quit bashing Bachmann !!!!!

[Anonymous]

the original line of Bachmann products impress and gave me chills.the way couplers
were mounted on cabooses and passengers cars was unthinkable in use but the original line of GP-4O and F-7 locomotives were as good as Anthearn at the time if not
better.they took good products as Tyco and made a joke.

David Brown

[Anonymous]

I have found that Bachmann has improved in some things. But I am never satisfied on the store bought details. Seems like improvement can always be made. Motor wise check'em out as a tweak here and there can make marked improvements.

I have also seen differences in operation of identical models and not just Bachmann.

But here is the catch. If I am not comepletely satisfied with results of a scratch build how would a mass produced item make me completely happy. Another paradox. There are some beautifully crafted models on the market that were never thought of 50 years ago. You could only dream about them. Back then to have something real nice you built scratch or from a kit that invariably one would modify /mprove before it was done. A quest for perfection perhaps? One thing for sure model railroading is a fascinating and rerwarding hobby.

[Anonymous]

The only thing good to ever come out of Bachmann were the Acela Expresses, and soon, the HHP Electrics.

Has anybody seen their "amfleets" , "power packs" or "track"? These are just a few examples of how shoddy their line usually is. Plus, Plasticville is a joke!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dougal

Here's what I have to say about Bachman:

Spectrum: GREAT!

Plus: so-so

Regular: Bad

EZ Mate couplers: The worst thing ever made

BINGO!

[Mr Mekanik]

I have Model Power, Life-Like and Bachmann steam locos. My most expensive Bachmann loco is a Texas Steam Loco 2-10-4 ho. 24 years ago I paid $109.00. It was equipped with a working headlight, smoke unit and a sound board inside the tender.
The sound was very realistic and I enjoyed running it. I sent it to Bachmann for repairs, (Bachmann offers lifetime warranty and I like that.) but they do not have parts to repair it. They offer me a replacement, but none of them have the sound board, not Even the Spectrum DCC, only working headlight, unless you buy it as an aftermarket install. The Standard line does offer smoke and working headlight.
So my only gripe is, I sent my 24 year old loco with sound, light and smoke unit and I will be getting a brand new updated loco that only has a working headlight. Is that progress?
Mr Mekanik. "S.O.T.T."

[dano99a]

QUOTE: Originally posted by AntonioFP45

Dano99a,

Have you considered remotoring your unit? I believe that NWSL sells a truck motor that would meet your needs. With a low amp motor, you could add LED lights. I think trolleys look great running on a model town's street's.

Nope haven't thought of that, I guess I never really put the time into it. but it sounds like a probable solution. I'll give it a shot, thanks for the info.

[AntonioFP45]

Dano99a,

After checking out NWSL, you can also check out:

www.ppw-aline.com

NWSL or Proto Power West will definetly have a set up that you can use. You can e-mail them with questions, they're pretty good about responding within a few days.

Cheers to you!

[Anonymous]

i will probibly never buy another Botchmann diesel. they are junk plain and simple. i got ripped off buying that junk once, and unless someone can prove to me that they have changed, i will never do it again. have any of you seen their new N scale SD45??? what a joke!! the mistakes are too numerous to point out. on the other hand, they make some of the best steam locomotives in the business. for the life of me i cant figure out why their steam is so good and their diesels are so bad. their electrics like the Acela and the E33 are pretty nice also, except for the several painting errors on the E's


maybe one of these days i will be suprised and find that Botchmann decided to make a diesel that lasts more than a week. until then, they can sit on the shelves and collect dust and wait for some other sucker to buy them.

[AltonFan]

In N scale, at least, Bachmann's standard line is known for its spotty quality - of two engines from the same lot, one will run like a Swiss watch, the other will run very poorly. Most of those engines can use a little more weight, but there isn't much space to add it.

As for the Spectrum line, I will quit bashing Bachmann when they make provision for Micro-Trains couplers on the fronts of their 2-8-0 and Doodlebug! (This omission on the Doodlebug is somewhat forgivable; few doodlebugs used front-end couplers, except when failed units were towed by road engines. But for most of its working life, the 2-8-0 worked local jobs that required a lot of front-end switching!)

