I'm guessing here, but maybe you could try applying a bit of lubrication to the rod that goes in and out of the cylinder. As far as track goes, I doubt that there's any noticiable difference in performance with this loco between Unitrack or Atlas C80.

It might make a difference whether you have the N&W J 4-8-4 or the Santa Fe type 4-8-4. I kinda think it must be the latter. Looking at mine (and guessing) it may be that the pilot truck is screwed in too tightly. there should be play enough for all wheels to hit the rails. The shorting out, on the other hand, may be the result of one of the pilot axles positioned incorrectly. Both insulated wheels should be on the engineer's side on the loco.

Another useful idea would be to make drawbars with two holes for connecting to the engine. Those who want a closer connection could cut the extended part (long hole and wires) off.

Looking at that photo, I see that the handrails are green, except beside the steps where they appear to be painted aluminum (like the horn). That would be the look I want. We shall see: there's a lot of stuff I have reserved that I will need to pay for first!

Which version of the 70T did you start with? I was thinking of doing the same thing (mostly because I was born in Rutland), and to me it looks as though the red one is closest, with the appropriate end louvers and headlight arrangement. It certainly helps that the hand rails are molded in yellow.

Someone reported that only a small shipment made it through in December. That must mean the various containers were filled up, which could be a kind of good news in the long run. For one thing, I won't have the money for one until after March 31, so I'm good with that.

Perhaps Mr. Bachmann can clue us in.

Kleins is showing the 4-6-0's in stock (with photos). If your distributor says March 31, maybe you need to find another distributor! 

BLW also has them in stock...On what I hope what is an unrelated note, some containers blew off an NS stack train into the Susquehanna River yesterday or Sunday. I hope it wasn't an eastbound train headed for Philly! It now appears we don't only have to worry about containers falling into the ocean.

The GP7's and Peter Witt's are in stores now.

The 611 often ran with the black auxillary tender, especially in the latter years of the steam program. It is a significantly better model than the red stripe version, and I use it with my J.

Actually I don't know for sure anything about the GP40. If the motor is in a plastic motor mount and makes contact with tabs in that position (like is Atlas models) and can be removed without having to cut any wires, then turning the motor upside down will reverse the polarity. But if the wire contacts go directly to the motor itself, then Joe's suggestion is the only solution. If you can't tell from observation what the electrical setup is, then just go with Joe's method.

I don't know the insides of this loco, but if possible, turn the motor upside down in the motor mount. That will reverse the polarity.

There was considerable discussion on this board regarding the 4-6-0 in the weeks following its July announcement ( http://www.bachmanntrains.com/2010_NMRA.pdf ) but you'd think something would be posted under "Product Information" or in the Photo Gallery. If these locos are close to delivery, why not more info and photos??

The early runs of the Light Mountain did have some problems with the traction tire driver lifting enough that it did not apply any pressure to the rails in certain circumstances. This was remedied by inserting a small strip of styrene under (looking at the loco upsidedown in a cradle) the bearng block. But that was only the first run, as I recall.

I don't know which Mountain you're referring to, but Bachmann does not specify a minimum radius. They only say things like "This locomotive performs best on E-Z Track® curves with a minimum radius of 19 inches." This is true: it does perform better on EZ track of 19" radius, but that does not mean it doesn't perform well on other brands' track of lesser radii. I have both a Light Mountain and a J, and neither has any problems with Kato 15" Unitrack. Bachmann doesn't make 15" radius EZ track, so naturally they're not going to allude to a radius smaller than their own 19" track.

I also confirm what skipgear said above: I had some problems with my J until I noticed the small piece of packing foam above the trailing truck and removed it.

Unless something has changed recently, this is not a straightforward switch. You may need the MTL 1134 coupler kit (for Bachmann Plus F's) or the 1133 kit (for Bachmann Spectrum F's). The kits contain replacement coupler boxes along with 1128 couplers that go in them.  The MTL website conversion chart says to use 1128's for "new" Spectrum F's, but the newer packages of 1128's I myself have do not contain the replacement coupler boxes. I can see why you asked!

Here's the 1133 diagram:


Here's the 1134: