I lived on a barrier island in Florida, about 250 yards from the ocean, the track held up very well.  No UV problems with the ties and the rails resisted corrosion.  It's code 250 and won't match up to your Bachmann track, and you will need rail joiners (clamps).  The track is very pricey and sells quickly at shows and Ebay.

brokemoto,

That would be great if your estimate is correct, thank you for your thought.

James,

Your math is correct, the Winans Camel had 43 inch drivers, and the 0-6-0 is as close as I can come.  Thank you again.

John

 ppowell,

I too model the Civil War Period and have 9 of the Bachmann 4-4-0's and they all will handle 8.5 inch curves, some of the earlier generations have pilot trucks that may want to climb the rails.

James,

Thank You.  i'm building a Winans Camel using the Bachmann 4-4-0, but in scale the drivers are too large and the 0-6-0 looks like they will be closer in scale size.

John

Does anyone know the diameter of the drivers (not the prototype) in either in mm or inches on the model?

Bill,

Great looking layout (in progress).  We haven't talked since I gave you the JD info, but being a year younger than you I found that keeping up an 1100' outdoor main line on an island 250 yards from the ocean was too much. Getting down to do maintenance was easy, getting up was becoming a problem, so the outdoor line was moved indoors.  I look forward to seeing more on your layout and hope all goes well with your "maintenance".

RkyGriz

Another option would be to contact Barry"s Big Trains for one of his replaced Bachmann 4-6-0 motors, he used to sell them for $5.00 plus shipping. Barry can be reach via this Board.

CRB,

I think your power supply that came with the set isn't strong enough, they are usually intended for "around the Christmas Tree" operations.  I had 1,100 feet of code 250 track outdoors and used several MRC 6200's for my power supplies and hadn't any power problems.  I lived on a barrier island in northern Florida and keeping the track clean was solved with scotch brite pads - salt air and the occasional ocean incursions made track cleaning a constant task.  Sand and proper lubrication were my biggest problems.

A couple of years ago, there was a Pediatrician on YouTube that had about a 1/2 acre garden railroad that was all different themes, Fairies (Tinkerbell), lost in space, wild west, dragons & ghosts, and Fantasy Land.  He would have children over from the hospitals and let them run trains.  You might still find it on YouTube for some ideas.

Jake,

You may want to try your question at the N Scale Forum, as they have a lot of folks that are always "tinkering" with lights

http://www.nscale.net/forums/content.php

Most eye glass tool kits also contain eye glass screws (quite small and short) which can be of a help if you need a small replacement screw.

ACY,

I owe you an apology, I meant my response to Whecsailor, it can be done, the gentleman in the link has chosen to complicate matters by adding a head light,but  but by cutting away the coal or wood pile you have the space for a decoder.  I have all of Bachmann's versions of the 4-4-0, as well as Atlas,  and Bachmann's  the first version is the most difficult because of the motor and it's pickup wiring.  The latest version is easy because it has a new motor and the wiring. Do not entertain any thoughts of sound in the locomotive or tender regardless of version or manufacturer.

I model the Civil War Era, in G Scale (indoors) and use the N Scale to run in the background which makes everything look very authentic.

ACY

I Have 9 4-4-0's trying going here:

http://www.trainbuddy.com/Reference/decoding%20Engines/N440.htm

Yardmaster,

Relax, I believe James meant that Bachmann shipping has been very fast.  Speaking from my own experience I've been amazed at how fast they process orders and get them delivered.  I have nothing but praise for your Parts Department.