Civil War trains

[krolart]

A few years ago Bachmann made HO Civil War sets, one North and one South.  I would like to see Bachmann reissue these sets, but updated with current technology, including DCC.  Is there any chance of this happening?  This begins the 150Th anniversary of the Civil War.

[richg]

I seriously doubt that will ever happen. To small a Niche market.
The present locos would have to be extensively retooled. I have done a couple Bachmann old time 4-4-0's and the total cost not counting time to do the installs, was about $150 per engine. I did dcc in my locos.
The motors are in the tender and not very efficient, plus you can see the drive shaft into the loco.

Bachmann manages to hide the drive shaft in the advertisement photos.

You are talking a lot of retooling. The present Bachmann old time 4-4-0 is circa 1870's and not a good runner without a lot of fine tuning.
The CW was over in 1865 and most of the locos where quite different.
The real locomotives used in the great locomotive chase are on display as I have seen them and modified quite a lot from the 1865 era.
Don't forget, all the Bachmann stuff comes from China.

Rich

[THB-DAVE]

Unfortunately, nothing in those old Bachman Civil war sets were accurate to the Civil war period including the track and turnouts. The 1870s engines were over scale and the rolling stock was also too modern.

[CNE Runner]

I would forget obtaining the proper locomotives, for the reasons already mentioned, and concentrate on the rolling stock...with is available. Check out the B.T.S. website for more information on Civil War rolling stock:

http://www.btsrr.com/bts7803.htm

The Bachmann/AHM/Pocher/etc. American 4-4-0s are not Civil War vintage and are extremely poor runners. Frankly they aren't worth the expenditure. I have a couple of these locomotives and use them for static display in the train room - all of them have been repainted/redecorated for the Newburgh, Dutchess & Columbia Ry (the predecessor to the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut and the Central New England Railroad).

Ray

[NMWTRR]

I found some great info on civil war trains in Railroad Model Craftsman October 2009 issue.

The article was written by Thom Radice. He created was an excellent layout based on the Western Atlantic around 1863.

He used the old Mantua/Tyco 4 4 0 Generals. I think they were pretty good representations of the famous Civl War General. He even went to the trouble of making the pilots so that they are wire frames.

Not sure you can get these locos today. I have two but neither run very well any more.

You might chekc out E bay to see if any one is selling them used.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

AHM/Pocher/etc. American 4-4-0s are not Civil War vintage and are extremely poor runners. Frankly they aren't worth the expenditure.

Sure enough, but if you can get ahold of some late-model Rivarossi versions of these engines (look for the red box), they run beautifully.

[4-8-4unionpacific]

Do you think that 0-8-0's could be used in my layout...I'm trying to make a post war layout when the railroads were shipping tanks on flatbeds and said they were special deliveries of cargo. I'm going to be using life like tanks that are half covered in molded plastic looking like covers over the tanks. i understand that usually in the post war era that they usually used 2-10-2 Rivarossi's and i think i would freelance my railroad fitting to my perfections and wantings.

[richg]

Do you think that 0-8-0's could be used in my layout...I'm trying to make a post war layout when the railroads were shipping tanks on flatbeds and said they were special deliveries of cargo. I'm going to be using life like tanks that are half covered in molded plastic looking like covers over the tanks. i understand that usually in the post war era that they usually used 2-10-2 Rivarossi's and i think i would freelance my railroad fitting to my perfections and wantings.

You must mean World War One when tanks where first developed? Maybe you should start a different thread with appropriate subject. Of course, this is just a guess.

Rich

[Doneldon]

UPfef-

I agree with rich that you would likely get better answers by starting a new thread rather than changing the topic of this one.

That said, no, I don't think you could get away with hauling a train of anything on a mainline with an 0-8-0. The 0-8-0s were switchers with plenty of power for the job, as long as the train wasn't terribly long, but they would have been very slow and not really designed for mainline use. They would experience at least two problems: First, they would need to stop often for water and fuel as they had smallish tenders compared to mainline locos. Second, the lack of a pilot truck would require them to move quite slowly or risk a derailment. A slow train could screw up the whole railroad and a derailment could possibly be worse. I'm not saying no 0-8-0s ever went on the mainline with a train, just that it would have been very unusual.

                                                                                                                                    -- D

[jward]

winans camels were 0-8-0s and they predated the civil war. they were extensively used by the b&o as mainline freight locomotives.....

btw, there is an article on railroads in the civil war in the latest issue of trains.....

[richg]

winans camels were 0-8-0s and they predated the civil war. they were extensively used by the b&o as mainline freight locomotives.....

btw, there is an article on railroads in the civil war in the latest issue of trains.....

My bashed 0-8-0.



Prototype circa 1855.

Made from



Another photo. Link & pin couplers.




Rich

[jward]

beautiful work. do you have any iron pot hoppers to go with it?

[Doneldon]

jeff-

Yes, there were 0-8-0s prior to the Civil War. But he asked about locos to pull flats with tanks. Tanks didn't come about until 50 years later and locomotives were specialized as to use by then. One would not have seen 0-8-0s on mainlines except under extraordinary circumstances.

                                                                                                  -- D

[richg]

beautiful work. do you have any iron pot hoppers to go with it?

No I do not. Never did find a way to make any so far. A lot of sheet metal simulation with rivets needed.
I am still looking. Making the tender trucks would be a challenge as the prototype pot hoppers did not have swivel trucks.
It would be nice as I can convert this to DCC sound fairly easy. The new Roundhouse tender frames are ready for a 28mm speaker and a Micro Tsunami will fit just fine. The new Roundhouse 4-4-0, 2-6-0 and 2-8-0 have the identical tenders and I have the Micros in them.

By the way, the Winans Camel I made is oversize. Fifty one inch drivers instead of forty three inch drivers the prototypes had. The prototypes railroad did over ten miles and hour.

Rich

[richg]

jeff-

Yes, there were 0-8-0s prior to the Civil War. But he asked about locos to pull flats with tanks. Tanks didn't come about until 50 years later and locomotives were specialized as to use by then. One would not have seen 0-8-0s on mainlines except under extraordinary circumstances.
                                                                                                   -- D

Yeah, we know. This guy hijacked the thread with a completely different subject.

Rich