Anyone know where I can get a couple of sets of decals appropriate for Western Maryland Russian Decapod engines?
Thanks,
What scale? Assuming its HO, you might contact the WM Historical Society, and look up Jeff Adams. He’s done a bunch of custom run decals. Not sure if he’s done steam.
Isn’t the Bachmann Russian available in WM paint already?
Lee
Lee:
Yes I think it is available already painted for WM however I got a deal on two undecorated versions. Brand new, $50.00 each. Couldn’t pass it up. Maybe in the end I’ll wish I had spent the money on the decorated version but time will tell.
Thanks
Bob
Bob,
Champ decals made several Western Maryland steam sets. The one most likely to be appropriate for the Russian decapods seems to be “EH-29 Western Maryland Steam”, which has at least two sizes of “Western Maryland,” and a bunch of numbers to create your own road number. Though Champ is defunct, there is a set available currently on E-bay, and well stocked hobby shops may still have them. In the Maryland area, there is a shop in Blue Ridge Summit, PA called Mainline Hobby. At least the last time I was sifting through their decals, they had a good variety of Western Maryland.
As to the models, the undecorated Bachmann decapods, as photographed, have the wrong details for the Western Maryland. The company was good about doing road specific details for their models, and the WM lettered ones have the tender–including the coal boards and ladders–in the correct shape. Also the running boards, bell placement, and headlight are specific and different from the pictured undecorated models. Not having taken a ruler to the model, I can’t tell you if exacting dimensions are correct, but the general shape is fantastic.
The two caveats to the WM-decorated models’ accuracy are the individual locomotive specific differences, and air brake pumps. The Bachmann WM decapod has details that appear correct for most WM Russian decapods, but not for 1107, which is the number they gave the DCC sound-equipped model. 1107 had a different pilot and solid pilot wheels. The non-sound equipped Bachmann model, number 1110, has the correct pilot and pilot wheels. Regarding pumps, there are pictures that show some of the WM Russian decapods with different, or at least more, air brake pumps on the engineer’s side instead of, or in addition to, the pump on the fireman’s side found on the model.
All of that said, the models run very smoothly, if not particularly powerfully, and if you don’t need rivet-counting accuracy, why worry about such little things?
The auctioned Champ decals are
Daniel: Thanks for all the information, I appreciate it.
Bob
Thanks for the tip. I won the auction, got two sets for WM Steam.
Bob