RGS Connie on the West Well

[maxi-model]

Somewhere in north Bucks today. My venerable (obligatory brass gear fitted) and milldly bashed into a faux C-21, Bachmann Connie goes to work. The loco, bought in the days when a £1 was 2$, there was no tax on the import and St Aubin were doing silly close out deals. This is what started my facination with Fn3. Out went the USAT & Aristo, sort of G1, in came the Colorado NG railroads, geared logging locos and attendent rolling stock. Happy days. Max

 

[Rhinochugger]

The Connie is a great loco - yes, a gear change is sensible because there's no real way of knowing whether it's necessary or not until you've got it apart and then you might as well ................


Tender bogie side frames are the other slight weak point - they're a bit tender until you put longer screws in them.

After that, they're great locos - I bought one new from Steve the Shop for £200, and another secondhand (barely used) from Andrew at GRC for £200 - double headed Connies for 400 sovs

 

[maxi-model]

The Connie is a great loco - yes, a gear change is sensible - Been there done that - factory brass replacement
Tender bogie side frames are the other slight weak point - Likewise
After that, they're great locos - I bought one new from Steve the Shop for £200 - I got one NIB form a local model shop for £100 - they had dabbled in G and decided there was no market. Got my 2-6-0 RGS Centennial there too for the same price at the same time. Could not believe my luck. Don't you just hate me ?

Another one to tick off on a Connie "to fix" list - the wiring in the tender. Its prone to melt its coating and short out. Don't ask me how I know. The magic white smoke made its presence felt once. Thank heavens for the "kill switch" on the TE TX.

It's a pity that the early Bachmann Fn3 efforts got such a bad rep and possibly helped kill that product line eventually. Probably underdeveloped at the start. The K-27's and C-19's though are a treat. Much undervalued products but great runners when their defects are fetteled or fixed. I wonder how many Connies will survive "un-bashed". Always criticised for seemingly being of no particular relevant prototype but as a result an ideal candidate for "make what you will" of it. Max

 

[Rhinochugger]

Another one to tick off on a Connie "to fix" list - the wiring in the tender. Its prone to melt its coating and short out. Don't ask me how I know. The magic white smoke made its presence felt once. Thank heavens for the "kill switch" on the TE TX.

I've not had an issue with that - the Deadwood Central has some modified wiring due to the installation of a Mylocosound card, but the Yellow Pine tender body is standard and there's not much wiring to go wrong - as far as I can see.

Generally the Connies run on quite lower power, so under normal track power you're unlikely to melt the wires - unless someone knows otherwise

As for protoype, I think Cuba is a likely candidate - I have a few photos that are pretty close. My two are largely unaltered except for the K27 pilot, and some minor leading truck surgery to suit on the Yellow Pine (and that's only 'cos I broke the cow catcher and it was easier to get a K27 pilot than a Connie pilot at the time).

EDIT - I lied, the photos are in a library book that I've taken out twice - by a chap name of Maidment who is involved with a children's charity (that's all I can remember).

 

[Timmo]

Here is a photo of one of the prototypes for the Bachmann Connie. There were three, built by Baldwin for the FC Mexicano 2' 6" gauge line of 53.40 kilometers between Muñoz and Chinahuapan. Pretty accurate representation apart from the smokestack and the track gauge!

Tim

 

[maxi-model]

Here is a photo of one of the prototypes for the Bachmann Connie. There were three, built by Baldwin for the FC Mexicano 2' 6" gauge line of 53.40 kilometers between Muñoz and Chinahuapan. Pretty accurate representation apart from the smokestack and the track gauge!

Tim

Nice find. Look like the one, Baker valve gear is there and proportions are spot on. But it seems to be an oil burner judging by the superstructure on the tender. An option that the Bachmann representation was not offered with. That could have been fun. Like the 2-6-6-2, and one or two others, I suppose the folks at Kader took a rummage through Baldwin's back catalogue and proposals and said, "That'll do!" And so we all benefitted. Max

 

[Rhinochugger]

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