I'm interested in eventually trying to include Frisco's 1522 locomotive on my roster, as it ran in 2001 on BNSF's employee appreciation special. (and associated rolling stock, too) This isn't some huge priority project for me but I was trying to find out if there was something close already made, or what the situation is. I Googled "n-scale Frisco 1522" and didn't really get much. So, I thought I would post here and see what information I could collect from folks that are more versed in Frisco 1522 and/or n-scale steam, and what is available and mods needed to get there. Thanks!
one of my favorite locos! I would start with a Bachmann USRA 4-8-2, modify sand dome and add top mounted air tanks, cab, six wheel tender to start with. Depends how close you want to get... Otto
Meant to also ask if anyone has a model they want to share....HO even would be cool just note such. Or real photos to. I'll post some links I've found for reference when I get a chance. Otto, thank you for your info. Those mods are pretty much what I've seen mentioned thus far. Sounds like that gets you pretty close. I definitely think "pretty close" is fine with me. I just want to have a few steam locos to throw in the mix of my BNSF 1998-2003 era. Figured 1522, a UP FEF, and FWWR's "Puffy" and call it a day. Not aware of any other excursion steam that ran during that period on the lines I model. (Actually I believe a UP Challenger did on the tail end of that era)
So we have a starting point... OK, so I checked Bachmann's website for the n-scale USRA 4-8-2 and there's not much there, and also no mention in their new catalog. Are these discontinued or am I just catching it on the long part of the cycle....no recent release/inventory but not quite back around for rerelease? I did notice a few for sale on various sites. Are these decent running/pulling locos? I noticed they're DCC-ready so that's a good thing. (of course, assuming we're using a different tender--or different trucks at least--may nullify that as an "easy" conversion.) In my scenario they don't have to pull a ton...it seems the 1522 was either pulling a shorter consist of 4-5 cars sans the BNSF business fleet, or it had a C44-9W helping. If we can assume another re-run at some point, I'll definitely just wait since I'm in no hurry at all on this project. But if they're set out to pasture, I might keep an eye out for one at a train show or eBay on the cheap. I've been told never to buy steam off eBay though. :uhoh:
Here, this should help, this is where I start on almost anything: http://www.spookshow.net/loco/bachmann482.html Mark is the Wellspring of N Documentation here, and definitely calls a turd a turd when it's earned it. This is one of those classic Bachmann locomotives that's been redone at least three times, and unless you know what release you're getting, you can really get burned. So I certainly wouldn't buy anything unless you can positively ID which one you are getting by some of the clues he left.
OK, at risk of demonstrating my ignorance of steam locomotives...can someone tell me if the 1522 is a "light" or a "heavy"?
Strictly speaking, it's neither, but it's close to heavy in terms of weight on drivers and proportions. The 1522 is actually slightly heavier then the original USRA heavies. I'd go with a heavy Bachmann as a start....it's a much better mechanism, too. Good luck, Otto
Well.... As an ATSF guy, the tender numbers look pretty ATSF to me, so http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2...oduct_Code=60-64&Product_Count=&Category_Code= Oddball decals lists SLSF steam locomotives....good luck! http://mopac1.tripod.com/oddballs3.htm#SLSF
Doug, Frisco Heavy Mountain 1519 is in the museum here in Enid, OK. Let me know if you need pictures of anything and I'll be happy to go take some. I would recommend the Bachmann Heavy mountain over the light. The early versions of the light mountain had lots of problems. The newer versions are supposedly fixed but I'm not sure how to tell the difference. The Bachmann Heavy mountain has a metal boiler shell, thus it is heavier and pulls much better. The heavy also is DCC equipped, the light is DCC ready. Here is a picture of 1519: Have fun, Mark
