I went into the hobby shop the other day with the intention of ordering
another P2K Southern E6A/B with sound. As I was talking with “my train
guy John”, I said that I really wanted a new steam loco. He pulled out
several from behind the counter… a P2K Mallet, a Rivorossi Heisler and
a Spectrum 4-8-2 Heavy Mountain. For some reason the 4-8-2 caught
my eye(or maybe it was the price tag that caught my eye).
It was, of course, cheaper than the other two locos that we were disscusing,
which made me wonder if it was a quality locomotive. I took a chance and bought
it… I have never owned, or even seen a Spectrum locomotive run,so I was a
little aprehensive about the $150 that I was about to spend. I could have ordered
the P2K E6 for around $200 and I know how that locomotive runs.
Anyway, I bought it and a decoder. I got it home, installed the decoder and put it
on the track. It runs well and looks good. It makes a little noise, but not enough
to bother me. It is actually heavier than my BLI Hudson and pulls better.
So, my first experience with the Spectrum locomotive was a good one and I would
buy their products in the future. Has any one else had good luck with the Spectrum
line of steam locomotives?
I have 2 Spectrum locos. I have the USRA 2-6-6-2 which I have a decoder in and runs like a charm. Good puller and very smooth. I also have a Light Mountain 4-8-2 which I have yet to run. The Bachman Spectrum series are good engines from everything I have heard.
I like my son’s 2-8-0. I have a Soundtrax decoder just waiting on my zephyr. I think my son will be pleased. Here’s a picture of it pulling into Rock Ridge Station on Tater Mountain.
I have one 2-8-0 and two 4-8-2’s all in N scale and they are great. They pull hard and run smooth. Just wi***hey had working couplers on the front. Guess I’ll have to hog them out and drop in a Micro Trains coupler.
Now if only Bachmann would fix the rest of their N scale loco’s we’d really have something!
I own a Spectrum UP light mountain in N scale and really like it. It’s not as fast as the other steamers I have, but I’m told that’s due to “scale speed” that was designed into it.
One of these days, I hope to buy a Spectrum 2-8-0 consolidation…
Last week for my Bday my wife bought me a Spectrum 3 truck shay[:D][:D][:D] I love it ! It runs perfectly. Pulled 16 loaded MDC log carsup a 3% grade like they were’nt there. She also got a real good deal on it --$149.00Cdn. The normal retail on this loco up here is $335.00.
I’ve got a Spectrum 3-truck shay, 2 USRA Heavy Mountains a 2-8-0 and a 2-6-6-2. Absolutely no problems. Smooth running, good pullers and trouble-free. The USRA 2-6-6-2 is a wonderful puller for its size, it will outpull the P2K USRA 2-8-8-2 hands down. Good locos.
Tom [^]
In my opinion - you CANNOT beat spectrum for value fo money/quality!
I have (in HO scale) A Light Mountain, two 2-8-0’s, the Russian 2-10-0, a 4-6-0, a 0-6-0 switcher and the GE44t - all of which are great looking models!
The Russian is poorest runner of the lot - when running light engine, it has a slight stutter, but put 20 box cars behind it and it works fine! Both the GE44t and the 0-6-0 swtcher could do with a bit of weight being added to aid traction, but otherwise they too are great models!
I am converting one of the 2-8-0’s, the 4-6-0, the 0-6-0 switcher and the GE44t to represent prototypes in the Cuban Sugar Railway systems, and the great deal with Spectrum loco’s is that you can purchase a model that is not that expensive, but the basics are great:
Good runners
Fine detail for a plastic model
Easy to take a part and rebuilt!
The only other issue I sometimes have is those connection cables between the loco and the tender - yellow?!?! They will all be painted black at somepoint - also some of the cables pu***he tender up and raise the leading bogie off the rails, so I have added some weight to the front part of the tender and this usually cures this.
I know a lot of the Spectrum loco’s represent a ‘generic’ locomotive, so for particular railroads, they might not be 100% accurate, but I’m not a rivet counter when I model US railroads (if I was I’d buy brass!), I just like to have a fair representation of a particular US train - i.e the SP Lark, Daylight etc, and Spectrum models suit my needs down to a tee!
I have two and will get more, especially in light if how I was treated when I was treated by their service department. I couldn’t have asked anything better!
I too owned the Spectrum Heavy and initally was very happy with my first Bachmann.
Good weight, good top end speed, good MR Oct 2004 review . Unfortunately it started
to give me a problem or two so after a year I unloaded it.
I have several Spectrum loco’s and I have been happy with all of them. I have a 4-6-0, 2-8-0, and a 4-8-2 Light Mountain all in the Southern paint scheme (only the light mountain is in the green passenger coloration). I also have a 3-truck Shay decorated for Cass Scenic Railroad, and an undecorated 2-8-2 Sy Mikado from Bachmann China which is on par with the Spectrum series. I have not had a problem with any of my Spectrums, but I did have to send a standard line loco back to Bachmann once. There service is first rate. I had painted the loco, so they sent me a new one with the painted shell for the loco and tender back.
I have several and I looove them. My next purchase will be the decipod in the Erie livery. I too have very high regards for the Bachmann people. For my limited budget, they can’t be beat. Ken
I have a Heavy Mtn., and I think it is a spectacular bargain, of course I only paid $99 for mine. Runs well in all respects. It had a broken bell out of the box, and Bachmann sent me a whole new cast boiler with cab with the bell attached because they didn’t have any seperate bells.
I only have one steamer…a Spectrum 2-8-0 I bought at a train show several years ago. I figured I couldn’t go wrong with something that had been MR’s product of the year. I’ve been very happy with it and wouldn’t hesitate to buy another. My other Spectrum is 44 tonner that I got used, I don’t use it much but it runs well too.
Andy
Thanks for the input everyone. I don’t know why I have never
tried the Spectrum locos… maybe the Bachman name scared me
a little. I am impressed with this one and will look at others a little
more closely in the future. Dave
I really like the light mountain. Mine runs smooth and very quiet. Your’s may need only some break-in time to quiet down. The only thing that it lacks is additional detail. These can be added at a later time. Detail West, Cal Scale, Overland and Detail Assoc. have any of the detail parts you may need. Enjoy your new addition, Good choice.
Bob K.
I have a SP Heavy 4-8-2, Clinchfield 2-8-0, and a Russian Decapod with a burnt out motor. From what I’ve seen, the USRA 4-8-2B and USRA 2-6-6-2 are the best running of the Spectrum steam. Spectrum is the ‘most bang for your buck’ line in HO steam. Perhaps the prices are so ‘low’ because so many units are made.
I have to say, I am very impressed with your weathering! I know there have been a few threads recently with regard to weathering - did you reveal your secrets in them? If not, could you give us an idead of what the basic principles of getting a realistic weathered finish are - and what materials do you use?
