[HR][/HR]Just wondering if anyone ever kitbashed an N scale Reading T-1. Im thinking about undertaking the project and Id love to see some pics and hear some advice and or steps into doing the kitbash. thanks everyone.
You might look at the BACHMANN 4-8-4. It is closely modeled after a T-1 You would have to change the tender for sure, but compare images between the Bachmann and online images for the T-1's. If you can get the latest model of the 4-8-4, they run fairly GOOD. For the love of pete: DO NOT BUY AN EARLY ISSUE OF THE BACHMANN 4-8-4. JUNK, no other way to describe them. They didn't run well, or anything. They just looked OK and that was it! If you are going to get one, go to SPOOKSHOW to compare. MARK has done his homework, and then some, on N-Scale engines. Go to: http://www.visi.com/~spookshow/locos.html
My weak atempt at the Chessie Steam Special which was a Reading T-1. Bachmann 4-8-4 and a concor six axle tender that was used on any number of different engines concor sold. From the 2-8-4 to the 2-8-2 and 4-6-2.
I'm not 100% sure, and don't want to sound like a smart aleck, but doesn't the Bachmann 4-8-4 more resemble the ATSF prototype? That was always my understanding. What Porkypine says about the older Bachmanns is totally on the money. The very worst ones were from the 1970s, in a plastic box. They were ridiculously bad. The ones in the white box, in the 1980s, were a lot better, but still unacceptable by today's standards. The newest ones are OK, though not nearly as good as the Spectrum models, of course. Bachmann sure has come a long way.
The Bachmann 4-8-4 is definately an ATSF,not a T-1.The T-1 is really kind of a wacky story,Reading wanted a class of bigger 4-8-4's,rather than build a new class,they cut up and lengthened some heavy consolidations. I gotta agree,those early Bachmann's are TOTAL junk..They wobble,grind,skip,even just fall over.Yet,Isaw one at a train show years ago,STUPID cheap,like 5 bucks,it looked great,hadda buy it.It was one of the first run 1972 models,I plopped it on the track,NOTHING..It had a broken wire,I fixed it..It ran like a WATCH!! To this day,I still chuckle every time I run it..
Dont sell yourself short Oldrk, that is an outstanding paint job and the tender is a close match also.
I cant speak for the older ones but I know of a guy who makes and sells tender pickup kits for the bachmann 4-8-4 and Im told that it increased its performance 10 fold. On the newer ones that is.
they didnt want a bigger class 4-8-4, they wanted a larger road engine. the T-1 class was the only 4-8-4s the reading had. The reason for them being made from heavy consolidations(they heaviest 2-8-0s ever made I might add)was because of cost and plus the wartime restriction was still on in 1945 so they really couldnt build any new locomotives.
Hey Oldrk, how did you come about the running boards? Did you make them or did they come from another chooch? Id like to use your solution cuz they look good.
thats pretty awesome, that being the case I might try to make mine out of styrene, I just bought a new bmann 4-8-4 cuz I heard that the newer ones are excellant in the performance department, and I bought a second junky one because the steam dome is farther ahead than on a T-1 so I have to cut it out and move it back. Then I orderd a trailing truck off of bmann from their spectrum class J cuz that is the right style truck. Now I need an old white box bmann 2-8-0 or 2-8-2 for the wooten firebox and the reading style cab. I think Im gonna modify a tender from a class J because if you grind down the (wings) on the hind end of the coal bunker you get a very good looking T-1 tender. Ill have to give you an exclusive when its done. thanks for the info.I only wish I had an HO T-1 to go by. lol
