Hello together !
I have some general questions about the prototypes of 3-truck shays.
What is the purpose of the pipe cranking over from the first to the second tender?
Has that something to do with the equipment for taking water on the way?
As far as I can see, the Bachmann locos are "oil fired".
Firts tender = oil bunker, second = water. Correct?
Did they also use 3-truck shays coal fired ?

Thanks for the help and information in advance!

Udo

Open the ashpan, inside are two holders, which you should turn 90°. So you can remove the engine.
The two srews from outside you removed already.
Now you can see the connections for the chuff on the backside of the engine.

Udo

Hi Hennink!
Send me a message with your E-mail.
I also have a 2-6-6-2. I don't know the Uhlenbrock decoder.
I used an ESU Loksound XL, connected with the adaptor plug to the main board.
It was working.
Best regards,

Udo from China

Hello Bill !
The first run had 8 screws, this was as far as I know, the one with problems.

The second run has 6 srews, I think, power connections upgraded. The fixing of the trucks to the bolster is the same in both runs. The difference is, that on the first run, you can remove the trucks without openeing the gear box. On the second run, you must open it to get to the two addidinal screws in the front and in the back of  the truck. In "principal", the truck also has 8 Screws, only 2 of them are covered.

The replacement trucks have 4 screws only. The boltster will be fixed by the two screws on the sides only.

Hope this helps,

Udo from China

Hi Norman!
The american will run without problems on LGB R3 (about 2.4m Dia).
With some modification it wil operate (slow)    R1 also, the modification is to move the front wheels a little forawrd (about 5mm) so they will not touch the cylinders.
But I would not recommend this... looks very ugly!
So R3 will be the recommendation.
Udo

Hi all,
yesterday I had some pieces of the new track in hand..... at Bachmann shop Shanghai.
It has dark ties (US spacing) and the connectors are srewed from the side. Aditional srews are glued under one of the ties. There is no brand name in the ties, only "made in China".
I have seen this kind of traks earlier already... may be Aristocraft?
Udo

Hi,
did you look at the backside of the styrofoam package?
There should be the track etc....
Udo

Hello Bman,
Hello Doneldon!
Thanks for the answers and specially for the explanations of Doneldon !

Udo

Hello together !
Just now I got my long caboose.
To get something like this here in the country where it is "born" (China) is not easy.
Bachmann Dealers are not of great help. They just sell, what they have in stock...
I got mine via a dealer in HK, who got it from Walthers.

But, that is not the question. I am very happy to have it.
The real question is:
Are the inside lights "prototypical"? Not regarding the accuracy of the table lights, they look very nice...
but regarding the number of lights inside the car.
No lights in the cupola or under the ceiling ?
No lights on the platforms ?

May be somebody can give me some hints!

Thanks,

Udo

Hello Heinz,
I understand, that you don't want use the inbuilt triggers. Otherwise, the hint of Stan is very helpfull.
But, if you don' want the triggers, you can remove all the Bachmann electrics, so you have space enough for the decoder, and may be even for the speaker in the firebox. And the cables to the tender will reduce to a minimum (2 for power Pick up, 2 for the back light).
The inbuilt ventilator you can even make switchable like I did.
By the way, to remove the complete boiler including the cab is very easy and well described in the Bachmann manual.
But don't forget to remove the boiler supports on the front ! (not shown in the description!).

Udo

Hello Heinz,
I have an ESU LOKSOUND XL and a Massoth pulsed generator in one of my K27s.
All the original electronic equipment has been removed.
Now the Decoder is placed in the fire box (a lot of space there after removal).
The original triggers also have been cut off.
I replaced them by two Hall sensors at the second drive axle, which I blocked for side movement.
One of the Hall sensors is for the decoder, the other one for the smoke unit.
I also relocated the inbuilt ventilator and made it switchable via the decoder.
So it blows in the direction to the smoke box.
The smoke unit has a small pipe and there is also another bigger one just under the hole for the stack. So you have something like a suction pump over the smoke unit (double walled pipe, with the outside pipe downside open).
This prevents the ventilator for just blowing the smoke to anywhere...
I use the ventilator also as a "blower".
Looks very nice...
By the way, to the tender, there is only the connection for power pick up, lights and speaker left.
Udo

Hi "Colemill"
What do you mean with "power pack"?
1. some capacitors, which help the loco to cover some dirty track
or
2. the power supply for the layout

To point 1:
no need with a loco like that
To point 2:
I have about 130m layout, temporary built in my apartment.... (when my wife allows).
I run 9 locos, most Bachmann (e.g. 2 K27 one 2-6-6-2 and different others)
My power supply is a LENZ Digital, transformer gives 16V AC. The output is about 3,5 A.
I use only one power connection to the rails....
No Problem!
As you see, I use DCC, the locos have ESU decoders.
So, don't worry!

Enjoy your train !

Udo

Hello Bryan,
first, sorry, I did not make any pictures.
My habit with Bachmann Locos is, to disassemble them nearly complete before operation.
The reason for that is, that I often had some parts, which were not assembled correctly or some bolts not tightened.
So in this case, it was no problem for me to access all necessary points. As I told, I have also made a new wire connection with plugs to the tender, for light, steam, cab light and I also added a firebox flicker.
Now all electronics are in the tender, the loco only has only "end users".
It is a little bit difficult in the tiny boiler to make the wiring. In the end I made the wires long enough, to make the final connections in the front of the boiler and push them in through the smoke box back to the boiler.
The additional weight, I pushed in also that way. Because I use an LGB smoke unit, which is in the stack, I have enough place to do so.
The weight I used is lead "tape", which I put in a plastic tube to isolate it to avoid any possible electric shortcut.
So, I think, to make a proper change to DCC, there is no way around the complete disassembly.

Good luck,

Udo

Hello all,
that engine is not DCC ready. I removed all installed electronics including the sound unit on mine.
I also removed the smoke unit and replaced it by an LGB one. So I had space in the boiler to add some 300gr. weight.
I also made some new connections from the tender to the engine (power pick up, lights, smoke, motor) and installed an ESU Loksound XL in the tender.
Now the machine runs very well and sounds also very good.
Udo

Hello Alex,
try to reduce the power which the power connections bring to the wheels by bending them a little away.
I also lubricated the pick ups with conductive grease. That helps a little to reduce the draft.
The best way, as mentioned in the other answer is to use LGB (or similar) ball bearing axles.
Accucraft will be difficult, because the axle diameter is 4mm. Bachmann and LGB use 3mm axles.
In my J&S coaches (from kit) I use function decoders to switch the light (2X inside, platform and furnace flicker).
Additional I have connected the cars with a 2-pole plug. So all the cars together use the power pick up from each other.
The full baggage also got light. There I used the LGB pickups (with coal brushes) on two axles. There is a provision in the trucks to do it easy. But only for one axle of each truck.
May be later I will change to LGB ball bearing axles. I have one caboose (kit) with four of this axles.
There the draft is really close to zero. That car runs away on the slightest decline.

Hope this helps,

Udo