The "N" Crowd

[trainfreek92]

I though am a little lerry about the non spectrum line from bachman though.

Normally I steer well clear of the regular line stuff, but I recently have heard several good reports of a new mechanism they installed under the old 4-8-4 Northern shell.  I had the opportunity this weekend to take a couple of them on a test drive and I liked them enough to buy two of them.  One is perfect and the other the guage is just a bit snug on, but thats an easy fix.  Other then that, after breakin, these puppies will be happily earning their keep on the mainline of my RR.

I've heard a few people say that the new version (in the jewel case, not the cardboard box version) of the 0-6-0 is much improved, but I haven't had the chance to give that one a spin yet.

There was a time, not so long ago, when anything that came from Bachmann was immediately suspect, but thats changing fast.  They're working hard to undo the lousy image that they have had for so long.

Did these locos have Knuckle couplers on them?

[pcarrell]

I though am a little lerry about the non spectrum line from bachman though.

Normally I steer well clear of the regular line stuff, but I recently have heard several good reports of a new mechanism they installed under the old 4-8-4 Northern shell.  I had the opportunity this weekend to take a couple of them on a test drive and I liked them enough to buy two of them.  One is perfect and the other the guage is just a bit snug on, but thats an easy fix.  Other then that, after breakin, these puppies will be happily earning their keep on the mainline of my RR.

I've heard a few people say that the new version (in the jewel case, not the cardboard box version) of the 0-6-0 is much improved, but I haven't had the chance to give that one a spin yet.

There was a time, not so long ago, when anything that came from Bachmann was immediately suspect, but thats changing fast.  They're working hard to undo the lousy image that they have had for so long.

[Anonymous]

Dewayne,

Bachmann has a great warrenty program if the LHS won't replace that loco for you.  I have not personally had that happen to any of the 4 Bmann 4-4-0's that I have, but admittedly, they don't see a lot of track time.  The one that I've run most probably only has 50 or so hours on it.

FOR EVERYBODY: DO NOT BUY BACHMANN LOCOS THEY ALL SUCK!!! {this excludes their Spectrum(R) line.} their cars are ok but their locos are crap the e-z command is ok but i burnt mine obiviosly you must have all track connections in b4 you plug in ac power duh i feel stupid now i have to replace it now after i bought a deccoder or two this just sucks u can laugh if u want or u could tell me that u did something simmular.

I guess you've not had a good experience with Bmann's.  Thats too bad, because while I've had some minor issues with them in the past, as I have with almost all the loco companies I've delt with, they've been able to consistantly deliver a decent product most of the time.  The 2-6-2 was the lone Bmann exception to this.  My 2-8-0's and my 4-8-2's are some of the best in my fleet, and that includes my three Kato Mikes.  And the easy command,....yeah, it's very limited, but the instructions tell you that right up front.  It's a one trick pony.  It doesn't do much, but what it promises it will do, it delivers on in my experience (Yes, I own one).  Anyways, I guess the point I'm trying to make is that maybe all the Bmanns you've had experiences with have not worked out, but to say that they all are that way would imply that you've tried every single product they have ever made and tested each one extensively.  I'm doubting that this is truely the case here.  I like my Bmanns and am quite happy with them, and I think I'm pretty picky when it comes to the runability of them.

I am with Pcarrell on this one. I love the 2-8-0 spectrum that I currently own. I though am a little lerry about the non spectrum line from bachman though. I have had some minor problems with there freight cars and such. As time and money will allow however I will get a couple more locos for my fleet and we shall see what I think.
Curt

[pcarrell]

Dewayne,

Bachmann has a great warrenty program if the LHS won't replace that loco for you.  I have not personally had that happen to any of the 4 Bmann 4-4-0's that I have, but admittedly, they don't see a lot of track time.  The one that I've run most probably only has 50 or so hours on it.

FOR EVERYBODY: DO NOT BUY BACHMANN LOCOS THEY ALL SUCK!!! {this excludes their Spectrum(R) line.} their cars are ok but their locos are crap the e-z command is ok but i burnt mine obiviosly you must have all track connections in b4 you plug in ac power duh i feel stupid now i have to replace it now after i bought a deccoder or two this just sucks u can laugh if u want or u could tell me that u did something simmular.

