to use to kitbash into other things. Still debating what drive to fit to my plastic CP Huntingdon 4-2-4T, maybe it will become another 2-4-4T instead.