Good Afternoon All,
The 4-6-0s are available. I got my two undecs yesterday from Lin's Junction in Lansdale, Pa. Following is my findings straight out of the box, no modifications.
The engine runs smoothly and quiet. On a downgrade, with any weight behind it, the engine has a tendecy to stagger or surge, whatever you want to call it. Atlas diesels are famous for this over the years. It is as if the weight of the train causes the engine to slide over the rails, somehow, losing contact. Now, the term downgrade, where this happens on my On30 railroad, the grade is 2%+. On the more shallow grade, this staggering/surging does not happen.
Next, while the 4-6-0 will pull an eleven car train, plus caboose,up my grade, it takes about 20% more throttle to get the job done than what my Bachmann 2-8-0s need.
The pilot truck may need some added weight. It is derailing in places where no other On30 engine I own has any problem. Most of time, the problems are at turnouts. The axles sets are in gauge.
Now for some physical measurements. The 4-6-0 is approx. 1 inch/8 ft longer than the 2-8-0. The engine alone weighs in at approx 3 lbs.
While this note may seem to be bit negative, I find this engine to be a good purchase and well worth the wait.
Hey Bob,
Since one inch in O scale represents FOUR scale feet (not 8), did you mean to say the 4-6-0 is 1"/4' longer, or is it actually 2"/8' longer?
Regarding the surge downhill, maybe you can take a tip from the prototype and set just enough brakes on the caboose to provide a little drag to offset the surge!
I am a little surprised that it's ANY bigger than the 2-8-0 (which I always thought was pretty big), but I guess I really shouldn't be, since the prototype Tweetsie was really 3' gauge, not 2-1/2'.
Regards, Bill
You might have mentioned what spare parts are included with the loco. Many of us have been wondering about that.
Bill,
Duh on me.......of course 1 inch is 4ft in scale. That's what happens when you have two model railroads in the basement at the same time.
The idea of putting a bit of drag on the caboose is a possibility but the 4-6-0 just doesn't seem to have the pulling power demonstrated by the 2-8-0, so any drag may reduce the number of cars I can pull up my grade which varies between 1.5 and 3%. I also forgot to mention that I have had this engine around 18 in radius in my mine area, on the passing siding with no problems.
Jestor, the extra parts are what you would expect. Domes, oil bunker, wood load, solid wheel pilot truck, yard engine pilot, stacks, and oh yes....the oft asked about bag of black dust.
Bob,
I suppose if you are running DCC, it would be possible to rig the caboose with a decoder, so that you could control a drag device (brakes) to be either on or off, then you could have a prototypical "brake setting" at the top of the hill prior to descent. This might be possible using "memory wire", a small solenoid, or a micro R/C servo controlled by a function on the caboose's decoder.
Is the 4-6-0 substantially lighter in weight than the 2-8-0, or do you think it's light footedness may be due to the fact that it less drive wheels, or that they are larger in diameter? Even though I love my Forneys, I have thought for a long time that the O.F. 2-8-0 was the overall best loco to date in On30, so I guess that's still true.
Thanks for the early report.
Bill
Bill,
Interesting thought about the cabooses, but by the time I put out the money and do all the work, it would not be worth it. The troublesome spot, due to % of grade, is not that long, maybe 15-20 seconds of travel time.
As far as pulling capacity......without actually weighing the 2-8-0, I would say the 4-6-0 is heavier. Possible that the number of drivers or diameter is the difference. Again, though, the 4-6-0 is a good runner and I have been able to solve my pilot wheel problems with some shims under the track and a piece of guard rail in one location.
Bill,
One other thing, in response to your first post. The 4-6-0 is indeed one inch longer, therefor 4 ft to scale, than the 2-8-0.
Hey ebtbob, do you have the capability to post a video of you running your 4-6-0 on uTube?
I probably do, but have never sent anything to You Tube and have no idea how to do it.
The downgrade surge is caused by gear lash in the drive. Most of the Bachmann Shays suffer from this same problem (both HO and On30). In the old days, this was often caused by too much back-and-forth slop in those old open-frame motors, which could be solved with some shim washers. Today, maybe some heavy grease in the gearbox might do the trick.
Can someone confirm if the 4-6-0 with the wood panel cab and fluted domes comes with an extra set of round domes?
Thanks,
Travis in Mesa