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I know this is an old thread, but it's open, and it still applies, so I'll chime in. The cheap-line (non Spectrum) Bachmann engines are cheap because they are junk, period. Crap gears, crap wheels, crap electrical pickup. I have tried one or two HO Spectrum steam locos - they ran well, and looked very good. I have an N-Scale new-era 2-8-0 - looks great and runs great. But beware, that old crap is still in the stores. And it's still crap. This is something for which I have never, and will never, forgive Bachmann. I don't know about their cheap-line HO stuff, but the N-Scale stuff is not acceptable, even for a toy train set. Heck, you could always buy an inexpensive Athearn HO engine, and it would WORK. It might not have perfect detail, it might no be the quietest thing around. But if you bought an Athearn engine as an inexpensive choice, even for a kid at Christmas, you could count on it to be reliable and WORK. The Bachmanns, on the other hand, (and again, I'm talking about their N-Scale stuff with which I have the most experience) are notorious for jamming, slipping wheels, electrical pickup problems, you name it. The first N-Scale engine I ever bought, before I knew better, was a Bachmann 0-6-0 (and it was the LAST I ever bought). The second one I bought was a Kato/Concor Hudson, at which point I said, "oh.... THIS is how they are supposed to run!") The 0-6-0 became unusable within a month - siderods slipping out of quarter, etc. The new-era Spectrum stuff is a good buy, and it's a nice step forward for them. But that old stuff.... I don't know how they have the nerve to keep making it.
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