Hello All
Yesterday after dropping a relative off at Logan we headed to Charles Ro for a visit. I didn’t buy anything this time but it is always nice to check out all those trains they have on display there. Along with all the engines USAT offers they also had several Bachmann engines on display including a K27 a Baldwin 2-6-6-2 and a 55ton 3 truck shay. Now I have been watching a handful of the Baldwins up for bids on Ebay and it doesn’t seem like too many of them sell since they are being relisted even though they are a good price. I was hoping to sell some things and raise some dough to buy one that is until I saw one in person yesterday. They are a really cool looking engine and I love it but it sure is BIG! I already own a 2 truck shay, a climax and heisler which I thought were a 1:20 scale but… The shay looks big and a bit out of place compared to the other ones even though I believe they are the same scale. The Baldwin looked even bigger then the 3 truck shay so it would appear HUGE next to the 2 truck!
So looking at the K27, the 2-6-6-2, the 3 truck and the 2 truck shays are these actually all the same narrow gauge reprresenting scale of 1:20 or did bachmann take some liberties with these locos? Were they really that much bigger in real life??
I really like that articulated 2-6-6-2 but I think it would be so out of place along side my other engines.
I guess you need to read the reviews on those engines to see (perhaps) how close they scale out. My hunch: they wouldn’t build it bigger than needed. 
Todd, These are two shots of my Accucraft C-19 (1/20.3) and my friends Bachmann Spectrum three-truck Shay (also 1/20.3). The Accucraft is massive even when compared to the Shay.
Todd
There are pretty much spot on for 20.3. Up in South Dakota there is a Railroad called to “1880’s train” and it
operates a loco that is close to the 2-6-6-2T. It is BIG and a great RR to go ride.
Rodney
“Scale” and “Size” are pretty tricky concepts even when right in front of me. I have most of the Bachmann 1:20.3 models…The 1:20.3 4-4-0 American looks positively awful pulling my 1:20.3 rolling stock even though they are the correct “Scale”.
My 2-6-6-2 looks great pulling a string of AMS 1:20.3 narrow gauge stock cars. If I understand it correctly the Deadwood example is standard gauge whereas the Bachmann model is of a “mythical” narrow gauge version in 1:20.3.
The current ebay prices are hard to turn down…now as low as $449.00 BIN. I may pick up another for a bash to a tender equipped 2-6-6-2. They run BEAUTIFUL.
Todd said:They definitely took some liberties, as that 2-6-6-2 never existed! It was a concept that Baldwin tried to sell but no-one bit.
are these actually all the same narrow gauge reprresenting scale of 1:20 or did bachmann take some liberties with these locos?
I did some looking around on the web and came across soem nice videos of these 2-6-6-2 's including one that showed a bit of the how and why they were developed and it is true this particular Baldwin that Bachmann copied was planned but never produced in real life due to the great depression setting in. They sure look great either way.
I can’t seem to get over the fact that in person the engine was BIG next to an already big 3 truck shay. $449 is a good price but not so good if it looks silly on my layout next to everything else and it ends up on display instead.
Todd, the danger is not that it would end up on the display shelf but that once you get it all your 1/22.5 - 1/29 stuff will wind up on ebay!
My layout is designed with outer loops running the Bachmann/AMS 1:20.3 stuff with LGB/others running an inner elevated line. The two “scales” never appear side by side. Sometimes this results in a nice accidental forced perspective.
Yes, they are all accurate in 1:20 for the prototypes they represent. The prototypes were vastly different in size (or in the case of the 2-6-6-2, would have been had it been built).
(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/TRR/goldilocs01.jpg)
(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/TRR/goldilocs02.jpg)
All three locos are accurate 1:20.3 for their given prototypes. (And if you think that K-37 is big, the Uintah 2-6-6-2s were even larger.) Ain’t “scale” fun??? Later, K
I have the 2-6-6-2T and a 2 truck shay. They look ok next to each other. I’ll try to take a photo and post it later to help you out.
Now, as far as the 2-6-6-2T it is a locomotive based on set of plans made by Baldwin. The locomotive was never built, but it is true to the baldwin 2-6-6-2T. Bachman did their homework on this loco. I know cause I watched them in Hill City, SD (where the only Baldwin 2-6-6-2T is still running) crawl all over #110 and take measurements. The picture in my sig line is of #110. Now #110 is a standard gauge locomotive, but bachman took the measurements from the #110 and the Baldwin drawings to make an accurate representation of what the locomotive would look like if it had been built. Unlike the Connie, Bachman used a prototype for reference of this locomotive. I’ve even gone as far as to take my loco up to Hill City (the advantage of living only 15 miles away) and did a comparison. It is very close.
Todd:
Logging Shays (even the 55 to 60 ton three truckers) are relatively small engines. They would properly look small alongside a 2-6-6-2 of the same scale.
Many modelers have a problem with the size differences between smaller and larger equipment.
