Quote from: Yardmaster on February 11, 2012, 04:21:21 PM
The product ships better in the new "clamshell" packaging.

Strange, I have had more parts laying loose in the box with the Clamshell packaging than with the old foam cushioned boxes.

The hardness of the plastic combined with the engine having some movement when jarred has on occassion seperated the bell from the mounting, cab windows lying loose in the package and even the boiler cover on one occassion.

The parts could of course be glued back so there was no permanent damage.

As I mentioned I have been adapting the plastic case to hold the tender closer to the engine so they can be stored together connected and it is not necessary to mess with those delicate connections.

I have been getting some practise and it is not that hard once you can figure out where to cut and then where to reglue.

It seems that Bachmann would realize the problem with their electrical connections and make the formed plastic cases hold the engine and the tender the right distance apart so that it would be so easy just to cut the plastic former at that position where the draw bar from the engine meets the connection from the tender.

Mr Bach Man are you listening.

I do this at home, lets me keep my Spectrum engines connected together and I can store them in their factory boxes. I use my Dremel with a cutting blade.
Cut out the tender portion, trim the engine portion where it meets with the tender portion and re-atach the tender portion .

I am in the process of updating my layout from the 1920's to the 1960's. So my older, small steamer roster will be put in storage and I will be bringing out my EMD diesel roster engines. Same for the older small wood box cars, refers etc, will pack them up and bring out the newer steel freight cars which would be correct for my diesel roster. I will also replace a few buildings as well.

I will run the updated layout for 6 months or so and then change it back to the 1920's time frame.

I had modified the foam in the old black boxes so that I no longer had to disconnect/undo the electrical connections beween the steam engines and tenders. This worked great for my 4-4-0's, 4-6-0's. 2-8-0's and the 2-10-0's as well as the Spectrum 2-8-2's. 

I just noticed that the newer Blue or Red Spectrum boxes with the formed plastic display pieces will not allow me to modify those cases as easily as the old Black box cases. I can cut out some of the plastic holding the tenders in place to accomplish being able to store the steam engines without disconnecting the tenders but the modified case is no where as neat as those which used the foam inserts.

I miss the old black boxes.......

Quote from: Musicwerks on January 29, 2012, 12:44:58 PM
Hi Pacific Northern,

Great news for me, which model of the Spectrum 2-10-2 did you purchase (the one that makes 18")?

Do you have the Bachmann serial nos of your 2-10-2?

Cheers
Kiong

I have two sets of the CN version of the 2-10-2. Eventually I will swap the cabs for the enclosed Canadian style.

The secret to running on the sharper radius curves is the side play of the engines drivers. The more side play the sharper the radius. Note 18" would certainly be the max sharp readius.

Quote from: uncbob on January 28, 2012, 10:21:20 PM
The biggest 2-6-2 by weight were the AT&SF ones
CB&Q had the most 429
Last Mainline version was built in 1909

Great Northern had 150 and later converted some into 4-6-2's.

Quote from: florynow on January 28, 2012, 05:58:56 PM
I'll let the young people who are good at the internet get those numbers for you.  All I am doing is alluding to a 1951 or so TRAINS magazine (yes I had it before The Hurricane and yes I am that old) photo-article about NP steam engines that said that the 2-6-2 was not a very popular wheel arrangement..... especially compared to the 2-6-0 and 2-8-0 who were its main competition.  Again .... young people .... please post the scores for us.

Editor David P. Morgan is no longer with us to back anything up and that article will be very hard to come by anymore.  Incidentally, the NP Yellowstones were in it too, good looking engines, better looking to my eye than the more famous UP articulateds.  The photos in the article were by NP employee R.V. Nixon and mayb some of them are available on the web, including the NP 2-6-2.

PF

So you just make broad statements and hope some one else will dig out the facts that hopefully might support you, that is if you even remembered it correctly?

Quote from: rogertra on January 28, 2012, 08:14:16 PM

Quote from: Pacific Northern on January 28, 2012, 03:57:07 PM

Quote from: NevinW on January 28, 2012, 09:36:45 AM
I've done it.  This one works without any modifications at all.  Direct swap.  -  Nevin

Is this the low or high driver version? What is the roadname?

Doesn't matter!

The 4-6-0 with the high drivers come with three different tenders while the low driver version comes with the one size tender.

If I remember correctly at least on of the high driver versions is wired differently, of course moving the wiring harness will work then.

