Best running 0-4-0s for a kitbash project?

Taymar Aug 15, 2020

  1. Taymar

    Taymar TrainBoard Member

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    Hi all,

    I'm trying to kitbash together a customized 0-4-0 steam loco for an On30 micro mining layout, and am in search of an HO (or OO) drivetrain that'd perform well at low speeds.

    Open to any smaller 0-4-0 locos as a donor, or possibly even a 2 axle powered truck from a diesel or electric loco.

    I've started with a Bachmann 0-4-2 On30 porter but the performance is very poor. Rather than throwing parts a it I'd prefer to find a decent HO performer and start from there. Also open to anything with more than 4 wheels that could be modified.

    My searches are mostly turning up much older vintage steam stuff; wondering if anyone could recommend a more modern starting point please.
     
  2. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    Most of the 0-4-0 'Dockside' models are pretty outdated. Model Power or Rivarossi might still make one, but most of them somehow date back to Mantua or Varney tooling. This is probably one of the oldest HO models you can find, meaning they are a junk drawer model without significant modification. They probably are not very good candidates for a project. I have one with an open frame motor that is geared directly to the axle. If you put a really good motor in it, it might be a good chassis, but if the Bachmann Porter was bad for you, this won't be much better.

    This may sound strange, but check out the Bachmann Thomas and Friends models. Percy is an 0-4-0, and so are Bill and Ben. Those two have a different chassis than Percy, so you could have some variety in wheel type too. Those are the only 'modern' 0-4-0 models I can think of in the US market.

    For a simple power truck, you are pretty much limited to NWSL Stanton drives. They are small, but I don't know anything about their low speed control for switching. Bull Ant was another option, but I don't think those are produced anymore.

    If you wanted to scale up a bit, Proto2000 made a 0-6-0. I know it is not the same wheel arrangement, but the drive is probably better than what you could get from a Dockside.
     
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  3. Taymar

    Taymar TrainBoard Member

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    Thank you very much! Do you think the Bachmann Thomas and Friends series may have better mechanisms than the Bachmann porter? Looking at the parts diagrams they are all definitely different. Percy has a vertically mounted motor whereas Bill & Ben have it sort of buried in the chassis.
     
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2020
  4. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    There is a YouTube channel called Sam’s Trains that has videos on both locomotives (although he reviews the Hornby Percy) He shows their running characteristics. Of the two, the Bachman one looks better. I don’t know how your Porter is running, so you may have to judge yourself.

    Check out Hornby and Hattons more prototypical models too. Some of the chassis and running gear look pretty British, but if you want good running, they might have good models too.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2020
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  5. Taymar

    Taymar TrainBoard Member

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    Perfect, thanks! Watched that video and a couple of others. Certainly looks like the Bachmann has more reduction gearing than the Hornby (I had a couple of Hornby 0-4-0's many years ago, from memory they had a pretty big motor with the worm driving the axle gear directly. Insanely fast top speed).

    My Porter is borderline unusable, two wheels aren't true, the gears bind in reverse, and at anything less than half speed the motor/decoder seems to pulse or slow down every few seconds even when removed from the loco. It wobbles and stutters down the track. My fault for not properly testing it before I started to customize it and voided my warranty.

    I'll pay much closer attention to the Percy before I literally de-face it.
     
  6. Taymar

    Taymar TrainBoard Member

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    Following up now I've had a chance to compare, in case this helps anyone else in future.

    The Bachmann Percy model is certainly cheaper feeling and more plastic is used than in their scale models. the mechanism is quite bulky up top, as it has an extra two gears to control the moving eyes. These can be removed without affecting the rest of the geartrain.

    The wheel contacts are built into the 'baseplate' which then mounts on top of the mechanism. I think this is the biggest challenge in reusing the mechanism in something else as a different wiper mounting would need to be fabricated. The cylinders also mount to this main baseplate so they'd need to be reconfigured.

    The mechanism itself is largely plastic, and uses thicker axles which run directly in U-shaped channels in the metal chassis. The Percy model has the front axle driven by gears, and the rear axle is driven by the side rods. The motor is mounted vertically so space could be a concern if trying to fit a small steam body around it. It appears to use the same motor as the Porter (N20), though the porter has a back-shaft with a tiny flywheel. Doesn't seem to matter though. The Percy model is far lighter than the porter, due to it's mostly plastic construction.

    Despite being somewhat toy-grade, it runs superbly - FAR smoother than the On30 porter I'm working on. There's infinitely less 'slop' between gears and shafts in the Percy model, and the whole thing just seems more precise. The wheels and side rods all look good - they're green so would likely need a dye or paint, but the quality looks better than some of Hornby's scale models.

    Definitely a very nicely running little mechanism - thanks again for the suggestion!
     
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  7. MBM0420

    MBM0420 New Member

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    Hello:
    You might try finding one of the newer Mantua Classic 0-4-0's on ebay --- have found a couple for decent prices, not running, DCC ready; usually pull the motors for kitbashing / other projects...with the can motor, they run really nice.

    Mike
     

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