Bachmann USRA 0-6-0 Prairie

[nickelplate759]

I've stripped the paint off the older ones and they look soft, without paint. It has not changed drastically except for the lack of cutouts for the old motor and there are no marks in the mold where it looks like those were filled.

My guess is that Bachmann cut new tooling from old (but slightly updated) CAD models.

[Chris333]

They had CAD in the 1800's ?   

[peteski]

To me (looking at those close-up photos) the old and new shells look identical (shape- and detail-wise).
Even if they made fresh molds, they look no different.  If the detail is "crisper" - great! But the shell looks the same as the 40 year old one.  To be honest, I have serious doubts that they would invest mucho bucks to cut brand new steel molds that were identical to the old ones. Makes zero sense. If anything, maybe they just freshened up the old molds (of that is even possible).

[ncbqguy]

Bachmann has a history of real constant product improvement .... including completely new body tooling (N7W J, Centennial DDs, F Units). They are more responsive to the customer over time than others who get the love and not the Blochman abuse!
I could see them doing a completely new die cast metal boiler and cab with all the bells and whistles separately applied...
Charlie Vlk

[ncbqguy]

May have spoken too soon.....just got a notice that the N “2-6-2” is going to be available with smoke....oh, still my heart!!!
Charlie Vlk

[Dave V]

May have spoken too soon.....just got a notice that the N “2-6-2” is going to be available with smoke....oh, still my heart!!!
Charlie Vlk

All N scale locomotives are available with smoke if you're not careful.

[BCR 570]

I just purchased a new Bachmann 2-6-2 for a future project.  I hope to mate it with the Spectrum slope back tender which has almost the correct wheelbase for the prototype I wish to model.  if anyone has done that I would be interested to hear and see how it went.

I also hope to install a 3D printed engine and tender shells as I have drawings for the locomotive.

Tim

[SkipGear]

@BCR 570  The quick and easy way...

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Finally got around to shooting my 0-6-0 engines. These were for an aborted shelf layout in Thailand focusing a depression era B&M branch line.

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[btrain]

All these sweet modifications to this engine has me really inspired to take on this 2-6-2 and convert it into a USRA switcher. For someone who has used a Dremel to Mill a frame for DCC conversion, how easy is it to convert the latest 2-6-2 version over to DCC?

[SkipGear]

All these sweet modifications to this engine has me really inspired to take on this 2-6-2 and convert it into a USRA switcher. For someone who has used a Dremel to Mill a frame for DCC conversion, how easy is it to convert the latest 2-6-2 version over to DCC?

If you are not adding a headlight.....2 wires and an all wheels live tender with one of the drawbar options shown above.

[BCR 570]

@BCR 570  The quick and easy way...

I am not quite following what you have done here - may I request an explanation to accompany the photographs?

Thank you,

Tim

[Angus Shops]

Let me guess Tim; a 1077 for the BC museum train?

[SkipGear]

I am not quite following what you have done here - may I request an explanation to accompany the photographs?

Thank you,

Tim

Tim,
  The fiberglass circuit board piece is the stock drawbar that comes on the model. Here is a step by step.

 1. Unsolder and remove the existing "whiskers" from the front (loco) end of the drawbar.
 2. Create new whisker wipers that replicate the wipers on the drawbar that comes with the new tender, just without the radical step down in height. They still need a small Z-bend to go through the original hole left after removing the original whiskers.
 3. Insert and glue a small piece of styrene tube into the existing bolster hole to shrink the hole a bit to match the bolster on the new tender.
 4. Sand the top and bottom of the drawbar to remove the copper cladding, top and bottom on the back half of the drawbar. This slight difference in thickness keeps the tender riding level front to back.
 5. Install the new whiskers through the holes in the draw bar then solder the pickup wipers to the remaining bit of copper cladding on the middle of the drawbar.
 6. Fine tune your bends and make sure the wipers contact the inside of the vertical posts on the front truck of the tender and pinch on the post of the loco sufficiently.

Reassemble and you are done.

[Lemosteam]

For those wanting an Andrews tender truck with Bachmann pickup spacing, here you go.  Announcement soon:

If one wanted to remove material from the electrical pickups to make the truck more see-through, you could use a knife to trace the openings in the truck sideframe and then use a Dremel with a cutoff wheel to remove much of the offending material.