Anyone here collect Bachmann Branchline?

[Myself]

Even though I'm American, I've acquired some wagons on eBay. I'm trying to find some locos though.

[Philc40]

I have a few locomotives, coaches and wagons that I've purchased from Hatton's in Liverpool.

Their website is www.ehattons.com

[Seasaltchap]

This is no secret find.

As Bernard Matthews would say, "BOOTYFUL"- (he with the 160,000 turkeys in Norfolk to be culled because of a bird-flu outbreak this w/e)

Join the string petitioning for a OO heading on this board.

[CubanRailways]

I've been collecting Branchline and the new BlueRibbon range since they first came on the market over a decade ago!

I know this site is mainly for the US stuff, but would be nice to have an OO section, seeing as the Bachmann UK site does not have such a facility.

Regards,

Stephen

[Sam Clavis]

I collect Branchlines

[Mark Damien]

I don't often talk to Myself, but.....

Yes I collect Bachmann Branchline locos. I, like 'Myself', buy from Hattons, who have  been very reputable & inexpensive.


A note of caution though. The four axle tenders on the Bachmann Pacific class locos are all under the NMRA 'Back to Back' wheel standards. They have flat bearing surfaces, so prying them out is possible, but a little [a lot] scary due to the amount of force required.

If you are using Bachmann easy track or Peco point work it still goes through OK, but if you have fine scale, Shinohara or accurately hand laid point work, you may find the tender climbs over the check & wing rails.

Hornby locos also suffer from inaccurate back to back measurements as well.

It does not seem very important to the average British outline modeler, who must happily persevere with derailments et al.

Cheers to all,
& all the best to "Myself"
Mark

[max (uk)]

I have quite a bit of it. I have Green Arrow in BR green, a LNER V1, a BR green 4MT tender engine, a BR black class 08, a BR green class 20, and a class 66... and thats just the loco's!

Its alot better than that honby stuff! 

[Seasaltchap]

Mark: I do not cmpletely understand.

Surely if the back to back was less than NMRA standard, it would catch the opposing check rail and hold the offending wheel off derailing. The problem as I see it is more likely the wheels riding the check rails themselves.

[Seasaltchap]

Ref prior, I am not refering to finescale.

[SilverSpencer]

I myself have a vast collection of Bachmann Branchline locos and rollingstock, recently bought a limited edition model of the LNER A4 'Silver Link' from Southampon Model Center.

I am a UK member by the way.

[Seasaltchap]

Hummmmmmmmm.

Bachmann and Hornby are 4mm gauge running on 16.5mm track.

Looking at NMRA Standards, they do not rule for this.

The NRMA "back to back" for OO is given as 16.9mm, and that would clearly be for EM gauge, where 4mm scale runs on 18.83mm track.

[David(UK)]

UK OO is 4mm:1 Foot SCALE, running on HO/OO GAUGE track of 16.5 mm
My collection of 90 OO locos ( Triang,Airfix, Hornby,Lima,Mainline, Bachmann ) all prefer code 100 rail, and No, we Brits don't put up with derailments.

[Seasaltchap]

David(UK):

Funny isn't it, that PECO is generally recognized as an exceptional quality product line for points and trackwork - and it isn't for derailments.

We Brit's think the same thing too!

[Mark Damien]

Dear all,

Most of you will not like this but......

Peco is ok, but still toy like; you only have to run an NMRA HO gauge through it to see the imperfections. Having said that, Peco has been improving. They can't & never will however, be accurate & reliable for running when they pander to the British outline manufacturers. And if they do decide to be NRMA compliant, British outline will simply no longer operate on it - which will be the best thing they could do. Then the British outline wheelsets will have to comply as well & then you will realize operational nirvana.

Peco's flangeways are the width of football fields & British outline locos & rolling stock, with little to no attention to wheel standards, relies on "flanging" its way round the outside of the switch rail & through the frog, relegating the check rail to just a meaningless piece of detail.  Why don't prototypical railways operate this way? I guess the death & destruction thing scares them. Now you know why a new Hornby locos has wheel flanges the size of dinner plates.

