Limey -

     Steam locomotives were very rarely seperated from their tenders as that is their fuel supply. They didn't seperate them to turn them because they would have to turn and move and store the tender seperately. Much more labor involved. They kept their tender attached in the roundhouse because steam locomotives fires were kept lit and low so they would be ready for service. It takes quite a while to build a fire and bring the boiler up to temperature on a steam locomotive. Turntables had to be long enough to handle the longest locomotive and tender used at that location. Therefore turntables were rplaced with larger ones as lager power came into use. Hope this answers your question.

Thanks for the input everybody and points taken. I would really like to hear from Bachmann though. I know how much Bachmann gets trashed on many forums and I have always been a huge defender of their quality and value. I have been very pleased with the quality of their decoders and their performance. I said in my first post I have many Bachmann DCC On Board locomotives and for me at least they perform great. I hope Bachmann isn't caving in to opinions like those of the detractors on these forums because they wouldn't buy a Bachmann no matter what the quality, detail level or price. They don't like Bachmann and that's all there is to it. Also shaving ten dollars off the MSRP and then having to spend another fifteen or twenty dollars for a decoder seems a step backwards to me.

Bach-Man -

     I was pleased to see the new product announcements from the 2011 National Train Show. The HO scale S4 and FA/FB 1 look very nice. I am a little bit surprised to see that they are available DCC Ready or DCC Sound only. Your past offerings have been DCC On Board or DCC Sound. Why aren't these being offered DCC On Board that was always the big selling point for me with your locomotives, Good quality, good performance and DCC On Board for a good price. I have more than fifteen of your locomotives and I'm very pleased with them why are you changing your policies now?

Herzog is a railroad construction company based out of St. Louis, MO. Check out www.herzogcompanies.com

I love my 45 Tonner as well. I picked up one of the yellow ones at the Springfield show in 2009. They were $75.00 each. I also have a 44 Tonner and a 70 Tonner, both yellow. They all run great but the 75 Tonner is best runner of the group even though it only pulls a few cars, just like the prototype. I am definitely a Bachmann Spectrum lover.

I have never been to Steamtown in Pennsylvania but I have seen many photos and it looks execellent. I look forward to going someday. I did however go to it when it was in Bellows Falls, Vermont in the late 1960's as a kid. It wasn't as large or nicely displayed but I thought it was great. One of my oldest and best railroad memories is climbing into the cab of the Big Boy. It was huge and I've never forgotten that. Definiteley take your kid(s) especially if they like trains. They will never forget it.

     I don't know if New York state was affected but many branch lines in New England were abandoned due to heavy damage after the huricannes and floods of 1936 and 1938. They weren't worth repairing due to low traffic on these lines.

Yes it was COLD. I am a member of Amherst Railway Society and attendance was up this year. 21,485 for both days. Approximately 2700 more than last year. Nothing stops the diehards.

I'll be operating with ABEL in the BLC both days unless I'm off visiting or shopping.

They make small (about 4" dia.) no slip coasters. You can get them at a dollar store or WalMart. Cheap, easy, cut to fit if you want to.
Good Luck

I have one of the older AHM units. I have to agree the taller flanges can be noisier, mine has always run on Code 100. It will definitley run on 18" radius corners though. It ran very well on my old layout with 18" radius corners. Of course it will look much better running on larger radius corners.

There have been several HO GG1's over the years. AHM sold one made by Rivarossi(?) years ago. It was powered by only one truck. It looked good and ran well if just a little underpowered. IHC sold one made by Mehano. I think it is the same as the AHM version but I'm not sure. Broadway Limited makes one with 12 wheels powered and a metal body, very nice. Tyco made one they called a GG1 it wasn't even close, stay away from it. The Broadway limiteds sell for $300.00 to $400.00. You can probably find an AHM or IHC at a train show for $40.00 to $50.00. There may have been others too, I'm not sure.

Check to make sure that your wheels and track are clean also. Dirt can make a big difference in performance with DCC. I have four Sharks and they run like glass.

If you mean the HO scale one with DCC I got mine last January at the "Springfield" show. They are excellent. It only pulls a few cars but it's very smooth.

I've seen this happen many, many times over the years. Doesn't matter if it's an auction, flea market, yard sale or E Bay. Someone will pay more for a part than they could buy a complete unit and save or throw out what they don't use. Makes you wonder.