Hogwarts Substitute

[SpaceMouse]

What are your thoughts. I have a MDC 4-6-0 Harrington coming.

[Anonymous]

well I guess I'll start this process. I like the longer front and the 4 tractive wheel sets that make it look cool coming down the tracks like on turns and such. Whatcha think. maybe? JMO Goodluck spacemouse!

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear about the "Hogwarts" - what broke? Bachmann can sell you a new chassis for this loco or (and this'd be my preferred route) Hornby have a very nice "Castle" class loco painted for Hogwarts. This is only supposed to be available in the UK (Hornby hold the UK Potter license, Bachmann hold the US one) but there's a few retailers that will ship trans-atlantic and Hornby locos are now very good indeed. www.ehattons.com have the Hornby Potter models, I get most of my new UK models from them and have never had a problem. Hope this helps!

[tstage]

Chip,

Albeit a fresh paint job, I think the Spectru 4-6-2 comes closer to looking like the Hogwart than the rest of them.

Tom

[orsonroy]

Why not just pick up a whole new Hogwarts set? Trainworld has them for $70, and I'm sure you could find them cheaper on Ebay. That way, you'll have a new engine, some more track, and three more passenger cars for just about the cost of any of the above engines.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Railroading_Brit

Sorry to hear about the "Hogwarts" - what broke? Bachmann can sell you a new chassis for this loco or (and this'd be my preferred route) Hornby have a very nice "Castle" class loco painted for Hogwarts. This is only supposed to be available in the UK (Hornby hold the UK Potter license, Bachmann hold the US one) but there's a few retailers that will ship trans-atlantic and Hornby locos are now very good indeed. www.ehattons.com have the Hornby Potter models, I get most of my new UK models from them and have never had a problem. Hope this helps!

The left-center drive wheel broke off and jammed into the linkage. When I took it apart, I found that the plastic that serves a guide/bearing for the axel had split. That and the cosmetic damage that has already occured = totalled.

[trolleyboy]

I like the 2-8-0 dosen't look as much like the hogwarts but they are dcc ready and the tender is a bit bigger than the 10 wheeler so you should be able to mount a speaker and sound decoder there.I've not run into one that dosen't run well either. Rob

[twhite]

Though the MDC 4-6-0 is a nice loco (I have a couple), the Spectrum 4-6-0 looks a little more 'back-dated' to me. And I think it would be easier to convert to DCC. Sorry about the 'Hogwarts' loco, but I've heard that those Bachmann axles on their non-Spectrum locos are kind of prone to splitting. Also, if you decided to paint the Spectrum Ten-Wheeler in the Hogwarts scheme, it would look pretty cool (the paint scheme might even 'backdate' the loco towards the 1880's if you decide to run it as one of 'your' locos.). My vote is for the Spectrum.
Tom [:D][:D]

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by orsonroy

Why not just pick up a whole new Hogwarts set? Trainworld has them for $70, and I'm sure you could find them cheaper on Ebay. That way, you'll have a new engine, some more track, and three more passenger cars for just about the cost of any of the above engines.

The cheapest one I found was $54 shipped. I can get the Spectrum for around $80. The Hogwarts has been a weak link around here fro a lot of reasons. Hardest to keep on the track is the main one.

I found a couple 4-6-2 Riverossis on eBay that will save some money. Might go that route. Like the Spectrum idea, but the wife is shutting down the cash flow.

[twhite]

sjpacemouse--re: those Rivarossi 4-6-2's. Check to see that they don't have the old NEM deep flanges--if you're using less than code 100 track, they'll be rough riders. other than that, they're not bad runners. Several friends of mine have them, have replaced the Rivarossi motors with can motors and it smooths out the running qualities quite a bit. But if they have the deep flanges and you're using code 83, they have a tendency to climb over the frogs on the turnouts and go where THEY want to, not where you want them to.
Tom [:D]

[Anonymous]

go with the spectrum 4-6-2 I know that the hogwarts is a 4-6-0 but I believe this looks alot closer to the train you need to replace. and for the detailing you could just kitbash some of the parts off of your broken down model.

[SpaceMouse]

This one might be cheapest because it has no tender (but it looks like it will work with the Hogwart's tender)

Does it have the flanges you are talking about?

[Anonymous]

Those flanges do look a little Deep, might want to ask the seller what they know about the unit.

I do like the Bachmann Spectrum Series of Steam loco's . My pride and joy is my 4-8-2 that I just repaired witha replacement LONG Tender. Looks really good and at least she's running again. I have to see how it's going to pull with the long tender. Should be fine!

Chris

[SpaceMouse]

I fnally get it. I have the #100 track but I'm worried about the re-railers I have about 6 of them. Any advice there?

[Don Gibson]

Bachmann's Hogwarts.... Another poorly made short term product.
Rivarossi - Orphan's. ...Tomrrow's Part's problem.
Spectrum - Some better than others... ie:. Uneven.
MDC & Bowser - Old reliable's.(No 'whisrles & 'Bell's) BEST BUYS
Athearn Steam - Jury's out. Teething problems.
Broadway Ltd. - New kid on the block .Some minor teething problems.(Best so far)
L.L. Heritage - Class I act. Rival's brass.

