I had one of these out of the box and in my hand yesterday at my locol hobby shop. I liked it, and although the detail is quite marginal, the cleaning pad is made out of a material that looks as though would no a nice job wet or dry. When I asked about replacement pads, I was told there are non available!

The price was reduced to about $30.00 ($37.95 MSRP) which I must say is a bit steep for what you are getting! Non the less, I would have bought one, if there had been replacement pads (as per the Walthers car)

Can anyone shed any light on the availability of replacment pads for the Bachmann track cleaning tank car!

Thanks,
Geoff

I have been in the hobby for many years and I have several groups of train buddies I hang out with and visit several on line blogs.

I would like to see Bachmann or anyone for that matter produce an HO Southern Pacific AC9 "Yellowstone" 2-8-8-4. It is a very unique looking locomotive and SP is a very popular road. I think it would sell in N scale also! There are few pictures of the Prototype available, so many may not even know what it looks like. Is is the only AC series that IS NOT a Cab Forward! It has a "skyline casing" running the length of the boiler like the GS4 and also has a front pilot similar to the GS4 with double air pumps up front!

I would also like to see a 2-6-2T or a 2-8-2T in HO and in On30! Great for small layouts and logging or mining operations.

Another suggestion would be a 2-4-4-2 "Little River" in both HO and On30! A small mallet that almost everyone could use.

That's wishful thinking?

I think the Genisis is most likely the best but the newer Rivarossi with the 8 pin DCC plug under the sand dome is also very nice! I have one Genesis with sound and two of the newer Rivarossi's with NCE N or Z decoders and all three run very well! Watch ebay for a good price on either!

I want to commend Bachman for the outstanding HO Spectrum DCC ready tenders they have offered as separate items! To my knowledge, no one has ever done this in the numbers and variety that Bachmann has.

Here is my suggestion!

Offer these same tenders with an appropriate Tsunami Sound decoder already installed as an accessory, ready to plug into any DCC or DCC ready Spectrum locomotive! In this way you could capture a market segment few have though about! It would offer loyal customers who have purchased your non sound Spectrum locomotives in the past a less expensive and simple way to upgrade their existing locomotives to sound! Keep them coming back!

Although I am primarily an American prototype modeler, I do have a number of late model German loks! I have several Lilliput (Bachmann) locomotives! I would like to put decoders in them but getting them taken apart is a bit of a mystery on most? On one of my favorites I attempted to follow the instructions on getting to the 8 pin DCC plug but ended up having the fiber optic piece of plastic for the rear lights come out. Does anyone know of someone who can install decoder and do repairs and such to the newer Lilliput line? Surely Bachmann must have service available in the US for these products?

ABC. No I meant to say what I said! I did not indicate there was any problem with a #8 turnout? "#8's with NO PROBLEM" I can't see modifying locomotives because they fail to work on a single turnout when they work fine on the others? Are you forgeting the intermitant problem with the 4-6-0? Should I add weight to that also? Seems like a problem with the turnout to me?

Has anyone had a simular problem with either the tracking or the DCC fuction using NCE with these turnouts?

Despite my misgivings, I purchased one of these for a knock down test track to provide a parking siding for a few locos so they don't have to be taken on and off the track for speed matching etc! I have an NCE Power Cab that I use for any portable set up like this one and it also provides an additional Pro Cab on the main layout!

First of all, the turnout will not respond to my NCE cab, although it will cycle through it's movements through the 2 second hold on the fuction button on the turnout?

Second, I have a new Tsunami equiped Spectrum 2-6-6-2 with the Vandy tender and although it goes through the turnout forward and backward in the straight position, it will only go through the divergent position in forward. In reverse it derails every time? The tender gets through but not the trailing truck and drivers? Several F units go through fine and a Spectrum 4-6-0 has a little problem but will usually make it?

The 2-6-6-2 goes through my Peco #6  turnouts and even my Atlas #8's with no problem?

Joe,

While I appreciate your efforts these configurations require that you can't have a straight mainline and you must jog both the mainline and the siding. This defeats the whole idea of having a slower train pull on to the siding while the express or passenger goes by on straight track with out slowing down?

The truth is that in order to have a proper parallel siding using Bachmann EZ track #6 turnouts you can either "kit bash" the needed track piece yourself or wait for Bachmann to correct this deficiency. I just don't see any other way to do it?

