Reciently I chose not to renew 2 RRmag. subscriptions.  One I had for MANY years, the other for only a few. Neither one contacted me to find out why.  Seems they would want to know if i didn't like the format, I died, was upset about the price increase or was displeased about something else. Railroad mags have a small circulation compared to many other mags. & you would think they would be interested in keeping everyone they could.  Maybe things are going better for them than I think. 

I thought Walthers took over LifeLike a few years ago.    Hope this isn't true. We don't need another company with  Bachmann's reputation for customer service.   Jerry

Try the flea markets & train shows.  Mantua had some back in the day. I believe IHC also had some a few years back. Some may still be in stock, try the online train shops.   jerry

Quote from: richG on April 17, 2009, 07:51:56 PM
Probably N or HO, especially if you model and abandoned railroad. No loco or rolling stock issues. No electrical issues either unless you want a few street lights.

Rich

If you are only curious, the answer has to be HO. If this will influence your choice of scale...It's the wrong question.  Go with the scale you like, You will be happier in the end, even if it costs a little more.  Jerry

  If this is a regular Bachmann & not a Spectrum, don't do it. It probably won't run long enough to justify your time. On the other hand it could be a learning experience. Just remove the decoder when it dies & use it in another loco.  Jerry

Maybe Bachmann & NWSL could merge. Bachmann could make everything
except the running gear, which would be made by NWSL.             

Quote from: ta152h0 on April 15, 2009, 01:22:56 PM
Tender too small to house a steam sound decoder so i need a flat car with junk loaded on it to hide the decoder printed board itself. the speaker wire is long enough to go back to the locomotive. So i have a three vehicle installation and I bet a case of beer I am gonna get flamed by the club 

Check Tony's Train Exchange.. they have done this in the small tender.   Jerry

I have an HO Climax that for some reason is still running. I was told if it fails like most of the other ones & I return it they will send me a Shay...looks like out of the frying pan & into the fire!
   On the bright side, Bachmann will probably keep NWSL in business.
Maybe they should bring fewer models out & iron the bugs out first.   
   Jerry

Quote from: trainnman1912 on April 13, 2009, 12:01:13 AM
Greetings to everyone. I just bought a brand new out of the box Spectrum 4-6-0 from Charles Ro Supply here in Boston. I had them test it at the store and it seemed to work ok straight out of the box. A little sluggish on DCC to start but I figured it just needed lubing and breaking in. I got it home tried it out on my DC layout where it should have worked fine. I lubed it and started it up. The Sound worked great. The engine started chuffing but it would not move. Only after ramping up the throttle to over 60 did the engine start to move. I believe it may have something to do with the running gear. Something seems out of whack and keeping the wheels from turning properly. I looked at it but I don't really think I can fix it. I just mailed in the warranty card on Friday when I bought it. Is it too soon to mail it to the factory? Do I need to pay for shipment back to me or what? Any help is much appreciated. Its such a nice engine and I was told it was brand new. I am just not sure what could have gone wrong to a brand new engine. Any help is much appreciated.
Most Respectfully,
Joshua Andersen

Did it run OK after you passed the 60% on your controller?   Sound equiped locos draw more current than non sound equiped ones. As long as it performes with the higher settings, it should be OK.   Jerry

This was my first Large scale show & was SURPRISED that Bachmann was a "no show"  after all, York is not that far from Philadelphia.  With all the Large Scale they have I was "sure" they would be there.
   Could of at least put one of everything in a large SUV & gave us something to look at.     Jerry

What is the problem with the Climax.  I've had one for over a year & have had no problems yet.  What can I expect to happen & if they can't be fixed, what will Bachmann do if I have a problem & send it back?   Jerry

Welcome to DCC. Yes it is different, but not that difficult.  Some engines are DC only, meaning that you will have to do some work to install DCC. Some are DCCready, which means that the motor has been isolated from the frame & may have a DCC plug. DCC on board or equiped means it has a DCC decoder that controls the trains movement & lights.  DCC with sound means just that.
   The engine should be connected to the tender just as in DC operation.  It probably really isn't necessary for operation since all electrical connections are thru wires & not the drawbar...but yes, do reconnect the engine & tender.
   If you are just starting out with DCC It probably isn't a good idea for you to attempt to install a sound decoder & speaker just yet. Get your feet wet first,do a lot of reading & operate the trains for awhile. If I remember right Loy's Toys had a lot of literature coucerning DCC. Also Tony's Probably has some plus they are very helpful if you call them with questions.  Good Luck.  Jerry L

  I know there were various improvements added to the K4 along the way. Are there any more changes except sound to the current release?  Jerry L

Quote from: r.cprmier on December 29, 2007, 09:13:23 AM
About the best thing to do is to find out who bought out Silver Streak (if, in fact, anyone did at all), and contact them.  For its day, Silver Streak ranked among the top craftsman type kits on the market, along with Ambroid, Ulrich, LaBelle, etc; all originals now ghosts haunting the memories of the old salts here.  Pity.
This should be an interesting investigation; do keep us posted on your progress.

Rich   Someone sent me a link...I clicked on it & the instruction sheet apeared. The net can be great...Thanks to all. Jerry L

Quote from: r.cprmier on December 29, 2007, 09:13:23 AM
About the best thing to do is to find out who bought out Silver Streak (if, in fact, anyone did at all), and contact them.  For its day, Silver Streak ranked among the top craftsman type kits on the market, along with Ambroid, Ulrich, LaBelle, etc; all originals now ghosts haunting the memories of the old salts here.  Pity.
This should be an interesting investigation; do keep us posted on your progress.
Someone sent me a website, I clicked on it & lo & behold the instruction sheet apeared. I printed it out & I'm ready to go. Thanks to all for your help.  Jerry
Rich