If I were in the mkt for a new Forney in Large Scale…would I …
I’d prob go with a nice used LGB, if the funds were there I’d sure do the Live Steam, but would find it really hard to spend the near 6 on a Bachmann full of sockets and such…
thoughts?
I would go with Gregs offer. You can trust Greg and an LGB is much better quality then B mann. I really like the Bachmann Forney but they seem to be getting higher and higher in price and then their is the quality control issue. The Bachmann Forney is new, we dont have much info on it yet (unless there is a review i missed). The accucraft stuff is nice annd in live steam would be cool but its so much better to run a train with Battery or electric rather dealing with the steam and a much less run time. Dont get me wrong live steam is cool and I would love to have one someday. When you look at that price you cant beat the one Greg has for the LGB.
If I remember correctly didnt Brian just do a kitbashed forney? That would be another alternative. Issue 88 in Tall Timbers has an article about Forney’s and great pictures
Like Shaun said I would go with Greg’s offer unless you like to fiddle faddle with things like live steam engines. Sure looks like alot of tweeking fiddling and faddling to get it to run properly. And then there is the elevated track thingy if you have bad legs, knees etc on top of everything else. Buy the LGB not the Botchmann!! Regal
The Accucraft live steamer one is quite tempting but I don’t have the layout for it. Greg E’s price seems a bit high since new ones were going for less than $300 a year ago on closeout. St. A’s had side tank porters going for $125 on closeout in their ad. Would make for a nice bash project! I have one I’ll be upscaling to 7/8’s -
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n214/altterrain/7-8n2%20projects/porter/bachmannporter.jpg)
maybe to something like this (from Bob’s slideshow, I forgot who made it) -
or this -
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n214/altterrain/7-8n2%20projects/porter/porter-2ft-0-4-2T.jpg)
or there is the C-16 / porter bash 
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n214/altterrain/forney-cation/forney-sideA.jpg)
-Brian
Brian Donovan said:I think Greg has an older limited edition model that is of better quality than later production. Ralph
Greg E's price seems a bit high since new ones were going for less than $300 a year ago on closeout. -Brian
Depends on what you’re looking for in a model.
Option 1 is based on a specific prototype, if tweaked a bit for gauge. It looks all the world for the Maine 2’ forneys, and has a level of detail far and above either of the two other options. Despite B’manns quality issues, all of my B’mann locos are top-drawer runners, so I’d have no hesitation going for this one if that’s a concern. Price, obviously, is a concern. On the other hand, the socket and either the Revolution, QSI, or RCS boards makes converting this loco to battery dirt simple.
Option 2 is decidedly un-detailed and I think the trailing truck is a bit small, but that’s an aesthetic thing. The Accucraft model is essentially a basic blank canvas upon which you can hang whatever details you’d like. It’s live steam, which means it’s not a “turn it on and watch it run” thing if that’s what you’re looking for. Live steam has its own benefits, though, and is quite addictive in its own right. It is not something you do with a yard full of kids distracting you. (I haven’t fired my steamers up in two years.)
Option 3 is “old reliable,” and while not a specific prototype, does capture the spirit of the Maine forneys. The details are a bit coarse, and it’s not a “true” forney in that the front chassis pivots under the boiler. Depending on which version it is, it would likely benefit from either a minor or complete repaint to look good. And by all means, PLEASE replace the engineer with one who takes up the appropriate amount of space in the cab! That pygmie they put in the cab can’t even see out the window.
Personally, I’d go for Option 1, because I’m too much of a purist to stomach the front pilot swiveling out from underneath the boiler. It’s worth the extra money just for that alone. That, and my experience with Bachmann locos has been overwhelmingly positive so I have no doubts that this would be a smooth runner. Maybe not as robust as LGB’s, but I don’t torture-test my locos, either. (My daughter, on the other hand…)
Later,
K
I guess I can’t comment because I have a vested interest, ha ha!
As everyone has pointed out, the LGB is not a perfect representation. But the quality and running characteristics are definitely a known quantity (and mine is a limited run, club member unit, and I was the first person to run it, I know)
The Bachmann will have more detail and more accuracy, but after the last 2 locos, I would definitely wait until a number of my friends got them and reported back. The price seems high for what I take as a much simpler loco.
Time will tell on the Bachmann, it could turn out to be really nice with no problems.
Regards, Greg
Brian Donovan said:
or there is the C-16 / porter bash(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n214/altterrain/forney-cation/forney-sideA.jpg)
-Brian
What can you tell me about the rear trucks/wheel set on this unit? Are they steel insulated wheels?
