Here is another from Ebay on Dec 2  It went for $100.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BACHMANN-98278-Hopper-Christmas-Scrooge-NP-S-X-mas-NIB_W0QQitemZ280178419717QQihZ018QQcategoryZ19152QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

They are out there.

Wish I had 5 or six then I could afford a three truck Shay!!!

There was one on Ebay just last month it sold for $52.  Try posting a Want It Now ad on Ebay.   Also start trying smaller dealers advertizing in Garden Railways.

Best of luck!!

Hi Guy's

The set was a Milwaukee Road Passenger set part of the Bachmann Golden Classics series.   The set 90094 came with a coach and an observation car.  The set this guy is selling as New in box has a full baggage and a combine.  The full baggage and combine were add on cars that you could buy seperately and must have been mistakenly put in the box by the original owner after playing with it.  I love the cars which is why i noticed it. 

The train with all four cars is a beauty!!!

These sets sold for about $130 Brand new.  His buy it now price of $500 is a bit much.  Maybe some fool will buy it at that price. 

Here us one being sold as new in box and doesnt even have the correct passenger cars that came with the original set!   Better Buy it now!!!!!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=350002748474&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=022

Better than Ebay for many items
If you want good prices on Bachmann or any G Scale Item check with Robby at RLD Hobbies.  Great packing Great Service Great Prices. If you don't see it online call toll free you will get personal help.  Click below!

http://www.rldhobbies.com/

There is a beautiful G Scale set called The Royal Blue.  It is out of production but was made in large numbers and always available on Ebay.  It is not rare and sells from between $80 and $160.  I would buy only those listed as Mint in Box or new in box.  Buy Items graded no less than C-8 

http://toys.search.ebay.com/Royal-Blue_Bachmann_W0QQcatrefZC6QQfgtpZQQfposZ63381QQfromZR2QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQlopgZQQsabfmtsZ1QQsacatZ19152QQsadisZ200QQsaobfmtsZinsifQQsaprchiZQQsaprcloZQQsargnZQ2d1QQsaslcZ2QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZbs

Click on the above to see some of the royal blue items available on EBay.

Happy rememberances

Iyou have grades it is almost impossible to equalize both engines even if they are equally geared.   As a locomotive slows going up the grade it is often easy for the second one to catch up.  And as Brian says if the gearing is different it is even worse.   My son would run two trains by putting the fastest one first and the slower one directly behind, that way the faster train would take longer to catch up.

The simplest way I know is to put a gap in one of the rails at the begining of a siding, run a wire from one side of the gap to a simple on and off switch then to the other side of the gap.  You could then pull a train into the siding, turn the switch to the off position and it will be isolated.  If the siding is double endedyou will need the gap at both entrances of the siding, but just the one switch.

The block systen you used on the HO works well in G Scale.  To make gaps in the Bachmann Track you would have to remove the rail joiners.  Aristo Craft makes some cheap plastic rail joiners that might fit on the ends of the bachmann track.  Another way is to simply cut a gap int the center of one of the rails, and use a wooden toothpick and superglue to keep the gap open.  I can't remember who I saw doing that but it did work.   

As for DCC I used it in HO years ago and spent more time fiddling around with it I gave up.  The newer systems are more reliable and some swear by it.  I still use the old block system and it allows friends with track powered locos or battery power locos to use the same track as long as the battery loco is fully isolated from the track.   Bachmann DCC which I saw on their demonstration layouts seemed to work well, but it was On30.

See if you can find the book Wiring your Model Railroad by Kalmbach, it is a great guide for the block system of wiring.

Sorry I coul not be of more help!

GJ,

Yes they are out there, the stock number is 98278.   They show up from time to time on EBAY, but I would check first with Trainworld or St Aubin's for the best price.  They bring a pretty fair price on ebay!!

Happy hunting!

Give Robby a call at RLD Hobbies, He may be able to help.  He has great service low prices and great packing & shipping.   I don't know any who do gift cards. 

Toll Free 877 753 4629

http://www.rldhobbies.com/

It is best to call.   

Look on the front of the boiler, there is a little latch that swings away allowing you to swing the boiler front to the side.  The switches are located right behind.

Enjoy your new Train!!!!

When I was six I managed to wreck(have accidentswith) just about every train I got.

I managed to wreck a real nice American Flyer Santa Fe Passenger train set.  Ruined the motor, got scratches and dents all over it, broke the couplers, bent the track, and lord only knows what else.  At eight my brother and I blew up a boxcar with firecrackers!  We really caught heck over that one. 

When my grandson turned four, we got him some Thomas trains with the wooden track. three years later he still enjoys it and loves to get new pieces.   He makes all kinds of track plans and switches cars, and now has some of the motorized engines.  It seems to me that it has had a great play value, is hard to break, and stands up to heavy use, but most of all is very educational.

Hmmmm, maybe I'll blow up another boxcar for my 68th birthday next year!!

Have a Great Christmas everyone and stay young at heart!!!!

Real Nice Work!

From you description it is very hard to diagnose your problem.   If the locomotives derail at the same spot every time I would suspect the problem is with the track.

Since you nailed down the track, it is possible that you nailed it down too hard. Sometimes when nailed too hard the track will bend enough to cause derailments.

If the derailments happen at the start of a grade, your transition from the level to the grade may be too sharp, and this could be the cause.

It would be best if your grades are limited to no more than 4% ( a rise of 4 inches in 100 inches of track length).   

It is also important to make sure your track is level from side to side.  If there are twists in the track this will definitely cause problems with the Big Hauler 4-6-0.   You say it happens on a curve,  if the track is not level from side to side along the entire curve you will have derailments with the 4-6-0

If it is not the track, check the front truck to be sure the tiny wires that feed power from the truck to the motor are not interfereing with the movement of the truck.  Turn the locomotive over and check the swing of the truck from side to side to make sure it swings freely.    The sharper your curves the more important this is. 

Hopefully some of this information will help. 

When I first got started I did not lay the track as well as I should have, and I had many derailments.  After redoing my track very carefully derailments were mostly eliminated. 

Kim,

I have seen new boxes of fifty straight track sell on Ebay for over $100, curves seem to sell for less. 

A lot will depend on the condition.   Best you look on Ebay for G Scale, then Bachmann, then track.  Then check out a few.   

Good luck.

Wilson.  I do not know if this will work.  I saw it on another website and copied it for reference.  I wish I could give proper credit, but I can't find the original again.  Perhaps it will help. 

"She had a definate hitch in her get-along. At slow speeds she would hesitate badly whenever the side rods reached the same spot in their rotation. I've experienced this problem with a number of 10 wheelers in the past and have a quick cure that has once again worked and she runs as slow and smooth as I would expect.
If your loco does the same, simply remove the side rods and use a reamer to slightly enlarge the holes in the rods. The little extra slack allows things to move without a hitch and compensates for wheels that are apparently slightly out of quartering."

Author unknown!!