According to a thread on 29 and 30 March 2009 below, the inside frame 4-4-0 is 9 5/8 inches long, compared to 11 3/4 inches for the outside frame.

Hamish

Bachmann UK has sold E-Z command in the UK to go with their British range so it should work. In relation to couplers, many recent items of British rolling stock by Bachmann (and others) come with couplers in NEM pockets. These are a European standard that enable couplers to be easily swapped. Knuckle couplers are available for NEM pockets, by Bachmann and others. However there may be an issue with the height of the coupler, you may need over or undershank couplers or otherwise adjust the height. With non NEM fitted British stock you need to remove the coupler and fix a knuckle couple pocket, this may be relatively easy or fairly hard, depending on the item of rolling stock.

Hamish

Thomas is based on a LBSCR E2 class loco, however while in the original "railway series" books Thomas looked like the prototype, as Scottychaos pointed out the TV series locos are not scale models of the prototypes and are not that close. Bachmann's HO models resemble the TV series, not the prototypes (and books). Thus they are not scale models. However as some of the stock is based on preexisting Bachmann British models these would be OO, not HO. The Large Scale Thomas appears to follow the Bachmann HO model, i.e. it follows the TV series and is not a scale model.

In most cases Hornby's are scale models of the prototypes with faces added. They are OO.

Hamish

Yes, I had that with an 0-4-2 Porter. Couldn't see how to fix it. Took it back to the dealer and got another one.

Hamish

I checked the Granvillebuildings site. They state that On30 may be described as O-27 bodies on HO chassis.  Not really accurate - the body size may be about 0-27 (underscale compared with true O) size, but that is because they are of smaller prototypes. They list O and On30 as separate scales with separate kits -  railroad specific structures such as engine houses and train stations on narrow gauge lines were often smaller than standard gauges ones because of the smaller size of narrow gauge equipment. However details such as the height of doors for people etc. would be the same as in standard gauge. I don't know what they are on their kits. Rather than use  O and On30 for structures a better description would be O standard gauge and O narrow gauge. Granvillebuildings also list On30 people, and state that the tallest is 1" high. That would be 4 foot exactly! A bit on the small side, even for the 1800s.

Hamish

On30 is 1:48 scale running on HO (16.5mm) gauge track representing 30 inch narrow gauge. However people use it for prototypes in a variety of narrow gauges including 24, 30 inches and 36 inches.

1:64 is S scale. The reason people sometimes think that On30 is 1:64 scale is because On30 models can be about the same size as S scale models of standard gauge prototypes. This comes about because narrow gauge prototypes are usually smaller than standard gauge,  smaller prototypes in a larger scale (On30) can be the same size as a larger prototypes in a smaller scale (S scale). The small size of many narrow gauge prototypes can surprise people used to standard gauge. Also people who know narrow gauge through Colorado prototypes such as the K series mikados or the larger EBT locomotives, may not realise that these were very large locomotives for narrow gauge, and that many narrow gauge prototypes were considerably smaller, including most of those modelled by Bachmann.

Hamish

Quote from: Sparks on March 24, 2009, 08:53:45 PM
lolwat

It's not the TTTE Stepney.

Stepney is a real locomotive at the preserved Bluebell Railway in England, unfortunately currently out of services. Seehttp://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/loco_static.html

The Rev Awdrey wrote some stories featuring Stepney in the Railway Series books to publicize the Bluebell Railway. He was a keen supporter of Railway Preservation. The model may look different to the TV series (I don't know, I haven't seen it) but it is a model of the real locomotive that featured in the stories and is how "Stepney" was illustrated in the original book (which I had in my childhood).

Hamish

I think the Bachmann ON30 line needs small "teakettles" such as the Porters. Let us hope that either  they are brought back soon, or that they are replaced by other, equally charming, small tank locomotives. I have both 0-4-0 and 0-4-2 Porters and really like them.

Hamish

Thanks Bob and SideTracked for the comments, much appreciated.

Hamish

Some of the Mount Blue car kits are bodies to fit on standard Bachmann chassis, others are separate kits, including I think the one you are building. Do you know how easy the body kits for standard chassis are to build? Suitable for some-one who has built plastic, but not wood kits? I am thinking in particular of the excursion car, which uses a standard passenger car chassis. I have been waiting for Bachmann to produce one, but so far no sign of it, so I am considering alternatives, including the Mount Blue kit. Of course given the normal modellers law, as soon as a scratch built, kit built or kit-bashed model is completed a ready-to-run version is announced!

Hamish

Is that the inside frame or outside frame 4-4-0? As I understand it the outside frame is longer than the inside frame.

Hamishl

This question comes up often. Checking EBay is the best option. There are two markets for old trains, modellers and collectors. Modellers run trains and generally are only interested in old trains if they are considerably  cheaper than new equivelents (which generally will be more detailed and run better, of course there are exceptions) or where there are no recent equivelents. Rarely will they pay a lot for an old train. Most people on this board, including myself,  are modellers.

Collectors are interested in examples of a particular maker, or period or theme etc. for the sake of having the models, not for running them. Value to collectors depends on the rarity of the item (which could be an unusual variation on an otherwise common item), condition (if in original boxes will increase value) and, perhaps most importantly, whether the particular item is fashionable to collect. Unless you know the market well (I don't) collectors value is hard to judge. Most old trains have little collectors value -but a few do.

Hamish

Quote from: Loco Bill Canelos on March 05, 2009, 10:48:38 PM
I don't believe there are any new Large Scale items for later this year, except the 1:20.3 long caboose due out in June.

Either I am wrong or Bachmann is keeping the lid on tighter than ever before!!!

Looks like things are slowing down as far as new goodies go .

It would seem that 1:22.5 is dead at Bachmann.  No new sets and no new paint jobs, even for existing rolling stock.  Not even Circus stuff!

Anyone seen a 2009 Catalog??

I have not seen the catalogue but from some internet shop postings it seems that there are 2 new LS sets, both with the Davenport Gas-Mechanical, and some new paint jobs for LS  rolling stock, e.g. billboard reefers for dairies amongst others. It is hard to tell from the internet shop postings - they are not always reliable. I don't undersand why the normal announcement list has not been posted on this site for the Toy Fair announcements.

Hamish

The streetcar shown was made by the American Car Company, later bought by Brill, and was operated in Washington DC. The design seems to have been a relatively common one for early electric streetcars, and is clearly similar to some horse drawn cars. Here is a link to a historic photo of an Ann Arbor car https://www.aadl.org/gallery/aastreets/site3/FRAME-3_streetcar_300_2.gif.html. I have seen photos of other, very similar, cars.

Hamish

Quote from: lenelg on March 05, 2009, 09:45:41 AM
).

What MMI seems to be contemplating is a WSLCo, three-truck Shay, really too big for a 30 inch gauge operation.

Braden Copper Co. in Chile had 30 inch gauge 3 truck Shays that were the same size as those WSLCo locos  - as far as I know these were the largest 30 inch gauge Shays. I agree though that if Bachmann were to produce another Shay a 2 truck 28 ton would be preferable.

While there were more Shays, I would have thought there were enough narrow gauge Heislers for these to have reasonable appeal - but desirability is in the eyes of the beholder!

Hamish