Bachmann's N scale freight cars leave much to be desired. There is no easy replacement for the screw-affixed trucks. I only buy their freight equipment if I can't find a better alternative by another manufacturer. (This means pretty much sticking to the heavy-duty flat car and the crane and boom tender car.

Bachmann's passenger equipment is much better, but again, one has to carefully examine the item one is purchasing.

[Anonymous]

hey Antonio FP45 --

On 5/21 you replied to my post: "Cheers to you in Run 8 !" (please 'splain, or is this something I should understand?)

BILL

[AntonioFP45]

Hey Bill,

Sorry, no problem! There is a modeler on this forum that uses the "Run 8" closing from time to time. I "swiped" it!

Run 8 is one of eight "Throttle Positions" on a typical EMD or GE diesel locomotive. This position of course is the "Nail it to the wall!", "Pedal to the Metal!", "Make the turbo-charger sing!", top speed setting.

Though of course if some want to nitpick: Depending on the locomotive's gear ratios, Run 8 for example would be:

45 to 60 mph on some switchers
85mph on an Amtrak F40
75mph on many modern six axle units
On many E7s and E8s this would have been around 100mph. [C):-)][tup]

On the Northeast Corridor, there is a stretch of track known as "Shotgun Alley". No, not from snipers, but due to trains "ripping by" in notch 8 at 100+mph! The Metroliners were especially noticeable here. That was some years back. I don't know if Amtrak still runs conventional trains at that speed.

Hope this helps!
Cheers again, in Run 8!

[csxns]

Botchmann Botchmann botchmann.Ask the Botchmann man.

[Roadtrp]

That's what I like best about this board... intelligent, pithy commentary.

[:-^]

[trainfan1221]

Bachmann's n scale stuff leaves a lot to be desired. I believe they are better recognized for their large gauge stuff. I used to like their web site, though.

[Anonymous]

A little over a year ago I bought an N scale Bachmann 2-8-0. It was jerky - couldn't fix it. Sent it back to Bachmann.
Two weeks later I receive the replacement engine from Bachmann, and it ran good in forward and hardly ran in reverse. I sent it back to Bachmann again.
Another two weeks and I got another replacement engine I am staisfied with. I finally got what I wanted, and then a few days later I got another one in the mail, so then I had two. I took the one to the train store and exchanged it for $100.00 worth of Micro-Trains cars. I don't have anything to complain about. Sometimes it's worth waiting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Andrew

[Anonymous]

hey AntonioFP45-

I'm less devistated now ! Thanks for explanation.

BILL

[Anonymous]

I've had varying experience with their N-scale locos. I have a U36B that runs superbly, even if the paint is a little thickly applied - considering re-working it to improve the looks as the chassis is excellent. I also have a Dash 8 that runs fairly well, but it has a problem in that it lacks sufficient weight for adhesion and I can't find space for any more. As for the F7A (ran badly, discovered that someone in the factory hadn't assembled the pickups properly) that still runs hot, the less said the better!

[on30francisco]

I always had a passion for narrow gauge. I tinkered with HOn3 and On3 scales but found locos to be pricey and finicky to work with in the former and extremely expensive in the latter. When Bachmann came out with their On30 locomotives, I switched over to that scale in a New York second! Their On30 locos look and run terrific - and they are very affordable. I believe Bachmann has done a lot to get more people interested in narrow gauge modeling - both in O and G scale - because of their high quality and very reasonably priced locomotives and other products they sell. The best part is that Bachmann keeps introducing more products, both in its lines of narrow and standard gage locos and equipment.

[Anonymous]

This is a Hobby and if you like Bachmann, enjoy the product. Each of us have an opinion and that is our perspective, right or wrong. Most of our opinions are created by past experience. Bachmann has improved over the years and they have some of my money, but I will not run any of them due to poor running qualities.

When they came out with the N&W J 4-8-4 improved version, I was happy to read the Model Railroader testing report in MR. However, when I purchased the engine, I found the low speed was not very low and it ran much like the PRR K4 they had sold me several years ago. I like the passenger cars they sold me, but the couplers had to be body mounted. That is not to say I am speaking badly of them, as I have the engines and I display them on a desk. They look very nice and I still enjoy them.

