I bought a 4-6-0 Bachmann DCC ready at a train show. The tender does not have the bottom speaker molding and there is hardly any room inside the tender. I suppose I could cut out the top of the tender and make a fake load of coal, but I thought a Vandi could give me all the room I need.
Would a 4-6-0 ever have a Vanderbilt tender?
Do you have a specific railroad in mind? S-P had 2-6-0s with Vanderbilt tenders:
http://espee.railfan.net/sp_steam_t-31.html
Good Luck, Ed
The loco I bought is Ma & Pa, but I have a vivid imagination.
The SP had Vanderbilt tenders on their 0-6-0 Yard switches. I bought a MDC Vandy for my 0-6-0 to make room for a speaker.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that agi
That’s good! Near as I can tell the Ma & Pa didn’t have any Vanderbilt tenders.
http://www.maparailroadhist.org/locos.htm
Use your creative licence wild card [:-^]
Ed
Quite a few UP 4-6-0’s had Vanderbilt tenders.
Ed
Pretty sure Bachmann made a sound tender for that model, so you may be able to simply buy a tender floor from Bachmann that is speaker ready.
I don’t do sound or DCC, but I have two Bachmann 4-6-0’s that I have converted to their small vandy tender, maybe I can post a picture later.
Sheldon
I didn’t think of that, the “tender chassis” is sold with a PCB and speaker for $77 I didn’t pay much more than that for the whole loco.
Or look at their photos of the speaker ready version, then modify your tender to fit a speaker and decoder?
Almost ten years ago I took a Bachmann Vanderbilt from a 0-6-0, put metal wheels on it with pickups, a Tsunami 750 in it with an oval speaker.Added some bird shot for a little weight.
The newer SoundTraxx is slightly smaller. Measure first, cut later.
I looked at the sound version at the Bachmann forums and made mine with similar speaker holes in the bottom of the tender. Smallest tender Bachmann sold. Never for sound. Tight fit but it worked. Hard wired. I ran two wires as hoses to the loco to use the loco wheels for extra pickups. Just use your imagination.
Coupled with a Mantua 0-6-0 converted to a 2-6-0 which had a Digitrax DZ125 in it.
Photo Bucket locked up my photos. Sorry.
Rich
Sorry Rich, I have to ask, your photos were only on Photobucket? Why would you do that?
On my external hard drive also. Just not bothering with anymore photo hosting.
I use MRH forums which do not need photo hosting if I want to post a photo which is rare anymore.
Rich
OK
The Frisco had a few Vanderbilt tenders that they inherited from predecessor roads. They were often coupled to 4-6-0s:
Henry, unless you’re modeling the Ma & Pa, go for it! It’s your railroad, and maybe you’re loosely modeling the C&O’s locos, but suit yourself. I presume you’re in the hobby for fun, right? So, HAVE FUN!!
Deano
I think Bachmann tenders have removeable coal loads, so you wouldn’t need to cut anything. My old 2-6-6-2 came out before they added the speaker holes, so as a temporary measure when I converted it to sound I drilled a hole between the main tender body and the coal area of the tender and ran wires thru to put a 1" speaker under the removeable coal load. Eventually, I’ll use a metal-cutting drill bit and drill holes in the tender floor and move the speaker there, as I think it will sound better there. (There isn’t room in the coal bunker area for an enclosure, it’s just the speaker.)
While putzing through some historical photos, I came across a pic of a camelback loco with a vandy tender.
Now if that doesn’t prove the old saying “There’s a prototype for everything.” I don’t know what would!
Jim
Just use a sugarcube speaker.
Picked up two Spectrum 2-10-2s at a train show. Put sound in both using high bass Soundtraxx speakers in the coal bunker. Drilled a bunch of tiny holes in the coal load, sounds great!
As opposed to…?
I do admit I am made suspicious when someone uses the latest key words:
sugarcube, gorilla glue, liquid nails
Ed