Quote from: richg on February 10, 2014, 09:32:00 PM
Bachmann had one.

http://www.ho-scaletrains.net/bachmannhoscaleaccessoriesandkits/id64.html

Have not seen any instructions so far.

Rich

Yes, mine is indeed Bachmann's version. I think it was the only kind on the market, as Bachmann claimed it was "exclusive."

We're doing some reorganizing in my basement, and my father came up with the idea of making an even bigger train table for my model railroad so I don't have to be just confined to a 4x8 sheet of plywood. I agreed, this would be a pretty good idea. But with it would also come an overhaul to my train layout. SO... time to make some new plans!

Here is what will be Stage One of the new layout:

It will be constructed in Atlas Code-100 nickel-silver snap track, and will start of as analog DC (maybe with blocking), before I eventually upgrade to an E-Z Command DCC system.

I plan to reuse the same structures and action accessories, also get some new ones, and of course reuse the same locomotives and rolling stock. (Though I may also make this layout DCC as well.)
The landscaping will also be more improved with this layout. I may reuse several of the trees, signs and poles, but the grass, roads and other parts will be new. (Instead of a mat, I will paint directly onto the plywood and then sprinkle the grass and earth material onto it.)

The new benchwork construction should begin next week, hopefully. Until then, I had already dismantled the existing layout to get that out of the way. For the time being, I set up a temporary figure-8 layout of track on the plywood so I can continue running my equipment:


Any comments?

I just got an interesting accessory for the new HO layout I am building. It was made in 1982 and was available until 1985, IIRC, and is called the "Disaster Crossing":

How it works is that if the car is on the track, the train is supposed to stop before hitting it. Then once the car is pulled away from the crossing via the two truck, the train will move on again. An N-scale version was made as well. Rumor has it that this product was discontinued for being deemed "politically incorrect" or something (I'd like to find out more about that!)

However, this did not come with instructions. The box says some assembly is required, but I am not entirely sure how to do so. If anyone has instructions for this, I would like them please!
(This will be installed as part of "Stage 2" of my new layout; I will make a separate thread about that.)

Here's a link to a 1984 Bachmann train catalog from 1984, about 30 years ago from this year, from Tony Cook's excellent HO-scale Train Resource (perfect for looking up old Bachmann, Tyco and AHM products, etc.)
http://www.ho-scaletrains.net/bachmanncatalogs/id63.html

In 1984, Bachmann was still one of the really big players in the consumer HO train market. AHM and Tyco were slowly starting to dwindle down a bit, Life-Like and Model Power were growing a bit, and of course there were the higher-quality (and pricier) offerings from Athearn and Mantua, etc. This was before the Spectrum line came out, so Bachmann was still pretty much seen as low-end and cheap (along the levels of Tyco), compared to the high-quality products Bachmann offers today. But back then, Bachmann had almost as large an offering as they do today.

Bachmann came out with an N-scale TGV train set that year, and they also had their "Powerhouse" HO-scale set that came with a decorated layout mat and several nifty operating accessories, obviously to try and get more kids into model railroading.
Bachmann also had a M.A.S.H. -themed train set (similar to how Tyco had train sets based on G.I. Joe, the A-Team, etc.)

They also had their DeWitt Clinton set out at this time, and they just released the John Bull train set. They also had several other sets that came with accessories like bridge-and-trestle sets, utility poles, and a few other accessories.
Some of their other operation accessories available today was also around back in 1984, such as the lighted passenger and freight stations, electronic steam whistle in billboard, that cheesy "diesel horn" oil tank, the blinking light storage tank, "gandy dancer" hand car, crane cars, dual crossing gates and "tracksters," but they also had some other interesting operating accessories available in 1984 that were discontinued by the 1990s, like the Tri-Level Car Transporter and the "Disaster Crossing" (there's a rumor it was discontinued for being too "politically incorrect.")


Get a load of those diesels with "space age electronics." Today you can get those same locomotives but in much higher quality and with DCC (and sound on the DD40X!)

A bunch of these locomotives are still available today, but perform much better and have nicer detail, and are also available in DCC. (The GP40-2 was, and still is, a Bachmann favorite.)

Many of the steam locomotives available at the time are also currently available in improved models, like the Class J and Daylight 4-8-4s.


