Hi Lanny,

Thanks for the comments, I think they tried to pretty the old girl up some, because I have never seen alot of the items painted that way either. This fine old lady is at McComb, MS the site of ICRRs car rebuilding shops the largest on the line in the 1940s.

http://steve.bill--porter.com/photos_taken_on_march_18th.htm try that link for the photos I have so far of the little Mountain. I plan to get back down there soon and get some more shots. She only about 100 or so miles from my house on the old Yazoo &Mississippi Valley mainline to Yazoo City now the Yazoo District on the IC. I don't cuss so I wont mention CN

Stephen

Hi Guys, Dumb question time, I need to replace the front coupler on a IHC 2-8-0 and for the world of me cant figure out what is holding it. I dont see a screw is their a friction pin I am over looking with my blind eyes.

Thanks
Stephen

2nd new question for anyone still reading this thread. What is the glaring defects of Bachmanns 4-8-2 besides the white ICRR lettering.

Stephen



Please note they got it wrong on the real thing as well at McComb, MS

I have 5 Spec Locomotives and only my 4-8-2 heavy mountain had to be sent in for repair because Itate the contact strips for the power pickups behind the drivers. I know others that have Spec locomotives and never had a single problem out of any of them.

Stephen

for the money Bachmann Spec is one of best deals on the market.

Stephen

Yes Wanilla and the MSC was quite different 50 years ago. Wished I was around to see it MSC #141 was one of the smallest 2-8-2s ever built for an American standard gauge line with 52" drivers and weighed in atonly 110 tons. Mississippi Central was known torun Passenger trains with 2-8-2s and Freights with Pacifics at times.

Heres another one of our little hidden jewels right down the track of the ICRR at McComb, MS.



ugh did I say little. 

http://steve.bill--porter.com/photos_taken_on_march_18th.htm

Theres the link to the rest of those on the ICs lower mainline.

As far as #141 goes she is always decked out for Christmas. Georgia Pacific 
repainted and put the fence around her.To preserve her from Vandals. The IC engine did get tagged awhile back and the the teenagers caught. The judge not only threw the law at the kids but the parents and then the whole book. Ordering the families to repaint the locomotive and caboose and Wrecking crane, Then gave them the $50,000 dollar repair bill. Turns out the Locomotive was his father's last regular engine before he retired in 1957.

Stephen

I have found the clones to crap out on even short trains of less than 10 cars on my flat 4x8 layout especially the Proto 2000 clones I replace them with Kadee #148s or #158s before they even touch the rails. I usually give the clones to a friend who for some reason likes them. I guess because they are free.

Stephen

new Question I got a old IHC 2-6-0 painted for the ICRR is it even close to a IC engineI know the oil bunker got to go on the tender but would it stand in? Until I win some cash at the Casino and order my own custom run of IC Mikes LOL!

Stephen

Hi Ray,

Just as I thought on the MSC Mike, but boy the MSC was one odd Railroad in ways running passenger trains at times with low drivered mikes and freight with high drivered 4-6-0s at times not to mention the automatic bells on the front of all locomotives except a few old 4-4-0's

I am kinda discouraged but I sent Champ a order for 5 sets of the ICRR steam decals now to get myhands to work with my brain again. or ummm Dig out the U33Cs I only have 7 of those lol. <watches out for chunks of coal being thrown my way now!>    Here is another old MSC girl soon after MSC got her.

Stephen

  Thanks guys,

For the encouragement and thanks Ray for the list I got a B-S 4-8-2 in IC paint and it looks good. I guess in my steam world Paducah KY didn't exist pardon the bad spelling tonight  had a very rough day health wise and really feeeling it tonight.

HMM, Maybe I need to model the  Mississippi Central or Y&MV as  separate roads from the IC. but finding a  2-8-2 this small impossible



Stephen

  HiGuys,

Thought I would share one of my photo galleries of some of the old backwoods railroads here in Mississippi.

http://steve.bill--porter.com/photos_taken_on_april_29th.htm

Enjoy,

Stephen

Jeff, you cant buyitems directly from the Bachmann catalog. Get a Copy of Model Railroader and their are many Hobbyshops listed there. Train World in NYC is one of the largest and I am sure they will have what your looking for.

Stephen

  Well my friend Robert told me not to give up on the two Hallmark 2-8-0s yet. So I don't know what is going to happen Steam or not steam dieselize or not. Decisions decisions.

Stephen

  I will join in as well. I have one Bachmann 2-8-0 one of the first spec editions the tender was horriable added about 4 buckshot to it and now it tracks fine and picks up better power. I also did a old IHC 4-8-2 but the Vandy tender took about 8 buckshot to load it down.

Stephen

Well, where to begin, they were made in 1976 and not 1996 like I had thought. So the motors are open frame with a direct gear soldered to the motor shaft, according to alot of IC experts the sand and steam domes are wrong. They run like jack rabbits escaping a Texas wild fire other minor details are not correct.  I asked my steam expert friend out in Texas to rebuild them and he doesn't even want to touch them and he builds his own locomotives also the driver centers are off square and made of pot metal according to him..

The only thing correct about them do you ask? The Tenders which everyone one wants but not the engines themselves.

Note not my photo or layout but one showing a brass 2-8-0 from the person I got them off of. At least the lettering and numbering is correct color. I once could of worked on the minor details and such myself but Ino longer have proper nerve control in my hands or fingers to paint and decal small stuff. I had to get a friend to take my LS 45 tonner home with him to repair because I couldn't even get it dis assembled with my poor fingers and eye site is getting justas bad 20/25 in my left 20/40 in my right and the eye doctor said "sorry son, I can't do nothing for it. here's the $1,500 bill for all those tests." How manyP2k 2-10-2s would that have bought? Where's my Prozac model trains are getting more out of budget and about as worthless as my meds.

Stephen

Running GP9's and 18s in ICRR Green Diamond shoving retired steam to the scrap line  for now.

Note: I plan to keep the two brass spruce gooses in HO and do not intend to part them out, if sold they will be sold as a set.

After my latest chaos with two Hallmark 2-8-0s, I have decided to Dieselize the fleet and at least I did find some proper ICG cabeese like those used in the Mississippi Delta. The two Hallmarks, I dont know what I am going to do with them yet.



Stephen