Mike,
Thanks for the kind words. Looked at your pictures (I have a photobucket account, so no ads), very nice work.
I’m in a rebuilding mode right now, maybe some scenery by the end of the year…
Sheldon
Mike,
Thanks for the kind words. Looked at your pictures (I have a photobucket account, so no ads), very nice work.
I’m in a rebuilding mode right now, maybe some scenery by the end of the year…
Sheldon
Another supporter of Bachmann steam. Mine are all straight DC, and all are modified to some degree. They’re smooth runners and good pullers, and easy to modify or detail to match a specific prototype.
I have five of these Consolidations in service, and another three in the early stages of modification to match specific CNR prototypes…
This USRA Light Mountain was given a few modifications inspired by the NYC’s L-1 and L-2 Mohawks…
Another one, bought used, and then modified for pusher service…
The O.P. mentioned 10 Wheelers: my layout is set in the late '30s, but I thought that even though the Bachmann 10 Wheeler might have still been in use, it most likely would have been updated, too. The as-offered version just struck me as being a little too old-fashioned looking for a road as progressive as mine…
I re-worked the cylinders into a more modern type…
…then shortened and narrowed the tenders…
…and replaced the boilers with these ones from Varney…
…adding cabs from Bachmann
Wow, Wayne, those Ten-Wheelers are frakking awesome! Great work on those!
My inspirational prototype is the short-line ARA. During that time, they has an older-style Ten-Wheeler, so I could get away with it. But considering I’m proto-lancing a “what-if” situation, and seeing what you did with yours, I might just have to update mine as well when I get them.
And thanks everyone for the great replies and info. I really appreciate it.
On Bachmann’s website, how do you tell what the quality level is of the steam loco offerings?
In HO they’re listed by type, with no indication of whether they’re Spectrum or Plus or anything else…?
Or did I miss something obvious?
I have several Bachmann locomotives the only real complaint I have is the DCC on Board decoders do have a loud hum which is why I suggest the Sound Value line as being a decent compromise between price and quality:
On the Bachmann home page you will see a list of product lines to the left, click on Spectrum, click on HO, click on steam…
But, currently there are only three Spectrum steamers in HO, the EM1, the Climax, and the modern 4-4-0.
But more importantly, the running quailty of ALL the other staem locos is now really the same as Spectrum, with detail level being the only real difference.
Mechanically, there are no more “inferior” locos from Bachmann.
They have seen the trend in the hobby and decided, at least for now, that good models and holding down prices is more important to most modelers rather than uber detail.
That said, models like the new USRA Mke and Pacific, the Berkshire, the 2-6-0, are all well detailed, just not quite to the level of many of the previous/current Spectrum models.
The current “non Spectrum” 2-8-0 is EXACTLY the same model as when it was in a Spectrum box. They did not lower the quality of that model, they rasied the standards for Spectrum models…
So the real question is, does a particular model meet your personal detail standards? Because none are bad runners or “cheap” drives.
Sheldon
Yes, Wayne does great work. I wish I could make time to build several of those for my layout…maybe one day, after I get the new layout built…
Sheldon
Thanks to you for being one of the few who, like me, are annoyed by decoder hum. Their silent decoder is inferior to many other brand of silent decoder.
I have a 2-8-0 with nonsound DCC on Board. Great looking loco, from the Specturm lineage, but it hums loudly upon speed step 1, doesn’t move until speed step 8 (humming more loudly as the steps increase) then moves jserkily until about a scale 15 mph, merrily buzzing along.
Great loco, great mechanicals, totally ruined by an inferior decoder. Same with the diesel line.
OTOH, all Sound Value locos are equipped with competitive SoundTraxx decoders. My experience with their diesel line and a 2-6-0 Mogul is that their slow speed operation is silent (for the times you actually want to run silent), and smooth.
So if OP wants onboard dcc, go with the red box Sound Value versions and avoid the blue box DCC OnBoard versions.
I understand, I was always amazed that those decoders sold well on Ebay after I removed them…
But if it was me, and I decided to go DCC, on my older Bachmann models that came with the plug in decoders, I would remove the complete lighting board and hard wire a better quality decoder - problem solved.
Sheldon
I agree Bachmann is a quality product now.
Working boss yes. I like to consider myself that after being in the trade for over 30 years.
I think you missed my indirect compliment. I seen the pictures of your work. You didn’t get to the point you are at now without busting your back with your fingers in the pie of what you have been doing for a lot of years.
For the most part I like to be working boss too. But I still throw my tool belt on. What I find most satisfying in the trades now is these Young Bucks that need guidance. I find nothing more rewarding as showing them how to do the things they’re confused about from my knowledge and life experience.
