At the risk of sounding like Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor, do I need MORE POWER?  The "stock" Bachmann power pack that came with the On30 set is rated at 15 volts DC, 18 volts AC.  As I am still a Luddite and only use DC power, would the addition of something like a TECH 7 AMPAC 760 POWER PACK from MRC that claims 23 volts DC be to my advantage in getting the Bachmann locomotives to move a bit faster?  I'm still pondering my problem with the Bachmann 2-4-4-2 that barely crawled when full power was applied from the Bachmann power pack, and I'm curious if the upgrade to 23 available volts would have helped, or would the additional power just cook the motor?  Any ideas?  I don't mind going to my local hobby shop and plunking down $100.00 if it's going to be the improvement I think it's going to be, but to spent the money again for another 2-4-4-2 AND a new power pack just to find I'm still in the same boat is going to be, as my friends in Maine are want to say, a pisser.  Thoughts?   

John Tumolo   Britcarfan@aol.com

Ok, folks-time to stick up for Bachmann.  Here's how I see it-the late and greatly missed Lee Riley at Bachmann saw a need for "O" scale narrow gauge over 20 years ago, and was able to sell the idea to the money cruncher's, first to compliment the people purchasing those plastic/ceramic Christmas village buildings to use as a Christmas layout, but really a way to work his way in to model railroad hobbyists.  Rivet counters be damned, the ability to do in mass production what folks had been doing for many years before, taking reliable HO mechanisms and readily available HO track  and modeling narrow gauge in "O" scale was going to be a winner if sold properly.  Ok, the much discussed and either hated or accepted compromise, that being a gauge that was either 1/8" too small for 3-foot modelers or in my case 1/8" too large for my beloved 2-foot or just like the bears in the children's story just right for 30" folks.  The point is, for me and many other folks that love narrow gauge in "O" scale Bachmann made it affordable and do-able.  Have they always been perfect?  No, but WAY better that the brass stuff that was way too expensive, and virtually never worked correctly unless you spent a small fortune trying to get it to work.  That hell that so many narrow gauge friends went through kept me away from modeling Maine narrow gauge until Bachmann came along.  This being a limited niche of model railroading, it's difficult for any manufacturer to re-coop  set-up and manufacturing costs for something that's only going to sell a fraction of what they sell in popular scales.  WE ARE NOT AS APPEALING TO THE MASSES AS STANDARD GAUGE AND HO SCALE-GET USED TO IT.  Bachmann has to make a profit on this stuff, and unless WE talk the scale and gauge up to others, we will remain a niche.  We already know how much more realistic our scale and gauge is to the "other" popular O scale 3 rail product out there.  Bachmann is trying to keep the market going as best they can-Hey, how many Forney's did YOU purchase?  I'm sure all the Bachmann products are built with a number in mind to allow for profitability, and once gone, whether it took 6 months or 6 years to clear out, will think long and hard before re-introducing said product.  I happen to be a fan of the EBT, and am glad to see the new offering in the 2021 catalog.  Ok, rivet counters, it's not perfect, but Bachmann isn't aiming this product at you.  They did something cool with what they had available,  and I say BRAVO to them.  Put a couple of those sets at Orbisonia Station, and you'll surely sell them when the train gets back from a trip down the 3-foot rails.  Look, Bachmann has had it's run of reliable product and a couple of problems along the way, but I have always found them willing to help correct any manufacturing failures and they have earned my faith and trust.  On30 is certainly alive and well, and we shall always have Bachmann to thank for it.  Be patient and supportive, and eventually they will be able to take time away from the more profitable lines they have to produce, like their offerings in N,HO & O gauge and devote a bit of time to our end of the hobby.   Hey, I've been patiently waiting for a Maine-style Prairie for years....................Keep the faith!

Hey, gang-It's that time of year again-time to start singing "All I want for Christmas is a 2-6-2, a 2-6-2, a 2-6-2"  For all of you modeling the Maine 2 footers in On30, keep on asking Bachmann to build us one.  Thankfully, we got our Forneys, now it's time for a Prairie.  I don't know if I'll buy 5 of 'em like I did the Forneys, but I'm good for at least 2.  Come on, sing it with me-"All I want............"
Merry Christmas to you all, and a Happy New Year, too!

