Hi All,

Just want you to know that I have updated the repair tips link, to add new info on prices, and the installation of new chassis on your old loco.  I have also updated several of the older items for more clarity.  Open the link below and scroll down to repair tips:

https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,18832.0.html

Enjoy your trains!

Loco Bill

Hi All,

I was helping a friend buy a new chassis for his Standard Line Big Hauler 4-6-0 and noticed that of the 8 styles available 4 were sold out.   The current prices is as low as it has ever been at $40 each.

Prices have gone up if you need to send your loco in for repairs. As of July 1st 2019 the price for repair is $110 for large scale powered items.  Remember the lifetime limited warranty is available only to original owners with proof of purchase as stated in the service info.  If you buy a locomotive, even if in original packaging, units purchased at flea markets, railroad swap meets, garage sales, online auctions of previously owned products, and similar venues are NOT covered by  warranty.  check out this link for specific details: 
https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/service.php

The price for the Anniversary 4-6-0 chassis with the metal siderods and detail parts are currently selling for only $45.  These are perfect upgrades for the Big Hauler 4-6-0 and have never been cheaper.

Both chassis are the latest and greatest very reliable Version 5 chassis!  There are no replacement chassis available for the version 6 chassis, so if you have one and it needs repair you will have to replace the chassis with a version 5.

Replacing a chassis yourself continues to be the most economical way to repair your loco and with care is not very hard to do. 

Check this link for repair tips and assembly and disassembly info:
https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,30394.msg224039.html#msg224039

Remember that the above are the current prices and I have not yet upgraded the info in the repair tips link.  I will try to get that done in the next few days.

If you think you will need a new chassis in the future, now might be the time to grab one to have on hand.   With Bachmann, when a run of product gets sold out, there are often no future reruns! 

Keep having fun with your large scale trains

Loco Bill

Hi All,

During the bad weather here in Colorado, I reviewed some of my old layout videos. Thought I would share a couple that are my favorites.

here is one of my passenger train coming through the fog:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh8AdScjJ64

Here is another of my stock train with a drover caboose I kitbashed from a standard Bachmann 8 wheel caboose:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KebZD9Gf818

The passenger train Loco is a version 5 Annie with Revolution radio control, is lithium ion battery powered and is equipped with Phoenix sound.  The freight loco #97 is a version 6 Annie with Revolution radio control with a sound receiver and is also battery powered.

Got a favorite video of your layout share!

Loco Bill

Hi All,

If you are looking for a great deal on the 2-4-2 with metal gearbox check out this deal from Al Kramer on Ebay, great price and free shipping.  I have never seen them priced so low.  They seem to be in short supply and will probably disappear from the catalog next year.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bachmann-G-Scale-91197-2-4-2-Steam-Loco-Black-Unlettered-Lights-Smoke-N-I-B/312025638766?hash=item48a62d676e:g:LXIAAOxygj5SdCbN


91197   None   None   2011   ~ Loco   2-4-2 Unlettered Black            metal gearbox
91198   None   None   2011   ~ Loco   2-4-2 Unlettered Black Red roof & windows            metal gearbox

Disclaimer:  I am not affiliated in any with Al Kramer Hobbies, but I have purchased many items from him and his service is really great.

Loco Bill

Hi all,

In the post at the top of the forum list titled "BIG HAULER SET & Radio Control set INSTRUCTIONS. Updated 4-6-0 REPAIR Tips", I have added disassembly instructions to the repair tips part of that post. These instructions are provided by George Scheyer and should be of great use to those of you wanting to do work on your Big Hauler 4-6-0 or your Annie.  Many thanks to George for his help.  As always I recommend photographing each step and bagging and labeling and numbering the bags as you remove the parts.  This will allow you to make sure you do not lose anything and re assemble in the proper order using the correct screws.

Have a great year.

Loco Bill

Wishing all Bachmann Fans a great Holiday Season!

When you get your Big Hauler set out of the box, be sure to review all the instructions when setting it up.  If you lost your instructions Click below:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,18832.0.html

It would be a good idea to use plastic compatible light oil on the moving parts and electrical contacts.  Also be sure the Arrow under the front pilot truck is facing forward.  Make sure the smoke unit is off until you add smoke fluid or you may burn it out.  Be sure to use a fresh 9 volt battery under the tender hatch and make sure you have the sound switches turned on and the sound wire connected firmly to the locomotive, if you want to use the sound feature.  The train under the tree is one of my grand kids favorite things about christmas!!

Enjoy the holidays!!!

Loco Bill

Hi All,

If you are not signed up for emails, right now Bachmann is having a great 20% off parts sale.  Looks like a great time to buy a replacement chassis or other goodies on your want list. minimum purchase is $25.  Details below:

Now until midnight EDT October 31, 2017, ONLY, use the special code "SPOOKY" to enjoy 20% off any Bachmann Parts currently in stock when you place an order for a minimum of $25.00 (not including shipping, past sales, or web store products) directly from Bachmann's Parts Catalog on our website.

