I am looking at possibly getting one, any experience with this loco?
I have one. I am fairly pleased with it. It looks right, runs smoothly, and can pull the length of train that I need it to pull. I also feel that the price is good, given it comes DCC-equipped.
I have five of them which I have converted into freelanced heavy Mikados. They run very nice. Out of the box they are a little light, but there is plenty of room to add weight. With about 5 oz added they pull very well - 40 cars on level track.
You may also want to check out this out:
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/181314.aspx
Sheldon
While I DON’T have one.
I DO have 13 Bachmann DCC OnBoard Locos., both steam and diesel.
I have NOT had a problem with ANY of them, though one does “growl” at slow speeds, but smooths out as speed increases.
I would INDEED recommend one, and have thought of buying one also. If I had the funds, I would not hesitate to do so.
Just my opinion and experience.
I have one on my layout; very smooth runner and a fairly competent puller…
I have one that I use on my layout. I model the L&N I know the L&N didn,t have Berks like this but I like its looks. The only thing I,ve had to do to it was it keep derailing going over the turnouts. I corrected this by regauging the front pilot wheels, runs great now. Yes I do recommend it.
I have a few Bachmann Spectrum steam engines but not the Berkshires.
Bachmann is OK but not my favorite. I prefer BLI and Proto for steam engines.
I have three different roadnames in the Proto Heritage 2-8-4 series and they are all great runners.
There are a lot of listings on eBay for new Proto Heritage Berkshires.
Rich
I see that on e-bay there are some Proto Berkshire units for sale, there price is two to three times that of a typical Bachmann Berkshire.
I have both a Proto Berk and a Bachmann Berk, the Bachmann outpuls the Proto easily. The Proto is from the first run, no traction tires, and is very light.
The detail level of the Proto is very good, However at twice the price for a Proto version DCC ready, I will take the Bachmann.
That is if I have to pay for it myself. I could not rationalize paying at least double the street value just for the extra detail. The Bachmann is an excellent runner and has good slow speed control. I am very surprised that Bachmann placed their Berk in their Standard line.
Have you by chance read the excellent review of the Bachmann 2-8-4 in the Model Railroader. The review is available on line as well.
I gotta tell ya’ , I have 14 steam engines, including the 3 Proto Heritage Berkshires, and those 3 are my favorites.
Having said that, if you have read good reviews on the Bachmann then, by all means, buy one.
Interesting that Bachmann included it in their standard line.
Rich
F
Geez, Sheldon, lighten up.
I have 4 Bachmann Spectrum steamers and they are just fine. I merely meant to offfer an alternative for the OP’s consideration.
I also have 7 BLI steamers and I love each one of them as well.
I gotta go now and lick my wounds. LOL
Rich
Frankly when someone asks for an opinion of a specific locomotive I am surprised when someone responds who does not have the specific locomotive for which the opinion is being requested. I saw no mention of an opinion of any other 2-8-4 model, only the Bachmann unit.
At least you did mention you did not have a Bachmann 2-8-4. Bye the way if you had read my posting I mentioned that I did have a Bachmann 2-8-4 as well as a Proto Heritage 2-8-4.
I’ll poke Sheldon in the ribs with a sharp stick and say I generally don’t like Bachmann, but I will agree with him that they are improved in quality and their 2-8-4 is excellent, particularly at the price offered. The decoder is fine on it as well if you’re into DCC.
My personal preference is brass, BLI, or Proto but if you’re looking for one Berkshire or a fleet, Bachmann is the best way to go in that class of locomotive.
Rich, I was not intending to be overly critical, but I do agree with Don about answering specific questions. It’s really not much different than when someone asks a DC control question and three or four guys chime in with “if you go to DCC you don’t have to worry about that”.
My main point was simply this - everyone would be better served, on both a group and individual basis, if we stop judging current Bachmann products (or any brand for that matter) based on whatever bad product they made 10, or 20, 30 years ago.
Should we judge all Athearn based on the 2-8-2, 4-6-2 gear problem?
Should I judge BLI based on the 4 duds they have sold me out of only nine tries on my part? Based on the praise they get on here I must just be unlucky.
It’s one thing to say “I have it and it’s not so hot”, its another thing to dis something you don’t own even after a long list of others say they have had great results with it. I know you didn’t directly dis the Bachmann Berk, but you did imply that it was not a great choice. Since you don’t own one, what is that view really based on?
Flynn, were you listening? I have bought nine pieces of BLI, four had problems, two very major problems BLI could not resolve. I have 35 Bachmann locos, only 3 problems in 15 years. Brass? I have two of those, now with nice Bachmann plastic tenders beind them.
Proto2000 steam - great stuff, not much of a selection, and ever steeper prices - I have four of them, but not the Berks. Remember, or read the first part of this thread, my Berks are now Mikados. and the Bachmann was a better choice for that project because it is more easily disassembled, not to mention the dollar cost average price of my five Bachmann Berks is $80 each.
Sheldon
I like mine. The detail isn’t as nice as the Bachmann 2-8-0 I have, but I’m not too picky. To get a decent looking and running steam loco for a hundred bucks is a great deal in my opinion.
OK, I concede the point and I now regret even mentioning the Proto Berkshire. But, understand that I was not knocking Bachmann. I always get excited about my three Proto Berkshires because they look great, run great, and never cause me any problems. I just thought that the OP might want to know that as part of his consideration. Apparently not.
Rich
As Steve Martin has often said, “Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me”. [xx(]
You certainly are not the first person to have missed the substance of the issue that a poster has requested a response to.
I have a Bachmann Berk and love it. I bought it on Ebay for $80 and it is basically NEW. I added a Soundtraxx DSD sound decoder with a Railmaster speaker and it is one of my favorite locos. The tender is already equipped with a speaker mounting and grill. The detail level is not as good as their Spectrum line but I can add a few details when I am ready. Here is a photo of mine coming off the turntable. Great running and sounding loco. HIghly recommend it.
-Bob
I don’t know why I continue to respond to this thread, but Don let me say that I did not miss the substance of the issue that the OP requested a response to. I initially acknowledged that I did not own a Bachmann Berkshire but I did own 3 Proto Berkshires.
Had the OP already purchased a Bachmann Berkshire, I could see where there would be an objection to a reply where the replier doesn’t own one as well. But, in this case, the OP was merely considering the purchase of one and asked for opinions. I gave him mine.
It was not as if I said something like “Bachmann sucks”. I said Bachmann was OK. I own 4 of them myself, just not a Berkshire.
If you think about it, Don, the OP did not object to my adding my comment to the thread, you did. And that puzzles me. What do you care?
Again, I can see the objection to someone reply