So how was your weekend – wet and wild? No gardening here so in between the showers I had time to revisit my Bachmann V2s.

60862 Bachmann Catalogue No. 31-565.

‘60862’ is one of Bachmann’s latest offerings which comes DCC ready and has a ‘fixed’ Cartazzi rear axle. Straight out of the box the engine feels very light weight and at 310 gm it is not as heavy as the models that it replaces. As I have said here on this Blog before – I like playing with my trains and at 310 gm the resulting tractive effort was not acceptable.

The lack of weight is a direct result of the cavity provided by Bachmann for storing a decoder. Using some of my supply of second hand lead flashing it was relatively straightforward to fashion three mini slabs of lead, nominally 20 x 35 x 2 mm. The sides of the Bachmann pocket are not square so a little extra filing was needed to get the pieces of lead to wedge into place.

The DCC pocket is not the only recess which is readily available and the picture above shows other locations where mini slabs of lead can be wedged into place. The rear of the firebox needs slightly more thought. Firstly the lead needs to be cut short so that the chassis and Cartazzi mechanism is not obstructed. Secondly this piece of lead needs to be fixed in place. I use double sided tape.

Back to the kitchen scales and the engine now weighs a respectable 370 gm

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60865 Bachmann Catalogue No. 31-563 (Split axle chassis)

What about my older models with the split chassis? Previously the body of these engines had been packed with lead shot held in place by ‘draughting/masking tape’. Not really an engineering solution but this had brought the weight up to around 340gm. However the biggest single improvement that can be made to these earlier models is to remove the pony truck and trailing axle springs. Removing the trailing axle spring (false Cartazzi) is straightforward requiring only one screw to be undone. Removal of the spring for the front pony truck is trickier. The early Bachmann V2s were very thoughtfully engineered with pickups on all wheels. Unfortunately the wire leads from the pickups for the front pony truck wheels pass through the spring. The leads can be released by removing the tiny screws on the underside of the pony truck, or the leads can be un-soldered at their other end where they join the chassis. Time goes by and I forget what I did, I suspect I have used both methods.

The view above shows locations where it is straightforward to wedge pieces of lead. Again the mini slab on the back of the firebox needs holding in place (double sided tape) and the infill to the banjo dome needs fixing – I used draughting/masking tape. With lead positioned as shown above the engine weight has been brought up to just over 360 gm. – satisfactory for my needs.

60964 Bachmann Catalogue No. 31-552 Original Split Chassis model

I have to include a picture of 60964 (Durham Light Infantry) which has been given the same lead weight treatment and which still runs very well. This was my very first Bachmann engine, bought new from MG Models (Sheffield) in March 1996 for what was then the immense sum of £62.95. At the time I was hugely impressed by how smoothly and quietly the V2 seemed to run – compared to the Mainline offerings of the period. (It also came with the correct size wheels for the Cartazzi axle.)

What about performance? As in BR days gone by I want my V2s to be able to deputise for ex LNER Pacifics. With lead ballast added as described above all my V2s can haul seven coach trains up my 1 in 56 grades. Yes – there is space to add more lead in the smoke box and perhaps around the firebox but I don’t need to. Did I do anything with the pony truck spring on ‘60862’ (the latest model)? No it was already very slack - so leave well alone!

I am pleased with all my Bachmann V2s and in terms of running I would say there is very little to choose between the older and the new models. Perhaps the running of the newest model is a touch smoother and quieter. What do you do if you are using Digital Control and want to increase the tractive effort – well I guess you put the Chip in the tender!