I keep hoping that when enough of us have asked something will happen.  I so miss Lee Riley being there-he would have gone to bat for us, I'm sure.  He's the reason we got On30 from Bachmann in the first place, not to mention the Forneys. 

I've been asking Bachmann for years, and I shall continue to do so-All I want for Christmas is a 2-6-2, a 2-6-2  a 2-6-2. Come on, sing it with me.......  In 1904 Baldwin Locomotive Works built the first Prairie for the Sandy River Railroad (#8) in two foot gauge.  In 1907 Baldwin Locomotive Works built a beautiful Prairie for the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway (#6) in 2 foot gauge. These two locomotives were so close to one another that with the exception of an extra sand dome on the WW&F version, they were pretty much sisters.  Seems to me that building a model of of either one would ultimately (with a bit of modeling on our part) allow the introduction of two very useful locomotives to Bachmann's repertoire, not to mention how much we modelers would appreciate them. Bachmann has already produced an On30 2-6-6-2 that runs like a top and I'm sure could easily be used as a basis for an On30 Prairie. Let's keep asking-and Merry Christmas to all of you On30 folks!       John Tumolo

You can get away with using 15" curves, but be sure to use the second hole on the draw bar to allow for more swing on the curves.  Don't try to "race" the trains around this tight radius-go nice and prototypically slow and you should be ok. If your passenger cars bind on the sharp curves, you can change the stock couplers to long overset shank whisker couplers from Kadee(their stock #149) or from Bachmann (their stock #78021). Good luck and welcome to On30 where your railroad is whatever you want it to be-we don't allow rivet counters.     

Sorry it took so long to return...............what we need is an Outside Frame 2-6-2 in HO to use as a basis for a Maine-style Prairie in On30.   Bachmann already has something available scaled already for On30 in the form of the 2-6-6-2 articulated On30 locomotive-they need only use one of the sets of drivers to get a head start.  I know we're a "niche" for Bachmann, but I can always hope.............

I agree, but with all of the tarif nonsense going on the price would be even higher than before.  Not to mention that the minimum number that would be necessary to make it worth Bachmann's effort to "reprint" just wouldn't have the necessary sales to make it work.  They were ready to re-release the 2-8-0 Consolidation but realized the cost they would have to charge for each item would never fly.  We can keep hoping.............

Attached please find the flyer for the Harrisburg area "O Scale" Narrow Gauge Meet, taking place this year on June 13 & 14, 2025.  This is the wonderful show that the late Al Judy started in Lycoming, PA and moved to the Harrisburg, PA area a few years ago. It's truly a Narrow Gauge show, no stumbling around some big venu hoping to find a few narrow gauge-related items.  Just remember it's just a gauge, not a frame of mind.......

https://oscalecentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Harrisburg-Summer-Show-Flyer.pdf

John Tumolo

P.S. Yes, I saw the "hyperlink" has 2024 in the body copy, but it really is the poster for 2025

Ok, Bachmann.  I know things are going to be a bit whacky for a while with all of the tarif wars, but once things calm down, here's something to consider.  We On30 folks need a Prairie.  A simple 2-6-2 with a tender that we can run over our layouts with 18 degree curves.  Now here's a thought, one that I have thought about for a while and if our friend H. Lee Riley were still with us I'll bet he'd be on board.  In 1904 Baldwin Locomotive Works built the first Prairie for the Sandy River Railroad (#8) in two foot gauge.  In 1907 Baldwin Locomotive Works built a beautiful Prairie for the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway (#6) in 2 foot gauge. These two locomotives were so close to one another that with the exception of an extra sand dome on the WW&F version, they were pretty much sisters.  Seems to me that building a model of of either one would ultimately (with a bit of modeling on our part) allow the introduction of two very useful locomotives to Bachmann's repertoire, not to mention how much we modelers would appreciate them. Please consider it.      John Tumolo

Well, depending just what you want to do, really inexpensive "Hawthorne" type cars are always floating around on ebay, and they make a great base for the much more true to life passenger car kits available from Deerfield River Laser.  Check this out if you're not familiar and give it some thought.  Not connected in any way, just a satisfied customer-I've built about 15 of their kits and really like them.  Check here:   https://www.deerfieldriverlaser.com/ 

I've looked at the Haskell as well-it's the closest I've seen to possibly building the Prairie I've always dreamed of.  I keep hoping Bachmann will be able to modify one of their existing On30/HO Spectrum steam locomotive drive trains to come up with a reasonable Maine-style Prairie.  I think using part of the On30 2-6-6-2 would make a great start-my copy of that long articulated loco has been running on my layout for a long time and is still very reliable-a smooth quiet runner that would make a fantastic running base for a 2-6-2.  The closest I've come to the look of a Maine-style outside frame Prairie is my modified Bachmann Outside Frame 4-4-0 created by the late great Alan Carroll who replaced the stock cab with one from a 2-4-4-2 or 2-6-6-2 to give it that Maine-style hunkered down look.  I believe in Bachmann and think they could deliver a credible locomotive, if only they could sell enough to make it worth the effort and financial investment.  I know I'm good for at least 3...........

I started this several years ago and it didn't help, but here goes again......
Sing it with me now... "All I want for Christmas is a 2-6-2  a 2-6-2  a 2-6-2" With any luck the Bach Man is out there........also dreaming of Maine 2-foot Prairies.  Merry Christmas to you all.  John Tumolo  [email protected]

I know it may sound dumb, but are you sure you have the final piece of track connected properly?  If you have it reversed, the trolley will not auto reverse at the end of track.  The "break" in the track must be on opposite sides at each end of the run.  Don't ask me how I know this...........

Tom-Never a silly question-Yes, all my trolleys run fine when placed on my regular layout-interior lights light, directional headlights light, I can run them very slow or as fast as they will go, depending on how I turn the controller.  There is no controller for the trolley set, just a plug-in power source and a dial on the car barn that determines the length of time the trolley "dwells" in the station or at end of track.  I even connected a regular power pack to the car barn to see if that would help, but apparently there is something in the car barn that will not allow the speed to change, no matter where you set the controls on the power pack.  That's why I wondered if there was some kind of internal control that could be accessed in order to change speeds.  The set is really nice, and I hate to not use it. 

Tom:  When I said they run slow, I mean REALLY slow-almost stalled.  I also wouldn't run trolleys (or anything else, for that matter) "fast", that's why I'm wondering if there's a problem with my "car barn" from where the power emanates. 

Question-Is there any way to increase the speed/power of the trolley sets?  Mine runs awful slow, and only works with the car that came with the set.  I also have a "Hershey" trolley that runs just fine on my On30 layout, but barely moves on the trolley set.  The controller dial only changes the duration of the stop at each end, it has nothing to do with speed.  Ideas?

Just received this from Bachmann: https://mail.aol.com/d/folders/1/messages/AB-GzjIOgMOrZwfvpQGSWBByQLo and it's a great reminder that all of the "O" scale Plasticville buildings are absolutly perfect for our On30 layouts.  Yes, you will need to add clear plastic behind the windows so it appears that there is glass in there, but size-wise they work, and if you don't have the time, or desire or will to build buildings out of wood kits and the like, these buildings with a minimum amount of finessing fit the bill.  Add a bit of weathering, and if you're like me, you can get back to what you really want to be doing-running trains.