I have been looking at Bachmann DCC equipped assorted diesels. Prices are very good. Just starting out in DCC. What can I expect from these locos. Not talking Spectrum, just Bachmann. HO
Any time I buy a DCC on board Bachmann locomotive is swap out the decoder. The decoders are lowsey. they can make the motor groul. starting voltages high, poor slow speed operation, and so on. And there is a capasitor that should be taken out also. Just starting out in DCC , you will notice after running a loco with a TCS decoder and a Bachmann decoder the huge difference in peformance. in the same loco to boot.
You may want to post your DCC questions in the ELECTRONICS and DCC forums. Alot of the guys on that forum are pretty savey and can help you get stated in DCC.
Good luck.
I like mine. yes, they growl, but so does an Athearn, and it’s no worse than the hum of a DC engine on DCC. For the price, and what they are, they are nice engines. (I have a few, mostly the Sharks.) I plan to aquire an NYC or tow for my Riley model, whether I get two or a P2K to drop sound into I don’t know. I’m not sure they’re up to the looking quality to be an entire fleet, but they are nice enough to be a good general filler loco. Let the othe rbrands be the stars of the show, but put the Bachs in for the rest of the engine needs.
The biggest complaint I have, is there is no consistant speed between otherwise identical engines. The decoders are nigh impossible to speedmatch too. So if you plan to do a lot of consisting, beware
I have a GE 70 ton, which runs okay. Eventually I think I want to replace it with a nice sound loco, but it serves me fine for now.
sfb
I’ve got 9 Bachmann diesels with Bachmann’s DCC ONBoard, including one AB set that lashes up together perfectly without speed modification…
I have 3 Bachmann steamers that are DCC OnBoard too.
I love them all. They have given me much use without a hint of trouble. They ran well right out of the box.
Only one ‘growls’ on slow speed start up, but the rest are very quiet, as quiet as the one and only one Athearn I have which I don’t like as much.
I have NEVER changed out the decoder OR replaced one OR sent one back to the factory for warrantee, and some I have had for 5 yrs.
While I have a small layout in the "storage " {read: JUNK} room, They often don’t get run except at Christmas time on the under-the-tree layout so they sit for aobut 10-11 months in a box until called up and work well when called upon again.
For the price, I figure even if I got just ‘some’ use of them, they wouldn’t owe me much.
SO I for one think they are great and have nto expereinced any trouble with them. If I do, I hear the Bachmann Service Dept. in Philly, PA is wonderful to send them to for repairs or replacements to your satisfaction.
I’ve got a couple. They work fine.
I’ve got 2, a GP-38 & 40.
They run fine but they do growl & are very mismatched in top speed. One was very noisy right out of the box when run in reverse.
They are what they are… cheap but reliable loco’s. I think I paid $34.00 each for them, new.
-Ed
Short answer: they are good for the money. I only dabble with HO but my Bach Geep 7 is perfect for it.
The details are lacking (no nose grab irons, etc) but it looks good and runs without a hitch. If you are looking to be a detailing person, these are great since you can customize so much.
I agree with consisting problems from above; stick with consisting Bach engines together and you will not have a problem.
I haven’t removed the DCC decoder since i do not plan on doing outside changing directions, but if you want to add anything in the future such as mars lights or rotary beacons, get a new decoder. I did add in a Digitrax sound-only decoder which really enhances the overall experience. the is room in the fuel tank for the speaker.
The drive is smooth and quiet, but not really powerful. 10 cars on a >3% grade is about it for my loco without traction tires, 15 to 20 on flat runs.
Mine has been running for about 36 hours total on a club layout, about a mile in 1:1 scale, and has not failed me once. I was very impressed considering Bachmann’s history. They are really working to beat it. My guess is this goes for all of their locos. Overall, it is a good investment with a lot of potential.
I have about a dozen. On some I changed out the decoders. On some others I removed the capacitors and that made a big difference. The Bachmann decoders do not have BEMF so they tend to run away a bit coming down grade. They don’t have speed tables built in so they are hard to speed match for mu service but it can be done. They are good affordable locomotives for the DCC mopdeler who doesn’t have much money, many under $100. For that reason I don’t expect them to have the running capabilities of the $300-$400 jobs. Anybody who buys one thinking it will perform to the high grade specs is either thinking they’ll get steak and lobster for the price of beans and cornbread or has a bad case of wishful thinking. Bachamnn DCC locos are what they are. A good cheap DCC locomotive for the beginner or the modeler who can’t afford the newer expensive models. Just don’t expect much. You’ll have motor and light control and that’s it.
