# Dismantling a 2-6-2 Bachman Prairie



## ..TrainMaster.. (Nov 7, 2015)

Hey there everyone. Has anyone had any experience with removing the body shell off of one of these bachman loco? I wish to convert min to dcc but haven't the foggiest how to detach the shell from the chassis. I've found all the obvious retaining screws. But something still seems to be catching. There is a lot of delicate push rods and housing on this loco and I wish not to damage them in the process of removing the shell. An thoughts?


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## /6 matt (Jul 7, 2015)

On the right side of the locomotive there is a horizontal tank directly above the cylinder. Near that tank is an area where the body slips over a tab on the frame of the locomotive and there will be a corresponding tab on the other side. I always take two small screw drivers, one to pry each tab, and insert them in to place, spread the body open and it falls right off the frame.


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## /6 matt (Jul 7, 2015)

The tab is right here.


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## ..TrainMaster.. (Nov 7, 2015)

/6 matt said:


> On the right side of the locomotive there is a horizontal tank directly about the cylinder. Near that tank is an area where the body slips over a ta on the frame of the locomotive and there will be a corresponding tab on the other side. I always take two small screw drivers, one to pry each tab, and insert them in to place, spread the body open and it falls right off the frame.


Perfect I will give this a try tomorrow will make this dcc effect it smoking ability


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## /6 matt (Jul 7, 2015)

Excellent. Let me know if it works for you as I'm going off of how my 0-6-0 has its shell mounted as the shells are very similar. Plus that picture courtesy of Google images of course.


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## ..TrainMaster.. (Nov 7, 2015)

/6 matt said:


> Excellent. Let me know if it works for you as I'm going off of how my 0-6-0 has its shell mounted as the shells are very similar. Plus that picture courtesy of Google images of course.


Oh snap lol haha I have just realized I have been talking about the wrong engine. Mine is like yours lol the 0-6-0


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## /6 matt (Jul 7, 2015)

I take it you got it then?


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## ..TrainMaster.. (Nov 7, 2015)

..TrainMaster.. said:


> Perfect I will give this a try tomorrow will make this dcc effect it smoking ability


Haha hey friend. Yes I did. Got her open then I lost my nerve lol. And freaked out, had no idea how I was going to wire her for dcc. First biggest trouble will have be finding a way to isolate the motor. I wanna do this conversation. But I'm really scared I'll lose my smoking feature


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## ravex1049 (Dec 19, 2011)

I'd be interested to see how the DCC conversion goes. I've had some trouble with my Bachmann 0-6-0. It's not a strong puller but a sweet little engine. I'm assuming you would wire the smoke unit with or separate of the headlight and use dcc functions to turn it on/off. I took the route of converting the tender with power pickup and the decoder in there. I ended up just buying a bachmann spectrum tender and started moving the parts to the little tender. Trouble was the trucks were so bad out shape that I couldn't just transfer the wheels. So after some modification I think the spectrum truck will sit ok underneath. I need to modify the weights but it 'should' work ok. I'm amazed how much heavier the spectrum tender was. Then on to pull apart the loco and run some wires. If I recall it's a split frame.


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## ..TrainMaster.. (Nov 7, 2015)

ravex1049 said:


> I'd be interested to see how the DCC conversion goes. I've had some trouble with my Bachmann 0-6-0. It's not a strong puller but a sweet little engine. I'm assuming you would wire the smoke unit with or separate of the headlight and use dcc functions to turn it on/off. I took the route of converting the tender with power pickup and the decoder in there. I ended up just buying a bachmann spectrum tender and started moving the parts to the little tender. Trouble was the trucks were so bad out shape that I couldn't just transfer the wheels. So after some modification I think the spectrum truck will sit ok underneath. I need to modify the weights but it 'should' work ok. I'm amazed how much heavier the spectrum tender was. Then on to pull apart the loco and run some wires. If I recall it's a split frame.
> View attachment 145738
> 
> 
> ...


My tender looks just like your green one there.
As for the conversation of my 262 I'm not really sure how to go about it. It's much more complicated than the conversation I did on my 1970s scotsman. The chassis on my 262 is earthen the same as the scotsman (grounded through the metal chassis frame) the issue I have though is that the power pick ups + & - from the wheels seem to run up through an area that has coiled wire touching the frame so for me it looks very complicated. I also have no idea how to wire up the smoke unit or lights as I love the smoke unit and don't want to loose it's function through a dcc conversion


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## ..TrainMaster.. (Nov 7, 2015)

*Weird smoking issue*

Hey guys I have just received my second prairie she is brand new. But it's smoking out of the wheels?? At a stand still and low speed the smoke unit emits through the smoke stack but as it gets faster the smoke starts coming out of the wheels on the right side. It's a standard 262 prairie locomotive so it's not meant to do this. Any advice.


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## ravex1049 (Dec 19, 2011)

Here's a little progress. I took the shell off the loco. It's a split frame- but that might make it easier to route the wires to the headlight and smoke unit. Looks like I can run wires right to them. Seems if I had space I could just install an N Scale decoder in the cab but I don't want the unsightly wires. The motor is already isolated- it sits in these plastic cups on each end. A little tape around the center of the motor and remove the springs that attach to the motor leads and it just needs some wiring from the tender/decoder.

What kind of draw does the smoke unit have- could I wire it in series with the headlight? (which I assume isn't the right v for DCC anyway)


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## ..TrainMaster.. (Nov 7, 2015)

I have this coloured prairie as well. Any idea how the motor us powered? What I can see on mine it has no power leads


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## ravex1049 (Dec 19, 2011)

To get the loco apart- there's three screws on the bottom. Then the cover comes off and the wheels- all connected together pull right out. To get the top shell off there's two metal tabs on the chassis in the front by the pistons. They're hard to see but gently prying the shell outwards- sort of like the Athearn BB locos will separate it from the tabs. There's nothing holding cab side. The plastic pistons stay connected to the metal frame, removeable later.


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## ..TrainMaster.. (Nov 7, 2015)

ravex1049 said:


> To get the loco apart- there's three screws on the bottom. Then the cover comes off and the wheels- all connected together pull right out. To get the top shell off there's two metal tabs on the chassis in the front by the pistons. They're hard to see but gently prying the shell outwards- sort of like the Athearn BB locos will separate it from the tabs. There's nothing holding cab side. The plastic pistons stay connected to the metal frame, removeable later.


Tea I got that far with it but on my loco when I go to remove the wheels from the chassis they pivot from the piston housing. Do you have to work the piston rod loose or something ?


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## thysell (Jun 8, 2013)

I think the power leads are on the back of the can motor. They are hidden under the black plastic. I had one apart a few years back to see if I could make it DCC.


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