Good Evening All,

        I am looking for a tender from a Bachmann 2-6-0.   It does not matter what the paint scheme is as I want to make it into a water car.  Contact me off site.  My email addy shows in my profile.

Good Evening all,

        The GATSME Model Railroad Club in Ft. Washington, Pa(NW subs of Philadelphia)  may be entering it's last show season.   This past Sunday there was a very nice article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the fact that the club may be losing is current home in the basement of a school building in Upper Dublin Township.   The building has not been used as a school for a number of years now but is home not only to the train club but a dance club and possibly some scout troops.
        GATSME has been in the basement of the building since 1975 and the loss of the building as home would probably mean the end of the club,  existing for over 55 years.
        This Saturday and Sunday,  Dec 5th and 6th will be the first of our show weekends.   More info can be had by going to www.gatsme.org.   There you will find directions,  show dates,  and other info.

Hi All,

      Yesterday I got my 2-6-6-2 and new caboose.    The pictures of the caboose do it no justice.   They make the caboose look more squater than it really is.   Nice interior with illumination.
       The 2-6-6-2 is a great engine except for one thing.   It does not pull as well as the 2-8-0s or 4-6-0s.   That being said,  it is a fine runner.  I got mine with DCC and sound and while I would prefer a full blown Tsunami,  for more whistle selection,  I will be MORE than glad to live with the engine the way it is.
        I don't know for sure what the ruling grade is on my railroad but my 2-8-0s and 4-6-0s will take a 10 car loaded hopper train and caboose up my grade with the 2-8-0 pulling better than the 4-6-0.   The 2-6-6-2 need a rear end helper to get the train up the grade.   For me,  that is acceptable because I like the challenge of getting the two engines synchronized in speed so I don't push the rear end of the train off the rails.    That and the sight and sound of two engines working up that grade at different ends of the train is really cool.
      Size wise,  the 2-6-6-2 is noticably smaller than the 2-8-0s and 4-6-0s
but believe me,  Bachmann has a winner on their hands.   This engine just begs to be detailed and there is actually a better chance to get a crew in the cab than with the 2-8-0 or the 4-6-0s.
       My one complaint is the fact that you are given extra headlights for the engine and tender lights with contacts but no advice as to how to remove the factor installed lighting and replacing them with the others available.
      Overall,  Thanks Bachmann for a really nice engine.

Good Evening All,

       A question about programming with the Zepher.   In the book,  Mastering the Digitrax Zepher,  a Madison Mountain Publishing,  on page 22 is a box on the right hand side of the page with this statement.  "Lastly,  we highly recommend that you do not use decoders that only program in the Physical Register (PHYS) mode.   What decoders would these be.
       Second question from a customer today.   He is trying to program an engine on a program track in the PG mode,  and gets a dnd read out.  He assures me that there is a decoder in the engine.  Assuming that there is no wiring flaws,  faulty decoder,  or improper installation,  is it possible that this decoder is one that requires more power than the Zepher can produce?   I seem to remember discussions here,  before,  saying something about putting a resistor across the rails of the programming track.

Good Morning All,

        A bit of sad news to many I am sure......I got a official announcement from Athearn,  today,  that they are going to discontinue their blue box kits.

Good Morning All,

       I would love to see Bachmann make some sort of a high side gondola with no ends so it could be used as a pipe gon.

Bob

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.


       

         If you have never had a chance to do night photography and the chance comes along,  take part in that chance.   You need a camera that accepts a shutter cable and a tripod for stability.
          Here is a picture of the EBT's #17,  taken with natural lighting,  no strobes,  etc.

Good Morning All,

     This is a follow up posting to one currently in the HO section about the possible making of the Pennsy Q-2 2-4-6-4.   There is a supposed posting on the Broadway site showing the veriations of the engine and a stated minimum radius of 22 in or better.
      I responed to the post - referring to the minimum radius.   I have worked for over 13 years in an all train store in the suburbs of Philadelphia and have seen the anger and frustration of people who bought engines from other sources than us.   The engines do not work on the stated minimum radii and customers want to know why.
      Let me give you some advice and thougths based on customer expericence and my own.
      When a person wants to know if their engine is going to operate on a specific radii,  the first thing to do is see if the engine will actually fit on the track.   In the case of a steam engine,  once that is seen,  does the cab roof come close to or make contact with the tender?   It can happen.   In the case of a diesel,  ones like the BLI RSD15 are soooo long that using it on anything smaller than 24 in radii or thru tight turnouts such as #4s will cause it to pull cars off the track.
     Speaking of diesels,  manufacturers such as Athearn recommend that any radii under 22 in,  should be used with engines  with 4 wheeled trucks and those with 6 wheel trucks need 22 inch or better.


   

Is this what we have wished so long for? I'm sure we all hope so.

"The new organization, the East Broad Top Railroad Preservation Association, was put together by Larry Salone, who took over as executive director of the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum in 2007."

