Quote from: Atlantic Central on April 08, 2008, 03:28:12 PM
Geezer,

Have you tried the 800 number? I know it can be hard to get through on it.

Many have had luck calling the regular office nymber, but the contact page now asks that you not do that for customer service issues.

How old is your Climax? while they are not in current production, they are not that old. I would box it up and send it in. It does take 4-6 weeks for them to do their thing, but I have always had a good result in the end. often locos are simply replaced, no questions asked.

As for Ebay, personally I am very selective about who from and what I buy on there. with places like Trainworld selling Bachmann at super low prices, why mess with Ebay?

Sheldon

Recent discussion on this forum on returning a Climax is that you will likely get a Shay in return as the Climax is no longer in production and it appears parts are few.

As far as e-bay goes, yes shop around but I would recommend that before you purchase check out the thefavoritespot site. An authorized Bachmann dealer with great prices.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/BACHMANN-SPECTRUM-HO-3-TRUCK-SHAY-TRAIN-UNLETTERD-81907_W0QQitemZ190212374864QQihZ009QQcategoryZ19132QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262

Quote from: train kid on April 06, 2008, 02:33:12 PM
this is a really basic question, but as one who was very active with trains as a kid in the late 60's and 70's, I am lost now.

I had a basic setup for my 3 year old (a large oval). I figured I would add switches, so I put 2 switches (4 total) on either side of the oval which form an oval inside of the oval.

My problem is this; when the train passes the power strip and reaches the switches, the engine dies (no power). I am really not sure how to hook the switches up to the power pack as I lost the packaging and consequntly have no power to the inner oval. I hope this makes sense to someone.

Thanks in advance.

Check out the NMRA site for beginners electrical questions.

http://www.nmra.org/beginner/wiring.html

I have contacted the service department a few times by e-mail. I received responses back, sometimes by mail and other times by e-mail. The response time was not immediate, I did have to wait a while.

Be patient.

Why did you take out the DCC unit?

This engine will run fine on DC, the chip senses the power supply DC or DCC and reacts accordingly.

Quote from: SteamGene on April 02, 2008, 02:57:05 PM
My understanding is that the Atlas turntable is patterned on a Canadian prototype, built that way to prevent snow build-up and that in several states with high snow fall the same pattern was used.  Interestingly enough, Newport News, Virginia, which is where the big coal piers of the C&O were located, had no turntable or roundhouse.  The locomotives turned on the Hampton wye.  There was one at Phoebus for awhile, but that got replaced by a wye, too. 
Gene

This is the Revelstoke roundhouse, note the Altas like wood deck on turntable.

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/www2i/.visual/img_med/dir_160/a_09598.gif

Quote from: mattallen37 on April 03, 2008, 05:43:16 PM
thefavoritespot probably buys directly from the manufacture. the reason i think so is because someone in china was trying to sell bachmann 4-8-4s with dcc for a buy it now of only $9.99 but shipping was about $120 so overall it was not worth it. also as for thefavoritespot, i would highly recomend them (i bought about half my engines from them).

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=120227035155&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=002

I doubt that the S&H charges are anyway near what the vendor was charging.
I have bought a few items from China and the postage was not much more than what it costs to ship between Canada and the US.

I also do not think the Spectrum engines are meant to be sold in China for resale as well.

Quote from: Beatthe9ers on March 25, 2008, 10:25:44 AM
I am looking for any comments on the Spectrum Richmond 4-4-0 American Modern (items #83401 to #83409) in terms of performance, durability, and general quality.  I am not particularly interested in the historical accuracy or the fine details of the model, to my eye, she looks beautiful.  So if the tender is wrong or the stack is too big, I don't really care.

I'm looking for a steam engine that looks good to me and that will pull 8-10 cars on a flat surface or slight grade and negotiate 18 inch curves.

Does anyone own one?  Are you happy with it?  I've read that the decoder that is installed is of questionable quality.  I see that Bachmann is going to release a new version with sound included, but I also see that the price jump will be significant.  Does anyone have a recommendation of another 4-4-0 manufacturer that you would put above the Spectrum?  Or do you have recommendations of other steam loco's that will negotiate 18 inch curves without too much trouble? 

I don't have DCC yet, but am planning on it in the future and would like to set myself up for an easy conversion, so DCC ready at least is an additional consideration for me.

Thanks for the continued help/information.

Parker

Glad that it all worked out well for you. Yes this engine is in my opinion one of the best models available. That may well be the reason that I have a couple of these and some Spectrum 4-6-0's and a few Spectrum 2-8-0's.

I have downsized my steam roster and mothballed, for the time being, all the larger steamers.  They will come back to the layout after the second level has been added to my layout.