We all have different requirements for our Hobby and just enjoy what you like.

[Junctionfan]

I am not very fond of their rollingstock for HO. The lettering seems blurry and alot of the details is wrong. The only thing that they have going for them is there Spectrum line. Their F-40s are not the greatest but they are good enough for me. Ideally the Walthers ones would be good but the Spectrum was cheaper.

I was kid at the time when most of the stuff I had was Bachmann but now they just don't seem to have the quality that I remember. Sorry about the bad report but that is the truth for me.

[jrbernier]

Bachmann has gained this reputation on their own. What I do not understand is that some of the upscale Spectrum line is so good(2-8-0 for example), and then they produce real junk on the next attempt. It is like they have seperate design teams that never talk to one another. Some of the diesels like the C40-8 look very good, and run decent at first, then start binding up and fall apart. And even the good Spectrum stuff has quality control problems.
I have never had these problems with my Atlas/Kato/P2K/Genesis/BLI engines. I have 3 Spectrum steamers(2 2-8-0's and a 4-6-0). My 3 engines have run fine out of the box, but several friends have had problems(at least Bachmann seems to honor their warranty and ships replacement engines back).

Jim Bernier

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jrbernier

Bachmann has gained this reputation on their own. What I do not understand is that some of the upscale Spectrum line is so good(2-8-0 for example), and then they produce real junk on the next attempt. It is like they have seperate design teams that never talk to one another. Some of the diesels like the C40-8 look very good, and run decent at first, then start binding up and fall apart. And even the good Spectrum stuff has quality control problems.
I have never had these problems with my Atlas/Kato/P2K/Genesis/BLI engines. I have 3 Spectrum steamers(2 2-8-0's and a 4-6-0). My 3 engines have run fine out of the box, but several friends have had problems(at least Bachmann seems to honor their warranty and ships replacement engines back).

Jim Bernier

Although I agree that Bachman has had its problems, its quality and consistency has
improved much over the years. Their new 44-tonners are inexpensive gems, so there's
hope even for their diesel line.

One thing I think troubles people above all the "botchman" nonsense, aside from
the goofy plays on their name, is that many people seem far too quick to forgive other
manufacturers for things they would skewer Bachmann for. QC is a perfect example:
just about every company (yes, even Kato) has put out a dog or two in their time,
but they are almost immediately forgotten. On the other hand, the Spectrum C40-8W
from 15 years ago appears to have traumatized the majority of HO modelers for
a lifetime. It's still the "smoking gun" of choice in most Bachmann-bashing.

Juan

[Paul3]

The ways that Bachmann has messed up by me:

1). "Spectrum" EF-4 (E-33). The messed up on the lettering (the NH sould be in the middle of the stripe), they messed up on the detail (all the fold down lift rings are in the up position) and they messed up on the drive (it sounds like a coffee grinder).

2). "Spectrum" Light Mountain. Out of the box, the engine "hunted" down the track (wobbled from side to side). After much use, I suddenly noticed a "clicking" sound, like a baseball card in the spokes. One of the pick up shoes had moved and fallen into the driver spokes. When I tried to fix it, it snapped off, leaving me only three wheels to pick up (and now the wobble is worse).

3). "Plus" F7's. Custom painted for CDOT, they ran a few laps around my club before developing squeeling bearings. Even after oiling, the problem never went away.

4). "Spectrum" heavyweight passenger cars. We'll skip over the fact that the NH didn't have most of these cars, and go right to the paint scheme. These cars come with gold lettering on a green body. While that can be correct, it is not when the lettering font is the 1950's era "Futura" (it should be in Railroad Roman). And while the NH did put Futura letters on green heavyweights, it was in silver or white, not gold. Oh, and the ridiculous coupler pockets that need Jay-Bee replacement pads...

5). "Spectrum" 44tonner. The wheels actually turned green and corroded after storage in dry basement.

6). "Spectrum" H16-44. New, in the box, never ran it. When installing the handrails on the model, I noticed that the nickel-silver plating was falling off the wheels!

