I have a 11 year old Bachmann 2-8-0 that came with dcc and sound.I bought this engine from trainworld and I dont have paperwork on it. I remember the instructions said dont run on straight dc. The engine is larger in size than my Broadway and other engines. Is this engine in scale? It still runs great and has a metal chassis. The bell and whistle are the only available sounds ???
Quote from: sonnyw on May 16, 2015, 01:49:52 PM
I have a 11 year old Bachmann 2-8-0 that came with dcc and sound.I bought this engine from trainworld and I dont have paperwork on it. I remember the instructions said dont run on straight dc. The engine is larger in size than my Broadway and other engines. Is this engine in scale? It still runs great and has a metal chassis. The bell and whistle are the only available sounds ???
It is impossible for you to have an 11 year old Bachmann with factory equipped sound. I just checked several catalogs from 2002-2006 and found that the 2-8-0 Consolidation was only offered as DCC ready and DCC equipped with no option for a sound version. So either you locomotive is not 11 years old or a third party installed sound in it. Bachmann did not start offering these with factory installed sound until around 2008 if I recall correctly, and these locomotives did not have full Tsunmai decoders, they just had limited functionality.
So with that being said I cannot comment on the available sounds since it sounds like it was a 3rd party installation. And it is very possible that the sound decoder utilized is not dual mode and will only operate on DCC. If you are able to provide the item number from the box, I can check to see what year you locomotive was produced, if it was in fact a 3rd party sound install, and see what features it has.
An 11 year-old 2-8-0-purchased new-would, in my opinion, be a decent engine. They have all the improvements that were made in what one might call a redemptive effort by Bachmann (I call it keeping abreast of the competition...) to rectify producing what some have glibly referred to as a canine...
I have never gone through any of mine with a scale, but I would venture a bet that it is pretty close in scale.
Running it in a DCC system will damage the motor, so don't do it! Get a decoder (they can be gotten cheap and up from there...) and install it. Or get it installed. I like doing my own work...Model Railroading is Fun... (Now where have I read that...)
The earlier versions, the ones that looked like they came off of the Jersey Central with the Wotten-looking fireboxes, aren't really decent, and I would advise against a novice buying one or more. recently, I purchased a couple-but I like the overall chunky appearance of the earlier ones, and am also comfortable carving one up in the name of modifications/improvements.
Incidentally, I believe that these earlier klunkers were also catalogued as mikes as well, by Bachmann sticking a trailing truck under that pudgy little fire-box. It is my idea... to make a couple of mikes out of what I have here; real nice ones... Nice, heavy-duty mikes...
SGT C. ::)
Ok guys this engine might be 9 years old,its the oldest dcc engine I have with sound. Upon further examination it is a plastic chassis but weighs a ton. I dont have the box or paperwork.The roadname is Southern .
If it has factory installed sound, then it can't be more than 7 years old.
I dont think it is factory installed, trainworld must have had it installed.Thanks for your interest. May God Bless.
Early model SoundTraxx decoder are not dual mode and a locomotive equipped with one will run only using DCC. A Bachmann locomotive equipped with such a decoder came in a box with a warning label not to run on DC.
The warning is because there are DC power packs with the capability to exceed the decoder voltage rating. Nevertheless, some people without reading or ignoring the warning label have place the locomotive on DC powered track and turn power pack to full power in an effort to make the locomotive move to discover they destroyed the decoder.
Hunt you are right I remember the warning on the box,but is this engine scale size and prototypical?
Quote from: sonnyw on May 16, 2015, 06:13:49 PM
Hunt you are right I remember the warning on the box,but is this engine scale size and prototypical?
sonnyw,
The info about the decoder and box warning label is from my technical notes. I do not have access to a Bachmann 2-8-0 from that production run to compare to its prototype. You have one, do the research.
Thanks, May God Bless.
Check the manufacturer version. CV7 I believe.
I.D. CV8
Rich
This may be a Bachmann Plus Reading Style locomotive. As far as I'm aware of from studying various models looking through thousands of auctions of HO Scale steam locomotives on eBay: Bachmann had one final run of the old Reading Boiler consolidation, right before the introduction of the Spectrum model. This version however was not the old whiny pancake motor chassis, but a re-engineered chassis to sport a can motor much like that found on Bachmann Plus era GS-4's. This may be a rare occasion where someone has picked up one of these engines equipped for modern technological use(DCC/Sound) which is the only way the Reading engine with DCC/Sound would be possible(Heaven forbid the unfortunate soul who tried an attempt at converting the pancake to DCC)
I did at one point own a pancake motor engine and the thing weighed a ton, and pulled a lot of cars without wheel slipping(I think I counted 50 or so back in the day) on level track) and boy was it a howler. I'm hard at hearing so it didn't bother me much. I actually had a ton of fun with that engine, more than some I had with a lot of engines I currently own! I made it into my rendition of a southern tractor with an MDC 0-6-0 chassis underneath a Mantua tender and slapped a trailing truck behind it. Still have the tender on the shelf but the engine was scrapped at the kitbash yards once an axle split on me.
Post a picture of the model! Maybe that might help ;D
Thanks for the info,I was told that this engine is belt driven also. May God Bless.
I found one of those old Bachmann Reading 2-8-0s with the large Wootton firebox at a train show.
I cut away the bottom of the Wooton firebox, added ash pans and here's what I did with it: -
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l99/rogertra/Great_Eastern/GER562a.jpg) (http://s94.photobucket.com/user/rogertra/media/Great_Eastern/GER562a.jpg.html)
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l99/rogertra/Great_Eastern/GER562b-1.jpg) (http://s94.photobucket.com/user/rogertra/media/Great_Eastern/GER562b-1.jpg.html)
Cheers
Roger T.
Beautiful engine Roger,I see you have mastered the art of weathering. My engine is factory painted southern green. May God Bless.