Finescale & handlaid track tends to have the correct width flangeways, & as a consequence the "CHECK RAIL”;with rolling stock with NMRA HO standard wheelsets, becomes OPERATIONAL - this means the flange going through the frog is guided away from the frog apex & hence no derailments - just like the real thing.
NB : Conical wheel profiles & gentle curves on turnouts means the flange only comes in contact with the check rail in extremes in prototypical operation, but the rules still apply!

At the Philadelphia show in July 2006, Fastracks displayed an absolute crowd pleaser. A tilting table that demonstrated how their NMRA HO Standard trackwork & wheelsets operate perfectly. What the table did is slowly rock back and forth allowing a stock boxcar to roll over the double crossover that was constructed using Fast Tracks fixtures. Each time the table would rock, all four turnouts would switch, and the car would roll through a different route.
This worked flawlessly throughout the entire show, cycling about 50,000 times, and never a single derailment!!!!!


I have been running British outline for over forty years & have been though all the problems associated with inadequate track & incorrect 'Back to Back' wheelsets. When I started to model US outline, & bought locos & rolling stock with wheelsets that follow "a" standard [NMRA] I discovered prototypical running, instead of the 'Train Set' standards accepted in British outline. 

Don't get me wrong, I dearly love my British outline stock & am livid that I can no longer run half of it, as it no longer operates on my NMRA HO track.
The truly sad thing is, Bachmann & to a greater extend Hornby seem to pay less attention to wheel standards, the more expensive the loco is.
As I mentioned earlier, Bachmann eight wheel Tenders suffer as do Hornby MNs, BoBs, LMS & LNER pacifics from this problem. The Back to Back measurement is all under standard, & we're not talking about one wheelset being out - in some cases EVERY wheelset is out by varying degrees - shocking!
The Stanier pacifics are the worse with four different Back to Back measurements varying by up to 1mm & everyone under the NMRA HO standard. This causes the wheelsets to ride up over the Wing & Check rails on NMRA HO standard track, as they are way to narrow.
If you're used to US OUTLINE NMRA standard locos, then British outline will seem like a trip to the Toy shop by comparison.

But you really have to experience Propelling over sixty pieces of rolling stock through eight turnouts & double crossovers consecutively, at scale speeds in excess of 50 mph to really appreciate how a uniform standard for track & Wheels [NMRA] improves running. 
NB :  The scale 50mph in reverse was achieved while testing trackwork only. I do not usually operate this way.

I'm terribly sorry if this offends some readers; I know it used to offend me too. I used to defend the British Outline faith fervently. But I have swallowed my pride & admitted defeat & now I try to get the British Outline manufacturers to raise the bar & follow standards as well. It's not rocket science - the same Chinese factories that pump out Accurate US outline also pumps out inaccurate British outline. Bachmann UK & Hornby need only request NMRA wheel standards & it will be manufactured that way! 


What is a standard?
Look on your wall -
see the power point -
now plug something in -
did it go in easily?
If YES you have "a Standard".
Now get your plug & bend the tines askew - just a little - looks the same!
Now FOOOORCE it into the power point - difficult? Yes!
Did you get it in? Well Yeah? Just.
Now which one would you prefer!!!
This is the difference between following NMRA standards & having no particular standard in model railroading. In everything else you do in your life, would you accept "close enough is good enough". I doubt it! You're typing on a QWERTY keyboard - it follows a standard. Your door key opens the lock - a standard again.  If these things were slightly imperfect, you would not accept it! So why accept it on your hobby?

While 00 stock runs on HO track, it should follow HO standards.

I'll just go get my flak jacket - back in a mo'

Cheers.
Mark

P.S. Hornby & Bachmann British oultine locomotives in most cases are fine runners & have great detail, & are a huge improvement on what was produced before. My comments were only against the products wheelsets. Peco track although Robust and well made does not meet the standards set down by the NMRA.

[David(UK)]

And just why should we have to pander to the NMRA ?
All Hornby and  Bachmann wheelsets are to RP25 standards and they run fine on my my Peco, Hornby,Airfix, Mainline, Lima track, even Bachmann EZ track.
Peco track was built for the european market, just so happens a lot of other people like Peco track - perhaps it is your NMRA track that is out of standard to the rest of the world?