bachmann products produced during late 1980's to early 1990's and sold by many department stores and hobby stores. are they worth anything today?. are they same as today bachmann products?.
It all depends on the specific model and CONDITION. Spectrum engines are the best.
You can check Ebay completed items for true current market value on specific items.
Bob
Bachmann locos from that time period do not run nearly as well as the current models, and therefore are not worth as much to potential buyers. They are all different that today's products, one loco from the early 90's that may be closest to today's standards of all the Bachmann locos from the period you mentioned would be a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0, I must stress that if it is not a Spectrum, but the standard line version then it is of much lower quality than today's locos.
what about those 1980's to 1990's rolling stocks (all new). it should be no different as compare to present. right?.
Nope they are somewhat inferior, because they have horn-hook aka xf2 couplers and not knuckle couplers which is the modern day standard and all of Bachmann present rolling stock is also offered with metal wheels which are free rolling, while plastic wheels are often out of round or otherwise imperfect or are more prone to issues. They also require a little work to convert to Kadee's while the #148's will drop right in to the newer coupler pockets.
The cars also had truck mounted couplers.
as i recall, the spectrum locomotives from the late 1980s were of similar design to those we have to-day. there have been improvements to be sure, but overall they haven't changed much. these would be excellent candidates for upgrading to dcc.
the other locomotives, the ones that came in the trainsets, were pretty poor. i stayed away from them at the time, and wouldn't buy them now. especially since even the cheapest bachmann locomotives to-day run almost as well as the spectrums. the same goes with the cars, you could spend alot of time and money upgrading them into decent runners, but even so they probably won't be as good as the silver series cars of to-day, most of which are versions of the older cars updated to current standards.
as for their value, most serious model railroaders i know wouldn't buy them. you see them everywhere at train shows and they aren't selling that well. the stuff we have now is just so much better that most people don't bother with the headaches and just buy new.
but then the price before were very cheap. like caboose. one sell for one dollar. now it is about $16.00 each for new version.
what about the former diesel locomotives. if those were inferiors. why not display it as dummy locomotive. before one cost less than $10.00 and it can be operational and moving. while the new one without engine (dummy) cost you how much?. expensive. right?. also. i would put those former cheap box cars around it. otherwise. some trains and box cars are not running either.
one more thing i forgot to ask. is it bachmann close down business before and reopen it right now?. if that is right. when they close down and when they reopen it?. thanks.
i think right now. everything is made in china. i mean bachmann stuffs.
Quote from: tracy1947 on November 05, 2010, 08:32:06 AM
but then the price before were very cheap. like caboose. one sell for one dollar. now it is about $16.00 each for new version.
what about the former diesel locomotives. if those were inferiors. why not display it as dummy locomotive. before one cost less than $10.00 and it can be operational and moving. while the new one without engine (dummy) cost you how much?. expensive. right?. also. i would put those former cheap box cars around it. otherwise. some trains and box cars are not running either.
Actually you are forgetting to account for inflation, everything is pretty much the same price it was back in the 1980's and early 1990's if you adjust for inflation. Also, I was looking at a Walthers catalog from 1988 and as it turns out the Bachmann standard line locos were more expensive then they are modern day, so prices have gone down not up. The reason why you wouldn't display the older Bachmann diesel locos id because they did not have the greatest detail, luckily modern day they have excellent detail. Additionally, Bachmann does not make dummy or non-powered units, so they can't be expensive if they don't exist. As far as cabooses and freight cars go, you could get Silver Series ones for as low as $5 each by utilizing a Hobby Lobby coupon or waiting for sales especially online. You never could get Bachmann cabooses and freight cars brand new for $1, in fact the 1988 Walthers catalog has them starting at $5. Bachmann never closed down they have been producing a wide variety of model railroad products since 1968 and has never shut down.
Quote from: jward on November 05, 2010, 06:02:09 AM
as i recall, the spectrum locomotives from the late 1980s were of similar design to those we have to-day. there have been improvements to be sure, but overall they haven't changed much. these would be excellent candidates for upgrading to dcc.
The very first Spectrum loco if I recall correctly was the GE 44 Ton Diesel at that was first offered winter of 1988. The only other Spectrum locos made in the 1980's were the Pennsylvania Railroad K-4 Pacific, the EMD GP30, and the General Electric Dash 8-40C. I do not think any of these were "DCC Ready," when offered in the late 80's but DCC could be added if so desired.
