Looking to buy a friend a Bachmann N scale steam engine. Ulrich is new to N scale and I am a HO person. It will be a DC engine and I don’t think he plans on going DCC.
I have had good luck with there HO steam engines, but know nothing of there N scale quality. One of the one he likes is a 4-4-0 that is on sale at train’s and stuff for $39.00. We all ready know it won’t pull a lot, but other than that any feedback on it or the N scale engines has a whole?
Thank You for your time.
Cuda Ken
I have an N scale Bmann 0-6-0 switcher. It ran fine, but it broke down and I sent it back. Bachmann repaired/replaced it for a pretty modest price. All I have is a little oval of track, so I can’t talk about preformance on a real model railroad.
Just my [2c].
sfb
If you want a good dependable Bachmann N scale steamer, you cant beat the Spectrum 2-8-0 it pulls good smooth runner and very dependable.
Truck,
And also they can be found on Ebay sold by The Favorite spot I have seen them sell for as low as $40.00 on the ones you can bid on. On the buy it now ones I stay away from they want over a hundred bucks for those.
Ulrich layout is not that big at this point. Thank you for the input Steam. Far as repairs, Ulrich lives in Germany so shipping for repairs would cost to much.
Cuda Ken
Hi Ken
I have some old {70’s} Bachmann N scale steamers {and diesels} that still run! Even after years of storage, and ran again right away without even updating the lubrication or cleaning!
I hope I get as much use out of my HO scale locos from Bachmann as the N scale ones.
So I would bet you would be safe with them. Test them out before you send to Ulrich, maybe?
Bachmann’s regular (not Spectrum) N scale line has an history of spotty quality. One locomotive will run like a switch watch; another engine from the same lot will barely turn its wheels. It’s always best to test multiple copies first.
The Bachmann 4-4-0 is a strange locomotive. The motor is in the tender, and it has wheels that are shaped like cylinders with a flange in the middle. if you run the engine on Kato Unitrack, the tender wheels caught on the turnouts. I was never able to find the problem. The engine was never better than a fair to middlin’ runner.
Thanks to all that have answered this post.
Alton Fan Dan, glad to see another Alton Fan on the site. I worked in Alton IL for 2 years and it is rich with history. I really like Alton, I love the bluffs.
Are you sure the motor is in the tender like the old Tyco HO engines?
Bachmann N 11753 American 4-4-0 & Tender, Pennsylvania #566
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/product-p/bac-11753.htm
Is this the engine you are speaking about? Please let me know Dan.
Cuda Ken
I actually have one. I have found it to be a GREAT runner from jump street. I run it on Atlas N scale trackage , NOT kato though. The only thing it doesn’t care for is the plastic insulated pins from atlas. a gap in the rails would serve better as an insulating point.
Yes, that’s the one. The locomotives represent the locomotives present at the driving of the golden spike, the one with a balloon stack, and the other with a straight stack.
Here is a link to the parts drawing for the Bachmann 4-4-0 (*.pdf required.)
Here is the N Scale Locomotive Encyclopedia article, with photos of the engine disassembled.
I’ve never examined the Tyco 4-4-0, so I can’t make a comparison. The tender shell is actually the case for the motor, which drives a shaft into the locomotive boiler. A close examination of the drawing shows the unusually shaped wheels on the tender trucks. IIRC, electrical pick-up is from the tender only.
I really had no major complaints about the engine, given its tiny size. The Bachmann 4-4-0 is no Kato, and runs fine relative to its price and quality.
For information on N-scale locos of all kinds, you might check the “N-Scale Locomotive Encyclopedia” This source has ratings on most N-scale locos. Some of the Bachmann Spectrum locos are suppose to be very good.
I don’t have an accurate website address for this source, so you’ll need to do a Google search for their site.
Bob