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HO Bachmann Shifters with Smoke and Headlight

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HO Bachmann Shifters with Smoke and Headlight
Posted by Shock Control on Saturday, November 14, 2020 11:03 AM

Anyone have one of these?  Are they half-decent, for the money?

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Posted by jjdamnit on Saturday, November 14, 2020 12:43 PM

Hello All,

By "shifter" do you mean a switcher?

Are you talking about a steam locomotive?

Most HO scale diesels don't come with a smoke generator.

I have an HO scale DCC USRA 0-6-0 with a Vanderbilt tender with smoke and a headlight by Bachmann.

The smoke function can be turned on and off via a switch in the cab. I don't use this function but it is part of the DCC unit.

At $169.00 MSRP it's a bit on the pricy side.

I got mine on eBay for around $50.00. For that price it was a good deal.

Hope this helps.

 

 

"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"

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Posted by tstage on Saturday, November 14, 2020 12:44 PM

I don't have one but they are not the better quality Bachmann steamers.  I would opt for one of the Spectrum line locos and skip the smoke.

Tom

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Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by richg1998 on Saturday, November 14, 2020 12:45 PM

Not very much and messy. The smoke units tend to burn out if they run dry. Bachmann does have the smoke units in Parts. Go to the Bachmann site. They have forums, diagrams and parts sections.

I had a couple of them someone gave me with the pancake motor. I gave them away.

I think they have a can motor now and are made bettter. Split chassis to remove the smoke unit. It is in the diagram and parts page.

One fellow there likes them but withoiut smoke. but fine tunes them.

Rich

If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.

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Posted by richg1998 on Saturday, November 14, 2020 1:13 PM

I was just at the Bachmann site. They took a standard 0-6-0 with smoke and slope back tender and made it DCC with a low end EZ Command decoder. The specs are at the Bachmann site. It is ok. I had one Bachmann loco with the EZ Command decoder and I got rid of it. Put in a better eight pin decoder. Many do that. Last I knew, still the same type decoder.

My tenders had plastic wheels. No idea what they did with this new switcher.

Google for better price.

Rich

If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.

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Posted by Shock Control on Saturday, November 14, 2020 1:13 PM

jjdamnit
By "shifter" do you mean a switcher?

Are you talking about a steam locomotive?

Yes, an 0-4-0 with tender.  They may have made an 0-6-0 that smokes also. Thanks!

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Posted by richg1998 on Saturday, November 14, 2020 1:20 PM

Shock Control

 

 
jjdamnit
By "shifter" do you mean a switcher?

Are you talking about a steam locomotive?

 

Yes, an 0-4-0 with tender.  They may have made an 0-6-0 that smokes also. Thanks!

0-6-0. Never had a HO 0-4-0 that I know of. They have made the 0-6-0 for years.

Rich

If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.

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Posted by Shock Control on Saturday, November 14, 2020 1:44 PM

Thanks all for the replies!  

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Posted by Medina1128 on Sunday, November 15, 2020 9:42 AM

I had a 4-8-4 Northern locomotive from Bachmann, with smoke. I used it for a static display at a park on the layout. That was really all it was good for.

 

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Posted by Shock Control on Sunday, November 29, 2020 2:25 PM

So I picked up for very cheap one of the 0-6-0 shifters with sloped tender.  I think it is very good for the money.  It runs very smoothly at slow speeds, which you don't always get with an inexpensive loco.  The smoke feature is OK, but not great.  It generates more smoke at a faster speeds.   We'll see how it holds up over the years.  

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, November 29, 2020 2:29 PM

Shock Control
So I picked up for very cheap one of the 0-6-0 shifters with sloped tender.  I think it is very good for the money.  It runs very smoothly at slow speeds, which you don't always get with an inexpensive loco.

My Bachmann USRA 0-6-0 is a very good runner. I do not know how old it is. I bought it off a $5.00 table at a train show to use as a photo-prop.

Imagine my surprise when I got home and it ran!

It does not have any electrical pickup from the tender. That will be a project for a future time.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, November 29, 2020 2:48 PM

PRR called all their switchers "Shifters".

Standard railroad of the world, ya' know.

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by BEAUSABRE on Monday, November 30, 2020 3:18 AM

jjdamnit
Most HO scale diesels don't come with a smoke generator.

Alco's should

 

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