Yeah, I don't understand all the ragging on this model. As you know I spend a bit of time around the real thing, and as mass-produced models go this new edition is pretty good. I spent yesterday evening taking it (the model ) apart to look at the potential for eventual motor replacement, and was impressed at every step about how fine the detail is and the sheer effort clearly taken to make things look crisp. The separately-applied grabs on the nose are a shocker, for sure. Definitely a far, far cry from the toy dimensions and "paraphrases" of the first two editions.

Eventually, I will differ "over there" with all the complaints about the trucks. The detail depth on the prototype Flexicoils is moderately subtle, and not anything like the exaggerations done before. I think the profile dimensions aren't that far off, it's just that the bright silver paint makes them look too soft. If I have a chance to get over to the museum in the next couple of weeks I will make it a point to take a pic or two to put side to side with old and new versions.

On DC it seems to be moderately good, but not great. Getting a smooth low-speed startup takes a really gentle hand on the throttle, and the operating speed range at the low end is very narrow. It's a bit speedy at the top. Haven't reached pulling capacity because of coupler limitations at around 20 cars.

To tell the truth, though, I think the low-speed control issue is a factor of the decoder getting in the way of DC. I am very tempted to remove the decoder and wire it for straight DC. They (the Bachmann "they") were very, very smart (kudos!) in using a conventional decoder module with pigtails, and then wiring it to a generic power distribution board. Aside from the relative challenges in getting the shell off (DON'T be fooled by trying to remove the shell and walkways separately! - you will break things  ), this is a 10-minute job.

Aside from easily-fixable spot details for us rivet-counters, the new Centennial looks great. (We'll overlook the swiveling pilots for this discussion.    )

But let's talk couplers... yeah, they work, sort of, but for dummies they're clunky, not automatic, and don't want to pull more than 20-25 cars without decoupling. Anybody here tried to retrofit anything, especially Micro-Trains? A quick look to assess how to accomplish this was seriously discouraging.

Thinking about this...

Yes, it's annoying that Bachmann doesn't know what's in their own sausage, advertising the implication of a higher-quality motor when the factory is actually using... well... sadly, junk worthy of Atlas/Rivarossi back in the '70s. Bachmann is a large international company, arguably the largest in our niche, so the likelihood of production not knowing (or ignoring) what marketing is promising is higher than most model companies would be dealing with.

But, like you said, this isn't the brakes on the family flivver. They (the Bachmann "they") are making models available at very low prices, of prototypes that are not produced by others and probably never would be. I'm ecstatic that they jumped behind the Centennial redux, especially with the new body tooling - when you're seeking that prototype, the $500+ difference between theirs and the Overland brass version can buy lots of motors.

So my POV at the moment is that I go into the purchase knowing full-well that it's going to need a new motor or motors, and, thankfully, at least for the time being there is a near-drop-in replacement that can be used until the factory addresses what amounts to a production bug. No doubt the product managers are in meetings today about "we have a problem, how do we fix it?", with cost/benefit prominently displayed on the flip-chart easel.

IOW, patience. They know they have a problem now. Let's give them a chance to breath and explore the issues and formulate a response, even allowing for the possibility of "we have determined that our price point has priority, so WYSIWYG, and we'll just strike the bad copy from the ads." Of course, we hope not, but do be open to this non-optimal response from our perspective.

Point taken on the 90 mA - that's not much load at all.

What I couldn't tell from the pictures is whether the commutator is worn down, or is distorted, such as would occur if the core was softening from heat and causing the segments to collapse. The picture with the visible contact wear on the brush fingers hints at some sort of dimensional deviation.

Hi, Tony -

Not yet having one in front of me, what is the size of this motor? From the pictures on "the other forum", it's looking like 10x12x20.

One observation reading through all the messages - it may... or may not... be mostly an issue with the 2-6-6-2. Nobody seems to have experienced the early failure bug on anything else. I'm not saying that it isn't going to be a problem on the other locos which use it, but the nature of the failure seems more related to the extra load of the 2-6-6-2 mechanism. This heavier baseline load could easily be contributing to a higher constant operating floor temperature for the motor, and this is what is eating the commutator.

What is the availability of the Mashimas in 10x12x20 or even 10x12x24? Not to take any responsibility away from Bachmann, but if I'm going to pour $40-50 in detail parts into what appears will be a fleet of several Centennials, I don't want to be risking that I will lose that work just to return to the factory for a motor failure - I'd rather just upgrade, shrug my shoulders and forget about it.

...mike

Never mind. Carry on.

'Parently I jumped the gun by a few hours. Other shops are starting to report incoming inventory as of today. So with any luck mine should show-up early next week.

Has anybody seen any in local hobby shops? In following the online retailers, only one (M.B. Klein) offered any for sale, starting last Friday, a stock of six of each number which sold out in four days. There's one eBay "buy it now" store which is offering a handful. But other than these two sellers... bupkus! Less than bupkus!

I'm mentioning this in light of the recent release of the 44-tonner, which was everywhere within a couple of days. The online sellers were tripping over themselves to get them up on their sites. But not with the Centennial.

What gives? 

As of this afternoon, MB Klein (modeltrainstuff.com) is showing six of each number in stock.

Dunno 'bout that... looks like a huge improvement to me. Check the handrail stantions, for one. Side views of the cab and rear shots of the hood from the same photog are more telling, though.

And not meaning to create grief for our host, especially in light of his generous acknowledgment of shipping status... but has anybody seen these in shops yet? The silence in "the usual places" is disconcerting.

Great news. At least I think so. My credit card, however, begs to differ. 

(Thanks, Mr. B!)

Hey Mr. Bach-man -

You guys have hit one out of the park with the 44-tonner. Which, knowing a little about overseas production, makes me ponder: did B-mann anticipate the demand and are you planning re-runs to maintain inventory?

I would like to think that this is going to be a "catalog item" and y'all are going to keep the pipe filled. Dealers are burning through stock of these like crazy and I'm now slightly concerned that I'm going to have to keep a few on-hand in my personal collection just to be sure that future projects are covered, and as a source for the inevitable repair when I wear one out (recognizing the parts reality).

IOW, can I figure on being able to buy off-the-shelf a year from now? Two years from now? Five years?

Thanks!

Quote from: Allamuchy Joe on June 10, 2009, 12:22:11 PMOr could you use this mechanism for a GE 70 Tonner? That would be a nice addition, too.

The 70-tonner's wheelbase is 2' longer than the 44. On a locomotive that small the proportion difference would be fairly noticeable.

I just received my "nameless" yellow version. Amazing model, amazing runner. Quietest loco I own. For comic effect I lashed it up to a cut of 4 86' Hi-Cube auto parts cars and it moved them effortlessly. The prototype couldn't have done that! 

Absolutely. The excitement about this model (as evidenced on another discussion group) is astounding, with consistent thumbs-ups from many modeling experts. Sure, there are a few dimensions fudged to make it producible, but the overall effect is great.

The coupler question seems to have at least one resolution in the MTL 905, a Z-scale version. If your modeling skills are up to the task, it looks "right" and so far appears to work without creating interference problems with the trucks.

The only "you ought'a" I have for Bachmann is the need for this model in completely undecorated, i.e., bare plastic. As it is, when my yellow-unnumbered versions arrive, they're going to find themselves reposing in a stripper bath so I can repaint for my particular targets. Since this little "critter" is as close to everyman's locomotive as you're going to get, I would hazard a guess that it has to be the one locomotive with the most paint schemes ever seen in a prototype, from Class I's to the little gravel quarry down the street.

A winner, indeed. [applause]

Well?



(Don't mind me. Just givin' some grief.)