Bachmann Alco S-4 Latest

[arbomambo]

Trimmed the stack a bit, and took off the rounded corners with a sanding stick...
Decided to use Floquil Bright Silver, then drybrushed some 'exhaust'...it really looks the 'part' now.
Something else I noticed about the Bachmann Alco which works in my favor-the long hood side grabs and nose grabs are not molded in. Great for me as, now, I don't have to remove molded grabs to replace with freestanding ones.

[wm3798]

I'm one of those old timers who marvel at the variety of locomotive prototypes that are available from a variety of manufacturers.  The very fact that an S-4 is available at all is nothing short of a miracle to those of us who came up with Bachmann GP-40s and FP 7 - 1/2? and Model Power one-truck drive crapmasters, oh, and who can forget Conrail blue PA-1s from Con Cor?

Minute imperfection in a window?  Get down on your prayer mat, face Philadelphia, and praise Allah that you got a damn S-4 at all!  Don't like the rounded gizzy?  Get out a file and square the damn thing up, or cut some acetate and replace the window, you know, DO SOME MODELING.

True, it doesn't cost anything for them to do it right.

It obviously doesn't cost anything to bellyache about it either.  It does, however cost you a bit of time to learn a skill or two and fix it yourself.  You can't do that by swiping a credit card and writing complaints.

I'll be quiet now.  [/rant]

Lee

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Yeah, I really like this release along with the GP7 and their recent small steam. All of which run like perfection and look great. Yes the added window is a bit strange, but I have had to plate over dozen of windows in my B23-7, C30-7A and SW1500 fleets. Not a deal breaker for me.

Don't like something? Fix it!

[peteski]

I'm one of those old timers who marvel at the variety of locomotive prototypes that are available from a variety of manufacturers.  The very fact that an S-4 is available at all is nothing short of a miracle to those of us who came up with Bachmann GP-40s and FP 7 - 1/2? and Model Power one-truck drive crapmasters, oh, and who can forget Conrail blue PA-1s from Con Cor?

Minute imperfection in a window?  Get down on your prayer mat, face Philadelphia, and praise Allah that you got a damn S-4 at all!  Don't like the rounded gizzy?  Get out a file and square the damn thing up, or cut some acetate and replace the window, you know, DO SOME MODELING.

True, it doesn't cost anything for them to do it right.

It obviously doesn't cost anything to bellyache about it either.  It does, however cost you a bit of time to learn a skill or two and fix it yourself.  You can't do that by swiping a credit card and writing complaints.

I'll be quiet now.  [/rant]

Lee

LOL Lee, that was funny!  Those days you so "fondly" remember are long behind us.  So, how much you paid for that Bachmann FP 7-something back then?  Twenty bucks maybe?  How about that GP40 or U36B?  Again, twenty bucks a piece? The times, they're changing. . . 

In today's word, with all the CAD/CAM design and mold manufacturing, and with model loco prices in hundreds of dollars you're damn right we expect perfection!    The paradigm has shifted.    On a serious note, I think what we can all agree that N scale model trains have greatly matured since those days in the '70s you brought up.  We do have higher expectations, and I don't think it is too much to ask. Internet has also made easier for individuals to spread their griping and bitching to thousands of other modelers, and to do that at the speed of light. 

There are still plenty of modelers out there, but instead of correcting manufacturing mistakes to improving mechanisms, they can now spend that time on other much more rewarding modeling tasks (like duplicating roofing material using white glue). 

[Hamaker]

I agree with wm3798.  Thank God I'm not a rivet counter or I would have driven myself out of the hobby long ago.  If it's black...has a few zebra stripes....and has AT&SF on it....I'm a buyer.  I'll take it home and run it on my layout and be very happy.  Reminds me of my racing days.  I didn't change the car to suit my driving style....I adapted to how the car handled.  Had a ton of fun doing that.

[Cajonpassfan]

Bruce, I like it, I like what you did with the stack! That and getting rid of the boxing glove!
With a bit of work, we've never had it so good!
Otto K.

[rschaffter]

LOL Lee, that was funny!  Those days you so "fondly" remember are long behind us.  So, how much you paid for that Bachmann FP 7-something back then?  Twenty bucks maybe?  How about that GP40 or U36B?  Again, twenty bucks a piece? The times, they're changing. . . 

Taking inflation into account, $20 in 1975 is equivalent to $88 today.  Model Train Stuff has the S4 on sale for $79.99... 

