OK.  Time for my review.  I am a big fan of today's operating mainline steam, so I just bought Pere Marquette #1225.  Overall, it is a good runner with a smooth mechanism.  As far as pulling power goes, it was able to pull an auxiliary tender and 22 IHC passenger cars.  The ruling grade on my layout is 1%.  I do use teflon lube in the journal boxes of all my cars, so they roll very well.  One of my pet peeves with model steam locos is when the eccentric crank is not positioned correctly, and Bachmann is guilty of this on the 2-8-4 loco.  In the rods down postion, the eccentric  crank should be 45 degrees toward the FRONT of the engine.  On the fireman's side it is facing 45 degrees toward the REAR.  Hopefully, I will be able to disassemble the engine, and fix it. But overall, I must say it's a pretty good engine for the money.

Have the Pere Marquette engines arrived yet?