MP LL and Bachman N scale

[Anonymous]

way back when- these were at best ok . at best

now i see some of them costing as much as an atlas and sometimes more.
i have been away a long time and just sometimes things do change for the better. is this the case??

do i now have a much wider selection of manufacturers of good engines to choose from?

my lady wants to buy me an engine before she goes in for spinal surgery tomarrow so i would really like to hear from onwers of these brands.

much thanks, john

[orsonroy]

OK, here's my take:

Bachmann: has two lines of engines, "standard" and Spectrum. The standard stuff is the same old Bachmann, even though some of the engines have been upgraded with somewhat better drive trains. The Spectrum line is top of the line, at least in terms of their steam engines. Leave the standard line alone, and go with the Spectrum.

Life Like also has two lines, their old toy train stuff and the much better newer engines, including diesels and the Heritage line of steam. The newer stuff (in plastic jewel cases with blue labels) and the Heritage steam is at least as good as Spectrum.

Model Power has mostly a toy train quality line, but they are trying to break into the higher-end market. Their new steam (2-8-2, 4-6-2, 4-4-0 and upcoming 2-6-0) are all quality engines.

If you look around, you can get significant bargains on all these engines. Check www.trainworld.com first, as they generally have the best prices anywhere. They recently ran a sale on Life Like diesels (especially the GP18 and GP38) for $25 apiece, which is a fantastic price for good quality engines (they're not QUITE as good as Atlas, but they're good enough that it realy doesn't matter)

[pcarrell]

Hi John,

I don't know if you are looking at steam or the "D" word, but I can help a little with the steam stuff. I really only go for the newer stuff as the older loco's can be quite poor in quality and running ( not all, just a lot ).

MP steam needs traction tires and then it would be much more effective. Other then that they are fine loco's.

I don't have any experience with LL so I will refrain from commenting on them.

Bachmann spectrum series can be wonderful, or it can be terrible. Run it before you buy it. I have a connie and two light mountains and I love them. I've heard from others that Bachmann's quality control can be quite spotty, so try before you buy.

Now as to those "D" word things......

I have a friend whole likes those things ( not quite sure whats wrong with him yet ) and he has great luck with just about everything he lays his hands on. Atlas, LL, MP, and Bachmann, they all run well for him. Maybe thats why he likes them?????

[Adelie]

John,

All of this is discussion of diesels. When I broke into N-scale a few years back, there was little quality steam and the fictional history of my railroad dictates transition era diesels.

I have a few Life Like N-scale FA2/FB2s, and if my garage door opener ever fails, I'm pretty convinced they are powerful enough to raise and lower the thing! I'm happy enough with them that I am in the process of putting NWSL wheelsets on them (stock flanges were too big for code 55) and installing MT couplers and decoders.

I also have a pair of SW9s from Life Like, which are good switchers.

My only experience with recent Bachmann releases is the Spectrum Dash 8-40s, which were okay (they are in storage, no longer fit my era).

All that said, if I am going to spend Kato or Atlas money, I will stick with Kato or Atlas. As for the brands you mentioned, I am selective in what I add to the roster. Hopefully more people will chime in with first-hand reviews of the other models available from these companies.

[Anonymous]

Bachmann Spectrum stuff can be good. Notice I said CAN be good. The newer Bachmann Spectrum deisels are ridiculously over priced. Some of the older Spectrum deisels do o.k. and don't cost too much. If it is steam, try before you buy. Lifelike has improved in many areas. Their Heritage Berkshires are beautiful and they run very smoothely. They don't pull too much. Their mallet is supposed to be good. Avoid their "Little Joe" engine and the SD7/9. Their BL2s, FA/FB2s, E-units, C-Liners and little switchers are pretty decent. They have out an old GP38 or something like it. Skip that one. Model Power's all metal Pacific and Mikado are decent. Try before you buy, especially with steam. Athearn has out some nice N scale pieces. Your best bet is to go with Atlas or Kato. I have heard that Intermountain makes some high quality engines.

[pcarrell]

WVHagan reminded me, I almost forgot to include some of my favorite runners, my MDC (now Athearn) 2-6-0's & 2-8-0's. These things pull like mountain goats, creep along like snails, and are so silky smooth that they are a joy to operate. They are a little low on detail, but that can be fixed easy enough. They are from an earlier era though (1890's) so they don't work for everything. Might be good for a train museum in a more modern setting, or you can always freelance using the V & T as a prototype model.

[ATSFCLIFF]

If you love running trains without frustrations and heartaches then forget all the three brands you have mentioned. For smooth running, good details, pulling power go for Kato, Atlas and InterMountain.

Cliff
http://cliffordconceicao3310.fotopic.net/c328807.html