I know they are Bachmann, but I sure like the looks of them and the price was right. I got a good deal on eBay. I bought them last year and just for fun I decided to run them today. The Northern 4-8-4 runs pretty good, but has a real tough time going through the Kato turnouts. The 2-8-0 Consolidation runs real slow so I guess I’m going to have to lube it. Both steamers are “Spectrum” and say they are DCC ready on the box. Anyway, since I just bought a NCE Power Cab, I was wondering about putting in a decoder. Do you think I should even bother and is there anything I can do about the Kato track? Both of them bounce over each track joint and I don’t know what to say about the switches. Oh No, as I was writing this, the linkage fell of the 2-8-0 as it was going through the Kato Double crossover. That’s too bad because I really liked the 2-8-0. Well if nothing else I could build a railroad museum on my layout and display it there.
the 2-8-0 is one of Bachmann's best steamers. Well worth putting a decoder in. Very easy install with moderate soldering skills. DZ125 is a nice fit for it, and can be had for less than $20.
That Bachmann 4-8-4 steamer is not a "Spectrum" locomotive. It comes from the standard line of Bachmann steam locomotives.
Thanks Tudor, I'm glad to hear that and I think I just might buy a decoder for it. I got the linkage back on and it was a little trouble figuring out how it went on. I hope it stays on. The more I look at it the more I like it.
Oh your right, I just looked at the box. I got confused because I have four Bachmann boxes here and all but the 4-8-4 are spectrum. No wonder I couldn’t find a decoder for it. Good catch!:thumbs_up::thumbs_up:
bachmann 2-8-0 with sound I looked up the DZ125 and it comes in two models, one has a plug on it. I also was searching for info on installing it and I came across a video of one with sound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaSha-tJEGU and I want that. I just got to figure out how and what I need. :thumbs_up:
You can hard wire the Digitrax DZ125 into that steamer in the boiler. The tender offers no power but you can order a kit from Richmonds Controls that will provide power to the tender.
You want the one without the plug on it.. Its a couple bucks cheaper. If you cant get it, and can only get the one with the plug, just simply cut the plug off. It is the same decoder, same wires, just one has a plug at the end.
What do you mean when you say, "the linkage fell of(f)"? Are you talking about the side rods and valve gear? If so, this is the first I have heard about this sort of problem with the 2-8-0. Can you further explain what happened?
Thats not a huge problem with those, but yeah, they can come apart because they are held in place by a little pin holding them onto the driver. So, in transit and/or rough handling, not that uncommon. The really bad part is if you loose that pin. It is REALLY small.
I have three or four Consolidations from Bachmann. All are geared to run slowly. Each needs hours of break in time. After that, they run great, and in both directions! Check a few things first. 1. Did either wheel throw off one of the traction tires? 2. Please describe the wobble or jumping around on the 2-8-0. The Unitrack should not be a problem at all. The pieces of track fit and I never heard of anyone with any bad pieces. 3. Are the wheels in gauge?
I found one problem on the Unitrack where I didn’t get the rail into the coupler and the main double crossover where the linkage came off was popped up for some reason. I haven’t figured out why yet, but both the steamers have trouble going through the rest of the #6 turnouts. I never noticed it on the Diesels. I don’t think that the 2-8-0 has ever been run before. It looks brand new and the packaging looks untouched. I did buy some trains off of eBay that claimed they were never run, but can’t remember if this was one of those. I haven’t checked the gauge and I will do that when I find my gauge.
I really like this 2-8-0 and I want to convert it to DCC. I’m even thinking of building a one stall engine house on my layout just for this 2-8-0. I’ve spent a couple of hours researching the possibilities of adding a decoder & sound to my Spectrum 2-8-0 and I’m getting really excited about it, but I’m going to have to wait a while until I recoup from all the money I just spent on DCC stuff before purchasing anything else. This gives me some time to plan and do it right. Heck I still haven’t figured out how to open up the tender. I did download some instructions from Tonystrain, but no luck on the tender itself. Anyway I read a lot of interesting old posts from jdcolombo and others on the subject. I still have to decide on what decoders to purchase and whether or not to use two decoders or not. Then there is the speaker size and type to consider.
The NCE will not run locomotives at Address 0 like other DCC Systems. You will have to put decoders in each engine to run DCC.
Certain DCC systems can run DC locomotives with the panel programed to operate address "00". My Digitrax Zephyr is such a system. NCE on the otherhand is not able to do that, its the other reason besides cost that I didn't go with NCE.
You know the second that is complete, you're going to find yourself with more than one excellent steamer. I think you're now officially an N Scale Steamer too!
I have both Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0s and Bachmann 4-8-4s on my railroad and love both. I put DZ124 decoders in the 4-8-4s and they run great, as long as I keep the maintnance up on them (wheels in gauge, gears oiled, etc.) I also have DZ124s in my 2-8-0s. However, I plan to upgrade to Soundtraxx as soon as I save enough pennies. Even though the speed on the 2-8-0s seems slow, it is prototypical, and the movement is smooth. I plan to add more 2-8-0s to my roundhouse in the near future. :tb-biggrin:
