An r/c battery K-27 has finally arrived!!

[Steve Stockham]

  Yes!! After years of waiting, a D&RGW #463 is now ready to run on the Kansas Central & Colorado R.R. fufilling a long standing dream of mine! I was within a week of ordering an Accucraft brass #463 for almost $3000 when the news broke that Bachmann was planning on producing one. Knowing the detail that Bachmann puts into it's Spectrum engines, I decided it would be worth the wait. Well, the K finally arrived and I have to say that it definitely was worth it!!
  What is different about this K than some others that have been reviewed here and on the LS forums? Mostly that I pre-ordered it from Caboose Hobbies (something that I never have done until now!) and had them immediately send it to Northwest Remote Control Systems where Dave Goodson gave it a full "going over." He "fixed" the counterweight problem, performed a number of "customer modifications" (all are described on Large Scale Central) and installed an RCS r/c battery power system.
  How to describe my first impression of this locomotive.......blown away!! This engine has it all!! The "difficulties" that have inevitably cropped up with a new model have not been a factor with this one as Dave had taken care of them first so my experience was essentially a "pure" one.
  The engine starts with almost no power and the action is as smooth or better than the Connie (which is saying a lot!) The Sierra system sounds fantastic! I asked Dave about this and he said he used a big speaker! My personal preferance is for the K-36 #488 sound board so that is what he installed.
  I have no problem with those that want DCC in their locomotives. I even understand that some feel that the new electronic innards are the wave of the future in Large Scale but for me, the beauty is in the simplicity and ease of operation. My K was jostled rather roughly and a connection was broken in the chuff. Dave walked me through diagnosing the problem and then fixing it. Fortunately (because of the KISS principle) it was an easy fix which I had no problem doing myself. The silver lining to this is that I found out that Bachmann designed the K-27 to be easily accessible! Thanks!
  Bottom line: This is far and away the sweetest locomotive that Bachmann has ever produced! I really don't see how they can keep improving upon their products as the level of detail is so fantastic that the bar has been set at Olympic heights! What Dave has done for me is to remove all the unnecessary new-age DCC electronic stuff and go with the tried and true "old tech." I, for one, couldn't be happier!

[F.B.]

Dave: I also have the # 463 and purchased it at Caboose Hobbies. Does Northwest Remote Control Systems have a web page. I looked but could not find info. I am interested in sending my K to them.
I live near Antonito and took pictures of the #463 2 weeks ago. if you would like I could e-mail you some pictures.
Thanks.

F.B.

[Steve Stockham]

Here is the link to NWRCS's website: http://dnkgoods.home.mindspring.com/
(As to the pics of #463, please do! my email is: sstockham1@cox.net )

Addendum: Dave is the one person I trust to find and correct all the little "problems" that inevitably creep up in a new model. It's kind of a bonus! You get a professional installation of an excellent r/c system (your choice for sound) and the knowledge that, not only was it installed correctly, you can rest assured that the locomotive will work reliably when you get it back!
  Just so everyone knows, the Bachmann K is the sweetest locomotive that I have ever seen!! They are working diligently to correct the little "problems" that have surfaced. With the notable exception of the counterweight issue (which has already been addressed) the rest fall under "modifications" rather than "fixes." The locomotive is worth it!! 

[Steve Stockham]

F.B.
  Thanks for the pics of #463! It will sure be nice when she's back up and running! I understand that she's next in line after they finish #489!