I guess you've not had a good experience with Bmann's.  Thats too bad, because while I've had some minor issues with them in the past, as I have with almost all the loco companies I've delt with, they've been able to consistantly deliver a decent product most of the time.  The 2-6-2 was the lone Bmann exception to this.  My 2-8-0's and my 4-8-2's are some of the best in my fleet, and that includes my three Kato Mikes.  And the easy command,....yeah, it's very limited, but the instructions tell you that right up front.  It's a one trick pony.  It doesn't do much, but what it promises it will do, it delivers on in my experience (Yes, I own one).  Anyways, I guess the point I'm trying to make is that maybe all the Bmanns you've had experiences with have not worked out, but to say that they all are that way would imply that you've tried every single product they have ever made and tested each one extensively.  I'm doubting that this is truely the case here.  I like my Bmanns and am quite happy with them, and I think I'm pretty picky when it comes to the runability of them.

[nscaler711]

FOR EVERYBODY: DO NOT BUY BACHMANN LOCOS THEY ALL SUCK!!! {this excludes their Spectrum(R) line.} their cars are ok but their locos are crap the e-z command is ok but i burnt mine obiviosly you must have all track connections in b4 you plug in ac power duh i feel stupid now i have to replace it now after i bought a deccoder or two this just sucks u can laugh if u want or u could tell me that u did something simmular.

 

hey Dewane how is your GE Genesis? have you tested it yet?

[Anonymous]

My LHS had a post holiday/blizzard sale yesterday. I purchased a Bachmann "Old time 4-4-0" for next years Christmas layout.

I got it home and decided to give it a test run. I put 3 small passenger car, a small hopper, cattle car and caboose together for the test run. After about 20mins. it started to slip on the rail so I though maybe the Loco may have been over lub'ed, so I though I'd wipe it down and see what happened. I could see a lot of oil on the bottom of the tender. So I started to take it apart to clean it up a little. This is my first small loco so I was surprised to find there is no motor in the loco but it's in the tender and coupled to the drive wheels in the loco by a drive shaft.

While I had the loco apart I found that one of the drive rods was hanging down (luckly I found the tiny screw that holds the rod to the wheel.) To make the story short the hole for the tiny screw is stripped out. Guess I'll have to something about that, but not sure what.

Another case of Bachmann trash.

Dewayne

[R. T. POTEET]

Sounds like nothings' changed...  I had an HO Bachmann 2-6-2 over 20 years ago that did the same thing!

In N scale, at least, don't buy any locomotive from Bachmann unless it's their Spectrum line.  Why a manufacturer would have two or three different manufacturing standards is beyond me...

Dave, at NMRA ST. Louis in 2001 I approached the individual manning the ramparts at the Bachmann fort and ask for his comments on a rumor I had encountered somewhere-or-another in my travels; I had heard that Bachmann was in the process of upgrading ALL of their N-Scale steamer line to Spectrum standards.  Now before you bridge salesmen start sending me emails let me say that I really gave no credence to this rumor but thought I would bounce it off this nameless individual - who, I suspect, really had no input into marketing decisions - anyway.

Perhaps I was a victim of what is known as wishful propaganda.  As is to be expected he pooh-poohed the whole idea; Bachmann's appeal to the mass market, he informed me,  could only be met by maintaining a product line that spanned all levels of the price spectrum and this required inexpensive items - he did not really say cheap - for the trainset market and a more expensive line for the hobbyest such as myself.

I countered with the following argument:

"Cheap trainsets really don't sell anything.  Lionel's trainsets are not cheap and most adult Lionel modelers were introduced to the hobby via a trainset under the Christmas tree.  Lionel wants their trainsets to offer a long-term appeal for future purchases - and they do just that.  I am not a Lionel modeler but I do trust the Lionel name. 

"I do understand a little bit about marketing and the long term profits in this hobby come from the hobbyest.  If a 'kids' first perception of this hobby is 'junk' then he is going to conclude that that is what this hobby is about: junk  And he won't come back to it when he becomes a potential purchaser with iron men in his wallet."

I  told him that on select occasions I purchased a couple of British model railroading magazines and Bachmann enjoyed a substantial repute in the United Kingdom; why, I ask,  were so many of their products here in the country of their corporate headquarters held up to such derision by those who should be beating the proverbial path to their doorstep?  

At this time I got a half-hearted nod of the head.

Bachmann should, I informed him, upgrade their product line to become directly competetive with Kato and Atlas and get completely away from the "low priced spread".  I told him about my few years back purchase of  some C40s and, if I found them a bit noisy, they did pull rather well and I would consider Bachmann Spectrum for future purchases.

This engendered another half-hearted nod of the head - and then I drifted off into other realms of the world of fantasy. 

[pcarrell]

The Bmann standard line is usually junk, I agree.  The 2-6-2 you bought, yeah, I've got one of those!  It's my test mule for whenever I want to try out some crazy idea that probably won't work.  It's been junk from day one!

