I know there is probably already a thread about this, but bear with me. If anyone has used or uses bachmann diesels (particularly the h16-44 and FT A/B) are they any good? I know bachmann has a somewhat dubious reputation, but are they worth the low asking prices? thanks.
I personally haven’t had any of their diesels. Their best line though is spectrum. Detail isn’t the best and weight might be low but I don’t hear anything bad about them. The lower level ones, well you get what you pay for. Good starter loco’s but not long lasting.
Hi again,
I replied to your NYC or B&O thread that I proto-lance the B&O and all it’s incarnates.
It so happens I have the Bachmann FT A and B with DCC On Board - naturally in the B&O uniform.
I have had no trouble with them running and enjoy them tremendously. I can program them to run together easily.
The only problem is I have one switch that the bottom rungs of the lower step rails {to get up into the loco} on the A seems to snag if I back the loco through it. I think I will cut off the {plastic and rather thick and outsized bottom rungs step rails way out of scale anyway}, and replace them with some wire ones that would be more realistic.
Since I have mentioned DCC here, have you given any thought to whether you want DC or DCC {Digital Command Control}??? DC is cheaper, DCC a little more expensive, but Bachmann does make reasonably priced locos that are “DCC On Board”. SOme would call them crap, but they work for me and fit into my tight budget.
Spectrum engines were “state of the art” c.1988 but in many cases haven’t really changed much since, so have been eclipsed by newer products and are kind of “middle-of-the-road” now. I suspect most people wanting an FT would go for a Stewart one over the Bachmann one, but on either you do need to add detailing yourself (like handrails). Bachmann “DCC On Board” uses cheapo decoders, eventually I suspect most people swap them out for something better from NCE, Digitrax, TCS etc.
In short, yes.
In length:
As with ANY loco, someone will get a dud. No matter what brand, Atlas, MTH, Athearn or whatever. Read the threads and you will hear someone having trouble with all. Just keep in mind the reason you pay less, lower detail, noisier, less that stellar DCC decoder, not the smoothest or the best unning motor. Just like anything else. I have, and have heard from, over the years many people who have Bachmanns and they have no complaints other than the expected detail noisy, jerky etc complaints. I myself dismiss the lack of detail, noise, not smooth complaints, after all, I do not expect Cadillac for the price of a Cobalt.
I have both a Spectrum and aTrainset Bachmann diesel. Yes the Spectrum is quieter, smoother, and more refined looking, than the trainset one. It is as reliable as the Spectrum. May not last as long but that remains to be seen. Neither of course compares to the Atlas, but then again I don’t expect it to either.
Like I said, you get what you pay for. If you don’t expect the best and/or the budget doesn’t allow for it, IMHO Bachmann makes a good budget loco.
thanks everyone!
galaxy: I’m still running standard DC for the time being, but hopefully a DCC system is in the future.
The reason I ask is because I’ve found some on the web for around $20, so if they’re worth this, one or two might be in order. Thanks again.
Edit: If I’m running on standard DC, that would eliminate questionable DCC performance. I don’t know if this makes a difference in value, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
$20 bucks? New or used? you can get a brand new DC one for around $25 from an online dealer.
I just aquired a Bachmann DCC OnBoard GP7 wearing Chessie/B&O colors brand new for $47.00. SO there are some inexpensive DCC On Board from Bachmann for inexpensive entry to DCC. I have heard that some people who have had problems with the Bachmanns have returned them to Bachmann to be fixed and received a whole brand new loco as a replacement. That sounds like good Customer service to me. I haven’t yet experienced it as I have had no trouble with them…yet, anyway. They may wear out {that is I may wear them out running them}, and not last for eons, but it gives me something to play with while I save for a $150-300 DCC loco that are supposed to be “cream of the crop”, yet I DO find people here on the forum having trouble and returning/repairing those models too.
Just more food for thought and my [2c]
I had two of the H16-44’s, and overall, I was pleased with them. I did find that I had to disassemble the trucks, remove the gears, wash off all of the gunk they call lubrication, and then relubricate with quality after-market grease and oil–in this case I used the Woodland Scenics Molybdenum grease and LaBelle 107 oil. That both quieted down and smoothed out the locos. Note that these were pre-dcc engines.
I had a set of the Sharks with DCC on-board that I ran on DC (yes, I’m a luddite and use DC). I didn’t care for their performance, the starting voltage was too high, there was a hesitation in responding to throttle changes, and overall they seemed bulky. I did not relubricate these, so I have no idea if that was part of the problem.
Greg
Yea, $19.99 new. Like TMarsh said, you’re bound to have problems with any locomotive. But I agree with using them until I can afford something better. I’ve mentioned on the other thread that I’m on a pretty tight budget, so Proto and Stewart are little above my range at this point. I think I’ll go for it.