Quote from: Mark Damien on April 02, 2008, 11:51:35 PM

TrainWorld is selling Richmond 4-4-0's for $99.99 - so there's not much change from a C note.  .

But they have very good service, if you receive a faulty one.

My LHS will not take an engine back if faulty. Their policy is to use the manufacturer's warranty.

I am impressed that Bachmann has such a good warranty. I have used their service department and had no problems.

I have had contact with Walthers and was not at all happy with their service department representative I dealt with.

Quote from: sparkyjay31 on March 26, 2008, 10:32:17 AM

Quote from: Johnson Bar Jeff on March 26, 2008, 09:57:40 AM

Quote from: sparkyjay31 on March 26, 2008, 09:22:53 AM

Quote from: Matt Bumgarner on March 25, 2008, 05:16:07 PM
The Spectrum 4-4-0 is an OUTSTANDING locomotive from a looks and operational standpoint; however, it struggles pull two 80' coaches on a flat grade, so you should be close with 5 cars.

There is nothing even in this engine's league with other 4-4-0 offerings from anyone, and it really is sweet sitting next to a couple of Spectrum
4-6-0's.

Matt

I'll disagree with you if that is all your 4-4-0 will pull.  My Roundhouse 4-4-0 has not trouble at all with my 4 fifty foot B&M coaches and a 2% grade around an 18" radius.

Maybe it's the coaches, not the locomotive. Are those 80-foot coaches Bachmann Spectrums? They're pretty heavy. My Mantua Atlantic with a can motor really struggles to pull four of them. Are those B&M 50-foot coaches Roundhouse cars? I have a couple of them myself and don't think they're particularly heavy.

Mine are indeed the Roundhouse 50' cars.  Not very heavy at all.  Maybe you are right and that is the difference.  My apoligies as I did not think of the different manufacturers and car weight.  Rookie mistake.

Note the following specs from the review.

The model's pulling power is below average but is enough for trains appropriate to a locomotive of its size. On straight and level track the 4-4-0's drawbar pull equaled 34 HO scale freight cars.

I think there may be an axle or wheel problem.

I pull either 3 of the new Rapido cars or 4 of the 60' Riverossi coaches.

I sympathize with you. It appears that locomotives are replaced not fixed. 

There have been several threads from members wanting to obtain parts and from what I understand parts are only available on those units in production. So, if you even could fix the unit the parts are not available.

If the unit is no longer in production you are out of luck. I have a couple of the light mountains and I know if I have a problem and ship one of them to Bachmann I will only be allowed to trade it for something that is in current production.

Copied from the Model Railroader review

Steam fans now have a superdetailed American-type to add to their HO scale rosters. Bachmann's Spectrum modernized 4-4-0 American comes equipped with a factory-installed dual-mode Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder, so the model is ready to run on DC or DCC layouts. American Standard. By the latter half of the 1800s, locomotives with a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement were so prevalent in the U.S. that they were classified as the American Standard or American type. A surge in new locomotive designs in the early 20th century quickly made the 4-4-0 obsolete, and few new Americans were built after 1900. Many 4-4-0s remained in service on Class 1 railroads through the 1920s and on short lines into the 1950s. A "modernized" American. The prototype for the Bachmann 4-4-0 is Maryland & Pennsylvania no. 6. American Locomotive Co.'s Richmond Works delivered this engine along with two identical locomotives, nos. 4 and 5, to the Ma & Pa in 1901. These 4-4-0s were similar to other modernized American-type engines built for several other railroads around the country.

The model's dimensions match drawings of Ma & Pa no. 6 published in the March 1965 issue of Model Railroader. Cab style, stack and dome arrangement, piping and other details also match prototype photos of no. 6.

The drawings show no. 6 with piston-valve cylinders that were added to the locomotive in 1924. Some of the Bachmann 4-4-0s also have these cylinders. The sample we reviewed has the earlier slide-valve type but has other features of a modernized 4-4-0, such as a steel cab, and an electric headlight.
Roadname-specific details. Our sample came decorated and detailed as Maine Central no. 84. The Bachmann engine has a tapered boiler and dome and stack arrangements similar to modernized 4-4-0s found on the MEC as well as other roads. The model has roadname-specific details, such as the cab type (wood or steel) and the headlight type (with or without visor), and bell, headlight, and classification light arrangements.

Our MEC sample has a factory-installed solid pilot and coal bunker. Two different types of user-installed spoked pilots as well as a footboard pilot and wood and oil bunkers are included.
Model construction. Most of the Bachmann engine is made of die-cast metal. The quality of the boiler casting is excellent with sharp cast-in details, including rivets and boiler bands. Other detail parts, such as the bell, whistle, air compressor, and piping, are metal.