I see that recently you’ve been gathering info on motive power since returning to the hobby after 20 years. This is a very good place to gather all sorts of opinions and results. I can see that unless you’ve been keeping up on all the “new” stuff and aren’t around many that have bought and run it can be a bit daunting to just go out and layout $$$ only to learn by trial and ERROR. Believe me, when I first got back into the hobby 20 years ago, I was in the same position. I lucked out joining quite a great club nearby. After 20 years in the SSMRC http://www.ssmrc.org/ With 60+ members buying, running all sorts of equiptment, we get a real good feel of what is produced and how it will operate. Yes, most of us may be more of “eletists” in what we want in our roster, but The results are in on most everything out there.
The age of the RTR stuff has “spoiled” even some of the “purists” in the club. The days of kitbashing and custom detailing that Rail Power or Atheran shell, custom paint and lettering, modifying chassis and drives is all but gone by the wayside. This is not saying that some don’t still go this route, but I find myself finding that new release from Atlas, Proto etc to fit the bill and right out of the box!
As to the Bachman question, I gave up on Bachman diesel years ago, I and many have found issues w/ poor quality and dependability in consistant quality control, design and dependability w/ these things. Running or consistant running quality of units is terrible compared to just and old BB Athearn never ming spending a few more $$ to get better more road specific, highly detailed, fantastic running chassis that you will find in Atlas, P2K, BLI, Athearn G
I like my 70 tonner.
It was a smooth runner but,now its a tad noisy but,not unbearable.
When it comes to locomotives you pay for what you get most of the time. Bachmann loco’s have been at the bottom of the barrel for a long time and there is a reason for that, they aren’t very good. Yep, your going to hear from a few people that say they are great little loco’s but in reality they are not. If you want a good loco at a reasonable cost then get an Athearn RTR and pop in the decoder yourself. You will be much happier in the end and you will avoid the frustration of being a Bachmann owner. There is a reason you see people unloading them at train shows. The only Bachmann that I’ve ever seen run ok is their 70 ton version which a few people have bragged on. If I were you though I would look at Atlas, Kato or Proto 2000 loco’s. They will out live you…
Remember guys, the DCC Onboard IS a step up from the Plus lines in operational senses. Granted, not all locos may be a big step, but they are a step.
Well, they certainly run well here…and yes, some did have a growl but then with a little lubing I did not notice that growling…so…why the beef?
Yeah, when you brought that out I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’ll admit to being pleasantly surprised…that unit is as quiet (well, it was until you put the sound decoder in it! [:)]) and smooth as any Kato that I’ve run. And I was pleasantly surprised at how much pulling power it had as well, especially considering the grades on the club layout.
All in all, I’d say that Bachmann locos produced in the last few years are well worth the money.
I have the GP30, and I use DC. The decoder powered the motor with a low frequency pulse signal, resulting in a growling/humming noise similar to what comes with the cheapest of DC train set power packs. Since I don’t use DCC, I eventually swapped the decoder out for a couple diodes and some 12V light bulbs.
On the subject of running, it’s almost Kato smooth at all but low speeds. It’s a bit noisy simply because of cheap bearings combined with a construction that picks up on resonant sounds, but it’s dependable!
I agree that Bachmann locos (mainly diesel models) are noisy. If I remember correctly the Bachmann DCC On Board board is a six pin plug with a jumper installed so it will run DC/DCC so I believe you will have to discard the entire board to use a decoder from another manufacturer. Please correct me if I am wrong.
The new Athearn RTRs are very quiet and smooth runners from my experience. I have quit purchasing the Genesis simply because of all the small parts that must be installed and then tend to fall off if you actually plan on handling the model and running it.
Many older Athearns actually run pretty quiet after lubing the thrust bearings and the armature but for the most part it is impossible to make them quiet.
I have a DCC equipped Bachmann GP38-2 that still has the original decoder in it to run the lights. I hardwired in a Digitrax DZ125 that has a burned out light function for motor control. This way I have BEMF motor control from the Digitrax decoder and control of lighting from the Bachmann decoder without having to wire in any resistors.
I’ve bought quite a few of the Athearn RTR locos and I have to say that I’m badly disappointed by them. Bad light boards, loose wiring, bad or dead motors, truck problems. I was a die-hard Athearn fan until I got tripped by these new models. The QC is sadly lacking. I’ve found the newer Bachmann DCC OnBoard diesels to be every bit as good or better than the Athearn blue box that I have many of. The newer Bachmann’s are of much better quality (though lacking in detail) than the Bachmann diesels offered in the 80’s and 90’s. Many modelers avoid Bachmann because of those low quality offerings. Recently I’ve seen some of those modelers take a more favorable view of the newer models after trying them out and especially in view of the fact that some manufacturers are shooting themselves in the foot by charging high prices that place their offerings out of reach of many.