Well.......my wife has a LOT of stuff. She loves crafts and sewing things. ....not that she does a lot of it, she just likes HAVING it. Lots of her stuff has been out in the shop for a while and gotten musty and moldy. She can't have all her stuff ruined.....so......I gave her the train room. I moved all my stuff out in the shop in some of them sealable plastic tubs. That was the bad news. The good news is, she says since I was nice enough to bring her stuff in before it ruined, that I can start buying track for a large scale garden railroad. I actually had already chosen a track plan a while back. I'm going to use the Middleboro track plan published a while back and connect the ends with a loop for continuous operation. Now....for my question. I have some motive power. Everything I have however, is of the critter variety and not what I would use on a long haul so to speak. I am looking at one of these.
I would like honest opinions as I know nothing about them. I know it's 1:20.3 and a Spectrum....supposedly Bachman's better quality. If they're junk, please tell me. However, if it's worth spending my money on........well, yall get the picture. Thank you.
I've got one. The first thing I did was convert it to battery power and RC with a Phoeinx sound system so I can't speak to electrical pickups. The final drive gear is weak. I spun it the first week it was on my road. I also managed to remove the teeth from several of the transmission gears. Bachmann does supply replacement gears that are not that expensive or difficult to replace. I've heard there are some after market gears and transmissions that make it more reliable however I've not gone that route. Now that I know the problem I just keep some spare gears on hand to fix it when it breaks. The detail is good to great for the rivet counters out there. I'm not one of them. I'm the guy who loves a crowd of kids who want to see or run the trains so my trains take a lot of punishment. I did lose the cab "sun roof" somewhere and the smoke stack gets knocked off in some tight clearance areas. The tender's foot loops also come off during derailments. It still looks good even without those minor parts. It draws a crowd and kids love it. I got mine two years ago for a very reasonable price at the Vegas show. I would and probably will buy another one when this one gives up the ghost. Right now it's still running for us kids.
My experience with the Connie,
Rex
I don't own a Connie but I do like the Connie. It's prototype is a 30 inch gauge Mexican Railway 2-8-0 that is in a museum out west.
It will require 8 foot diameter curves. Its drive train has been known to chew up gears when pulling heavy loads but does fine pulling short trains. Barry's Big Trains is developing (it may be out now) a replacement gear set that is far more heavy duty.
-Brian
Hi Gear Driven Steam,
I run all Bachmann locos 2 of them are the spectrums ive fitted Pheonix sound in the tenders with the chuff sound via a reed switch and axcil magnets. I find thid is the best way for that as the other way of using loco to give chuff is erattice. I control my layout by the T/E and accessoies to control turnout ect. Rex comments are of value but you need to with any loco to take care whenI say that i mean level track good conections and always use graphic grease in the joins my lay out has been down 5 years plus and ive changed it several times with no problems. The one thing that I would recomend to you is NOT to split engine and tender the reason for this comment is that the plugs for the cables are small and the cables can come out if you are constantly handing them. I over come this by having my engines in a cradle and run them off this straight onto the track. Hope this helps
Age is only a state of mind, keep the mind active and enjoy life
Thanks very much for the replies so far. I meant to add.....if someone can think of a better locomotive, I'm all ears. It just seems each time I've begun this journey, something has gotten in the way, whether finances, space, health.....it never ends. Perhaps this time I'll get something down that can stay down. Short trains are all I will be wanting to run. Pretty much prototypical narrow gauge stuff. Since I operate on a fixed and very limited income, whatever loco I get next will be the main one for a while, so it will need to be a good one. Again, thank you for contributing.
In my opinion it's hard to beat the Bachmann "annie." Very high level of detail, and the most recent versions of the drive are really good. It pulls well, it negotiates tight curves well. It comes in a bunch of different "flavors." It's not 1:20--I'm not actually sure what it is, probably 1:22 or 1:24. But if you are not a stickler it's fine. Best of all is the price--well under $200. And if you wear it out, Barry's Big Trains sells a bulletproof replacement drive
Power pickup--it's ideal to add power pickup from the tender wheels. I did that and it resolved the mild power pickup issues I was having. It's fine as is, better if you add power pickup from the tender.
