Well it ain’t no MTH Hudson by a long shot, but the dirt cheap new Bachmann Industrial 2-6-0 Mogul arrived at the CD&StL today. First impression - a lot of engine and detail for not much $$$$$. At $200.00 MSRP you can imagine what the street price will be.
The Mogul’s overall length is 23 1/2 inches. Length from the tip of the cow catcher to the tender end beam is 21 inches. Both the front and rear couplers stick way out so the first order of business will be to shorten them. Width at the widest point (the front pilot beam) is 4 5/32 inches. Height from railhead to top of stack is 5 3/8 inches. Tallest point is from railhead to tip of turbo generator exhaust pipe at 5 5/16 inches.
The motor drives the center set of drivers and is mounted slightly tipped to the rear from vertical. Electrical pickup is on the first and third set of drivers. All tender truck axles also have electrical pickups. The motor brick (block) is metal with the bottom cover being plastic and held in place with 3 screws. There is a lubrication port/plug in the bottom cover over the center driver.
The engine comes with NO owner’s manual or video. It does come with 2 pages, printed on both sides, that contain exploded views of the engine, drive train, tender, and electrical wiring. No mention of lubrication is made. The gears on the Mogul where dry. Best check for lubrication if you get one of these little gems.
Level of detail is on a par with other Spectrums and the Annies. Stephenson valve gear is non working. The boiler and cab look to be very close to that of the 2-4-2. My 2-4-2 is running on a club display so a comparison was not possible. The engine is very light and will require added weight if more than 3 or 4 cars are to be pulled.
Initial running of the engine shown it to be smooth and quiet. Next step will be to convert to battery power. The standard B’mann 9volt sound system is tender mounted and triggered by a sound drum on the leading driver. Wait till you see where B’mann placed the volume switch! :>)
All in all, I’m well pleased with the engine after this first quick once over. Time will tell how the engine holds up in service. Also pleased that B’mann got the engine into distribution in time for Christmas.
Jon - The Eastern One