4-6-0 conversion / On30 Annual

[Matt Bumgarner]

I don't have access to a local hobby store that carries the "annual"- I am assuming it is a Carstens publication?

Anyone out there that has it- can you summarize the article and its relative level of difficulty? I would ask someone to scan the article and email it, but that might involve a copyright issue, so I wouldn;t want that.

Thanks

Matt Bumgarner

[dto]

Hi, Matt!

Yes, the 2008 On30 Annual is a Carstens publication.  See:

http://www.on30annual.com/home.htm

The article in question was written by Mike Miller, who also posts on this board as "mmiller".  You can read some of his comments on his article at:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,3717.0.html

Yes, it would violate copyright to scan this article, so you might want to order directly from Carstens.  There should be contact information at the On30 Annual home page.  You won't regret this -- there's a LOT of fine ideas here. 

The article itself is three pages, with three large photos of the finished conversion and four 2 x 3.5 inch "in progress" shots.  There is a list of materials at the end.  Basically, this involves mating a Bachmann On30 Mogul boiler and Banta wooden cab onto a 4-6-0 "Henry" from Bachmann's HO scale "Thomas the Tank Engine" line.  Judging from the photos, the end result is quite impressive for a relatively quick project.

I attended The World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour at Del Mar just yesterday, and spoke with Annual editor Chris Lane about this conversion.  I voiced concern over the driver spokes -- usually HO drivers have too many narrow spokes (compare them to the ones on the Bachmann Mogul).  But Chris assured me that he checked out the engine with a micrometer, and the dimensions work out fine.  I later bought a copy of the Annual at the Carstens booth, then walked a few stalls over to another vendor and purchased a Henry for only $40.  So it looks like I'm committed (or should be committed, but that's another matter...)   

(As an aside, I also had the distinct pleasure of meeting the "Bach-man" himself at the show.  Frankly, I don't know how he could deal with a flood of visitors at the Bachmann exhibit all day, and STILL oversee the message boards at night.  Recall the three-hour time difference on the West Coast -- I noticed he posted some comments after midnight early Sunday, which would be 3:00 AM for his "body clock".  How can he remain so courteous and helpful after such a long day?  My hat's off to him.  It was also fascinating to closely examine the Bach-man's handiwork -- the Thomas layout and the On30 "Riley's Run" display were in full operation.  Sure, there's pictures in the forum gallery, but you need to personally see the layouts to fully appreciate the details and the extra planning that went into them -- remember, they must also withstand heavy abuse while travelling across the country.  Bravo again, Mr. B!)   

So, after examining the Henry locomotive, I've concluded that the drivers do look credible for an earlier locomotive.  I'm now seriously considering backdating my Mogul to match.  When disassembling the engine, it may be more convenient to loosen the two small screws anchoring the cab, since the frame extends back to a small slot in the back of the cab.  This extension may cause some problems for those lacking a miter box and good miniature saw.  Mike Miller shortened the frame to fit the Mogul, but that section is 3/8 inch square and solid metal.  For those with only a rusty hobby saw more suited for balsa, that may be a daunting proposition.  Of course, one can always scratchbuild a whole superstructure or move the cab back, but that will alter the overall boiler proportions.  I'll probably research more 4-6-0 profiles before attempting to hack away.

Mike also suggests removing the gears responsible for Henry's moving eyes.  I'm not sure this is really necessary, since it doesn't look like they generate extra noise or mechanical drag on the motor.  I agree with Mike that the cylinders could be larger, which means the pilot wheel truck must be longer.  Also, be sure to secure the top of the running gear -- they originally snapped onto the bottom of Henry's running boards.

By the way, the tender wheels are also spoked, like the pilots.  If I backdate the Mogul, I could pull and replace the solid pilot wheels with the spoked Henry set. 

As you can probably guess by now, I thought this article was VERY convincing.     Try to get a copy of the Annual -- even if you don't take on this particular project, there's many more articles to inspire you. 

Have fun!

David

[Chatzi473]

if anyone has done this can they post pictures of how it came out?

[the Bach-man]

Dear David,
Thanks for out kind words!
I'm home now, and happy to be back, but I must admit Socal is very nice!
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[mmiller]

Hello,

I'm waiting to hear back from the Annual's editor to see how they feel about me posting some more pictures of the project...

meanwhile, this is what it looks like now:


it's not a hard project, but it requires some "creative engineering" and maybe a willingness to break out a hack saw

mike
San Juan Pacific Lines
On31.17 California 3' narrow gauge
http://webpages.charter.net/mransr/trains

[dto]

Hi, Mike!

Thanks for a truly inspiring article.  I'm also very impressed with the other conversion projects on your website.  I'll probably use your pilot truck design on this Henry project.

Chris Lane mentioned that some material that wasn't published in the Annual might later appear in the "Xtras" section of their website.  Maybe he'll let you post more photos of your engine there.

By the way, do you intend to attend the 2008 NMRA Nationals in Anaheim this July?  From your website I get the impression that you're based in Southern California.  I've never attended one of these conventions before, but it would be nice to meet fellow On30 modelers there.

[C.S.R.R. Manager]

Hi Matt, now that I have Henry's mechanism on the workbench, next to a 2-6-0 boiler, I can see that it's not an easy conversion.  There is a big hunk of metal on the back on Henry's frame that needs to be hacked off, and the cylinders are too small.  Also, I'm going to have to fashion a way to support a new front deck and pilot, and I'll try to use the deck and pilot from the 2-6-0.  Then there's the challenge of figuring out how to attach the mechanism to the body.

As Mike has stated, if there is a downside to the article, it's that they don't show many photos of the process, and those photos would be very helpful.  Mike's description  of what he built and how he attached things is very good, but you can't beat the photos, and I'm hoping he gets the OK to post them somewhere.

I should also add that Henry's mechanism runs great, and the wheels do look "right."  Another quality product from Bachmann.

[scottychaos]

Hello,

I'm waiting to hear back from the Annual's editor to see how they feel about me posting some more pictures of the project...

Mike,
they are your photos, you can post any you like! 
as long as you dont actually scan the actual pages of the annual and post them here, you can post any photo of your own you have even taken..
even if its been printed in a magazine..
you hold the copyright to your own photos..

and if they are *different* photos than those in the magazine,
then you can REALLY post anything you like!

Scot

[hminky]

Actually most magazines own the pictures while the issue is current and some have the rights over any pictures concerning the article if you sign a contract.

Harold

[mmiller]

I talked to Chris Lane (theOn30 Annual man, and I'm going to go ahead and try to put something together...

by far the most challenging part was the pilot, I ended up cutting too much and rebuilding the area with JB Weld   

the big problem is that the photos are pretty cruddy, and when I went back to them after not seeing them for a few months I found many didn't make any sense either

but I'll post what I can but it may be a week or two before I can get it done 

maybe I can disassemble the loco for some better pictures

mike