how well do the pilot wheels of bachmann’s 2-10-0 and 4-6-0 travel through switches, and crossovers?
It depends on how well you track is layed. If your track work is good, they have no prbolems.
The most common problem is that the track is not level, and the long rigid wheel base cause the front to go up as climbs over the high point. Atlas turnouts are notorious for having frogs higher than the surrounding track.