Bachmann HO scale 44 tonner..
Could someone who has one of these please take a few measurements for me? I only need two measurements:

1. the width of the hood, the side-to-side dimension of the hood if looking at the front of the engine.

2. the width of the cab, the side-to-side dimension of the cab if looking at the SIDE of the engine.

thanks!
Scot

I started a webpage together for my Forney regauge:

http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/On2-SRRL9/index.html

progress is underway!

Scot

Several people have posted photos of the upcoming 4-4-0 "digitally kitbashed" into different versions..here is mine! 

First off, I dont dislike the 4-4-0! I think its cool.
but something has bothered me about its lines..a few people have said they like the Large Scale 4-4-0 a bit better..seen here:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/gallery/1_20_3_American/aab?full=1

(I own one, a Large Scale spectrum 4-4-0, and its gorgeous! probably my favorite engine I own..)

Comparing photos of the Large Scale 4-4-0 to the On30 4-4-0, the differences stand out..(and yes, they are very different prototypes! so it makes perfect sense they should look different!

But what if one wanted to make the On30 4-4-0 look more like it's Big Sister?  In that case, the main "problem" with the On30 version is the boiler/cab sits too high and too far forward..giving the loco a distinct "front heavy" look...the Large Scale version sits lower and farther back on its drivers...giving it a much more comfortable look IMO..

An hour or so of mucking about in Photoshop, and we have this:



For a larger version of that pic, click here:
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u45/scottychaos/4-4-0-modified-800px.jpg

Main changes made:

Boiler/Cab/Cylinder/Pilot truck assembly can stay essentially unchanged,
just move it all lower and further back.
Remove extended smokebox.
new headlight bracket.
New pilot
Steam dome and cab shortened.
Main rod would need to be shortened.
tender shortened in height and length.
(ideally I think the tender should be even shorter in length..but that would require different (smaller) tender trucks)

looks pretty good! 
Makes it a "moderinized" older 4-4-0..
If you wanted to backdate even further, you could add a box headlight, fluted domes and a wood cab..

the only major problem with this 'bash is the cab is now too short, prototypically speaking...small locos still have big cabs, because humans dont shrink for small locos...so on my digital kitbash, the cab is now a bit too short in height for the scale..making it look like a model of a larger engine...but I figure if you want the "look", the "too short" cab wont be a major concern...I tried a version with the full-height cab on my modified engine, but it just didnt look right, ruined the proportion of the whole engine.

I also dont know if the boiler CAN be lowered! the mechanism might make this difficult...but overall I dont think it wold be a terribly difficult 'bash..and it really changes the look of the loco!

thanks,
Scot

This is a continuation of a topic in another thread that wandered a bit!
I thought I would give it it's own topic, since its really a separate topic.
this thread:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,2597.15.html

was discussing the upcoming On30 4-4-0, and its Russia Iron boiler.
(no photos of the 4-4-0 with a Russia Iron boiler have actually been seen yet..photos of the Large Scale with a Russia Iron boiler are currently in the photo gallery..which IMO isnt a very good representation of Russia Iron..sorry Bachman..but its still too blue!)

As far as I know, Bachman has not said anything about the On30 4-4-0 having a Russia Iron boiler, and no pics have been seen..I think someone just confused it with the photo of the Large Scale 4-4-0.

But getting back to prototype Russia Iron..

This has been a bit of a crusade of mine lately! 
im trying to destroy the "blue myth" once and for all..
The following is a post of mine copied from another forum discussion recently:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is a long-standing myth that "Russia Iron was Blue"! (or greenish..or reddish..but the myth mostly says blue)

it was not! not even remotely blue...Russia Iron is neutral steel grey..

the "blue myth" probably comes from the fact that a Russia Iron boiler would reflect a blue sky, like a mirror, making it *appear* blue outdoors on a clear day..but if you are going to model it, dont make it blue! because its not blue..

The MTH triplex boiler is a disaster..the absolute worst version of Russia Iron I have ever seen! its a pastel "baby blue"..absolutely terrible. 

http://www.toytrains1.com/triplex.htm

Check this page for some of the latest thinking on modeling Russia Iron, some great examples of what it should look like:

http://www.mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=45604

The model of the Heisler on that page is IMO one of the best examples of Russia Iron on a model that there is.

