BLI Mike initial impressions

[Dave V]

Well, after playing some more with my unit, my initial enthusiasm is tempered by the usual weirdness...

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[jdcolombo]

@Point353

Sound ready = 8 pin plug for decoder in tender; no special provision for speaker.  In fact, the Mike's tender doesn't actually have anything special for the speaker; the speaker is simply mounted on a plastic baffle that press-fits into the top of the shell.

John C.

[thomasjmdavis]

Btw, anyone, what does the boiler/cab assembly look like? Is it something that could be replaced with another boiler/cab somewhat easily? I have some nice ATSF mikado boiler castings...

Just out of curiosity..... are those boiler castings available somewhere?  I generally hear about these things somewhere between 1 day and 30 years after the last one is sold.

[Cajonpassfan]

Lol, we’ll, I shouldn’t laugh. Superturbine cast some for me years ago off a brass Key ATSF Mike. And no, I don’t have any extras, sorry...
Otto

[rodsup9000]

Lol, we’ll, I shouldn’t laugh. Superturbine cast some for me years ago off a brass Key ATSF Mike. And no, I don’t have any extras, sorry...
Otto

 Otto,

   You could use the ones you have as a master and cast a few more. You wouldn't need a pressure pot to cast something as simple as them.  I sure wish Jason would get back to casting some shells again.  Worse case would be to spend the time it takes and just draw up a Santa Fe shell in CAD and print them. I've more or less committed to getting the 2-10-2 shell done for Adam. So for me, that has to be done first before I would have the time to draw one up.

[thomasjmdavis]

Lol.  No need for anyone to rush on my account.  I have enough unfinished projects to keep me busy well into the mid 2020s.  And if there are 2-10-2 shells coming, that would be one or two more projects right there.

[Maletrain]

Lol.  No need for anyone to rush on my account.  I have enough unfinished projects to keep me busy well into the mid 2020s.  And if there are 2-10-2 shells coming, that would be one or two more projects right there.

What prototype 2-10-2 locomotive are those shells modeled on? And, what mechanism do they fit?  (Wanting a B&O "Big Six" Santa Fe type 2-10-2.)

[thomasjmdavis]

@Maletrain - I was just picking up on the comment from @rodsup9000 up above- hoping that whichever ATSF 2-10-2 he was working on for Adam would become available for the rest of us as well. 

[mike_lawyer]

Is anyone making a 2-10-2 mechanism, or just hacking up a Kato Mikado and adding a fifth driver?

[nickelplate759]

Both Bachmann and ConCor have made 2-10-2 mechanisms in the past.  The Bachmann is better.

[rodsup9000]

@Maletrain - I was just picking up on the comment from @rodsup9000 up above- hoping that whichever ATSF 2-10-2 he was working on for Adam would become available for the rest of us as well.

Is anyone making a 2-10-2 mechanism, or just hacking up a Kato Mikado and adding a fifth driver?

    3800 class

  Yes, these will be made available to the public.
 First thing that I need to do, is get a prototype made of the frame and get all the bugs worked out to run smoothly as possible. The frame will take Kato mike parts (drivers and gears) and will be cast out of lead free britannica metal. Motor will hopefully be the one Kato uses in the FEF's, (note to self to get a couple ordered). I'm going to try to etch the drive rods and valve gear myself for the prototype and if that doesn't work, I'll have them done.  Once I have a good running chassis, the boiler shell will be printed with one of the photons. Some of the details will be on the etched sheet with the rods and valve gear. Tender will use Bachmann trucks and tender frame and shell will be printed also.

[Cajonpassfan]

Both Bachmann and ConCor have made 2-10-2 mechanisms in the past.  The Bachmann is better.

The Bachman may be better, but it’s wrong, way too small for a heavy 3800.
Otto K.

[Cajonpassfan]

    3800 class

  Yes, these will be made available to the public.
 First thing that I need to do, is get a prototype made of the frame and get all the bugs worked out to run smoothly as possible. The frame will take Kato mike parts (drivers and gears) and will be cast out of lead free britannica metal. Motor will hopefully be the one Kato uses in the FEF's, (note to self to get a couple ordered). I'm going to try to etch the drive rods and valve gear myself for the prototype and if that doesn't work, I'll have them done.  Once I have a good running chassis, the boiler shell will be printed with one of the photons. Some of the details will be on the etched sheet with the rods and valve gear. Tender will use Bachmann trucks and tender frame and shell will be printed also.

You go Rodney!
This deserves its own thread...
Otto

[Bill H]

Hard for me to bite on the B&O light Mike. The headlight is clearly wrong for the vast majority of B&O mikes.

Kind regards,
Bill

[Maletrain]

Hard for me to bite on the B&O light Mike. The headlight is clearly wrong for the vast majority of B&O mikes.

Kind regards,
Bill

We need a thread on moving the headlight to to the upper position.