Hello all,

I have just purchased a selection of O scale figures from the Bachmann range, and I have found them to be well-detailed, well-scaled and nicely finished.

I have removed the parting lines from a few of them, and will be repainting and adding further details, but I have had these things soaking in brake fluid for 48 hours now, and it hasn't even looked like softening the paint.   

Does anyone out there know what I could use to dissolve this seemingly-impregnable coating?


Thank you.

Hi all,

Could someone please advise the L-B-H dimensions of the Bachmann Item No. 29802 V-dump car?

Many thanks.

Hi guys,

Does anyone have any idea of the prototype 'plumbing' for the Bachmann Log Skidder?

I would like to hook mine up permanently in my mine engine house as a stationary engine, and was wondering where the steam, water, and fuel lines would run to connect to it.

Thank you,


John

Hi guys,


Could someone please advise me of the dimensions of the Plasticville HO Scale Coaling Tower?


Many Thanks,

John

Hi guys,

I am currently undertaking the build of my first laser-cut timber kit. It is the neat looking Martinsburg Coal Mine from AMB.

I plan for it to have a detailed interior, so I was wondering if anyone could advise whether the Bachmann O scale Log Skidder would fill the bill in the Cable House as the (non-operating) drive unit for the ore bucket cable?

I envisage it being permanently bolted (ie: glued) to the floor, and wish to run the cables up to the lifting chute.

I have not seen one of these things 'in the flesh', but the available depth in my shed is 3¾" actual, and the 'Skidder is listed as about 4".....

Anyone have any input?


Many thanks.

Hi guys,

I have just received my Bachmann Inside Frame 4-4-0 American Steam Locomotive, and I must say that I am very impressed!

The first thing that I noticed about it was just how diminutive that it is! 

It was only when I got it onto the rails, and saw it sitting between my Forney and one of my Porters that it struck me that it was quite a bit smaller than the Forney, and not much taller than the Porter....

What a gorgeous little THANG!!! (I can't call it "CUTE" can I???)

It runs really well on my little straight DC layout. Pulls four loaded coal hoppers with ease.

Thank you Bachmann!!!

Hi all,

I am looking at purchasing one of these nifty locos for my tramway.

My question is - will it run on analogue 12v DC, like the Porters, Forney, Gas Mech, et al?
 

Many thanks.

Hi guys,

Does anyone know the brand of YelloGlo LEDs that Bachmann use in their On30 locos like the Mogul and the Forney?

Do you also know where I can purchase them?

Many thanks...

Hello all,

Does Bachmann make a trailer to suit the closed street car?

I have a United Traction Co tram that is looking for a non-powered mate....




Thank you.

Hello all,

Can anyone tell me what the voltage ratings are for the headlamp and cab lamps globes are on the Bachmann 0-4-0 Porter?

(Bachmann Nos S25304, S25302.)

Hello all,

I am currently making a few personal and local modifications to a Bachmann Rogers 2-6-0 Mogul.

I have removed the rear cab wall, so the innards can be seen, and if the proportions are correct, it is only 1' 6" from the edge of firebox to the cab wall, and 5' 3" from the elevated floor to the top of the cab window. (They must have been crewed by Leprechauns.... )

I have a few 'smaller' O scale figures, and I will eventually choose one to suit, but has anyone any information on these Rogers cabs? The firebox appears to be HUGE in relation to the size of the cab.

If anyone has any photographs that they can post, I would really like to see them. All the pix on the net that I can find show only the front and side exteriors of the locos, of course.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Hello all,

Just a couple of questions from an old bloke from Down Under.

Why is the rear of the cab of the Bachmann 2-6-0 Mogul closed in?  Is this prototypical for the driver and the fireman to be segregated as suggested here? Or, is it just to disguise the rear of the motor?

Secondly, does anyone know where I can source a shorter tender for this loco? (A four-wheeler would be acceptable.)  The thing is a mile too long to fit on my turntable, and the Mogul certainly doesn't need such a 'mainline' sized tender when working in the hills and bush of the Great Southern Land.

I've tried all the usual internet sites with no result. The Backwoods Miniatures one that goes with the Forney conversion would be fine, but it's a little bit TOO short. And I don't want a slope-back.

(I may have to remove the pilot too, in order to get it all to fit onto my HO sized TT.)

Thanks, fellas.

Hello all,

The new year brings new ideas, right?

Well, not so much in my case. I'm still struggling with the old concept of trying to fit a gallon into a quart pot.....

