Proto 2000 HO USRA 0-6-0: A Forgotten Gem
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- UPDATE: Bachmann has shown their newly tooled 0-6-0 in a video! It looks very good - not as detailed as the Proto 2000 model, but vastly better than the old Bachmann one. I'll wait until I see it in person (and hear the sound decoder) before making a video about it, though.
This is another out-of-production HO steam engine that I've been drooling over since I saw it in Model Railroader magazine as a kid, and now I can finally afford one. It's just a pity they don't make them anymore.
I'll post another update video on the layout soon - there's a multitude of small changes and upgrades that I'd like to talk about (and one big one).
Proto quality is way beyond the basic Bachmann. I have a USRA 2-10-2 Proto Heritage since new in 2009 and it still runs like the day it was new. Super smooth, crawls at less than 1 scale mph without jerking. The Sound is still impressive even by today's standards. I love it. The 0-6-0 looks great.
Fun fact the Bachmann tender was simply taken from their Reading 2-8-0 I10 class!
That explains a lot! I always wondered why it didn't look like any prototype USRA 0-6-0 tender I'd ever seen.
Guided primarily by this video, I just purchased a Proto 2000 0-6-0, and couldn't be happier with it. It is a used model, but is in perfect condition, with its DCC address already set to its road number. I simply placed it on the track, entered the address, and away it went, very smooth. Perfect. Picked it up online in Ontario for $175 + tax & shipping -- good deal I think. Many thanks for your extensive review. I am enjoying all your videos.
Awesome find! Glad you enjoyed the video. These really are great engines. I'm in the middle of repainting mine and converting it to DCC.
I have been modeling since about 1957 and have owned, repaired, painted and operated some amazing brass models. I bought one of the Proto USRA 0-6-0's and was totally surprised at the model. It runs as well as my most impressive brass engines and matches them for details. I hard wired a Tsunami DCC decoder in it and I have to say I haven't seen anything in plastic and very, very little in brass that compares to this little engine.
Great video Michael. Love your reviews, all the important details without the waffle. Wish my model railway was as good as yours. Greetings from the UK.
I just purchased a GM&O model of this locomotive and I have fallen in love with it. I picked it up today (3/23/24) at a model train swap meet for 100 dollars. It does have DCC and sound equipped and the quality is near museum grade. I look forward to many years of service out of this little guy. I also grew up with a train set Dixie 150 bachmann 0-6-0 and this truly is an upgrade over it.
Definitely want one of those they are really well detailed
I found 2 of the 0-6-0s for free in a used collection 1 had dcc sound but had a completely rotted motor and a dc 1 that worked great so I got both and moved the sound decoder to the dc 1 and now it works and sounds great. the ex dcc sound 1 just needs a new motor and its as good as new!
Great video! I was in high school when those came out. I had gotten my first brass steam engine, an older Japanese one from the 70s, and both my dealer and I compared it to a P2K USRA 0-6-0 and agreed the detailing was comparable.
A similar set was what got me into the hobby. Mine was the Pacific Flyer set.
Bachmann is actually redoing there 0-6-0 and there giving them decoder. There even upgrading the detail quality and giving them different tenders also
I've heard that they're adding sound and roadname-specific headlights and tenders, but I can't find any info on whether they're retooling the whole model or just adding stuff to the existing one. Given the prices they've announced, I doubt it will be significantly more detailed than the old model. I'm curious to see what they do with it, though.
Mike Ramsey there’s actually a video of them out. Bachmann was showcasing there new freight cars and the engine pulling them is a retooled 0-6-0
@@warbabyproductions Really! I'll have to check out their channel! I've been waiting a long time to see the new 0-6-0.
@@warbabyproductions I just checked it out and WOW! They really did improve it enormously. I'm still glad I bought the Proto, but now I'm thinking I might have to get the new Bachmann too at some point.
Just WOW! I am impressed by this model.
Nice locomotive! They have always been on my list to get lol. Proto engines are very good! Take care!
I found mine at a train show. Got a super great deal on it, didn't have to pay shipping.