David Russell said:The truck side framea are white metal castings. I picked them up on eBay from one of the 7/8's guys. I don't remember the name of the company but I'm pretty sure they are long out of business. The wheels are Sierra Valley (available from Ozark), the smallest size they make, I'm pretty sure. The Bachmann small "1:20" trucks would probably make for a good substitute.
What can you tell me about the rear trucks/wheel set on this unit? Are they steel insulated wheels?
-Brian
Thanks!
thanks guys…but what I was really trying to get at here was pricing… I can’t seem to wrap my head around the fact that Bmann is listing the MSRP for a forney at $1150.00;… for a Forney! while the K listed is as $1500…problems aside, that k is much bigger and would appear more bang for the bux just about any way you look at it. shown here with Big Hauler Gons and a Bobber Caboose; that example shows just how Small this thing is:
(http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/gallery/albums/Large-Scale-Forney/aab.jpg)
The Accu MSRP is right at $660, and some on-line retailers are street-ing the Bachmann for that. Though a nearly “blank canvas” when details are considered…I could go LS and skip the battery and RC add-on cost-besides I’d really dig a steamer. While no scale is specified on the LGB, I’d bet it’d out run the others 2 to 1, any day…and the NOS ones do go for about $388 at TW. I’m really not shooting for a scale comparo, but pricing, and used Gregs loco because I was aware of it and would love to own it. Pricing is, again, what I can’t understand…not the fact they list some crazy high MSRP, but even the street price for the Bachmann appears to be (when considering the competing market and ROI) Way too high…is it just me, Cheapo Cale, or do you agree that the Forney is on the street for $200 or $300 dollars more that you’d expect, anticipate or even pay?
Cale, my SR&RL Forney from LGB is almost ten years old now, and got a full tear-down service earlier this year. There was little to actually do, except to lube around and to ensure that the main motor truck/body pivot was well-greased up with LGB’s own glop. The loco itself is surprisingly complex, BTW, and really justifies the two big articles on its service and maintenance in the UK Garden Railway mag.
It is a very heavy and powerful hauler, easily coping with twelve Bachmann log cars, ten of which have real logs, plus the van, and apart from a bulb, has cost me nothing since I plunked down the admittedly high price all those years ago.
It is also as near as dammit 1/20th scale, too…
Sure it lacks the fine detail of the new Bachmann offering, but it’s pretty near gibby-proof, and remembering Rule 8, still looks good to me.
tac
www.ovgrs.org
Brian Donovan said:David Russell said:The truck side framea are white metal castings. I picked them up on eBay from one of the 7/8's guys. I don't remember the name of the company but I'm pretty sure they are long out of business. The wheels are Sierra Valley (available from Ozark), the smallest size they make, I'm pretty sure. The Bachmann small "1:20" trucks would probably make for a good substitute.
What can you tell me about the rear trucks/wheel set on this unit? Are they steel insulated wheels?-Brian
tac
www.ovgrs.org
Steamers are a lot of fun but unless you have a dead level, elevated tack you will probably want RC installed. I have a Ruby and it is really unusable on my track without RC. It wants to race downhill (and fly off the track when it hits a curve) and then crawl to a stop on an upgrade. The forney I think has larger cylinders than the Ruby, so it should run more smoothly, but Accucraft’s butane burners are just a pan in the butt–it’s very hard, in my limited experience, to get them to run at a steady pace–it takes a good bit of tweaking, and it’s hard to od it at ground level. I’m thinking of installing a servo to adjust the fuel flow. Unless you have a dead flat elevated layout I’d say go for RC with live steam.
I saw the Bachman Forney at ECLSTS and thought it was a marvelously detailed model, made the LGB look very toy like in comparison. Kids’d be breaking pieces off in no time flat
While I understand the comparison between the pricing on the K vs. the Forney, I have to wonder which of the two is really the unrealistic price? Is the Forney inflated or is the K underpriced? Knowing what I know about some of the costs involved with the K, it definitely leans towards the latter. The cost of the Forney is probably far more reflective of the actual production costs. For the consumer, it still makes no logical sense, but that’s hardly unique to Bachmann. You can find the same LGB mogul selling anywhere from $300 to $1200 just based on what’s printed on the tender (that’s retail, not collector prices). You can buy a 1:32 Accucraft Big Boy for $3800, while their 1:20.3 K-28 costs $4800 and 4-6-0 costs $1200. There has to be some logic behind the scenes, but from what the consumer sees on the web site or printed page, it makes no sense whatsoever.
Later,
K
