After reading the 'shelf queen' thread on here i decided to send off my bachmann j class 4-8-4 as it ran like a bag of nuts and bolts, wobbling and grinding as she went. Well today it returned from the service department and its bloomin worse! They put a new motor in it (do old motors make a loco wobble and grind - id have thought it would be a valve gear / gear train / wheelset problem) anyway, im shipping the thing straight back, it ran that poorly it put a lima pancake motored model to shame! Has put me on a bit of a downer once again regarding bachmann steam models and the idea of obtaining the b&o 2-8-0 is dwindling. I know kato makes some nice steamers but how many r-t-r models are there in b&o colors? They just seem western road orientated these days, (i gotta stop here, told ya i was fuming!)
The 4-8-4 is a Standard Line locomotive. There is a SPECTRUM 2-8-0 and a Standard Line 2-8-0. As far as I know, the Standard Line 2-8-0 is out of production, although there are more than a few out there as NOS. As far as I know, the Standard Line 2-8-0 was not available in B&O. The Standard Line 2-8-2 was. The B-personn SPECTRUM 2-8-0 is available in B&O. The SPECTRUMs tend to be much better than the Standard Lines, although when buying B-mann, 'try before you buy'. If ordering on line, ask the e-Tailer if he will run it for you before he sends it. Perahps some of those here know of an e-Tailer who will do that. I have more than a few of the SPECTRUM 2-8-0s; I like them. They do require a long break in, but they have escellent pulling power and godd slow speed control.
I bought one of the old Bachmann B&O 2-8-0s. It has that gorgeous tender. What a piece of crap. I am still trying to get it to run.The new Bachmann spectrum steamers are so much better.
The difference between the old line and new line Bachmann steamers is like night and day. For the last two weekends our club has had our NTRAK layout set up. I think there must have been five or six different Spectrum steamers out on the tracks over that time. They all ran smooth as silk and very quiet. When I would put out one of my old Arnold Rapido Pacifics, you could hear it grinding away all around the layout. You always knew where they were but the Spectrums would sneek up on you.
The Bachmann 4-8-4, has been, for the most part, noted as a poor runner. All through the years. I have owned a couple. I have heard a couple of people swear they owned one that ran decently. But have not personally witnessed such an event. I hope you have luck getting this item repaired. Fellows who have their On30 items, seem to be doing well in this regard. N scale may be another story. I hope not. Boxcab E50
The Bachmann Spectrum series of steamers are much more reliable than the standard Bachmann steamers. The Spectrum 2-8-0 and 4-8-2's are some of the best detailed and best running steamers in N scale. SDtay cool and run steam....
Well shipped the junker back to bachmann today, feeling better because i won a 6 car kato b&o passenger set on a certain auction site. At last something for my E units to pull! Looks like i will invest in the spectrum 2-8-0, thanks for all your help guys!
Believe it or not, I have two "Standard" B'mann 4-8-4's that run pretty well. Out of the box, both needed regauging of all wheelsets. On the old standard, I had to reposition the motor as the gears did not mesh. Once the wheels were regauged, the new model ran acceptably. With both, I will eventually trash that horrible tender and scratch build something with all wheel pickup. Electrical pickup in the tender usually makes all the difference in the world. Len
Yeah, the Bachmann thing. Last spring I got a 4-8-2 that looked and ran great. So with some trepidation I ordered a 2-6-6-2 knowing that it would have limited pulling power. For my use, I would be satisfied if the thing pulled 14 cars. Well, it started out OK but after a few minites the front set of drivers started lacking up intermittently and then one of the siderods popped off. After trying to reinstall it and trying to gently work out the mechanism I decided I'd be better sending it in. I knew from posts on this and other forums that this model seems to have a return rate of about 50%, but decided to try it anyway since I was looking for another articulated. Hopefully Bachmann will either fix it or send me a new loco that works well. I guess if it doesn't work right when I get it back that I'll try to sell it on that auction site to recover at least part of my $200. Its a big disappointment for that kind of cash. Sigh! Not too keen on Bachmann tonight.
Being one of the few intrepid souls here who have actually built some steamers right down to making your own side rods for the drivers, and heavens know how many bashes, I can say that the Bmann 4-8-4 continues to illude me statistically. Out of six, I have two that are flawless runners. Short of a complete tear down and rebuild of the side frames and chassis I've done just about every other surgical procedure. Now those unit have front and lead truck, and driver pickup as well as tender pickup. Problem is poor machining and wheel slot slop. Not ready to throw in the towel yet so that tear down and redo the wheel axle slots will come someday. Of all the 1st generation Bmann 4-8-4s the J is the best runner out of the box with the lowest frequency of problems. However it is a midpoint redesign of the mechanism and not the same as the standard 4-8-4. Now if Bmann would just redesign the 4-8-4 mechanism to the 2-8-0 or 4-8-2 standard they would probaby have a winner.
You need to be looking at 16 or over. A #6 or a 19 radius switch by Atlas will let it through without putting it on the ties, but a Minitrix 7 and 5/8ths will drop it on the ties. Big long wheelbase on the standard and the J are not too forgiving on tight track. However the front pony truck and rear trailing truck have better side swing radius than the Mountain which is even less forgiving on tight radius because of that limited swing. Peco 18 radius switches will accomodate the Northern fine. Both my Bmann and Concor S-2 (old version) have 22 N scale feet wheelbases for the drivers. The Mountain has 19 but is limited by the front truck swing. Now my Trix Pacifics are big drivered but only have a 15 N scale foot wheelbase on the drivers and both lead and trailing trucks have good swing thus they can squirm through some tight radius. The three above listed 4 driver powered are also hampered by the fact that they have flanged wheels on all drivers. They could benefit from having the two center drivers as blind or flangeless drivers thus allowing them to track through tighter curvature, not unheard of in the 1 to 1 world of steam.
Thanks for clarifying this. The one in particular I am looking at is a Santa-fe Northern I can get for $50 new. The dealer told me I need 18" radius curves but was helping me decide on a Kato mike for $100. The Bman SF Northern also comes in a set called the Empire Builder which is advertised to come with a 24" wide loop of EZ track. So I'm still a little confused. My thinking is or was the Bman SF Northern will work on my 12 3/8" radius Unitrack curves. I may just buy it anyway even if it means shelf queen because I find myself making special trips just to gaze at the thing.
I have one that runs fine on a Bachmann EZ track test loop which is 11 3/4" radius. Smaller radius turnouts may cause a problem but since there are none on the test loop, and the real layout is still in the planning stages, I have no experience with that.
You can run a Bachmann 4-8-4 on 12" radius. It does look better on 14" radius. It has a rigid wheel base and would look and run better on larger radii. Stay cool and run steam......
Thanks for the replies and making up my mind. I am running #6 switches along with the 12 3/8" r curves.
Both Chuck at Feather River and Mark at Rio Grande have test run items for me. never got a dud yet from either, and I am sure both would stand behind the sale if you did have a problem. I echo the above sentiments - Bachmann is a "inspect and test before you buy" brand, if not able to - buy from a reputable dealer who will stand behind it.
I have heard that the 4-8-4 problem is the electrical pickup. You must get the tender modified for electrical pickup before it will run well at all.
