# Bachmann Spectrum Mogul >>> D&RGW 169?



## rdamurphy (Jan 3, 2008)

Do the drivers match up well enough to be able to completely modify the locomotive into a T-12 Class 4-6-0? 

Does anyone have information on the driver diameter and sizing? It certainly looks close...

Robert


----------



## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

The drivers are too small--40" vs. 48". I'd have to compare the drawings (they were in the Gazette a few issues back) to see about spacing, but I think it's too close. I'm working on sourcing proper 48" drivers for another project, so if you're in the mood to scratchbuild the T-12, let me know.

Okay, scratch all that, because now I'm TOTALLY confused. I found the Gazette with the plans for the T-12. (Mar/April 2012)

The drawing _lists_ the drivers as being 48". The drawing _shows_ the drivers as being 40". The _article_ that accompanies the drawings has them listed at 45"! Wikipedia lists them at 46". 

Comparing the drawing to the photos, the drivers in the drawing do look small in comparison. Whether they're 5" too small or 8" too small, I can't tell. The next page in the Gazette has an ad for Accucraft's 1:20.3 T-12, and the drivers look 48"-ish when compared to the tender wheels and coupler centerline, though they could be 45", too. They definitely are not 40". 

So, you'll want to hammer down something definitive relative to the actual diameter of the drivers before going too much further. If you've got a folio sheet on the T-12 or something like that (other than the Gazette drawing), that might help. 

Regardless, I think the 40" drivers on the Bachmann mogul will be too small for that loco. I did a "modern" 2-6-0 from a B'mann, and even with its larger boiler, it just looks tiny compared to photos of the T-12.

Edit - Okay, one source on the 1:20.3 Yahoo group says the drivers are 45" diameter; the driver centers (the cast part, not the steel tire) is 40". 

Which, of course, means my plans to use an Accucraft T-12 as the starting point for a model of EBT #8 (or nos. 4 or 10) would result in drivers 3" too small. While it's not uncommon for a driver to lose 3" off of its diameter over the years as tires were turned and reprofiled, the driver would be near the end of its useful life at that point, and would have to be "re-tired." 

Later,

K


----------



## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

> my plans to use an Accucraft T-12 as the starting point for a model of EBT #8


Are any available at this point? Did they make any electric ones? Or have you squirreled one away for this project?


----------



## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

I didn't squirrel one away, no. No money at the time they were available, and not enough warning that they would come available for me to save up. I figured if one day I would ever come across one 2nd-hand at a time when I had the cash, then I'd embark on the project. I likely will still do so should the stars align somewhere down the line.

The ad says they were available in electric and live steam. The only ones I saw video of were live steam. For that project, I'd much prefer the live steam version. If I wanted an electric version, I'd see about adding another set of drivers to those I'm working on now.

Later,

K


----------



## rdamurphy (Jan 3, 2008)

I had actually considered swapping the drivers out for Annie drivers... Probably the only thing that would survive the conversion would be the drivers and associated parts and frame. The front frame would need to be extended into a 4-6-0 and the boiler size increased quite a bit.

Robert


----------