In short be grateful for Bachmann's current offering of excellent products at excellent prices.
i mean to say replacing 1980's/90's bachmann diesel locomotive (New) as dummy for your other expensive name brand loco. as i understand before, the athearn dummy loco cost $10.00 while the cheap working and running bachmann loco cost $10.00 too. why not use bachmann loco instead of athearn dummy loco?. beside the bachmann can move around your train yard.
A lower end Bachmann loco was not $10 back in 1988, I recall them being at least $60 in the Walthers catalog when I perusing it.
no. you are talking about the expensive bachmann spectrum one. the bachmann have produced cheaper loco and box car and sell them thru department stores and hobby stores. box car maximum price is price at $4.00. and you can easily buy them at $1.99 each. locomotive were selling at $9.99 each at brooklyn new york. they were then F9, GP40, GP38-2, and U-36B. other cheap competitors were the lifelike and model power.
The standard line locos were around $25 in the 1982 catalog. The Spectrum locos in 1989 were selling for much more than $60 (at least the list price was much more). At any rate the standard line diesel locos from the 1980's are not worth more than $5 or so modern day. If you have Walthers catalogs from then you can look up the prices.
you mean to say standard line loco at $5.00 only. is that new or used. i am talking about all new. never run before and preserve.
when did bachmann start producing the current line of products?. i knew spectrum were produced sometime in the 90's.
sorry for asking so many questions. i was off from this hobby for more than 17 years.
i got more than 100 trains set. with each set composed around 10 box car. and all were never use. i remember i only use four sets for running and enjoying. and i have a train yard and these four sets setting for 17 years. all roof covered with dirts just like covered with snow.
Quote from: tracy1947 on November 05, 2010, 11:52:30 AM
i mean to say replacing 1980's/90's bachmann diesel locomotive (New) as dummy for your other expensive name brand loco. as i understand before, the athearn dummy loco cost $10.00 while the cheap working and running bachmann loco cost $10.00 too. why not use bachmann loco instead of athearn dummy loco?. beside the bachmann can move around your train yard.
probably the best thing you could do with these locomotives is to bury them on a back track in the yard, and say that they are stored power. long lines of dead locomotives are common when the economy is down.
you'd definitely not want these locomotives doing yard duty. their speed control is very poor, and the are high geared. often they only have one truck powered, and won't pull much. out on the mainline their speed curve is more like that of a slot car than a locomotive. they don't play well with other newer locomotives.
my question for you is, why would you buy one of these for $10 when you can get a much better quality locomotive like a walthers trainline for around $15? those would do much better puttering around the yard, and they're still dirt cheap. what's more, they can be converted to dcc at a later date, and their speed curves adjusted to make them even better. you can't do that with the "pancake motor" stuff.....
Unless you have a 2-10-4 or 4-8-4, you will not get more than $5 or $10 for any locos from the early 1980's. The freight cars, you would be lucky to get 25 cents for.
i checked e-bay. people are still buying 80's to 90's box car around $1.00 to $2.00. and loco at $5.00 to $10.00 each.
i also noticed that the hobby collectors seems to decrease a lot. sellers at e-bay were too many and buyers just a few. maybe because the young generation were focus mostly on games, internet and i-phones. it also happen to stamps and coins hobby. we need more times to continue to introduce these hobbies to the youngsters.
i noticed that the new bachmann train set. those selling at costco. the loco is a little bit inferior quality that if you buy a single locomotive at a hobby store. is that right?. any bachmann personnel can explain this for us.
sorry for asking too many questions. cause i am out for so many years.
it is my understanding that those locomotives and cars in the train sets are the same as those offered for sale individually. they should all be of decent quality.
as an example of what i am talking about, take the gp40. this is NOT the gp40 of the 1980s, but a smooth running model. about the only thing i don't like about it is that it lacks flywheels. but it runs so smooth that i don't see that as a reason not to purchase an otherwise fine locomotive.
the cars in the set are the big question mark. i am assuming that they all have knuckle couplers. if so, bachmann cars went through a couple of upgrades over the years. the first was the switch to knuckle couplers, usually body mounted instead of the older truck mounted couplers. later, the silver series cars added metal wheels and weight to those older cars. the silver series are among the best running cars i have, the older ones with knuckle couplers need at the minimum to have weight added. i am not sure which version are in the sets.
btw, you'd mentioned earlier buying cars for $1-2. if you want to make decent running cars out of those you must do the following:
1. convert them to knuckle couplers mounted to the body of the car not the trucks.
