So, I just received my brand new Bachmann 2-8-0. First of all: beautiful locomotive. I love the outside frame design, the red window lining (for this paint scheme), and the overall heft of the engine. However, upon opening it to test it (I need to get it done relatively fast so I can go leave a positive review for the seller on Ebay) I ran into a somewhat embarrassing problem: where the heck do I plug the DCC-equipped tender into the locomtive? Typically Bachmann places the female-plugs on the frame right under the cab, but there's nothing there. I surmise that they must be located inside a boxy protrustion beneath the cab, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to get this off (and long experience in the hobby has taught me to never force anything). Anyone have any tips on how to claw my way out of this cardboard box? Second, has anyone moved the headlight on the 2-8-0 from directly in front of the stack to the center of the smokebox? How difficult would you rate this task? I like it's current position, but I'd enjoy it more dead-center, methinks.
And great for those without one as well! I very much enjoyed looking at it. Makes me think adding a bit of On30 to my On3 would be neat. Well, I guess I can never get enough. :tb-biggrin:
A center mount would begin to approximate this: Steam Locomotive Information Many have taken this to be the prototype for the B-man engine: Steam Locomotive Information But I'm not completely sold on that. Still, it is very close...they are probably built to the same Baldwin plans. You might also want to check out the reviews in the On30 Annual...they don't include the 2-8-0, but they are excellent: News & Reviews As I recall from looking at it, moving the headlight the first time is much easier than the reverse. (from memory...) You'll need to snap (or unscrew?) it from the extended smokebox. Then you'll need to remove the extended smokebox. next, I believe that you are to trim the handrails back...possibly moving the end stanchions to the smokebox. For mine, I replaced: the stack, the tender load, the tender truck springs, the couplers, and regauged it to On3. I will ultimately be doing quite a bit more (once I acquire a second)...both will lose their counterweights, valve gear, and cabs. One will get a Laird type crosshead (amongst other things) and the other will get other extensive modifications to become an Oahu Railway 2-8-0. A link to my blog with the comparison photos: The South Park Line: 1st door for the baggage car Michael
On the contrary, few 2-8-0s had counterweights like the B-man models. More importantly, the 2-8-0s that I'm planning to build had their counterweights on the drivers. White Pass #69 is the only American 2-8-0 I can think of which had all of the counterweights located on the crankpins. A few (such as the smallest Oahu Railway 2-8-0s) had one full counterweight on the main crankpin and the rest on the drivers. I wasn't able to find any good photos of the prototypes I'll be shooting for, but here are photos of so-famous-they-are-practically-trite ex-Crystal River 2-8-0s... Here's a rarely seen photo of one of them (later 361) as-built on the Crystal River... 11005337 And a bit later on the Rio Grande... 00007524 And the big sister, CR #103 in her later years. 00007530 I do prefer driver mounted counterweights...and that is part of the reason that I'm building them rather than other locomotives. I must also state that the paint on the Crystal River engines isn't done any justice by the b&w photo...they were much more handsome locomotives in their pre-D&RGW days...as were most of the D&RG locomotives. Michael
It's obviously a matter of taste which arrangement one prefers. Like so much in model railroading. As for me, the moving exposed counterweights are what I find particularly intriguing. Thus, I'd also have a hard time removing them.
