Original Six NHL HO train set - heavy caboose?

[jbrock27]

Just as Jerry suspected!  Good work getting the shell off Mike and with the pics.  I am glad you got back to us.  It is always helpful when the OP shows us what happened after all the advice.  This is a nice, heavy Bachmann Plus chassis.  How does it roll?  Pretty freely?

Yes indeed, the East is going to feel strange with the WINGS there.  Good for them, they won't have to contend with the HAWKS.  That was a good rivalry too.  Too bad.  The BRUINS are the cream of the crop in the East.  My ISLES have a loooooong way to go to be anything special.  I guess we'll see.
Take it easy!

   

[jbrock27]

PS- Mike, as a point of information, technically, the "normal" place for the B unit to be, would be right behind the locomotive.  But run it where ever you like to.  Maybe you will look for a genuine Original Six caboose to put at the end instead

[Jerrys HO]

jb

Come on now, did you really doubt me? YES you did. ( I took a wild guess from the way he was describing it and with the help of and yes, the man who is 99.9% never wrong in my book.... Jeff Ward.
All the thanks must go to Jeff as he took the time to look it up. But if you ever noticed that Hawthorne Village diesels are all F units.
Speaking of the caboose, while I was checking out there site I came across Americas Greatest Cabooses ( or is it cabeese  ) check out the detailing of the inside.

http://www.bradfordexchange.com/products/917611_caboose-train-car-collection.html

http://www.bradfordexchange.com/products/917611_caboose-train-car-collection.html

Mike..
When using your photobucket account click on the IMG tab and it will show copied, then on your post just paste it and the pic will show.

Jerry

[Doneldon]

ct-

Don't bother looking for a caboose for your train. It wouldn't have had one except under the most extraordinary circumstances like a desperate need to get a caboose somewhere ASAP and no other way to do it. Frankly, I doubt if it would ever happen.

As Sherlock Holmes and Ellery Queen figured out, your odd car isn't a car at all but a second locomotive unit. It would be placed right behind the A-unit, the one which clearly has a cab for the engineer in front. I wouldn't let it run at the tail end of your train because it is so heavy that it might clothesline your train at some point, i.e., provide so much resistance to being pulled that the lighter cars between the engine and your dummy B-unit may come off of the tracks. The fact that it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't in the future as dust and crud get in the journals and increase resistance. That would likely lead to significant damage to your passenger cars since they'll be falling from near ceiling height.

It's become very difficult to find dummy locos anymore. I think the manufacturers realize that everyone who runs trains with more than one loco will buy powered units (for more money) if that's the only alternative they have. I suspect you have a dummy with your set because Bachmann was able to bid a slightly lower cost for the set to win the contract from the Bradford Exchange or whoever was selling it.

IMHO, those sets (and the plates, dogs, jewelry, cars, National Parks plaques, commemorative coins and stamps, Barbie dolls, music boxes and what all else they sell) are a serious waste of money. They are hugely priced and only a very few of the earliest items (like 40 years ago and longer) have any actual collector value. To me, they are a rip-off, pure and simple. Just look at those cabooses. They are charging $60 plus exhorbatant shipping and handling for a Bachmann caboose which you can find for $20-30 if you pay full price, which few people do. Yes, they have a nice interior but that can be done for just a few dollars.

None of this is to say that you shouldn't enjoy your train. By all means do so. But I strongly advise you to buy future trains from train sources, not companies which are out to separate you from as much of your money as possible as quickly as possible.

People are aware that Bing and Grondahl and Royal Copenhagan make expensive annual plates which people collect. (And even their collector items are losing value now, along with pieces from superior companies like Royal Doulton, Hummel, Waterford, Beleek, Wedgewood, Lladro and others.)  But those are quality products with a 100-year-plus history and a large collector base already established. None of that is true for these Johny-come-lately outfits like Bradford and its numerous "associate" companies, or the Franklin Mint, Thomas Kinkeade Galleries, Hawthorne, Danbury, Ashton-Tate and several more. You can still find excellent products by top manufacturers, like Boehm or Steiff or Haviland Limoges, but don't plan to sell them for a profit. At least those items are true art; the Bradford, et. al., stuff is crap (at best) to begin with.

                                                                                                                         -- D

[WoundedBear]

IMHO, those sets (and the plates, dogs, jewelry, cars, National Parks plaques, commemorative coins and stamps, Barbie dolls, music boxes and what all else they sell) are a serious waste of money. They are hugely priced and only a very few of the earliest items (like 40 years ago and longer) have any actual collector value. To me, they are a rip-off, pure and simple. Just look at those cabooses. They are charging $60 plus exhorbatant shipping and handling for a Bachmann caboose which you can find for $20-30 if you pay full price, which few people do. Yes, they have a nice interior but that can be done for just a few dollars.


                                                                                                                         -- D

Wow Don......seems like the more I read of your posts, the more things we agree on. You make an excellent point about these "mint" operations. What a joke. I can't even find the caboose collection you guys are talking about. When I hit the link, I get automatically redirected to bradfordexchange.CA not .COM   The cabeese collection isn't available on the .CA site but a whole lot of other ridiculous junk is.