2. replace the wheelsets with ones conforming to rp25 standards, plastic wheels ok but metal preferred.
3.add weight to at least nmra specs.
you'll need to have the following tools on hand to upgrade them as well:
pin vise with drill and tap set for 2-56 screws
truck tuner tool, for reaming the truck sideframes to make the new wheelsets roll freely.
kadee coupler height guage
nmra standards guage
postage scale, for weighing cars.
$2 doesn't seem like such a bargain anymore does it?
a train set sold at costco cost only $48.95 plus tax. while the maximum retail listed by bachmann is $99.00. now the train set sell by costco is for general public and kids. not collectors or hobbyist. and the price is half of the max retail price. so i assume they might have inferior quality than those single piece sell by the hobby stores. we need explanation from bachmann.
The explanation is simple:
The price listed by Bachmann is the MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price), but the retailer can sell it for whatever price he wants to. The retailer can purchase the set for less than half of the MSRP so he just needs to sell it for half price to make a profit.
Also, you must never go to train show/expos, they often have gigantic boxes of old 1970-through early 1990's cars from Bachmann, Life-Like, Model Power, Tyco, and the like for 25 or 50 cents a piece and they don't usually sell very many because nobody wants them, did you ever think that half the people on ebay are idiots and don't know what they are buying and are not very knowledgeable. Just because some idiots that are not really in the hobby will pay $2 for them does not mean they are worth $2 or that even 50% of model railroaders would pay $2. Probably only 1% of model railroaders would pay $2 for those cars because after you do everything necessary to make them run-able, it will run you $6 after adding Kadee #5s, metal wheels, & weights. For $5 you can buy a modern Bachmann standard series car that only needs Kadee couplers which are $1.75 a pair in bulk, plus you won't waste all your time that could be used on adding scenery.
who are the dealers selling new bachmann at a reasonable prices?. dealers near new york city?.
No one would know what the prices are of most hobby shops because most of them are not online, only the very large ones are, but there are several excellent online dealers, including one on ebay. Most local hobby shops do not sell things very reasonably compared to online retailers, asking for low prices and a local dealer does not go hand in hand. If you buy from your local dealer, you pay more because he has more overhead than an online dealer, but he can help you out with your problems and give advice and let you test things out, while the online dealer can't do these things. The bottom line is, if you want reasonable prices buy from an online dealer, if you want good service buy from a local dealer.
which online dealers you deal with?.
what is the different between standard series and silver series?. how much it cost for a standard series box car?. and silver series box car?. the bachmann price list have the silver series quoted. but the standard series are not there.
I bought most of my stuff from thefavoritespot on ebay http://stores.ebay.com/THE-FAVORITE-SPOT/HO-SCALE-TRAINS-/_i.html?_fsub=2&_sid=13534603&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322 (http://stores.ebay.com/THE-FAVORITE-SPOT/HO-SCALE-TRAINS-/_i.html?_fsub=2&_sid=13534603&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322), and Modeltrainstuff.com http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/ (http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/). They both have pretty good prices, from the ebay dealer you can get a silver series freight (box) car for $8 and it is also $8 from the online dealer I mentioned, the regular series freight cars are selling for $6.50 in most hobby shops, but you have to pay for shipping for the silver series cars, which is $4 if you buy them online. So, you can get 5 standard series cars for $32 or 5 Silver Series cars for around $53.
then i presumed if we buy the set from costco. those freight cars might only be a standard series. not a silver series. because those sets selling at costco are intended for general public and kids.
Only the Sprectrum and DCC sets have silver series cars, all the other sets have the standard series cars including the Costco set.
in this case. what is the different between new standard freight cars and the old 80's and 90's freight cars?.
