I'm sure Bachmann will eventually make a Mikado, but in the mean time I was looking for a D&RGW K-xx 2-8-2 from  MMI.

I can't find anyone who sells them new online, apart from second hand on ebay.

I know they are not readily available, but occasionally they make some, & I thought I'd put in an order, if I could find where.

Of course if Bachmann made one, I'll take two please.

I think we're all over those tiresome tethers between the loco & tender - a necessary evil.

I found a Bachmann loco that addresses the problem in a simple, but effective fashion.

It is a Bachmann British Outline Robinson Class 04.

The link below shows the "Clip" holding the Tether.

http://www.modelrailforum.com/reviews/Bachmann-Robinson-Class-04/IMG_2654-1.JPG

Merry Christmas to all.

Cheers.
Mark

Take a look at the depths some modellers go to.......good on 'em.

Fireman shovelling coal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajdd4zhcla0

G'Day,

I have received five new ON30 locos in the mail over the past month.
One was a 2-8-0 from a rival company & the others, all Bachmann, a 4-4-0, two 4-6-0's & a 2-6-6-2.

I am very happy with their running & detail , but have noticed that each time one arrives my track requires a complete clean, suffering from a good dose of OIL!

Sadly 'once bitten, twice shy', turned into 'fool me once, shame on you; fool me three or  more times, shame on me'.

Just today my HO 'SY' arrived, but this time I cleaned the wheels first, & yes they were oily. I would guess they have some new, & rather generous staff at the factory.

You may have had this problem before, but I thought I'd bring it up, just in case.
'Cause who likes cleaning oily track.....

My two 4-6-0's arrived today & they run well. I changed one loco to ESU DCC & the other to an NCE. The ESU runs noticeably better at lower speeds than the NCE, so I'll put that in the Connie & dig up another NCE for the other ten wheeler.

I hope these new locos are as reliable as my earlier ON30 locos. I guess time will tell.

I have had a great run with Bachmann HO & ON30 locos for many years. I was so pleased with the early Shays in both scales, I decided to get some more.

In the last 12 months I've added three HO Shays & two ON30 Shays to the roster. But not without problems. Of the HO Shays, one was DOA, the other two had severely binding trucks - one could only manage a half turn of its wheels.
The two ON30 Shays have binding trucks which prevent smooth slow running.

My original four HO & ON30 Shays were all bought within weeks of their release, & have run faultlessly since.
The ones manufactured & bought recently.....well.

To balance this, I have to add the three ON30 4-4-0s [both types]  bought over the last 18 months are faultless.

I'm expecting two ON30 4-6-0's ;in the mail any day now, with high hopes.

Cheers

Too much Training is never enough

Quote from: Jon D. Miller on October 18, 2009, 11:05:10 AM
It's interesting that those of us that have had the Mogul since it first became available during December of 2000.....

One of the "Enthusiastic Children"

JD

Thanks JD,

the Triple Two Goo, is going on today.

DONE !

I'd hate to find out by accident, I shouldn't have!
I was worried in case they served a higher purpose, but obviously not.
I ran the loco around the track & nothing fell off, exploded or derailed.
Oh, & it went through the turnouts perfectly.

Thanks to all for your advice.

Cheers.
Mark

G'day All,

I checked the depth of the flangeway & although shallow was enough for the Mogul flanges to get though smoothly.

I had a look at the guide pins again & measured their Back to Back width.
As best as I can tell, its just under 37mm.
These guide pins extend below the rail head & so must follow the flangeway.  By comparison, the Wheel flange 'Back to Back' is about 40mm.
Here's the crunch - The The turnout's guide & wing rail width is just over 37mm. 'Bit of a Square peg in the Round hole problem here!

So it seems the Guide pins will not travel within the flangeways, as they foul the guide & wing rail.

