How do the Bachman steamers rate against the Bachman diesels? I purchased 3 diesels once, the Spectrums. Two of them died within 2 days, and the third one started to make the same howling noise the other two made before they died. The loacl train store didn't have anything good to say about the diesels. Are the steamers o.k.? Or are they hit or miss? Mark
How do the Bachman steamers rate against the Bachman diesels? I purchased 3 diesels once, the Spectrums. Two of them died within 2 days, and the third one started to make the same howling noise the other two made before they died. The loacl train store didn't have anything good to say about the diesels. Are the steamers o.k.? Or are they hit or miss? Mark
They might be more of a hit or miss. Now I have had 3 of the 2-8-0s and they ALL ran very well . However I have corosponded with people that have had lots of trouble with them. My suggestion is to test run them before you buy . This is a good idea for any loco .IMO.....Mike
There are quite a few HO steam and diesel locos for sale on railserve.com right now. This is a quote from Robert Seel, who posted this on RailServe: "Apparently, the new Rivbarossi Heavy Pacifics have a gearbox problem. This happened to me twice -- once with a brand new locomotive, and again with a new replacement after the same 10 to 12 hours of (cumulative) running time. The Chicago & Alton 4-6-2 pulling the eight passenger car set, has an idler gear mounted on a peg molded to the side of the gearbox. This peg will shear off, causing the idler gear to move foreward and bind the loco to a dead stop. Reversing the power and starting up again causes the the loose gear to be thrown to the back of the gearbox, out of the way so the motor can spin freely while the loco sits still. The drivers will now roll freely under external 0-5-0 power. (Hand push) So far there is no remedy but to replace the gearbox with yet another defective design. Since Rivarossi has been sold and restructured, parts are scarce, service is frustrating, poor, and unresponsive. Will Northwest Short Line come to the rescue? Does anyone have any suggestions?" My response- Robert, I had the same problem with an Athern diesel, whose idler gear had sheared its mounting peg. The peg was about 3/32" dia, and was still in the gear. I drilled a 1/16" dia hole through both sides of the gearbox on center to the broken peg, and through the peg. Then I re-assembled the peg and gear, and slipped a brass pin through the entire gearbox, and glued both ends of the pin. The engine ran until I traded it for a steamer. Have to look at the Rivarossi gearbox to see if this could be done the same way. [ 22 February 2001: Message edited by: watash ]
To Clarify: The IHC's I'm referring to are the Premier Series. I'm not familiar with other versions IHC makes. My guess is, Benny, Your experience might be with something other than a Premier! Rich
Now guys i'm only rating my collection of steamers, that I own...... (20)!!! Goes out to my Overland (Brass) 3 truck Shay!!!!! That double to the 1-10 thing but i'm saying as it compares to the others I own....... (150 ton, 3 truck Shay) (9) goes out to my Rivarossi Steamers.....4-8-8-4 "Big Boy's" customized to a EM-1 "Yellowstone" 2-8-8-4, 2-8-8-0 EL-5s, 2-8-8-2's, 4-6-6-4 "Challenger", 2-10-2's (Santa Fe's), 2-8-2's "Mikado's", 4-6-2's "Pacific's", 2-8-0's customized from a 0-8-0 "Consolidation's", and my switchers by Rivarossi 0-8-0's, 0-6-0's, and 0-4-0's "Little Joes". (8) goes to my Life-Like Proto-2K steamer...... (0-8-0). (6) goes to my I.H.C steamers..... 4-8-2 "Mountain's", 2-8-2's "Mikado's", 4-6-2's "Pacific's", 2-8-0's "Consolidation's", 2-6-0's "Mogul's" 0-4-0's "Little Joes". (5) goes to my Mantua steamers...... 2-8-2's "Mikado's", 4-6-2's "Pacific's", 4-4-2's "Atlantic's", 4-4-0's "American's", 0-10-0's "switchers", 0-6-0's "Camelbacks", 0-4-0's "Goats". (4) goes out to my Bachmann steamers...... 2-8-2's "Mikado's", 2-8-0's "Consolidation's", 4-4-0's "American's. (3) goes out to my *plain jane Life-Like steamers....... 2-8-2 "Mikado's", 0-4-0's "switcher's". And last but not least A (1) goes out to my JUNK TYCO steamers which are all now converted from engine powered tenders into dummies to lend a hand in pushing or doubleheaders....... 2-8-2's "Mikado's", 2-8-0's "Consolidation's", And last but not least 4-6-0's "Rodgers" Ten Wheelers Now guys this is just to name one of each that I have a few of each type written here, unlike the Shay I wish I had more of him!!!!!! If I were to list everyone I have it would take till next Thursday to type them all out!!!!!! I love the performance of my Overland Shay and all my Rivarossi stuff even though i've had my fare share of work on the Rivarossi. But now they run great!! So I have to compliment on what a legacy I created in Rivarossi and what I got now!!!!! I made them do what they do all for a sparingly few thats still factory untouched by me.......
