Am looking for a "bumble bee" Durango and Silverton 4-6-0 and have found locos with different numbers. I read one post that it was reissued and upgraded with better gears, metal side rods, etc. True? What is the difference between 177 and 179? I want the most recent.
The 177 is a gen 5 drive,
178 is a 10th anniversary and
179 is the 6th gen with the metal gears. and pilot truck with an arm.
Barry
I have the 177 engine and it runs fine, but has the plastic siderods etc. I also have a 6th Gen Annie in black and it's much better detailed, but at a much steeper price. The 179 "new" Annie should be a real looker with the bumble bee paint and all that extra detail. BTW: The new front truck is a winner! Mike in TX
#179? Bachmann catalog states #178 (as in NO NUMBER CHANGE).
Hope there really is a different road number!
Both the catalog and the online catalog show the version 6 Bumble bee as cab #178. The only #179 Bumble Bee I know of was in the Durango & Silverton Freight Set 90057. When this set was first introduced some were issued with Locomotive #179 and a D&RGW tender rather than the D&S tender. Bachmann offered all buyers the opportunity to swap the incorrect tender for a D&S tender. Quite a few did not. That is why you will find some Bumblebee D&RGW locos with then #179 number. They were all Big Hauler locos with the version 5 chassis.
This error in packaging has caused a lot of confusion surrounding the BumbleBee Cab number situation.
It is a total shame that Bachmann has done little to change road numbers on the products when they are rerun.