The wheels are of better quality, but neither are metal like the silver series, the couplers are E-Z Mate couplers as opposed to the outdated horn-hook aka xf2 couplers. The newer ones have a little more detail too. The older ones are not compatible with the newer ones and are much more likely to derail because they have talgo trucks (coupler mounted to truck instead of the body). Basically the older cars would derail more often and would require a good amount of work and money to convert. The couplers would require you purchase conversion kits and new couplers to run with a new train set. Here is the coupler that the old cars have (horn hook):
(http://www.jrjunction.com/images/90601.jpg)
Here is the coupler the new cars have (knuckle):
(http://www.cchobbies.com/track/trackphoto/380-143_small.gif)
They are not compatible with each other, you could make a transition car out of an Athearn freight car pretty easily though. The older cars would need to be fixed up before use for any sort of reliable running, while the newer cars could run okay out of the box with no upgrades. The silver series need no upgrades for peak running while, the standard series could use a little better couplers, metal wheels, and a little extra weight, but as is they will run okay.
wow. so many things to learn again. thanks guys. again. it is the manufacturer's main business objective to discontinue all the old models. and come out with a new one. so people can start to buy again from them.
i remember during the early 90's that the general public were stop buying those train sets. because it became unpopular among those kids after booming around the start of late 1980's. i was able to buy some 30 train set at $6.00/set. no wonder that is the end of the game. factory discontinue. but then i was able to give some 24 set to my relative's kids as a christmas gifts. we have a big family. eight brother and sisters. i saved a lot of money too. a set during those days is costing $19.95.set. now the remain six sets are still hanging in my closet for 17 years. now a set at costco cost $48.95 plus tax $53.29 per set.
i love train. i lived in a small place that i can not put up a layout. so i just keep buying different loco and freight cars. it run up to 100 set and then i stop buying. enough is enough. total cost me around $3,000.00. every thing is cheap stuffs i should say. but i am not a professional train hobbyist. and i am contended and happy. if i buy those at a good brand like atlas, kato, mentua, or other european brand name. it might cost me $50,000.00 or up for those 100 set. that i calculate before and for the new bachmann train. i should say hasta la vista baby. no more new train.
Quote from: tracy1947 on November 06, 2010, 03:14:52 PM
who are the dealers selling new bachmann at a reasonable prices?. dealers near new york city?.
train world/ trainland comes to mind.
yes. that's the only one left at new york city. i bought from them before too. but i think they don't carry bachmann now. i saw a lot of lifelike stuffs.
Quote from: tracy1947 on November 06, 2010, 05:40:55 PM
wow. so many things to learn again. thanks guys. again. it is the manufacturer's main business objective to discontinue all the old models. and come out with a new one. so people can start to buy again from them.
i remember during the early 90's that the general public were stop buying those train sets. because it became unpopular among those kids after booming around the start of late 1980's. i was able to buy some 30 train set at $6.00/set. no wonder that is the end of the game. factory discontinue. but then i was able to give some 24 set to my relative's kids as a christmas gifts. we have a big family. eight brother and sisters. i saved a lot of money too. a set during those days is costing $19.95.set. now the remain six sets are still hanging in my closet for 17 years. now a set at costco cost $48.95 plus tax $53.29 per set.
i love train. i lived in a small place that i can not put up a layout. so i just keep buying different loco and freight cars. it run up to 100 set and then i stop buying. enough is enough. total cost me around $3,000.00. every thing is cheap stuffs i should say. but i am not a professional train hobbyist. and i am contended and happy. if i buy those at a good brand like atlas, kato, mentua, or other european brand name. it might cost me $50,000.00 or up for those 100 set. that i calculate before and for the new bachmann train. i should say hasta la vista baby. no more new train.
i would rather have the one or two locomotives that are reliable performers ( and these don't have to cost alot you just have to know what you're buying) than have 50 junk ones. it is a case of buyer beware. i don't think that with bachmann and some other manufacturers it was as much as case of them discontinuing the old stuff so people would buy new. a good model locomotive or freight car will last forever. my dad still has cars from the 1950s and 1960s in service on his layout. and i've gotten 30 years of service out of athearn locomotives for example.
no, the situation bachmann, lifelike, tyco and others found themselves in was that the market for low quality entry level sets dried up as kids lost interest. these companies had bad reputations from serious model railroaders for this same low quality stuff. it was a situation of either upgrade or die. to their credit, bachmann did and i'd recommend their newer products to anybody.
the bar was raised by the serious modellers, and bachmann is to be commended for meeting the challenge while maintaining a reasonable cost. you think $50 for a set is steep? compare that to sets by atlas or kato.....
yes. tyco, bachmann, lifelike, model power and one imported from yugoslavia. i forgot the name. you mean to said others did not upgrade their products. just bachmann?.
the reason that i bought cheap stuffs is because i like to collect different style, design, and different name on it. if i collect brand name. it will cost me a lot.