Spce M. If you keep buying on the 'cheep', you'll end up with Bird Seed

[Anonymous]

Why not get a BLI K4 4-6-2? It's the same as the Spectrum 4-6-2, only much better.

[AggroJones]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 4884bigboy

Why not get a BLI K4 4-6-2? It's the same as the Spectrum 4-6-2, only much better.

I would've recommended that too. But it's price is way the heck up there. Some people aren't willing to go up to $400+

[steveblackledge]

A Hornby "Black 5" would make a good substitute, better than one of those GWR halls

[Don Gibson]

Re DCC and sound.

Add $100 - $200 to any engine without it.. BLI already has both..

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Don Gibson



Spce M. If you keep buying on the 'cheep', you'll end up with Bird Seed

The Hogwarts started it all. I have two BLIs and & 2 Proto 2Ks so I really do know the difference. It is just that there is very little in the 1890's so I'm experimenting around with "the cheap stuff" to find what will work.

I will say that I picked up a $4 Model Power 0-4-0 yesterday on the bargain shop at the LHS and widhed I hadn't. Of the cheap stuff. I like the IHCs the best.

For laughs and giggles, I'll shop for a BLI 4-6-2. the two I got, the E7 and 4-8-2 M1A were both under $150. (So I guess those were bargains too.)

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by SpaceMouse


I will say that I picked up a $4 Model Power 0-4-0 yesterday on the bargain shop at the LHS and widhed I hadn't. Of the cheap stuff. I like the IHCs the best.

That was close, I nearly bought one of those last time I was in the nearest Model Power stockist! Now very glad I spent my money on a used Bachmann F7 instead (which has proved to be a superb loco, quiet, powerful, as sweet a runner as my Proto equipment). Good luck with finding a replacement for the Hogwarts!

[mcouvillion]

Chip,

Who's the Hogart's for, you or your kid? I'd get another Hogwart's set and run it with the correct number of coaches (4). I have my nephew's set here and don't have any problems. The American steamers just don't look right pulling a Briti***rain. The couplers are not compatible and I don't think you can make them so. No one else has mentioned this.

Mark C.

[Don Gibson]

FOR 1800's I vote 4=6-0.
For Hoggwarts 4-6-2 (an imaginary creation) I'd pick something to hual passenger equipment that would outlive a 1993 movie.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mcouvillion

Chip,

Who's the Hogart's for, you or your kid? I'd get another Hogwart's set and run it with the correct number of coaches (4). I have my nephew's set here and don't have any problems. The American steamers just don't look right pulling a Briti***rain. The couplers are not compatible and I don't think you can make them so. No one else has mentioned this.

Mark C.

It is for the kids, but neither one of them like it when the trains derail and the Hogwarts was the king of that. When othere trains would go indefinately without derailing. The Hogwarts would throw a shoe at a whisper.

In that sense it is for me becasue I'm the one that spends hours tuning track.

Then again--I live vivariously throught the kids so its all for me.

[mcouvillion]

Chip,

You may be able to connect the American engine to the Briti***ender with a drawbar, then the coupler issue is non-existent, but it still won't look right. I'll run the Hogwart's I have access to as soon as possible (maybe this weekend) and let you know. Could your's have had wheels out of gauge?

Mark C.

[SpaceMouse]

I don't have an HO gauge yet, so I really don't know. I was about to clear up a lot of the problems with weighting the front truck. Even so it seems to float. On the Hogwarts it seems to work like this. An impropperly aligned joint (sise to side) throws a drive wheel out. At a subsequent turnout, either the front truck or tender comes off. It was working smoothly until I added a couple new turnouts and a bridge and it seemed I was working very long a hard a getting every possible joint smooth.

On Saturday, I found that the body had released from the chassis. The body is held on with a single screw in the rear and the front of the body tucks under a tab on the chassis. that broght the weight back to the front end. The second round of derailments this weekend may have been that drive wheel working loose--not being properly spaced. Point is with that train, it was always something. Part of that was rough handling, but my son has developed more respect for the trains now.

I'll figure out a coupler for the tender even if I have to kitbash a wire loop to the frame of the tender.

[M636C]

I'd still look at the Hornby Castle. It has an entirely different chassis to any of the Bachmann models - built in China but to a design by Dapol, using the body moulding from the "Airfix" range from the 1980s. Steel axles, like I found and mentioned on the other thread. For a British model it has small flanges. It might be possible to get a 2 rail DC version from Maerklin with DCC already fitted. And it already looks like the locomotive in the movie, without paperclips attaching the tender. And it won't cost much more than a Spectrum K4 that might still have the axle problem.

Peter

[Anonymous]

Hey spacemouse
Can you take one off a thomas the train car and use it ?
I beleive they are the same
look at hornby.com
maybe you can get something briti***hat will work they have a canandian distributor
Rich