Bachmann's Best Ever Models

[atom3624]

3 votes for me:

1. Class 57 - Northern Belle - Solway Princess.
2. 9F - Evening Star.
3. A2 - Blue Peter.

All 3 of mine are absolutely superb - details / appearance and running properties - from a smooth crawl up to a quite respectable 'top end'.

 

Al.

[sandwich station]

14 minutes ago, robmcg said:

I post here because after many pages of Bachmann topics I still haven't found a thread about Bachmann 9F models, a list of them or experience of 9Fs... prices, qualities and so on.  Maybe I don't know how best to search on this forum? 

 

I love the several 9Fs I own, and would like to comment on them...  and read of others experiences.

 

Cheers

 

Why not start a thread Rob and post pictures of the 9Fs you have.  

[atom3624]

A certain critic on YT is often lamenting the lack of bearings in Bachmann steam locomotive chassis - can't disagree, but in all honesty unless running for hours and hours on end, I've not observed appreciable difference.

Same person criticises the lack of tender pick-ups. Conversely I generally find Bachmann pick-ups more reliable, and rarely find a need to have tender pick-ups.

I do agree with the generally poorer quality motors - start well when new, but many older models (post split chassis) generally appear a little weak, lacking torque and speed cf. their Hornby peers.

 

In total contradiction are the 2 steamies I mentioned 2 posts ago - 9F Evening Star and A2 Blue Peter.

Both are absolutely superb and powerful runners which require no excuses or explanations in their design and application.

 

Al.

[adb968008]

I don't really think ive ever had problems with pickups on a Bachmann loco. Ever since the 1990’s. Bearings are nice engineering, but I dont think many locos truly reach the levels of usage that require replacement... i suspect the motor would go before it, but I don't see many cases of that either. In 30 years, I think only nylon axles and mazak have really come to fore as issues, both of which were addressed.

Edited November 12, 2020 by adb968008

[Iskra]

22 hours ago, robmcg said:

I post here because after many pages of Bachmann topics I still haven't found a thread about Bachmann 9F models, a list of them or experience of 9Fs... prices, qualities and so on.  Maybe I don't know how best to search on this forum? 

 

I love the several 9Fs I own, and would like to comment on them...  and read of others experiences.

 

Cheers

 

Have you tried looking at Youtube reviews reviews. I do that for most models I buy (or don't buy...).

[Iskra]

In terms of my Bachmann models;

 

1) Class 37 DCC Sound. The best model I have ever had, a great performer and looks fantastic.

2) Class 20 DCC Sound from the Whiskies Galores set. Another beautiful model and a great performer. 

3) Class 47 DCC Sound. An excellent model and runs very well. The only thing I don't like about this one is the plastic windscreen wipers don't look great.

 

I have a DCC Sound 57 and 66 on the way so maybe they will enter my top three.

[robmcg]

On 12/11/2020 at 11:25, sandwich station said:

 

Why not start a thread Rob and post pictures of the 9Fs you have.  

 

I'm very tempted!

 

The few threads about 9Fs already published in this august website are mostly about minor differences in Evening Star production runs and so on.   Nothing very general or entertaining as pleasurable idle information.

 

Nice s/h versions seem to go for UKP100-150 on Ebay and some for sale seen a bit abused.

 

I don't think I've had a single bad un but I did break the front fony truck on 92233 hamfistedly pulling the coupling out of its pocket. I did a poor repair and a year or so later sold it having forgotten my repair (glue and bridge style) and was embarrassed and ashamed when none other than hilux from this forum bought it... and it broke. He is a complete gentleman and forgave me.

 

I'll put together a new thread sometime soon. I think they are very fine models. 

 

I made a list somewhere, with ‘p’ suffix meaning pristine, ‘w’ meaning weathered: 92000w, 92008p (from a 92006), 92044w, 92077p, 92116p, 92116w, 92124w, 92164w, 92177w, 92185w, 92198w, 92211p, 92220p, 92229w, 92249p...  and a 92077w soon to arrive.

 

Who me?  A collector?  A box opener?  NEVER!   

 

edited photo

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by robmcg

[MikeParkin65]

On 12/11/2020 at 09:48, adb968008 said:

I don't really think ive ever had problems with pickups on a Bachmann loco. Ever since the 1990’s. Bearings are nice engineering, but I dont think many locos truly reach the levels of usage that require replacement... i suspect the motor would go before it, but I don't see many cases of that either. In 30 years, I think only nylon axles and mazak have really come to fore as issues, both of which were addressed.

