I too use lead weights from a company called A-Line,a division of Proto Power West. These have tape on one side and come in different sizes and work well On the bottom of the Bachmann cars. Most good hobby shops will have these.    Dwayne Calloway

These cars are easy to disassemble and kit bash! Remove the trucks and the under frame ,with just a little pressure,will come free from the body. I used several of these cars To make some ET&WNC flats that are 36ft long. I use the frame and lengthen it, then use the end detail cut with a razor saw. I then build new sides using strip wood,also using wood for a new deck. New brake detail, queen posts,trucks from San juan and decals, and you have an easy to build,good looking, hard working flat. Just add new sides, and you have gons also! Hope this helps!!   Dwayne Calloway

This is the way I was leaning. The standard tracks into the engine house will not be used, they will be only for "looks". Also, the "standard"gauge tracks beside the engine house will be to hold cars only for the comparison of size with the narrow gauge cars. One of my copies of the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette has an article on the Grant Line conversion And the kit does not look to hard. The ET&WNC had, and still does,have a beautiful old engine house and I would love to include this as well as some of the other shop buildings. Other than this "area", the rest of the layout will be all narrow gauge. If I can work this out,including several turnouts, I will leave the "gauge" of the ten wheelers alone. If not, I will be speading them out. I DO NOT want to scratch build standard gauge cars,mostly Clinchfield hoppers,I want to save that for the narrow gauge stuff. The standard gauge hoppers and some period boxcars I can purchase. Choices,choices.

Well, I could just get a Grandt Line kit and move the drivers out to 3ft gauge on the Ten wheelers and move everything to that. If I want to model anything  in the Johnson City, TN yard, I need dual gauge track.  As I have never used one of these kits, I don't know if it is worth the trouble and the risk of spreading the engines. The cars would be very little trouble,just change out the axles. Most of the trucks are from San Juan as these are closer to what the ET&WNC used. Any Ideas?     Dwayne

Hmmm.....  I didn't think about that.  The clinchfield interchanged alot of coal at Johnson City with the ET&WNC and these cars were side by side. Also, they had some dual gauge track that ran into the engine house. I will have to study on this...

 Does anyone out there know of a mfg of On30 dual gauge track and turnouts? I model the "TWEETSIE" and they shared alot of dual gauge track in Johnson City TN with the Clinchfield and the Southern.   Dwayne

For all those of you with gear problems, I am sure Bachmann is listening. That is what will keep them in business.  When life gives you lemons, make lemonade( new gears,NWSL) Tear that sucker apart!! You may find it is alot of fun fixing something that is broke. Kinda like an old hot rod. Once you are done, you will enjoy what you have finished!     Dwayne  Calloway

Darryl,  I have 4 of the 4-6-0s and all of them run great!  The problem seems to be with the geared locomotives and not the rod engines. I have seen all the fuss about those but I do not own any of the gearedlocos that seem to be giving so much trouble. I don't think I have seen too many complaints with the 2-8-0s either. I really like this "narrow gauge stuff" and I wish Bachmann could get these problems fixed!

It seems to me that the rod engines are not having the problems that the geared engines are having. I now have four of the ten wheelers,I model the ET&WNC (Tweetsie) in the late thirties.All of these have sound and some have run for a very long time now with no problem at all. They run as good as any engine I have seen in brass and also with me ,If I add up all the extra detail parts added to these engines, They are approaching Brass prices!!    Dwayne

Kieth does seem to be a great guy,and his line of "stuff" keeps growing. On the issue of most narrow gauge roads having one or two locomotives only, the ET&WNC had  six of the ten wheelers and with only minor differences they all "looked" the same. 8 had a wooden cab, 9 was only   very slightly smaller in size ,while 10,11,12,and fourteen were built from the same blueprints. I can say I am VERY glad Bachmann chose to do the ten wheeler.  I think they will get alot of Milage out of it.     All of the ideas are fun to read,and it is a good time to be  in narrow gauge.

Royce,  The last time I looked, Wiseman was making the ET&WNC flats and gons but not the hoppers. I didn't see these on his web page also . I did Ttalk to Mr. Wiseman and he was planning to do these cars soon.  I know of another mfg that is planning to do the 36' boxcars very soon.  I to would love to see Bachmann do the hoppers. At 28'ft,  They could be at home on any home layout.  The new caboose(505) by Deerfield river is a gem!  It looks great with the Bachmann ten wheelers! If they have started making those hoppers,I need a bunch!!

Thank you Yardmaster,  I need two more ten wheelers to finish my roster and that is welcome news. Thanks for all the 0n30 products. It has made narrow gauge affordable and loads of fun!

I have run into this same issue with the ET&WNC ten wheelers. I have switched the "factory" decoder with an "over the shelf" Soundtrax decoder because fireman Fred and some other small things I like are not on the Bachmann decoders. The ET&WNC decoders offered by Sound trax has these features if bought seperately. Why?

Another option you may have, is that some are are using the 0n30 models, and changing the gauge to 0n3 by replacing the wheels and or trucks. Some mfgs even make kits to spread the axles on the 4-6-0 and other locomotives that Bachmann offers.  Many great choices here, and the cost is kept low!  The " Narrow gauge and Short Line Gazette" is a great place to start with information, and they seem to be favorable to the Bachmann models. Hope that helps!  S Calloway