Does anyone have a solution to this problem?
I don't want to file the wing & guide rails away as they are already very thin.
I was thinking of filing the Guide Pins a little , but cannot realistically get 2mm off, without making them too thin.
Has anyone run without the pins, & are there any other problems associated with this?

Thanks guys,

I'll take another look at it. It's so difficult to see, but now I've been pointed in the right direction, I'll get it sorted.

Cheers.

G'day everyone,

I have a Yellow Pines Lumber spectrum 2-6-0. It has difficulties running through my 10' dia turnouts.

It jams & stops when the center driver reaches the frog, in any direction.
There are a couple of metal "spikes" suspended under the loco, & this seems to cause the problem. Are these spikes meant to be removed?

The loco comes with a video, but I haven't had a video player in over five years, so I don't know if it is explained there.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Well, I've been having a lot of fun with my new Connie. What a superb runner. I've been checking the wheelnuts frequently but none have come loose yet. I'll have to get around to applying some loctite soon though.

I was so happy with the 2-8-0, I ordered a Brand spanking new Spectrum 2-6-0 in Yellow Pine livery, but when it arrived, the motor spins & makes clicking noise & goes nowhere. Oh well, one out of two ain't bad... what am I saying!!!
So now I'll have to start pulling it down, to find out whats wrong.
Is there a supa-dupa gearbox replacement for these?

I ordered a box car with intentions of  carry a Battery for RC. I can only run one loco at a time anyway, so fitting all of them with separate equipment seems a waste, in my situation.

Whats the best type of RC controller for a simple layout & battery boxcar setup?

Quote from: Kevin Strong on September 07, 2009, 11:33:33 AM
...at the same time, and brush off the year's worth of dust and stuff that's accumulated, hiding my weathering. (I worked too hard on putting dust exactly where I want it to have dust settle down where I don't. )

Later,
K

Thanks for the info Kevin.
& I know what you mean about all that natural weathering - It really ruins the fake one something awful.
Although my H0 layout has a nice patina of natural weathering - just can't touch anything for fear of rubbing it off.
============================================

Quote from: StanAmes on September 06, 2009, 10:49:38 AM
The Connie's are a relatively older mechanical design .............. a relatively small motor, the gear on the main axle and the screws holding the counterweights.  There are simple solutions to all three should you ever encounter a problem.

I think you will enjoy the locomotive.
Stan Ames

I'll keep that in mind Stan, Thanks.
I always wanted a connie - the counterweights , valvegear & connecting rods  are really great to watch.
================================================

Quote from: Barry BBT on September 06, 2009, 01:39:37 AM
Mark (and Kevin),

The other vulnerable area is the driven gear on the axle.....  I have developed a motor and gearbox replacement
Barry - BBT

Barry.....wow, I can build track, fix watches & dabbled in micro electronics, but cannot put a gear on an axle - the main reason I gave up slot car racing so many years ago. So, should my connie suffer the slightest pang in that area, you'll be the first to know.
==========================================

Well the LHS is holding my new baby 'til I pick it up on the weekend.
I better get out this afternoon & relay the track for the big test run.

Thankyou all for being so helpful. I really appreciate all the tips.

Cheers.
Mark

Quote from: Kevin Strong on September 05, 2009, 01:52:38 PM
Just beware of loose screws. Some have reported the motor screws are a bit loose and the screws that hold the counterweights onto the axles need to be periodically tightened
Later,

K

Thanks Kevin, that's good news.
In your opinion, would a little silastic or loc-tite solve the problem or is it better to just check them?

I was thinking or extending to the area beside my house, but that would involve nearly 100' of 4% grade to join the two - Is that too much for these locos. I don't want to burn out motors or strip gears.

Cheers.
Mark

G'Day all,

My local Hobby Shop has an outside frame 2-8-0 on special.

I was wondering if there were any common problems with these locos, or are they generally reliable?

My outdoor mainline is a little under 100' long & the locos only get a couple of hours running time a month, at most.
I think I'll have to build a spur & shed, to reduce the setup times.