If Bachmann were to make another HO Scale 4-6-0 (but of an older design than the one they have already made) I wouldn't mind one along the same design as Sierra Railroad #3 since it could be relettered into many roadnames other than Sierra Railroad and still have it look reasonably realistic.

Like Jon said, fitting the speaker will get tricky facing up through the coal load but if you look at the installation guide from soundtraxx, it shows you how to fit the speaker so it is facing up through the coal.

There is another way to install a tsunami sound decoder other than soldering an 8 pin plug to the decoder wires. Soundtraxx does make a wiring harness with the 8 pin plug already attached to factory shortened wires for easier install. I soldered an 8 pin plug to the decoder wires when I fitted my Bachmann GS4 with DCC sound and it is a pain in the coal bunker to do. Soundtraxx also says that if you cut the shrink tubing around the decoder back just enough to switch the wiring harnesses it will still be covered by the factory warrenty. They even have a diagram in the installation manual on how to swap the wiring harness.

One recommendation I have is, if you can find it, would be the Bachmann Spectrum USRA 4-8-2 which Bachmann made in Southern Pacific or the Bachmann 2-8-0 which could be relettered for Southern Pacific and have a vanderbilt tender fitted (if you could find one of those).

Quote from: Irbricksceo on September 17, 2014, 04:29:25 PM
Another funny thing, the location of the manufacturer seems to influence it. take Atlas for example. They have Locomotives from NJ Transit and Susquehanna,  not exactly among the "Big" Railroads. (Though the NYSW is more important than its reputation implies, as it was among the first to fully diesel in 1945) This, I've no doubt, is in part due to them being based in NJ.

I just looked up the DM&IR Yellowstone by the way. While I'd never heard of the DM&IR before, I like that locomotive. I dounbt we'll be seeing a plasatic production any time soon, but you are right, it is handome (I like it more than then B&O one tbh, even though I model Railroads in the Northeast generically). Anyway, converting it to a reasonable facsimile should be possible. I do feel your pain. If any C&O J3-A Greenbrier 4-8-4's entered the market, I'd buy one in a heartbeat but it's brass only.... Not very generic looking so other roads really don't work there.

I have an idea for a plastic C&O J3-A 4-8-4 if you can find it. The Bachmann USRA Heavy 4-8-2 is from what I can tell, a pretty close place to start. From what can gather, all you would need to really do is make sure the tender looks correct (about the size of a USRA Long tender but with the tops of the bunker rounded towards the inside of the tender), give it a front like the one on the C&O 2-8-4 and a solid cast pilot, add a 4 wheel trailing truck in place of the stock 2 wheel one, and renumber.

Quote from: ACY on September 14, 2014, 05:36:54 PM

Quote from: ryeguyisme on September 14, 2014, 10:19:31 AM
If the Bachmann makes a DM&IR M-3 or M-4, I'd be willing to purchase a couple, the EM-1 doesn't fit any of my needs, and I was really surprised they came out with an EM-1 instead of the sought after DM&IR yellowstones

Maybe they are sought after by you and folks by where you live but the B&O is a roadname that sells a lot more than the DM&IR. You may think a lot of people would by them but the fact of the matter is that a great deal of research is done to evaluate what products are most likely to sell a sufficient quantity to be both worthwhile and profitable.

For instance Bachmann generally does not make very many undecorated locomotives anymore because they have found that sales are not sufficient to justify the production of undecorated models anymore. Most people want Ready-to-Run in this day and age so that is what they make, even if you and those at your club or locality would buy something doesn't mean the majority would do so.

In fact, I am sorry to say that your statement that is insinuating the DM&IR M-3's or M-4's would be more profitable than the B&O EM-1's is not accurate. Marketing research completed by several manufacturers has shown the B&O name alone to influence greater sales of the models regardless of the particular model. This is linked to the fact that there are many more fans of the B&O than the DM&IR just because the B&O was a larger railroad and operated in areas with a larger population as opposed to the DM&IR which operated mainly in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Although there are a few large cities in those two states, and many people from that locale are fans of the DM&IR, it is nothing compared to the sheer number of fans the B&O has. The B&O operated in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey and New York. So if you combine all the B&O fans from 10 different states in addition to any other fans it may have from elsewhere, there would be a much larger number than the DM&IR which was a more regional railroad which limited it's fan base. Even though there are a lot more B&O models made, it wouldn't have much of a negative impact on EM-1 sales, sales figures have supported this even though one might think it might make an impact.

