does any one know 4-4-0 with DCC/sound is any good?

[trainmanchris]

i plan on getting a bachmann modern 4-4-0 southern for my new(and first) layout for comuter sevice..............is it any good though?

just want to know befor wasting $400:D

chris

[Pacific Northern]

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=84159

Micro Mart Spectrum 4-4-0's with sound a lot less

[trainmanchris]

thats great.........i'm looking for something easy to order and it has to be southern..........sorry but no i was asking if it WAS ANY GOOD......not price...............i can handel$$$ its the knowing if it will work befor i wast that money i'm asking about

[Pacific Northern]

I have a couple of these engines with DCC but not with sound. The engines are superb runners, great speed control at the low end and for a light engine pull a 4 car 60' coach set around my layout.  The coach set is the Rivarossi set with interior and is fairly heavy.

The LHS had a Sound unit in stock and the purchaser has  brought the engine to the club a couple of times and it sounds great. (to me at least) I am  told that the sound card is one of the best available for now.

[trainmanchris]

ok that's good news.............would a 70' baggage and two 82 paired window coaches go good?(walthers )

[Pacific Northern]

As the Walthers coaches are condidered to be good quality products and come with metal wheels, etc. I would be surprised if they did not pull and track as well as the 60' Rivarossi coaches.

I just prefer the shorter coaches with the 4-4-0's and 4-6-0's that I run. More in keeping with the time frame for me. 

I also have a smaller layout with tighter curves unfortunatley. A 26" curve is my widest and I also have a couple of 18" curves tucked away thankfully out of sight but the trains need to be able to handle those curves which they do very well with the shorty 60' Rivarossi sets.

[Pacific Northern]

i plan on getting a bachmann modern 4-4-0 southern for my new(and first) layout for comuter sevice..............is it any good though?

just want to know befor wasting $400:D

chris

If you subscribe to Model Railroader magazine you can check out the indepth review of this engine. As well as most others on their web page forum. If you are not a subscriber you could search the site and at least get feedback from owners and other members.
http://cs.trains.com/search/SearchResults.aspx?q=spectrum%204-4-0&f=ODg=&u=

[trainmanchris]

ok well all i'm asking is can it pull three passenger car at a pace???

[trainmanchris]

sorry "A good pace"

[CNE Runner]

I have two of the little buggers and love them both...sweet runners. Both of mine came from Micro Mark (one steel cab - DCC and one wood cab - DCC/sound) which seems to have the best price I found. Other than a programming glitch (see my post regarding programming booster), I have had no problems with either engine.

As far as pulling a passenger car at pace...what pace? Since I only have a shelf layout, I cannot really get these babies hoofing. I can tell you that, during the break-in on a circular track, they seem to fly. American 4-4-0s were extremely light engines that pulled short strings of cars on less than perfect roadbed. In other words, speed was not one of their requirements (excepting Old 999 of course).

[trainmanchris]

yeah well can it move with the three walthers heavyweights at all........and only around 50 scale mph at most...........most likly 40

[SteamGene]

The Walthers heavyweights have problems with curves of less than 30" radius.  Even then, the overhang is extreme.  What era are you modeling?
Gene

[trainmanchris]

well not A eara just building a nice layout so me and friends can run our trains.........i'm useing woodlandsenics mod-u-rail.......i guess 30".........but here's the thing.......all most all of my walthers cars will be converted to 4 wheel pullman trucks so i don't know now..........but nothin like well cars or anything realy long like that

[CNE Runner]

Gee...I don't know: a 4-4-0 pulling heavyweight cars? Why not get something a little more appropriate? If you want a light engine how about a Pacific? American 4-4-0s were THE engine at the beginnings of rail traffic in the U.S. They handled rough, uneven track and pulled the short cars of the day. Because the freight demands of the nation changed, the railroads went with increasingly larger engines to handle the demand: Consolidations etc. One of the problems facing early railroads was the fact that the rail infastructure was not designed to handle the larger engines. This resulted in the construction of heavier bridges and culverts as well as the introduction of heavier steel rail.

Anyway and American 4-4-0 would look best pulling 8 to 12 freight cars (of the 36' or smaller variety) and 3 or 4 Overton-type passenger cars. I just think you could spend your modeling dollars on more appropriate motive power...of course they are YOUR dollars. Have fun with whatever you decide.

[trainmanchris]

well i got my idea and i'm sticking to it..........but could someone just answer my dam question,.......if it can pull three dam cars and does it run good