Model Railroader magazine did a review of the Spectrum 2-10-2 and gave it very good marks. They also were surprised that the version sent to them ran on 18" radius track very well.

It appears though that a few of the Spectrum 2-10-2's will not run on 18" radius track, hence it would be best if you could try out the engine before you bought it.  You can search this forum and you will find a couple of people who had problems.  That is also true of the Spectrum 2-10-0, that while most will run on the 18" track a few will not.

When I first got my Sectrum 2-10-2's I had no problem with any of them running on 18" radius track that I had on my layout at that time.

Quote from: florynow on January 22, 2012, 12:29:11 PM
The Santa Fe (and the NP) had some big 2-6-2's.  But you need to look at some other engines before you pronounce the 2-6-2 to be a generically large main line prototype.

Look at the Reader No. 11 on this site:

http://www.steamlocomotive.info/fstate.cfm?which=Kentucky

That to my knowledge is a little more representative of what typified the relatively rare 2-6-2 wheel arrangement.

I think that Lionel has produced more 0-27 2-6-2's than ever actually existed on prototype railroads.

PF

for a life lesson, perhaps you should tell us how many 2-8-8-4's or Yelowstones were produced? Is that number significantly less thaqn 1,500??

Quote from: NevinW on January 28, 2012, 09:36:45 AM
I've done it.  This one works without any modifications at all.  Direct swap.  -  Nevin

Is this the low or high driver version? What is the roadname?

Checking the web, there were 1,500 Prairie engines in total made for the US Railroads, perhaps someone could confirm the number of Yellowstone locomotives were manufactured, gee the number is less than the 2-6-2's.

Bachmann could do two versions as they did their Spectrum 4-6-0's.  A large driver version for the Class 01 railroads and a smaller driver version for the various industrial and class 02 carriers.  

Quote from: DCB on January 26, 2012, 07:20:39 PM
I have a 2-8-0 Consolidation DCC ready; A 2-8-0 Consolidation DCC Factory Installed; and a 2-8-0 Consolidated with Factory DCC & Sound. I can put the DCC & Sound tender on the DCC ready Locomotive and it runs fine with DCC & Sound. But if I put the Factory DCC tender with the DCC ready Locomotive my Zepher goes crazy. Anyone know why?

What DCC decoder did you install in the DCC ready Consolidation? If it is anything othr than a Bachmann DCC decoder did you clip the capacitors on the PC board in the tender.

When I install a new DCC decoder I like to try the decoder with the capacitors intact, just to see how the locomoitive will run. In most instances it will take off at a moderate speed even with the speed set to 0 once you turn the power on to the track. The odd decoder will work but I do not want to take the chance and I cut the capacitors just to be sure.

I contacted Bachmann Service/Parts and received the following reply when I asked to buy some replacement pads.

Hello, I am sorry but we do not sell replacement pads, as the pads that come with the car should last you a lifetime. You rinse them under warm water & let them dry out, good as new. Best Regards, Jennifer

________________________________________
From: Bridget Wallace
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 2:46 PM
To: Parts Team
Subject: FW: Customer Service Request

So, they are good for a lifetime and should last for a long, long time.
Maybe, afater a long,long time, there will replacement pads available?

Quote from: glennk28 on January 22, 2012, 06:18:12 PM
a 4-4-0 takes quite a large radius because of its wheelbase.  gj

Quote from: florynow on January 22, 2012, 12:29:11 PM
The Santa Fe (and the NP) had some big 2-6-2's.  But you need to look at some other engines before you pronounce the 2-6-2 to be a generically large main line prototype.

Look at the Reader No. 11 on this site:

http://www.steamlocomotive.info/fstate.cfm?which=Kentucky

That to my knowledge is a little more representative of what typified the relatively rare 2-6-2 wheel arrangement.

I think that Lionel has produced more 0-27 2-6-2's than ever actually existed on prototype railroads.

/quote]

You are right that most 2-6-2's went to the smaller railroads and logging and mining companies.

However, if you are modeling a Class 1 railroad you will find, if you bother to check, that they had larger versions with significantly larger drivers.

I model a couple class 1 railroads so I will opt to have the larger 2-6-2's on my layout. If I was modeling a small class 2 railroad then I would opt for the smaller driver versions.

Note GN upgraded a number of their 2-6-2's into 4-6-2's.