I'm at the Mad City Train show this weekend and I'm considering buying one of these. I had the 0-8-0 Northern Pacific model a number of years ago and regret selling it. Proto Heritage was probably the best steam engine line up ever produced. BLI just doesn't compare.
I picked up a Proto 2000 CB&Q 0-8-0 USRA steam engine at a good price from a swap meet. New old stock.
I absolutely love your content. Like seriously love it. Went through and watched a bunch of it. Building a 6x16 layout right now!!! All modular
That police box / TARDIS is a nice touch!
This video inspired me to get a Proto 2000 USRA 0-6-0 myself. Mine is currently still in her original livery, C&NW 2624, to be re-lettered and re-numbered as Great Lakes & Santa Fe (GL&SF) 62.
Cape Hatteras National Railroad?
@@aidensypolt What? No, C&NW is Chicago & North Western.
Found CNJ 106 on Ebay at a very reasonable price . A great little steamer with a QSI soundboard.
I have 2 bachmann 0-6-0 for the B&O and N.C.&St.L and they are not worn out.
The latest generation (2009-ish or newer) have pretty good mechanisms. I've had mine for about 5 years and it still runs fine. All the ones I had before that fell apart after a while were the older version with the three-piece plastic axles, which were notorious for cracking, causing the wheels to fall off. The build quality of the current version is quite good - it's just not a very detailed model by modern standards.
@@michaelramsey81 The B&O's front static coupling broke
@@aidensypolt Sounds like an opportunity to put a working coupler on it! On mine, I cut the static coupler off flush with the edge of the hole, drilled it out, and glued a Bachmann E-Z Mate knuckle coupler in there. It doesn't swivel but it works fine.
@@michaelramsey81 I had the N.C.&St.O for 2 years
And I'm planning on getting more Bachmann 0-6-0 for The Hatteras Island National Railroad
Now you can start your HO museum and give rides to your HO people.
I always wanted one of these in the GTW road name (sold only in Canada- not sure why because the GTW operated mostly in Michigan) Never did get one but just found 2 on ebay for around $175.
Oh I love those life like 0-6-0. I have one myself and it runs so smooth.
I’m trying to put LED lights into my proto 2000 0-6-0. If at all possible, could you do a video showing the disassembly process?
You are amazing!
I recently got one of these off eBay, however I was annoyed to discover the magnets in the motor had disintegrated, I haven't been able to find a new motor that fits and I can't get the old one out of the mount, right now it's sitting in the box waiting for more attention
That sucks! I didn't know that could happen with these.
We’re all early 1900’s 0-6-0’s originally URSA’s?
Nope. The USRA design, first built in 1918, incorporated features from many common designs before it, and was intended to be a standardized design that could be used by numerous American railroads during WW1. After the "official" USRA 0-6-0s stopped being built, many railroads continued to build more based on the same design because they liked them.
that locomotive belongs with a modeller who does southeast railroads like me who does all steam in South Carolina. Which SR, SAL and ACL.
Live been thinking on getting a newer bachmann 0-6-0 with a Vandy tender, to convert into a logging engine. Any tips on how to shrink the stack down?
I'd wait and get one of the DCC sound versions that were announced recently. Those have a much more scale-accurate shell, including the stack.
I’m actually going to get one. What kind of dcc socket does it have?
It's a standard NMRA 8-pin socket.
@@michaelramsey81 oh. That’s good. I typically use 8-pin decoders, so this should work flawlessly with my current fleet of locomotives.
@@michaelramsey81a bit of an update; I have bought one. Mine is a model of Seaboard Air Line 1094. I must say that the performance is amazing compared to my older Bachmann 2-8-0s and even my Broadway Limited ACL 4-6-2. I personally fitted 1094 with a Digitrax dh126 decoder.
@@SouRwy4501Productions Congrats! These really do run beautifully - definitely better than most Bachmann locos. I wish the Proto 2000 steam lineup had stuck around longer so we could have seen a wider variety of prototypes from them.
@@michaelramsey81 that would’ve been cool. Maybe if they had stuck around a bit longer, they would eventually make a model of a Southern Railway 2-8-2.