Tyco no longer exists for that reason. Life-Like does not have any high quality locomotives, only lower/toy end locos. Model Power only has one good loco, which is all metal. Pretty much they still have loco that run like locos from the 1980's.
model power does offer some upgraded cars and locomotive under the mantua or metal train names. their regular cars have knuckle couplers added and no other upgrades.
lifelike offered upgraded equipment under the proto2000 and proto1000 names. they are no part of walthers, who offers cars similar to standard bachmann cars under the trainline name.
tyco, mercifully, is no longer in the model train business. neither is AHM, though some of their stuff was sorta upgraded under the IHC name......
if all you want to do is display shelves of model trains then i can see why cost would be a factor. believe me, i am not rich either. but if you intend to do anything more serious than running them around in a circle, you'll find the older cars flaws very frustrating to say the least. me i run the wheels off my stuff.......
then i have to try to buy a set. but a set most likely is not composed of those good stuffs that you guys mentioned. so i have to buy a set and buy some individual good freight cars. just one set for running and have fun.
You don't have to buy a set, buy a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0, a couple freight cars from either ebay or the dealer I mentioned and you can buy track from Atlas and any power pack will do.
now i knew why the old bachmann stuffs were obsolete. not because of the brand name indifferent, freight car, additional weight, or metal wheels or not. it is simply because without changing the couplers. you simply can not attach both car together between newer and older bachmann cars.
now i even don't have to buy new bachmann. cause i got 100 set before. all new with 100 power pack and 100 diesel locomotive. many tracks that i can divide for those 100 set. 10 freight car for each set. scenery and figures. accessories and others. i can give those to the kids during christmas. and i think they will be very happy and might encourage them to be one of the future professional model train hobbyist.
how do we check the spectrum catalog?.
oss. i found it. but there are no diesel locomotives.
if i recall correctly, the gp30, gp35, h16-44 and dash 8s were all originally spectrum locomotives. don't know why they are in the regular line now, but they are good runners.
are n scale freight cars the same with that of 80's/90's?. are there any changes?.
The newest ones have working knuckle couplers, the newer ones have dummy knuckle couplers both of which are not compatible with the 80's and 90's cars which have Rapido couplers. The newer ones all have metal wheels, while most older ones had non-metal wheels. The newer cars have more detail. It is much harder to adapt the couplers on the older N scale rolling stock.
As soon as you say they are no longer around, bingo they are back. ihc-hobby.com. They never die, they just go away for a while.
Quote from: RAM on November 07, 2010, 04:24:37 PM
As soon as you say they are no longer around, bingo they are back. ihc-hobby.com. They never die, they just go away for a while.
They are back, but not in full force, they don't have as many products as they used to if you go to the website and look around.
what year and month did the bachmann produced the new bachmann line of products?.
i noticed that the bachmann products. even old or the new models. can not match with other brand names. because just by looking at the prices. bachmann is very much cheaper. like atlas, kato, and others. i wonder why?. anyway. i am still like bachmann. cause all of my model trains were made by bachmann. in the future. if i want to continue buy some. bachmann again is my choice no matter what.
i have dabbled in n scale off and on since early childhood.
for many years n scale locomotives were vastly inferior to HO ones. this was especially true of model power locomotives which used a very cheap motor. i never had one of those that the motor didn't burn up in. bachmann was about middle of the road in quality, and their n scale locomotives were probably better than their HO ones.
freight cars were a different story. pretty much all of the freight cars have been decent runners. the rapido design of coupler was, in my opinion, far superior to the horn hooks in HO. when backing up, horn hooks tend to channel forces to the outside of the track, and having them mounted on the trucks rather than the bodies of the cars only meant that they were trying to derail your train every time you backed up. rapidos, on the other hand, tend to place those forces more toward the centerline ot the car, and you could back reasonable numbers of cars equipped with rapidos without problems.
in the mid to late 1990s, the quality of most n scale locomotives increased exponentially, to the point that many runs as well as or in some cases better than their HO brothers. life like and atlas were my favourite locomotives. the bachmann plus locomotives were a bit farther down the list but still not bad. these observations are from around 2002 when i packed up my n scale stuff.
bottom line, i'd use the n scale cars with newer locomotives. you don't really need to convert all your cars to knuckle couplers to get them to run right. unlike HO, you can pretty much leave them as is, but if you want a simple upgrade toi knuckle couplers micro trains sells trucks with knuckle couplers already on them. all you have to do with most makes of cars is to pull the old trucks off and replace them with micro trains. i'd start out by making a coupler of conversion cars, with the original truck/coupler on one end, and a micro trains on the other, just so that any locomotives with knuckle couplers can pull the trains.
last, some locomotives were being produced with rapido couplers at least until 2000, so you could probably find them if you looked.
if i want to buy some E-Z mate couplers. i noticed that they have long, medium and short coupler. what's that mean?. what is the different?.
also center shank, over shank and under shank?. which one should i use for my older freight cars?.
the older version of steel and silver tracks without roadbed. and now the new one with roadbed. are they compatible?.
