Hello, what do you mean by "hard wired pickups on the trailing truck"?  I am planning to purchase a used 4-8-4 Niagara (standard Bachmann) and am wondering about general quality, whether it will be able to negotiate a spot on my layout with 18 inch radius curve (the tender is the going to be the problem I think; unlike Bachmann tenders, Rivarossi tenders of this type - e.g. on their Big Boy - had truck wheels that moved laterally to negotiate sharper radius turns), and whether the electric pickups on this loco only (none on tender) will be adequate to permit smooth running over multiple adjacent switch and crossing tracks.  Any thoughts on these matters?  Thanks!

Hello, I have a new Bachmann Niagara (nice loco!) whose tender will not run on my layout due to its wheel arrangement.  I cannot modify the trackwork on the layout to accommodate it.  Instead I want to swap this (impossible) tender for a shorter one with normal trucks.  I purchased one on-line, Bachmann item number 89832, which Bachmann tells me is at least five years old and whose wiring is both unknown and incompatible with the Niagara.  When I plugged the replacement tender into the Niagara, incidentally, it ran perfectly but only backwards!  Also, the light on the loco did not light up.  I offer this info as clues.  Can anyone help me make this conversion or recommend a model train electronics shop that could do it. I am wondering whether the problem is that the wires in the harness from the replacement tender are attached to the four wire plug in a different order than they are in the harness from the Niagara's original tender.  Maybe it is that simple?  In any event, this is a bit over my head.  Any suggestions?  I am in Buffalo, NY, by the way.

Thank you for your reply and advice concerning my Bachmann 4-8-4 Niagara.  I think I will have the plugs installed to disconnect the DCC option.  I now recall that I did that with my Bachmann Spectrum J Class and it may have run a little faster afterwards (though I am not sure about that).  In any event, the J is a good runner on a DC layout.

When I said the J "flew around" my layout I meant that it could run at full speed (maybe 80 mph scale) across the whole layout and never derail.  I realize that that is not prototypical but I mentioned it only to say that while my track work is imperfect, it is pretty good and not so bad that another Bachmann 4-8-4 locomotive couldn't handled it easily.  I do think that the Niagara's tender is problematic from a design point of view.  It may look realistic with the 5 centipede fixed wheels at the back but it is not practical to run.  While my sharpest mainline turns are 22 radius (with a few pinch points where it may be less for a small arc of the turn), I also have grade changes with transitions on curves which all my other locomotives are OK with but I think they too are playing havoc with the Niagara because of the 5 fixed wheels on the tender.  Anyway, I think I will add some weight to the tender as recommended and tinker with the track.  I just don't want to tear large portions of it up to accommodate this locomotive.  I would have liked to see a different tender design.  Thanks!

I am new to this message board so please excuse me if I am asking this is in the wrong place.

I just purchased a new DCC-OnBoard Bachmann Niagara 4-8-4.  I have two questions some of you might be able to help me with.

1. It runs OK in DC mode except that the tender derails easily when my imperfect but generally 22 inch radius mainline turns tighten up slightly.  The rear wheels on the tender -- all 5 or 6 of them which are attached to the body of the tender and not on any kind of swiveling truck -- pop off of the track on slightly tighter portions of curves.  Occasionally, too, the locomotive's trailing wheel may come off.  I have reduced the derailment problem somewhat by not using the drawbar between the locomotive and tender, and just attaching the tender with the wires that run from the tender to the rear of the locomotive.  But this loose attachment may eventually cause a break in the wires and probably means I should not pull any cars with the locomotive so as not to stress the wires.  And even this arrangement does not work entirely -- the tender still derails at three spots on my layout.  What to do?  (1) I can try to rework my track somewhat but due to the layout this is very difficult and not much of an option.  I know I can't change switches and curves in my yard.  (2) Maybe I could add weight? -- though I am not sure how I would do that.  Or (3) Maybe Bachmann has recognized this problem and sells an alternate tender for the Niagara which has two (non-prototypical but functional) swiveling trucks or at least a shorter wheel base for the fixed wheels on the back of the tender so they don't pop off on slightly sharper portions of curves?  I doubt I am the only one who has encountered this problem.  It seems like a design flaw of the locomotive/tender.  Incidentally my Bachmann DCC/DC J Class locomotive flies around my layout without a hitch as does my Broadway Limited 4-4-4-4 T1.  The latter has a long fixed wheel base for the 8 duplex drivers but the tender is conventional and as a result the whole thing stays on the track fine and runs without any problems.

2. The Niagara came with two little wire plugs but no instructions on what to do with them.  I have a DC layout.  Does that mean I am I suppose to install these plugs?  If so, where?

Thanks for any help anyone -- including the Bach Man -- can provide me!  Note: Otherwise the Niagara appears to be a great locomotive.  I would like to be able to run it problem-free.