Boston & Maine Steam

[Bsklarski]

Anyone here have a basic or partial rundown of N scale steam in Boston and Maine paint/versions? Im toying with some layout ideas and might want to try 1920s-1940s era.

[robwill84]

Model Power makes their 2-6-0 decorated for Boston & Maine. It is supposedly a pretty close match to a B&M prototype.

[Alaska Railroader]

I just listed a B&M 4-4-0 (brand new in box) on ebay, by Model Power. Also a M&St.L and ACL.

[peteski]

Walthers 0-8-0 was decorated for B&M.  Too bad those haven't been issued again.

[brokemoto]

Bachpersonn sells a 2-6-0 lettered for the Busted and Mined.  It has a factory decoder.  It runs and pulls well.  I do not know how close it is to anything that the Busted and Mangled actually operated.

[Ian MacMillan]

What I really would like is a B&M Berk.


For what and when and in what paint the holy grail is Jim Van Bokkelen's (yes the FTP and network security guy)website
http://www.faracresfarm.com/jbvb/rr/bmrr/b_and_m.html

Jims a great guy, he was a selectmen in South Hampton NH, where I started my career.

[absnut]

I've got a lot of info from this site:

https://sites.google.com/site/bostonandmainerailroad/system/app/pages/sitemap/list

[garethashenden]

The Bachmann 2-8-0 was available in B&M, there are still some floating around. It's not a perfect match for the K8 it's numbered as but it's reasonable close.

So in total that gives us;
0-8-0 (Walthers)
2-6-0 (MP)
2-6-0 (Bachmann)
2-8-0 (Bachmann)
4-4-0 (MP)

The 0-8-0 is the only one which is acutally a B&M prototype as 0-8-0s were the only USRA locomotives allocated to the B&M.

[garethashenden]

I'd also look for a copy of Minuteman Steam published by the B&MRRHS in the '80s. It has comprehensive information on post 1911 B&M steam with lots of pictures and numerous diagrams. They're not scale drawing but they give general dimensions.

[brokemoto]

Quite some time back, somebody did a bash of a RR/Rowa Van Swearingen Berkshire into an SP B class; Coffin feedwater heater and all.  I forget who did it, but, except for the driver size, it looked pretty good.  Recall that B&M sold some of these to SP.

It appears that you could bash a B-mann USRA heavy 4-8-2 into a B&M 4-8-2 with a minimum of work.  This might interest B&O modellers, as well, as B&M sold a bunch of these to the B&O.

In addition, it appears that it would be easy to bash the K-4s (ex-Fitchburg power) from the MDC/Athearn 2-8-0.

Some of the eight wheelers look pretty close to the MPs.

[absnut]

I wrote several articles for the NTRAK Steam Addendum a few years ago as well as a few for the Modelers Notes that accompany the B&MRRHS Newsletter.  One in particular was modifying the LifeLike/Walthers "Berkshire" to become a look-alike for the B&M Berkshire class. One of my bashes.





[img]http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/500/SPTender09gs1.jpg">>

Two "special" paint jobs from the 1920s.





One of the five leased Erie Mikados



A 4-8-2 from a Bachmann 4-8-4, shortened boiler, new tender added.

[eja]

I've got a lot of info from this site:

https://sites.google.com/site/bostonandmainerailroad/system/app/pages/sitemap/list

httpS  ?


A secure site for the B&M ???? Huh  ?

[jbcz]

A few years ago I built a B&M 4-8-2 from the generic Bachmann 4-8-4 by chopping up the boiler casting/cab and shortening the frame to get length and cab shape correct.  With a Rivarossi 12 wheel tender and a Minitrix trailing truck it was a pretty good stand-in.  I wrote an article for the B&MRRHS newsletter.

Since then, I noticed that the Bachmann N&W J class 4-8-4 wheelbase was really close to the B&M 4-8-2.  I built a new R1A class by putting a chopped generic 4-8-4 boiler/cab on the 4-8-4 frame, adding a generic pilot, and Minitrix trailing truck.  I then cut down the J class tender body.  The result is a really good copy of the B&M R1.  It matches the plan published in MR pretty well (not perfect but pretty good).  The tender turns out to be close enough too.  Only problem is that the drivers are a little small but their wheelbase is just about dead on.  Combined with the really great peformance of the locomotive, it's my most favorite loco. 

[Bsklarski]

A few years ago I built a B&M 4-8-2 from the generic Bachmann 4-8-4 by chopping up the boiler casting/cab and shortening the frame to get length and cab shape correct.  With a Rivarossi 12 wheel tender and a Minitrix trailing truck it was a pretty good stand-in.  I wrote an article for the B&MRRHS newsletter.

Since then, I noticed that the Bachmann N&W J class 4-8-4 wheelbase was really close to the B&M 4-8-2.  I built a new R1A class by putting a chopped generic 4-8-4 boiler/cab on the 4-8-4 frame, adding a generic pilot, and Minitrix trailing truck.  I then cut down the J class tender body.  The result is a really good copy of the B&M R1.  It matches the plan published in MR pretty well (not perfect but pretty good).  The tender turns out to be close enough too.  Only problem is that the drivers are a little small but their wheelbase is just about dead on.  Combined with the really great peformance of the locomotive, it's my most favorite loco.

I would be curious about a parts list for this project

[jbcz]

The project starts with a Spectrum J Class 4-8-4.  I use the mechanism, drawbar and tender as is.  Required parts for this conversion are Bachmann 4-8-4 boiler casting (ATSF boiler is Baldwin design close to B&M 4-8-2 in looks), 4-8-4 pilot, and Minitrix trailing truck.  I cut the boiler in two places: at the smokebox and at the sand dome.  I cut and file the frame to accomodate the boiler and pilot - not a big deal.  I move the steam dome backward to match the separation of the 4-8-2 and fill in the screw hole and file off the relief valves.  I cut the cab to shape using the MR plans for the R-1d (loco is close to R1a.), fill in the window hole that's in the wrong position, and make a new window opening of the proper size.  I cut the firebox to about the size of the R-1a and replace the ashpan.  On the tender, I cut off the streamlining as required to approximate the lines of the R-1a tender.  When this is complete, the dimensions are close to those of the plan.  The only major discrepancies are the location of the sand dome and steam dome that are a couple of scale feet off.  The tender is not exact but is close to the proper dimensions.  The drivers are a bit small but due to the larger flanges and separation, the wheelbase is really close.  I am not a rivet counter but the overall look of the loco achieves the right proportions.  I have been trying to insert a photo but don't seem to be able to.  If you can tell me how to do so, I'll insert a photo.