Quote from: tracy1947 on November 08, 2010, 09:10:20 AM
the older version of steel and silver tracks without roadbed. and now the new one with roadbed. are they compatible?.
If we are talking HO (and I think N as well) they should be compatible however if you are referring to joining EZ track to older snap track you will have to cut the plastic tab off the end of the EZ track and use roadbed such as cork to raise the snap track to the same level as the EZ track.
wow. that is another business tactic to change it and in order us to buy again and again. just like the can food or juice. keep increasing the price or reduces the weight and size.
i don't think it was so much to get us to buy new track. most of the serious modellers seem to either use flexible track or lay their own. the ez track seems to be more for entry level people. it can be easily set up and torn down, and the connectors will hold the track together without it being nailed down. once you build a permanent layout, those issues become moot points as the track is permanently fastened down.
steel track was tried by several manufacturers of train sets, and in each case its drawbacks became apparent. it can rust and isn't as easy to keep clean, solder, etc. nickle silver has been the track of choice for many years. put another way, in n scale where electrical contact can be a major issue, brass and steel rail seems to have never been widely marketed. nickle silver has been the standard there since the advent of that scale, years before it became the standard in HO.
looking back, model railroading has been a hobby undergoing constant refinements and improvements. we've come a long way from the wooden cars with cardboard sides common in the 1940s.
yes. i like old fashion way. i don't like E-Z mate tracks. in this way. i can buy some new bachmann and use my old tracks.
that's the beauty of it. you can use any track you want, as long as it's in your scale. me, i lay my own by hand. my trains run just as they would on any other track. the nmra has set the standards, and all manufacturers conform to them.
I used to use a mix of track on my layout which is currently all EZ track. However I will be using some flex track for an extention I am building so I can make some custom curves.
now i am ready to visit and observe at train world again. not buying immediately but look around their big store and display. it's been 17 year.
Quote from: tracy1947 on November 08, 2010, 05:32:08 PM
now i am ready to visit and observe at train world again. not buying immediately but look around their big store and display. it's been 17 year.
You mean trainworld on McDonald Ave in Brooklyn? Thats a fun place to shop I go there a lot.
yes. that is the place i went before. 17 years ago. never visit them again after that.
i have to say many thanks to jward, simkon, RAM and joe323 for helping recover some knowledge about this wonderful hobby that i suddenly forgot after 17 year gap. thank you guys.
Your welcome :D
bachmann started changing the old type of rolling stocks to current new one in 1995. and i started this hobby in 1988 thru 1993.
and now i was able to receive e-mail with current info and prices from train world. thanks.
what is the current minimum standard weight of the following:
freight car or rolling stock - (how many ounces?.)
diesel locomotive -
Quote from: tracy1947 on November 15, 2010, 07:14:04 AM
what is the current minimum standard weight of the following:
freight car or rolling stock - (how many ounces?.)
diesel locomotive -
There is no standard for locomotives, but for rolling stock you need to measure it and determine the type of car to have the correct weight according to NMRA standards.
HO is 1 ounce + a 1/2 ounce per inch of length, so a 12 inch car should be 7 ounces.
i check an AHM hopper at 6.75". so the standard weight should be 4.375 ounce. but the old AHM hopper weight only 2 ounce.
Yeah it should be about 4.3 to 4.4 ounces, so you need to add 2.3 ounces of weight.
so how we going add weight to the old freight cars. i saw they put some rectangular bar below or inside the freight car. is there any place selling this bar?. do dealers sell this too?.
You can buy weights in different sizes, some with adhesive backing. Or you can use large nuts and epoxy them to the floors of closed cars. A very handy tool to have is a digital scale. Micromark sells them along with an assortment of weights.
OldTimer
i remembered when i first started. i used a lot of penny as the additional weight. it is the cheapest way to add weight i think. use glue to attached each other. and it cost nothing. specially when you not use them. simply take out the penny and use them.
and now i am more becoming a semi-pro. i need those model train to look at least a real thing.
