Bachmann sound value S4

[kh25]

How good are these going thru switches, stalling etc?

Thank you 

[Doughless]

Not good from my experience.  I owned two and sold them both off because of continuous stalling on a number of turnouts.  They have the Tyco-School phosphorous bronze wiper behind the wheels method of electrical pickup.  You and others may have better experiences.

 Nice loco otherwise. 

[Doughless]

Bump.

Let me clarify, my experience was with #6 frogs.  I would think a sharper/shorter frog would yield better performance.

[hornblower]

I own two of these locos and a guest operator recently commented that these were two of the sweetest running locos he's ever operated.  I have around 50 hand built #6 turnouts on my layout and these Bachmann Sound Value S4's will run anywhere on the layout without mishap.  I often use one of these locos to push my camera car since it provides the smoothest video pictures.  If one of these locos is stalling on turnouts, I would blame the turnouts!

Bachmann has made a huge turnaround in its products and company image.  Back in the 80's the same operator mentioned above and I used to joke that Bachmann made trains with square wheels!  They still sell value priced products such as the Sound Value line, but now they're actually worth buying.

[BRAKIE]

kh25

How good are these going thru switches, stalling etc?

Thank you 

 

I have no issues with my DCC/Sound equipped S4 going through Peco medium switches.Overall its a sweet little switcher.

My biggest complaint is the turbo whine is to loud.

[jrbernier]

  I have one, and have no electrical pickup issues in the club's code 100 yard tracks.  All Atlas #6 turnouts...

Jim

[DRfan]

I have a dcc ready version (Western Maryland).  My layout has code 83 track.  I have had no problems navigating it thru switches.  I did have do a quick lubrication when I first bought it (I think it had been in the store for while - maybe a few years).  Overall, I am very pleased with the model and would highly recommend it.

[Doughless]

To provide more details, both Bachmann's S4s stalled over several atlas #6 turnouts that are powered at all three legs, and stalled frequently over the Shinohara 30 degree crossing that was powered on all 4 legs.  

Of course, being switchers, I tend to run them on speed step 1 and set the starting CV to the slowest smooth speed possible, so that may make a difference.  I understand the impact of clean wheels and clean track.

For my other brands and models over the same track at the same speed setting:

The P2K SWs with sound also stall, both the models without traction tires, and the ones with traction tires (which are absolutely terrible, IMO)

Some Atlas MP15s stall and some don't.  For some reason, my later Titan versions stall much more frequently than the older "less authentic" sounding QSI's. 

OTOH, my Atlas Gold S2s never stall.

I have only owned Bachmann, Walthers/Proto, and Atlas switchers.  From these manufacturers, I would buy only the Atlas S series switcher from now on.  I have kept only the MP15s that creep through #6 turnouts at speed step 1.

Lets just say that finding a dcc/sound switcher that doesn't stall over frogs at speed step 1 has been a challenge and a learing experience.  

[BRAKIE]

Doughless

Lets just say that finding a dcc/sound switcher that doesn't stall over frogs at speed step 1 has been a challenge and a learing experience.

And it would be fun learning. I use momentum and adjust the speed step accordingly. I suspect very few could switch cars on my ISL without having crash couplings and hitting the stoppers and bumpers on the end of the track.

Looking back I should have added DCC/Sound to one of my Atlas/Roco S4s but,the Bachmann S4 is still going strong after 4 years so,no worries--other then that annoying loud turbocharger whine..

[Doughless]

BRAKIE

 

 

Doughless

Lets just say that finding a dcc/sound switcher that doesn't stall over frogs at speed step 1 has been a challenge and a learing experience.

 

 

And it would be fun learning. I use momentum and adjust the speed step accordingly. I suspect very few could switch cars on my ISL without having crash couplings and hitting the stoppers and bumpers on the end of the track.

Looking back I should have added DCC/Sound to one of my Atlas/Roco S4s but,the Bachmann S4 is still going strong after 4 years so,no worries--other then that annoying loud turbocharger whine..

 

Removing turbo whine is a real problem for Soundtraxx and ESU.  Its why I don't buy them and think that QSI is so much better.  Too bad the masses have run QSI out of the market.

Soundtraxx and ESU EMD prime movers with turbochargers, such as GP40's, GP60's, GP30's, and GP20's, sound horrible.  And they can't be muted via individual sond volume CVs.

Only does QSI allow that.  Effectively, it makes a GP40 a GP38, but there are enough high frequency sounds from the speakers that I don't miss it at all, and removing a squealing turbocharger makes the loco actually listenable for more than 30 seconds.  The ESU and Soundtraxx turbo powered locos become expensive silent runners or ebay sales fodder...that being dependent upon how much BEMF buzz I get on the silent slow speeds.

Another expensive learning experience.

I'm going to see if the ESU GP60 can be reprogrammed to a nonturbo 645. I know the aftermarket ESU's can, not sure about their factory OEM decoders

[Harpo1me]

These things look good for what they are ,but cannot meet the quality of a 20 year old Atlas /Roco. They are unbalanced to where all the weight is on the rear truck. The axles are fixed so that there is no side to side movement because of the thin offset from center drive gear on the axle and it causes the rear wheels to wear a groove in them from the rail and all the frame weight on the truck practically. The electrical wipers are weak and the wire that goes to it feeds through a hole in the frame causing the wire to bind and break. The wheel isolaters that are plastic ,hold the axle in the wheel ,but seperate in time so the wheel actually comes loose from the axle! These things are junk! The sound value decder has 3 sounds.A bell ,horn and a prime mover with 8 notches ,but no start up and shut down,No brakes,compressors,air releases ,Nothing else . They run good when they do run,but that is a challenge to keep them running without a broken wire,wheel coming off or a motor that starts grinding away when the glue that holds the magnets in place fails and the armature hits the magnets then the motor burns out. Cheep 3 pole motor.They have bad printing that rubs off from handling since Bachmann to save a dollar did not use a seal coat.Then they use a 13mm speaker that will blow out if you use the prime mover and bassy default horn  is at max at the same time the prime mover is at  1/2 volume. Otherwise they are great!This is a expierance I had owning 2 of them purchased brand new from different dealers at different times.

 

[Harrison]

A guy in our club has one, it stalls a bit on turnouts, but that's what you get with short switchers. decent detail, good sound, though they should offer them in D&H paint.