Back then, Bachmann offered conventional Code-100 track in steel (E-Z track did not come out for another ten years.) It was better than their prior brass offerings, but not as good as today's nickel-silver E-Z track (and other tracks of the same material.)
Also note many of the accessories on the page; those are still available today as well (even the water pump!)
They also used to offer those bridge-and-trestle sets, similar to the ones Life-Like and Model Power currently offer, along with AHM, Tyco and Walthers having offered similar bridges in the past.


They also had "lighted scenic classics" building kits, basically select Plasticville building kits with a structure lighting unit and a little landscaping material.

Their "regular" Plasticville buiding kits were also available at that time, having been a mainstay of the company for over 50 years now.

They also had RC and die-cast cars available in 1984, but I don't know if they sold really well compared to Bachmann's train line. Perhaps they were trying to compete with Tyco or something that way.

Some things just never change, and Bachmann is one of those things, in some ways!

There are those special eraser-like track cleaning pads, like the ones Life-Like and Model Power offer...


Usually I use a Woodland Scenics Tidy Track cleaner kit. It costs around $30 but works pretty well. It comes with only a few cleaning, maintenance and rescue pads, but they are reusable once you clean them (instructions are available.)

Here is a video I shot of some of the layout in action...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ws7mH6AiY4

When I was first starting out in model railroading, I typically used those starter power packs as well. But since my dad knew my train layout was expanding, for Christmas 2012 he got me a nice MRC Tech-4 280 power pack, and that made quite a difference.

It allows me to realistically simulate certain speeds, it has enough AC power for my switches and a few lights and Tyco "action" accessories. Nowadays I usually use the "starter" packs for powering other lighted accessories on my layout (I'm thinking of switching them from AC to DC power, but I'm nervous that doing so and having the throttles on a forward speed all the time would overheat the packs.)
It makes sense for when you're starting out to just begin with a starter power pack. Not just Bachmann, but Life-Like, Model Power, AHM and Tyco's as well. Though I know Athearn's train sets came with a rebranded MRC power pack of sorts, along with some of the Walthers TrainLine and Proto 1000 sets, and Atlas also has their "Right Track" power pack too.

I think Bachmann should make a similar type of high-end MRC Tech-style power pack for controlling DC trains in the same manner. After all, Tyco sort of did (though they were basically rebranded MRC power packs with the older gold metal surface.) And I do also remember the Spectrum sets having a decent power pack before they went DCC.

Quote from: jbrock27 on January 16, 2014, 10:55:24 PM
Thanks for the new pics!  It's nice to see you picked up 2 nice locos-the Trainline and the Proto 1000.
I would say the Trainline is very similar to Bachmann blue box diesel analog models but not competition with Athearn.  I would also put the Proto 1000s in competition with current B-mann offerings.

Yeah, in most cases I don't run any of those "pancake motor" locomotives on my layout, and if I do get one it's usually for collectible purposes, like my vintage Bachmann Union Pacific GP40. (Interesting how Bachmann's locomotives pretty much evolved from the cheap Tyco-like units to nicer mid-range -style units, even if many of them are based off those 1970s and 1980s locomotive prototypes!)

Been a while, but here's a few updates!


Life-Like coaling tower building kit. Once I get the materials and know-how I may weather some of these buildings.


Life-Like Proto 1000 Santa Fe F3A locomotive. It does have some nice details, even wipers on the locomotive windshield! (For those unfamiliar, Proto 1000 was the mid-range point between Life-Like's lower-end locomotives and cars, and their high-end Proto 2000 line, and was introduced in 1999.)


Bachmann Plasticville pedestrian bridge! I got this as a Christmas present. (I also got the classic Bachmann "Action Depot," but currently have no place to set it up on the layout...)


Walthers Trainline Santa Fe "Bluebonnet" GP9M diesel locomotive. It has a nice flywheel motor and all-wheel driver, and though it's Walther's lowest (non- Life-Like) product line it is meant more to compete with Athearn, Mantua, and Bachmann's Silver Series product lines. (It does use E-Z Mate couplers.)


Current layout overview.

