Ok, so I decided on the NKP as a secondary road to model a while back. I was going to do a Lt. Mike and Berkshire as my NKP road power, but have instead decided on detailing a BLI Heavy Mike to be an M-1 and got a affordable, new Bachmann Berkshire. Out of the box the Berkshire doesn’t look too bad. I haven’t physically looked at the Proto version, and I know that would be nicer, but I think the Bachmann version for under $100 looks and operates pretty well. Even so, I immediately noticed some obvious things missing or needing a little work.
I have read a few people on this forum talk about adding weight to the engine and tender, and I imagine that needs to be done. The engine is larger than my Mikado but weights less. What kind of material could I use for adding weight in a tender and steam locomotive?
Detail-wise, the cab is completely empty. It’s not a big deal, but I would like a couple of figures and some kind of seats for them to be sitting in. Anyone know of any little locomotive seats on the market to add to the cab? Also, the engine doesn’t have a cab deck/apron at all. That to me is a weird and easy detail that Bachmann could have included. Perhaps Cal scale or Cary has a part for that. I have to mention the LEDs as well. Worst looking lights dim, dull yellow I have been a part of in an HO engine. Those (front and tender) have to be replaced.
Anybody have any pictures or descriptions of mods you’ve done to the Bachmann Berkshire? It seems to be a great candidate for some upgrades.
Don’t have the B-mann Berkshire but I do have a Spectrum 4-8-2 and a P2K Berkshire. The Berkshire was a non-DCC version that I got at a clearance price from my LHS and have since added a Tsunami. It is a sweet runner. It performs as good or better than any of my BLI steamers and has a little better detail. The Spectrum 4-8-2 isn’t a bad loco for the price but it is a lightweight in terms of pulling power as are all my Spectrum steamers. They all need to be doubleheaded to pull even a medium length consist (12 or more cars) up my 1.5% grade. Don’t even ask me about my non-Spectrum B-mann Niagra. Worst piece of junk I ever put on a layout.
That looks useful, but (maybe a stupid question…) how do you know how much the melted and formed weight will be? Would it be simpler to use something like the stick on weights or something similar? Like other Bachmann engines I guess this Berk is a lightweight as well. I don’t need it to pull 50 cars, but for tracking purposes the pilot doesn’t move through turnouts as well as it should, plus I’m sure the drivers need more weight over them.
I am in the process of converting several Bachmann Berkshires to heavy Mikados for my ATLANTIC CENTRAL. This is a photo of one them so far.
I added about 5 oz of weight to it. I used a combination of weights from A-line. They sell lead B-B’s which I poured into the sand and steam domes from inside, then secured them with epoxy. I used stick on 1/2 oz weights on top of the drive to add another 2-3 oz, and one or two more elesewhere in the boiler. Some of these needed to be filed down to fit. I bent three 1/2 oz weights into curved sections and epoxyed them into the space in the smoke box.
It now weighs about 20 oz. With this additional weight it pulls very well. I added about 2 oz to the tender to improve its tracking.
I plan to add a deck plate, handrails and figures to the cab and hand rails to the front of the tender. Other than those missing items, the detail level seems very good to me.
I run on DC so I removed the decoder and the RF filter capactors on the circuit board.
When I do the next one I will try to take some photos with it apart.
This depends on which Bachmann locos you are talking about. The USRA Heavy 4-8-2’s are very heavy and pull well right out of the box. The 2-6-6-2’s are fine as well. So are the 2-8-0, 4-6-0 and 4-4-0 - all plenty heavy for their small size. The 4-8-2H, 4-6-0 and 4-4-0 have die cast boilers.
The N&W “J” and the PRR K4 are a little light, but like the Berk, have room inside for more weight.
What do you mean about the pilot truck not tracking? Mine work fine. What size, brand, kind of turnouts are you using? A loc this size should not be running thru snap switches or even #4’s. They are too sharp.
Adding weight or spring pressure to lead or trailing trucks should be a last resort because it takes away from pulling power.
I guess then I’ll look into using a combination of BBs and stick on weights. Those are basically the same details I plan on adding to the engine as well. As far as tracking issues, the pilot truck and trailing truck on mine are very loose, and probably need to be tuned up a bit. Right now I have a “layout before the real layout” and got one of these engines now to start collecting my future roster. I run on #4s right now, but only run this engine straight through them on the main.
Yes it does, but there were Mikados that big. The Great Northern O-8 class were just as long as a NKP/PM berkshire, had the same size drivers, and actually had a larger firebox!
At the same time Lima was building the Berks for NKP & PM, they built Mikados for the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton that look just like my model, even though those where a littler smaller.
So my model is a very possible “what if” locomotive. I plan to build 3 or 4 of them.
As for the pilot and trailing trucks, they should be loose. Again spring pressure is the enemy as long as you have good trackwork.