Full test at:

http://www.trains. com/trn/default. aspx?c=a& id=5023

Good Morning All,

      Since I have seen the B Man mention this company's product in another post on the Plasticville site,  I have decided to go ahead with this post.
       Mount Blue has several car kits available for the On30/On2 world and sizewise will fit VERY nicely with the standard Bachmann On30 cars.   They also offer retrofit pilots,  cabs,  etc for Bachmann steam engines and other things like bodies for the railtruck and replacement wood racks for the pulp wood cars.
        I am currently assembling the Mt Blue kit number 12,  a work caboose.   It is going together quite nicely and the standard Bachmann On30 freight car truck with HO scale 36 inch wheels gives the car the nice looking - hunkered down look.
         These kits are all laser cut with the parts fitting together nicely,  but,  the kits are not necessarily for the new modeler.   Some experience working with wooden kits would be a help.

Bob

Good Morning All,

      Yampa Bob gave me an idea from his post about Caboose Hobbies virtual tour,  when he gave a link to the Rocky Mountain railroad club.
      The idea is to share your favorite model railroad club's website.  My club,  GATSME,  has been in existance for over 50 years now.  We just finished our current show season last weekend and thanks to all who came out and saw the railroad in action.   You can visit the club via the website at www.gatsme.org.   By visiting the website,  you can take a picture tour of the railroad as well as see a trackplan.  Please take some time to visit the site and let Val,  our webmaster,  know what you think of the site and the club.

Bob Rule, Jr.

Good Afternoon All,


     I have decided to put this message out in the General Discussion forum because it pertains,  not only to On30 people but all O scale narrow gauge modelers.
      I told you a couple of weeks ago that I had info on coming O scale EBT cars but was not allowed to share info then.  Well here it is.
      Funaro & Camerlengo is releasing an O scale EBT boxcar.   I got the phone call from F&C yesterday.    They just called me back about 5 minutes ago and here are the details.

Retail cost of the kit - $54.95

     If you order direct you get at least a 10% discount off the list price.   The more cars you order,  the better the discount.   Since I am only ordering one,  I do not know what the largest discount would be.
     The kit will come with decals,  but not with couplers or trucks as far as I know.   I did not think to ask about the trucks as I am planning on using this on my On30 railroad and the Bachmann coal car trucks are correct for the car.
      For more info,  call Sharon at 1-570-224-4989.    When they answer the phone they just say hello,  so do not expect them to answer with the company name.
      At the November show in Allentown they told me they had other cars in the planning stage,  but their release will be based on the success of the steel boxcar.
      Please direct all questions to F&C.

Bob Rule, Jr.

Good Morning All,

       I have Precision Craft Reading T-1 with a Tsunami decoder installed.   I am having a wierd problem that I cannot figure out. 
       You can take the boiler of the engine and make it lean to one side or the other without lifting the drivers off the track.    When you lean the boiler to the engineer side,  a short occurs.  When running,  the engine shorts out going around even broad radii right hand turns.
         Any thoughts?

Bob

Good Morning All,

       The October/November issue of O Gauge Railroading Magazine is now available.  It is a special issue - Exploring O Scale Narrow Gauge.   The cover story is about a visit the magazine made to Bachmann Trains.   It is worth the reading,  delving into the Bachmann role as a manufacturer,  time lines for new products,  etc.

Bob

Good Morning All,

      Has anyone seen the new frames for the On30 freight cars yet?   If so where did you get them.

Bob

Good Morning All,

      Deerfield River Laser has an O Scale EBT Caboose kit,  less trucks and couplers,  but with decals from the Friends of the East Broad Top.  Kit is $85.    If you are a member of the Deerfield River Yahoo group,  you can get a special intro price of $80.  I intend to use Bachmann trucks from the hopper cars,  offered as a separate item,  for my cabooses.
      I am getting two....and they were a long time coming.    BTS is still saying that they are doing an EBT caboose in both S and O scales,  but has been in production for a long time and still not available.

Good Afternoon All,

     I am trying to locate Shinaharo, HOn3,  code 70,  #6 rh turnouts,  not,  repeat,  not dual guage.   I need two of them.   I also need 1 left hand HOn3 code 70 turnout,  not dual gauge.
      I have checked the normal suspects such as Caboose Hobbies,  Ebay,  etc.   I know that Shinaharo is part of Walthers,  and they do not have any either. 
      What I am looking for is someone who might know of a store that actually has these turnouts in stock.

Hey Mr.  B.

      Has Bachmann ever given any consideration to product freight car trucks like those used on many of the narrow gauge railroads in the western part of the US.   I admit I do not know the name of that style,  but it would be the trucks with the outside edge braking system.

Good Morning All,

       Wednesday night I had the opportunity to see the new Athearn,  1/50 scale Ford Model A vehicles.   They have a pickup truck,  coupe,  and sedan.    These models are very well done and can be seen on the Athearn website.