Another Surprise Quality Product

[jonathan]

Lately we have had a number of threads concerning the 0-6-0/2-6-0/2-6-2 loco.  I, like others considered this little loco not up to standards for running on my layout.

I was so wrong.  Another thread mentioned the RS-2 and how surprised others were of Bachmann's superior quality in that product.

I am another who is learning there is more to life than a Spectrum Locomotive.  The H16-44 Trainmaster is another wonderful locomotive.  It does require a little tweaking, but my two run just as smoothly and quietly as other famously smooth running diesels.  Of course that loco use to be a Spectrum, just like the 2-8-0.

After tweaking, the 2-6-2/0-6-0, I'm convinced this is another loco with sound engineering.  In fact, I'm thinking of picking up the DCC 0-6-0 and explore just how difficult adding sound would be.  

Anyway, just wanted to say thanks to the great Bachmann folks for giving us so many great models to play with, 'er operate.

Here's a couple of videos (poor quality camera, sorry) of my 0-6-0 nee Prairie in action.  One video is at 40% power and clipping along nicely.  The other video is at 30% power, moving slowly, and travelling over a #6 turnout with an unpowered frog.  It doesn't even blink.  More importantly, listen to what you don't hear:  no motor sounds, clicking, etc.; just metal wheels on rails.

click on photos




I know I didn't have a question, so perhaps this thread is not necessary.  Sometimes a compliment to our hosts seems in order...

Regards,

Jonathan

[richg]

If the tender has plastic wheels, buy some machined metal wheels and add Kadee wipers to the trucks using 00-90 machine screws.
Figure out where to drill holes for the speaker in the bottom of the tender.
A little bath caulk around the rim of the speaker, not touching the speaker cone.

Miniatronics has some small two pin and four pin connectors. I have some of them.

The ones Bachmann have on their steamers would be nice if Bachmann would sell the matching half that mounts in the tender or the locomotive.
I just look at the Bachmann diagrams for ideas and use my imagination.

A Micro Tsunami should work depending on the current the motor and lights, require. Don't forget, the 750 ma limit is motor and light current combined. Light bulbs usually draw more current than LED's.
Figure 10 ma for LED's.

Yes, there are sound decoders for about $50.00 but I have not used those.

Rich

[Jerrys HO]

jonathan,
I have been watching your handy work with other loco"s and I hope you will post another step by step progress as you did before. I have the 0-6-0 UP DCC #4441 and I was interested in adding sound also. I also have the 2-6-0 DC version that came out of the iron king set but I believe it will sit until I get a little experience adding anything to DCC. This will be my first attempt so this thread is very necessary.
Jerry

[J3a-614]

Indeed, you have a sweet runner there, such an improvement over what was available 30 years ago!  And the valve gear that wasn't mounted before looks great, too, real lacy and delicate looking, appropriate for small power like this.  The weathering is nice and understated, the tender is a bit oversized, but that could well be due to a tender swap of some sort (and the B&O did a lot of that!)

Again, nice work, and congratulations to both Jonathan and Bachmann.

[jward]

count me as another fan of the h16-44. i backdated the era of my railroad about 5 years so i could run them. I have 3 and have enjoyed running them all. thanks to jim banner's excellent tutorial on adding dcc to this locomotive, i have converted all of them, I agree the split frame locomotive design has some important but overlooked advantages over other makes of diesels.

i had looked at the bachmann 0-6-0 but the lack of a working coupler caused me to pass. i may have to take another look.

[J3a-614]

"I had looked at the bachmann 0-6-0 but the lack of a working coupler caused me to pass. I may have to take another look."--J. Ward

One of the amazing things about the internet is that chances are, if you want to find something, or how someone did something, you can find it.  Now, how good it actually is may be another story. . .

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Model_Railroads_Of_Southern_California/message/3880

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Model_Railroads_Of_Southern_California/message/3880

I have also read that you can file and carve the interior surface of a dummy coupler to the point that a working coupler can mate with it (and remember, only one coupler actually has to work or open, the brakemen on the prototypes normally work with only one open coupler).  I actually tried this on an MDC 2-8-0 with the dummy coupler they used to provide, and I got it to kind of work, but that was a long time ago, and coupling wasn't as much a problem as uncoupling.  Some more/better filing/cutting may have worked better.

I have a couple of those old Bachmann pancake-motored carcasses around here somewhere; ought to try it again to see how well it can work this time.

[jonathan]

Thanks, J3a.

Ah, yes, the front coupler... Interesting how that modeler tackled the problem.  I have been trying to figure out how to cut away the dummy coupler, without causing the pilot to fall apart.

I feel like you could snip off the coupler head and shank, then drill an increasingly larger hole until you have enough room to push the working coupler through the front of the hole to meet with a box glued underneath the pilot.  That's what I will attempt with the next 0-6-0 I attempt anyway. 

Rich,

You have given me some good ideas about adding sound.  The new 0-6-0s have an LED headlight, so the milliamp limit is improved.  I like the idea of a separate sound decoder.  Will have to see how much space we're dealing with on the slopeback tender.  Will be measuring and pondering for a while...  I've already made some replacement trucks for the tender (with pickup), and I haven't even found a locomotive to play with yet.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jward]

interesting site. and not just for his conversion of the 0-6-0. i am always interested to see what people can do with a 4x8 railroad.....

[jonathan]

Indeed!

He packed alot of railroad into a small space.  With enough scenery, one could hide all the spaghetti so it would look great while operating.

He converted the 0-6-0 in the most efficient way I think:  a motion decoder for the locomotive, and a sound decoder for the tender.  I think a 3/4" 8 ohm speaker would be just right to shoot out the coal load on the slopeback tender.  A small sound decoder should still fit lengthwise.

Now using the miniatronics 4-wire mini-plug, you can share pick up with the tender and loco frame halves, and voila!... instant DCC/Sound loco that runs well and will look good after some superdetailing.

Hope you're getting this, Fyzal.

Now I'm excited.  Will start a thread when I've managed to gather all the parts. 

WHY CAN'T I STOP BUILDING LOCOMOTIVES?!

Regards,

Jonathan