Are these models DC only, or DCC-ready? Just wondered how easy/hard it would be to fit DCC/sound. Does anyone know? Thanks.
They are DCC ready. There was a version that came with DCC and sound from the factory.
@@michaelramsey81 thanks Michael. What about fitting a speaker? Is there a dedicated space, or mounts for one?
@@barryclements8395 Mine doesn't have any speaker holes, so I'm guessing there were two different versions of the tender, one with speaker mounts and one without. I've seen a couple of conversions of similar tenders that had the speaker mounted under the coal load, and some small holes drilled to let the sound out, so that might be an option.
I was trying to DCC fit my Proto 0-6-0 and the decoder socket in mine has the pins on the socket rather than the jumper for some reason. Is there a type of decoder that works with this type of socket, or did you have to hardwire yours?
It is an odd design. I ended up removing the entire original circuit board and hardwiring mine, as I've done with several of my locos.
@@michaelramsey81 oh I see, makes sense. I didn’t know if it was just a different type of socket that I was unfamiliar with.
@@modelrailfan37It might be, but I'm unfamiliar with it as well, lol. I've ended up hard-wiring most of my locos anyway, so I often don't even bother using the quick plug.
@@michaelramsey81 oh okay lol 😂. Hardwireing isn’t a bad idea though, that way if something if faulty in the circuit board or something you don’t have to worry about it blowing the motor or decoder. It especially makes sense if you have a lot of models without DCC sockets like you and I do, meaning you will have to hardwire several locos anyways!
@@modelrailfan37 That's my reasoning too. A lot of locos have extra resistors and capacitors on the circuit board (usually intended to reduce electrical noise) that interfere with BEMF and other decoder features, so it makes sense to just remove the stock electronics entirely.
So can i use the underframe from the proto on the bachmann? Becuase, all i need is an operational front coupler for my 2 bachmann 0-6-0's
I don't think so. The way the chassis goes together is completely different. For a front coupler, I would just pull out the fake plastic one that it comes with and superglue a Bachmann E-Z Mate coupler into the slot.
@@michaelramsey81 I don’t think you can pull those fake couplers out of the slot
@@fiercetrains4052 Sometimes you can, sometimes they're in too tight. On one of mine, I had to cut the coupler off and drill a hole.
@@michaelramsey81 that’s what I was thinking of too
Is this engine DC or DCC? I don't hear sound which is good for Deaf model railroaders
At the time I filmed this, it was standard DC. I've since installed a (non-sound) DCC decoder in it.
Im gonna rebuild a Bachmann Union Pacific 4433 0-6-0 to a 2-6-0
That should be fun. I believe Bachmann did sell a 2-6-0 version at one point (basically the Prairie minus the trailing truck).
@@michaelramsey81 it needs a new tender sooooo ill probably get the North Pole Express set for parts
Those passenger cars look cool, who made them?
The red ones are Roundhouse 50' Overland cars. The grey ones are Rivarossi 60' commuter cars. Both are getting harder to find these days, but they turn up occasionally.
@@michaelramsey81 Thank you!
You look familiar, did we go to school together? Lol fr
Maybe, lol. Did you go to Mendocino High School in Mendocino, California around 2014-16?
Nah, Northeast Florida, BCHS 2018
But hey, you may have a lookalike on this side of the US. Lol
@@deathbreach3448 Very likely, lol. I've never been to Florida, but I'm sure I have plenty of doppelgangers in various places.
Michael, aside from your deserving a larger MRR for your excellent modeling skills, and that, yes, the 0-6-0 IS a beauty; since you are so steam oriented (as I too am) I think you ought to consider just having a few assorted older fashioned 1:87 scale automobiles placed here and there as opposed to all those sexy glossy modern ones which look wrong along side 1900s locos and cars..Everything else looks great !..Those mod autos, to me, spoil the effect of steam era RRing...
To be honest, the reason I have modern cars all over the layout is because I got them for free, lol. They're also slightly oversized at 1/72 scale. I'd love some '50s-era 1/87 vehicles, but they're insanely expensive compared to, for example, 1/64 scale vehicles. I'll have to gradually build up a collection of them.