Recommend Me A Steam


brubakes

brubakes

Member
I'm looking for a smaller (under 4-8-4) economical DCC NPK or Unlettered steam locomotive. What is out there for this? What have you run that you would recommend?
 
Bachmann makes a pretty good 2-8-4 Berkshire with DCC in NKP If you search on the internet you can find them for under a $100.00
 
The Bachmann 2-8-0 or 2-10-0 are really great little runners with fantastic detail....:)Have one of the latter and though its a bit light footed love it's smooth operation and great sound. The Connie's are the same but real puller's.

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Bachman is probably going to have your best pick for a very good economical steamer. Try BLI and see if they have a "small" size unit within your budget. I have several of both brands in service and all have the looks and performance we are after ;).
 
With any steamer with 6 or more drivers I wouldn't recommend any less than 24" Radius. The 2-10-0 should be fine with this cuz even with that number of drivers its concidered a fairly short wheelbased engine.Where as 4-8-2s 4-8-4s and 2-8-4s are a long wheelbased locomotive requiring broader curves 30" and above.
I myself pay little attention to manufacturers minimum radius's...they may run on them but just barely and will look extremely toy like in my opinion.
 
I would think the 2-10-0 could make it around 22" But not happy doing so. my Bachman berkshire will do 18 but it does not like it.. 22" + is about the min that it stays happy with.
 
lmackattack said:
I would think the 2-10-0 could make it around 22" But not happy doing so. my Bachman berkshire will do 18 but it does not like it.. 22" + is about the min that it stays happy with.
Click to expand...

I was trying to do at least a 24" on my mainline as minimum, but I know some of my curves would be less.
 
The Decapod 2-10-0 of the Spectrum kind is a relatively small engine. The drivers on the prototype were in the range of 62-65" diameter. Even though it had 10 drivers, it was capable of negotiating normal curves, and the Bachmann edition does the same...so 18" is just dandy. Each additional inch in radius, regardless of the engine in question, is going to reduce the probability of binding and derailments related to less than optimal curvatures that much more, and it is probably inversely exponential.

At one time I felt that a Decapod couldn't possibly take tight HO curves, but a few kind people quickly disabused me of that misunderstanding.

-Crandell
 
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