Hi,  Has anyone broken up the running gear of the 2-6-6-2 to make a six coupled engine ?   I am considering it, and if someone can give me  driver size,  and height of motor from boiler bottom as well as width, I would be most appreciative.  Also how is the mechanism laid out, one motor or two ?  Thanks,  Dave

The mallets have landed !!! Micromark has them on their website as in stock.  Pricier than Peterboro however.

Hi Lindsay,  I may be headed to NZ this april.  Any suggestions for heritage railways? Dave McLeod

Hi Anubis and Tom,  Thanx for the compliments.  Actually I am modeling a Vermont freelance common carrier, the Otter Creek and Ripton, and a logging line, Vermont Talc and Timber.  Cutting across the spine of the Green Mountains, the lines feature heavy grades, rugged scenery and several oddities, such as a talc mine and crusher and a log rollover.  Dave McLeod

For clarification, the middle of the frame was shortened by one half inch, and the pilot beam by the same.  This makes coupling and uncoupling much better in both directions.  Mr Bachmann should consider offering this modification; very minimal engineering and low cost for a new loco.  Same boiler, wheels, cab and motor.

Having always loved the Maine 2 foot 0-4-4s, I took a shot at converting the forney into one.  Check out the link for photos of my effort. 
   This could be an easy way for Bachmann to add another engine to it's roster with only minor engineering work.  The frame was chopped in half between the motor and the circuit boards, and the pilot deck was shortened.  The tank was also cut back, and that was it, other than the  backdating.  The only concession was having to trim off the brakeshoes from the trailing truck for clearance.  The 2-4-4 has trouble coupling due to it's length, and this shorter loco alleviates this issue to a great extent.  Just waiting for custom decals to arrive so I can weather her.
http://www.tradewindsvt.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1858

Put me down with a vote for SR&RL # 24.  Also an inside frame 2-6-2 that can be issued as both a tender and tank engine.  This would give B-man more bang for the engineering buck.

One more question.  What is the driver size? Thanx,  Dave

Greetings,  Has anyone tried to break up  the 2-6-6-2 power train to make a mechanism for a six coupled loco such as a 2-6-0 or 2-6-2 ? 

Greetings Bachmann,  Ever thought of having a photo gallery on the website for customers to post pix of what they are doing with your wonderful products ?   Also, I'm elated about the On30 underframes, now what about tenders being sold separately ?  Thanx, Dave

I did go through the arduous task of modifying a walthers turntable.  The main problem is the wheels, they are poorly cast and do not roll properly. As a result, the turntable is very jerky when turning a heavy On30 engine like the 2-8-0.  I cut back the wheel housing to flush with the turntable, then attached HOn3 trucks vertically to the side of the turntable girder. I cut them in half so that  the bolster and one axle remained . Filing off the journal boxes gave clearance.  I used metal kadee trucks.  All this was covered with a scratch gallows turntable. However, it still did not work as the turntable pit is too thin to support the weight, and would flex.  This caused the pit walls to bend inward and the table would rub against them, causing more jerkiness.  The solution was to support the pit from the bottom with a  piece of plywood with a hole big enough to have the tapered part of the pit seat in it.  Whew, what a job.  It does work now, but I almost gave up. I would suggest buying something more substantial with steel wheels, unless you are masochistic.  Dave