Bachmann 4-6-0

[MichaelWinicki]

Bachmann does have the potential to be a game changer in the market.

Great observation.

When you're offering DCC locos for 1/4 to a 1/3 less than your competitors... It'll be interesting to see how the Bachmann's business model affects the future decision making by other manufacturers.

[Mark5]

I do not mind being the single voice advocating the position that Bachmann punted on this tender.  I think we as a community sometimes do need to break away from the starving dog mentality and realize that with technology what it is, we have the same rights that HO scalers do to fidelity to prototype.  Otherwise we should be happy with our Aurora Postage Stamp train sets and brass track. ;D

I should point out that I passed on the Bachmann N&W USRA Heavy Mountain due to Bachmann offering it with the wrong tender. I probably would have sprung for it if it had the correct Medium USRA tender (N&W and C&O received these under USRA) but it was asking too much for me to have go find another tender on top of the price of the USRA heavy. They have the correct tender body in-house - its the one they used on the Light USRA mountain.

That said, If I was one of the peeps desperate for a 4-6-0 all these years, you can bet that I'd buy one of the 4-6-0s and get whatever closer tender I could for it.

[delamaize]

Ya know, a thought I just had, what is the likelyhood that B-man is still tooling a new tender? like they had issues with it, and deicded to announce the 4-6-0 with the wrong tender. It just seems really odd that they would take a shortcut a glaringly wrong as this it, when they did such an awesome job on their other recent locomotives.

[Chris333]

I'm more upset that I will have to smooth the whole boiler to add all that cast-on detail than what tender it comes with  

I would have loved to see a new Bachmann tender with archbar trucks. Really don't like their version of a Andrews truck.

[Brakie]

That's the first older steamer  that has caught my attention in many years..

Beautiful.

[Puddington]

Dave; There always seems to be there demarkation point between the arguments of being happy something has been offered, and being dissatisfied until a given product meets a particular modelers point of being "right".(Remembering that everyone's "point" is different, so who's is the bellweather ?) I'm not advocating for being giddy to the point of not caring about a products quality or fidelity; that would be counter productive. Rather; I'd just as soon be happy that a long missing product like the 4-6-0 has been finally brought to market and use the model as a starting point for two things; 1/ A bash of what I might want/need and 2/ A starting place for the manufacturer to continue offering new and better revisions. The original Atlas RS 3's were great for their day but are dated now, but 15 or more years later they still offer them but with scale speed motors, MT style couplers etc....

I just can't get my head around being negative (and I'm not saying you are) right out of the gate about a model; and that seems to be "our" way; we "bash it" before we get it and have a chance to "bash it" into something we want..... yep; the tender is a bit out in left field but if that's the price of a ten wheeler, I'm not going to sweat it.

[up1950s]

I'm more upset that I will have to smooth the whole boiler to add all that cast-on detail than what tender it comes with  

Not only is the detail cast-on , the boiler is cast metal like the MP's if my read of their announcement is correct . Chances are the walkways will be part of that boiler casting . Possibly the chassis boiler and walkways are a single cast metal piece , maybe not .

[Dave V]

Fair enough, Pud, you make a good point.  FWIW, Bachmann has upped their game overall, and they're the only company that is consistently doing new N scale steam versus the other companies doing it hit-and-run style.  I wish Bachmann luck, since I'm still hoping someday their Russian decapod gets made.  While it would be far too light to bash a Pennsy I1sa, I've always, always wanted to kitbash Strasburg #90.

I guess I did come out swinging, but overall I'm very happy Bachmann sees money to be made in N scale steam.  Now if they would just do a K4...

[Brakie]

Guys,I was wondering if any body makes a combine to go with that engine on a mixed freight oh,say in the 20/30s?

Its very tempting to change eras.

[Mark5]

Bachmann is the largest maker to scale trains in the world. Its really good to see them upping the quality of their N scale offerings (for the  first 3 or 4 decades they were mostly laughable in N scale).

This is good for the hobby.

They do cut corners in areas though, and there's nothing wrong with pointing this out (in a "civil" manner).

Mark

[victor miranda]

hmmmm

not on the street yet?

I'd certainly like the as built tender to come with that loco.
and I suspect that a DCC board can be made to fit in that old style
and smaller tender... even using old pick and place technology.

I think you can assume, with little chance of being too far off the mark,
that b-mann has decided they are done spending money on the project
and went with what they have in the tender depot.

That does make me sad,
and all that is left is to see what they did with the engine.
I think the motor they have been using the the 44 tonner
and other  recent steamers will be in it.

so that leave the rest of the engine to use to decide the purchase.
bearings, gearing, and flywheel among the factors.

If the engine is good, finding a proper tender will not be impossible.

victor

[Mr. G]

Asarge brought up the issue of price and I wonder if American modelers would be unwilling to go to European approach where they have many beautiful models of specific steam classes, but at a retail price that's often 3 to 4 times what we pay. 

[victor miranda]

Asarge brought up the issue of price and I wonder if American modelers would be unwilling to go to European approach where they have many beautiful models of specific steam classes, but at a retail price that's often 3 to 4 times what we pay. 

hi Mr. G,

I think the answer  is no to the question
is the NA steamer market willing to pay more...
in terms of what the NA market has recieved at the high end of plastic models.
the  CC 2-10-2 and the b-mann heavy mountain are examples of what I mean.

I think the answer is yes to the question
is the NA steamer market willing to pay more
(and do not skip the very big IF)
IF IF IF the loco is of good quality and not some variety of KIT.
the closest any steam loco has come to that standard is the Kato Mike.
It was the least work....

v

[asarge]

I think North American N scalers would be willing to pay more for a quality running locomotive but not signicantly more. A bump of 15-20% would probably be at the top end of it though.

The times they are a changin'.

[Iain]

I'm excited about this; and I don't mind the bigger tender because NS had non-standard tenders, anyway.