Bachmann 2-10-0, any good?

Mine runs smoothly and negotiates my 18" curves and #4 turnouts without a problem. It's Tsunami sound decoder really brings it to life.

 

Ahhh! The sounds of soft chuffing steam at idle, that sweet music of steam whistles and the industrial chorus of clanking side rods in harmony with the exhaust notes. Come to the dark side.

 

You can write everything I know about steam locomotives on the head of a thimble. The Bachmann 2-10-0 I have is DCC w sound, It seems to be OK IMHO, just dont expect too much out of it for pulling a string of cars on any sort of grade, it is a bit anemic in that regard but is a smooth runner, did OK at low speeds for me in DC it has never ran in DCC. Did one up the QA&P 1613 a while back converted it to an oil burner, My Grandfather fired it, as I have the transcripts of an investigation he was in for setting fire to a chunk of West Texas after he "Sanded the Flues", been boxed up for a couple years now, I should get rid of it. I cant even keep up with one era LOL, never mind the 3-4 I seem to be dabbling in.
Have a SL-SF 2-8-0 by Bachmann did the same treatment too, Keith Robinson put in the DCC and sound, they ran very well together in DC. It too has been in a box for a while now too.
I know, I can trade them in for an Athearn SD70ACE !!

 

Tom, I will echo Jim's thoughts; I have a minimum 24" radius in my staging "hole" south of Olathe and it negotiates it just fine. Same goes for my #4 turnouts. I think the only time it's derailed is due to the slipshod work of my track gang. While mine isn't sound equipped, I'm very happy with how it performs.

From an accuracy standpoint, it looks spot on for #1632. If you wanted to model a different road number, it might take a minor bit of surgery, i.e. adding an oil bunker or moving the air compressor to the front of the smokebox.

Best Regards,

 

I bought a Frisco "Russian" in Cheyenne, WY for a decent price, and am quite impressed with it. Looks good, runs good. No DCC or sound, but I can see where installation can be done in the tender. Quite out of my era, but it IS a Frisco model, and fun to operate.

 

Folks:
Adding to this one to seek a little help, insight and to start the process of convening the Frisco Modeler's Kangaroo Court.

I recently decided to give my Bachmann Spectrum 2-10-0 a run up and down the southbound track in my 1:87 version of Olathe, KS.

I've always been very satisfied with this model and the fact that it runs very nicely at low speeds. When I gave the power pack some juice, I noticed that I could hear the motor humming, but nothing doin' when it should have been moving out at a slow, prototypical speed.

I shut off the power, looked to make sure it wasn't sitting on the ground, and then I cracked open the throttle again. Same thing, but I gave more juice, and more juice. Finally, it lurched forward and went from 0-80 scale MPH. That's when I noticed a little tendril of smoke leaking from the smokebox area, which isn't good unless one has a locomotive with smoke effects.

A quick search has indicated that this doesn't seem to be an uncommon problem with the Spectrum line. I'm thinking that, best case, I need to send her to the backshop and see if there's any sort of bind that's causing the problem. Worst-case, I may be looking at replacing a motor and possibly more.

The dumbnicity comes to the forefront by simply sending more volts; I knew that this unit starts off slowly and I knew that something wasn't right, but yet I pressed onward. So, I through myself in front of a jury of my peers for the verbal flogging that should precede any advice or tips.

Best Regards,

 

Doug, if you bought the sound unit years ago, then it most likely is not an ECO-100; they debuted August 2015, but a Soundtraxx ECO-100 decoder coupled with one of my Sweet Sound speakers would be a good choice for any of the Spectrum steamers.

 

That is absolutely awesome. Nuff said.

 

I've nearly completely disassembled my Spectrum 2-10-0, thinking that it might be a an issue with the belt that appears to connect the motor to the worm gear. The last time I tested the motor, it seemed to work fine, but the work gear wouldn't turn. With a bit more voltage, it took off but now without a wisp o' smoke and a burning rubber smell - not unlike when I've wreaked havoc on the sweeper part of a vacuum.

I'm down to the motor and if I can get to where I can remove/replace the belt, I might order a replacement from Bachmann. The $64 question will be whether I can reassemble everything, or if I'm looking at an expensive pile of parts for other steam locomotives. Time will tell.

Best Regards,

 

OK, I have had little luck getting to the belt so that I can remove it. Any suggestions?

I'm reminded of a graph composed by the late John Armstrong in the inaugural "Model Railroad Planning" some 20 years ago that charted large steam locomotives, small radii and the corresponding strong language used by the locomotive's owner. My variation looks at the types of model repairs that have a tendency to cause frustration.

Best Regards,

 

I've had one of those apart, but it's been nearly six years ago, so I can't remember the details, but I do remember that the frame from inside the locomotive will split down the middle after removing a bunch of screws. Fair warning, putting it back together will require patience.

 

Keith, thanks for the insight and for the advice. I fear I may go off of the aforementioned chart. Meanwhile, I have a poorly detailed, badly-numbered IHC Frisco Consolidation that has never given me any problems, and I can use until I can improve its Frisco appearance.

Best Regards,