Well friends and fellow RR buffs & modelers, I received my 2-10-0 Decapod in Frisco lines on Monday, it looks great and runs real well. I was suprised at the size though, I have a Spectrum 2-8-0 in Clinchfield and it seems a little bigger. Oh well, I am glad I bought the 2-10-0 because it will make a fine addition to my roster and for running around the layout. I have only one question, what is the doghouse on the tender for?
My guess is that it is some kind of haven for the brakeman before the advent of air brakes. Course I could be wrong.
Guys, A friend of mine thats also a member of the board here also got a Russian... I got to see it tonight and its very well modeled! I will remind you these were for Russia and so on... Naturally the size is small it wasn't made for the American rails were we hauled massive frieght and needed the big bulky locomotives.... This is why the 2-8-0 is slightly bigger. The 2-8-0 is American made for American rails were the Russian Decapod wasn't. Anyway, I liked it what I seen and so on and will probably order one from Train World in New York being their prices are lower then local places around my area! i'll order the Western Maryland "Fireball" scheme! When Mike [6206_S1a] had run his it was smooth running and seemed pretty powerfull. I like its preformance from what I seen!
Hello Guys, At Spencer, we've got a Russian Decapod, originally numbered E1198. It worked most of its life for the Seaboard Air Line, under the alias of number 544. The Seaboard had the second largest amount of Russians(the first being the Frisco) in the Nation, and the largest in the South. I was going to ask, is the extra band of steel on the wheels modeled correctly around the regular 60 inch wheelbase? Thanks, Hayes Smith Jr. TAMR-Steam Consultant
Got mine today. I didn't really set out to buy one, I just had a few minutes to kill and found myself in the vicinity of M.B.woo woo woo's train shop in downtown Baltimore.The only Western Maryland edition they had was the display model, but I took it(don't have a cow, I paid for it).I like it, it runs like a watch. I think it's a little slippery, but then, most new engines are until they get all the oil off their wheels. I think I'll replace the crew figures, they seem kinda small to me. Other than that, I give it a thumbs up.
I would like to know how the cog belt works too! I emailed their site and asked, but have no reply yet. My guess is they have a specially made very flexible probably narrow belt from the motor to only one axle. I have wanted to experiment with a pair of belts to each axle so the engine's weight could sit on all the axles. That would allow all the wheels to move up and down to follow dips in the rails like a real engine. The smallest belts I can find are still too wide to be flexible enough to go around the small diameter sprockets required.
The local hobby dealer has a Frisco Russian in stock. The only two things I can see wrong (and please take into account I'm a Frisco Fanatic ) are that the doghouse is off-center, and the sand dome is a bit small. However, I can move the doghouse, and live with the sand dome (or get a new detail part). Minor stuff- overall, I'm absolutely amazed that BACHMANN, for crying out loud, can offer something this sweet. And it runs like a Swiss watch For the price ($155.00), and even though I'm an N scaler, I may have to snap this bad boy up. (Wonder how you say "awesome" in Russian?)
The cog belt probably works like the old HO engines did back in the 50's and 60's. They had a rubber band from the motor shaft to the axel gear box.
Fitz I have a couple of those. The belt is the size of a rubber band and is twisted 90 degrees like we did flat belts to reverse direction. The motor shaft was length wise to the body, so had to twist to go over the axle. All the gear belts I have worked with will not operate when twisted because the teeth lock up where they meet since they are inside inorder to mesh with the sprockets. I designed one where the gear belt wrapped up over each axle sprocket, and went under an idler pulley between the axles, then up over a driven sprocket that was driven by the motor. The weight of the whole engine sat on the tension of the belts which were side by side. It took a big motor because of all the friction, and had a tendency to raise the opposit end of the engine. It would have worked if I had added an anti-sway bar, but I had found out what I wanted to know. 0-4-0 Tank Click on link to see the George Sullivan an 0-4-0 rusting away at Horseheads, New York (This was a test to learn how to post a link) [ 19 January 2002: Message edited by: watash ]
The instruction sheet and parts diagram I received with my 2-10-0 shows the toothed pulley and band available as a replacement part. In the diagram, it looks like only the pulley has teeth or cogs, not the band. I have a Sierra brass 2-6-6-2 which I have been trying to regear for some time. The original gears sound like a dentist's drill when the engine runs. I may order a set of the Bachmann belt/wheel combo and see if I can rig it to work in the Sierra. This part seems ideal for scratchbuilders and people who like to tinker with repowering.Also of note, the diagram shows sprung axles on the 2-10-0 (3 of 5).
