Bachmann K4 2 wheel delta trailing trucks

[up1950s]

  The good news is Bachmann has them in the parts listing . Prior to this IIRC the MiniTrix K4 was the sole source .

  The bad news you are limited to one per order . Not worth it as a only item ordered with the S&H costing more .

  Bachmann had to know these would be bash fodder , so why didn't they order thousands of pounds of them ?

[peteski]

  Bachmann had to know these would be bash fodder , so why didn't they order thousands of pounds of them ?

Probably for the same reason other companies which offer spare parts do not have many available: The Chinese factories simply refuse to produce large quantities of certain individual parts.  One of the manufacturers did mention that fact on TRW (it might have been Mike from Rapido).

[mmagliaro]

Just fill up your order with other whatnot so the shipping doesn't kill you.  That's what I try to do.

They do the same thing with the tender trucks.  You can only order 2 (or sometimes 4) at a time.
And yet, they keep running out and then remaking them, so as long as they keep up a steady trickle of
those parts, I won't complain.

[Chris333]

You'd think they'd find a way. I mean if a truck cost them $3 and they sell it to us for $10, they should do it. We pay because we need it.

[up1950s]

Just fill up your order with other whatnot so the shipping doesn't kill you.  That's what I try to do.

They do the same thing with the tender trucks.  You can only order 2 (or sometimes 4) at a time.
And yet, they keep running out and then remaking them, so as long as they keep up a steady trickle of
those parts, I won't complain.

That's what I did , 40 bucks of other steam parts so the shipping was more palatable . 7 bucks for the Delta and 9 ish for shipping was too acidic to swallow .

[Ed Kapuscinski]

You'd think they'd find a way. I mean if a truck cost them $3 and they sell it to us for $10, they should do it. We pay because we need it.

Yeah, but how many are they going to sell, in reality?

100?

Is it worth the hassle of dealing with the factory, paying the people to stock it, fulfill, etc... for $700?

I understand why they don't do it, so I think we need to be appreciative when they do.

[strummer]

.... so I think we need to be appreciative when they do.

+1

Mark in Oregon

[up1950s]

Yeah, but how many are they going to sell, in reality?

100?

Is it worth the hassle of dealing with the factory, paying the people to stock it, fulfill, etc... for $700?

I understand why they don't do it, so I think we need to be appreciative when they do.

  but https://colcansing.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/you-suck-homer-simpson.gif  playfully I said .

[Ed Kapuscinski]

but https://colcansing.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/you-suck-homer-simpson.gif  playfully I said .

lol, I know, I'm such a wet blanket...lol

[mmagliaro]

Ed has it exactly right.
It's the reason Kato doesn't make a habit of restocking spare parts, either.

We always rant, "But if they made more xxx, they could sell a boatload of them!"
(like the Kato traction tire drivers that were out of production for a long time).

Yes, but as Ed points out, what's a "boatload" ?  How much money do they really make selling those? 
If they sold 1000 of them, what's that, 10,000 bucks?   So what. 
Meanwhile, they are churning out lots of RTR Japanese prototype steam locos
in Japan for $200, $300, $400 each.

It's unfortunate, but Kato and Bachmann are not in the "help-people-like-Max-make-more-scratchbuilt-engines"
business.

I am puzzled by the fact that there are K4 parts so soon when there are no Berkshire parts.
My cynical side says that they are withholding Berkshire parts on purpose, because too many people
will slap those Bachmann Berk shells and tenders onto Lifelike engines and make vastly superior Berkshires.
But that's probably nonsense.

[chicken45]

It's unfortunate, but Kato and Bachmann are not in the "help-people-like-Max-make-more-scratchbuilt-engines"
business.

Yeah, but they should be! We've got a medium to advance, here!

[rschaffter]

The $20 boiler shells are a good deal...

[mmagliaro]

The $20 boiler shells are a good deal...

No quibble at all.  In fact, most of Bachmann's parts are a good deal for the money.
Their tender chassis and bodies, even the Vanderbilts, are available and those are pretty hard things
to scratchbuild, not to mention the tender trucks and a lot of the drivers and valve gear.
It's possible to use their parts to make a much better engine than they make themselves (I just felt a
*smack* on the back of my head for knocking Bachmann....  )

[ncbqguy]

Unless you're doing a PRR loco don't get excited about the K4 Trailing Truck.   It is a PRR proprietary design, not a Delta trailing truck.  I think MP was the only one to do a common form of Delta Truck since the old Amold Rapido USRA Heavy Pacific.
And yes , while not as well executed, same is true for the Minitrix K4...also PRR only.
Charlie Vlk

[up1950s]

Unless you're doing a PRR loco don't get excited about the K4 Trailing Truck.   It is a PRR proprietary design, not a Delta trailing truck.  I think MP was the only one to do a common form of Delta Truck since the old Amold Rapido USRA Heavy Pacific.
And yes , while not as well executed, same is true for the Minitrix K4...also PRR only.
Charlie Vlk

I didn't know that , but it is as close as we can get . Also I just found out that there were at least 2 different designs of a Delta . Good enough for me .


Larger shot https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X5EQEnWgGf0/VhXl4r2FhMI/AAAAAAAAQmU/7xb8AKzRo0A/s1300-Ic42/aaa.JPG