At the end of the day, even though it isn't what you want to hear,  there is a much greater demand for a B&O EM-1 in the United States as a whole than a DM&IR M-3 or M-4. In Wisconsin and Minnesota I am sure many people would want a M-3 or M-4 but it isn't nearly enough to justify Bachmann to produce the model since Bachmann produces their models in large quantities to facilitate their lower price points which is a main selling point for their products. If Bachmann were to produce the model you seek, most people would not buy one because the price point would be double or triple that of the EM-1 since they would not be able to sell as many and therefore produce as many. So that puts you in the category of being better off buying a brass model if you really want the model or pitching the model to another company who makes smaller runs (but also is more expensive).

If what you say is true, then why are there not more Great Northern, Northern Pacific, CB&Q, Milwaukee Road, Soo Line, C&NW (the goes on for quite some time more but I will cut it short there) steam and diesel locomotives on the market? Those lines operated on just as much track (or slightly more when you figure in smaller railroads that operated under the owner ship of the bigger railroads I listed as well as branchlines) and in a similarly sized geographical area as the B&O or the other big six railroads back then and yet those lines hardly get any attention by ALL of affordable model train makers (Bachmann, Athearn, Walthers, Atlas, MTH) and are only seen as hard to find, expensive brass models that aren't ready to run or even DCC ready.

Quote from: ACY on September 09, 2014, 06:05:49 PM
You can purchase any centipede tender and modify it to make the locomotive you desire. All you need to do is either modify the wires going to the locomotive or going to the tender. Using parts available from Bachmann you can likely hardwire in new sockets or connectors. You may need to install or modify the drawbar as needed. It is not that difficult of a job. Finally you would just need to letter the locomotive and tender as desired.
At this point even if Bachmann were to take your suggestion, it would be 2-3 years before you would be able to get the locomotive and/or tender, so you are best off to do it yourself especially since it isn't very difficult.

It would actually be more difficult than you say it would be. I have seen two of the three surviving DM&IR M-3/M-4 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone types (which aslo happen to be the only three engines of that wheel arrangement left in America, Canada and Mexico and all in Duluth, MN; Proctor, MN; and Two Harbors, MN [the ones I have seen are the ones in Duluth and Two Harbors]) and there are quite a few differences in design from the B&O EM-1 and the DM&IR M-3/M-4. Here are some pictures to show the differences.

DM&IR M-3/M-4
http://www.american-rails.com/images/THS52149.jpg
http://engineeringartwork.com/images/dm-ir_2-8-8-4_yellowstone_locomotive_600px.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1279/4702066732_92632f61a6_z.jpg


B&O EM-1
http://www.brasstrains.com/images/products/033910/DSC02078.jpg I understand this is a picture of a model of an EM-1 but this was the best front view image of an EM-1 as I could find.
https://hattonsimages.blob.core.windows.net/products/80407_1468862_Qty1_3.jpg

As you can see by the pictures, The front would need to be changed quite a bit from the fresh out of the box appearance by removing the B&O herald from the front and adding airpumps, changing the area down above the pilot (in addition to the pilot itself), changing the headlight for an accurate DM&IR one, removing one smokestack and changing the box on the smokebox in front of the smokestacks to a feedwater heater and adding the piping for the feedwater heater, and changing the cab for an all-weather cab of DM&IR style.

Quote from: Pacific Northern on September 04, 2014, 11:28:50 PM
While most of the class 1 railroads did not acquire many of the 2-6-2 engines there were still 1,500 of the 2-6-2 Prairie engines produced. They were popular with logging and small short line railroads.

However, the two American railroads I model on my layout did have a number of the 2-6-2 engines. The GN had 150 of these engines and the Milwaukee had 267 2-6-2's.

The 2-6-2 engines were quite popular on the British and European railroads.

