Small Heisler?

Steam Freak · November 30, 2009, 04:05:35 PM

Due to Rivarossi no longer a company, does Bachmann have any plans for making an HO Heisler? I have one of the Rivarossi versions. All though they are really nice, they are slightly out of scale. They are much too large for a Two Truck Heisler.

For a while, Bachmann Spectrum made HO scale Climax. But from what I understood they stopped producing them due to the same mechanical problems the real ones had? I would buy an HO scale version if they still had them. But since they don't, I'm asking for a small Two Truck Heisler. Perhaps a little 36 toner?

Thank you,
Steam Freak.

ABC · November 30, 2009, 04:56:28 PM

Yes, the Bachmann Climaxes suffered the same fate as their real life counterparts. You still may find a Climax at a train show the problem en lies in the fact that they may not last very long, and then you'll have to trade it in to Bachmann for a Shay.
The Bachmann could better inform you on their future plans and if they involve a Heisler.

NWsteam · November 30, 2009, 07:09:36 PM

I would buy a nice little Heisler. But I would love a little 30 somthing ton 2 truck shay to go with it.

ebtnut · December 01, 2009, 09:27:00 AM

Those of us over on the On30 side have been agitating for a Heisler for quite a while. I suspect that eventually there will be a Heisler, and maybe Bachmann will do what they essentially did with the Climax - use the same basic drive train design for both the On30 and HO versions. But don't hold your breath.

Steam Freak · December 01, 2009, 05:03:35 PM

How many of these threads get read by Bachmann for new ideas? How does it work on here? Do they throw new ideas in a pile, or take them in to serious account?

jerryl · December 01, 2009, 06:32:08 PM

Let's get the Shay & Climax right first before they open up another can of worms...but on the other hand, they are keeping NWSL in business...

NWsteam · December 01, 2009, 09:17:41 PM

jerryl- I agree. I have been lucky as I have had my shay for about 4 years and have had no problems with it; though it has started to run rather loud.

Steam Freak · December 02, 2009, 07:44:07 AM

Quote from: jerryl on December 01, 2009, 06:32:08 PM
Let's get the Shay & Climax right first before they open up another can of worms...but on the other hand, they are keeping NWSL in business...

I'm not sure what you mean Jerryl. The Shays are right and run great. As for the Climax's, Bachmann doesn't have any plans for making any more HO Climax engines. I don't think it would be opening a can of worms to introduce a new engine to the geared locomotive family that Bachmann has made so far.

If Bachmann can make a G scale Heisler, why not in HO?

jerryl · December 02, 2009, 09:31:36 AM

If Bachmann got the Shay right, why the need for replacement gears made by someone else. I worked in a machine shop & it wouldn't pay to set machinery up for just a few parts. There was a significant demand for new gears.
I commend Bachmann for trying to produce affordable geared engines in HO scale. It just seems that because of the small size, plastic gears just won't hold up. Unless a new plastic formula is developed, the smaller gears should be metal. Maybe Bachmann & NWSL could get together on this & put the metal gears in at production. I would pay $25 more for metal gears in the first place. Jerry

jdmike · December 03, 2009, 10:01:57 AM

I agree, one would think after all these years of popped gears from not aging the Delrin properly before production, thus causing shrinkage around a metal shaft that doesnt shrink, they they would learn a few things. NWSL is coming up with a fix for the Climax in HO scale, so if you want one, buy it and when it quits, park it by the repair shop till NWSL releases the repair kit for it. Should be any time now. The Rivarossi Heisler is a very good model, but is a model of one of the largest 2 truck Heislers produced. The later runs have a better motor and finer details on them. Mike

jerryl · December 03, 2009, 10:31:49 AM

Mike, I do have one of the HO Climaxes & it runs like a good watch. I just limit the running time until I get the word that NWSL has the gears.
People have to realize that making a "G" scale geared engine & an HO one cannot be compared. Large Scale gears also fail ( just replaced some in my Lehman Porter) The contact area on the gear faces on "G" scale models is hundred times that of HO models. The same for the shrinkage problem. If a gear shrinks .002 in HO, it will probably split, probably wouldn't in "G" because of the larger diameter shaft & the larger amount of material around the shaft.
Still think plastic is not the way to go because of the temp. changes in the layout room & the small size. Jerry

Steam Freak · December 03, 2009, 09:31:38 PM

Quote from: jerryl on December 02, 2009, 09:31:36 AM
If Bachmann got the Shay right, why the need for replacement gears made by someone else. I worked in a machine shop & it wouldn't pay to set machinery up for just a few parts. There was a significant demand for new gears.
I commend Bachmann for trying to produce affordable geared engines in HO scale. It just seems that because of the small size, plastic gears just won't hold up. Unless a new plastic formula is developed, the smaller gears should be metal. Maybe Bachmann & NWSL could get together on this & put the metal gears in at production. I would pay $25 more for metal gears in the first place. Jerry

Thats pretty rare to happen to the Shay if it does. I haven't heard of that problem with the Shay. The Climax on the other hand was terrible from that I've heard.....which is why it isn't being produced anymore. Yet somehow they are able to make it in On3. Maybe the gears are big enough to be stronger or something.

You definitely have a point with making metal gears though. It definitely would improve things a lot. However, it may make the model a little bit more expensive.

Still want a Bachmann HO Heisler lol

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Small Heisler?

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