Zip, zero, nada, no light no matter how far I turn the dial.

The engine did get programmed to a different address using an early MRC Prodigy system, which now isn't working, but I had someone tell me that it should still run on regular DC.  I had assumed that somewhere in running it on DCC I'd changed something that prevented it from running without the right signal going to it.

I would think if that's the case, that if I follow the directions for a dummy plug, it should run on DC like any other DCC-ready loco, and when I get the Prodigy repaired or replaced, I could just plug the decoder back in and go.  But it's out of warranty so I don't want to mess it up -

And by dead I mean just that.  Nothing happens when you apply power, but if I put another loco on the same track it runs fine, like the Forney isn't even there.  Well, until it gets to where the Forney is parked.  I'm not even sure what to check, I could pull out a voltmeter and maybe probe and see if it's getting power at the circuit board in the tender, but I didn't want to probe blindly -

A little digging and you can come up with prototypes that have "Lionel Lines" or "American Flyer" painted on them. 

My Forney is dead, for no apparent reason, when trying to run it with standard DC power.  Was debating about pulling the DCC plug and putting a dummy in and see what that does. 

Also, I picked up a deal on another one, but it's a wood cab.  Any ideas where to look for someone who might want to trade even for a steel cab?

FWIW you can buy an Atlas Snap-Track assortment pretty cheap that has various short segments down to one that's like 1" or so.  One of those, one piece of Midwest cork roadbed to go under, maybe some cardstock to make the hieight match, and you're in good shape. 

I believe the frame design may have changed on the last run - the early ones are prone to that pot-metal rot (where the metal swells, warps, and cracks or crumbles) - the girls who go to the shows with lots of old Bachmann stuff had a pile of old ones with bad frames.  If they do shows you've been to, you'd know who I mean - their stuff is all Bachmann and a lot of it looks like the remains of old warranty returns or engines used for parts to fix other warranty returns -

Shell on those is rough to remove, but I believe it snaps on with hidden lugs at both ends. 

Joe is probably right on the money.  If you're not entirely clear on the verbal description he gave, compare it to another car that does light properly and you should be able to sort out which way the wheels go. 

Micro-Mark has a laser-cut wood kit to add one to the Bachmann coach/combine.  Don't care for the appearance or the cost on it so I scratchbuilt one out of styrene, took me about 20 minutes copying one for a Carson & Colorado combine/caboose from some old plans.  Cut the top on a combine to fit it between the baggage door and the window section, and it looks a lot better. 

Just made my third cupola for an entirely freelanced caboose today.  Nothing that difficult to make. 

Quote from: steinked on January 23, 2009, 03:17:41 PM
I had my Mogul converted to DCC with Sound, because I did not want to commit her to the shelf. But she cannot compete with the more recent Bachmann products like the Consolidation or the Forney, as their mechanisms are really superior to that of the old 2-6-0. The Mogul will never have adequate slow motion abilities, unless Bachmann develops a new drive for the model. A plain DCC upgrade will not do.

Kind Regards Dieter

Ahh, but the DCC circuitry will use some of the transformer voltage and allow greater control of the voltage the motor actually uses, resulting in a slower locomotive that can be programmed to run with other DCC-equipped locomotives.  No other changes should be necessary. 

Funaro is offering a kit for the EBT steel box car.  Not a simple shake the box job but with patience they're not that hard to assemble. 

Lionel has a series of Polar Express figures. 

At Springfield the guys had one complete 4-6-0 plus the tender shell, and shells for most of the other paint schemes on display. 

I had suggested a Newfoundland Railways EMD NF210, but after finding drawings and blowing them up to O scale, the thing is huge - as big as the 2-8-0 with the tender.  If someone offered EMD parts in O like you can get from Cannon & Co. in HO, I'd try building one though. 

Something on the order of a GE 44 or 70-tonner might be a wise choice - the unit could be designed so it could be offered as standard gauge, or On30 that could be adjusted to 24" or 36" if a modeler desired.  Theoretically it would then be possible to bang every possible market from On30 to scale O to Lionel O27 with the same basic superstructure, and because Bachmann has already done HO GE 44 and 70 tonners, it should reduce to an extent the research needed to do an O version.   

Woodland Scenics offers sheets of dry-transfer decals in several fonts for about $5 a shot.  Most narrow gauge cars and locomotives had fairly simple, plain lettering, often just the road's initials and a car number, which should be fairly easy to recreate with the dry transfers.