The Spectrum line is different though.  I already had a 2-8-0 and two 4-8-2's, and they run like swiss watches!

The 4-8-4 is in their regular line, but the mechanism has just been redone to basically spectrum standards.  The only reason it's still in the regular line is that they didn't upgrade the shell (strange how they didn't do that).  I've heard great things about this new mechanism, so I did a try before you buy deal with it and got two.

With Bmann, stay away from the stuff packaged in the cardboard boxes.  Thats the junk!  With the jewel case stuff (thats the newer stuff), try before you buy!  They are making some really top quality loco's, but quality control can be an issue, so run it before you plunk down your hard earned cash!

These four ran great, thats why the man got my money.

[Dave Vollmer]

Sounds like nothings' changed...  I had an HO Bachmann 2-6-2 over 20 years ago that did the same thing!

In N scale, at least, don't buy any locomotive from Bachmann unless it's their Spectrum line.  Why a manufacturer would have two or three different manufacturing standards is beyond me...

[nscaler711]

 I Dont mean to be rude but Bmann steamers suck. i just got a 2-6-2 and the first thing it does is run around a loop at 40 smph (scale miles per hour) and the connector rods popped off and derailed. so then i put the rods back on then i put it back on the track.  it moves 1 cm then stops (that wasnt even a full rotation of the wheels) and starts making wierd noises the the rod popped off again lurched forward then fell of the rails. i tried to re align all of the wheels and rods, but with extreme failure, it is now part of my future transportation museum. piece of crap loco it was bas***dized from a bachmann USRA 0-6-0 not kidding either they just added 2 trucks, pilot and trailing. DO NOT BUY IT IT TRULLY IS A PIECE OF CRAP!!!

[pcarrell]

Now I have a problem though.  I just thrust myself ahead in time.  I'm now firmly in the 40's I think.  I have the info somewhere, but does anyone know off the top of their head when the 4-8-4 Northers were produced? 

Hey, I found the answer to my question, and I'm still cool in the 30's!  Matter of fact, I can still backdate some like I was thinking!  According to Wikipedia: "The first 4-8-4 was produced in 1927 by Alco ".  This ROCKS!

[outdoorsfellar]

I just received a new Chessie SD50 yesterday, so here's a few new pics on it's 1st run......

[apartment railer]

Im trying to make the loop ends of my layout cross over so I can have a double main, but actually on two differnt heights. The Idea is of a single main that loops at the ends so in the middle of the layout its a double main. Im trying to elimiate this and have so as not to look like a double main. So to do this I need 1.5'' clearance. Which is the first question. That is pleanty  of clearance for the coal trains I run. I do not run double stacks but I am not rulling that out for down the line when funds allow and all my other frieght is purchased. So how high should I be to get a double stack under my line. Second question is how do you raise your track up on a nice even grade. I tried this before while still in HO and it was bad. I know on a straight it wouldnt be bad, but im doing this on a curve. Please let me know what you think.

[RR Redneck]

Well guys the scenery on my little N scale layout is halfway done.

[pcarrell]

Well, I just got back from the train show in Indianapolis, IN.  I'm $300 poorer.  But for that I got 2 brand new 4-8-4's (Bmann), 2 brand new 2-8-0's (Bmann Spec.), 7 lighted Harriman passenger coaches, 4 heavyweight coaches, 4 bobber cabeese, 4 steel gons, a wooden milk stop shed, 2 wooden railroad grade crossings, 4 moose, and an aux. tender for my N&W J.  Not a bad haul I thought.

Now I have a problem though.  I just thrust myself ahead in time.  I'm now firmly in the 40's I think.  I have the info somewhere, but does anyone know off the top of their head when the 4-8-4 Northers were produced? 

[apartment railer]

Its the biggest problem with N. Runs are much more limited then HO and there is alot less out there. My friends that model the Bessemer and Lake Erie have no problem getting almost everything ever ran on the rails.... As the N scaler I have 3 choices so far out of the dozen or so diesels they ran. Only thing I can say is it looks to be getting better. Atlas at least is releasing locos at a much faster pace, and rereleasing alot of stuff as well. Kato is still hard to get at times, and always sold out it seems. Sacrafice locos for space??????? the question of the ages for the Nscaler

[Anonymous]

Having been an N scaler and thinking of coming back, I also see the need to have N scalers be heard.  My problem is whether to go N scale or HO for the simple fact that N scale locomotives can sometimes be very hard to find.

One of my favorite Loco's is the SD70MAC in the Creme and Green.  I may be particular, but every internet hobby place shows them "sold out" (Kato), and if they aren't, they're very expensive. To have three of them for the sake of prototype modeling is VERY expensive.  It makes me shy away from N-scale.

