Hello all,

It has been bugging me for some time now, that what a bloke REALLY needs in this wonderful hobby of ours would be a (very handy) set of vernier calipers that can be read out directly in scale feet and inches.....

The price of accurate digital types has fallen sharply over the past few years, and it should not be too difficult for some person with a bit of electronics nonce to re-program a pair of these so that they can read in different scales....like HO, O, S and so on. Maybe even switchable between scales, as the current types are switchable between Imperial and Metric.

Anyone have any thoughts on this, or is it just another of my pipe dreams?

Hello all, 

I have just finished the conversion of my Bachmann HO Shay into an On30 version, using the Boulder Valley Gilpin Kit. It looks great, and runs well, now that I have ironed out a few initial gremlins.

My concern however, is that as it traverses one of my Peco Electrofrog tunouts, it momentarily loses speed, and supplies current to any locomotive that is standing on that branch line. This causes the stationary loco to move forward a few (actual) inches, and then stop, as the Shay picks up speed again. 

It is the only loco in my On30 fleet to cause this anomaly, so I would assume that the problem lies within the Shay wiring.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? 

Many thanks.

It's the same here in Australia. 

Most of our leading Model Railway magazines also refer to "On30" as "On2 1/2".

This, I assume, is to bring it into line with "foot" measurements, rather than "inch" measurements.

By example, we all refer to the next scale upwards as "On3" rather than "On36", don't we?

I still think On2 1/2 doesn't SOUND right, and it is definitely much more difficult to pick out on the keyboard.....especially since we lost the "fraction" keys all those years ago....

Thanks, blokes...

Thanks, mate.

Hello all,

I read with interest the ongoing discussions regarding On30 Bachmann geared locomotives, and the problems that seem to be associated with the premature failure of the gear trains.  This is enough to dissuade me from buying one.

However, I do have a Bachmann HO Shay (81901) which has had very little use, as I have since moved to On30.  Recently I have  acquired a Boulder Valley Models (#255)  kit to convert it into a Gilpin style 16-tonner in On30.

My question then: do the HO Shays suffer from the same premature gear failures as their On30 bigger brothers? 

If they do, there is not much point attempting the conversion...and wasting valuable time and effort, when I could be turning my hand at some other more worthwhile task. 

Do any HOers out there have any ideas?

Many thanks.

Hello all,

I read with interest the ongoing discussions regarding Bachmann geared locomotives, and the problems that seem to be associated with the premature failure of the gear trains.  This is enough to dissuade me from buying one.

However, I do have a Bachmann HO Shay (81901) which has had very little use, as I have since moved to On30.  Recently I have  acquired a Boulder Valley Models (#255)  kit to convert it into a Gilpin style 16-tonner in On30.

My question then: do the HO Shays suffer from the same premature gear failures as their On30 bigger brothers? 

If they do, there is not much point attempting the conversion...and wasting valuable time and effort, when I could be turning my hand at some other more worthwhile task. 

Hey Terry2foot,

Great pix, mate! 

Hi NarrowMinded et al,

As I mentioned, he measures just under 5 scale feet, which would make him below average height and build.

One of my constant sources of amazement since adopting O scale, is the vast difference in proportions in what are all supposed to be "O Scale" figures. 

The ones from Scene Master and Woodlands Scenics seem to be larger and 'chunkier' than others that are available from the likes of Model Power.

The Preiser figures are all around 7 feet tall and very slim in proportion, but they are European, and are (the more correct) 1:43 scale.

Still others, some which are cast metal, like those from the Model Company, are just about 'right' to my eye....even so, most are just on 6 feet tall.

Now this isn't really a problem, until you try to group these figures together - that is when the difference in size really jumps out at you.

So, in order to get around this anomaly, all you can do is to place the smaller figures further back on the layout - even a few inches seems to work - and the larger ones closer to the front. This is all right, but some of those smaller figures have exquisite detail, which is effectively hidden by their distance from the viewer.

Similarly, the smaller ones fit inside the cabs of locomotives better, as well as being the only choice for passengers inside carriages.

I don't recall having this sort of problem with HO figures. Even British OO seemed to fit alongside them all right.  There again, the overall scale is much smaller, and this would make the differences less noticeable.

So, I again submit: the supplied driver for the Bachmann Rail Truck is far too small for 1:48, and too large for 1:87 or 1:76. so IMHO, that puts him at about S Scale. 

Thanks Hamish,

That would explain a lot, then.

It must have been MY mistake, thinking that it was based on a larger truck. The Buick chassis was a similar size to the Ford Model AA..... 

I have added an O Scale cut-down driver (removed his legs, and everything below the waist!) and with him in place, the whole thing looks more in proportion.

I think maybe, it was that S-scale driver that came with the truck that threw me. 

G'day everybody,

I have just received my Spectrum On30 Rail Truck from WKW, and the very first thing I noticed about it was its diminutive dimensions!

I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I have very serious doubts that the model is in 1:48 scale.       Either that or the Mack truck chassis that it is based on was only a Ford Model AA truck sized vehicle, rather than the somewhat larger (REO type) truck that I was expecting.

The supplied seated driver measures out at a shade under 5 scale feet tall (when adjusted to a standing position) and the cab windscreen is ony 3 feet across.  

It is nicely detailed though, and the driveshaft to the rear wheels actually supplies the torque to the rear axle. It also runs nicely, and handles my sharp radii very well.......the only problem is that it is completely dwarfed by my gas-mech, as well as the 0-4-0 Porter!!

Can anyone confirm that this is not in fact, an S Scale model?  

Hey bigsteam3,

You are indeed lucky to score a Bachmann Porter, as there seems to be a scarcity of the little thangs at present.

It seems strange that you are having current pick-up problems, as I have had a couple of these Porters for many years now, and have had nothing but faultless running with them...

As the Bach-man said, try some conductive lube, and also ensure that the little phosphor bronze wiper strips are in good contact with the wheel backs, and also check that your track is clean and bright.

Happy Porter-ing!

I thought I saw Bachmann advertising side-tanked Porters on their site a couple of months back.

Alas, the great old saddle-tanks seem to have gone the way of all fleh (and steam locos)....

I like to use the Kadee or Peco wheel cleaner devices as described by ebnut when the wheels are really grimy, but just to add a nice polish, and remove all traces of grease and gunk, you cannot beat a cotton bud (Q-tip) dipped into clean acetone, and applied as the drivers are rotated under power.

Other, non-powered wheels that also collect current can be rotated by finger power and cleaned in a like manner. Acetone sure works for me.

Hey, thanks fellas...

El Loco, I followed your link to WKW and have ordered an O Scale kit. Good Onya! 

Rich19, I like the look of the ozsteam mill too, but I have not had much to do with eBay, and I tend to shun their site, due to a couple of sour transactions some years back. 







There really is no such thing as a Part Time Obsession