Perusing the latest MR, saw an ad (Micro Mark) for a Bachmann trainset with a 4-6-0. Looking at the pix real close, it showed a Spectrum tender (still the way too big and modern "medium USRA") hitched to the engine in the "normal" way, suggesting a non-DCC locomotive. Just what I need … a non-DCC, simplified (no external valve gear) easily converted to a reasonable tender. Micro Mark had no stock, but I found a seller on our favorite auction site (sarcasm is only one of the many service I offer). That had one in stock. Arrived today. Hitched a Spectrum "slope back" tender to it, and it ran smoothly … for about a foot... then stalled. Nudge, repeat, ad nauseum. There was obviously some pickup problem going on here. "Lifted the hood" to see what was going on. One screw aft of the rear driver, disconnect the pilot deck braces, and the whole boiler/cab pivots up, forward and off. The motor leads run forward in a groove to the microscopic LED board for the headlight, which is screwed to both sides of the split frame chassis. Could be a couple of things going on: one or both of the screws could be loose, or something funky could be going on in that tiny PC board for the light. I took the easy route, snipped the motor wires from the light board, and ran them aft and out beneath to cab, solder them to the contact strips in the Spectrum tender, and VOILA! Smooth, reliable slow speed performance, creeps through the insulated frogs of the Peco Setrack turnouts in my small 2x3 layout. The tender bodies from the Model Power/MRC 2-6-0 or 4-4-0 will slip on the Bachmann slop back Spectrum tender, with only a few styrene strips on the sides. I have a few of these that were "converted" to HOn30, so the tender bodies were available for this project. Now I have a smooth running 4-6-0 that is passable for any of the Belfast and Moosehead Lake (former Bangor and Arrostook) 4-6-0's. There may be no motivation for Bachmann to offer this simplified loco for sale separately, but I paid a little over $100 for the entire "set". I have no use for the rest of the set, so I may substitute one of the new USRA 0-6-0 or 2-6-2 Prairie locos that I have, and donate the set somewhere. BTW, Bachmann seems to be very conservative in their minimum radius recommendations … they recommend 11-1/2 (?) radius, and that is what is included in the set. FWIW, this 4-6-0 has no problem with the 9" Peco Setrack on my small layout. Just thought you'd like to know …… Respectfully, Bob S.