In other words, I'm not a huge fan of limited runs.  But I'm just coming back, so maybe these things have changed...and I am checking around.  I know you can forget about it when it comes to trying to make a purchase of these loco's at my local hobby store.  The words "Reserve" and "sold out" are par for the course.

Don't mean to be so negative, but that's one of the things against N scale for me.  But I'm weighing everything.

[Anonymous]

Dave, it sounds great. i have just got into the "smaller" gauge recently due to my limited spacein my home. I predict that in a few years HO and N will be neck n neck as to who will be number one.

[Anonymous]

Also to everyone here in the N crowd. I have been laid off as of january 12th. and will no longer be able to keep up with things during the week. That is untill I can Afford to get internet at the house. I will be trying to keep up either on sat. or sundays with this group. I wish you all well and we shall catch you on the flip side.
Curt

Dude, sorry to hear that...  God luck in the job hunt!

Thanks Dave,
I actually have a fairly decent lead going into computer tech. I am going to talk to my contact next week but he mentioned something along the lines of $50 an hour for a computer service tech as well as 10% commision on all new accounts brought in and 5% on all returning business this morning. I may as well start using my degree I spent 28K on. My only draw back is I havent been in the computer industry for the last 5 years and Need to brush up on things. I also have a couple leads with Comp USA and Centura health. I am not too woried just yet but I am worried about things like bills, house, food and car if I dont find something rather quickly.
Curt

[Dave Vollmer]

Also to everyone here in the N crowd. I have been laid off as of january 12th. and will no longer be able to keep up with things during the week. That is untill I can Afford to get internet at the house. I will be trying to keep up either on sat. or sundays with this group. I wish you all well and we shall catch you on the flip side.
Curt

Dude, sorry to hear that...  God luck in the job hunt!

[MAbruce]

N&W in 'D'. 

A rather nice tune... 

[cpeterson]

Count me among the E'ers, 1954 UP.....big steam, big diesels......

[Anonymous]

Also to everyone here in the N crowd. I have been laid off as of january 12th. and will no longer be able to keep up with things during the week. That is untill I can Afford to get internet at the house. I will be trying to keep up either on sat. or sundays with this group. I wish you all well and we shall catch you on the flip side.
Curt

[Anonymous]

 

 ALRIGHT! I can't take it anymore I Hafta-know! How many of the N scalers here are Transition, how many model Modern etc?

  If there was a chart I have no idea, but! it might go like this:

Group          Era          

   H        1800-1900 

   G        1901-1929 

   F        1930-1945 

   E        1946-1959

   D        1960-1970

   C        1971-1989

   B        1990-2001

   A        2002-Present

I'm an "E" what about you guys? Or Perhaps I could get everyones help in deciding the exact years??

 Canadian Shield

From the looks of it I am a "F"lunkie. I love the height of steam period and am building a free lance line that will have D&RG as well as AT & SF motive power bassed in colorado.
Curt

[Blue Flamer]

I am an ammended "E". Mid 40's to Mid 50'. Because that's where the child in me still lives.

"The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. The SHADOW knows. HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!".

If any of you out there remember that old RADIO show, you are in my age bracket. (For you young pups out there, RADIO, that's what we watched in the telivision of our minds eye BEFORE they added the screen & pictures to the box.).

 

Blue Flamer.

[Blue Flamer]

Mailman.

Appologies for the delay in replying. See my previous reply to Dave for the reason.

Thanks for the link to the Web Site for N Scale Railroading. I would probably never have found it with the missing letters at the end of railroadInG.

 

Blue Flamer.

 

[denny99]

I model "early C"

 

 

[Blue Flamer]

Dave.

My appologies in not replying sooner but I had computer problems right after my previous post and have just gotten it rectified.

Thanks for the Info. I will try to see if I can find more information On Line for NSR.

By the way, I did not mean to belittle anyones efforts, most of all my own. I just meant that you have to just go ahead and do it. Any mistakes that you make along the way, you learn from them and move on. Mistakes that you learn from only make you better.

I was told a long time ago, (actually, a VERY long time ago), "It is better to set your sights to high and fail than to set them to low and never reach your potential".

 

Blue Flamer.

 

[Anonymous]

 

   I for one would join up. I am about to ebark on building an N scale layout in my garage and have space for approx 20'x10'. I have started collecting Great Northern Boxcars and have resprayed and decalled Atlas / Rivarossi coaches for the Empire Builder.

 Regards

 NSNGO 

[outdoorsfellar]

Just call me... Mr  B.