Hello everybody. I got a call from my sister yesterday and she asked me if I wanted the trains that she had in her attic. Well of course I jumped on that! It seems that her ex-husband was planning to build a garden railway in the backyard and when he left, the trains stayed. What I found when I got there was two engines. A Bachmann 2-6-0 lettered for Northwest Quarry & Mining Co. #1, which I think is 1:20.3 and a LBG 2-6-2 which simply has an 8 on the cab side and is as red as blood. It has instructions included which states that it was part of a set called The Heritage Express. Is anybody familier with this LBG set? What scale does this engine represent? Thanks Greg
Could that 2-6-0 actually be Midwest Quarry & Mining? AFAIK, Bachmann labels their G as being 1:20.3. Seems to me those were not at all cheap in price. Quite a haul...! Boxcab E50
I believe the LGB loco is 1:22.5 scale. The 1:20.3 2-6-0 is an accurate 3 foot gauge loco in it's scale. The LGB loco is a "meter gauge" 39.5" in it's scale. If there are no pitnickers around, you can run them both and have a ball. What a great present! Woodie
That is correct. Midwest Quarry & Mining. I have photos of them on an image site. If I can figure out how to post them here I will.
Hold on here folks, lets slow down here. Bachmann now offers 2 different series of large scale trains. The original series called "The Big Haulers" and is G scale has been around forever and are basically not modeled at any particular scale ratio. The Bachmann "Narrow Guage" series which is called Fn3 scale and is 1:20.3 scale ratio was aimed at competing against Accucraft has just come out in the last couple of years. With that being said your Bachmann 2-6-0 is a Big Hauler locomotive and is not a 1:20.3 narrow Gauge series bachmann. Bachmann did not make a 2-6-0 for the Narrow Gauge series, only for the Big Hauler series. LGB claims to be 1:22.5 scale ratio, however they also did not stick with the same scale ratio when making different trains, LGB woodside box cars and woodside reefer cars are really a 1:24 scale ratio, LGB cabooses and locomotives are 1:22.5 scale ratio. Another fact is that 1:20.3 scale ratio is NOT G scale, it is Fn3 scale which stands for Narrow 3 foot gauge. I hope this info clears up some confusion.
Sorry, that is not totally accurate. There is 1 G scale series that Bachmann puts out which is called the "Big Haulers" and does not have a specific scale ratio. The 1:20.3 Bachmann scale ratio you refer to is the "Narrow Gauge" series and is really Fn3 scale and not G scale. The 2-6-0 was never made in the Fn3 1:20.3 scale ratio, only in the Big Hauler series
One last note on this subject.............................. Both G scale Trains and Fn3 scale narrow gauge trains run on the same 45mm track which many think is G scale track, but that would not be a correct statement to say that also. The track is calle Gauge #1 track.
Whew! That's a lot of numbers for a newbie like me to try to comprehend. If you would, could you please break it down a little more for me? What kind of rolling stock should I use that would look right with the engines? Or should each engine have dedicated equipment in order to look right?
Right on! Except the "LGB 2-6-2" in the first post is not an LGB engine at all. Seems to be a Buddy L from the Heritage Express set.
The Buddy L thing confuses me because a lot of their molds do tend to match up with LGB Production models from that time. I've seen the heritage set before. The cars are very similar to LGB. Was this a team up at some point or did someone clone the LGB Molds? I ask this because I could, if I wanted to, Make a Negative mold from my LGB Boxcar and then cast my own plastic.
I'm not that familiar with Buddy L trains (I assume you mean the current ones, not the ones from the 1920's), but I didn't think the freight cars looked anything like LGB. The 2-6-2 engine that we're talking about certainly doesn't.
I can see some similiarities and some differences. To an untrained eye, I guess I can understand why people think it's LGB.
Yeah that's what I mean, I can see some similarities, and some differences, like the wheel arrangement. No it's not LGB I can see that now, but it's funny. On ebay everything that isn't USA or Aristo or any other maker is shoved in the LGB Catagory. Kind of pollutes things.
On the E store LGB isn't the only catagory that has non matching manufacturers in a specific catagory, in the USA Trains section I find odd ball stuff all the time people just throw in that is not a USA Trains product, what happens is they list a item in a all catagories listing for G scale to get more views. I also see trains listed as a specific manufacturer and it is not. I see trains sometimes listed as USA Trains and they end up not being that particular manufacturer. I seen a Bachmann gondolla someone threw a coal load in that was advertised as a USA Trains coal car for example, you gotta be careful out there.
With the Bachmann locomotive you could use Bahmann "Big Haulers" freight cars, also Aristocraft "Delton" series freight cars would look good behind the Bachmann piece and the USA Trains "American" series would also be good to use. Don't add too many cars to your Bachmann "Big Hauler" as it could safely only handle around 10 to 12 average freight cars. The Bachmann "10th Annuversary" locomotive introduced a couple of years ago was a little more durable and had metal side rods instead of plastic ones. A place called Barry's Backshop makes very dependable and durable power trains for the Bachmann 2-6-0 locomotives, but they are pricey.
