Bachmann 2-8-4 Berkshire/Kanawha in stock at M.B. Klein

[jdcolombo]

Hi Max.

Thanks for the tips - hadn't thought about tungsten disks above the pilot truck.  May try that.

All 10 of my LL Berks are in service (well, a couple sit in the roundhouse most of the time, but 717, 732 (renumbered), 738, 740, 748 (renumbered), 750 (another renumber) and 765 are in regular service.  All of them have been converted to DCC - I didn't disassemble the engine; instead, I loosened the frame screws and slipped a piece of heavyweight paper between the frame and lower motor brush pickup to insulate it.  Motor control is provided by a Lenz Silver Mini located in the cab.  Never had a problem with that in the 10 years I've been running the Berks.   And all of them have been converted to sound.   

Like I said, I like them.  My only point was that in comparing the LL to the Bachmann, both required a lot of work to get up to snuff.  Overall, after all the work on both, I will admit that I prefer the LL units to the Bachmann ones.

And here's video of one of my LL Berks pulling a train around my (still incomplete) NKP layout (skip to the 4:00 minute mark if you want to see some scenery and avoid most of the plywood plains):

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And here's a photo of them - what I call a "publicity photo" given that they are facing head out from the Bellevue Roundhouse (there are 4 Kato Mikes and a couple of Bachmann 2-8-0's in here, too):



John C.

[jdcolombo]

Max,

What size of tungsten disks did you use, and where did you get them?

John C.

[victor miranda]

I have to wonder about a product review thread that has

tune up and repair tips for a competing product....

victor

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Sorry, small aside, but @jdcolombo , I think I've said it before, but I really dig your layout!

[jdcolombo]

I have to wonder about a product review thread that has

tune up and repair tips for a competing product....

victor

Come on Victor - what's a little thread drift among friends . . . 

And thanks, Ed - I've got more of the scenery done since I took that video.   Will have to update it one of these days.

John C.

[mmagliaro]

I have to wonder about a product review thread that has

tune up and repair tips for a competing product....

victor

Ha ha ha!  I was thinking the same thing.  And actually, I have some more ideas, so I am going to just open a new thread and get out of here.   But in answer to your question,
The reason, I think, is that people were hoping the Bachmann would be the answer to the Lifelike engine's problems.   And it may still be, but maybe not.  So now I am wondering (and I don't think I'm the only one) which one is the better option, if you are going to have to go into "Mr. Fixit" mode either way.

On the other notes,

For tungsten, I get these:

http://www.maximum-velocity.com/tungstendisks.htm

They also sell cubes and snap-off plates that are sometimes handy.

But they don't have cubes as small as 1/8"   For those, I go to:
http://pinewood-derby-cars.net/speed-supplies.htm


John:
The roundhouse and Berks look great!    Great idea on the decoder isolation!  Being able to just
separate the frames and slip something down in there... I was wondering if that would work.
By the way, even without conversion, that bottom brush cap is dangerously close to the frames,
and mine actually shorted there so I put some tape over it anyway.

[reinhardtjh]

There's another wrinkle in this LL vs Bachmann Berk decision.  So far everyone is fixating on the NKP, understandable given JD's target road, but if you want a C&O Kanawha then the LL has another problem - the boiler, or rather the domes on the boiler.  Mainly it's that you have to switch the sand and steam domes around, but the front of the smokebox needs some changes as well.

[SkipGear]

There's another wrinkle in this LL vs Bachmann Berk decision.  So far everyone is fixating on the NKP, understandable given JD's target road, but if you want a C&O Kanawha then the LL has another problem - the boiler, or rather the domes on the boiler.  Mainly it's that you have to switch the sand and steam domes around, but the front of the smokebox needs some changes as well.

For C&O modelers, this is important. Bachmann is the first to do the C&O specific version of the loco. All the previous versions that have been produced were based on the NKP version (which C&O had a few of also). If it's anything like the C&O version of the Heavy Mountain, they will be gone quickly.

BTW - Somebody mentioned that it wasn't Spectrum and that they should have realized not to get it. I believe Bachmann is slowly dropping the "Spectrum" naming system as they retool their "train set" loco's up to better standards. There will not be a distinction between the lines anymore. The same is happening in HO.

[mmagliaro]

There's another wrinkle in this LL vs Bachmann Berk decision.  So far everyone is fixating on the NKP, understandable given JD's target road, but if you want a C&O Kanawha then the LL has another problem - the boiler, or rather the domes on the boiler.  Mainly it's that you have to switch the sand and steam domes around, but the front of the smokebox needs some changes as well.

Oh yeah, absolutely.  To get the other Berk variations, Bachmann wins that one hands down.  I wonder if after a year or so, the shells will become available.

[Mike C]

Added ashpan to take care of that empty look....

[Cajonpassfan]

Added ashpan to take care of that empty look....

I don't have a dog (or an iron horse) in this race, but I do own an old MRC berk from about 1971 (which didn't run well, but had great looking running gear and appropriately sized drivers, for its time).

 Is it me, or do the Bachmann drivers look too small and too far apart to represent 69" fast freight drivers? I understand the need to undersize the drivers to keep the fixed wheelbase in proportion, just wondering what the actual Bachmann driver size is, and its fixed wheel base.

(ATSF had 2-8-4's, 4100 class by Baldwin, and also a handful of B&M hand me downs, with 63" drivers, so I'm wondering about kitbash possibilities....)
Thanks, Otto K.

[SkipGear]

I don't have a dog (or an iron horse) in this race, but I do own an old MRC berk from about 1971 (which didn't run well, but had great looking running gear and appropriately sized drivers, for its time).

 Is it me, or do the Bachmann drivers look too small and too far apart to represent 69" fast freight drivers? I understand the need to undersize the drivers to keep the fixed wheelbase in proportion, just wondering what the actual Bachmann driver size is, and its fixed wheel base.

(ATSF had 2-8-4's, 4100 class by Baldwin, and also a handful of B&M hand me downs, with 63" drivers, so I'm wondering about kitbash possibilities....)
Thanks, Otto K.

Kind of wondered that myself but chalked it up to the white walls being too wide making it an illusion.  The drivers measure at the tread.... .416" which scales to a 66.5" driver. At the flange they measure .463 which equals 74" in full scale.

[Chris333]

Also the Bachmann model has see-thru areas under the boiler that make it look more dinky and light on it's feet. The LL model is solid frame above the drivers. I have no idea how much "light" shows on the prototype.

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks for the info, Tony!
Otto

[Mike C]

  There is an awful lot of light under the boiler , but it doesn't bother me nearly as much as the empty space above the trailing truck .  Not to sure how the space under the boiler could be disguised .

OK prototype has some piping there that isn't on the model. Looks like a super detailers job...


The extra space could be a combination of drivers being a bit small and the boiler being just a hair high.

But all in all I'm happy to have this Loco .