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Yea I just scored for a good price of $55.00 (well to me when all the other engine types I find are at least $100 or more) today, supposidly the head lamp doesn not work, but I don't care, im happy that now I can try to change my cars over to the clamp style hooks and then use it for those "heritage trains" that I may do also picked up my first building also, ho scale Firehouse its a two bay buiilding, that does light up, looks like its ment for two pumper/ladder trucks, or other longer trucks, pics coming soon of that, here are some pics of the Engine I scored!
Not sure, and its heavy, and a pain to get back on the track, but when i dust ill look and see, is there a way to tell? also here the fire house the first building for my Euro-American town I plan to do...(ficticious of course)
Code 83? I think my track is this code 100....but what ever, whats that mean, code 83, code 100, whats all the codes and code differences? thanks for the compliments on the steamer!
as for the name, im thinking Bismark or something like that as im thinking of my fictitious town will be named "New Bismark" or something like that...oh the car is a Chrysler van of some sort, not sure if its a mini van or full size...
The 2-8-4 looks like a Rivarossi model of a Pere Marquette Berkshire. 1222 is a number for one.
Code on track refers to the height of the rail.Code 100 is .100 tall, code 83 is.083" tall. Some of the older pieces of equipment have very deep flanges that will hit the ties if you try to operate on less than code 100 rail.
Code 100 is whet I use. Some of my equipment still has the old pizza cutter wheels. Until recently one of those was an old Athearn SD45. I pulled the old pizza cutters and replaced them with nickel silver RP25 wheels from an Athearn SD40-2.
and I can say for sure she got her self around a 16.5" curve, not with out some fussing from her, and that was because one of the cars jumped the track for what ever reason and she was lugging dead weight...but I tried her on her own and she went around my track just fine for what im dealing with, but at times kept hitting the screws for the wire leads to the transformer (which I think is either under powered or some way broken).
I tested her with the three car "amtrak" consist I have pulled them ok, once I got them to stay on the track they went around with a little help from me at times, again I think under powered. The engine I did check (steamer) and yes its a rivarossi, so is that a good thing or bad thing?
the Alco Shark even tho I kike it needs serious help, won't run at all unless i rock it back and fourth on the rails a bit...it does light up and tries to push its self around so meh....least one (the steamer) works, and yea I may put a name on the tender...not sure how ill do that tho, and as for the track, yea I think I will go code 100 track for safety so I can use it with more wider verity of trains now for some porn...err pics of the trains
Rivarossi built a lot of 2-8-4's for AHM I believe from the late 60's to the 80's and I'm pretty sure your 1222 was in the Pere Marquette line. I believe the applicable model numbers were #5062, #5061-C, #5061-03, #17242.
Rivarossi built a lot of 2-8-4's for AHM I believe from the late 60's to the 80's and I'm pretty sure your 1222 was in the Pere Marquette line. I believe the applicable model numbers were #5062, #5061-C, #5061-03, #17242.
do you think it would be proper to try and give it its own name (on tender) as some old steamers do? im looking for water transfer decals or what ever to do this with as im not the best with painting also do you think it would look better pulling the Amtrak cars in the pictures or should I look into a more realistic Amtrak coatch set up?
Namewise you can do anything you want with it. As far as pulling an Amtrak train, I don't know of any steamers pulling modern Amtrak passenger cars. However that doesn't rule out the use of older Amtrak cars in a tourist train. But then again it's whatever you want to do with it. Model railroads don't have to be historically accurate. I have a tourist train made up of old Athearn heavyweight clerestory cars pulled bn an FM 24-66 Trainmaster. I also have EMD SDP40F's and SD45's running alongside dinosaurs like EMD E7's, EMD FT's and EMD F3's and F7's. It's up to you.
Namewise you can do anything you want with it. As far as pulling an Amtrak train, I don't know of any steamers pulling modern Amtrak passenger cars. However that doesn't rule out the use of older Amtrak cars in a tourist train. But then again it's whatever you want to do with it. Model railroads don't have to be historically accurate. I have a tourist train made up of old Athearn heavyweight clerestory cars pulled bn an FM 24-66 Trainmaster. I also have EMD SDP40F's and SD45's running alongside dinosaurs like EMD E7's, EMD FT's and EMD F3's and F7's. It's up to you.
Some pics please, I wnat to see what you got may make for some ideas, and yea Im thinking more for a "old time" heritage type train tour thing...not sure what its usually called tho...but I was thinking Amtrak cars but if you have better suggestions Im open as im going semi fictional (fictional town)
Jim, just a note of caution. Running your trains on a carpeted floor can be hazardous to their health. They can and will pickup fuzz from the carpet and hair off of hairy legs!
It's best to put them on a hard surface floor if you have to use the floor for now, even better on a piece of plywood, until you can start a layout.
You can get an abrasive cleaner that looks like an eraser called a Bright Boy to clean your track so that your locos make good electrical contact. You can use those green Scotch Brite pads that they sell in the grocery store, also. Anything to make sure the track doesn't have any oxidation on it.
ok, how can i tell if they are oxidized? also do the pads (scotch bright) have to be dry or wet? I usually do dry due to the electrical hazards involved...
@Jeff: looking good there, hand painted? im going to use the fictional Amtrak as the tourist train I think...might as well
picked up my first building also, ho scale Firehouse its a two bay buiilding, that does light up, looks like its ment for two pumper/ladder trucks, or other longer trucks, pics coming soon of that, here are some pics of the Engine I scored!
you gonna put a new name on the tender lol 
also do you think it would look better pulling the Amtrak cars in the pictures or should I look into a more realistic Amtrak coatch set up?
