I just received in the mail an undecorated Bachmann Spectrum SD45 and boy was I surprised.
My first Bachmann SD45 was a plus series which I, after a lot of surgury due to the shell being one piece, converted to a SRR unit with a Cannon & Co. high short hood and cab. It was OK but not a show stopper and would have been hard to convert to DCC. It had molded on fans and overall looked toyish.
My next SD45 was a Spectrum series and had improved detail with see through fan grills and better fuel tank details. However the running gear was the same.
This new SD45 is a whole new ballgame. The shell is now similar to an Atlas or P2K shell so adding the high sort hood will be a piece of cake. The cab is improved and may not require replacing. The window glass is now flush instead of recessed and there is a whole bag of detail parts including cut levers, trainline hoses and mu cables. Generally the detail is much sharper than the previous models. The big surprise though is the chassis which is completely new. It also resembles an Atlas or P2K model up to and including a dual flywheel quality can motor. I don’t know about the gearing yet but will update u’all later.
If this is the direction Bachmann is heading with their diesel spectrum line Atlas and P2K better watch out. Because I got this loco for $35.
When you say DCC ready, does have a slot for a 8 or 9 pin decoder? Where did you pick it up at? Thanks for the info. I have been looking at the Bachman and wondering.
Atlas locos are made in Japan right? Their model’s prices will still command a higher price since Japan has an higher min wage, even more than ours (in USD).
Lifelike is made in China… Bachmann is made in China… and from what I read, Bachmann are increasing the loco details by a ton. Lifelike has to decrease their prices to compete with Bachmann’s new Spectrum.
My final comments on this model. I ran it at my local club Saturday for about an hour and after some initial noisyness it quieted down rather well. It runs and pulls very similar to an Athearn SD40-2. It pulled 15 cars up a 2% grade before wheel slippage prevented a longer train from making the hill. It has an 8 pin DCC socket. I think that anyone who wants a lower cost SD45 would find this engine acceptable. I posted some pictures and a diagram on the YAHOO southern modeler group site in the files section. If I ever figure out how to post pictures here I will do so. Anyone wanting to see the pictures can also E-mail me and I will attach them to a reply
I don’t think MR will be reviewing the new SD45s. So far, Bachmann has improved their DASH 8s, F40s, B23s, GP40s, FTs, GP30s, GP35s, GP50s, 70 Tonners, H16-44s, they’re working on the old SD40s, and the list goes on and on and on and on and on. So far, the only one that’s made it to an MR review is the GP40, but that’s only because it was included with the E-Z Command DCC controller.
I bought one off ebay for $45 total. So here is my review of it. It is an Santa Fe #5408.
I. The Shell:
A. Paint job:
Overall it looks nice… at a distance but as you get closer the paint job on it is a bit eh, iffy. It seems that this model was rushed to be sold. Some paint on the top edges of the cab were smeared as if the paint hasn’t dried yet. The paint scheme are not really sharp on the nose or the curved yellow warbonnet scheme. The number 5408 on the cab and number boards is clear and sharp though. The numbers are in the wrong font for the numberboards from what prototype pics of SD45s I have seen. The GM builders plate is a nice touch.
B. The cab, walkway, and roof details:
The windows slide open but they move a lot when you shake it around. There are some metal pieces that is the part that help the window slide around. The windows are not flushed on mine. They are just whole pieces of plastic frame glued on. I painted the window frames black just to add some color, a bit. Another new addition are the windshield wipers. They are not detailed as A-line or Atlas windshield wipers. It is made of flexable plastic. The horn looks much better but not as good as Atlas or P2K.
The threading on the walkways are a nice addition. The steps are see through. The walkway around the loco is all metal, so that should add a bit more weight. The handrail is a bit thicker than the P2k SD50 that I have. They painted the end of the handrails white which is not prototypical for Santa Fe.
The grab irons, well… are the same thickness as the older Spectrums, but they are in a 90 degree angle instead of 40-60 degrees. They are not painted.
The fans are see-through, as modlerbob mentioned… but what I noticed if you blow in to the fans the fans rotate freely!! That was fun for about 15 secs until I went light headed. The exhast vent has an photo-etched steel see-through grill in it. The dynamic break also has an see-through grill
I’m surprised no one yet has said “I bought a Botchmann engine in 1978 and it was junk. Will never buy one of those again. Once junk always junk!”
You see, I already told people about these Spectrum loco on this fourm and they all said the same thing. “Once Junk always junk”. 1978 was the last Bachmann you bought !? Sure it was junk, most were at that time. This is a WHOLE new era for Bachmann as they came along way. Not only I like there drive mechanism, I like there tooling. It’s like no other. There chassis
give you about 30% more of truck turning becuase it’s not attached to the chassis like other’s. So their biggest loco (dash 8-40cw) could go around 15" radius curve with no mods. Now that’s hot…
Like I said, for $45 it ain’t bad. Even after adding a Cannon cab, high short hood and other more prototypical details I’ll be way ahead of where I’d be starting with a Kato or P2K
I see where even the Spectrum series in N scale for the C40-8’s are advertised as having new tooling. The price for these are right up there with Kato. Any ideas ?
Last night I bought a Digitrax decoder for this unit at my LHS and after it was installed the loco ran smoothly on my layout.
Again, I think this is an acceptable model of a SD45 for someone who is on a tight budget. I am looking forward to converting it to a Southern unit and it will see many hours of service on the local club layout.
Your “review” was not too long. In fact it is helpful to see such “reviews” here. I think you did an excellent job in describing your opinions of the engine, both good and bad, while at the same time keeping in mind the price point.
A-Train,
My post was tongue in cheek. Bachmann has indeed come a very long way and should be commended. It is amazing how many people won’t acknowledge that. Sure, they might not be as detailed or smooth running as some - but at that price? WOW!
The comments here have me big time thinking of getting a few of the SD45 (hopefully I can find some EL paint schemes for it) to do the pool runs with my CNJ diesels.
Does this have a split frame like their Spectrum Dash 8? I’d like to get my hands on one of those detail sets for my Dash. Mine only came with railings and a plow.
As stated above it is not a split frame as their previous releases were. The frame on this model is similar to the Athearn RTR SD50 frame. So is the motor mounting and truck mounting. I’m not sure how appropriate the detail parts would be for a GE unit.
BACHMANN has much to improve on. They have always been a ‘bottom feeder’.
‘SPECTRUM’ has been a name with ‘uneven’ products. Case in point: 2-8-0 vs. GP-30. They have some ‘Catching up’ to do - and They’ll need some decent MR reviews to do it…
I’ll wait and see. Anybody like their track? - besides Space Mouse?