Now if only I could decide what roadname…
Greg, It was the decoders. the “built in” decoders in some Bachmann regular line diesels can perform pretty poorly on some DC throttles.
Remove or rewire them to by pass the decoder and they will run nice.
Still running DC here too, with Aristo Radio Throttles.
Sheldon
Just about all of my diesels are Bachmenn (with the exception of 2 life-like diesels on the “dead track”) and I have no complaints. For the dubious reputation, I havn’t had problems and yes, I beleave that they are worth the asking price. I havn’t had the diesels you are asking about, but I have a Dash-8 I got from a train show, and if I’m right in assuming that your H16-44 is an older unit, you will have dificulties instaling a DCC decoder, as Bachmenn use to make all of their hood units as split-frame locomotives.
Thanks for the info everyone!
I think later on this evening I’m going to order an FT-A/B set, in B&O.
I had one Spectrum I bought of E Bay used and had problems with it. Now E Bay may be the key word here. I did fiddle with it and got to to track, but it was light in the loafers and could only drag 10 cars or so. I have forgotten what kind of engine it was, it did have 6 wheel trucks.
What really turned me off on them was the split frame. Left and Right side of the frame was split down the center and motor and drive parts where in the center. When I went DCC I saw it was going to be way to much work to convert the engine. So off to E Bay it went again.
It was not that it was badly made, I just did not like how it was made. Athearn and Proto diesels are much easier to work on and pull better than the one I had. Far as there steam engines, I had two GS 4’s and they ran great for $80.00 engines. Had no problems with them, unlike my $270 to $600 BLI steamers.
Cuda Ken
Good job [tup] I, for one, am liking it! [tup][8D]
I hope you have as much fun as I have [swg]
Sheldon:
Oh I know the decoders were 90% of the problem. I ended up selling the Sharks, since I was unhappy with the truck detail, the overlarge fuel tank, and the paint scheme mistakes. I have an A-B-A set of old Model Power sharks that I am going to detail and paint as replacements.
I am using walk around, momentum throttles with memory from GML Enterprises. I do get to operate on Don Cassler’s M&K Division layout with DCC, which reminds me of Henry Kissenger’s comment at the start of the Nixon Administration, “We will not repeat the mistakes of the previous Administration. We will make our very own new mistakes.”
Greg
galaxy: thanks. I’m sure I’ll enjoy them. I’ll be sure to post here when they come in.
Greg,
Those are nice throttles and I have heard they don’t like dual mode decoders any more than the Aristo Train Engineer does.
I operate on one other layout besides my own that I installed Aristo throttles on and 4 others with Digitrax - you are so right about challenges/problems simply being “different”.
I agree the detail on the Bachmann regular line diesels is sparten, but, for the price they do run well for beginners/children/low budgets. I have the 70 ton switchers and they are very nice, now that the decoders are bypassed.
Sheldon
My experience is also only with the sharks, and they overall ran great. I had an ABBA set of the Demos, and until I did something STUPID to them, theey looked good too. ( didn’t measure the fuel tanks, I just photshoot them) One issue, that each one started faster than the other. And the Bs started faster than the Cabs, so I couldn’t just resort them effectiviely. At speed, this wan’t a problem, but starting, stopping, and running on hills, there was a bit of gnashing in the gears. Since I’ve ruined the paintscheme (weathering, something I shouldn’t do, practice beforehand or not) I think I’ll replace them, and try to get four winners out of the eight, and repaint the others to either Half-Moon or Naptown.
Wgere the decoder is fault in that, is that they don’t support speed stepping that I could find. so I could tell Speedy to wait for his partners to start.
I have been running Bachman from back when they were toy like. Over thirty years I have seen great improvements. In 1995 at the Atlanta National Model Railroad convention, I met with the Vice President of production design and he discussed the changes that Bachman knew they had to make even more so than what they had done.
I have several Spectrums as well the Bachman Plus line (F and U Units) as well as the Dash units. They all perform well. I have more expensive units, Atlas, Stewart, Proto 200, Athearn, even custom made engines, as well as Kato. MY brass is fair to good, the others are excellent, but I would also say that the Spectrums and Bachman Plus’s work really well, even my steam. In my case they are dependable.
This morning I had a CSX Dash that was quite noisy, kind of grinding, so I took it apart. The nice thing about the Spectrum and Bachman Plus is that maintainence is fairly easy and access to the inner components is not complicated. Removed four screws from the bottom and the whole running unit separted from the shell; with the Dash units you do not have to remove the couplers. Greased and oiled then back on the track running as smooth as glass. For the price I think they are a good deal.
Robert Sylvester
WTRR