take a chance and experiment

[vroc3349]

I like this forum because we all experss our wants, desires and interests as well as offer help and suggestions to posed questions.  I believe that is what it is for.
A lot of us ask "THE BACH MAN" for very specific items like freight cars or specific locomotives.  I've done it myself.
I am coming to realize that this is not going to happen and you know what, maybe it shouldn't.
In my opinion, this company is offering wonderful products that are full of detail and optional parts to let you make the loco your own.  They are great starting points for experimenting with Kitbashing.
Case in point, for me that is, is the Mogel offered as C&S 21.
For me, this is one of the most beautiful loco's built.  I love the proportions and different looks C&S gave this series of locos from the air tank to the Bear Trap stack.  Character, character character.
The BACH MAN responded to one persons inquiry abdou a saddle tank version of the new 2-6-6-2 and te told them strait out that it wasn't going to happen from the company and further stated that it might be a good aftermarket item for some one else to come oput with.
Why not try to make some parts your self?
I've never done it but plan to try making a Bear trap stack for my mogel.  HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG?  Thet provide a stack base to start from and just go from there.  Wood, plastic brass, what ever strikes your fancy because you can always put it back the way it was.
Unless your a purist, and there is nothing wrong with that, take a chance.
TRY IT, I'M GOING TO.
BUT A DCC OPTION WOULD BE NICE WITH ALL LOCO'S.VR0C3349

[Jim Banner]

Absolutely experiment.  That is the "funnest" part of model railroading.  Some things don't work out - they can be quietly disposed of.  Some things do work out, and these need to be shared with friends, on line and off.  Talking about successes is not so much a "look what I did" but rather "look what can be done."  I always find it inspiring to see what others have done, and most model railroaders seem more than happy to tell you how they did it.

Plug-'n'-Play DCC would be nice in every locomotive.  Then you could buy with or without DCC and/or sound and add them or upgrade them later by simply plugging them in.  The only problem I can see is some of the smallest locomotives just do not have room for a DCC socket as well as a decoder.  For these, at least, we have a choice of either degraded performance from reduced weight or hardwired decoders but no Plug-'n'-Play.

Another way of looking at the same problem, once you learn to hard wire a decoder, then all locomotives H0 and larger are DCC ready and you have the option of having DCC or not having it.

Jim

^{Score one for the spell checker.  It choked on Plug-'n'-Play but accepted funnest.}

[Ken]

   Lets see I have a X Bachmann USRA 2-6-6-2 being converted into a
  Kitson-Meyer 2-6-6-2T. Presently being converted to be DCC ready.
Atlas (O) wooden ore cars converted (4)
Various  S Std  scale cars converted (9or10)
HO Hart gons being worked on (6)

   Taking a serious look at building a couple of Rio Turbro 2-10-2s in service in
Argentina, will be needing a longer TT for them though.

  Just raised the couplers on 16 Bachmann 2 Bay Hoppers

   Ken clark
    GWN

[ksivils]

None of my Bachmann locomotives have survived in their original configuration.  PSC and The Backshop made some money off all the castings I purchased.  To me, the best part about the Bachmann locomotives is that they run well right out of the box, are easy to cut-up and re-detail, but do not cost so much that you dare not take the proverbial knife to them like a brass locomotive.

I own a total of nine Bachmann passenger coaches/parlor cars/combines that have all gone under the knife.  An additional two have been disassembled to serve as donor parts for two more coach projects.

On the freight car front, I have relied on kits from different manufacturers but do plan to eventually fill out the fleet with equipment from Bachmann, but in, of course, altered form.  The main problem right now is the economy, and child number two's college tuition which has put us in a real financial bind for now, so not much in the way of actual model building going on.

[El Loco]

Do you remember the day when if you wanted a model  of a certain type you scratch built it and or kit bashed it with a combination of both or did without?
I also understand ( to some degree) not all model railroaders are created equal & have the skill to perform such acts of desperation . 
That has brought us modeling veterans to the new age of model railroading  "Ready to run". 
Sure I would like to see some outer braced wood box cars and some framed tank cars of the era but if I want it bad enough I'll build it.
  What we have been  provided  to work with, I am very pleased that we are blessed to have such,  not for what we dont have.
Nothing beats scratching & bashing !