Examining the On30 Bachmann Outside Frame 2-8-0

[hminky]

We examine the On30 Bachmann consolidation at:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/of_280/

If you are thinking about On30 ya gotta get one of these.

Thank you if you visit
Harold

 

[ross31r]

id agree with that - they look great, pull well and above all are so different from any other rtr 0n30 steam at the moment.

Notice you got one in the same trim as my six!

 

[Lighthorseman]

Really great job, Harold! But, I thought you had abandoned On30 for OO in the 1870s. Are you back with On30? Doing both?

 

[hminky]

Really great job, Harold! But, I thought you had abandoned On30 for OO in the 1870s. Are you back with On30? Doing both?

I am back with On30. The 1870's OO/HO concept was really a good idea. The old eyes just couldn't see small anymore. It became such a pain looking for magnifiers. I was working less and less on the equipment.

Seeing the Bachmann 2-8-0 sealed the deal. I thought it would be a little, wimpy locomotive since it was billed as a 30" prototype, but is a really large narrow gauge consolidation. It looks like the prototype was a 36" locomotive gauged for 30". It is a really great engine and unbelievable for the cost. I am glad Bachmann brought out some heavy mainline power.

Harold

 

[jcoop1]

Glad to have you back to the Dark Side

Love that loco..

 

[ross31r]

im waiting for the supposed up-coming Bachmann 0n30 Forney too - going to turn it into a small Mason Bogie by changing the trcuk to a six wheel one.

Assuming there even is an 0n30 Forney coming!

 

[Johnson Bar]

I recently purchased one of these loco's. As a matter of fact it resembles Harold's exactly! I plan to add the tsunami sound system soon when soundtraxx gets caught up with thier orders.I was suprised of how heavy the loco is. My loco has a some laboring up my 2% grades but that isnt a big issue at all . "I need more power Scotty" the parts bag it comes with was a nice bonus. watch crefully for the delrin pins on the plow as they are easily bent. yep, I bent mine. it looks nice pulling thier passenger cars.

 

[hminky]

I am preparing an article about putting two 1-1/2 speakers in the loco.

I am presently running an old MRC sound unit waiting for my Tsumani. The two 1-1/2ers,even with that sound unit the speakers really bark. That is why On30 is great for sound. None of those sissy HO speakers with their white noise as sound.

Just a thought
Harold

 

[pgandw]

"None of those sissy HO speakers with their white noise as sound."

Harold

You really have gone completely over to the dark side. I would have too, except for lack of space for even a caricature of an O scale structure. And that most On30 is really 3ft prototype narrowed to 30" gauge makes the rolling stock bigger, too. Maybe when I get fed up with tinkering with HOn3 mechanisms I'll make the switch, too.

 

[hminky]

The steam sound coming out of an HO locomotive will drive you crazy. I have a new thread on sound in the On30 Bachmann 2-8-0. Having had the same decoder in the On30 loco and an HO locomotive, the ability to reproduce realistic sounds isn't available in HO.

I have always been trying to promote On30 as a mainstream modeling effort. This "darkside" and "the Conspiracy" is being extinguished with Bachmann's equipment. On30 has gone beyond men putting large cabs on HO locomotives and driving them around small radii.

Just a thought
Harold

 

[Johnson Bar]

Thanks Harold I have to check it out. The sound in the On3O is one of the selling points I feel next to quallity. the soundtraxx in my shay just makes the model more fun. Have you heard the sound units in the new Broadway Limited steam in HO ?

 

[hminky]

The problem with steam is it already resembles white noise. The small speakers required for use in HO don't produce a very good steam sound. Diesel sound is easier to reproduce in small scales.
I have had sound in HO , S Scale and On30 going back to the Onboard analog command control. Bigger is better.

Harold

 

[Chessie6459]

Great Photo Harold. Thanks for sharing the information with us.:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Greg Elems]

Harold,

Believe it or not, that out side framed 2-8-0 is modeled after a genuine 30" gauge steamer. The prototype is still running in Montana and came out of Mexico when it was retired.

Greg Elems

PS Welcome back to On30

 

[hminky]

I will go with my assesment that it is a three foot Baldwin gauged to 30" for a specific Mexican branch.

The frame is spaced for 36" gauge.

Harold

 

[Clerk]

Harold. Great pictures and story.:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Greg Elems]

I will go with my assesment that it is a three foot Baldwin gauged to 30" for a specific Mexican branch.

The frame is spaced for 36" gauge.

Harold

You are probably right Harold, and Bachmann may have made it with the spacing for 36”. But it came from Baldwin's factory as 30" gauge engine. Many of Baldwin's designs were flexible for their narrow gauge market. And I do agree with you, Bachmann did a fine job on their model.

http://www.virginiacity.com/steam.htm

http://aldergulch.com/

A couple of links that might be interesting.

Cheers,
Greg

 

[Canopus]

I don't know if anyone has brought this up yet or not, but the 2-8-0 is potentially a very good donor chassis for any outside framed project. I was considering it at one point for a project to build a Fowler 0-6-0 diesel, using the 4th flycrank as the power transmission crank. It has just the right type of mass-balance flycrank for it. Any thoughts on this at all?

 

[ross31r]

someone in my club is being brave and turning a pair into an outside framed mallet!

 

[Canopus]

someone in my club is being brave and turning a pair into an outside framed mallet!

Cool, it would be interesting to see what else could be done with it.