Sid

[jward]

sid  aren't missing much. I know for a fact the prr caboose isn't remotely  like anything they ever ran, the b&o and new York central cars have inaccurate paint schemes. this casts doubt on the rest of them as well. put another way, at 60 a car, you can have an accurate pennsy cabin car of your choice of several different classes from bowser for less than half that.

it kind of reminds me of to old days when ahm or tyco would slap anybody's herald on a locomotive or caboose without caring if it was remotely accurate. but at brass prices.

there are certain words that automatically make me hold onto my wallet: heirloom, gourmet, premium, etc.

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

If ctunited likes his train that's all that counts. He likes it period. Way to shoot rivets at the new guy! I encourage every train sale made anywhere. Even to hockey fans! The advice on pricing good, but collectable value is strongly determined by society alone, as far as we know, big money will roll on these someday. Junk? Some, but Ive seen some very nice models (autos) come out of some of these studios too. That catalog kept me as busy as a kid with an old Sears Wish-Book. Saw some Bachmann variations I hadn't seen before in various scales as well as some items that would look fine on a simple layout.  And even contemplated a Christmas layout for this year. No joke! If I were to suggest a place to spend my money, it would be the independent hobby store nearest you. If you don't spend that extra $ there, often actually cheaper, they might not be there when you need them. But if you cant get it there? Catalog companies to the rescue!!

Hate a team, not a train.
   Hope you're enjoying your train CT.  
           !!GO WINGS!!

[Jerrys HO]

GG1

I could not agree with you more. There are some posters here that make newbies and some of us long time train enthusiast feel it has to be done a certain way or if we are able to get our "SET TRACK" working better than their way we are criticized.
Their are some that bash Bachmann products and get away with it.
Here to have fun no matter what I use or do.

Jerry

[Doneldon]

Maybe I should be clearer about my intent.

I in no way wish to interfere with anyone's modeling choices; I wouldn't put up with that if it were directed at me, either. But I am seriously annoyed by the few companies who will do anything to make/steal a buck, and I will call that out when I see it. The so-called collectibles galleries are tremendous offenders in this regard so I attempt to inform others about their game and discourage purchases there. It's fine with me if someone chooses to purchase items from those companies as long as I am comfortable that I have helped them make informed decisions. I'm not responsible for their decisions nor is it my job to attempt to force my view on others. But I do consider myself responsible for getting full disclosure out there.

I also wish to be clear that I was not, and did not, bash Bachmann. I probably have more Bachmann merchandise than any other brand so I'm obviously a supporter of the company. I simply commented that Bachmann apparently made a business decision to provide dummy B-units to keep the cost down and increase the likelihood that Bachmann would get the contract to make the models. That was a good business decision as far as I'm concerned because they did get the contract. Frankly, I'd like to see more dummy locomotives sold because I think it would let us modelers spend our limited hobby dollars more efficiently. Buy a powered engine when you need one and buy a dummy when you don't. Not having the choice results in some hobby dollars being wasted.

                                                                                                                       -- D

[electrical whiz kid]

Maybe the pot-belly stove is weighing it down...
Rich C.

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

Maybe the pot-belly stove is weighing it down...
Rich C.

.. Thanks for the grin.

CT hope you've figured out the passion some have for their trains is equal to the passion of some sports fans.

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

Assuming CT wishes to expand his shelf system, and would like more pulling power, can this chassis be motorized, like the O gauge dummies, or would it need a chassis swap?

CT- It is a dummy if that wasn't clear. If the wheels don't spin free, and trucks have the gears in them already, make sure nothing is caught in or around the gears too. 

[jbrock27]

"Limited Edition" and "Commemorative" (as in all those coins advertised on the tube (TV)) are 2 other descriptors to run away from

Doc, plenty of Athearn dummy locos listed on Estupid.  And I will add, that some of the nitwits that list there, will neglect to list unpowered units as such. 
Personally, I am not a fan of having the added  weight of B unit or A unit for that matter that is unpowered, especially one that is a former powered unit with the motor removed.   I don't see the sense of having the weight without the power and do not look for B (or A) units like that.  Again, just me.  Should I be so sensitive as to state a disclaimer that this is not me dictating what others should do? 
One Bachmann Plus B powered unit I own runs great!  And helps with the added pulling power.  I am really happy with that purchase.   

[Doneldon]

jb-

I think the dummy B-units with the weight of powered locos is foolish,
too. But, at times, a dummy loco is just what's needed.
                                                                                     -- D

[jward]

i think there is  practical reason for dummies that weight almost as much as powered locomotives. this is the same reason that some models of similar, but slightly different length locomotives use the same frame even though it makes one of them inaccurate: simplification of parts inventory. it would cost a lot more to make a special frame just for the dummies.

to answer another question, if you can get the parts to do so, it should be possible to power the dummy. the engineering work has already been done for you. as an example, I will use athearn's old blue box locomotives. the frame was the same, powered or dummy. after the early 1980s, the trucks were also the same, except that dummy trucks lacked gears. thus, if you bought the motor, drive train and gears you could convert to powered. at the time athearn parts were readily available at better hobby shops.

I see no reason why you couldn't do the same with a Bachmann f7 if you wished. the parts should be available on this website. that said, looking at dealers like the favourite spot or mb klein may get you a complete locomotive for less than the cost of parts. then it is a simple body swap to get your powered locomotive.

I have, in the past, bought Bachmann ft.s from favourite spot for as little as $17. this locomotive chassis  is one of those slightly inaccurate cases I cited above. the ftwas in real life shorter than the f7, but the models use the same frame.