Hey Bob:

I like your Bmann HO steam loco review above.

Could you advise where you would put their 2-8-4?  Thanks.

Doug

Sheldon:

Thanks for the link to that DT&I Mike.  That's a fine photo and one serious-looking loco.  And it looks like you're doing a very credible job imitating it.

I'm kind of partial to Mikes.  When I was in my mid- to late-20s I spent two years (part of 1973 into 1975) working for the C&TS RR in Chama NM and I fired those K36s (#480 series) Mikes from Chama (elev. 7,800') 16 miles up the 4% grade to Cumbres Pass (elev. 10,015') many, many times.  Also fired the 487 for one of the steam powered rotary snow plow trips (fired the rotary on another trip also) and fired (and ran the loco a little when the engineer let me; I was scared and excited) from Chama NM to Antonito CO (64 miles.)

Doug

Bob:

Thanks. 

To answer your question, another poster on another board we both are members of said he could pull 50 cars with his now-newly-weighted 2-8-4.  This got my curiosity up so I coupled my 2-8-4 by itself to one of my trains - 51 cars.  It started off slipping, catching, slipping and then got the train moving and pulled it around the 50' loop.  I'm not sure if it was slipping a little or not while doing this; hard to tell.  I do know that sort of like real trains once one of my trains has run a bit (after sitting for hours or more) it seems a bit easier to pull (axle bearings get re-lubed or better-lubed, maybe warmed up a bit, etc.)  No BFS on any drivers.

Sheldon: 

You out did me.  I didn't think about putting weights in the domes; I might do that - easily done.  And I might put some weight in the firbox - didn't think of that either.  As it stands now the loco satisfies me, but....

Good idea on the tender.

Do let us know if you add some BFS to a couple of drivers.   It would probably be best if you tell us what your loco CAN'T pull with this combo - the list would be shorter.

I will look for what I hope are the capacitors on the loco board that are across the power leads and cut them out.  Thanks for the tip.

That "large" single axle trailing truck kind of changes the looks of the locomotive.  Instead of a nice and sleek look it looks a more like a workhorse.


Doug

I've been running diesels (DC) for 17 years and thought I'd try a modern steam locomotive (still DC).  Instead of running a train pulled by just the steam locomotive I would couple it in front of the diesels in a freight train like the real railroads sometimes do when moving a steam locomotive light from point A to B to get it to a passenger train to pull an excursion for railfans. 

A couple of months ago I purchased a Bachmann 2-10-2.  I liked the locomotive but it had multiple drive axles with the drive wheels not square, so it wobbled.  And it was a little touchy at a point or two on my track work.  So I returned it and eventually ordered and received a Bachmann Pere Marquette 2-8-4.  The first thing I did was to remove the 8-pin plug on the DCC board and install the two enclosed dummy plugs.

This steam locomotive has worked fine after I (a) lubed it (didn't need it very much), (b) slightly loosened (two full turns) and very lightly loctited the screw holding in the lead truck.  The problem was that when tightened all the way (which is the way it arrived) the screw head gave the truck a very narrow vertical range in which to move.  No derailments at all now.  And (c):

The locomotive by itself weighs 12 oz. I believe, but whatever, the point is it is light on its feet.  Whenever I tried coupling it with a pair of Bachmann or Atlas Trainman locos to pull a train the steam locomotive's drivers would always slip (start off spinning and stay spinning.)  Also, not helping things is the fact that the loco's longitudinal center of gravity is just in front of the third driving axle (a little too far back for best traction.)  With the added torque of the motor this makes the front-end relatively light and helps the drivers spin. 

So, all in all I thought that if I could put about 3 oz. of additional weight in the forward part of the boiler (a) the traction would greatly improve, (s) its drivers wouldn't spin, and (c) the diesel/steam lashups would pull together nicely.  Usually this kind of planning is often wishful thinking on my part, but it worked!  First time I tried something like this.

I couldn't figure out how to open/remove the smoke box front (without tearing something up), so I did find the three screws holding the boiler/cab on – it was easy; nice design.  I cut some old railcar weights into two pieces about 2.5" long and ½" wide, the top one narrower than the lower one (because the boiler rounds and narrows up) and glued them in front of the motor on another built-in chassis weight.  I added and glued in a ¼ oz. lead weight right in front of the motor (not plugging any air holes.)  That left the 1" long area in the smoke box, which only had the LED headlight with resistors in it. 

