Yardmaster regarding "Spectrum"

[James in FL]

Regarding the word "Spectrum" on your products.

If I remember correctly the products first labeled as "Spectrum" was to indicate the motor was electrically isolated to facilitate the user added DCC decoder.
This was about 1995-96?
This was at a time when DCC was still pretty much in its infancy.
I also recall the "Spectrum" lokies began to have greater detail than what had been released in the past, but the "Spectrum" designation was more about DCC readiness.
Am I remembering this transition correctly?
As many lokies newly released are not now using the designation, yet they still have the finer detail, and more so, have at least some provision to add a decoder, if not an already installed factory decoder.
Is "Spectrum" now used to designate provisions for sound?
I.e. provisions in the tenders for a speaker, or is it yet morphing that it indicates DCC w/sound factory installed?

What exactly has the word "Spectrum" come to imply?

Inquiring minds want to know.

TIA

PS  I don't do DCC, please re-consider those tens of thousands of us who don't, and give us the option to add later if we want, but do not force us to pay extra for a decoder with or without sound, something many of us will never use, especially factory sound in n scale.
We can live with dual mode decoders if we must.
For this reason, I'm going to have to pass on the new Berk, even as much as I would like to have a few.
You are pricing many of us out of your potential market.

Again, TIA

[ACY]

The Spectrum name simply refers to the top of the line Bachmann products. Keep in mind that Spectrum products also included passenger cars and freight cars in addition to locomotives and there was alzo the Spectrum Magnum included in train sets as well.
The items in the Spectrum line were always more finely detailed than products in the other lines. The difference between a Plus series locomotive and the later Spectrum versions was merely more detail. Spectrum does not designate or imply DCC readiness or DCC On Board or Sound. Take for example the HO Fairbanks-Morse H16-44 which was iin the Spectrum line for many years yet it had a split frame design and it was never made DCC ready to this day.
When the detail level and other features present on a locomotive are no longer cutting edge and the top of the line, the locomotive is downgraded to the standard Bachmann product line. Such as what happend with the HO Spectrum Consolidation or the aforementioned HO FM H16-44.

Again I realize I am not who you were addressing but hopefully this clears things up a bit for you.

[rogertra]

Excellent reply ACY.

I'm not 100% sure if my early Spectrum's were all equipped with the DCC plug, most are still packed away in boxes awaiting sound decoders but they did have above average detail and were better running than any other r.t.r steam locos then on the market when they were introduced, definitely top of the line in steam, nothing else came close.

It was the introduction of the 2-8-0 that made me change eras from 1977 to 1958 and at the time I wasn't even sure if more Spectrums were going to be produced, I was that impressed.

Cheers

Roger T.

[jbrock27]

Spectrum diesels certainly did not come with a DCC plug.  Nor did Plus diesels, cousins for the most part, for that matter.  I do not recall ever coming across "Spectrum" freight cars though.

[charon]

Jbrock,
Bachmann has Spectrum freight cars in both On30 and large scale.
Chuck

[Bucksco]

In the mid-1980s Bachmann decided to produce a line of trains that went beyond the "starter set" market. It was dubbed "Spectrum" in order to differentiate it from the beginner products. The Spectrum line featured a higher level of detail and was designed to be a prototypically scale model. It really had nothing to do with DCC which was in it's infancy at the time. When DCC started to become the norm in model railroading Bachmann began to equip it's models with DCC decoders. Factory built decoders based on a Lenz design in the standard line products and a higher end full function decoder from SoundTraxx in Colorado (Tsunami) in Spectrum models. Over time it became necessary to sell specific Spectrum models in multiple variations - DC, DCC Ready, DCC on Board, DCC Sound on Board (for each individual road name of each loco). This meant many skew numbers of the same product which did not make our retailers very happy and made it difficult for production purposes. This is probably the main reason that we decided to streamline the process and place a dual mode decoder and speaker in all future Spectrum models with the option of installing a separate sound module. This brings us down to a single item number for each variation with the only option being the sound module. We understand that there are still Analog/DC modelers out there which is why we opt for a dual mode decoder. The fact that building this decoder into the PC board saves us time and production costs so the addition of the decoder actually does not substantially raise the cost of the loco.

[James in FL]

Thank you for your reply Yardmaster.

And also for jogging my memory.
I recalled the first release of the Dash 8-40C in N scale as being the first to be labeled Spectrum in the N scale line-up, mid 90's rather than mid 80's.
It took some time for DCC to trickle down to N scale.

Substantial cost is subjective.
While it may not be substantial cost to manufacturer to produce lokies with DCC, and/or DCC w/sound at the mass production levels, it certainly is substantial to those of us buying at the retail level.
Businesses look for maximum ROI, end users look for value, and sometimes the waters gets muddy in between.
We know we do not have to buy Bachmann products, but we liked the value of them, and so went our hobby dollars.
You have many loyal customers you have built up over the decades, myself included, but I find more and more of my hobby dollars are going to manufacturers who still offer me that choice.

Anyway, we are now way off topic, and it is what it is.
I wish you great success with the new Berk, I hope it is truly as much a homerun as the Heavy Mountain was.

Thanks again for taking your time to reply, I know that costs money as well.

Sincerely

[jward]

as I recall, the gp30 in HO was the first spectrum. it was also the first ho locomotive I had with a split frame. this would have been around 1988 when I bought mine. before this, if you wanted a decent looking gp30 your best option was to take the Bachmann body and mount it on an athearn gp35 chassis. once Bachmann got rid of the pancake motor drive and replaced it with the spectrum version, you had a nice gp30 right out of the box.

[jbrock27]

Thank you for the clarification Chuck.  I should have specified I was speaking of HO, which is I wye I reported I never saw any, bc I don't shop for On30 or Large scales  .

[ACY]

Thank you for the clarification Chuck.  I should have specified I was speaking of HO, which is I wye I reported I never saw any, bc I don't shop for On30 or Large scales  .

Jbrock27 Bachmann also has made a few Spectrum freight cars in HO scale, so just because you never saw any doesn't mean they don't exist.
Here is one such model:

[jbrock27]

Thank you for the further info ACY.   I must apologize for inadvertently causing any confusion.  Please note I never denied their existence; I simply said I never came across any.  Coincidentally of the ones you posted, I would not have bought any.

"Has made" as in what time frame?

[Trainman203]

The black box Spectrum Soundtraxx DCC with sound 2-10-2's, 2-8-0's, 4-6-0's and 4-4-0's were the best engines Bachmann ever made, but yes they were somewhat costly.  I miss them.  However I do understand the marketing and retail issues that led to their end.

[rogertra]

The black box Spectrum Soundtraxx DCC with sound 2-10-2's, 2-8-0's, 4-6-0's and 4-4-0's were the best engines Bachmann ever made, but yes they were somewhat costly.  I miss them.  However I do understand the marketing and retail issues that led to their end.

WHAT?

Am I to understand the 2-10-2 will not be reissued?

But I need at least two of them, preferably the one model that was issued with Baker gear and not the more common oddball Southern gear.

As for the others, I have enough of them already but still sad if they are not going to be reissued.

Cheers

Roger T.

[austrian]

Why should not these locos be reissued? The detail is still up to date and the market Arena not to be flooded by the same locos from another producer. I think it is just that the market is smaller for more costly high end models and they will wait for the demand to grow big enough
that the retailers will risk substantial orders to fill the shelves. The tooling costs must have been high for these models so I could not see a reason not to bring them back again. I sure would buy sind.

[Trainman203]

I'd buy a bunch, especially the 63" driver ten wheeler.