RC&G #18

Number 18 is based on a locomotive that was proposed to the ET&WCN Railroad by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. When Bachmann released their logging tank style Mallet the gears meshed in my head and I decided to buy one with the thought of using the drive train to create my version of what this locomotive might have looked like if it had been built. The proposal sheet is shown below.

Even though the locomotive was in 1/20.3 scale I found that the driver spacing was nearly a dead on match for the above proposal if done in 1/24 scale. I was hooked. Of interest, to me at least, was that the above proposal is labeled as a Mallet but is a simple articulated, perhaps to keep the price low or possibly that experience had show that the saving gained by reusing the steam in a Mallet wasn't worth the additional cost and complication of the design. In any case not wanting to remake the front cylinders on the Bachmann locomotive I'm making my version a true Mallet type.

The boiler and cab would not be usable due to the larger scale. My plan is to use a piece of PVC pipe for the boiler and a cab from a Bachmann 4-6-0 to provide a family resemblance. I will also be using a 4-6-0 tender with some modifications. There will be a lot of modifications to the pilot to reduce its size somewhat. Bachmann in their infinite wisdom deviated from the way Mallet locomotive are built and made both engines pivot around their center point. In normal Mallets the rear engine is rigidly mounted to the boiler and the front engine frame pivots to allow it to take curves better. I have to assume their choice was based on getting the locomotive to take commonly used curves without excessive boiler overhang. In any event I want the the rear engine fixed. Interestingly enough a pivot point was cast at the rear of the front engine's frame as if they intended originally to go that route so it was fairly easy to make it work the way the real thing did.

True to Bachmann's reputation I had issues with the locomotive right out of the box. When I test ran the locomotive on test rollers it ran fine in the forward direction but when I tried reverse the motor for rear engine popped right up out of the frame. Examination found both motor mounting screws loose and one had dropped down into the gear box and was a real pain to retrieve.

Once I had the frame modifications done I wanted to test it to make sure I wasn't going to have tracking problems. I temporarily wired the two motors together and powered it from the tender from #12. A few cars were coupled on and I ran the bare bones frame around the layout looking for problems or clearance issues. none were found.