I really wanted to install a turning wye on my latest layout - which is still in the planning stages, but I simply don't have the physical space.  Wyes are HUGE in On30!

Even smaller radius types, that would enable one to turn a Porter, Davenport or a rail-truck, still have to be of 14" or 15" radius, and that comes out to about 32" x 38" when one adds the extension at the fork of the wye, that enables the loco to reverse clear of the points.

As I said, I don't got the space!

So, now my only option is to install a small turntable, which will take up much less space. I only need it to have a 9" deck.

Rather than building one from scratch, it occurred to me that I may be able to fit 16.5mm track to a proprietary N Scale turntable.

Has anyone else tried this, and could I possibly gain some pointers from your experiences?

Comments welcome.

Many thanks in advance.

Hi Guys,

Hope you all had a great Christmas, and turned a few steel wheels....

I wonder if any one of you can give me some thoughts on how to scratch build a
gantlet track?

I have an idea coming up for my next (and hopefully first DCC) layout that
involves a pair of interlaced tracks sharing a length of viaduct.

The actual construction doesn't appear to be very intimidating, until I get to
the part with the crossover-track-frog-or-switch or whatever it's called.

Anyone have any ideas??


(Apart from "Forget it" - which I have already considered.) 

Hello all, 

A current modelling project of mine has me wondering how to simulate the 2-foot and 4-foot fluorescent strip lamps that have been installed into homes since the late 1950s.

Of course, they would have to operate....probably from a 12volt GOW globe source, but the poser is how to make them look prototypical....even, white illumination with no hot spots....

Anyone have any ideas? 

Thanks to all.

Hello all,

I am currently working on the conversion of an old Peco 4-wheeled open wagon into a mini water tanker, for a special project.

I need a set of 12mm pin point disc wheels, with a width of 25mm. Most US and Bachmann On30 stuff is 26mm, and "ordinary" HO wheels seem to have diameters up to 10.5mm, with some 14mm available. Somehow, 12mm seems to be hard to find.

The original wheels on the wagon are 12mm x 25mm, but are spoked, not disc.

I know that they are available, as I found a brand new set in my junkbox.....alas, only one set, though!

Can anybody from UK or Europe or USA give me a clue as to where I may be able to source these things?

Many thanks to all.

Hello all,

I am currently working on the conversion of an old Peco 4-wheeled open wagon into a mini water tanker, for a special project.

I need a set of 12mm pin point disc wheels, with a width of 25mm. Most US and Bachmann On30 stuff is 26mm, and "ordinary" HO wheels seem to have diameters up to 10.5mm, with some 14mm available. Somehow, 12mm seems to be hard to find.

The original wheels on the wagon are 12mm x 25mm, but are spoked, not disc.

I know that they are available, as I found a brand new set in my junkbox.....alas, only one set, though!

Can anybody from UK or Europe or USA give me a clue as to where I may be able to source these things?

Many thanks to all.

Hello all,

It has been bugging me for some time now, that what a bloke REALLY needs in this wonderful hobby of ours would be a (very handy) set of vernier calipers that can be read out directly in scale feet and inches.....

The price of accurate digital types has fallen sharply over the past few years, and it should not be too difficult for some person with a bit of electronics nonce to re-program a pair of these so that they can read in different scales....like HO, O, S and so on. Maybe even switchable between scales, as the current types are switchable between Imperial and Metric.

Anyone have any thoughts on this, or is it just another of my pipe dreams?

Hello all,

It has been bugging me for some time now, that what a bloke REALLY needs in this wonderful hobby of ours would be a (very handy) set of vernier calipers that can be read out directly in scale feet and inches.....

The price of accurate digital types has fallen sharply over the past few years, and it should not be too difficult for some person with a bit of electronics nonce to re-program a pair of these so that they can read in different scales....like HO, O, S and so on. Maybe even switchable between scales, as the current types are switchable between Imperial and Metric.

Anyone have any thoughts on this, or is it just another of my pipe dreams?

Hello all, 

I have just finished the conversion of my Bachmann HO Shay into an On30 version, using the Boulder Valley Gilpin Kit. It looks great, and runs well, now that I have ironed out a few initial gremlins.

My concern however, is that as it traverses one of my Peco Electrofrog tunouts, it momentarily loses speed, and supplies current to any locomotive that is standing on that branch line. This causes the stationary loco to move forward a few (actual) inches, and then stop, as the Shay picks up speed again. 

It is the only loco in my On30 fleet to cause this anomaly, so I would assume that the problem lies within the Shay wiring.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? 

Many thanks.