This year my brother and I might move out of our parents' house and get our own place. Size permitting, I might make a whole new layout to go with it; it would have new (improved) landscaping and a new track plan, along with possibly being DCC, but I will also reuse the existing locomotives, rolling stock, buildings and action accessories, etc.

Quote from: jbrock27 on October 23, 2013, 10:42:52 PM
How about this for a suggestion/compromise: leave one horn hook (X2f) coupler on one end of the loco and change out the coupler at the other end to a knuckle type.  This way rolling stock with either type coupler, can be pulled by the loco.
If you change out the one coupler to a knuckle, you should use a Kadee Height gauge to make sure it is set for the correct  height. 

Yes, I would also recommend doing that. I do NOT advise switching from knuckle to horn-hook couplers. Either go with the conversion car option, or if you can, replace the rolling stock's horn-hooks with new knuckle couplers as well.

By the way, what is the track like? If it's brass, I don't recommend using it. Brass was good for its time, but oxides easier and requires more frequent maintenance. If you do have brass, I'd recommend replacing that with E-Z track (preferably nickel-silver.) I recommend anyone with an older train set (regardless if it's Bachmann, Tyco, AHM or whatever) that came with brass track, do not use the original track and instead get some nice new nickel silver track. Even older locomotives would perform better on it!

Quote from: jward on October 08, 2013, 09:24:21 PM
youwill find the magic mates will only stay coupled when they are under tension. if the slack runs in on your train they uncouple. if you are running double headed locomotive4s, and the leader hits a dead spot they uncouple. they were a nice concept that didn't work out under real life3 conditions. conversion cars are much more reliable.

Yeah, the pack only came with eight such couplers, and that might be all I am using. At least they fit well on those Mehano-made locomotives! Their horn-hook couplers were at an unusual height...

Here's some more updates!


Tyco auto carrier car. It does look neat, but not as realistic as Life-Like's. I'm also planning on getting Bachmann's tri-level auto carrier car from the 1980s, so I can combine the three to make a full auto-carrying train!


The school finally has a playground!


I outfitted a few of my locomotives and cars with IHC "Magic Mate" couplers. They were a bit cumbersome to work with at first, but after a while they turned out to be pretty good! They are designed so they can connect with knuckle and horn/hook couplers, and sometimes makes a handy alternative to "conversion cars."


I got this in yesterday; it's a vintage Bachmann 0-6-0 Santa Fe steam locomotive with slope tender! It was a bit damaged when it arrived, but I did some repairs, and now it runs pretty well.


Here's another vintage HO steam engine I haven't shown yet: Tyco's Chattanooga 0-8-0! The motor is in the tender car, so that makes performance a little off. But it is nicely detailed!


Atlas water tower. As long as I'm using some steam power, this is a nice addition to the layout.

Quote from: jward on September 28, 2013, 07:44:31 PM
doneldon,
I think pretty much everybody has gone to kadee compatable knuckle couplers. no more x2f devil hooks. model power even has talgo trucks with knuckle couplers.

Unfortunately Life-Like still uses the X2F couplers. Are they still stuck in the 1980s or something?!
Of course I've moved up on my layout even though I also started out with a train set. Now I have more higher-quality locomotives, a better power pack, etc.

I know Athearn's train sets come with good-quality locomotives AND the nickel-silver E-Z track! These ones seem more geared toward the novice looking for a more high-quality set (hence the nickel silver track.)
The Walthers Trainline sets also have high-quality locomotives. I have a couple of Trainline locomotives, like the kind their sets include, and they have pretty good can motors and flywheel drive, and they also use Bachmann E-Z Mate couplers. But the Trainline sets come with the steel E-Z track (since Walthers now owns Life-Like, maybe they should include the Power-Loc track instead?)

Now HERE'S a rather hefty-featured Bachmann train set from the early days of E-Z track:

In addition to the usual signs, poles and unpainted figures, it also includes the Plasticville suburban station, farm building set, barn and silo, school house, signal bridge, even the picket fence and park accessory set! And all this for a 56x38 layout. I imagine this was for beginners that wanted to also have buildings on their first layout right away, to add a bit more imagination to their train operations.

Some of you may already know that I am often interested in vintage HO-scale products (and yes, vintage Bachmann is one of them.) Since the 1970s, Bachmann was one of the top HO train companies.
BUT... during the 1970s and up to the mid-1980s, Bachmann's biggest rival was... Tyco Toys!


