4-4-0 oil bunkers for sale

[azflyer2001]

I'm looking for some spare 4-4-0 oil bunkers that aren't being used. Does anyone have some they are willing to sell me? Unfortunately, there aren't any listed on the Bachmann Parts page.

Thanks,
Travis

[trainman203]

Unfortunately I want them too.  Back when H Lee Riley was directing Spectrum, the modern and Baldwin 4-4-0 included a bag of alternate parts, including multiple choices for pilots, sometimes the Cab, sometimes the domes, and a separate oil bunker and wood load for the tender.  I had five of those oil bunkers and have used two; I have three in reserve but they're all intended for my other engines.

These pilots and tender fuel loads should always be stocked, in my opinion.

[BobZ]

I just did a search on ebay and found them. HO Scale Oil Bunkers for Model Train Railroad by Century Foundry (2101). 4 in a pack for $11. Check them out.

[trainman203]

A very long time ago Bachmann also put oil bunkers on a couple of engines with the USRA tenders, the consolidation and the KCS version of the light 2-10-2.  Whatever consolidation that came with it was so far back that it dates my reentry in the Model Railroad in 2007.  So I don't know which road name it was.

But I do have the KCS engine with the oil bunker, and someone gave me a spare KCS tender shell with the bunker, so I have one to use as a pattern for the future.

Everyone in the world thinks that all steam locomotives were coal burners, ie constant references to the "coal car" (tender) but there were a lot more oil burning engines than people realize.  Their biggest use was west of the Mississippi river in the southwest where there was much more oil available locally rather than coal which had to be shipped in.  They also were instances where oil burning locomotives were used to mitigate fire hazards in heavily forested areas, the Great Northern and the New York Central Adirondack branch come to mind but I'm sure there were more.  An example in the present time is the Durango and Silverton's conversion to oil after fire problems along their right of way.  The thing that's missing is, to steam fans, is the wonderful coal smoke aroma around coal-fired steam operations.  Oil burning steam locomotives produced a lot less smoke also......... until the time came to clean the the soot from the by "sanding" them, which would produce a massive nasty oily cloud of biblical proportions. So, flue sanding had to be done in isolated areas.

[trainman203]

I just did a search on ebay and found them. HO Scale Oil Bunkers for Model Train Railroad by Century Foundry (2101). 4 in a pack for $11. Check them out.

Please post the web address.  Thank you

[trainman203]

I just did a search on ebay and found them. HO Scale Oil Bunkers for Model Train Railroad by Century Foundry (2101). 4 in a pack for $11. Check them out.

If I'm not mistaken, those look more like 5 gallon oil cans rather than a tender oil bunker.

[azflyer2001]

Yeah, those are for a gas station, but thanks for the suggestion.

I'm just hoping there is a coal railroad out there that doesn't need them. Too bad Bachmann got away from including the extra parts, I always thought that was one of those little things that made their products better.

Travis

[trainman203]

I agree.  The Richmond and Baldwin 4-4-0 were especially richly endowed with alternate parts, especially the pilots. Changing the pilots radically individualized their appearance when you had two or three of them together.  If I'm not mistaken, the oil bunker only came to the undecorated Richmond engines, along with an alternate wood load, which was very cool and I need to use one of my engines.

 And way back, the 52 inch driver low boiler 10 wheeler came stock with a wood cab, but an alternate steel cab was supplied with the engine.

The early 2000s were the golden Age of Bachmann spectrum engines and I'm afraid we're not going to see their like again. All of that sort of alternate detail thing costs money, unfortunately.