Here's a question from a newbie. Would the Athearn 2-8-2 be a good engine for a first steamer with 18" curves.
Watash, Yes i'll agree that I got the blood and mind to scratchbuild!!!!! I'm a scratchbuildaholic!!!!! But what can I say but......... I LOVE IT!!!!!! And i'll keep doing it till they put me in the ground oh well its alot better than alot of things I could be doing at the age of 22! I think i've mastered the trade of scratchbuilding and painting on any brand made so far!!! Besides a few of the newest things out though I haven't got my hands on yet! but time will take its toll and i'll get my chance!!! But Watash isn't the scratchbuildaholic a good thing????? I know its kept me out of trouble all my life with the law that is, but it also got me into trouble when I was younger and working on things and ran out of something and had to ask mom or dad for a few dollars to get what I needed to finish the project. So that got me yelled at a few times but.. I plead the 5th.... [ 17 March 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
Watash, you know... The only way to cure the "Scratchbuilders Itch" is????? Keep scratchbuilding till your content, and so far I still have the bad diease so....
TC, I have a friend that owns a Athearn Genesis 2-8-2, and all he runs it on is 18 inch radius. He don't own many steamers and most of his stuff is present day so alot of diesels their but he does have a sparingly few steamers and the 2-8-2 Athearn is one of the steamers he has and it only gets ran on 18 inch radius curves unless he brings it to my home and on my layout, I have 22, and 24 inch radius. Thats the only time it sees anything bigger than 18 inch radius so I believe it'll run pretty good but the bigger the curves are the better they will perform...
I have 3 Rivarossi 4-8-8-2 Cab-Forwards and love them. They never derail, and pull 70 cars easy (I bent the pilot truck down a little to keep good contact, and added weight to the tender). Very good at slow speeds (I use DCC). Someday I'll spend the $1500 for a brass Cab-Forward but at $150, I decided to get three, add sound and lights (check out John Eberle's "bright white" LEDs), and save the rest. These are good looking and great running locos. For the interested, they run fine on 18" curves (they just look funny doing it). They deserve a 10 rating.
I have 3 Rivarossi 4-8-8-2 Cab-Forwards and love them. They never derail, and pull 70 cars easy (I bent the pilot truck down a little to keep good contact, and added weight to the tender). Very good at slow speeds (I use DCC). Someday I'll spend the $1500 for a brass Cab-Forward but at $150, I decided to get three, add sound and lights (check out John Eberle's "bright white" LEDs), and save the rest. These are good looking and great running locos. For the interested, they run fine on 18" curves (they just look funny doing it). They deserve a 10 rating.
Pete, I had a 4-8-8-2 Cab Forwards and traded it for 4 diesels and 3 different steam loco's!! But the great part was it ran very well and looked just as good! The only reason I traded it off was because I model the B&O, in all Steam and early Diesel. The Cab Forwards was waaaaay out of my locality of my layout and wouldn't have looked right. So I traded it for a few loco's I could use. It took a one way trip to Florida. And as far as I know the fellow that recieved it was very pleased with it and its performance. I got 4 diesels of : 3 where GP-30's, by Bachmann Spectrum, I painted each one a different B&O paint scheme. The last diesel was a GP-9/GP-7 Athearn, that I done a custom job to the body to represent the same loco's of the Western Maryland, they had the noses choped by the road itself so.. Nothing that you can factory buy to look like the WM. The 3 Steamers were: A Bachmann Plus 2-8-2, untill they were discontinued, and made into 2-8-0's! A 4-6-2 Pacific by Mantua, The limited series (President Washington), another 4-6-2 by Mantua limited series (President Adams) And the fellow also included a bunch of parts wagons that needed alot of work and still do to a point. I got parts and almost full loco's of the 4-8-2 by I.H.C., and parts of a 2-8-2/4-6-2 by I.H.C. So I think I made a great trade overall Though, Hes happy and i'm happy so..... It all worked out in the end....
