Finally done on the little 2-10-2 project

[rallygsc]

Hello Everyone:

well I finally got my project done that I mentioned on here last year.

it's the bachmann 2-10-2 southern locomotive.

I added weight to it, replaced the cruddy yellow leds and the bachmann dcc chip.





thankfully to the design team at bachmann, they made it where the smoke box comes off, easy to do the headlight swap, the tender was easy as well.

the added weight came from 3/8" thick solid steel slugs I saved from a job I had years ago, I epoxied them in, and the locomotive has more pulling power now.

little things like this do make a difference, and thankfully the 2-10-2 does not have that belt drive like a few of the bachmann locomotives have.

take care
George

[CNE Runner]

Very nice job George. You were able to update/upgrade this locomotive without the loss of its 'identity'.

Regards,
Ray

[Atlantic Central]

George, very nice work. Glad to see how you added the weight, I had avoided that loco do to its long wheel base and reputation for not pulling so well.

My new layout has larger curves so I may consider a few now.

Why don't you like the belt drives on the othe locos? I have nine of the USRA Heavy Mountains and they all work great, as do my 2-8-0's and 4-6-0's. Never had a problem yet with a Bachmann drive belt.

In fact, I consider my heavy Mountains amoung the best locos produced in the last 10-15 years - by anyone.

Sheldon

[jonathan]

George,

Thanks for sharing your project.  Very nice work, sir.

Like Sheldon, I like the cog belt drive.  However, I have replaced a couple belts due to splitting from the factory.  Easy, and inexpensive fix.

Just what I need; another loco project to add to my shopping list.  Make it stop, make it stop...

Regards,

Jonathan

[rogertra]

Excellent work.  Well done.

As for the yellow LEDs, you realise that for the steam era, yellow LEDs are more realistic than the intense white LEDs?

Railfans these days are so used to seeing high intensity sealed beam headlights on diesels that they forget that in steam days the headlight was a 100W ordinary lamp (light bulb) running at 90VDC.

So, in steam days the headlight was yellow and NOT bright white, like today's headlights.

Until the mid to late 1950s, steam locos ran with the headlight "Off" so as to save steam by not having to run the turbo-generator.

[ryeguyisme]

Be warned just because it doesnt have a belt doesn't mean its prone to failure, those gears don't like too much stress on them. They'll grind down and break depending on how good the plastic your engines gears have