How to swap a Bachmann Spectrum tender onto a Model Power loco?

[Hedron]

Title says it all. I obtained an older but like-new Model Power 4-4-0 with the fat axle wipers on the tender. I'd like to swap in a spectrum short tender for improved pickup and less maintenance. But, I'm new at this. What's the best approach?

[NDave]

Are you planning for DCC or DC?

[SandyEggoJake]

I've not done the swap in this direction - only the MP Vandy on the Bmann 280 Spectrum.  But DM me if in need of that Bachmann tender as I have a few without homes.

[Hedron]

Are you planning for DCC or DC?

Staying with DC for now.

I've not done the swap in this direction - only the MP Vandy on the Bmann 280 Spectrum.  But DM me if in need of that Bachmann tender as I have a few without homes.

Depending on the results of this discussion, I may be in touch! I don't have the tender in hand yet.

[nickelplate759]

I've done it with a Model Power Pacific and a Bachmann USRA medium tender (I also mated a Model Power Mikado and a Rivarossi 12-wheel tender but that's harder and not as good a result).    I don't have pictures - but the approach was to keep the Model Power drawbar.  The tender end of the drawbar fits above the tender frame, so you have to make a hole for it to enter the shell. Use the Model Power tender as an example, but where the Model Power tender has a fragile plastic peg to hold the drawbar you will want to drill and tap a hole in the Bachmann tender floor and put in a screw to hold the drawbar.   I believe that I ran the screw up from the bottom so it was essentially a metal peg.

[peteski]

If the MP tender is ok visually, and the only problems are high-friction truck, and poor-pickup, then why not just swap the trucks for something better (like Bachmann tender trucks, or Kato Mikado or caboose trucks)?  That sees to be a much easier conversion that transplanting the entire Bachmann underframe into the MP tender shell, modifying the drawbar, etc.

[btrain]

On my NKP Hudson project, I used a MP pacific chassis hooked up to a Bachmann USRA long tender. I couldn’t get the Bachmann tab to stay over the pin on the pacific, so I ended up using 0.030 styrene as a drawbar that fitted over the MP loop and went into an open square on the Bachmann tender, where it screwed on top of the floor. For wiring, I just fed them into that square on the tender.

[btrain]

I take back my advice about using a styrene drawbar. Looks like if your Bachmann tender drawbar attaches at the truck, then it may line up well with the screw on the engine. [ Guests cannot view attachments ]