If your trains run fine on your home layout you don,t need added weight at all. I run as little weight as needed to keep the cars on the track. That way i can run long trains. Most of my cars have 1/2 the weight removed and stay on the track fine. If you take your cars to a club then you might need more for their track. Also less work for the engine.
Bob
you are right. specially if we are using the cheap and light locomotive. at least that locomotive can pull some cars. before i tried two cheap bachmann diesel locomotives during early 1990's. and have pulled some 100 light freight cars. it works. but slower.
any club or organization at queens new york city?. or maybe nearby brookyn, manhattan and long island, new york?.
H A P P Y H O L I D A Y S T O A L L.
MERRY X'MAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
why won't Bachmann produces cheaper version for kids between 8 years old to around 14 years old. like they used to do during 1988 to 1993. plastic wheels, plastic couplers, lesser weight to around 2 oz to 2-1/2 oz, painting kids like designs. tracks without roadbed, simple adaptors. so that it will continue to promote youngsters around the world. in fact Bachmann should think and produces video games or computer games, train simulator, train running on video for kids as well as adults. why concentrate on producing expensive limited trains/trains set for adults were almost all hobbyist were either old or very old.?. and those trains were so good that they even don't have to buy themagain. think of doing business. use my ways. this is just my opinion. any comment is welcome.
I have read this seemingly endless thread with interest: interest in observing all its twists and turns. If you have the desire to 'run trains' but think you don't have the space check out Carl Arendt's website...trust me, there isn't any reason not to have a layout. As a model railroad vendor we usually see older Bachmann, Tyco, Model Power, Mantua sold by the box! The expected return on investment of these products is nil - with one exception: Bachmann old time cars and locomotives.
Partner, what the posters are trying to say is that you get what you pay for. Rather than 'throw' a couple of bucks on an older Bachmann, AHM, etc. car we will sell you an older Athearn car for very little more [This is NOT a sales pitch...merely a valid illustration of my point.] I would much rather hear of you running 5 quality cars - than attempting to utilize 10 cheap units.
I also think Bachmann has its [collective] hands full - producing and selling quality trains in a very competitive marketplace. 'Want a video game/train simulator? Try MS Train Simulator (there are a few others). Each of these 'games' has after market add-ons to keep your interest up (such as the Sweethaven Harbor for MS Train Simulator). Oh, if this market was so fruitful...why has MS decided not to offer a new version of their Train Simulator? No, Bachmann should (and in all likelyhood will..) continue to put their efforts toward offering quality trains at a price the average person can afford.
Just a thought (no malice intended): Maybe, after 6 pages, it is time to start a new thread?
Regards,
Ray
Quote from: tracy1947 on January 02, 2011, 07:58:25 AM
why won't Bachmann produces cheaper version for kids between 8 years old to around 14 years old. like they used to do during 1988 to 1993. plastic wheels, plastic couplers, lesser weight to around 2 oz to 2-1/2 oz, painting kids like designs. tracks without roadbed, simple adaptors. so that it will continue to promote youngsters around the world. in fact Bachmann should think and produces video games or computer games, train simulator, train running on video for kids as well as adults. why concentrate on producing expensive limited trains/trains set for adults were almost all hobbyist were either old or very old.?. and those trains were so good that they even don't have to buy themagain. think of doing business. use my ways. this is just my opinion. any comment is welcome.
there were many companies that did just this in the old days. most are now gone.
others, like bachmann, still struggle to overcome the damage to their reputation from those low quality sets. how many potential model railroaders have given up on the hobby after the frustrations of trains that run like slot cars, derail every time you try to back them, and just plain wear out quickly? i can tell you horror stories of locomotives with open gearboxes and motors that would fry when a piece of grit got into the gears.
and yes, bachmann does offer entry level sets for kids. look at the thomas train sets. but they are also of decent quality.
in the model railroad industry cutting corners doesn't work very well. you may sell a few toys, but the majority of the market is for the better quality trains. bachmann and some other manufacturers have managed to keep the cost of their diesel locomotives down, while raising the quality. we now have it better than we ever have. i wish i'd have had the quality of to-day available back in the 1970s.....especially at the inflation adjusted prices we are paying to-day.