[tehachapifan]

Place a Bachmann S4 right next to an Atlas S2 and do some close comparing. The similarities in proportions and detail quality are amazing. In fact, is someone was to paint both exactly the same, it would take me a bit to tell which was which without looking at the trucks or couplers.

....also, remind me what the extra window stuff is about. I'm convinced mine does not have an extra window (mine is SP).

Nice work on the ATSF unit, BTW!

[JMaurer1]

The extra window is the small window on the lower part of the door...it's there on the SP model, but not in real life.

[tehachapifan]

OK, I see what you're talking about now. It kind of gets lost in the tiger striping and is somewhat hard to see on mine with normal viewing. My guess is there was at least one unit that had this but it didn't make it on most models. I've seen photos of an SP SW1500 with an extra (low) window on the front door (sure, it was a rear door placed on the front, but an oddity nonetheless). Then there's the extra rear window behind the Engineer on the proto SP pic a number of replies ago. Guess it comes down to research and determining between what is an oddity, batch change, spec request or standard-issue.

[SP-Wolf]

My 2 pennies on this. Is this model perfect -? No. But, like what was previously stated. It is an S-4. And a darn nice one. (Once I replaced the stock decoder - it operates even better). I try to get as close to my prototype as possible. (I must admit - I missed the small window) Damn!! Oh well, it's an easy fix. Even at this stage.

What I did with mine:




Thanks,
Wolf

[peteski]

Taking inflation into account, $20 in 1975 is equivalent to $88 today.  Model Train Stuff has the S4 on sale for $79.99... 

Ok, fine. Too bad that the average income doesn't seem to have kept up with inflation. 

Still, it is not just the price. When technology advances, devices gain more features and yet they get cheaper.  If you compared a price and features of a large color TV from the mid-70 to a comparable flat-screen TV of today, the price adjusted for inflation might be in-line, but the contemporary TV has so many more features than the one from the '70s.  By the same token, we should expect today's N scale models to be much more advanced than the '70s ones (in accuracy, decoration, and features).

[arbomambo]

Ok, fine. Too bad that the average income doesn't seem to have kept up with inflation. 

Still, it is not just the price. When technology advances, devices gain more features and yet they get cheaper.  If you compared a price and features of a large color TV from the mid-70 to a comparable flat-screen TV of today, the price adjusted for inflation might be in-line, but the contemporary TV has so many more features than the one from the '70s.  By the same token, we should expect today's N scale models to be much more advanced than the '70s ones (in accuracy, decoration, and features).

as this one is...indeed...
head and shoulders above the ones from the 70's...AND with DCC!

[nickelplate759]

Ok, fine. Too bad that the average income doesn't seem to have kept up with inflation. 

Still, it is not just the price. When technology advances, devices gain more features and yet they get cheaper.  If you compared a price and features of a large color TV from the mid-70 to a comparable flat-screen TV of today, the price adjusted for inflation might be in-line, but the contemporary TV has so many more features than the one from the '70s.  By the same token, we should expect today's N scale models to be much more advanced than the '70s ones (in accuracy, decoration, and features).

But my 55" flat-screen LED/LCD TV weighs far, far less than my grandparents 36" console tube TV, and cost about 3 times as much in absolute (non-adjusted) dollars.   So, if you consider $/pound (or kg), it's WAY more expensive!!!   

[rschaffter]

Ok, fine. Too bad that the average income doesn't seem to have kept up with inflation. 

Still, it is not just the price. When technology advances, devices gain more features and yet they get cheaper.  If you compared a price and features of a large color TV from the mid-70 to a comparable flat-screen TV of today, the price adjusted for inflation might be in-line, but the contemporary TV has so many more features than the one from the '70s.  By the same token, we should expect today's N scale models to be much more advanced than the '70s ones (in accuracy, decoration, and features).

Actually, household income is up a few percent since then, taking inflation into account.  A big reason it doesn't seem like it's as much is the cost of Housing, which has about doubled since the 1970s.  Also, we spend a lot on things like cell phones, Cable TV and Internet, which were practically unknown back than.

Interesting you should bring up TVs, as I was just talking with a friend over dinner about this very subject.  Our family got out first colour TV in 1972, a 19" from Sears, and it cost $400, which in today's dollars is equivalent to $2270.  Yet I can buy a much better TV of comparable size for about $200.  Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be the case for machinery, such as automobiles or model locomotives, which, while improved, have had little change in their real price over the years....