I have three Rivarossi Steamers as well and all run great! The detail was nice and they don't derail. Pull well too. Best part is I got them all new for under $150 each. 4-6-6-4 4-8-8-4 4-8-4 By the way, the current importer for Rivarossi will not be the importer in the future according to a reliable source. If you need to know a bit more about their newest one (2-6-6-6) I have info on that too.
BNFS, I wouldn't mind hearing the answers to this Rivarossi dispute going on if its not a problem to you e-mail me whats going on an who is going to be the new importer enquiring minds want to know!!! My e-mail is yellowstone10@hotmail.com And also do you know what the price of the new 2-6-6-6 is going to be, or a ballpark price? Thanks.....
the best darn locomotive I have ever had the honor to own is my little 0-6-0 Fleishmann. This locomotive is a true winner, geared like a fine time piece, a very adaptable piece for both the US and European Eras. This guy could haul longer trains at slower speeds then any one of my diesels, and more to boot without slipping the drivers. Only problem? I came to own it at a time in my life about 5 years ago at the beginning of a divorce, at a time in which me and three of my brothers were just starting to hit that pre adolecent age. Thats right, we raced it, ran it, rammed it into obstacles, forced it to go from 150mph south into 150 mph north, slipped the drivers, cornfielded it (trust me, tell tweleve year olds you cannot cornfield on electric track and they WILL find a way!!!), and as the pingpong table we used on top of a pooltable, when ever we got it going too fast it refused to take that 18" curves and instead dove straight into the carpeted floor three feet down. My youngest brother(then a toddler quadraped) dragged it up the stairs at least once. And it never complained ONCE. Then one day a little round washer shaped clasp fell out from inside, and after a few more turns on the old track it just hummed. It still runs, for a little while at least, but one of the geared drive axles inside shifts out of place from time to time and has to be pushed back, so some day I shall have to fix it. Other then that, It only lost three foot irons and a Flieshmann coupler in all of that mayhem!!! Grandpa was in the navy, I do not know where he picked it up. Best engine he ever bought whether he knows it or not! And may I say, the best way to enjoy model trains with little kids is with them. Otherwise, until they get a little maturity, you might as well write everything off as scrap.
Bless you Benny, just don't even try that with today's engines! HA! 7600-EM-1 can probably get the axle "C" clip washer for you.
Watash, Your right to a point!! I might have to get it you ask???? I bet I already have it!!!!!! I got a decent supply of C-clips on hand as we speak!!!! The sad part Benny you would have to ship that to me to be fixed seriously, because thier is alot of differences in those dang C-clips today thats its hard to match one up on the phone let alone online!! I know from experience. And once I made the mistake "trying" to match one up and had to get it in return for another one like 3 or 4 times I can't remember how many times but I know it was a pain in the butt. And I like to be accurate when I do things the first time. If you want it to be fixed give that some thought and e-mail me with what you want to do and if you can part with it for a few days to a week or so let me know and i'll do my very best.....
For EM1 QUESTION: "I wouldn't mind hearing the answers to this Rivarossi dispute going on if its not a problem to you e-mail me whats going on an who is going to be the new importer enquiring minds want to know!!! My e-mail is yellowstone10@hotmail.com And also do you know what the price of the new 2-6-6-6 is going to be, or a ballpark price? Thanks....." ANSWER: According to my source, the current importer has not lived up to expectations and has not developed a robust enough distribution network. Rivarrossi's financial stuff is still up in the air, but they are pushing forward at this point. The target RETAIL price is about $500. My source says that they will have better detail than their previous stuff. We will probably pay between $325 and higher for the 2-6-6-6! It better be great for that money! Have no idea when they will get an importer here in the US at this point.
