quit bashing Bachmann !!!!!

[slotracer]

There's a reason one sees many "bashing" bachmann, it's not some conspiracy or group motive, it's becasue they are known to make JUNK. It is fair and it is true for many people, because of repeat after repeat experience with POOR QUALITY. To say it is ome of the best modeling products ever either must come from a company plant, someone who has gotten a few unussually good pieces by chance or someone who really has no clue about what quality equipment is.
The Standard line, some of the best products ever ? you have to be joking seriously. That's like saying a yugo is every bit as good as a lexus, you are either joking or you blow your credibility right out of the gate with a statement like that.
I have never had any bacchman standard line stuff, but had some friends who did and they gave up on them, parked them as filler engines in the loco terminal or scrap line.
I had several spectrum diesels, the best ones were coffee grinders with 30 mph min speed, pooor tractive effort, fat details and would surge even at mainline speeds. The spectrum GP30 sat high and ran HORRIBLY.....it was not even worth teh time and expense to convert into a credible dummy unit.

[Anonymous]

When modeling my logging operation, I first bought a Life-Like Shay and soon found it was junk. I then bought the Bachman Shay and this little loco is a shear delight. The side cylinder arrangement is very well engineered and she runs like a charm. I intend to buy another Bachman Shay. As for the Life-Like, it stays parked in the trees. By the way, I model in HO.

[davekelly]

Bottom line. "Junk" and "fine runner" are in the eyes of the beholder. If you like Bachmann equipment and it makes you happy - then good for you. No matter what it is that you like there will be people that run stuff that is more expensive and higher quality that will call your stuff junk and those that run stuff that is less expensive and less quality that will say you have more money than brains.

Of course I would never expect a Yugo to run like a Lexus, but if the Yugo is what you can afford (or want to spend) and does what you want it to do - isn't that what matters? It is funny, we'll call people's model railroading stuff "junk" to their face, but would we walk up to a neighbor or co-worker that just bought a Dodge Neon and say "Man, that car is junk - you ought to buy a Mercedes."?

I'll admit that things such as Bachmann standard line and Tyco aren't the best out there, but if it weren't for those two companies, my dad and I wouldn't have had anything to run way back when - the time when that was all we could afford and my love of this great hobby began. Although these two lines don't fit my requirements or wants anymore - there is a place for them and people who will think they are just fine.

Just my opinion.

Dave

[grayfox1119]

Every manuafacturer in a competitve market, tries to find a "nitche" section to gain market share. If you look at the entire MRR age group as one parameter, it is fair to say that the age group spans approximately age 7 up to 90, with the largest grouping in the age 40-70 bracket. Now take a look at disposeable spending money by age bracket. The young group from age 7 to say age 24 will for the most part, not have a great amount of money to throw into the hobby. And, the age group from 70 to 90+ will not have a great deal of money to throw at their hobby because they are on fixed income with prices of everything from medical to oil & gas killing them financially. So if you are the head honcho of BLI, LifeLike/Walthers, Bachmann, etc., you pick a segment of the market where you want to target your efforts, where you feel you will reap the rewards of your effort. Excellent design engineering and high quality means higher prices, so you target the age group that can and will spend the higher bucks on a real nice locomotive. And for those who see that money can made in the 7-24 and 70 to 90+ age groups, the build to serve and PRICE this market segment.
There will always be the exceptions to this as with anything in life, in otherwords, the rich kid at age 7 that gets whatever he wants, and the retired CEO, Doctor, Lawyer, or Lottery winner at age 75 that can buy whatever the price is. But they are the exception, and do not influence the market that much.