The cab has a detailed molded-in backhead with a separately applied throttle, painted figures, and window glazing, including open wind deflectors. Another neat detail is the hinged cab apron.

The tender has a plastic tank with well-defined rivet detail. The metal archbar trucks include safety chains. These rattle a bit when the locomotive is under way, but they sure look cool.

Paint coverage is smooth and all lettering is crisp and opaque. The railroad roman font looks close to that used by the MEC. The Alco/Manchester builder's plate is legible and shows a built date of July 1905 and construction number 37754.
Drive train. Inside the boiler, a five-pole can motor and brass flywheel are enclosed in a metal housing. A cogged belt connected to the motor drives a worm shaft that runs below the motor. This shaft drives a worm gear on the front axle driver. This arrangement is the same as on other Bachmann HO steamers.

The model picks up power from both sets of drivers and all the tender wheels. Inside the tender, the DCC decoder is plugged into an 8-pin socket on a printed circuit (PC) board. Two sets of wires connect the PC board in the tender to a two-pin and a four-pin socket, each located under the rear of the engine's cab.
DCC on board. The model has a factory-installed dual-mode two-function one-amp decoder that operated correctly. I found I could turn the headlight on and off by pressing function 0 and dim the headlight (for Rule 17 lighting) by pressing function 1.

The decoder supports some configuration variable (CV) programming. A printed instruction manual for the decoder wasn't included, but you can find programming information for E-Z Command decoders on Bachmann's Web site.
HO scale 4-4-0Price: $240.00
Manufacturer
Bachmann Industries Inc.
1400 E. Erie St.
Philadelphia, PA 19124
www.bachmanntrains.com
Description: Metal and plastic ready-to-run steam locomotive with dual-mode DCC
Road names: Maine Central; Maryland & Pennsylvania nos. 4 and 5, each with wood cab; Ma & Pa no. 6 with steel cab; Seaboard; Southern (green); painted/unlettered with steel cab, or painted/unlettered with wood cab, or undecorated Russia iron jacket with pinstripes and wood cab
Performance. The 4-4-0 can run on DC or DCC layouts. In both DC and DCC the engine's speed range allowed for realistic performance, but its top speed was a bit high for a model based on a prototype with only 62" drivers.

In DC the model began moving at 3.8 scale miles per hour, and its headlight shone dimly. The headlight reached full brightness at 3 volts with the engine running at 10 mph. The model's top speed at 12 volts was 108 scale miles per hour. Real 4-4-0s of the same size and type had a maximum speed of between 60 and 70 mph.

The model's decoder supports 28 speed steps. We tested DCC performance using an MRC Prodigy Advance system that delivers 16.4 volts to the track. In DCC, the 4-4-0 began moving in speed step 6 at 4.2 scale miles per hour and accelerated to 59 mph in step 14 and to a top speed of 98 mph in step 28.

Initially, our sample had a noticeable lurch when starting in DCC. Increasing the value of CV 2 (starting voltage) slightly to 15 and adding some acceleration and deceleration (I set CVs 3 and 4 to a value of 5) made the lurch disappear and let the model run more realistically at slow speeds.

I ran the model through a 15"-radius curve of Atlas track, but the
4-4-0 looked better rounding the wider-radius curves of our Black River Junction project layout. It ran through that layout's no. 4 turnouts without any derailments.

The model's pulling power is below average but is enough for trains appropriate to a locomotive of its size. On straight and level track the 4-4-0's drawbar pull equaled 34 HO scale freight cars.

The Bachmann modernized 4-4-0's excellent level of detail and factory-equipped DCC control make it a standout locomotive for a steam

http://www.trains.com/mrr/default.aspx?c=a&id=1701

Review of the spectrum 4-4-0

Quote from: Yampa Bob on March 25, 2008, 01:52:32 PM
RichG
Curious about where you got the $80 price, the retail is $275.

Bob

I never buy a Spectrum without first checking this site.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=350039026732&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=022

The vendor is an authorized dealer. This is why I have two of the units.

Do not forget the new 60' coaches released by Riverossi.

http://www.hornby-usa.com/index.php?CURRENT_PAGE_ID=136&PARENT_ELEMENT_ID=1849

Quote from: drhone on March 24, 2008, 06:29:17 PM
Mr. Bach Man

As mentioned in this forum the Spectrum Heavyweight coaches are not in the current catalogue. 

I am wondering about the possible availability of the newer smooth side corrugated steel coaches.

Will Bachmann consider releasing smooth side coaches in the near future?

I will answer my own post as I just ran across an ad showing the newly released smooth side coach sets released by Riverossi. Hence would imagine that Bachmann will not be competing.