I have a Silverton & Durango 2-8-0 (and a Santa-Fe version of the same loco) and a few coaches with the standard Bachmann couplings. However, as a British modeller these are not compatible with my British Outline stock (from Bachmann and others) which use the British tension lock (hook and bar) coupling.

Can someone tell me of there is an NEM pocket part that can be fitted to the 2-8-0 so that I can easily change the couplings so I can run the locos with some of my British stock?

Thanks Len & EBT. It looks as though Green might be the colour. and try to repaint/re-letter which would be interesting. The programme is also very useful.


Best wishes

Steve

I am trying to build up a collection of model locos that attended the B & O's centennial celebration, the Fair of the Iron Horse in 1927. I already have Lafayette, John Bull and the Dewitt Clinton and King George V (actually a King George II from another manufacturer but I have a bell and a change of name/number plates) but I am looking to expand the collection.

The most easy one I would imagine would be to Convert the Bachmann 4-4-0 American Type into the William Mason, but which one should I use?

The archive footage of the procession shows William Mason with a balloon stack (is that what you over there call what we English refer to as a spark arrestor chimney?) and a dark livery. I already have a pale grey 4-4-0 (B&0 number 27 I think) but the boiler looks too light compared with the Black and White films on YouTube. However, the dark blue B&O version has a straight chimney which would not be right. Also was the William Mason Blue? I ask because I think I've seen more recent pictures of it in green, although I have seen a postcard of it in pale grey!

As a result can someone point me to the best model to start off with and confirm what Colour I would need to paint it.

Or better still could Mr Bachmann make one ready to run!

Many thanks

Just out of interest what do people out there model and what era?

My model is (or will be if I ever finish it) will be based on Chirk Station on the Welsh/English Border on the Great Western Mainline between Shrewsbury and Chester. The era is between the late 1920s and 1935 to enable me to model the interchange between the Narrow gauge Glyn Valley Tramway. The narrow gauge Tramway locos are 009 built from PECO kits using Graham Farish (now owned by Bachmann) n gauge chassis, while the standard gauge is British outline OO using Bachmann, Hornby and various other manufacturers stock.

Best wishes

Steve

The only thing to watch is that the 3 way point has two dead bits on any given route through the point. This is not usually an issue unless you have an 0-4-0 locomotives (or one that picks up from just two axels) where the axels are the same distance apart as the dead pieces. Otherwise they are a nice piece of kit. Just remember if you do have one of the 0-4-0s mentioned you should be OK if you take the point at enogh speed for the momentum to carry the loco across.

Thanks joe, just checked the programming rail and it is still isolated (with two plastic rail joiners). Oddly all my DCC locos are programmed DCC & DC but this is the only one that does it.

I will probably re set the Decoder (CV8 = and reprogram it and see if that makes a difference.

Hi Ron,

Not only are other makes allowed to be mentioned to some extent but I believe that most on here are probably in the States since Bachmann Branchlines are hardly ever mentioned and there is no forum for OO.

Best wishes

Steve

Hello Ron

Assuming it is the Bachmann Branchlines one (and not Hornby's) the body fixing screw is hidden by the NEM socket at the rear (cab) end of the loco. The socket can easily be prized out using a small flat bladed screw driver.

Then simply unscrew  the small crosshead screw and the body can be lifted off by tilting it forward (there is a fixing lug under the radiator end). I say that the body is actually just the cab and bonnet, the footplate is part of the chassis.

I found this quite tricky as there are various pipes that need to be unclipped fore the body id completely removed.

Hope this helps

Steve

Just as an introduction the Bachmann locos I refer to are British outline from the Bachmann Branchlines Range.

Among my collection I have six locos fitted with the Bachmann EZ command 21 pin Decoder 36-554. All work very well and were fitted and programmed without a problem using my Hornby Elite DCC controller on a fully isolated programming rail.

However, the last loco (an LMS 3F) has been behaving oddly when I have tried to programme other locos. Despite being on the main layout which is isolated from the programming track it runs at high speed when I try to programme other locos. The really odd thing is the all my other locos on the same track remain stationary (including the other 36-554 fitted ones).

Has anyone else had this happen to them? 

I can just about remember Casey Jones but we didn't get until the 1970s in Britain.

Not sure if you have these ones in the states:

The first Great Train Robber 1979, with Donald Sutherland and Sean Connery set in Victorian England I believe it was actually shot in Ireland! Sorry cannot find it on the net

There is also the Titfield Thunderbolt about some Villagers trying to save and run their local railway which was threatened with closure sadly no full versions on the net

Then there is Arthur Askey's The Ghost Train. Some excellent shots of The Great Western Railway early on (Although set in 1941 I think railway shots are much earlier probably pre war):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj0u0jkYWHw

Some good British ones are the Titfield Thunderbolt - an Ealing Comedy about some people trying to save their local railway, Couldn't find a suitable clip of the film but this one about the making gives a flavour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-pEqKxXkus

Another Ealing comedy is the Lady Killers 1955 version

Arthur Askey's "The Ghost Train" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj0u0jkYWHw There is rare shot of the Great western Railway's streamlined King Class loco just before the train is stopped.

Also Train of events: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUw-p8gTe3M & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFf7yB7ofQQ give just a taste.

Although I have never modelled in O gauge I understand that 7mm to 1 foot is used. At the risk of upsetting some of my older countrymen Britain is virtually metricated to the extent that Imperial sized drills and screw threads (although I know the latter were different in the US) are impossible to find in highstreet stores.

The only things left in regular use are miles, miles per hour, pints (in measuring beer and sometimes still milk). Pounds (weight) and ounces are generally not used (although this is recent). However, there are many things available with odd metric weights which convert very nicely into round imperial unit!

I've just checked out the PECO website and it looks as if they've just got the preproduction samples and they will be releasing them in the new year. Interestingly the models are of Lynton and Barstaple Railway Prototypes. This was the Railway that owned LYN made by Bachmann in their Big Haulers®  range - now wouldn't that loco be nice in 009 or HOn30?

Many thanks for the info. I'm glad it's just an issue of quality. Having said that even the most basic of American models appear to have more detail thansome of the offering in the UK (not Bachmann). However, Bachmann UK still use truck mounted horn and hook couplings, albeit narrow ones. Having said that they are easily changes for the wider "Thomas" couplings which were standard up until a few years ago and are carried by most of my models.

As far as I know all Bachmann coaches have the couplings fitted to the trucks (or bogies as we would call them). Some are the new narrow type which are moulded on while others are screwed. The same applies to the locomotives' pony trucks although nem pockets are now being introduced. However, Bachmann were not alone in this in that other manufacturers do the same.

I guess that the reason why things are different is that the Bachmann Potter sets might be based on OO models rather than HO ones and since OO is a different scale (but running on the wrong gaude track) manufacturers have not felt the need to be compatible with HO models until now.