i have been looking at the bachmann models in the catalouge for a while now and i am thinking of ordering one. has anybody got one? whats it like? i would have to order it so i dont want to end up with a bad loco. i cant send it back just because i dont like it after all!
Peter
I have the John Bull and its 3 Truss Rod cars. I actually have never ran it through. Right now it is a “shelf queen”. You know how you collect more locos and cars than you can feasible run at one time? Well I have that problem too. I guess it is a good problem to have though. [;)]
i know exactly what you mean. i have about 100 locos and i am living in university halls with one room and all my locos are in storage! but for some reason i keep buying more!
Peter
I bougnt a dewitt clinton for my dad (20+ years ago) and built a little oval (2’ x 3’) for him to run it on. It ran OK, but not a lot of speed control. Its a nice little set, but of course not really compatible with anything else. Its been displayed on a shelf in my living room for years.
I remember about six months a go or so, there was a question brought up on the Bachmann sight about the De Witt Clinton or one of those sets that involved the ability of the loco to pull all three cars. Seems the loco had enough power but not enough weight as the single driver would slip too bad. Other than that I can’t offer much as I don’t have any experience with these sets. As I recall it was not a matter of just one, but several responses with the same problem. I think they would make nice mantle pieces, even if they have pure operational qualities though. Thanks, Ken
I have the Bull set that is recent or current. It runs fine with the included power pack. (Until I can figure out a way to decoder it I can’t give you a better performance report.) With the included cars I saw no “pulling power” issues. The drive is in the tender which is a hefty little chunk. Start and stop was smooth. The pin and hole couplers seemed OK both forward and reverse. The color and detailing more closely matches the Pennsylvania RR Museum reproduction than the current version of the “real” Bull at the Smithsonian.
I have a friend that also has the current reliese of the dewit clinton, the locomotive runs fine. But I noticed on the Flanged Stage Coach wheels of the cars, the like the slide rather than roll freely. I do not know if this is a quirk related to this set or a wider problem. But as far as the loco was concerned ran great.
I confess, I bought all three sets when I saw them on sale for $49.99 each. Couldn’t resist even though I’m in S scale. Eventually, I’ll build a small layout for them.
Enjoy
Paul