Plan of attack, converting the Bachman On30 American to S scale

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I see a lot of work ahead if this is to be sucessfully converted. First, boiler diameter and course numbers are spot on, thats a plus considering i’ll have to extend the frame for a relocated second driver to obtain the proper wheelbase and cab placement. This will require a set of new main rods to be machined from scratch.

Additional work required:

New cab (scratchbuilt)

New running boards

Widened steam cylinders

Cut down dome existing domes

Widen frame in driver area to better profile re-guage

Application of specific S scale details to include turned stack, no commerical casting for the headlight or bracket are available, home made casting will fill this void.

I’m undecided as to re-guage some HO bowser drivers with new axles or purchase a commerical set from suppliers in England or New Zealand.

As we say, onward and forward.

Dave

Modeling the mighty SP in the golden age of steam 3/16 to the foot

2

Can’t wait to see it! I’ve been doing a lot of research into On30 and the narrow gauge kitbashed stuff lately. If I wasn’t so far along with my HO layout, I’d probably switch.[:-^]

3

Would it make any sense to start with an HO American? Probably the same mechanism and boiler.

Dave H.

4

The Bachman boiler is within inches of the prototype, the critical measurement is total boiler courses and diameter, which is dead on (actually, I can’t decide if one is an extra course or casting flash, not an issue as my protoype didn’t overlap at that location, quick work with some sandpaper will render it moot) . Typically, I apply an overlay to the frame, but only in the driver area to compensate for the new guage…

Dave

5

An HO scale American is WAY too small. I look forward to seeing the end result.