Hi all, how much tonnage could a "medium-sized" Forney (like Bachmann's) haul?

Cheers NB

Rather than a Uintah what about a Uintah-esque loco in On30? Bradden Copper Co. once had BLW draw up a preliminary design for a 30" gauge tank Mallet, the loco was a almost-spitting-image of 50 and 51 except that it was summat smaller (not all that smaller, but a boon for layouts anyway) and had outside frames.

Cheers NB

One advantage of going "South of the Border" or overseas for modelling prototypes is that you can mix equipment from American and European sources and still be prototypical. Living in Brazil I'm inspired by our two-footer lines which once had a amazing variety of stuff, European, American and home-built stuff. My road has one FMT Krauss 0-4-0T, 1 German wooden gondola (Minex converted to 2 trucks), 2 British steel gons (actually Aussie NQRs) and 1 Caboose (B'mann w/o cupola) - and I can find close-enough prototypes for all of them!

Cheers Nicholas
Sao Paulo, BRazil

The early Porter 2-4-0 tender locos favored by some of the first NG roads were more or less the same size as the Mt.GNGRR locos. No lack of prototypes for "teeny-weeny" 4-4-0s...

Cheers Nicholas

Most of us are eagerly and anxiously waiting for the release of the 4-4-0, in the meatime I have another question... how much does the Bachmann loco adhere to the dimensions of the Mt. Gretna Narrow Gauge loco? Or have some dimensions been changed? I've scaled up the drawing in the Steam Cyclopedia, the Mt.GNGRR loco is TINY, although by no means the smallest 4-4-0 built by Baldwin. Never mind, her size suits me fine... I rather prefer smaller locos, gives me an excuse to run more trains...

Yeah, I could do with some more modern tank cars... doesn't need to be the "Gramps" though, although thye would be welcome. Also some steel equipment (boxcars, gons) would come in handy...

Cheers Nicholas

Well, if the Tweetsie 4-6-0 is longer than the B'mann 2-8-0, then we have a serious issue in hand - the wheelbase. Remember guys that many of us have 18" (or smaller!!) radius curves and that a potential 4-6-0 must go round these curves. If the Tweetsie's wheelbase is longer than that of the 2-8-0, then we'll have a real screecher... The 2-8-0 has a very small wheelbase by comparison, for its size she's a real snake...

Cheers Nicholas

Dear Mr. Bachmann...

Do you guys have plans to make more "Maine-style" equipment after the pulpwood flat?

Cheers Nicholas

Yes, small they are, but they are still 3-foot locos with outside driving wheels - just plunking them on On30 track would make them look ridiculous... sort of a green bicicle...  the 2-6-0 barely makes into the 30" gauge league (would have to have its drivers reduced to 33" to look OK) and the 2-8-0 is a universal loco, good for anything from 30" to 42" gauge but which only makes the smaller gauge by dint of being a outside-frame loco (read low center of gravity). And just putting O scale hardware on a HO 4-6-0 IMHO will make a loco suitable only for a fairground ride... I'm thinking of a loco lying between the 4-4-0 and the 2-6-0 in size, with all the proper hardware.


Cheers Nicholas

Quote from: Woody Elmore on September 26, 2007, 09:58:05 AM
Nicholas - the SR&RL #24 prairie type loco is my favorite NG engine. Train and Trooper just brought out an HOn30 version in brass.

This engine is long and would need some really good engineering to get it to negotiate tight curves. I think Bachmann is going to stick with little teapots that blend in with their previous offerings.

In my opinion,  a scaled down Tweestsie ten wheeler would be welcomed by many On30 modelers.

Well, seems that Bachmann has become adept at solving hard model engineering problems. After all, the Forney navigates (barely!) 18" radius curves... never mind that the rear end sticks out, at least it works. A 2-6-2 would be easy by comparison...

To put what I've said in my previous post in context, here are some pics of Perus #7 http://br.geocities.com/perus_pirapora/efpp-7.htm.

When I've said "scaled down Tweetsie" I meant looking into the depths of the Baldwin or Alco files for a 30" loco with a at least passing resemblance of the Tweetsie locos. I know of one such loco, the difficult part would be finding the drawings for it...


Cheers Nicholas

I think that Bachmann ought to focus its next steam release into either a 4-6-0 or a 2-6-2 tender loco. The catch is, what prototype to model??? The 2-6-2 would be the easiest... I would plump for SR&RL #24, or for real exotica, Cimento Perus (Brazil) #6 and #7 - these were a pair of massive H.K.Porter locos built in 1945 and possibly the last 2ft gauge steam locos built in the USA for commercial service. The 4-6-0 is more complicated... I would like to see a "shrunken down" Tweetsie loco, the trouble is finding a 30"/24" proto loco which will fit the description.

Cheers Nicholas

Beware of the Gazette's plans!!! According to a friend of mine who lives in Rio and at one time was in charge of restorations in Sao Joao del Rei the Gazette drawings of #22 are filled with errors (he should know what he's talking about - when he quit working for RFFSA he took all the mechanical drawings made for the restoration project home with him!!! ). Anyway the loco to compare the 4-4-0 to is #1 - after all, she's a "shrunken-down" 8-18-C.

I would buy the "1920's" version... closing one eye I could imagine it rattling 6-8 empty steel drop-bottom gons and a baggage/caboose car on its way from Sao Joao north along the bank of the Rio das Mortes to the Fazenda do Pombal manganese pit (there used to be a lengthy spur into the pit, only #1-4 and the 20-series 4-4-0s could go up it on account of light rail and curvature)... 

Don't worry about the size of passenger equipment compared to the 4-4-0 - if you look at the Hilton book about American NG RRs you'll see several cases of the motive power being dwarfed by the passenger equipment!!!!

Cheers Nicholas
Sao Paulo, Brazil

When I saw the 4-4-0 I got the Mt. Gretna drawing in the Steam Loco Encyclopedia and compared it with a diagram I have of Oeste de Minas #1. Both locos have a lot in common... they are just about the same width and height and have the same driver diameter (can't say much about cylinder size). OdeM #1 is about 3 - 4 feet longer (engine only). For the Mt. Gretna engine to match up with OdeM #1 means she's BIG as 2-footers go!!!!

The B'mann 4-4-0 might be "pint-pot-sized" but it is MUCH better than a "Big Cab on HO mech" loco (it has the proper mechanical proportions, for starters). And remember, early American NG locos where in many cases scaled down versions of their SG counterparts, it was only much later in the Narrow Gauge Movement the NG locos began getting their own proportions (the 2-8-0 is a good example). For the "typical" trains found on many North American narrow gauge lines (2 to 4 cars) I believe that she'll be more than amply sufficient...

Cheers Nicholas
Sao Paulo, Brazil