mixing brands?

[dragonbusa]

Will Tyco cars couple up with my Bachmann cars and locos? yea I'm just getting started lots to learn LOL Thanks in advance.

[rogertra]

Will Tyco cars couple up with my Bachmann cars and locos? yea I'm just getting started lots to learn LOL Thanks in advance.

I f they come with horn hook couplers right out of the box, yes.  As I don't buy either brand I do not know what they come with.   But what you should do is equip all your locos and rolling stock with Kadee couplers.  They look better and will all work together, better than the toy like horn hook coupler that those cars probably come with.

Cheers

Roger T.

[dragonbusa]

Thanks I have been reading on some other places and Tyco seems to have a bit of a bad rap. I love the Tyco slot cars, I have over thirty in my collection. Looks like sticking with the Bachmann trains stuff for now is going to be the easiest way to get rolling.

[Len]

If you modify them with body mount knuckle couplers and decent trucks, Tyco cars aren't any worse than the old Athearn 'blue box' kit cars.

Some folks use 'nested' styrene tubing to bring the truck holes down to a size where a 2-56 screw will fit. I have one of those Micro-Mark mini-drill presses. So I just fill the holes with 5 minute epoxy, then drill a #50 hole and tap for a 2-56 screw.

Len

[RAM]

Drag.  All make of ho cars will run together IF they have the same type of couplers. All Tyco car and older Bachmann cars had the old style couplers, and they were all truck mounted.  They will run much, much better if you body mount K-dee couplers.  I have cut of the mounting arm on the trucks and installed mental wheels. Also put 5 to 10 pennies at each end of the cars.  Since you said you were new.  Do one thing.  Take you time and do it right. 

[Terry Toenges]

If they are horn hook and you can't change all of them right away, you can make a transition car with the horn hook coupler on one end (to hook up to your horn hook cars) and put a knuckle coupler (like Kadee) on the other end (to hook up to the knuckle coupler Bachmann cars).