Recently won these two HO Loco's on eBay - Opinions Needed - From a newbie

[Anonymous]

Please keep in mind that I'm new to this hobby!

I purchased these for my 4yr old son. I'm planning a 50'+ layout around the perimiter of his room and wanted locos for him to keep forever.

If you would be so kind, I'd like opinions on Price I Paid vs. Collector Value on the following two buys, as he'll have them 'till he grows up...

Both items have been shipped, but I don't have them yet.

Bachmann Plus 4-8-4 "J"
(I just liked the way this one looked!)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6022647203&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

Bachmann Spectrum B&O GP-30
(pairing this up with 2 B&O Bachmann Spectrum passenger cars I already won earlier)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6023232591&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

Much appriciated!
~Mike

[Anonymous]

Let us knows how it runs after you get it. You are the one who has to be happy.
The box looks to be one of the early runs of the J.

The real value is does it run well and are you happy with it after you get it.

[rolleiman]

I would not buy ANY HO trains for collector value.. It's a good way to get burned.. Play value, rememberance value, and overall enjoyment value, Yes.. Future collector value, No.

The N&W J, (I knew you'd end up with 4-8-4 [8D]), it Is an older release..However, I do believe it has a can motor rather than the flat pancake motor of Bachmans of it's day.. Detailing (which there isn't really a lot of on a streamlined steamer) probably won't match that of your spectrum 2-8-0 (did you get that one yet?).. Only trouble is, now you are going to want the passenger cars that go with that J. [:D]

The Spectrum GP-30, the two that I once owned, had a problem where the drive train let loose somewhere.. Somebody else here stated that the problem was that a clip had slipped off somewhere and reinstalling it cured the problem.. Mine have been gone for about 8 years so I cannot verify that.. I mention this just in case you set it on the track and it doesn't move, although the motor runs. Just a heads up if you will..

In any case, I've always liked the Bachman trains, especially the steam engines.. For what they are/were the detailing is pretty good and with can motors, run pretty reliably..

Good luck,
Jeff

[Anonymous]

Defiant.....I think their really good buys! I have a lot of my dad's lionel and leftover HO trains and a bunch of atlas brass track. To some they may mean nothing...but to your son I think they'll be worth millions. I treasure those gifts from my father. And who knows how much they'll be worth in the future.

[Soo Line fan]

If you are looking for "collector value", your money will be better spent in Lionel or brass. HO typically does not appreciate much in value. It seems like every time a manufacturer comes out with an improved model; the older one goes down in value. Or so it seems on ePay. We (the HO community) place a value on the looks and running ability of the locos, not in how old they are. The old stuff is usually seen as what it is, an older obsolete version of what is available today. Now, there are exceptions to this, as some morons will pay stupid prices for anything. But this is generally the rule.

Now, on to what you bought. This J is the second version of this model from Bachman. I have the first one and it was horrible. The driver hubs cracked. The motor was from a slot car with a small pancake motor. Nice body though. I ended up putting a replacement kit under it from Bowser. The kit cost more than the Bachman loco but was worth it. The one you have looks like the improved “Plus” version, different drive completely. At least that’s what the box indicates. It should run a lot longer than mine did. The Plus steam locos are not nearly as good as the Spectrum steam locos, however. The nylon drive gears are known to fail on these models. Bachman will repair or you can get the Bower replacement kit when that happens.

The Spectrum diesels are not held in the same high regard as the steam engines however. Generally considered a low-mid grade model. The best GP 30 on the market is the Proto 2000. I have seen non- running junk go for more than what you paid, so you did not overpay. It is probably a good learner engine for a child.

As a side note, if you are looking for good, dependable, long term diesel engines you might want to consider purchasing Atlas, Athearn, Proto 2000, Stewart, or Kato. The best steam engines are Spectrum, IHC, Bowser, and the latest Mantua.

Good Luck,
Jim

[joeyegarner]

Once again, I wouldn't buy them for collector value. The Bachman Spectrum are supposed to be fairly good engines but I am sure they won't have any collector value. If properly maintained they should give you and your son years of good service.

[Adelie]

As for collector value, I agree with the rest. Far too many of these things are produced for them to have any intrinsic value beyond their worth as a running locomotive.

I can't speak for the J, but my Godson has a Spectrum GP30 which, in my opinion, is a highly underrated locomotive. His is reliable, runs well at a slow speed and pulls well. It's only issue is that it is noisy. But it has been a good performing locomotive for over 8 years now and fits well on a roster with a couple of Atlases, Rivarossis and Athearns. The price you paid on it was certainly a good deal. I've got to confess, I've always like the rugged look of the GP30.

[ICRR1964]

For you and your son, this is a good starting point, Both the negines should do well for now for your son as far as learning and the handling.

[Darth Santa Fe]

I think you got a good deal on those engines.[:D]

I have a fairly new 4-8-4 Niagara with one of the Plus mechanisms, and it's a very nice runner. They're quiet, detailed, pretty reliable and powerful. $65 is pretty cheap for one of those.[:D]

The GP30 should be a good runner. I have an old 8-40CW diesel with a similar mechanism, and it's very quiet and smooth. It's also very powerful because the frame fills pretty much every cubic millimeter of the shell.[:D]

[rrgrassi]

I had a Spectrum GP-30 diesel as well in the mid 90's. It had a good can motor, but it would break the dog bone drive shafts. I ended up using the motor to power a dummy F-7B. Have had no problems since. The GP became a scrap unit, and since it had UP on it, wound up chopped and in a gondola load.

