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Upgrading a Bachmann 4-6-2 - Part 1

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 When it comes to what era of railroading I like to model, I usually go with anything from the 1940s to the 1970s. This encompasses the steam to diesel transition period, a wide variety of main and secondary passenger trains, and a time of great change for railroads. Last year, I acquired 17 various passenger car kits from an estate my model railroad club took in. The original owner designated five cars to be built to various B&O prototypes, and I wanted to fulfill their dreams. My goal was to build the cars and create a secondary B&O passenger train. Nothing specific but heavily inspired by train numbers 233 and 238 that ran through Columbus in my desired era. The construction of these cars is a great story on its own and will be covered in another blog post. Motive power for this consist had to be a B&O locomotive, preferably a geep or a Pacific-type steam locomotive. I was looking for a brass model to head this consist, but that proved to not be feasible. So, I selec...
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 Hello world! Before I get too far off track... let me introduce myself. My name is Jacob Durbin and I am a 25-year-old train enthusiast from Ohio. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Ohio University and work full-time on a land surveying crew. Outside of that, I volunteer on a tourist railway, am active in a local model railroad club, and work on model trains for myself and others. I enjoy traveling and spending time outdoors. I also like to play online games with my friends, read, and spend time with my girlfriend, who puts up with my ramblings and rants about history, trains, and utter nonsense. The reason I write this blog is to share my knowledge and experiences with others and build awareness for those who are interested. So... sit back, relax, have your tickets ready for the conductor, and enjoy the ride through the incredible world of trains!