Does anyone know what type of DCC plugs the Spectrum Steamers come with?
I was also wondering if anyone owns any of them and are they pleased? I have read some reviews that say( 4-6-0) is a good running/looking model. Any other opinions? I’m looking to buy some affordable Steam Locos.
Thanks,
PJ
PJ
I believe that they use the NMRA DCC Plugs. I own several of their locos and am generally pleased. They only gripe I have is that they need more pulling power ( Weight)
BM
They do use the NMRA plug. I think it is the “medium” plug. I have several of the 2-8-0’s up and running and have test run two of the 4-8-2’s. I’m very pleased with them. They look good, have good low speed performance and pretty good pulling power out of the box. They are easy to disassemble and adding additional weight is pretty easy. I use a Digitrax system with Soundtraxx decoders and speakers in the tenders. There is plenty of room for the installation.
Wheels spin on grades without more weight being added. Otherwise, excellent product.
I have a 4-8-2 and a 2-8-0 ,the biggest gripe I have is those wire connectors they use–seems a wire always loosens up somewhere on one of them–after about a month I had to hard wire them from the loco to the decoder, after that, they are great
I have run almost all of the spectrum steam locos at one time or another. I’ve been
pleased with most all of them after installing the Lenze 1025 back EMF decoders.
I have tried other Back EMF decoders but the results are not the same. I also use
a soundtrax DSX decoder along with them with excellent results. Pulling power is
better and performance in general is greatly improved. And yes the plug ins NMRA
but it’s not easily reused. I generally hard-wire from the tender plugs to the decoders.
I have two 2-8-0’s and a Shay, both with Soundtraxx decoders–plug/play. I use a Digitrax Empire Builder dcc system. Am very happy with all.
I bought the recent 4-8-2 Heavy Mountain and am pleased with the mechanical operation. I am not to happy about the blue headlight. In an effort to change out the headlight LED, I ended up completely removing the circuit card and hardwiring a decoder so that I could install a 1.5volt grain of wheat lamp.
Great engines all wheel pickup, NMRA plug and sound ready with a Soundtrax decoder. Good buy for sound if you want it. Pulling power is poor but as strange as this sounds I do the following: run a very narrow “string” of Walthers Goo on each side of ONE driver, sort of like making a traction tire. It takes very little and keep it away from the flange. I use a tooth pick. This will double the pulling power. If you use too much it cuts with nail polish remover. Absolutely amazing fix for no money. Carl, Saugus, Ma.
I have had very good luck with Bachmann Spectrum steam locomotives. Decoder installation, except in the Shay, is as simple as opening up the tender and plugging in the decoder if you have one with an NMRA medium 8-pin plug on it. Two other club members here have had just the opposite experiences with Spectrum – one engine had to be sent back because the wires pulled out of the tender plug (Bachmann replaced the entire loco) and the second one had the drive rods fall apart and get severely mangled. I have approximately 20 Spectrum steam locos, most with sound decoders in them – even two Shays – and have had no problems with any of them except their lack of traction on grades because the boilers are too light. That’s not a problem unique to Bachmann, however – there’s just not much room in an HO-scale boiler for weight. A die-cast metal boiler would help, but Bachmann uses plastic. Simple solution: Double- or triple-heading.
I have the new 4-6-0 and the 2-10-0 Russian Decapod both with Soundtraxx sound decoders. Both run excelent. The only problem I have run into is that in the 4-6-0 the NMRA decoder plug is mounted on the circuit board in the tender sideways. The soundtraxx decoder for the Bachmann On30 shay pops right in and that is what I used. The tender for the 4-6-0 and the 2-10-0 are the same so to mount the speaker I purchased the mounting kit for the 2-10-0 seaperately. My only gripe is that in the 4-6-0 the wites plug into the loco and on the 2-10-0 the wires plug into the tender. I boungt a Bachmann Vanderbuilt tender to use with the 4-6-0 but can’t because the wiring is reversed. Havent they heard of standard universal wiring?
I have two 2-8-0s and two light Mountains. I feel the 2-8-0 was best one so far. It pulls better than the Mountains, and tracks better as well. Maybe it’s just bad track on the club layout?.. For the 2-8-0s, I cut the foam in the box, so both rest in one box, with the wires connected at all times. The Mountains needed a bigger box, especially the one with the retrofitted IHC 12-wheel tender. They all need to pull more, however.
I had bad luck with a Bachmann K4. it could not pull the more than 4 cars,
Perhaps the 20 ounce HW has merit.
Mine will pull 29 + for what’'s it worth.
I’ve got 3-a WP 2-8-0, a C&O Heavy Mountain and a USRA 2-6-6-2. Very satisfied with all of them. The 2-6-6-2 is especially surprising, it out-pulls my Proto USRA 2-8-8-2! Can’t get used to the blue headlight on the Mountain, though. The 2-8-0’s not much of a puller, but I only use it on short, local freights and switching anyway, so it’s no great loss. I’ve got no complaints about Spectrum.
My gripe is that their drive is belt driven instead of geared to the drivers, and instead of mounting the motor to the locomotive frame Bachmann justs puts it between the metal weights. That and Bachmann has to glue every detail part on, so if you’re reworking or superdetailing your steamers, that could be an aggravation.
I have two of the 2-8-0’s… one with the soundtraxx sound, and the other with the replacment vanderbilt tender. I also have one of the shays. I’ve looked at the heavy mountains, particularly the SP version with the vandy tender but haven’t taken the plunge. I haven’t had any pulling issues with the 2-8-0’s. they outpull my 2-8-2 and are thus far comparable to a gp7.
Unfortunately my HM started giving me some electrical problems a few weeks ago and then again yesterday. My track & pick-ups are spotless.
Reminded me of the the stalls, jerks and hesitation I experienced with the older Riv FEF, Mallet & Challenger.
Not any more, sold it and replaced it with the LL P2K Berk(second one).
I’ve got a Spectrum light mountain, and it runs quite well. Not as well as my Rivarossi FEF-3, but it’s an ok runner. Mine needed some lubrication on the trailing truck because it made a scapping sound when ever you ran it. I also here a click click click every one in a while as well. And about the headlight, mine’s not blue, it’s kinda gold/orange. Wierd.
Jon, if I recall correctly, the light mountains had very low intensity bulbs. The newer, better Heavy mountains use a stupid blue LED.