If the locomotives are driven through a single truck instead of both and have rubber traction tires they are pretty much junk. If they still look good use them as static displays. If the rolling stock has truck mounted couplers they are not worth using since they don't function very well and can't be backed up without derailing. they probably have the X2F couplers which are pretty much obsolete. I have been sorting that type of equipment out of my collection and if it still moves under it's own power it gets donated, along with the old brass track, to the 6 and 8 year old. They will race 'em around the track at full speed until they crash!
To a point, I think the the hobby has pretty much priced itself out to the beginner.
I can remember years ago my dad and I could go out and for about $20, be able to have something to start with. I was 8-10 years old.
I can't fathom going out and spending $50 to $100 for a trainset that my 8 year old is going to tear up.
Odd thing of it is, I hear some people putting down the older equipment. Much like anything else, if you take care of it, it will take care of you.
I still run an old TYCO 0-4-0 switcher from the '50's from time to time along with 3 old Revell F series diesels (the ones w/ the rubberband drive). Granted, they don't see much time because of the age (played heck getting parts for the Revell's!).
I'm still a DC person. My 11ft x 13ft pike just doesn't warrent DCC yet.
not all older equipment is created equal. that tyco-mantua 0-4-0 from the 50s would be much better quality than a similar tyco steamer from the 1970s, with a pancake motor tender drive. i have seen locomotives of that era with cheap 3 pole motors geared directly to the wheels-little to no speed control possible with those. they ran like slot cars. i have seen n scale locomotives with motors that burned up after a couple of days use. i have seen pancake motors where the bearings actually melted on them, these were running on a display layout where everything was weel maintained including proper lube of all locomotives. and i've seen locomotives with traction tires literally bounce themselves off the track trying to pull a train. it really doesn't matter how well taken care of it is, a yugo is still a yugo.....
if you are looking for reasonable priced locomotives that will run forever if taken care of, buy an athearn diesel. i have some that still run well after 30-40 years of service.....
I agree w/ Athearn. They have made good products for years (once you get past the HiFi drive system).
As far as AHM, TYCO, Mantua, Life Like, Bachmann, some of the mid '70's stuff was a bit cheap and did run like a slot car.
The AHM's I have have been "reworked" and are quite reliable. Most of the Bachmann and Life Like are BER (beyond economical repair), except for the Proto and Spectrum. Those are nice pieces.
What I have been telling beginners these days who have young kids, go to EBay, find something decent and reasonably priced and have fun.
This way, if it gets broke, no loss. You also find out if the kid wants to even play with the trains.
Quote from: jward on January 21, 2011, 07:43:14 AM
Not all older equipment is created equal. that tyco-mantua 0-4-0 from the 50s would be much better quality than a similar tyco steamer from the 1970s, with a pancake motor tender drive.
I've bought a bunch of the 0-4-0Ts on eBay, the engines where the entire superstructure (boiler and cab) is one piece of cast metal. With a little light lubrication, I've gotten them purring like kittens, and they will pull just about anything I tie to their tails.
QuoteI have seen n scale locomotives with motors that burned up after a couple of days use.
That was my experience of N-scale when I was still just a kid, and one reason why I've stuck with HO.
QuoteIt really doesn't matter how well taken care of it is, a yugo is still a yugo.....
;D
QuoteIf you are looking for reasonable priced locomotives that will run forever if taken care of, buy an athearn diesel. i have some that still run well after 30-40 years of service.....
:)
When I first entered this hobby I was started off with a life-like train set. Pancake motor GP38-2, horn hook couplers, the works of everything obsolete. My secondly locomotive was another pancake drive, so I was really beginning to think that's how the locomotives were supposed to sound, loud and noisy, and it really was a turn off. I got a IHC 4-6-2 about a year later And I was blown away, WOW that's quiet!!! A bachmann white box F9 with a can motor quickly parked everything else that wasn't of quality.
Today the fleet looks a lot different, knuckle couplers and a lot more trains. But the climb to get to where I'm at now. I applaud Bachmann for having their starter sets at a reasonable price and decent quaility. One would hope that's how everyone else would be, but sadly its not. The 00's product are better than the 90's. My basic message is, if you give someone something good in a train set, but if the quality is bad they might not buy again.
Regrettably in the 80 - 90s HO was of poor quality, Lionel was too expensive so it wasn't untill the late 2000's that I got back into the hobby. Most of my HO complaints poor quality locos, couplers, cars etc have thankfully been addressed.
Now with DCC I can operate a small layout in a protypical fashion.
The hobby has come a long waty.