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Bachmann J72


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1 hour ago, G567281 said:

Pete55,

 

Very nice.  Good you please provide brief details of the conversion.

 

regards

 

alan

 

 

It comes with 3mm axles, so I just opened out the bearings and gear to 1/8th", plus bushing the coupling rods, to use replacement Gibson wheels which are 1/8" axles. No issues with clearances anywhere.

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On 16/12/2019 at 21:01, Amand said:

...

So, in the model shop, a J72 removed from the box for inspection and to be run along the test track.............

 

Loco 1 - coupling rods rather bent!!!!!!  But oddly enough the loco ran perfectly in both directions.

 

Loco 2 - coupling rods upside down. Loco failed to move at all.

 

Loco 3 - wheels not quartered properly. Managed to run badly in one direction. Failed completely in the other.

 

All the locos had damage to the blackened axle centres, despite being new out of the boxes. No evidence of big dropped - just lacking quality checking. 

 

Good news is that out of 12 locos that I could see running, one (and only one) ran to my satisfaction. Yes, I know about running in, but given the variance in the locos sampled my choice was limited.

 

I'm not wanting to knock Bachmann, but just want to make potential buyers aware. If buying by mail order ask the retailer to inspect and run the loco before despatch - the mailing services are busy enough without having to deal with returns and replacements.

 

I bought my J72 in a model shop today. They had three models with my preferred "cycling lion" livery in stock. The first model made a grating sound running in reverse. The second stalled frequently and we could see at least one of the pickups was in mid-air. The third one ran well enough for me to buy it, hoping it will bed itself in and with a recommendation from the shop keeper to take off the keeper plate and pull out as much of the grease as I can.

 

Apparently, all of the models were shipped to the UK with incorrect wheels and have been rebuilt in Leicester with new wheelsets. So running problems might trace back to the UK rebuild not the factory in China.

 

I suggested, the shop keeper send the two defective models back to Bachmann, but apparently if he did this he might not get any replacements to sell! So I guess people are going to buy the two I declined.

 

Bachmann: I'm not wanting to knock you either, but getting your customers to do your quality control is a bit rich. The Continental manufacturers do not subject their customers to this sort of experience. You (and the other big UK players) need to decide whether you are building models to a standard or to a price. One or the other. The detail and accuracy in your models is wasted if they do not run.

 

For everyone else, I suggest you are cautious of buying one of these by mail order.

 

- Richard.

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Caution very much the order of the day. I rang a well-known northern shop where I had one on pre-order to ask if they tested things before posting them out; they said no, spot checks only. I made them aware of the issues people have mentioned on this thread and got no reaction, certainly no definite "right, we'll implement special checks in this case" so I cancelled mine. 

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4 minutes ago, Daddyman said:

Caution very much the order of the day. I rang a well-known northern shop where I had one on pre-order to ask if they tested things before posting them out; they said no, spot checks only. I made them aware of the issues people have mentioned on this thread and got no reaction, certainly no definite "right, we'll implement special checks in this case" so I cancelled mine. 

A well known Northern shop.

 

Well depending where you are that could be Cheltenham Model Railway Centre or Trains4U.

 

If it was a certain Sheffield emporium then the comment would have also included the fact it was also at full RRP, maybe you are referring to the other Sheffield shop.

 

One things for sure, it ain't Hattons :D

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Well today, I went to Monk Bar Models, York, and intending to purchase the lined LNER black version, they tested it for me, and it ran smoothly and quietly in both directions without any of the known problems at all. Just like the early BR black example I purchased last Wednesday. So all well there. I wasn’t aware, though, that Bachmann themselves, had been changing the wheels on all of the J72’s from incorrect ones to the correct ones. It would explain all of the issues that have been reported. Hopefully the second batch, hoping there is one, will come from China with the correct wheels.

 

Regards,

 

 Rob.