7). "Spectrum" 2-6-6-2. New, in the box, drivers out of gauge (a club member's engine).

8). "Spectrum" 4-6-2. New, in the box, one driver wheel mounted crooked on axel (a club member's engine).

While Bachmann does do nice things from time to time (the Shay is a gem), my overall experience with this company is poor.

Paul A. Cutler III
*****************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
*****************

[Anonymous]

In N scale Bachmann's regular engines kinda suck, it takes a good amount of work to make them run really smooth. There spectrum engines on the other hand are really nice, I have 2 dash 8's which run really well.

[EL PARRo]

I have an HO scale Spectrum light mountain. It ran well when I first got it, but recently it has started to make a slight grinding/rubbing noise when it is going forward. It doesn't make this noise when it is going backwards, only forwards. It doesn't run jerky or anything, it only makes that noise, although I'm a bit worried that this may lead to more problems. Despite this, I'd still be willing to buy other Spectrum steam locos, and maybe even a 44 tonner.


Can someone give me some info about their Spectrum heavyweight passenger cars? How well detailed are they? How well do they operate on 24" radius curves? If someone has some painted for UP, how good is the paint job on it? Anything I should know about these cars? Trainworld has a set of four for only $70 and single cars for about $17, and I'm thinking about getting some.

thanks

[BRAKIE]

Sorry I can not agree.I seen to many Bachmanns die a quick death at the club after 6-8 weeks.[:(] The Spectrum steam locomotives are a hit and miss..I seen good and I seen the type of locomotives Paul3 talks about .[:(]
Nobody at the club buys Bachmann Spectrum steam locomotives any more.Its just to risky...[:(]

[twhite]

So far, my experience with Bachmann HO has been limited but okay. I will admit that their early GS-4 was a pretty poor runner, but the latest version (especially the 'War Baby') seems to run well for me. Of their Spectrum series, I've got a WP 2-8-0 and a C&O 4-8-2 and am quite satisfied with them. Their 2-6-6-2 so far has been a real gem, a smooth runner, and as a puller, far out-performs my Proto 2000 USRA 2-8-8-2. I've not tried any of their rolling stock, as my LHS doesn't seem to carry any of it. Perhaps he knows something we don't. But based on my limited experience with the company, I'm hardly going to bash it, though I DO wonder why the headlight on my 4-8-2 shines a bright blue.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dougal

Here's what I have to say about Bachman:

Spectrum: GREAT!

Plus: so-so

Regular: Bad

EZ Mate couplers: The worst thing ever made

Dougal is that you?ITS ME! ISGP30536!!! you know from railfan.net!!!!!!I totally agree with you!But I actually love the Bachmann non spectrum GP30 its great for modifing!!!!!

[Don Gibson]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Oklahoma Train Nut

here latley I hvae heard alot of people saying that Bachmann trains are terrible and low quality. THAT IS VERY UNFAIRLY UNTRUE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bachmann products are somke of the best model railroading products ever !!! I don't mean just the spectrum line, the standard line is relly good to !!! does anyone back me up here ????

Good VS bad depends on where you draw the line:

You must realize that there are different markets to sell to, BEGINNERS aren't fussy, and want cheap! BACHMANN has catered to that market.
Then there is an INTERMEDIAN market: Product vs price. Their Spectrum line was aimed at that one.
There is also a CONNOISSEUR'S market which is made up of fussy people - with BUCKS - who want something better.. Bachmann has aimed at that with it's Heritage line.

The Original Bachmann product line WAS cheap.
Their 'Spectrum' line was 'uneven'... fair (GP-30's) to good (GE 44 switcher's).
The 'Heritage Series' is outstanding. An all-out committment.

We'll see what tomorow brings. The only thing I can tell you, is Reputation's are earned.

[Anonymous]

I liked thier GP30.Cant say the same for the Dash 8s and that horrid SD45.I liked the Bachmann products when I was younger but now that Im older and can afford more they are a waste of money and time.I much prefer Athearn,Atlas and Kato.The 3 best in my opinion.Dan