When are the new old time 4-4-0's due out?

[davidone]

Any news on them?

[Bucksco]

Production samples will be at the NMRA Convention at the end of the month so not too much longer...

[davidone]

Thank you Yardmaster.

[vaderdentist]

Anyone have pics of the new tooled HO scale 4-4-0s from the convention?   I had assumed Bachmann would post photos of the production samples by now. 

[hminky]

Found this on the Civil War Yahoo group:



Looks good

Harold

[J3a-614]

Well, I see it's still a Virginia & Truckee Baldwin (nothing wrong with that!), still has the old crosshead (wish that was changed), but against that I see a better bell, better finish, counterweights on the drivers, an OPEN cab (no longer a block of weight in there!) we know the motor is now where it belongs (which in turn allows a better looking fuel load in the tender), and best of all, provision for a working front coupler!

I have no complaints!

Now, if it would be available in V&T, which was and is still such a legendary railroad. . .

And I might have to figure out how to add air to a model detailed as before air brakes came out.  Not every model would have to have that, but if you are modeling a slightly later era, that's something you'll want.  Fun part--engine brake equipment on a locomotive this old would include what were called "cam brakes," with a vertical brake cylinder on each side of the locomotive, located between the drivers, the cylinders pulling upward on a linkage that included two cams that forced other rods and brake shoes outward to the wheels.  Alternately you could consider the engine to be "barefoot," which is to say the brakes would be on the tender only, nothing on the locomotive!

Hmmmm--some of those engines ran into the 20th century, converted to air, oil firing (short straight stack, some with with a cap on the V&T), and got electric headlights, but were still fancy in color--wonder what it would take to modify this to such a later V&T engine?

Ane what might one use for a low-profile arch bar tender truck as an alternative to the short-wheelbase drop equalizer trucks on the model?  I think the arch bar job might have been more common.

EDIT:  I just took another look at the photograph, after opening it up in a new tab, which also enlarged it.  Two most interesting details popped out.

1.  This particular 4-4-0 is lettered for W&A--and named "Texas."  Now this could be a VERY accurate model--for when Walt Disney made "The Great Locomotive Chase" in 1956, a V&T 4-4-0 (don't know which one) was used to portray the "Texas!"  

That would be an interesting model--with a miniature movie crew, restaging the Andrews Raid. . .

2.  Although somewhat fuzzy, I got a better look at the B&O engine partially visible in the background--and the tender is on what appears to be arch bar trucks with standard sized wheels as opposed to the drop equalizer truck with smaller than normal wheels V&T ordered!  The tender also has what appears to be a much improved coal load--one of the benefits of moving the motor out of there.

The rods look a bit more delicate, too, appropriate for small (by modern standards) 19th century locomotives.

Hope springs eternal!  

Now if only proper decals were available to letter these engines for other roads, or even a freelance line. . . and I also notice at least one cab window has "glass" in it. . .if only some other photos would turn up besides this one. . .

[richardl]

It would be nice if they were prototypical again, link and pin. But just about impossible for a HO layout. I tired it and it was very easy to lose the pins or a link.
I converted mine to the Janney coupler and made the layout about the 1890's era when that coupler was coming into use.

Rich

[hminky]

Here is the old one from my sound article, have daylighted the cab:



Harold

[richardl]

Very nice Harold. Been following you articles for some time.

Rich

[vaderdentist]

Wow that new Bachmann 4-4-0 pilot coupler pocket is absolutely horrific.  Love the open cab,  but I'd lose those icky moulded plastic windows.    Bell is an improvement.  I am feeling neutral over the old design.  some good changes some bad changes and a few changes that should have been made that weren't.   I think Bachmann should market these with a choice of sand domes/steam domes styles, and 3 smokestack styles right in the packaging.  Atlas did their undecorated version of the 4-4-0 this way in N-scale and the choice of smokestacks is really well received.    Maybe offer a couple undecorated locos with these options.  This would greatly cater to the kit bashers. 

[hminky]

More pictures from the EarlyRail Yahoo group:







Harold

[J3a-614]

Wow that new Bachmann 4-4-0 pilot coupler pocket is absolutely horrific.  Love the open cab,  but I'd lose those icky moulded plastic windows.    Bell is an improvement.  I am feeling neutral over the old design.  some good changes some bad changes and a few changes that should have been made that weren't.   I think Bachmann should market these with a choice of sand domes/steam domes styles, and 3 smokestack styles right in the packaging.  Atlas did their undecorated version of the 4-4-0 this way in N-scale and the choice of smokestacks is really well received.    Maybe offer a couple undecorated locos with these options.  This would greatly cater to the kit bashers.  

No argument on any of these, but we get what we get.  I'm still satisfied to have a working pilot coupler at all; as it is, some engines, notably eastern locomotives on coal hauling roads, did have a couple of buffer beams that stuck out from the pilot like that coupler pocket.  Of course, the real reason the pocket looks that bad is that we're still using a standard pocket from the 1940s.

Replacing the definitely oversized stock coupler with something smaller would be a huge help in my opinion.  

Still am glad to see the improvements mentioned.  Could it be better?  Sure, but how much extra would it cost?  How badly would it affect sales?  The people at Bachmann (or in any business) walk a tightrope on matters like that.

[hminky]

From the Model Railroad Hobbyist forum:









The new drivers look really good

Harold

[richardl]

Some years ago when I did this era, I converted to the Kadee old time coupler, #711 and took off the air hose.
With the Kadee #5, the stuff of that era looked like a little boy wearing his fathers shoes. The #5 is over size anyway.

Rich

[vaderdentist]

Okay I'm starting to warm up to these more.  The wood and coal loads rock!!! Loving the new driver wheels.   The larger wheels on the Penn Tender also rock!  I didn't notice that until now.