Much research has been done on 19th century locomotive paintschemes in the last few years..The National park service commissioned two replica steam engines for the "Golden Spike National Historic Site" in Utah:

http://www.nps.gov/gosp/

They are 1:1 scale operating replicas of the two famous locos from the 1869 "Golden Spike" ceremony...At first, they didnt know what the proper colors of the historic locos should have been, so they made an educated guess..resulting in this:

http://www.davisareacvb.com/attractions_images/goldenspike.gif

The two locos are mostly red, with neutral russia iron boilers that are too dark-grey. should be lighter and shinier.

Then a few years ago Jim Wilke, a railroad historian, who has spent many years researching the actual color schemes of 19th century locos, guided the park service on the correct painting of their replica locos..*including* their Russia Iron boilers! they re-painted the locos, the result is a fabulous representation of the actual color schemes of mid to late 19th century locos..including the Russia Iron boilers..check it out:

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/up119.jpg

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/cp60.jpg

THAT is what Russia Iron is supposed to look like! 

notice how NOT blue those boilers are! they are totally neutral.

The blue myth is totally dead, and has been for quite a few years now..not everyone has heard the news yet though, including many of our model train manufacturers, who still insist on clinging to the "blue myth"...and the irony is, the models would look SO much cooler if they did it right! imagine the MTH Matt H. Shay with a shiny neutral steel boiler, like the Golden Spike locos, instead of the hideous pastel baby blue it actually wears..it would look a million times better if they did it right! 

Here is more on the repainting of the Golden Spike locos:

http://www.nps.gov/archive/gosp/history/everlasting_steam.html

Scot

 my latest project!

http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/On2/testtrack.html

wish I had made it "prettier" now that im showing pictures of it! 


oh well..it does the job!
thats all that matters I guess.

Scot

I finally got a forney! 
sound equipped..and she's a beauty! 

arrived with some damage..
one cylinder took a hit at some point in its long journey from China to me, was nearly broken off, but I was able to glue it back and straighten the piston rod..appears to be no lasting damage done..(I think..unless its related to issue described below..)

engine runs smooth, (when its running) sound working fine..
except the engine appears to be getting power ONLY from the tender truck!
no power pickup from the drivers at all..is that normal?
and when im testing the engine, sometimes the engine loses power..if I jiggle the tender truck, the power comes back on..

im sure its the tender truck causing the flakey pickup..other engines run fine on the test track.
I can lift the drivers right off the rails, and the wheels keep spinning, picking up power from the tender truck only..
however if I lift the tender truck off the rails, leaving the drivers on the rails, the whole thing goes dead..I have never heard of a model steam engine that doesnt pick up power from the drivers! 

oh..one other thing...I switched tender trucks! 
and..I never tested it with the original truck, because I didnt own a DCC system before I swapped trucks..
the wires to the tender truck appear to be uninsulated bare metal?!
how is that possible?
varnished wire or something??
im wondering if I scraped something loose when swapping trucks, and now perhaps im getting an intermittent short through those wires?

so..two odd things..(odd to me anyway!)
1. power pickup from the tender truck only.
2. tender truck wires, going to both rails, that appear to be uninsulated wire!

This is my first ever DCC engine..so maybe these things are  "normal" these days and I just dont know it! 

anyone one have any suggestions to make it run more smoothly?

thanks,
Scot

I finally got a forney! 
I got an undecorated outside frame.
to get all the major parts I wanted. (outside frame with "as built" tender
tank) I had to accept the style of truck I dont want.

I have the "type b" truck, the lighter archbar truck.
the truck seen here:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/gallery/album10/aah?full=1

I would like to swap/trade that truck for the other style,
the "heavy" truck, seen here:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/gallery/album10/aaf?full=1

Anyone have the heavy and want the light instead?
if so, please send me a note to:

sscotsman@yahoo.com

thanks!
Scot

Are the sound forneys available yet?
if not, is there an ETA?

im ready to order one!
but I dont know they can be bought yet.

thanks,
Scot