Bachmann class 101 DMU

[raetiamann]

I'm thinking of getting a 101 and have a couple of questions.

Are the units close coupled and if so will they handle 2nd radius curve, which I have leading into my fiddle yard?

Can anyone advise the difference between ESU select sound and Olivias (or others) ESU V5 sound?

 

Thanks

[Mark Forrest]

I have one on my workbench at the moment, looking at ways to reduce the gap between cars.

 

As standard is uses a plug in bar coupling which fits into sprung pivoting mounts on each chassis.  This also carries the feeds to the directional lighting in the trailer.  I can't answer your specific question about 2nd radius (tightest curve on my layout is around 4' radius), but based on the generous gap between the corridor connections when coupled and the fact it has sprung buffers, I'd be very surprised if it didn't.  It would be fairly easy to extend the coupling further if really needed, but I'd think that's unlikely.

[66738]

I think from memory (it’s been a while), I used a class 150 couple bar to close the gap up between vehicles. The 150 bar is slightly shorter than the 101 item.

66738

[stewartingram]

My 101 is a 3-car, using 2x Bachmann 101s , with a Lima centre car. Bit involved in swapping chassis/body around, to get Bach chassis on all 3. Both Driving cars have motor type chassis as per the real thing; the trailer centre car has a trailer chassis. One of the Driving cars has a guards compartment but not the other, and the Bach drive is in the one with the guards section.

All DCC wiring and lights have been removed, making it a simple bogie pickup to motor arrangement, but all bogies have pickups. PCB strip glued under the end of the chassis are hard-wired across to the next car. A simple brass wire hook on one car locates in a simple brass wire loop on the next.

Though not quite finished, so no pics, it works well. It is intended to run in multiple with a similarly wired & coupled 104, adapted from a Hornby 110 set.

 

Just to add that the 2nd 101 was picked up in a bargain sale at a very low price, and many of the parts left over have gone into other projects, including a 3D print of a 109 Wickham, so cost wise it ended up quite well priced.

 

Stewart

[60159]

12 hours ago, raetiamann said:

I'm thinking of getting a 101 and have a couple of questions.

Are the units close coupled and if so will they handle 2nd radius curve, which I have leading into my fiddle yard?

Can anyone advise the difference between ESU select sound and Olivias (or others) ESU V5 sound?

 

Thanks

 

In standard form, the Bachmann 101 handles 2nd radius curves no problem. The gap is "generous" so any closing of the gap would improve the overall appearance.

[raetiamann]

11 hours ago, Mark Forrest said:

I have one on my workbench at the moment, looking at ways to reduce the gap between cars.

 

As standard is uses a plug in bar coupling which fits into sprung pivoting mounts on each chassis.  This also carries the feeds to the directional lighting in the trailer.  I can't answer your specific question about 2nd radius (tightest curve on my layout is around 4' radius), but based on the generous gap between the corridor connections when coupled and the fact it has sprung buffers, I'd be very surprised if it didn't.  It would be fairly easy to extend the coupling further if really needed, but I'd think that's unlikely.

Thanks for the replies.

 

I'd be very interested in the outcome from your efforts to close the gap. I'm afraid it's one of my dislikes to see wide spaces between vehicles.

[RFS]

I don't have a Bachmann 101 but I have done some work on close-coupling my Bachmann EMUs.  In particular, I used class 101 couplings on my 4-CEPs and Kernow Thumpers. This picture shows the various coupling lengths, with the class 101 next to the bottom one, which is the shortest and is from the 2-EPB (aka class 416). You might find that a better option for your class 101.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by RFS
Restored the image

[meatloaf]

mine goes round 2nd radius no problem at all

[MikeParkin65]

I've got the 150 connector in mine and it  certainly manages 30 inch curves (my notional minimum). As for sound I've got the South West Digital 'DMU' chip and its fine to my ears and certainly gives very good control. I do admit though I'm not that fussy about having the 'right' engine sound in anything that doesnt have a very unique sound (Deltics, Whistlers etc). 

[Adrock]

I’ve recently just picked up a 101 and wondered if anyone knows how the wiring is set up? For example, are the pickups on the trailer wired to pass power to the motor through the electoral contacts on the drawbar? Or does the drawbar only carry the DCC decoder signals from the driving car ie to tell the trailer to switch on / off the lights?

 

I ask as the lights flicker quite badly in the trailer whilst moving (but are fine in the power car), which would suggest the pickups are feeding power only to the trailer. Or else surely the scenario would be either:

1) no flicker because the good contact from the driving car would provide the current or

 

2) both trailer and driver would flicker at the same time?

 

This impacts on both DC and DCC, so wonder whether a stay alive would help; or whether to wire the pickups directly into the trailer rather than relying on the wiping contact between the bogie and chassis?

 

Thoughts welcome!

[PieGuyRob]

On 25/03/2021 at 07:09, Adrock said:

I’ve recently just picked up a 101 and wondered if anyone knows how the wiring is set up? For example, are the pickups on the trailer wired to pass power to the motor through the electoral contacts on the drawbar? Or does the drawbar only carry the DCC decoder signals from the driving car ie to tell the trailer to switch on / off the lights?

 

I ask as the lights flicker quite badly in the trailer whilst moving (but are fine in the power car), which would suggest the pickups are feeding power only to the trailer. Or else surely the scenario would be either:

1) no flicker because the good contact from the driving car would provide the current or

 

2) both trailer and driver would flicker at the same time?

 

This impacts on both DC and DCC, so wonder whether a stay alive would help; or whether to wire the pickups directly into the trailer rather than relying on the wiping contact between the bogie and chassis?

 

Thoughts welcome!

I know that when you take the trailer car apart, and connect the chasis to the driving car with the supplied coupling bar. If you connect the red and black wire which goes to the base pcb in the trailer car, the lights and motor will run on the power car.

 

My question is, has anyone converted a Bachmann class 101 trailer to work with say a Bachmann class 108 power car? How would you adapt the pcb to make the lights work?

[GordonC]

On 05/03/2023 at 20:37, PieGuyRob said:

I know that when you take the trailer car apart, and connect the chasis to the driving car with the supplied coupling bar. If you connect the red and black wire which goes to the base pcb in the trailer car, the lights and motor will run on the power car.

 

My question is, has anyone converted a Bachmann class 101 trailer to work with say a Bachmann class 108 power car? How would you adapt the pcb to make the lights work?

 

It'd probably depend on what you're planning to do with the 101 + 108 bearing in mind the Bachmann Class 108s dont have lighting connections between them (DCC decoder socket in each driving car ... not sure about the midde car). So you'd probably need some kind of separate lighting control in the 101 or wire it through yourself

[PieGuyRob]

8 hours ago, GordonC said:

 

It'd probably depend on what you're planning to do with the 101 + 108 bearing in mind the Bachmann Class 108s dont have lighting connections between them (DCC decoder socket in each driving car ... not sure about the midde car). So you'd probably need some kind of separate lighting control in the 101 or wire it through yourself

I have a spare 101 trailer car that I would like to operate with a 108 power car. I would just like to know how to make the lights work on DC control......

[GordonC]

20 hours ago, PieGuyRob said:

I have a spare 101 trailer car that I would like to operate with a 108 power car. I would just like to know how to make the lights work on DC control......

 

You might not be able to without making some modifications.

 

Does the 101 trailer car have separate pickups on the wheels? I suspect it wont since it'll be expected to be powered through the coupling from the Class 101 power car. The earlier Class 108 was wired differently so the cars were separate.