2-6-2 prairie

[Dave G.]

Thinking of buying a Bachmann 2-6-2 prairie.  I know they are not Spectrum quality but are they worth buying?  Do they run well or do they need work to get them to run well.
Not concerned about DCC ability.

Thanks for feedback,
Dave

[Yampa Bob]

Hi Dave
A friend recently bought one, he said it ran quite well, and he was pleased with it.

I have been told by others that the standard line has greatly improved in quality. I haven't heard any complaints about the Prairie, other than the smoke feature.

The smoke is not realistic, and being an oil base, will settle on drapes, rugs and the track.  Someone on the board mentioned a new and better brand of smoke fluid, perhaps they will read this and advise you further.

I suppose the wire could be removed from the smoke unit, I have no experience with it personally. 

[Len]

The other gripe is it's not really a "Prairie". It's a USRA 0-6-0 switcher with a pilot and trailing truck added to make it a 2-6-2.

Len

[ajp3751]

I have the NYC prarie from about six years ago. The rods broke the cylinder and the smoke unit got too hot and melted back the stack. I have it in a box ready to go back to bachmann whenever I have the time to do so.

The newer ones have increased in quality and they run smoother than the older ones. Don't expect to pull really long trains with it. It is a nice small engine that isn't all that expensive. I would recomend not using the smoke unit as it is a mess to clean up after and it gets hot for the plastic. It is up to you, but I wouldn't use ithe smoke again.

[SteamGene]

As mentioned, the Bachmann Prairie is their USRA 0-6-0 with pilot and trailing trucks. The new ones should do fine.  The old ones are best set aside to be turned into plastic cast iron  frying pans and engine blocks.
Avoid smoke. 
Gene

[Yampa Bob]

I forgot to mention that my friend bought the Prairie at an undisclosed close out price. I would never pay the street price for a non-Spectrum model. 

Also, due to my tight 18" curves, I will not buy any loco that measures more than one inch from the rear driver to the drawbar pin or cab rear.  This means none with a trailing truck. 

[Dave G.]

Thanks to all who responded.

It sounds like this loco is a "decent" small engine with limited pulling power.
I did not intend to worry about the smoke as I think that is a waste anyway.
Just disconnect it and then you don't have to worry about it.

As with many inexpensive locos, some added details and weathering could make this loco much better.  At least it sounds like it runs OK and that iswhat I was hoping for.

Thanks,
Dave

[NewYorkCentralgirl]

i have a 2-6-2 NYC from about 7 years ago and its smoke unit never over heated.  After collecting dust for 5 years one minute of pushing it along the track power on jolting stopping. after that minute it runs like its brand new. it was a great buy. also it pulls over 20 cars on level curved
18inch radius curves no problem at a slow speed

buy it if bachmann has improved from when i got mine it is a great locomotive for ho

[Biocastamus]

Do these Bachmann Prairie locomotives have a working EZ Mate knuckle coupler on the front of the engine?

[SteamGene]

None that I have seen.
Gene

[rogertra]

Aren't both the Bachmann HO 2-6-0 and 2-6-2 just their 0-6-0 switcher with leading and trailing trucks stuck on to make a phoney looking 2-6-0 and 2-6-2?

[Biocastamus]

Back to my above question about couplers on the Prairie.  Is there any sort of coupler on the front, whether it is working or not?  I cannot tell from the picture - it looks like there might but I'm afraid of it being just a fake coupler and not one you could actually pull any rail cars with.  If anyone who has a Prairie could let me know, I'd appreciate it; this may make or break my decision to get one. 

I do believe the 0-6-0, 2-6-0 and the 2-6-2 are all basically the same locomotive (as far as these model trains are concerned).

[ajp3751]

The coupler on the front is just a dummy coupler. Some dummys are large enough to connect to cars with some force, but this one is too small for even that. There might be a way to add a coupler box in the pilot, but I am not sure. And yes, bachmann's model is the usra with added wheels and timing rods if anyone else noticed.