Just curious, has any body else had this experiance? it seems like everytime a friend of a friend finds a train in a dusty box, they ask me to tell them the value of it, then when I give them the news that their 1999 vintage big hauler isn't going to be the funding for their new car, they get upset at me and act as if I am trying to scam them because I want it or something.

I wonder how this "IDEA" that all old trains are lworth their weight in gold got started?

NM

I would say the fact that the tunnels meet in the middle at all is a great accomplishment especially given the length of some of them.

NM

Here's a little bit of a "Dark" pro for steam vs diesel A steamer would keep running through the middle of a nuclear war the diesel's would be disrupted by the electromagnetic wave and radiation.

NM

looks like I might remove mine now also, I could likely run the loco around the Christmas tree this year with out those Guide pins.

Hi,
I have a Mogul as well, the "spikes" are Guides that keep the "Blind" drivers centered over the track, Silly question but are you certain you have 10' Dia turnouts? also check to see if the frogs need a little tuning, shaving them to make sure they don't stick inward and squeeze/pinch the guides to gather or try to spread them apart, another thing to look for is that the center drivers are floating freely side to side mine has about 1/8" to 3/16"  3.17mm to 4.76mm of play.

NM

Hi, ABC, Mr.Banner,
ABC, for my Layout I am very picky about scale. I carry a caliper with me when I am shopping for Items to put on my layout, that is really my only rivet counter trait.
If you notice I inserted the word "Range" My kids have set their own range for what is acceptable when they play with the "HO" Thomas Set, they have Large Tonka and very small micro machine vehicles but they usually stick with the Hotwheel sized vehicles. +/- a scale or two. second if you have ever seen the vehicles that are provided with the thomas set I am sure you would shutter Sir Topham Hatt would scale out to about 20+ foot tall.
We are talking about suggestion's for a 5yr boy here and I am sure he wont mind that a bit.

Mr. Banner,
Brass is the last of my worries, We are fortunate (or not, Brass is cheap compaired to these) to have a 7 1/2" gauge Railroad just a few minutes from our home, they give rides the first and third sunday of each month, Aly 5yrs old often asks if we can get a "Real" steam engine to ride at home.
www.southerncalifornialivesteamers.com/

My 5 yr old daughter Loves her thomas HO scale electric train set, it has lots of options with sturdy cars, most are two axle which makes it VERY easy for her to place on the track the hook and loop couplers are reliable My 2.5 year old also helps and has little problem with them, the Set comes with EZ track which they can put together so long as you keep the rail joiners in good shape, this track can also be nailed down to a board. G scale stuff has to many parts that will break off of the engine and you wont be able to slide a G-scale set under the bed with the train on the tracks very easy. The Last and best thing about HO is there is so much to buy.  one more recommendation I would make is to add a few extra retailer track's around what ever layout you come up with, they will help keep things running smoothly, (they look like road crossings) another thing about HO is hot wheels, matchbox and a lot of the other popular LOW PRICED cars trucks planes or what ever are in the correct scale range.

I think bachmann would sell a couple boat loads of these right off. but who knows what the health of bachmann is maybe to big a gamble with this economy right now, I would tell you though I would dump the big hauler caboose and by their new 1:20.3 to run behind the 1:20.3 Passenger cars, and based on the number of views of this topic in a short period of time people are interested for sure.

NM

Here's a idea, if you read this please reply "yes" or "no" wether you would buy Bachmann 1:20.3 Passenger Cars

Let me throw my 2 cents in, don't forget people have gotten taller over the last 100yrs more so then other centuries so a 5'2 engineer on a 19th or early 20th century loco might not be that unlikely. unless the railroads had guidelines I havn't heard of. but judging by the lack of space in some cabs I would say smaller would be better.

NM
Just my 2 cents

To all & Mr. Bach-man,

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not mad, angry or upset, and I would never Kill the messenger Mr Bach-Man,  I just know the power of the pen, Err Keyboard, if nobody ever expressed a wish hope or dream there wouldn't be as much cool stuff as there is for me to Drool over. I'm only in my mid 40's I think a have time to wait and see what will come, I will modify my passenger cars for now, But who knows what the next years will bring. Maybe I'll get my wish, maybe I wont, but if I don't make a wish it can never come true.

NM
Now wheres my passenger cars? 

Kevin,
thanks for posting the photos I have never seen the scales side by side like that, WOW what a difference.

CaseyJones,
I understand the rant, I feel the same, I would love to have some affordable matching (Bachmann) cars, to me it would help carry on the tradition of handing down trains, I would love to have a complete "BACHMANN" 1:20.3 set instead of a mix matched box full off "this and that's" I also think it would go along way to help keep bachmann on the minds of the next generation. My dad use to say he was "born a Ford boy and would die a Ford man", I like bachmann products much more then others, wouldn't it be nice if I could say I was born a "Bachmann boy and will die a bachmann man" Product loyalty is a key to longevity in any business, but that's hard to do when you have to buy other products to get the consist you like.

NM

Hey Mr Banner,
glad to see you getting some use from my idea, there are so many places to use these, with the cost being so cheap I'm going to retro fit some of my wifes Xmas village to give them the flickering fire place effect.

Let me know how your projects turn out.
NM

I'll second the large scale EZ track, But how expensive would that be in Nicklesilver?

NM

on30gn15,
Thanks for those link's they have given me the inspiration to modify my combines to eliminate the part that bugs me and throws the scale off for me, the short side door, of the three links I clicked all of them had a side door that extended above the top window line and into the fascia that the road name is painted on. the bachmann combine doors are at the same top level as the windows and do not extend into the fascia, but my saw will soon remedy that.

Thanks again
NM

Here is an image of the car that was emailed to me.