Added a 1:20.3 Bachmann K-27 to my collection on Saturday--thrilled beyond belief. Bought the 453 since the LHS had one on sale, and so far it's a dream. Hates my LGB 1600 turnouts, but what can I expect from this beast? Have a few Youtube vids at the moment--pics will follow when I resize them down. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwJU2mHwfa4"]YouTube - Bachmann K-27 1[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqfWnTBeEdA"]YouTube - Bachmann K-27 2[/ame] It's seriously sweet, runs fine; bit more noise than my 2-8-0, but it still is only about as loud as an LGB 2119. Fantastic engine for what I spent; now I just need sound!
I modified the living daylights out of my 1:20.3 Scale 2-8-0 Narrow Gauge, Outside Frame Consolidation that is vary similar to your loco. The tenders drawbar will need to be made a bit longer, and the center driver wheels will needed to be raised to operate as floating blind drivers. My center 2 drivers don’t touch the rails now. But it is a nice loco. Its currently out of service waiting for some more parts. The main motor has a bind in it and needs to be replaced. I’m in hopes that after the new motor has been put in it will serve in my helper pool to help trains make it up my outrageous grade. You can see more of this locomotive and find out more about the upgrades at: DAV&P No. 12 For more on the DAV&P RR: DAV&P RR in G scale
Well, I had a long thing typed out here, but my internet dropped it.... Yeah, I have a 2-8-0 also--it's nice and smooth on 8' diameter(4' radius) LGB R3 curves. Handles R3 turnouts just fine even though the K-27 is finicky over them. Your 2-8-0's bind may be due to the driving wheels being jacked up--the wheels are driven off one axle connected to the gearbox, which makes them VERY sensitive to changes in side rod geometry. You may want to revert the suspension to stock and see if that fixes your bind. I do like your powered tender--nice idea!
Thanks for the ideas. The bind in this case is in the motor. Back when I put DCC in the locomotive I had the motor out and you could feel the bind in it as you spun it. It would bind every time at the same spot. I also cheeked the wheels and drive gear at this time and they turned freely with no binds with the motor out. So I will have to replace the motor when I get the extra cash up. I have so many projects going right now. If I lower the axels back to there factory settings, the loco will not navigate my sharp switches. The blind drivers fall of the rail and then jam between the points and the outside rail in the switch. I wish I had the space for longer switches…..
I apologize if this seems a bit odd... But in that case, why not take the motor out and let the drive freewheel? Push it with that powered tender. HO and N scale steamers used to do it! Also, Barry's Big Trains(who makes a FANTASTICALLY durable drive unit for the Bachmann 4-6-0) is coming out with a 2-8-0 power unit--it should make it pull better and run much smoother. Might be something to wait for. No clue on pricing, but it shouldn't be a ton since it's only a drive. And also, if you need a good reliable large scale engine that can handle sharper curves, LGB Moguls can now be had for $300 or less--my local hobby shop has two for $325 apiece! Best of luck with your loco!
