This is my remotored Bachmann 4-4-0. I hope this video post works. http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj182/jimjames63/a9041048.mp4
Yay! That's cool! More! More! More! She's bookin' down the tracks! Nice video. Nice little wobble too! That means your track work is perfect for the era! I have been trying to decide whether to keep track in long length like flex, or to cut it into scale sections and have joints just like they did back then. It would really make things more realistic. Great job Jim. Keep it up! Can't wait to see the Watermelon Cars in the consist.
Thanks but that little wobble is just the nature of the Bachmann loco. She's just shaking her butt. I would go with flex track for better electrical integrity. Just my opinion. I would like to add those plates that connected rails as a track detail some day. I forgot what they're called.
They're called rail joiners. They hold rails butt end together. The tie plates are what seat the rails on the ties. Most railroads were not using tie plates yet around the TOC, but were becoming more frequent. Spiking directly to the tie did not prevent rail spreading, thus the invention of the tie plate came about which seated the rail and prevented its lateral movement. As for the engine shaking, I think it adds just enough realism to think that it's the track, not the train. I like how it is transferred into the rest of the train. It's more realistic.
Actually, on the railroads I've worked for and currently work for, they're called "angle bars". Angle bars that join different weight rail are called "compromise bars" or "offset bars" (or "offsets" for short). The above is simply "FWIW". Not my intention to start a holy war about model railroad terms and common use prototype nomenclature (i.e. "turnout" vs "switch", "lashup" vs "MU consist", etc), just telling what my experiences have been. Andre
Purely educational. Fish plates, angle bars, joint bars, splice bars; just different terms for the same pieces. The term fish plate comes from the French verb fichier, to fasten. They are literally fastener plates.
Seems as if I've seen these offered as an HO scale detail item. I need to look about for them. I think they were plastic but maybe brass as well.
Jim, you had me at "4-4-0 action." Absolutely beautiful scene! That minor wobble struck me as perfectly natural. My Americans may have had their drivers machined down to the thousandth, but they sure do wag their tails over any track imperfection... just the nature of the beast. Your engine runs like a swiss watch.
I've actually given thought to modeling the fishplate detail by using narrow strips of .005 styrene with "rivets" embossed with a pounce wheel, or by using a filed-down needle in a pin vise. I've seen them in photos of Paul Dolkos' old B&M layout, and found it to be a nice touch. Best Regards,
Thanks for the reply. Neither Internet Explorer nor Firefox will load/play the video. Windows Media Player cannot handle the mp4 suffix, either. Oh well. Andre
Sorry, Andre. I don't know how else to post it. If it makes you feel any better it's not really a very exciting video. Just my old 4-4-0 rolling 'round the bend.
