Future Passenger Cars and Interior lights.

[jscola30]

I really like Bachmanns now discountinued steel commuter coaches and I've been buying some Amtrak equipment too. While I do like them, I feel Bachmann's design of how the coaches get the interior lighting is causing them to operate poorly. On these cars, I have removed the contacts so the cars will run smoothly, while I miss the lighting, I feel it's better this way. I was at a recent train show and I bought some Kato Superliner cars. No lights but very smooth operation. I feel in future passenger car designs, Bachmann should either drop interior lighting or find another way. While I feel tinkering with trains is a good skill to build, a part of me would also like to buy a car truly ready to run. What say ye?

[skipgear]

The Kato passenger cars can be lit. The contacts are already on the trucks. Lighting is not the problem. It is the way Bachmann get the power from the track to the lights. Although on the commuter cars, there isn't really a better way. The Kato cars use needle point pickup on their trucks, this can't be done on the commuter cars because they are inside bearing trucks. It would take a bronze bushing pickup, similar to the way the steam loco's pickup from the drivers to improve the Amtrak commuter cars.

[dtpowell]

Another method might be to use a battery system like Rapido trains. Battery life is only 6 Hrs I understand, but I don't run my trains in night time mode that much. I'm wondering if you could retro fit their lighting into a Bachmann Amtrak car successfully. I think they sell the light kits separately.

Best solution would be for Bachmann to update their cars like the HO heavyweights. I remember the first versions had very poor rolling qualities despite proper axle lubrication.