John Tumolo

Quick note to Jeff Terry re: new 2-4-4-2 that moved 1/4 turn & stopped.  I had exactly the same thing happen when my 2-6-6-2 was new-turned out that the rear set of drivers was the problem.  Directly from the factory, the brass piece which acts as a bearing for the driven axle was mis-aligned-there was no free play from side to side, so the wheels were locked in place.  When I removed the 3 screws holding the cover in place, I could see the brass piece wasn't seated where it should have been-it just needed to be turned a bit and dropped into the slot in the frame.  It has worked fine ever since.  Just see if all of your wheels have a bit of free movement from side to side.  If not, you might have the same problem. 

Well, this ended poorly.  After discussing the running problems with Bachmann service, I tried the fix they suggested-lube the locomotive and try running in.  I ran it for appx. 15 minutes in each direction, but still the same problem-while applying power, engine starts nice and slow, when increasing power moves slightly faster, but then while turning the rectifier all the way up, just gets a bright light but moves no faster.  Service dept suggested returning it to the place of purchase, as I would have to pay to mail it back to Bachmann, and on top of that they had no replacement locomotives to send to me.  Sent it back to the vendor, who called me and said it ran.  I said yes, it does but it should do more than crawl.  They said they would open another one and test it-if it ran better, they would mail that one to me.  Apparently, the next one didn't work any better, or they simply gave up as I just received notification of a refund to my credit card.  I guess I wasn't meant to have a 2-4-4-2 after all.   It's a shame, as I really liked the look of the locomotive, and I'm just confused as to why my 2-6-6-2 runs great, and her little sister turned out to be a bust. 

The good folks at Bachmann have been in touch, and after I try a phone call with service tomorrow to see if something can be done here, I will need to send her back to Bachmann for repair/replacement.  As far as going to DCC, I'm still a bit of a Luddite-I love this hobby and I don't want to be aggravated by computer stuff.  I fully understand a negative and positive wire attached to rails and a rheostat moving right for faster, left for slower.  I have been around layouts with sound, and find that after about 10 minutes I am tired of the noise.  I'm assuming that DCC or DC, the problem would still exist.  Stay tuned.................

I just received my new 2-4-4-2, and when I placed it on my dc only layout, it barely moves.  VERY slow, forward or reverse.  The other odd thing is, BOTH front and tender lights are on when moving forward.  I don't see anything fouling the wheels, no hidden foam pieces like in other locomotives from Bachmann.  All other Bachmann locos equipped with dcc have always run without a problem on the layout, this is the first one that doesn't.  Any ideas?   

Bachmann may have had a bad name 30 years ago, but they got away from making cheap toy trains when they came out with the "Spectrum" line.  Quality ain't cheap.  We now have available to us well designed, well executed quality injection-molded plastic rolling stock that rivals anything ever made in brass at one heck of a lot better price.  You need to change your mindset of plastic=cheap.  Yes, Bachmann had a problem in the past with the gear-driven locomotives, especially the Shay, but they stood behind the product and made it right with either a repair kit or a direct replacement.  You can't ask for more than that.  Ever purchase a brass locomotive?  If you did, you found that although the detail was great, the thing ran like crap unless you put another couple of bucks in it.  You don't have to do that with Bachmann's locomotives.  Keep watching the internet, but also check with some of the suppliers on the On30 facebook page, especially John Weigel's Peterboro Railroad.  He's one of us! Kind of a "Mister On30".  Best of luck to you-you certainly picked a great gauge to build with and that includes a great group of fellow modelers. 

