Break in

I have had experience with Bachmann HO locos and have found that running these DCC units (a Berkshire and an S-4) for 30 minutes in each direction continuously quiets them down. Apparently the "break-in" advice I got from an old hand works really well. Would recommend to others to do the same with any DCC  engine from any manufacturer.

Bachmann On30

For the most part runs great out of the box.  There have been a few exceptions, cracked gears on the Shay, Climax, 0-4-0 Gas Mech, Railtruck, and Railbus.  They have stepped up and addressed these issues with replacement gears.  Most run rite out of the box with no breakin period or hick ups.

Detail is very good, price is very reasonable, what more could you ask for?

99% of my locos are Bachmann and I see no reason to change that.

John

My 2 x Bachmann 2-6-0 Moguls

I have bought two of these, both DCC and sound. Straight out of the box they run really well and the sound is extremely good. Very happy.

In praise of the HO 45tonner

I can't fault my 45tonner, on DC performance was silent , in DCC use there is a buzz which is deliberately built in apparently to shake the armature at low revs. I tuned it via JMRI to a very slow speed which it will easily do over Peco Insulfrog points. It's always the first loco I use on newly laid track. Kadee 153 couplings dropped into the existing pocket as well. With the side rods high lighted in yellow it's hypnotic watching them go slowly round.

All 4 of my Bachmann HO

All 4 of my Bachmann HO 2-10-2s have performed well.  One was a little stiff until a few laps around the layout broke it in.  I am running Tsunami decoders in all (the "real" ones, not the Bachmann OEM version).

Love my HO Mogul.....

You absolutely cannot beat the " sound value" Mogul for the price.  I do wish it had traction tires on one set of drivers but that's easily remedied with some bullfrog snot. Hoping to see more steamers from Bachmann in the "sound value" line!

Michael

Bachmann forums

This should also be in the Bachmann forums. Many have no clue that Bachmann has had forums for some time for different scales with Bachmann rep's there also.

Rich

I am not a fan of traction

I am not a fan of traction tires, if your in the hobby long term they will fail and one must find replacements. I do however like the idea of bullfrog snot instead as it is renewable with very little work and universal in that it fits every wheel. It also has the ability to be placed on the one set of geared wheels so as to lesson the load on the side rods. I find this a very nice attribute on engines with plastic rods. I will be trying to find some replacements from Bowser in the future for the rods.

I have bought some replacement traction tires for my Rivarrossi 2-8-4s and will be looking for some replacement drivers so as to eliminate them completely. Should the traction power be lost i will go back to Bullfrog snot and not the tires.

To be fair....

I am asking my little Mogul to push cars up a 4% grade.  As discussed elsewhere in this forum, I deemed such a grade a necessary compromise  to get a certain scenic effect I wanted with two level trackage so  if it only pushes three cars, it only pushes three cars. Maximum train length is only about six cars anyway.  It will be interesting to see how much tractive effort the addition of bullfrog snot adds but I haven't gotten that far yet.

Michael

Love my loco...

I have the Bachman Spectrum 0-6-0 switcher, and it's amazing.  Now that it has an hour or two of running, it's very quiet.  It creeps along at an amazingly slow speed right out of the box, and, on the flat, it will start over 20 standard length cars.  (Those cars are of various quality and weights--some don't run the greatest.)

Due to her weight, grades become an issue.  On an ~1% grade, she hauled 5 modern oversized tank cars and the mandatory idler flat with minimal problems, and hauled 5 standard cars (one of which was overweight, but all with good Kadee trucks) up a 2%+ grade--took a delicate touch on the throttle due to slipping.  I'd love to put bullfrog snot on her, but the short wheelbase and long switches at the club make this a bad idea.

The 2-6-0 sound value loco is on my list when I can get the B&M one, and budget allows it.