Loco Bill

Hi All,

As many of you may know "Photobucket"  has changed their rules and no longer allows adding pictures stored on their site to the web or to forum posts, unless you pay them $399.00 per year  to subscribe to them.  This was done with no meaningful warning, and I cannot afford their high price to allow you to access the photos.  It is almost like blackmail to me.

As a result I am sorry to inform you that "PhotoBucket"  has now deleted all my photos in the many posts I have made using their site.  This has finally hit my post at the top of the Large Scale Forum entitled: "Big Hauler Set instructions, plus Radio controlled sets. 4-6-0 Repair Tips"   The only part affected was the part on the Radio Controlled set instructions.

I found a new site, and will no  longer use "photobucket" to illustrate posts. The R/C instructions are now back up, but the photos in many of my other posts are not.   I will try to get to them when I can.

Thanks for your understanding on this situation.

Loco Bill

Edited to show R/C instructions are back up.

Hi All,

This year is the 100th Anniversary of Tweetsie Railroad 4-6-0 #12 which is the prototype for the Bachmann Big Hauler Standard line 4-6-0, and the Anniversary 4-6-0.

Thank you Bachmann for producing this wonderful steam locomotive!!!

https://www.hcpress.com/featured-photos/tweetsie-railroad-celebrates-100th-birthday-locomotive-no-12-railroad-heritage-weekend-aug-26-27.html

Cheers & Beers!

Loco Bill

Hi All,

I just made some minor updates to the above topic located at the top of the home page.

The major change is that I have added a direct link to the "Repair Tips" post in the FAQ.  This will make it easier for those needing Big Hauler (Standard Line) 4-6-0 repairs to go directly to the topic.  The repair tips are basically the same for the Annie, except for the fact that repair service for the Annie is more expensive, and of course replacement Annie chassis are also more expensive.

Hope you all have had a great time running your trains!

Loco Bill

Crowds were huge, and Bachmann had a great display. It was not manned so could not chat with any reps.  The latest run Large Scale Spectrum 2-6-0's were on display and were spectacular.  There was much more Large Scale at the show this year, and two other major Large Scale manufacturers present as well.   I was impressed with the level of detail on the Bachmann products compared to the others.  Bachmann products  are so much better detail wise than the competition.  Nice to see a lot more large scale than ever.

Loco Bill

Bach-man, Yardmaster,

Looking at the new 2017 catalog it shows the new Large Scale NP&S Reindeer Stock car as having the product number 98704.  But the only photos I have seen of the actual product show the product number as 98703.   Is there a 98703 made for a special customer, and 98704 for normal distribution??

Please let me know so I can have the correct info for the historical record.  

Thanks,

Loco Bill

Hi All,

Read this first and scroll all the way down for the instructions pages

A quick note about frequencies:  Bachmann used two frequencies in the Radio controlled sets. They were 27 Mhz and 49 Mhz.  There were paper stickers on the transmitters and on the bottom of the locomotives indicating the frequency of the item. Locomotives with the cab number ending in 7 were 27 Mhz, while locomotives with the cab number ending in a 9 were 49 Mhz.   With two frequencies you can operate(control) two different trains on the same set of tracks.  Could be fun for two persons, but definitely allows for collisions.

Battery Notes:  I strongly recommend rechargeable batteries. You can get rechargeable D Cells, or the 7.2 volt Nicad batteries.  The locomotive does take a lot of power out of the batteries, and non-rechargeable batteries can get expensive.  Low battery is the most common problem with these sets. Always start out with fresh fully charged batteries in both the transmitter and in the locomotive.  Some supposedly new batteries may have lost some power sitting on store shelves, so be aware. If you are absolutely sure your batteries are fresh, and the locomotive will not run, it is most likely not repairable, since there are no repairable parts in either the loco or transmitter.

The R/C Sets can be fun, but they were made as toys, and are not generally very dependable, and have a tendency to break down.  Some are 32 years old.  There are no longer any parts available, and Bachmann Service cannot help you with them anymore.  If you need parts all you can do is go on sites like Ebay and buy another set for parts.   

Hope this answers all your questions about operation of the R/C sets. 

Here is a list of the sets made: 
.They are:
90100*   ATSF   Big Hauler RC 27 mhz   1988   OOP    Freight   7   Ver1   Gon DRGW # 1638   B&O Flat #1525   Bob Cab ATSF#425
90100   Notes:   The original Big Hauler set!                        
90101   ATSF   Green Lightning RC 49 mhzGreen Lightning RC 49 mhzGreen Lightning RC 49 mhz   1989   OOP   Freight   9   Ver1   Victor Gold Mining Gon#328     ATSF Bob Cab #425   
90101   Notes:   Not Cataloged  Who was it made for?      May have also been made in 27 mhz #7                  
90102   HE   Holiday Express RC     1990   OOP   Freight   7 or 9   Ver1   Victor Gold Mining Gon#328     ATSF Bob Cab #425   
90102HE   Notes:   Not cataloged The tender is lettered Holiday Express, this set was made in both 27 mhz and 49 Mhz                         
90102F   HE    Holiday Express RC 49 mhz   1992   Ltd Run   Freight   9   Ver1   Gon Franks Nursery & Crafts No Number   ATSF #425 Bobber Caboose   
90102HEF   Notes:   Special set for Franks Nursery & Crafts 189 Stores in mid west & east. Same as set 90102 except Franks Tan Gondola instead of the VGM Gon.  Franks is liquidating in late 2004                        
90105   EKJX   The Big Top RC 27 mhz   1993   OOP   Circus   7   Ver1   Flat  #144 Lion & Tiger White   Combine All Star Circus   
90105   Notes:   Not cataloged Has lion and tiger in cage car                        


