What was the worst N scale engine evver made
[?]
Judge either by looks or preformance, or BOTH
Mine!
Hello again wmbl-2…
The worst N scale engine I’ve ever encountered so far would have to be the Bachmann 0-6-0. It worked for about a day, then began to act up by day two and wouldn’t run at all by day three. It has since had all of its “guts” torn out and is a side track dummy that I use just for looks. Glad it was a gift from a friend and not one I spent my money on…
trainluver1
I think just about ANY vintage Bachmann steam in Nscale could fit into this catagory…heck, for that matter so could some of their recent offerings! (Spectrum excluded)
I’m too old to even think about trying to put an N-scale anything back on the tracks, let alone trying to build an entire layout in it. I get crosseyed just thinking about N-scale details.
That makes it easier to overlook the lack of details in N! [:)]
I had a tiny Bachman steam engine as a kid in the 80’s - I believe a 4-4-0.
That thing could not even pull itself, let alone a single car.
Ahhhh, the good 'ol days…
How about those Lone Star belt drive F units.
Or Rapido’s first locomotives that had 4 wheel drive and dummy trucks like the tender drive Tyco tenders have.
The worst N scale engine I owned is the Bachmann GE 8-40CW. That was the first and last time I bought a Bachmann!
Cliff
I agree with the bachmann.[}:)]Evil little train
How about the AHM 2-6-4 tank engine with the side mounted pan cake engine? Lone Star Treble O with belt drive shouldn’t count because you knew they were going to be bad. I had a couple of those belt drive *&@%^ wonders. Ah, the wonders of rubber band drive.
Harold
I think its unanamous, Bachmann has serious quality control problems!
Hey, wmbl-2, I disagree. Older Bachmans may be unreliable, but the newer ones are great. My Burlington Route 4-8-4 is a sensitive engine, but once the track is good and it has settled in, it runs like a swiss watch.
I agree on the older bachmans. I bought two bachmann steamers that had been on display for years. They both had problems… The hobby shop kindly exchanged them
here is the transaction. Bachmann 2-8-2 broke, so back to shop and 2-8-2 + $20 got me a 4-8-4. It broke, so they ordered me a NEW Bachmann 4-8-4 with a few new details for no wxtra charge. It ran fine, and is my N Scale Flagship!
If you wonder where I’ve been, I switched to O gauge and reside at the CTT forum. My friend (my age) has N scale, so i’m working with him to build an N scale RR (in addition to my O scale)
The worst is old, old bachmann steamers.
I have to agree with trainluver1 on engines that failed to meet the slandered, I had a 0-6-0 Bachmann and work about a day and died. but on the other hand I have 8 Bachmann GE 8-40CW Spectrums, but when I got them I set up a break in track and ran them for two days strait in both Directions…
the problem is that their brushes do not seat in well and need the run time to break them in.
but I agree that Bachmann has a Bad Steam Program !!!
I have even had one of their 4-8-4’s with a bad 3 pole motor when bought returned it to which I got a new 5 pole motor but it had two main driver axles broke on it !!! i turned it in to a static model with a centipede tender and changed the number to 843 and sets and looks good for all the use I got out of it!!!
Russ
The worst Nscale engines were those made by Mehano and impored by Model Power & others, Funny how the Little Joe 0-6-0T still sells in LL sets. A second bad is the stuff made by Lima.
THe worst new models are the Funits made by Bachmann. THeir gears have a bad habit of cracking. I’d like to see their standard line improved to Spectrum.
I’d second this. Life-Like and AHM were also importers of this junk.
Minitrix made a decent-running 2-10-0. They took the chassis from a European protoype engine, and placed a PRR K4 boiler on it. The stack does not match up with the cylinders.
The original Bachmann 4-8-4 with the strange cup-shaped drive gear also was a stinker. However some of those early Bachmann steamers had nice-looking delrin valve gear that wasn’t very durable. But Bachmann locos had very spotty quality: of two engines purchased from the same lot, one would run like a Swiss watch; the other would struggle just to turn a gear.
Some of those old Rivarossi steamers were crap shoots: one engine would run well and last years. Another’s motor would fry on its maiden trip.
Anything by the old Graham Farish - these locos usually didn’t cost much less than the finest European locos, but ran appallingly or sometimes not at all. We had to take one particular model back to the shop three times before we found one that would actually run. I had one diesel that melted a bearing and burned out a motor within three hours of running. On the American front, it would have to be the old Mehano/Model Power units - had an RSD-15 that ran pretty well but also a pair of GP40s that were appalling - they could barely move themselves due to having only one truck driven.
I haven’t had any Bachmann N scale, but I had a Bachmann VIA Rail F7 in HO.
Totally useless. Kept spinning out on the track even when pulling nothing. One day (I forget why), I pulled off the top and filled it up with pennies. The extra weight made it work.
Though filling it with pennies probably wasn’t the best idea. lol! Hey, I was 10. Back then I even thought Life-Like grass mats were cool and VERY realistic.
I have owned, (regrettably) 3 Bachman Spectrum SD40-2’s. None of them were worth diddly squat. I have had better luck with Life-like and Model Power. The customer service was bad as well. Go figure.
The Lima FP45. It did have a decent shell.
MP RSD-15. I’ve heard quieter coffee grinders.
My old Bachmann units are not too far from the bottom, but you have to give them credit that they still run after all these years - albeit at warp speeds…