old #62301 has flywheels, brand new does not - why?

[on30gn15]

At end of last month I bought direct from Bachmann via Shopatron a #62301 GP30 EMD demonstrator - direct current only, Non-DCC version.

Yesterday at swap meet I bought an older one of same from days when body just snapped on instead of screwing on; and circuit board was attached to shell instead of frame.

The secondhand old #62301 has flywheels, brand new direct from Bachmann does not - why?

I am disappointed by that.

[richg]

That is not unusual at all. The motor/gear train might be better quality in the present ones. As an example, the HO 2-8-0 is advertised as high quality three pole motor.

Rich

[Joe Satnik]

I'll take a stab at it, Scott.

Could be that the old flywheel didn't make that much difference because of its small size, and flywheel material (brass, perhaps?) is expensive. 

Could be that the newer locos were designed with DCC in mind, where the acceleration/deceleration are software controlled, thus no flywheel needed. 

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

[on30gn15]

Ah, okay. Let me go look up the crotches of the DCC locos on hand right quick, even though I've had them apart to add figures and tinker with the lighting, don't remember if they have flywheels or not, but am suspecting they did not.
Be right back.

Ahh, only teh DCC equipped 30s and 35s have the split frame where you can see up from the bottom - no flywheels.
DCC equipped GP40s have solid floor but part diagram shows no flywheel.

[on30gn15]

appears to be same motor in the GP30s so what I'm thinking is pull one flywheel and swap attachments so each loco has one flywheel
So they will run better as a pari.

Too tired to try that today though, my health is a mess and I stayed at model RR club
mfro 9am to 8pm yesterday even thouhg I knew what it would do to me  

Was wondering what bill I'd have to short Social Security disability money from in order to get another new $60 EMD Demo GP30; but at club swap meet yesterday Dave was selling an older EMD Demo for $30 and I had $20 on me to get laundromat quarters for the next 2 weeks, still owe Dave $10 but it's not like he doesn't know where to find me   and $20 isn't too big a bit out of something else for another round of quarters  

body had some stains on it that looked for all the world like loco had been handled by someone eatch chocolate which melted in your hand not your mouth.
A quick washing of the body with dish soap old toothbrush for cleaning can opener made her shiny as new.
(YES! the bodw as removed for the bath!)

The older one also has the guys in it - they must be modeled on non_US crews since they seem to be wearing ties.

At club yesterday afternoon I started tinkering with the lighting to get bright LED in there instead of factory incandescent.
With the intetn to be running the 2 as a pair back to back, think the rear lights will be removed and left removed.

One of the front coupler cut lever mounting posts was loose on the old GP30 and it slipped of end of wire lever before I got to my glue to resecure it.
Oh well, there are more accurate aftermarket parts available.
Hmm, wonder if unused handrail posts from that pair of IHC 0-80- would be similar enough to use? Would wager that all the posts might be made by the same subcontractor.

[on30gn15]

Interestingly, the old and new EMD demonstrator GP30 have slighttly different paint jobs - which works out well since my intent was to renumber one of the 1962s as a fictional 1963.
(wonder how many people will end up believing there really wsa a GP30 demo numbered 1963? 62 was year the real one was released)

New has black painted radiator, dynamic, and air intakes, old has white.
Mew has white handrails, old has white.
New has GM on front end only, old has GM on both hood ends.
"GP 30" at aft end of long hood is in fonts just a hair different, new is a point or 2 taller and less bold than older one.

One touch that plleaseds my is that the engineer's window is molded open on the GP30 models.

[Jerrys HO]

Dave was selling an older EMD Demo for $30 and I had $20 on me to get laundromat quarters for the next 2 weeks,

Man I'd hate to be Dave when you go back to repay him.

[Jerrys HO]

Could be that the old flywheel didn't make that much difference because of its small size, and flywheel material (brass, perhaps?) is expensive. 

Could be that the newer locos were designed with DCC in mind, where the acceleration/deceleration are software controlled, thus no flywheel needed. 

It must not include the Spectrum class as I have three Spectrum's and they all have flywheel's


Jerry

[on30gn15]

Who knows why.
Eventually going to try swapping drive line parts to have one flywheel on each mechanism.
I think they accelerate and decelerate differently and I want that evened out.
Maybe it is indicative of insanity on my part but it seems worth a try.

[ALCO1000]

I believe the old gp30 with flywheels was an old Spectrum gp30 out of the 90s ,flywheels are good ,seems Bachmann new GP AND SD DIESELS up untill recently did not have flywheels but a chunkier frame  ,Flywheels are costly but mainly used  for momentum gets the herky jerky out of it.DCC helps when there are no flywheels but not the same .I ave a sd40-2 I milled out and put the flywheels off an older plus or spectrum model and it performed better ,and by using the same manufacturers parts it looks factory,lost a little metal weight of the frame  that seemed like a form of aluminum alloy and replaced it with heavier brass so sweet .Many builds and rebuilds.HOPE THIS HELPS!
Jack