Originally an offshoot of Mantua, Tyco was popular during the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. Tyco and Bachmann were the two big HO train manufacturers of the 1970s (HO was the ONLY scale Tyco manufactured trains in), and they both offered a wide variety of sets, locomotives and rolling stock, buildings and action accessories. (But Tyco never offered scenic/landscaping accessories like Bachmann first did in 1979.)

Tyco even had sets based off the Chattanooga Choo-Choo (years before the Bachmann version), the A-Team, G.I. Joe, Transformers, M.A.S.K. and Rambo.
Unlike Bachmann, Tyco never really offered locomotives based on the most latest models in use during this time (like the F40PH or the GP40.) Their building kits were also typically made by Pola in Europe, then rebranded by Tyco. They even offered building kits based off Pizza Hut, 7-Eleven, Burger King and a 7-UP Plant in the 1980s (some of these were also offered by A.H.M. around this time.)
Tyco even offered some rather unique products, like a large track expander set that featured blocking control and diagrams for a large 4x8 layout:


...to their TycoScene layout board of the 1980s!

It was sort of similar to the Bachmann Power House train set layout board of the 1980s, but designed more realistically, and could be expanded to support a 4x6 layout with a passing siding, and even had strategic placement of accessories. This layout board was often included with some of their train sets, and at the time was an innovative way for playing with HO trains on the floor, before today's roadbed track.
Tyco also offered some rather cool action accessories that still look pretty good on a layout today:


Just as Bachmann had some of their own exclusive action accessories in the 1970s and 1980s, Tyco also had their own as well. Some of these could also be used with Bachmann E-Z track with some modification.
During this time, Tyco's other big product was slot cars. Although Bachmann did make slot cars for a while, I don't think they were as popular as Tyco's, and were discontinued in the early 1980s. It was HO trains where Bachmann and Tyco really competed with each other.

As the 1980s went on, Bachmann was growing and Tyco was shrinking, partly due to the general loss of interest in model railroading as a kids' toy, and partly because by the late 1980s and early 1990s, their products could be seen as a joke in the model railroad market, especially compared to the more high-end stuff of the time like Bachmann's then-new Spectrum line. Tyco never had such an equivalent (like Life-Like did with their Proto 2000 line.) Tyco last offered HO-scale trains in 1993, and then finally went out of business in 1998 (their slot and RC cars were acquired by Mattel in 1997.)
Of course, Bachmann lived on, and is still a major player in the HO train market today. Tyco didn't even survive long enough to come out with a roadbed track to compete with Bachmann's E-Z Track!

Just to make a note, I actually like both Bachmann and Tyco's output they offered during that time. In fact, if I were making an HO-scale layout in 1979, even if I started with a Tyco train set, I would probably also be using Bachmann Plasticville kits and some of their action accessories, rolling stock and locomotives in conjunction with Tyco's equivalents (very much like my current layout, where I use a combination of different manufacturers' products.)
Though today Tyco locomotives can vary wildly in terms of operation. I only have two: a small Tyco diesel switcher and an 0-8-0 Chattanooga steam locomotive and tender car. The switcher runs really well, but the Chattanooga sometimes struggles due to its "PowerTorque" pancake motor.

I am also a member of the Tyco Collectors' Forum, since I like both Bachmann and Tyco's stuff.

My first train set was, believe it or not, a LIFE-LIKE set! To be precise, it was the Toys R' Us Express, from when I was a kid in the 1990s, which I got as a Christmas present:

(Our local Toys R' Us used to sell a lot of HO train products, mostly Bachmann and Life-Like.)
Rather basic, but a nice little set, and for a kid my age, the Power-Loc track was pretty good for playing with it on the floor. During this time, I wasn't really interested in setting up a real model railroad yet, but I did get some extra track so it wouldn't just go in a circle every time.
But what REALLY made my layout take off was what I got for Christmas 2000:

Set it up on a 4x8 sheet of plywood, along with some additional accessories I got. A lot like those older high-end Tyco train sets of the 1970s.

Of course now I have moved up from most of the Power-Loc track and those low-end "retro" Life-Like locomotives.