I read that you can bend the LED "wires" so I bent them up at a 90 degree angle (the LED just slides into the headlight; easy to pull out.)  After putting the LED back in the headlight I took some metal bbs (got them at Walmart), put them in a cut-down sandwich bag (very thin plastic), wadded it into a "ball," then test-fitted it into the smoke box.  Had to remove bbs twice.  I then added a little bit of caulk in the bag, closed the bag, mushed the bbs and caulk around, used a small piece of wire to close the bag, then form-fitted the wad into the smoke box front around the LED assembly.  It fit perfect and the headlight still works.  As the caulk dries it will get harder but stay flexible.  And if needed the form-fitted weight can easily be removed.

All in all I got 2.5 oz. of additional weight in the loco. This brought the longitudinal center of gravity toward the front of the loco – from originally right in front of the 3rd driver axle to just behind the 2nd drive axle.

Test time:  I took turns putting the locomotive on the front of 3 different trains – each with over 50 cars and each with two mu'd diesel engines.  Train 1 Bachmann FT A&B.  Train 2 two Bachman GP30s.  Train 3 two Atlas Trainman RS36s.

I like the results and they are interesting.  On all three trains the steam locomotive runs about the same exact speed of the diesels now (no slipping of course.)  On the trains with the Bachmann FTs and Atlas RS36s the diesels actually just slightly PUSH the steam locomotive.  On the train with the Bachmann GP30s the steam loco actually PULLS the diesels just a little.  I can see all this by watching the couplers' spacing between the tender and lead diesel as they move.

Am I worried about burning out the motor with this additional weight?  No, especially with no pulling a load behind it, and all the tracks are flat (no grades.)

You all have probably been-there-done-all-this but I wanted to share a success.

Doug

Bach-Man:

Thank you for your work/help in getting these parts in production, and for announcing them.   

Doug

Bach-man:

Thanks, and you're welcome.

Doug

Bach-man:

In considering making available "extra" parts (doghouse; plow brackets; plow; builders plates; ) could you add a gladhand for the tender's brake hose? - it looks kind of strange with just an open-end.  (I didn't see any gladhand in the bag with all the parts.)

Also, and this may be asking too much but it does make sense, per Dave Goodman's "fix" on another forum, could Bachmann also supply 4 nylon washers 1/8" thick?  These were put on the outside of the lead and trailing drive wheels on their axles to reduce excessive front-end swing out.  And I believe Dave said the locomotive would still go around 4' radius curves with no problem.  As a thought, Dave disassembled the locomotive enough to slide  these on, but if that is too much work to do possibly we owners could cut a notch in the washers tight enough so they would slip on over the axles but not loose enough to fall off.

Thanks.

Doug

Bach-man:

Thank you.

Doug

Rick, Tommygunner and All:

I definitely agree with you both regarding requesting Bachman to make  available separate doghouses and other parts (pilot plow, plow brackets, etc.)  And yes I would buy them or the kit.  I would image Bachmann could make them inexpensively in plastic (they already have the molds don't they?) and sell them at a reasonalbe price.

Hopefully Bachmann will sell enough K27s to make these parts available.  I  think many/most of these parts would also fit on any of the other K series engines that Bachmann would make.

Bachman - will you please make these parts for us?

And yes Rick, we do indeed think alike on wanting a K36, and also having a supply of parts able to install (pilot plows, doghouses, etc.) as we feel like it (even though it may not have a strict "prototype" for that particular locomotive.)

And you never know, for instance, when some of us might have an extra pilot plow and then buy another K-series locomotive in order to make use it.  (Have I done things like that before?  Yup.)

Doug

Bachman:

Thank you again for producing the K27 - an excellently done product at a reasonable price.

This may sound crazy but with the receipt of your F scale K27 (I actually bought two) you have GREATLY whetted my (and I think most other recipients of this loco) appetite for more.  So, now is NOT the time to "go on to other things."  You have great positive momentum now running with this locomotive (and as you have said, "... the response has been overwhelming.")  Also, the posts on the various forums are almost all very favorable - congratulations.

Would you (Bachmann Co.) start planning and announcing now that your next production loco is some of the K36s (probably the most popular D&RGW locomotive, at least for pleasing asthetics,) then the K28s, and then the K37s?  If you announce this now we will start saving up.

When you have a winner run with it!

K487

Dave:  Thank you for the answer.

Steve:  Thank for the defense and answer.

Doug

Bachman:

Thank you, Lee, and Bachmann Company for producing the upcoming F scale K27.  As a customer I am greatly looking forward to owning at least two of these locomotives.  I and others do indeed appreciate all of your (plural) efforts.

In case I missed it, can you let us know if Bachmann is going to paint the boiler and tender shells and all exterior items on your K27s, vs. leaving these items in semi-gloss plastic shine?  I'm hoping you will paint the exterior items as this will help make (along with the Pittman motor and hopefully stout drive train) this locomotive one class act.  Thanks.

Doug