Although the original intent may have been a simple on the floor layout, it has gone way past that! When you add crossovers and DCC #6 turnouts at $60 plus (MSRP) you are going way beyond a simple "floor layout" that come with a train set! Bachmann themselves is touting it as a comprehensive track system. They have advertisements that show the track laid out on carpet and then ballasted with scenery side by side in the same picture! This contention of only simple track plans does not hold up!

Bottom line is that Bachmann needs to add some very badly needed accessory track pieces in order to properly use some of their more expensive components! In my opinion, there is absolutely no excuse to offer a turnout that can not be configured so that both diverging tracks can be made to run parallel to each other. Whether for use as a run around track or a passing siding, this is pretty basic stuff! To offer a "high speed" #6 turnout that can not be configured in this manner is akin to having a "senior moment" Kato includes these pieces with their #6 remote turnout and offers them sepertely in 2 per package seperately. Bachmann should do something similar.

I don't think there is much more to be said about this problem? The ball is in Bachmann's court and they are the only ones who can correct the problem! For those who don't see this as a problem or think it is bad form to point out these kinds of issues? Have a nice day! 

ABC your position seems to be that any criticism of Bachmann EZ track is to be frowned upon? I guess in your mind it is beyond criticism? EZ Track, love it or leave it!!

I have pointed out a legitimate problem that other people also recognize. I have then pointed out what a competitor has done to solve the same problem. Sorry you don't approve, but a problem can't be fixed until it is pointed out and time and effort can be saved by seeing how others have dealt with a similar problem? It is called constructive criticism and keeping an eye on the competition. It improves the products that we as modelers are offered! I am sorry that you can't see that I am interested in having Bachmann solve the problem for everybody, even you. I think Bachmann is doing some great things and own an awful lot of their HO and On30 products but this forum exists to share solutions and voice our opinions. Concerns and observations both positive and negative benefit of all of us and especially Bachmann!!

With all due respect Jim, why should I have to make a custom piece of track to do something that is so common and should have been provided for in the first place by Bachman? Additional #6 turnouts is not an option for a double ended passing siding and parallel passing sidings are not some obscure trackage like a double slip switch. They are both common and required for standard RR operation! I would also say that making a shorter piece of EX track is not quite as easy as you infer and would be difficult for most users who have chosen to use ready made track in the first place? Can it be done? Of coarse! My position is that it should not be necessary in order to install such a common and useful from of trackage! Go to Kato's site and look at what is provided for configuring just about anything with a #6 turnout of ready made track! Bachmann could learn something!!

ABC,
To my knowledge we are not talking about turnouts being equal to any particular curved section? We are talking about how many degrees of redirection are required to bring the diverging leg of the turnout back into a parallel with the straight leg, as would be needed for a double ended passing siding. The radius is not the issue! Any sufficient radius would work! The degrees of arc is the issue! 90 degrees of arc makes a full right ot left turn. The #6 need about 9 degrees and Backman makes no such track!

I believe you are mistaken? A full 22R piece is 22.5 degrees of arc and a 1/2 22R is 11.25 degrees. The EZ track #6 needs somewhere between 9 and 9.5 degrees of arc to run parallel! The EZ track 26R, 28R, 33.25R and 35.5R are all 18 degrees per piece. A half size piece of any of these would provide 9 degrees or arc! However, Bachmann make none of these in half sizes!

Joe,
I would be happy to just as soon as it arrives! I got it from the Favorite Spot on eBay and I was just holding out to see what else I needed to buy to make it work? I will get you the information as soon as I receive it!
Geoff

Joe,

Yes I just purchased a DCC #6 on eBay for a great price! I have enough EZ track to make an oval with 22"R curves and about 20 pieces of straight track. I have been using some of the straight track as a test and programming track that can be broke down and moved along with my NCE Power Cab DCC system. I thought the passing siding would be nice to park a few locomotives on. Large motive power can be a pain to put back on the track with all the wheels and older eyes.

My main layout, in the early stages, is about 18ft x 32ft. It is in a room in my daylight basement and uses flex track and high grade turnouts on cork and Homosote. I have a NCE Pro Cab Radio with two 5 amp boosters for use on this layout.

This situation with the #6 is not an earth shattering problem for me but it is annoying. I felt is was something worth discussing for the group in general. I am disappointed that Bachmann did not take this into consideration when their main rival has handled these situation admirably. It just goes to show that you can't assume anything no matter how obvious it may seem? I guess I will just sell the #6?

I want to thank everyone for their input but until Bachmann decides to deal with this, I see no viable solution for those who want to use EZ track?

Geoff