I would appreciate clarification when they do come in, thanks. I really want the cowcatcher pilot and would love to replace the tender trucks if it fits...

I will chime in with the desire for more cars that would be apropriate for the forney to pull. The pulpwood cars are a great start, the gondolas and flats are pretty close, so a new run in SR&RL roadname would be nice there too. However, the boxcars are the main staple and sorely missing. Changing the door to open the other way, making individual ladders, and a new roofwalk while omitting the end doors  and lower door track would make a reasonable looking Maine prototype.

I am currently taking one and doing just that. I'm using styrene to fill in the end doors and adapt the upper door track ( it will be non-operating but look right ) I'm also replacing the grabs with ladders, filed down the roof to make it flat and remove the grooves, and replacing the roofwalk with a wooden one complete with end platforms. The last steps are making the odd shaped end buffers and adding the low frame archbars or Grandt on30 trucks, haven't decided yet.

Dear Bachmann,

    Please confirm something for me, please? The modern Outside Frame 4-4-0 with the model number 28321 comes with a cowcatcher pilot piece, just the footboard pilot, or both? I see a few sellers online that mention the footboard pilot only. I wanted to be sure since there are no local hobby shops that carry it to verify this myself. I also wondered if you can replace the tender trucks with the baldwin style ones I see on the INSIDE frame 4-4-0 ? The SR&RL locos with seperate tenders had the baldwin style. Thanks.

Vince

I was planning to make it look more like the #9 by doing a similar conversion on the Bachmann, but use a smaller boiler to enhance the look. I am simply in the planning stage. However, I also just got a good look at a photo comparison between the new Outside frame and inside frame 4-4-0 locos, and another real good possibility came to mind. SR&RL had their own unique Moguls, and the new OF 4-4-0 is waaay longer than the inside frame and has a straight boiler. Perhaps with a different mechanism a very close replica of Old Star or one of the other 2-6-0 Sandy River moguls can be made.....  I may just scrap plans for a portland forney and concentrate on this!

Dear Bach-man,

        What is the difference ( if any ) in the boiler diameter between the Forney and the 4-4-0? I am contemplating a bash if the boiler is smaller. I would like to make a smaller forney like WW&F #9.

Vince