How can you tell if a locomotive is a plus or not? ???
A real plus for me would be if it brought me coffee and chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. ;D Seriously, according to the Bachmann, the Plus line has been discontinued as the general quality across the line has increased. So there is Spectrum and Everything Else. Check it out here:
http://www.thewhistlepost.com/forums/ho-scale/6996-bachmann-vs-bachmann-plus.html
Hope this helps.
Rusty
When the Plus line was introduced, the locomotives were a big step up from what had come before. Generally they were mechanical upgrades in preexisting shells. When you open up a Plus locomotive, here is what you are likely to find:
Can motor
Worm and pinion drive
Flywheel (a oversize worm gear served as a flywheel in steamers.)
All wheel pickup (diesels)
All wheel drive (diesels)
Improved pickup (steamers)
On the track, they are generally good, quiet runners with decent low speed performance. Some run as well as Spectrums but lack the fine detail. Some steamers wobble a bit due to less than perfect wheels.
The Plus locomotives were manufactured in the days before DCC so you will not find any that are DCC ready. You may find used ones with DCC on board because these locomotives and their can motors respond well to DCC. If you install a decoder in one, spend the extra couple of dollars and install a BEMF decoder. That can turn a good runner into an excellent runner.
If you have a wobbling steamer, take off the lead and trailing trucks, weather it heavily, and use it as a switcher. A lot of old switchers wobbled, giving them a particularly aggressive look as they went about their business.
Sorry to say I do not have a list of what locomotives were produced in the Plus series. The one I got to know the best was the Consolidation which I have in all four versions - Spectrum, Plus, Sidewinder and Sidewinder with trailing truck, sold as a Mikado.
Jim
when the drive wheel gears crack and fall off