Bachmann Plus 4-8-4

[cmsluss]

Greetings all...

I have the Bachmann Plus 4-8-4 Class J.  I know the re-tooled Spectrum "J" is superior to the "Plus" version Bachmann sold in the '90s.  Recently my "J" has a flickering headlight on curves, making me wonder if the electrical pick-up isn't as good as it should be.  I've cleaned the wheels, the axles, the split frame that makes contact with the axles and the track and the issue persists. The "J" also requires more current to operate at "running speed" compared to other locos. I also own the "standard" version of the Bachmann 4-8-4 Niagara with the additional hard wired pickups on the trailing truck and that locomotive runs flawlessly. 

I greatly appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.

Thank you!

[Chaparral66]

Hello, what do you mean by "hard wired pickups on the trailing truck"?  I am planning to purchase a used 4-8-4 Niagara (standard Bachmann) and am wondering about general quality, whether it will be able to negotiate a spot on my layout with 18 inch radius curve (the tender is the going to be the problem I think; unlike Bachmann tenders, Rivarossi tenders of this type - e.g. on their Big Boy - had truck wheels that moved laterally to negotiate sharper radius turns), and whether the electric pickups on this loco only (none on tender) will be adequate to permit smooth running over multiple adjacent switch and crossing tracks.  Any thoughts on these matters?  Thanks!

[ACY]

Hello, what do you mean by "hard wired pickups on the trailing truck"?  I am planning to purchase a used 4-8-4 Niagara (standard Bachmann) and am wondering about general quality, whether it will be able to negotiate a spot on my layout with 18 inch radius curve (the tender is the going to be the problem I think; unlike Bachmann tenders, Rivarossi tenders of this type - e.g. on their Big Boy - had truck wheels that moved laterally to negotiate sharper radius turns), and whether the electric pickups on this loco only (none on tender) will be adequate to permit smooth running over multiple adjacent switch and crossing tracks.  Any thoughts on these matters?  Thanks!

The new Bachmann Niagara with DCC or DCC ready is much better than the old standard line Niagara. However, regardless the Bachmann Niagara cannot negotiate 18" radius, it requires 22" minimum radius.

[Trainman203]

Maybe a loose plug or connection is making the headlight flicker.  Did you get into the running gear and clean all the wipers? Sometimes dust balls get caught on them. Did you remove the wipers on the tender trucks and clean them? Thoroughly, including both bolster contact points.   I don't have a J but every Spectrum engine I own has these wipers. Did you clean the insides of the driver tires where the wipers make contact?  Did you clean the tender axles where the truck wipers rub?  Did you check for loose connections at the trucks inside the tender shell?  I found all these touchy places, and more, the hard way.

Also, did you clean the inside vertical edge of the rail head ?  You'd be surprised how critical that is, I was.

A surgical scrub of "everything" is really needed for good operation no matter what operating system you use.