 I have always liked the Bachmann Consolidation, but it's a bit big/tall for my 2-foot Maine themed On30 railroad. It just seemed to tower over the rolling stock. After thinking about it for a long while, I came up with the idea and method to lower the cab. Follow this, and it's an easy job. Purchase a Banta Modelworks CURVED roof 2-8-0 cab. Glue the 2 front pieces together, then, with a sharp knife and metal straight edge make a cut all the way across the top and bottom edge of the front windows, effectively removing appx. 1/4 " of the cab. Glue 'em back together, then using the upper notch on the side for location but removing the center tabs 'cause they are no longer in the correct position, attach the left and right sides. This will give you that Maine look of a lower cab that also "hangs down" on the sides. Finish with the top supports and the top itself, which you have wrapped around a beer/soda can for at least one day to help approximate the shape you need. In Maine 2-foot style, I left off the rear partition, but I did wedge it in place while the glue dried to keep the cab in shape. The only modification you need to make to the locomotive itself is the removal of a bit of metal on the sides, using your grinding wheel (I used the grinder out in the garage that I use to sharpen mower blades) to take them back appx. 1/16" (basically back to the ridge line). Removing the original cab is easy if you know the trick. It's held in place by way of a screw coming up through the boiler right in the center of the front windows. First, remove the screw hiding under the front truck. Then, remove the plastic cap over the plugs for the tender power at the rear of the locomotive and you will see 2 screws inside (NOT the one holding the pcb in place). Remove the 2 screws and the boiler may GENTLY be raised up to allow access to the screw holding the cab. DO NOT harm the two power wires while doing this. Carefully lift the metal cab away, and don't cut or break the pipes going in. Your new cab will now drop right into place into the slot in the boiler. Place all of your pipes in the appropriate holes provided, and you will find that they will hold your cab in place. As you can see by the photos, it's still a big locomotive, but now it looks like it belongs. It was a fun build.   John Tumolo  Britcarfan@aol.com

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It's not hard to modify an older 2-6-0.  The infamous
Geren W. Mortensen, Jr. made a kit several years ago w/ brass wipers that ran off of the wheels of the tender, resulting in a locomotive running ever so smoothly through Atlas plastic frogs or any other switch maker's plastic frogs.  He trades under the name of "On30 Guy", and I don't know if he's still making the kits.  Send him an email if you're interested. 

John Tumolo   britcarfan@aol.com

Any packing plastic will do-I used leftover clear stripping mylar from my old print shop days-just don't use "super glue" type products-they tend to fog the plastic.  I used good old Elmer's woodworking glue on all the windows of my Deerfield River Laser cars, and none have come loose after several years of use.  Just use a toothpick and dab a few dots of glue, and give it a chance to dry.  If you don't man handle the cars, the windows will stay.  I've know folks to even use the clear plastic from window envelopes with great success.  What ever you have on hand and whatever works for you.  Good luck.  John Tumolo    Britcarfan@aol.com

Hey, gang-It's that time of year again-time to start singing "All I want for Christmas is a 2-6-2, a 2-6-2, a 2-6-2"  For all of you modeling the Maine 2 footers in On30, keep on asking Bachmann to build us one.  Thankfully, we got our Forneys, now it's time for a Prairie.  I don't know if I'll buy 5 of 'em like I did the Forneys, but I'm good for at least 2.  Come on, sing it with me-"All I want............" 
Merry Christmas to you all, and a Happy New Year, too!

John Tumolo

Hey, gang-It's that time of year again-time to start singing "All I want for Christmas is a 2-6-2, a 2-6-2, a 2-6-2"  For all of you modeling the Maine 2 footers in On30, keep on asking Bachmann to build us one.  Thankfully, we got our Forneys, now it's time for a Prairie.  I don't know if I'll buy 5 of 'em like I did the Forneys, but I'm good for at least 2.  Come on, sing it with me-"All I want............" 
Merry Christmas to you all, and a Happy New Year, too!

John Tumolo

It's so great to see our brothers and sisters in other countries have the same love for our hobby.  It just makes me mad at myself for not paying more attention in French class 45 years ago-had I only known..............


John Tumolo

Mt. Blue is still going strong-I purchased 3 of the "shorty" passenger cars from them at the Narrow Gauge Convention in Augusta, ME last September.  They are also the source for the wood pilot kit for the Bachmann On30 2-4-4t Forney locomotive. Very easy to build, and just what the Forney needs to make it look right. 

John Tumolo  Britcarfan@aol.com