Nothing smaller than 22" or your begging for trouble and don't even think it will go through a #4 turnout I have to keep mine parked on the main yard lead in my small 4 track yard because its to stiff to enter the yard.

Like the old pre Civil War yard at Vicksburg, MS 6 axle locomotives for years were banned from most yard tracks until KCS took over MidSouth and reworked alot of the old sidings and updated some of thatheavy 60 pound to the yard rail with 90 pound stuff.

Stephen

I agree with Gene IHC's heavy mountain was first on the scene I have one painted for the PRR and even tho it is now covered in dust on the display shelf it could out pull any other steamer I owned at the time and did wonders on the head end of my 6 car heavyweight PRR passenger train.

Then came the Spec 2-8-0 which I have one of the first runs in Southern black but still no ICRR for a ICRR locomotive.

Stephen

  Back in 1998 a friend used his Dodge Ram 1500 to move a 45 tonner for loading once we got the old girl to rollin it didn't take much at all, on the other hand bringing it to a stop with rusted hand brakes was not fun.

I have shoved 5 loaded tankcars before with a F150 hirail truck on the shortline I used to work for just make sure to have a brakeman riding the hand brakes.

Stephen

Hi Jonathan,

Kadee does make couplers for truck mounting but IHC's Magic Mate couplers tend to do the job just as well on older 40' cars especially truck mounted. I got several sets on older seldem run cars like a 1960s AHM crane and boom tender and all my older 30' IHC work cars also the Magic Mates will couple to both Knuckle and Horn Hook couplers.

Just a suggestion.

Stephen

I agree with Lanny stay away from erasers I have seen several motors ruined this way while they were being cleaned.

Stephen

Hi Gene,

Mine is the new Spectrum version and it will do the 18" radius shuffle without the front tender steps on it but looks like crap doing it. So mine stays dust free in its little black box along with water tender. The old crappy version (PLUS) series did 18" fine and dandy but..... it looked and ran like crap on straight aways.

I got my new model from a good friend several years back now when we got to talking about the real thing and he asked me did I remember my 16th birthday when I got to pull the throttle on the real 611 in Alabama. and to think this year when I turn 32 it will be 16 years since I saw her under steam and in her glory.

Stephen

  Hi guys,

Discovered I had been railroaded the other week.Went back to my LHS and picked up two of the boxed models one a CAT dozer and a CASE HO backhoe and yes their is a difference in the details and features on the Wal Mart backhoe no molded cylinders and the bucket is fixed on the boxed version they have everything the orginal does except for the hydrolic lines. Not a major differance for a flatcar load but its there.

Also learned from a good friend of mine someone on EBAY has been putting the cheaper Built to Play Models in the higher priced boxesand selling them for 25.00 and more. But since then his auctions have been pulled and he was banned after to many complaints.

Well a new day a new lesson learned now I need more flatcars should I look on ebay and get some nice TYCO flats in Athearn or Intermountain boxes!

Stephen

22"but it prefers larger curves like 24" or even 30" Mine will squeeze around 18"but it doesn't look good at all doing it.

Stephen

All of my  O scale is Lionel so I used the automatic E units in the locomotives where you could lock in the direction of travel or leave in centered postion where you could change direction simply via turning off the power then re applying it. Its has been ages since I have ran my 1970s vintage Lionel stuff so my memory is a bit confused on some of the terms now alot of my rolling stock I loaned to my cousin to run behind his modern Mth stuff.

Stephen

I might have to find me one of these cheap jewels I got one that part of the dummy truck is missing and Bachmann never did send me the repair parts.

Stephen

Hi Henry,

I don't model in N scale,I do model in HO and Large Scale as I said when I mentioned doing my own repair work in that scale. and getting repair parts for LS models from Bachmann can be just as hard as you and others trying to get N scale parts.

Why not try HO scale knuckle springs like those used by Kadee when I belonged to the local RR club the N scalers were always coming over wanting to know if we had any spare knuckle springs to repair their centering springs on the Rapidiotype couplers before they swapped over to knuckle style couplers. I did not know that the springs were not in the Walthers REFERANCE BOOK and not the sales flyers you get each month.

Glad I sold off all my N scale back in the early90's when the LS bug bit me.

Stephen

 :)I agree Lanny if they would only produce it in IC paint. Its amazing they based the 2-8-0 on a IC locomotive but have never offered it painted for the ICRR



heres another fine example of ICRR motive power.

Stephen

You will see no revenue boxcars with roof walks in service today as they were out lawed in 1972. Only covered hoppers have roof walks  today.

Stephen

How about this one 



Stephen

100% DC in HO and LS all AC in O scale.

Stephen