Bachmann HO FA2 - Number Boards not Illiminated. Can you believe it?

[Pacific Northern]

Mr. Bachmann,

Not sure if the Bachmann FA2 locomotive recently announced was a preproduction unit but I have a question. The picture from the train show seems to show a blanked out numberboard.

http://www.pbase.com/tracktime/image/136311266

Will the production units have illuminated numberboards?

Also, what will the CN livery be, the green, yellow and black or the red, black and white colours?

Waiting for your response.

[the Bach-man]

Dear PN,
The CN will be yellow and green.
Not sure about the number boards.  I'll ask.
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[Bucksco]

The number boards are not illuminated.

[Jim Banner]

If you like lighted number boards, don't let the lack of them stop you from buying one or a fleet of these.  It is pretty easy to open up the area of the number board - drill a few holes near the edge, connect them with a #11 Xacto knife, and then file the opening to the exact size and shape.  Cut and file a piece of clear plastic and install it or better yet, cut a piece of microscope slide glass to exact size and file the hole to fit after you have prepared the glass.  For numbers, black on white is easy but white on black is possible with many programs too.  Print on thin paper.  Depending on your printer, you can probably print on a piece of cigarette paper stuck to a sheet of regular paper.  Or just use 20 pound copy paper and a brighter LED behind it.  If you have light leakage around the edges of a white on black insert, a bit of black paint on the back will seal around the edge of the paper and hold it in place behind the glass.  Just don't paint behind the numbers!

Whatever you do, be careful.  Once you start lighting number boards, it is all down hill to installing ditch lights, sun visors, windshield wipers, mu cables, etc. until your whole model railroading hobby revolves around that one special locomotive.  When people stop recognizing you without your Optivisor, you know you have gone too far.

Jim 

[J3a-614]

Looking at the photos of the FA-2, I think I would concur with Jim; lighting these yourself should not be too tough a job.  One of the things that would help is that these number boards are nice and flat, and relatively large, on a relatively angular nose; compare this with the curved, flush, and smaller number boards on an EMD E-8 or E-9!  Alternately, be glad these number boards are not free-standing, like those of any number of steam locomotives (those of the C&O and NKP come immediately to mind), or some Southern Pacific diesel switchers!  

The only point of concern is that the plastic not be too thick there, and in any case, work slowly and carefully, especially if you are using a powered drill, such as a Dremel.

As Atlas has long put in the instructions to its (older) building kits, take your time and get your money's worth. . .and in the meantime, check out that linked photo and others, and take note of the radiator fan, the grills with structural members visible through them, and the free-standing grab irons, all things that were not represented in such depth in the past, if even present at all.  If you can get these at some sort of discount, you are looking at prices comparable to Athearn's Ready to Roll line (former Blue Box kits in ready-to-run form), and those are things Athearn still does not have at that price range.

How many of you remember having to drill holes and bend wire for all the grabs on Athearn F-units, and the trouble of making all the cab glass, too?  What about older FA models that had the handrails molded on?  Not to mention that to get a decent paint job, you had to do that yourself as well, with decals? 

How many here recall all that?

[richg]

Re: Bachmann HO FA2 - Number Boards not Illiminated. Can you believe it?

Yes I can believe it. Bachmann tries to find ways to keep cost of locos down. Apparently you have never tried running a model train company.

Rich

[Bucksco]

Pacific - Glad you found a product that suites your needs. The new Bachmann FA units are part of a new series of standard line sound locomotives that have been designed to have great running characteristics,  outstanding sound (Soundtraxx) and a low price. To that end we have to limit how many features are included to keep them at a standard line pricepoint.

I am going to lock this thread since it appears to be going in a negative direction.