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I wonder whether this arose because it was pointed out in some reviews that the wheels had the wrong number of spokes and ISTR Bachmann responded that the sale versions would have correct wheels?  Re. the example above with the rods on upside down, it could be just the case (if the final drive gear is in the centre of the axle) that the wheel sets have been put in upside down?  If so it could presumably* be corrected by taking the keeper plate off and turning the wheels the other way up.  Not saying that a purchaser should have to do that ....

 

* "Presumably" as I haven't got one myself.

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1 hour ago, 31A said:

I wonder whether this arose because it was pointed out in some reviews that the wheels had the wrong number of spokes and ISTR Bachmann responded that the sale versions would have correct wheels?  Re. the example above with the rods on upside down, it could be just the case (if the final drive gear is in the centre of the axle) that the wheel sets have been put in upside down?  If so it could presumably* be corrected by taking the keeper plate off and turning the wheels the other way up.  Not saying that a purchaser should have to do that ....

 

* "Presumably" as I haven't got one myself.

The example that had the coupling rods upside down - this applied to one side of the loco only. Flipping the wheels over fixes the problem on one side but introduces it to the other! That assumes that the drive gear is located in the centre of the axle. Santa aka The Mrs has wrapped up mine and there’s no way I can open it to check and then re-wrap without her noticing.

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10 hours ago, Amand said:

The example that had the coupling rods upside down - this applied to one side of the loco only. Flipping the wheels over fixes the problem on one side but introduces it to the other! That assumes that the drive gear is located in the centre of the axle. Santa aka The Mrs has wrapped up mine and there’s no way I can open it to check and then re-wrap without her noticing.

 

Oh well, so much for that idea then!  What a pity, it looks like a lovely model.

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22 hours ago, 47137 said:

 

I bought my J72 in a model shop today. They had three models with my preferred "cycling lion" livery in stock. The first model made a grating sound running in reverse. The second stalled frequently and we could see at least one of the pickups was in mid-air. The third one ran well enough for me to buy it, hoping it will bed itself in and with a recommendation from the shop keeper to take off the keeper plate and pull out as much of the grease as I can.

 

Apparently, all of the models were shipped to the UK with incorrect wheels and have been rebuilt in Leicester with new wheelsets. So running problems might trace back to the UK rebuild not the factory in China.

 

I suggested, the shop keeper send the two defective models back to Bachmann, but apparently if he did this he might not get any replacements to sell! So I guess people are going to buy the two I declined.

 

Bachmann: I'm not wanting to knock you either, but getting your customers to do your quality control is a bit rich. The Continental manufacturers do not subject their customers to this sort of experience. You (and the other big UK players) need to decide whether you are building models to a standard or to a price. One or the other. The detail and accuracy in your models is wasted if they do not run.

 

For everyone else, I suggest you are cautious of buying one of these by mail order.

 

- Richard.

 

My J72 has turned out to be a fine runner. It has been 'running in' on a friend's layout for a couple of hours, pulling four coaches and driven by a non-feedback Gaugemaster controller. This specimen is a good model.

 

- Richard.

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My Late Crest variety arrived at lunch time.  Excellent - smooth and quiet.  Now remind me - which one cost £35.00?

 

Some pictures - but there seems to be a spare lamp iron in the box .  Has something dropped off?  Answers on a Post Card.

 

49243700268_26f38cf75b_5k.jpg

Bachmann J72 - now which one cost only £35.00

 

49244385572_49356df690_5k.jpg

Bachmann J72 - not a lot of difference?

 

49244386302_2e4ba6e4bc_5k.jpg

Bachmann J72 - lamp irons seem all present and correct

 

49244385907_45e3977a8e_5k.jpg

Spare Bunker Lamp Iron? Bachmann J72

 

Cheers Ray

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My LNER version arrived this afternoon.  Very pretty, but....the chimney was lying in the bottom of the box whist the dome was hanging off.  It runs, but jerkily and noisily.  Inverting it the dome fell off and there is a lot of vertical movement on one side of the middle axle.  I spoke to the supplier who was as helpful as always and it will shortly be on its way back.