There is a thread on here I am nearly certain where there is reference to 9F chassis wearing. Once appreciably worn the rear drivers can touch the firebox casting and or the wire sanding wires and cause a short.

 

I didnt used to run my loco's for extended periods but being locked down and working from the attic aka the railway room I now have a couple of loco's running around gently for background noise and I must admit I do consider engineering integrity when choosing what to run as I doubt my employer is going to consider a worn out loco as a reasonable work expense!!

[robmcg]

5 hours ago, MikeParkin65 said:

There is a thread on here I am nearly certain where there is reference to 9F chassis wearing. Once appreciably worn the rear drivers can touch the firebox casting and or the wire sanding wires and cause a short.

 

 

There was a thread some years ago about Bachmann Evening Star models 32-850 and 32-850A around the time the second run 32-850A , where there was discussion about quality, running plate warp, and I think it ventured into longevity of the chassis and 'Letter between B ad D' from memory cited driver tread coatings going down after very high mileages, but I may have my wires crossed, and it was another thread or Google search result entirely.

 

In any event I shall start a Bachmann 9F appreciation thread soon.

[gwrrob]

As someone who recently purchased their ROD class they certainly scrub up well with some added detail and weathering [@toboldlygo] A good old black workhorse for my freight turns.

 

 

 

[The Johnster]

Well over half of my locos are Bachmann; 2x 57xx, 2x 8750, 45xx, 2x 4575, and 3x 56xx.  All have similar mechanisms and are powerful enough for the limited needs of my small BLT (the 4575s struggle a little with an auto set consisting of 2 K's whitemetal A31 auto trailers, but these things are abnormally heavy).  All run well at low speed, and start/stop smoothly with DC control.  One of the 8750s makes a bit of noise but the rest run very quietly.  PIckup performance is noticeably better and requires less fettling and foolting than Hornbys' (I have no other makes of loco at present), and the wheels seem to stay clearner as well.

 

A weak point IMHO is the soldered joint between the pickup strips and the feed wires to the DCC chip, and I have had some trouble with these on a 56xx.  As a result I have resoldered the joints on all of my Bachmann locos.  It is interesting that they all have individual characteristics, and perform slightly differently in response to the control knob settings.  They seem freer running than Hornby, though this is hard to be objective about. 

 

My favourite, for no reason other than it seems to be the best of a good bunch of runners, is a 57xx, renumbered as 5756.  This loco seems to be capable of being controlled by thought, so responsive is it.  But I love all my locos, and have no issues at all with my Bachmanns.  Hornby have provided me with a 42xx, which sort of plods just like a 42xx but doesn't like my 3rd radius curves, a 2721 which does it's best but seems to attract dirt and is really not up to the mark of modern performance (it is AFAIK the latest chassis for this old stager), colliery W4 Peckett which is a very good runner (but I'm told the pickups are very delicate on this loco and am dreading having to clean it), and a 5101 which only turned up this week and hasn't fully run in yet, but seems to be up to Bachmann standards of slow running already.  It is happy with my 3rd radius curve, the inner radius of a curved turnout at the fy throat.

 

Philou of this parish gave me a Wills 1854 that I'm going to build a Southeastern chassis kit for when I get a round tuit, and this may well be the answer to the 2721's issues.  But I reckon the Bachmann 56xx is as good a model as anyone has a reasonable right to ask of a volume produced RTR model, and is still quite (IMHO) reasonably priced for what it is.  The 2 locos may well share a chassis for a while.

 

I've a 'spare' 5101 which is the previous Hornby body tooling and an Airfix chassis, which runs adequately well but the new Hornby runs rings around it in every respect.  It is noisy, and previous Airfix chassis for this loco, a bit of a Trigger's broom, have shown me that it has a limited life span as the plastic slide bars witll evenutally give out. 

[tomparryharry]

I also think the Bachmann 56xx is just about 'right' in my  humble opinion.  It's got a good weight, and pretty good controllability for a DC luddite like me. If I had one observation, it would be having slightly lower gear ratio to slightly improve haulage.  That said, a High Level chassis will sort that out.

 

I don't rate the 57xx pannier as high.  Sure, it is indeed a good model, and runs equally as well as a 56xx.   Sadly for Bachmann, they have very firmly failed to add a topfeed option to the model, and as such, the very early period of the model is missed out to a large degree. The same thoughts also apply for the 64xx pannier. 

 

By far and away, the best model is the humble Toad brakevan. It's loaded with detail, such as moulded-on handrails, and open windows so you can look inside.....