I don't know about the Christmas cars but the standard car and locomotive graphics can be removed with lacquer thinner. Use a drop of lacquer thinner on a qtip and wipe a small area. Use mineral spirits on another qtip to stop the reaction. The lacquer thinner will also remove the paint. You can also go over it with wet #1500 or greater sandpaper. I use this method for relettering to my own road name.

Just in case others don't know Bachmann will repair out of warranty 0n30 locomotives if parts are still available for $80.00. You can call their service department. I had a Heisler that had unknown internal problems. They were able to fix it and return in 3 weeks. It works great now.

Thanks. I am getting ready for some lights. I will try to get a picture of the tabs for the next person.

Yes, there is already a space for a 28mm speaker under the Bachmann board. The 8 pin plug is standard. I would suggest getting a keep alive also. The conductivity of the climax trucks is not great. The wood load detail has a great cavity for either decoder or keep-alive placement.

Working on a new logging railroad layout. I am wondering what grades are possible with the 2-6-6-2, 2-4-4-2, Shay, Heisler and Climax with three Bachmann cars and caboose? The 2-6-6-2 was slipping at 4%. My 2-6-0 was ok. I will try the 2-4-4-2 next. I have a 2-8-0 I believe will make it because of the weight.

Can you measure the opening? I just got two hatches for kit bashing from the Bachmann part store. They were not for the 4-4-0 but one of them might work. Give me the dimensions and I will measure mine and give you the part numbers if they will work.

Fred,

Do you know about the "www.westernbayrailroad.org" On30 club layout in Port Saint Lucie, FL. The owner (Al Sohl) of the club has had multiple articles in the On30 Annual. It is worth seeing the layout and he also has operation sessions. Since you are so close I thought you might be interested and you don't have to wait for the Annual.

John

I have missed the forum and all the information that it provides.

I noticed some of the internet vendors are showing the Peco On30 turnouts being discontinued. I know Peco is working on combining their electrofrog and insulfrog turnout models to new unifrog models. 

Does anyone have any inside information on when and if the On30 turnouts will be converted?

There are quite a few DCC improvements/features with the new unifrogs. I am starting a new layout and would like to use the unifrogs if they are coming soon.

Has anyone found an equivalent to the Bachmann On30 brake wheel? I have found many 16" wheels but not a 13" wheel like the one on the On30 freight cars.

Could Bachmann make these available in the Part Store?

I visited a friend that has the G Climax. We traced the line to the steam side of the air compressor. Thanks for the replies.

Thanks. You are correct. I have a friend with the Climax and we traced the line to the steam side of the air compressor.

On some of the Climax and 2-8-0 models there is a vertical pipe on a standoff on the back side of the smokestack. The pipe goes down the boiler and then toward the back of the engine. Does anyone know what the pipe is for???

http://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=5297

The 2-8-0 of the past came with a bag of extra smokestacks. One of the smokestacks was a cylinder with a small taper and had a vertical pipe on a standoff on the back side of the stack. The pipe went down the boiler and then toward the back of the engine. I have also seen this same pipe on the G scale Climax and G scale 2-8-0. Does anyone know what the pipe is for???

http://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=5297

Thanks for the replies. I also went forward. My solution was to drill a small 0.015" hole through the lower back of the headlight. I figured I could always plug the hole with something. I  was then able to stick a piece of brass wire through the back and press on the lens edge. Mine came right out. There was only one drop of soft clear glue (not ACC) on the lens. The lens is 0.060" thick and fits petty well. Like normal be ready to catch it as it flies across the room! The bulb diameter is what keeps it from being pulled out from underneath. The tightness of the wires was the only thing holding it in place. I am reinstalling an LED. I was hoping to just bend the LED leads  and get them in the engine but because of the number of bends required and the length required it will not work. My solution was to cut off the LED leads about 3/8" long and bend them down, then at a angle to the front and then down to fit through the existing hole in the bottom. This points the LED right out the front center of the headlight. I was then able to solder small wires on the ends of the leads. The solder joints end up within the existing hole. A 3mm LED fits petty well. After getting everything in place a drop of soft glue will hold the LED in place and the wires can be pulled to the inside of the shell.

Note: I am working on a second generation analog 2-6-0 where the headlight leads connect to a circuit board on the engine frame using plastic clips (no solder!). The  first generation units had wiper blades on the inside of the shell that connected the headlight to a different circuit board on the shell. I don't know what the third generation DCC models have?