Thanks to some beautiful scans I got from Wade Colyer, you can look at the actual manual.  Wade discovered two different version manuals and we expect there is one more we haven't seen.

I have used pages from both manuals, so for historic purposes the scans that follow are not useful.  They are definitely practical and should tell you all you need to know about your Radio controlled battery powered set no matter which one you get.
Front Cover:


Inside Front cover

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

Inside Back cover

Back Cover


Power Adapter and note from R/C Emmett Kelly Set


The above scan shows the adapter(above note and on top of the tender) which came in all the sets, it allowed the use of the rechargable 7.2 volt Nicad Battery packs.  The note further clarifies the on off sequence for operation.


Loco Bill Canelos

Edited to make Date and spelling changes!

Hi All,

First a request for help.  I have lost my instruction book for the Radio Controlled Big Hauler sets and locomotives.  If anyone can provide me with a copy, I would appreciate it.  I will produce images of it and see Bachmann  help adding the images to the Frequently asked questions.   Email me or send private message if you have it.

There seems to be a lot of interest in the old radio controlled sets lately so the link below is a link to a 4 part history of the sets I did for the 25th Anniversary of their introduction.   

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,23653.msg187416.html#msg187416

Loco Bill

Yardmaster, Bach-man, What is the story behind these old new products???  Speeders, Eggliners??  What were the old Bachmann Large scale paint schemes  for eggliners. (NONE) or are these just Aristo Craft 1?29 scale items??  being rerun???  under the Bachmann Brand??   What scale are they?? 

http://resources.bachmanntrains.com/nmra2016_brochure/


Loco Bill

Hi all,

Wade Colyer just alerted me to a new boxcar for sale at Trainworld.  It is not in the catalog for 2016 or any earlier catalog.  The car seems to be a standard big Hauler boxcar with a christmas tree embossed on the left side as displayed in the ad. it is said the lights on the tree blink on and off.

http://www.trainworld.com/manufacturers/bachmann/bachmann-93397-christmas-lighted-box-car-with-blinking-christmas-tree-lights/

Since there was no announcement I am wondering if any of you out there or the Bach-man, or Yardmaster can tell us the story behind this new offering.  Was it made just for Trainworld?? 

Any help to get the info will be appreciated for the historical record I am keeping.

Loco Bill

I am posting 5 photos for Chuck and after he sees them he will comment on his methods.

Several said their dealers did not have this car.

This link has the car for only $33.65

Hi, Bachmann Fans,

I wish you all a great Holiday Season and fun running trains in the snow.
Running trains in the snow is a big part of the winter fun my son and I have. So I thought would share a video or two of my son Nick running his plow train.  We run both modern 1:29th scale and 1:22.5 and 1:20.3 Large scale steam on his layout.  Since we do not risk his expensive Bachmann Locomotives in the snow I am showing the 1:29 scale trains we do run in the snow.

This video is plowing snow from a birds eye view and is not seen this way on other snow plow videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaqVQ04kryA

This view shows the plow train in the normal running mode,  D&RGW extra 5319 with four units pushing a wedge plow thru some very deep snow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7Y5fJGrJ3k

The locomotives are all battery powered.  There are other related videos showing his California Zephyr running after the plow train has done it's work.  Some show the train running through the house between the rafters of the crawl space.

Our railroad is called the Colorado & Kansas and it has a wholly owned subsidiary called the Missouri Western.
Just for more fun here is a link to a very rare video showing our super long Colorado and Kansas freight train with two mid train helpers running down hill in full dynamic braking mode.  Nick is running the lead units and I am running the mid train helpers. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXkz9PRJ7Q0

There is also a video of his Bachmann K-27 is summer associated with the above link.

Once again have a happy holiday season playing with your trains.  My personal best wishes to you all!!

Loco Bill

Hi all,

After misreading a link, I just learned that the latest Version 6 Anniversary 4-6-0 Chassis is now available in the online store for $125.   Anyone with an older unit wanting to upgrade to the metal gears and new style front truck  can now do so. 

http://estore.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66_69_623&products_id=8259

As first look the unlettered chassis looks like it is $95 but when you click on the info link it comes up as $125

Loco Bill