[Anonymous]

I think those are pretty good buys! But as mentioned above, the spectrum diesel driveshafts are very unreliable. They break. What I did is replace them with metal driveshafts and higher quality dogbones. I think I got the parts from NWSL but I cant remember. I sold my spetrum diesels when I switched over to DCC so I dont have a picture of it either. But, something I have been doing recently is putting athearn driveshafts in some engines. Take for example this old AHM/Rivarossi U25-C



The driveshaft wasnt the only modification here of course. I took out the old motor, put a high quality can motor in (sagami?). And you notice it is no longer in the nose. I put the motor in the rear, cut a new hole for the athearn driveshaft. Filled the hole in the nose where the old motor was and moved some weight around. Im not done yet, it still needs more weight and some lighting. But this shows you the driveline anyway.

[coborn35]

I have a GN SD45 bachman and it runs great! Make sure it has knuckles, lub'er up, and she should run good.

[eeyore9900]

On the subject of HO collector value-When I got into HO model railroading as a 12 yr old in 1978, I eventually got 2 Atlas locos, one a Chessie SD35, & the other a WM GP40. I still have both, but after a year or 2, I decided to try my hand at making the GP40 a hi-nose, with the nose off a Athearn GP9 I had. The attempt was a botch, so I was left with a sweet running GP40 with a screwed up shell. Never got around to getting another shell of any kind for it (to this day).
My model railroading interest went kinda dormant as I got up thru my teen years, but around 1985 or so, I attended a toy/train show here in town, & noticed on display by a vendor, some Atlas locos for sale. I said to him how much I liked them, & mentioned my botched attempt on the WM GP40. "YOU DID WHAT?" he exclaimed. "Those shells are collectors items now!" I was taken aback a little, for I nevered expected items like those to become "collectors items" per se (or I would've never done it!) As far as I knew, collector value was in Lionel, American Flyer, & Marx. Up to that point, I had never heard of anything from the 70's on in HO having collector value.
Reading the above posts on HO collector value, I don't feel so bad now, but still have a nagging doubt, & still have botched shell!


Mitch

[Soo Line fan]

Now you will wonder no more: http://cgi.ebay.com/Atlas-HO-Western-Maryland-WM-GP40NEW_W0QQitemZ6019592928QQcategoryZ19131QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Jim

[Texas Zepher]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Soo Line fan

If you are looking for "collector value", your money will be better spent in Lionel or brass. HO typically does not appreciate much in value. It seems like every time a manufacturer comes out with an improved model; the older one goes down in value.

Even with the brass it is purely speculative. They also go down in value as soon as another manufacturer comes out with an improved model. Look at the price of the PFM Crowns before and after W&R came out with that same unit. People who had just paid high dollars for the Crowns lost their shirts.

[Soo Line fan]

I guess the lesson is if you want to make money, try stocks, mutual funds or cds. The trains are for fun, not profit.

Jim

[eeyore9900]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Soo Line fan

Now you will wonder no more: http://cgi.ebay.com/Atlas-HO-Western-Maryland-WM-GP40NEW_W0QQitemZ6019592928QQcategoryZ19131QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Jim

Whew! thanks! (actually, I remember the engine itself cost $25.00 new in 1978-not much of a difference!)

[icmr]

They look good to me.



ICMR

Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]

[icmr]

[#welcome][#welcome] to the forum Defiantly.



ICMR

Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]

[Don Gibson]

IF you want engines that will run ... and run ... and run ....

Bachmann's are among the the cheapest made ... If not #1
but, hey you got a DEAL.

My guess is you GOT what you paid for. If you wan't something with potential for future, Try Broadway Ltd CZ car's and a Intermountain WP FP-7 engine. They are examples of our current better effort's and will always be in short supply.

[Jetrock]

Toys he'll keep forever? Not if you actually let him touch them!

Part of why toy-train stuff is made so cheaply is because young boys are pretty much the most destructive force in the universe if you happen to be a toy. The only toys that survived my childhood were things that were too sturdy, too simple or simply too tough to break. Toys that survive the clumsy mishandling of a toddler and the curiosity of the pre-adolescent often fall victim to the adolescent's love of seeing things set on fire, smashed with baseball bats or blown up with firecrackers.

Model railroad items are *NOT* made with play durability in mind. They are detailed models, intended for use by adults or at least by older children. Even the so-so mid-range model railroad equipment is not built to tolerate rough grabbing by a child, let alone burial in the back yard, impromptu conversion to Space Rocket X-1, or being used to bash one's little sister upside the head.

If you got a couple bargain-priced Bachmann locos on eBay, then assume they will be intact until he is dextrous enough to get up there and turn the equisitely detailed steam engine and tender into a pair of highly impractical nunchuks, and enjoy them while they are there. Start an Educational IRA or buy him a savings bond if you want to give him something he'll use in twenty years.

And, of course, if this is really Dad's toy, then play with them and let Junior watch and help out in whatever capacity he can. Just stop fooling yourself into thinking this is Junior's toy, not yours.

I dunno...maybe your child is a perfect angel and not maniacal little hooligans like my brother and I were when we were kids. We both got into trains and modeling because our dad had so much fun with his layout and was eager to share the experience with us when we were old enough. If he was overly dismayed when we painted racing stripes on his favorite passenger engine, or experimented with weathering techniques by dipping boxcars in mud in the backyard, he hid it pretty well.