Yesterday I bought the above mentioned train set from Hobby Lobby and would like any info on it. It came with a small 4-4-0 loco and tender (real cute) with 1 47’ combine and 2 47’ coaches. What i would like to know is what years were these trains in service? (Maybe in the late 1800’s). Another question, what is a combine? It has windows in one end and a large door on each side.
I know a lot of you dislike Bachmann but for me they run pretty well and for the price. I used the 40% off coupon and got the set for $52.00, I would be doing good to find a loco in that price range.
Any info would be appriciated, Thanks. Mike
Those Bachmann 4-4-0s are based on the two locomotives that met in Utah for the Golden Spike ceremony, linking the Union Pacific and Central Pacific in 1869. They’ll work unmodified for the time period from the late 1850s through the 1870s. By the 1880s, locos began looking a little more modern with less ornamentation. Of course, the good old Virginia and Truckee ran their 4-4-0s in that same style all the way into the 1930s!
The set you bought has a loco and cars that are not the top quality stuff out there, but they can run decent. I’ve tinkered with several of the loco’s over the years and I still run the cars, although modified slightly. I added better Micro Trains trucks and couplers, as welt as detailing them a bit to dress them up some. As far as the loco goes, it’s decent, but it’s light. Thats where the biggest problems are with it. It doesn’t pull a lot and it sometimes has pickup problems if your track isn’t real clean. BTW, you can put a decoder for DCC in these little things! Check this out: http://www.trainbuddy.com/Reference/Decoding%20Engines/N440.htm These little loco’s are good for early loco parts and kitbashing too. I got partway through bashing one into a Mother Hubbard a while back: http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/N%20Scale%20Trains/Projects/Captured2006-6-1000014.jpg You can even make one of them into a narrow guage loco if you want to go with Nn3: http://www.nn3.ca/steam/bachman-nn3-convrsn.htm
As for the Combine, it’s simply part baggage car, part coach. Thats it!
You’ll find better detailed cars of that era available from Athearn.
On a more modern layout, that set would make a nice “excursion” run. Some trouble with the front truck on the engine at turnouts–needs a little more weight there. Frankly, I like the looks of it and it does seem to run fine on flat, but I wouldn’t add too many cars to the consist.
That, or Bachmanns are famous for being a little out of guage. You might check that.
I’ll check that–I guess I just assumed that small truck was so very light that was the problem. Thanks.
That still might be some of the issue, but I don’t have any troubles with mine once they’re guaged. The part that holds those lead axles is metal, so it has a little weight.
