Just a thought, but wouldn't Bachmann have replacement pickup roller assemblies for sale?

It would be a heck of a lot easier to replace the pickup roller assembly than mess around trying to replace just the roller.

Curt

Fred:

I'm running an MTH 30-77126 ACL caboose with my ACL GP-30.  This caboose carries the safety orange paint and the "Thanks for using Coast Line" logo that would be appropriate for the era in which the GP-30's would have been new.

Unfortunately, I just checked the MTH product locator and there are none of these available at dealers right now.  You can still check a picture of it using the MTH item number and then, perhaps find one on the used market.

Curt

Pete:

I' ve noticed the same thing with my GP-30's.  I suspect that, unless you were operating with the old Lionel bricks that enabled you to run conventional engines at 18 volts with a TMCC controller, you will not get the power high enough in these engines to advance the prime mover sounds to a Run 8 level.

Regarding volume control, at our March club meeting, I was advised by a fellow who works in the train department for Hobbytown, that there is a potentiometer on the GP-30's that allows you to adjust the volume, same as on other WbB engines.  He said it wasn't real obvious and you had to look for it.  I haven't had an opportunity to look inside either of my GP-30's yet and can 't verify for you if this info is correct.

Curt

Wyatt:

Please ask him if he has any news from his distributor regarding my B&M and Erie F-3's.

Thanks,
Curt

Roger:

After about 5 minutes of running, I ordinarily will lower the sounds on the Lionel and MTH engines to a level that is less overwhelming.  The downside is this also lowers the volume of the horn sounds, which is what I really enjoy the most.

Curt

Thanks for the info 3rail!  I will be on the phone to him as soon as he opens today!

M1Fred, I'll post pictures as soon as I have the engines.

Curt

Since the name of this forum is "Ask the Bach-Man", I reckon this is the best place to pose the following question.

In the 2013 catalog in the Traditional section, there are two new F-3 paint schemes, B&M "Bluebird" and the traditional Erie RR yellow and black.  I really like the looks of these engines and have already spoken with my LHS about ordering both pair.  

My question for the Bach-Man; when are these new engines expected to be available in the U.S.?

Curt

I was running my New York Central GP30 last night when I had an epiphany of sorts concerning the sound in these engines.  My layout is only 15 X 16 feet so, when I'm operating Lionel or MTH engines with the sounds on, the engine sounds never go away.  You can always hear the engine from across the layout.

With the new WBB GP30's, I can only hear the engine sounds when the locomotive is approaching and passing the spot where I am standing or sitting.  The sounds diminish to the point they can't be heard as the train travels away from me.  If you think about it, this is actually much more prototypical than to be able to hear the engine from anywhere across your layout.

Curt

GP-30's in PRR and Reading would be prototypical.  Hopefully we'll see those within the next year.

Curt

I am the anonymous club member Wyatt mentions in his post above.   

I have both the ACL and NYC GP-30's and love them.  While George Brown was correct in his review that the volume on the prime mover sounds cannot be increased, the sounds are still audible while the engine and train are in motion.  On my MTH and Lionel engines, I normally tend to reduce the volume anyhow as it tends to grow old quickly.

Very nice detail on these engines and the paint and graphics are very sharp!  Kudos to Bachmann for a great new entry in the O gauge/O scale market!

I should mention too, since George raised the question in his review; the GP-30's will operate through my modified 0-27 switches.  Before ordering them, I measured one of my WBB GP-38's.  The GP-30's are actually about an inch shorter over the coupler faces.  I've never had an issue with the 38's, so I was confident (well, sort of...) that the 30's would easily handle the curved route through my switches and that proved to be the case when I placed them on my layout.

Curt