I have two on my layout--one is close to stock, the other is kitbashed down into a standard gage 0-6-0 switcher. Both run well, and pull reasonable loads easily.
I have two and both have spent more time on my display shelf then running. But now that I have 200+ foot of track down it's near time to run them dubbel headed. BTW one was undecorated, now it's lettered for the DNRR and named after my wife ( Nancy Ann ) and since it was a anerversery present it was numbered 519 as in may nineteenth. my wife smiles each time she see it because she knows I won't forget her day. That my frends is a good way to keep the CFO happy.
Dave
If you get,one follow the lub instructions to the letter
The head is gray, hands don't work , back is weak, legs give out, eyes are gone, money go's and my wife still love's Me.
In summary then, it's a good loco that may encounter gear trouble unless I pull short trains (which I intend to do) and even if it gives me gear trouble is easy to fix. Is that about right? I prefer the look of the one I originally asked about in the photo, instead of the Annie. Nothing against the Annie, I know they have a pretty good reputation, I just like the LOOK of the other one much better. Thanks yall.
GDS Your on the track the Annie is a 4-6-0, What you are after is 2-8-0 outside frame engine and that is as o C-19 as you can get. Have you concidered one of the K series engins offered AMS or B-mann?
dwbeckett GDS Your on the track the Annie is a 4-6-0, What you are after is 2-8-0 outside frame engine and that is as o C-19 as you can get. Have you concidered one of the K series engins offered AMS or B-mann?
Of course. You fund it, I'll get it. LOL
Bachmann's 2-8-0 Consolidation is good running locomotive, prototypical looking, ...except for the pilot coupler/system.I've had no problem with either of mine. Smooth, and will pull an adequate number of cars. Don't know if the SN ...actually...had any similar type. You can always buy an unlettered, painted unit, n' name'er yourself. oldworld45
Don't forget that Aristo has a Connie coming out this fall.
Currently I have signed up to get one of the first run production replacement drives from Barry's Big Trains. Based on what I have read on another forum, it will pretty much remove any limitations wrought by B-mann's original drive block design (such as the weak gears etc that are mentioned above) and will permit longer, heavier consists.
One caution - this loco does not like poor trackwork (it's not the only one). But if you like this loco and get one, take extra time to make sure your trackwork is very level side to side and no humps or dips along the R.O.W.
Al
Thanks for the tips, Al. I did end up getting one. I found one for 219 bucks that Jim told me about, so I couldn't pass that up. It's a very nicely detailed piece for sure. Now to just figure out battery and remote. ......
$219 is a great price for the 2-8-0 Bachmann Connie. I have one that I paid $250 for and thought it was a good deal. I like this engine because it is one of a very few that have the outside frame configuration. I have 15 steam engines that are all different wheel configurations. I try to show visitors a lot of the variety that steam engines were made in. You can't beat the Bachmann Sprectrum engines for great looks at a low price.
Big John
The concensus of opinion is that the Connie is a great looking engine at a very affordable price, but, the drive line is a big problem. I just wish Bachman had put a few more dollars into a more robust power transmission. Even if that added another 10% to the price, the Connie would still be a bargin and in the long run would probably be an even bigger seller for Bachmann. At my age I've come to realize that a good looking pair of shoes aren't worth much if they hurt your feet.
Walt
I don't know.....since I've not run it yet, or any Bachmann large scale for that matter. However, it seems to me that most on here say as long as you stay prototypical with the length of train and fairly tame with your grades you won't have a problem. It's my understanding that narrow gauge lines typically had short trains anyway. Besides all that, even if I decide to upgrade to a new gear train like from Barry's, I'll still have well below MSRP in the loco, and I'll have a far superior unit. ....at least that's my perception. I could be so far off base I'm not even in the ballpark.
I will. I can't show it off in any action shots, because I don't have a layout yet. But I'll throw some track on the dining room table and get some shots of it on here for yall.
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