The Northern Pacific also had a number of 2-6-2 tender engines. of the roughly 170-ish engines of this type on the Northern Pacific only #2435 is left in Duluth, MN at the museum there.

Quote from: rogertra on July 27, 2014, 02:16:32 AM

Quote from: Irbricksceo on July 27, 2014, 12:06:00 AM
I do not think you quite understand what I mean (the under/center/upper) Shanks

I'm not aware of anyway to replace that tiny spring

In any event, I found out when I went to my LHS to look, it's a NEM Coupler. Unfortunatly, I bought medium when I needed short so I still need to get it but at least I know now.

If you are in North America, why would you use a NEM coupler?

Cheers

Roger T.

Another reason to be using NEM couplers if you live in North America is if you run British or Continental Europe prototype engines with your American trains and you want the couplers to be compatable. I myself have a few British model trains I have fitted with NEM compatible knuckle couplers so I could run them with American rolling stock if I wanted to even though I have some Birtish prototype rolling stock.

If the shank (part of the coupler which goes into the coupler pocket and meets the coupler knuckle) is lower than center on the knuckle, it is an underset shank. If the shank is centered in the knuckle, it is a centerset shank. If it is higher on the knuckle, it is an overset shank. What you have is an underset shank coupler.

Quote from: BaltoOhioRRfan on July 19, 2014, 02:48:58 PM
Hey Bach-Man or Yardmaster, can you confirm if there will or not will be a non sound B&O version of this mikado? I don't do sound so unless there is a non sound one. I wont be interested in it.

If you look at the announcement (http://www.bachmannindustriesinc.com/pdf/NMRA_2014.pdf), the 2-8-2's are the first thing you see at the top (no joke). The B&O version is a DCC Sound Value version (and the non sound ones are WP w/ Medium Tender, Southern w/ Long Tender, Rock Island w/ Medium Tender, Frisco w/Medium Tender and Pere Marquette w/ Long Tender) however you would be able to make a non sound version yourself by getting one of the non sound (DCC Ready) ones with the medium tender and get the shells for the engine and tender in B&O once parts are made available.

Not to incure the wrath of the Harriman locomotive fans on the forums as I tend to when people start saying what they would like to see, if Bachmann is going to announce a new steam engine in HO scale, I would like to see something from the Milwaukee Road (Milwaukee Road S3 #261 and there are people out there who agree someone should make an affordable version of this engine in HO scale), the Northern Pacific (Q3 4-6-2 #2156 or #2153 and S10 4-6-0 #328) or something new from the DM&IR like an M3 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone.

Nice work so far on converting it to an ARR engine. I myself am looking at doing the same thing but converting it to Great Northern.

Br98.75, I have tried the settings with my Sound-Value ALCO S4 and they work. The setting of 16 is so that engine interlock is active with manual notching so that you can't turn the engine (prime mover sounds) off while the train is in motion so you could only turn it down to idle while moving and off ONLY when the train is stopped. However the engine start doesn't work with the Sound-Value style decoder, but to activate that on a full Soundtraxx decoder like what you would buy separate from the locomotive you add 32 to what ever CV value you want. For example as with what Hunt pointed out from the Soundtraxx Diesel Users Manual you take whatever CV value you wish to put in, for example the mentioned value of 16 (manual notching with engine interlock active) and to activate engine auto start you add 32 so you end up with 16+32=48 (manual notching with engine interlock and engine auto start active).

The 2-8-0 should be relatively easy. If it is the newer standard line version it has a spot in the bottom of the tender for the speaker and you just remove the DCC decoder and put the sound decoder in it's place. A Soundtraxx TSU-1000 Medium steam decoder should do just fine, use a 1 inch round speaker from Soundtraxx as well and I would recommend getting a 9-pin JST to NMRA 8-pin wiring harness (also Soundtraxx) because using the 8-pin plug from the stock decoder is a pain to solder the wires from the soundtraxx decoder to. The GP-30 however is a different story. I myself have never tried making a diesel DCC sound, but again, I would recommend Soundtraxx. The website for Soundtraxx has recommendations for decoders and speakers as well as instructions for installation in certain locomotives. I would check out their website.

www.soundtraxx.com