It is not uncommon to read about someone putting a 1:20, 1:22, or 1:24 model of an early day (and thus smaller) piece of rolling stock in a train with some modern 1:29 cars and claiming that they “. . . look good together.” This totally ignores the fact that the prototypes were very different in size. What is true is that the models look to be about the same physical size, and the fact that one would have to crawl into a boxcar or caboose on their hands and knees is ignored.
I believe this is somewhat driven by the fact that the modern trains we see in everyday life are all about the same size. They are built to a modern standard, and all appear to be similar in size, especially height and width (“loading gauge”).
Taking a look at the details such as steps, windows and door openings will quickly show that there are significant differences in the sizes of 1:1 scale prototypes. A 1:20 scale car put into a 1:29 scale train is still 1:20 scale, and looks way out of place.
Take a look at the size differences between the engine and the coach in this Eureka & Palisade runby:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9d2WhZ7kHo
The size differences you are noticing are real, and rather than looking out of place, they are part of what makes old time model RRing so fascinating!!
Happy (Scale Model) RRing,
Jerry
True Jerry the coach looked a bit large for the engine and caboose. I do tend to run all manner of trains on my RR including homemade cars, euro boxcars and regular aristo, LGB and bachmann rolling stock. Sometimes I run mixed freight depending on the need of passengers. Mine is more a old timey RR so I guess it is “OK” to mix up the cars.
Thanks for posting the photos Kevin they really put the size difference in perspective even though they are of the same 1:20 scale. That K27 is BIG and Beautiful unfortunantly I have come to the conclusion that the Baldwin 2-6-6-2 and the K27 would be a tight fit on my modest layout.
Jake if you could post a photo of your 2 truck shay and 2-6-6-2 together that would be great maybe you could make me reconsider??
Thanks for all the info guys.
Todd
As promised here is a few pics of the Bachman 2-truck shay next to the bachman 2-6-6-2T
(http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m489/jake3404/11-24-11108.jpg)
(http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m489/jake3404/11-24-11107.jpg)
Blackstone Models? You fitting Soundtraxx stuff to large scale now?
Ha ha ha, no that is the box that my HOn3 C-19 came in. These locos are in my workshop which also contains my partially completed HO layout. I didnt bother to take them out to my garden layout because part of it is under snow.
Thanks Jake your photos have pretty much dashed my dreams of owning one of those 2-6-6-2. Ha! On the other hand you saved me some dough and alot of work in modifying my RR. They are such a great looking engine but massive next to the shay. My RR has some nice long straight runs where that engine would look awesome but on the curves some of which are tight I think this engine would look ridiculous if it would even make it through the tight sections.
Thanks for all the info and photos.
Todd, do not “dash your dreams” based on a couple of photo’s…The 2-6-6-2 is big but so is any 1:20.3 engine when compared to the same engine in a smaller scale. I am not taking issue with anyone, but the pictures posted earlier do an injustice because of “forced perspective” By putting the larger engine in front, and the smaller in back it creates a stronger illusion of size. Here are the same engines when viewed from above…
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj222/Noble_Dreg/DSCF3589.jpg)
They don’t look so vastly different now do they? Here they are with the shay in front…Notice how big the shay looks in comparison…
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj222/Noble_Dreg/DSCF3586.jpg)
I’m not saying the 2-6-6-2 is a small engine, far from it. Just saying it is not so out of sync with the shay. You really need to see them together “in the flesh” to judge. 1:20.3 is not for those with small curves or tight features on their layout…But it is far from unmanageable.
Thanks Mark, that is a great photo angle to put them in perspective. Now you have me thinking again that I could get one of those fine engines. I did see both engines in person as well as a K27 on a recent trip to Charles Ro but they were not side by side but instead up on a display shelf at different heights. The persepective there was a bit skewered which made the Baldwin and the K27 look huge compared to the Shay.
The Shay measures around 20" and by the photo it looks like the 2-6-6-2 would be about 24-25" As far as tight track on my RR I have 5’, 8’ and 10’ diameter curves, most are 8’ . I have a USAT GP38 which is 22" long and I made a mock up of a 30" passenger car to test and that went around OK so I’m thinking a articulated engine at 25" might be OK.
My dreams have been undashed!
Bachmann Spectrum Locos have a 8’ diameter minimum radius (except maybe the 2-truck shay), but they can usually negotiate tighter curves for a short distance and at slow speed. I have a siding on my layout that has about a 5’ diameter curve and I have no problems with my K27, Shay or Mallet.
Sorry if my photos made the mallet look huge compared to the shay. There is a size difference though. Good luck
Your pictures were fine, I just thought to myself “Wow, that makes that mallet look really gargantuan”! 
I find the same thing you do, the engines can go through tighter radius curves as long as they are not pulling 1:20 rolling stock…Seems it’s only the cars that can’t handle it. I run my 2-truck shay on 5’ diameter frequently as it shuttles from one loop to another.
I actually think the 2-6-6-2 looks fine on 8’ diameter track, much better than the K-27.
Regardless, these big Bachmann’s are just too beautiful not to bring home!