Quote from: Chaparral66 on January 28, 2014, 09:56:19 AM
Thank you for your reply and advice concerning my Bachmann 4-8-4 Niagara. I think I will have the plugs installed to disconnect the DCC option. I now recall that I did that with my Bachmann Spectrum J Class and it may have run a little faster afterwards (though I am not sure about that). In any event, the J is a good runner on a DC layout.
When I said the J "flew around" my layout I meant that it could run at full speed (maybe 80 mph scale) across the whole layout and never derail. I realize that that is not prototypical but I mentioned it only to say that while my track work is imperfect, it is pretty good and not so bad that another Bachmann 4-8-4 locomotive couldn't handled it easily. I do think that the Niagara's tender is problematic from a design point of view. It may look realistic with the 5 centipede fixed wheels at the back but it is not practical to run. While my sharpest mainline turns are 22 radius (with a few pinch points where it may be less for a small arc of the turn), I also have grade changes with transitions on curves which all my other locomotives are OK with but I think they too are playing havoc with the Niagara because of the 5 fixed wheels on the tender. Anyway, I think I will add some weight to the tender as recommended and tinker with the track. I just don't want to tear large portions of it up to accommodate this locomotive. I would have liked to see a different tender design. Thanks!
I too have the same problem with the engine derailing the tender I think the design of the coupler is poor as it pushes the tender off of the track. Also the wires can cause a derailment. I pushed them back a bit into the tender and this helped a little. I am now adding weights to the tender a few grams at a time to see if this helps.