Not only that but when I quit doing any physical labor for too long, I’m like the Tin Man. My joints start tapping on my shoulder, oil, oil, oil.
For me the physical labor is still good and I still feel the need to do some. If I could just get up in the morning and go do the work I enjoy all lined up for me, I think that would be better than the other end of this business. That’s where the stress is.
My curiosity got the best of me I did a test running my Bachmann 4-8-4 and my Kato F7… In my opinion the Bachmann was quieter.
Track fiddler
If somehow an experienced model railroader from 1970 or so could time-travel to the recent present, their heads would be spinning from all the changes to the hobby but not the least of the jaw droppers for them would be what Life-Like (to its absorbtion by Walthers) and Bachmann became. Back then Life-Like was fairly cheesy landscape materials and low level trainsets; Bachmann was “Plasticville” and also low level trainsets.
The ambitions and achievements of both would be a cause for marvel. I won’t even speculate about what our time traveling modeler friend would say or think about the entire notion of collectible-priced factory assembled Plasticville however. I think we’d use up a lot of smelling salts …
Dave Nelson
Track fiddler, yes, I got the compliment, thank you. Just doing my best to slow down and like you, still keep my hands in things…
I worked in the hobby industry when I was young, and it would not make a bad retirement gig - working in manufacturing that is…
Sheldon
[quote user=“ATLANTIC CENTRAL”]
Doughless
joe323
I have several Bachmann locomotives the only real complaint I have is the DCC on Board decoders do have a loud hum which is why I suggest the Sound Value line as being a decent compromise between price and quality:
Thanks to you for being one of the few who, like me, are annoyed by decoder hum. Their silent decoder is inferior to many other brand of silent decoder.
I have a 2-8-0 with nonsound DCC on Board. Great looking loco, from the Specturm lineage, but it hums loudly upon speed step 1, doesn’t move until speed step 8 (humming more loudly as the steps increase) then moves jserkily until about a scale 15 mph, merrily buzzing along.
Great loco, great mechanicals, totally ruined by an inferior decoder. Same with the diesel line.
OTOH, all Sound Value locos are equipped with competitive SoundTraxx decoders. My experience with their diesel line and a 2-6-0 Mogul is that their slow speed operation is silent (for the times you actually want to run silent), and smooth.
So if OP wants onboard dcc, go with the red box Sound Value versions and avoid the blue box DCC OnBoard versions.
I understand, I was always amazed that those decoders sold well on Ebay after I removed them…
But if it was me, and I decided to go DCC, on my older Bachmann models that came with the plug in decoders, I would remove the complete lightin
I still can’t get into sound, it all sounds like static to my hifi trained ears…
Sheldon
Agreed. My experience with onboard sound steam is much less annoying that a turbocharged EMD diesel, which can be as pleasant as fingernails on a chalkboard after a while.
That’s why its important to me for the sound decoders to actually be silent when muted, because I do want to run them silently fairly often.
By my experience, the newcomers have a buzz problem in their OEM locos, as did the one TCS WOW I plugged in in place of the OEM decoder.
The Bachmann Sound Value, a Soundtraxx product, does not have that issue to the same degree.
The on board non sound the last I heard are low end Lenz that most replace.
NCE came up with a light board non sound for the Bachmann diesels there were so many complaints. The Bach-DSL with LED’s.
Steamers, everyone just plugs in a quality decoder.
My Bachmann 44 ton and 70 ton I installed LokSound Micros.
My Bachmann steamers, Tsunami Micros and my Athearn Roundhouse steamers.
Rich
I didn’t not know that. Yes, the Bachmann diesels tended to have the lights molded into the board making it difficult to replace the boards without scratchbuilding light supports.
Glad to hear he folks at NCE came up with a product.
On the GE 70 tonner I figured out how to remove the DCC and keep the board for the lighting, making it strictly DC.
Sheldon
Some years ago the 2-8-0 was moved from Spectrum line to the standard line.
I still have a link to the Bachmann forums and found this when someone asked about the motor in the 2-8-0. No idea if the same motor is used in other steamers. Never compared the part numbers. Dated 2008.
Dear DR,
The originals had a five pole motor. A running change was instituted that replaced them with a highly efficient three pole motor with he same rating. thus, if your locomotive is recent production, it does have a three pole motor.
Have fun!
the Bach-man
Rich
Since I mentioned the Bach-Dsl decoder, below is the link to it. Some years ago when it was released, the photos showed it with LED’s. Now they are not with it from what I can see.
https://ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/200945019-BACH-DSL
Rich