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Sorry for your woes but this is actually very good news for me as the only reason I'm buying the model is to make resin castings of key components such as smokebox door, chimney, dome and backhead for other projects (Y7, J79, J71), so it's good that some of those parts come off easily. 

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Got hold of one from Monk Bar today. Some very nice features. It's a model to savour, as one keeps noticing things - the steam tapping from the firebox top to the cab front, for example (though I don't think 2313 had this!). The steps-up from boiler to smokebox, often fudged on models, are very crisp and sharp. 

 

However, the rods are truly hideous, especially in red, and look like they've come straight from the 1970s model. The smokebox-front handrail knobs are also too long and would be better replaced with short ones. 

 

Apart from the rods, a lesser niggle is the blower ejector pipe (not really a niggle at all, as it will be fun to remodel): most J72s had this pipe suspended off the boiler and straight for most of its length, whereas Bachmann's hugs the boiler and then kinks out for the smokebox. Only Joem seems to have its blower ejector pipe similar - but not the same - as this. The diameter of the pipe also looks a bit small. 

 

For those wishing to re-chassis, it looks like the lower part of the boiler is still part of the chassis, which is a slight issue, but nothing insurmountable. 

 

Edited by Daddyman
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2 hours ago, Daddyman said:

 

Apart from the rods, a lesser niggle is the blower pipe (not really a niggle at all, as it will be fun to remodel): most J72s had this pipe suspended off the boiler and straight for most of its length, whereas Bachmann's hugs the boiler and then kinks out for the smokebox. Only Joem seems to have its blower pipe similar - but not the same - as this. The diameter of the pipe also looks a bit small. 

 

Why would anyone want to put a kink in the blower pipe? On every J72 photo that I have looked at it is straight. This pipe carried a rod from the cab to the cab to the  valve.  Any kink(s) would make the hand-wheel in the cab difficult, if not impossible, to turn.

 

All the bits that you are suggesting copying are all available from existing suppliers why not buy them.

 

ArthurK

 

 

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Looking at @Silver Sidelines's head-to-head photos there seems to be a marked disagreement around the splashers; it looks to me that the old Mainline model has the better of the argument.

 

EDIT. Disparagement of the splasher profile (but not width) on the new Bachmann model withdrawn in the light of later comments by @Worsdell forever and others. It seems the old Mainline ones are on the weedy side, height-wise. But the Mainline model was a game-changer when it came out in the late 70s. I was immediately dissatisfied with by Triang-Hornby engines.

Edited by Compound2632
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9 hours ago, ArthurK said:

Why would anyone want to put a kink in the blower pipe? On every J72 photo that I have looked at it is straight. This pipe carried a rod from the cab to the cab to the  valve.  Any kink(s) would make the hand-wheel in the cab difficult, if not impossible, to turn.

 

All the bits that you are suggesting copying are all available from existing suppliers why not buy them.

 

ArthurK

 

 

Sorry - slip of the fingertips: vacuum ejector pipe. 

 

Why copy parts? Because Bachmann's are symmetrical, crisp, even and well proportioned and their domes have flanges - unlike the products of some of those existing suppliers. 

 

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20 hours ago, Daddyman said:

For those wishing to re-chassis, it looks like the lower part of the boiler is still part of the chassis, which is a slight issue, but nothing insurmountable. 

 

 

We can relax here - the body assembly includes all of the boiler. I just had mine apart to put the decoder in.

 

- Richard.

Edited by 47137
Unfortunately untrue. Sorry.
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I picked up my E1 yesterday and have just had a chance to give it a run.  Very noisy out of the box which is unusual for Bachmann locos, particularly in reverse.  A quick oil round of the gear train though and now runs smoothly.

 

Does anyone know if the coal load comes out though ? - it looks like a diecast mound of coal but seems reluctant to move.

IMG_5183.JPG

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7 hours ago, 47137 said:

 

We can relax here - the body assembly includes all of the boiler. I just had mine apart to put the decoder in.

 

- Richard.

Eh? 

 

Boiler bottom. Attached to chassis, as suspected: 

20191222_155919_resized.jpg

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