Age of a Bachmann?

[MasterChief68]

Hello,
        I was wondering how or if there was a way to tell when a Bachmann train was made by the box that it is in, like TYCO has the Blue box (1950s), Red box (1960s) and Brown box (1970s).  Especially the trains that came in sets that were individually boxed inside the main set box.  These boxes don't seem to have any numbers or date on them.  How do you look at the engine or cars and tell how old they are?
I was trying to find any post on this but I couldn't.
  If this topic was already covered could someone link it to me please.

[jonathan]

Shipmate,

The short answer is, yes, you can get a general idea of years certain equipment was made by the color of the box.

For instance, most standard line locomotives are now in a blue box.  Several years ago, standard locomotives came in a white box.  Spectrum equipment went from a black box (foam packing) to a red box (formed plastic packing).

Another way to tell is by the trucks and/or couplers.  X2f (hornhook) couplers are certainly prior to say 1995 (I think). 

Let us know what kind of rolling stock you are curious about.  Others have more specific knowledge about dates.

A really neat way to tell is IF the catalog flyer is still in the original box.  That indicates which year the catalog was produced, hence, the date of your equipment.

Regards,

Jonathan (USN ret)

[MasterChief68]

Well I have a Union Pacific DD40X with roadnumber 6922 (HO) and I think it might be out of one of the Centennial train sets from the early 80s.  Because the engine and the box that it's in looks like the same as Bachmann 1983 Catalog ad image. The ad I speak of can be found here,
http://www.ho-scaletrains.net/bachmannhoscalelocomotives/id54.html
White box out lined in yellow, the Bachmann name is in all caps top left corner and next to that it says HO in yellow inside a little red square. Engine has a light gray roof and a black railing around it's deck.  The box does not have a black sticker on it telling me what it is. 
Reason I wanted to know is I thought about  putting together the original set if it is in fact out of the Centennial  train set.  I don't think this is one of Bachmann's top line trains but I figured it was a good train for a beginner like me to start with.  Not to mention it was never used an I got it for almost nothing.