Just wondering if anyone out there has the Bachmann 2-8-4 Kanawha - wonder how it is? Seems that for around 100.00 it's quite a bargain...
I have one. A beautiful locomotive that runs well. If you managed to get one of these for $100.00 then you indeed got a bargain. Are there any more those...? And yes, like most P2K Heritage locomotives, they run well.
Here's a shot of C&O K-4 Kanawha #2737 at Kenova West Virginia Oct. 1949: The main difference between a Kanawha and a Berkshire is that the steam and sand domes on top of the boiler are reversed. C&O Berkshires were inherited from the Pere Marquette, so there was a difference in the position of headlights. Image used with permission and courtesy of the C&O Historical Society.
Decided to pick one of these up - hey, for 100.00 with DCC installed this ain't a bad runner at all. Starts up fairly smoothly; starts to move at about 1.5 volts DC - and creeps along very nice and slow. Has directional lighting (I run in DC mode) - would prefer a "whiter" light; the LEDs are more amber colored. Looks to be geared to run fairly close to prototype speed - can't say for sure since I have only run at 50% throttle so far. Reasonably quiet running. Lettering is actually more of a Dulux gold which looks better than in pictures I have seen so far. Detail not too bad. This should be a really good runner.
I have one, and it runs great I have been able to pull up to 40 cars with it at a scale speed of 50 mph. I run all metal wheels on my cars i have noticed that if you put one car with plastic wheels in the train you need to pull at least three cars out to make up for the difference in drag on the engine. I plan to get another one and run the 50 car coal trains with them double headed.
Yep - I've run this engine in both DC and DCC modes for a while and I still really like it. Sure, it could have some better detail, but when it's running, no one notices or cares! I suppose I should add an engineer and fireman...
I've been sitting on the sideline with these, but I saw a bunch at Train Festival. I plan to get one, but I'm keeping my powder dry since I'd really prefer a T-1 or H-8...and I can't spend much on HO power since my layout is On3. My Rivarossi berk will have to keep on rolling for now... Note, the difference between Kanawhas and Berkshires isn't the dome positions, but the terminology of the railroads. The PM locomotives were Kanawhas to C&O personnel. Similarly, the VGN & L&N berkshires had the same dome orientation as the C&O kanawhas...but were known as berkshires. There were far greater differences between various C&O Kanawhas and berkshires than the obvious headlight & dome positions. The C&O had a group of welded (instead of riveted) 2-8-4s...an enormous difference. Similarly, the NKP S-1's had fabricated frames while the S-2s had cast steel beds. The PM (and C&O) 2-8-4s had larger diameter cylinders than the NKP 2-8-4s...as well as the PM having fabricated frames. The C&O 2-8-4s had their domes in the traditional orientation (sand before steam), and the NKP considered reverting to that (the NKP's headlight position and dome orientation, among other things, came from the C&O T-1). Further, the difference between AMC and non-AMC berks was enormous (driver size, appliances, stroke, etc). The success of the Nickel Plate S class, and its clones, is a sign of the skill of the AMC...regardless as to the cosmetic details or the naming convention of the railroad. I'm not too concerned about the detail level...super detail parts exist for a reason. Similarly, the actual color of the dulux gold for each isn't precisly known for a variety of technical limitations of color photography and the lack of computerized paint mixing. The most important is that you are happy with it and it looks reasonible alongside your other locomotives. 40 car trains at 50 smph sounds good. To give an idea of the performance of the real ones, the 765 once pulled a dead 1225 with 33 full passenger cars through the mountains along the C&O main at 60 mph...and that was right before her Class I overhaul (she was worn out). The top speed ought to be around 90mph, but 70mph is just fine since the NKP used a handful for heavy passenger service...I don't know if the C&O, PM, etc.. did this as well aside from troop trains. It is a shame that MTH completely lacked the sense to offer an pre-AMC berk...since there are now 4 of these on the plastic/diecast market. Michael
I have one of the Blueline C&O "Texas" T-1's. Really nice! Sound equipped, but haven't set it up for DCC yet. I used to drive by NKP 765 on my way to work in Fort Wayne, Indiana years ago when it was on static display. PM 1223 is about 20 minutes away from me here in Michigan.
Very nice! My father has the Builder's photo of the T-1 (3004 iirc) above his computer...and a Pennsy J-1's builders plate. He learned to use a torch on the 1225 back when she was on the MSU campus. Later, he helped me to become very familiar with AMC berks... http://thesouthparkline.blogspot.com/2009/05/riding-765.html In many respects, the work about to be poured into the 1225 might be better spent on the 1223...as the 1223 is probably in better shape. 1225 is a very, very tired puppy. Fortunately, they have some cash in the bank from Train Festival to help with their $500k-$1,000K worth of work. Thanks to B-man, I might be able to afford to have a C&O 2-8-4 along with the necessary NKP engines. There's no real choice with the 2-10-4s and 2-6-6-6s, it is only a question of when. Michael
