Now we are rollin'!

Just a thought... But with the economy the way it is,(In the tank) I thought the idea of some new freight cars might be a good idea.  They are more affordable than motive power ,at least right now,and could offer some a little purchasing power during this rough time. They are easy to kit-bash and it has been a while ,I think,  since Bachmann has come out with anything new in this area.    Just a thought...
SD  Calloway

Royce,  I am with you! What is wrong with a 2-8-2?  Size?  If 0n30 is a poor man's  0n3,Why can't we have "large" engines as well as small ones?  The D&RGW had cars of 30ft or more,Tweetsie,36ft, plus the coaches many of these roads had were 40ft or more! Yes ,they were narrow gauge, but many of these roads(EBT WP&Y,etc,) were heavy duty roads even for narrow gauge! That brings me back to a larger shay for the timber roads. This scale is growing, and I would like to think there is room for many sizes.     Dwayne Calloway

A class  A would be nice, but I think a larger shay is still sorely needed! So many of the shays that worked in the Appalachian regions, as well as others, were larger than what we have offered now. The fact is ,because of Mr. Riley and Bachmann,we have never had it so good! Whatever they offer us next, I am sure many of us will be glad they are in this for the long run.     S.D.  Calloway

I did not know about these couplers,and I too would change over all of my engines and rolling stock for a more accurate looking coulper.(ET&WNC) I hope we hear more about these in the near future!     Dwayne

Oljonb,   Micro engineering makes a full line of high quality On30 track. You can get it through the Micro-Mark catalog along with many of Bachmann's On30 products. Hope that answers your question.

I too, like the picture in the "Gazette".  Because of Lee Riley and others in the scale of On30, I have put up my Clinchfield stuff and jumped in head first into narrow gauge! Thanks to Bachmann,and Lee ,for the products they continue to release. I do hope they get the gear issues fixed, but my rod engines run like a fine watch! I .for one, think this scale has a very bright future indeed!   Dwayne

brownbr,   Continue to try and get through to them, From my understanding, they ,Bachmann,Have had alot of trouble with all the geared models they offer. I have several of the rod engines,4-6-0s, and have never had one bit of trouble out of them. They are smooth as silk. I would love to see them produce a larger shay, but I hope they fix all the problems they are having first!!  Good luck to you!!

Yep... That's it.  Those little T-boiler shays would have never made it here in Western North Carolina! Or East Tennessee! The lumber was heavy and the grades were tough by any standards.     

A larger shay, Near where I live these shays were everywhere in the woods working for the W.M. Ritter lumber company. They were big shays for narrow gauge,but they looked great!

I have to agree with Dustin on the buildings! That is a great idea! Most of the kits are extremely high in cost,or I have to scratchbuild the rest. That is ok if you are retired,but alot of us are not, and time to work on the layout is sometimes hard to find. Don't get me wrong ,I love to spend time scratch building stuff, but a nice,affordable kit is nice too! The field is wide open here as to what  Bachmann could make. Water tanks, Depots, Small houses,etc. (A plug for ET&WNC hoppers here too) They had ALOT of those,and they were short enough to use on many other layouts also. I hope the Bachmann is listening....     Dwayne

Dustin,  By far the most easy way to make an ET&WNC #9 is to start with the current 4-6-0 and make just a few minor changes. The 9 was only 12inches shorter than the other ten wheelers,and after the crash that ruined the smokebox,the shop crews rebuilt the engine with a new one from Baldwin. Thus from then on, it REALLY looked like the others!
  Also, the drivers were the same size. The greatest spoting difference was the tender.If you take the trucks on the tender and move them closer together,A foot I think, Run the air line from the tanks over the top of the boiler,you have got a very accurate #9!  That is what I have done ,and it has turned out great! Some Linville River decals,real coal load,and a crew and you have it!   Dwayne

Tim,  This is an easy problem to fix!  The On30 sets use HO scale couplers and they come in different hights  to fix your problem. Also check the trip pins to see that they are not bent and catching the rails in the curves. With just a little trouble shooting, you can soon be running those trains for hours!!!   Dwayne

Royce,,   You could not have said it any better.....

The ten wheeler.  I live thirty minutes from where the former ET&WNC(Tweetsie) now resides in Blowing Rock,NC and to see and hear that engine is a treat indeed!  Bachmann has done a good job with this engine. The Colorado railroads are great,but some of us still like railroads elsewhere. That is the great thing about modeling, to each his own!  DC