Bachmann 1:20.3 Scale Heisler Item No. 81799 - Painted Unlettered

Bachmann Heisler - Fn3 (1:20.3) Scale - 45mm (G) Gauge

Very-hard-to-find inside frame model Heisler in near new condition – Item No. 81799

(Fn3/1:20.3 represents three-foot gauge prototypes modeled and scaled for 45mm track)

Includes figures, accessory pack, smoke fluid, manual and exploded diagram parts lists
.
Original box in scruffy condition.

Runs well on DC and has fair amount of space in the bunker to fit a decoder, battery power and radio control as an alternative to DC or DCC track power control.

Second owner - only test run and is in near-new condition. It was going to be converted to RC/Battery Power but I have just been fortunate enough to pick up a live-steam Accucraft Heisler so this one is (sadly) no longer needed.

Asking price is what it owes me - International postage includes insurance.

Local pickup in Melbourne Australia available or post within Australia - around AUD$75 including insurance.

 

[maxi-model]

Can vouch for space fitting full RC/battery/sound on board in bunker. No need for trailer, unlike their Shay and Climax. Had mine done about 5 years ago, using NiMH batteries (not more compact Lion), ESU sound/ESC card and Fosworks DCC RX. I aspire to an Accucraft Heisler Max

 

[David Price]

Hi Max,

thanks for the comment - was very pleased to get the Bachmann unit and it was going to get a CVP Airwire conversion with an ESU 5XL decoder & LiIon battery. However, I am now a very happy camper after purchasing the Heisler at the Great Southern Steamup last Friday.

David Fletcher tells me the only made somewhere between 50 to 70 of the Live Steam units - apparently it had only been run less than a handful of times and it runs beautifully.............

 

[Rhinochugger]

I think you'll find that all Heislers were inside framed

 

[David Price]

Have to correct you on this Rhinochugger - in the twelve months I was chasing a Fn3 Heisler I mainly found this model (which I didn't buy):



(Perhaps Bachmann only imported the inside frame model into the UK?)

The Bachman models often came with the crank disks painted silver (including the illustration on the cover of the manual it came with) - look closely at the underneath of the truck:



Truck chassis, wheels, outside frame, disk cranks......

On the prototypes this was an option for narrow gauge engines which was a sensible one given you could purchase a Heisler even on 2' gauge.

(The Victoria's 2'6" gauge Forestry Commission Climax broke axles on a number of occasions due to the wheels just being pushed in on what were 3' gauge trucks. 1694 runs today on axles that are better quality steel than when built - and does not work anywhere near as hard as it did in the forest!)

There don't appear to be many of them in contemporary photos - Shop No.1388 on page 62 of Kline's "The Heisler Locomotive 1891 - 1941" is the first one to appear in the book.

Page 98 has a line drawing by John Lewis of Shop No. 1516 - an outside frame Class B built in 1925 for the Biles-Coleman Lumber Company.

The outside-frame versions, whist prototypically correct, don't appeal to my colleagues and I - and certainly not if you are a West Side Lumber Company fan..............

 

[David Price]

Note the illustration of the cover of the Operator's Manual that came with the locomotive:



Silver outside frames and crank disks - IMHO horrible............

If I was to detail one of this model I'd paint the outside frames black and the crank disks red - something like this that had its first run on Sunday:



Cheers,