Re: Patco's kits - for modifying MDC HOn3 2-8-0s

The MDC 2-8-0 was a complete nightmare to get running well. Many (most?) came with brass wheels which collect track dirt faster than anything else I know (worn nickel silver tyres are also very quick to collect dirt when the brass shows through). Getting the drive train to run smoothly can entail a lot of heart breaking work, Steve Hatch has done an excellent article on getting these going in the HOn3 group in groups.io You might read it!

The boiler and tender frame are make of a zinc alloy called Zamak. This has, when drilled, a nasty habit of melting spontaniously and then resetting itself round the drill bill so it cannot be pulled free of the hole. I mention this just in case you need to drill for headlight wire. Drill slow and use lube, stopping frequently.

Finally the replacement motor was a Sagami - no longer made. A Mashima would work but these are no longer made either and getting harder to find.

So at the end of the day you'll have a 375 look alike (well, almost) that doesn't run very well and has poor pulling power. I am really sorry to be so negative about these loco kits but modellers that have been in HOn3 for any length of time have tried to get them going half decently and failed. I am one.

Mark K
Durango CO