Welcome to the “Real World” boys, as i have stated on several sites, and was booted out of one for being “honest” without mentioning any names, owner listened to a couple of grandfathered in old Cronies never came to the source to get the “real version” 'PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO HEAR THE TRUTH". Everyone touts that you should always be truthful in everything you do. When you do you are labeled a “troublemaker” or shunned or cast out like a rotten apple in a barrel. But I just plod ahead as I can live with myself, and my truthfulness, and sleep well at nights because of it. So if I ever offend anyone, or make anyone upset, its probably the “Truth” or at the very least how i perceive the situation. Never have been ashamed to say “I’m sorry” if later i’m found to be wrong or had the wrong information! “Say what you mean and mean what you say” You have to live with yourself no one else does! Keep up the good work Dave, who cares what everyone else thinks “Its your trains run em the way you want to”!
I wasn’t going to reply to this, because lately my replies are always contradicted,
But I’ll wade in here.
I wonder if Kevin Strong’s reviewers are edited and sugar coated also?
How can we base our buying decisions on reviews that are not exactly the re viewer’s opinion?
Or is TOC’s the only reviewed that gets edited?
Anyway, TOC, remove all your RCS from your Bachmann’s and re-install them in your LGB or other brands. Then you can really say, it is a “Finis to an era!”
jb
Exactly right, John. GR has just proved that from now on the review content will be based on manufacturer’s input. In my mind, this makes the reviews next to useless.
Hmm. Somebody was having a bad day.
As I read it. Bachmann doesn’t wont Dave doing reviews of there stuff. Did GR say your not going to review anything for them? You could still do reviews of other items. That is if you would after this.
I’m thank full for this forum and a few others but by far this one seems the best. You all give honest open answers about questions and help others out. I never have put much faith in mag or news stories. Having worked on the collage paper I saw first hand how freedom of press is not always the case. GR is not the first to bow to the all mighty dollar and they will not be the last. I guess what is most upsetting to me is that Bachmann has not or did not have the back bone to call you and tell you themself. My dad always said don’t say something about a person behind there back that you wont say to there face. So on that Dave good job and I will always take your input over what i read in GR. And Backmann if your reading this “YOU LOST MY BUSINESS” there is more but this is a family site. 
Geoff George said:
As I read it. Bachmann doesn't wont Dave doing reviews of there stuff. Did GR say your not going to review anything for them? You could still do reviews of other items. That is if you would after this.I’m thank full for this forum and a few others but by far this one seems the best. You all give honest open answers about questions and help others out. I never have put much faith in mag or news stories. Having worked on the collage paper I saw first hand how freedom of press is not always the case. GR is not the first to bow to the all mighty dollar and they will not be the last. I guess what is most upsetting to me is that Bachmann has not or did not have the back bone to call you and tell you themself. My dad always said don’t say something about a person behind there back that you wont say to there face. So on that Dave good job and I will always take your input over what i read in GR. And Backmann if your reading this “YOU LOST MY BUSINESS” there is more but this is a family site.
Should read “Backbitemann”
You know, I guess this does raise the question as to how can we trust any review from Kalmbach?
Geoff George said:
As I read it. Bachmann doesn't wont Dave doing reviews of there stuff. Did GR say your not going to review anything for them? You could still do reviews of other items. That is if you would after this.I’m thank full for this forum and a few others but by far this one seems the best. You all give honest open answers about questions and help others out. I never have put much faith in mag or news stories. Having worked on the collage paper I saw first hand how freedom of press is not always the case. GR is not the first to bow to the all mighty dollar and they will not be the last. I guess what is most upsetting to me is that Bachmann has not or did not have the back bone to call you and tell you themself. My dad always said don’t say something about a person behind there back that you wont say to there face. So on that Dave good job and I will always take your input over what i read in GR. And Backmann if your reading this “YOU LOST MY BUSINESS” there is more but this is a family site.
Geoff, the way I read it is Bachmann doesnt want ANYONE giving an honest assessment of their product. Plain and simple…
Ric Golding said:Ric, given that I have never read a "bad" review in GR, I just view them as "introductions" to a new product, for the real blood and guts, I read user comments on forums like LSC and MLS, they have no agendas or advertising dollars to risk.
You know, I guess this does raise the question as to how can we trust any review from Kalmbach?
Ric Golding said:When I stopped seeing "Incorrect scale/gauge" in Accucraft, USA Trains, and LGB reviews, I knew they had gone from reviews to advertising.
You know, I guess this does raise the question as to how can we trust any review from Kalmbach?
More phone calls and e-mails this morning concerning this.
I have this “clarification”, based upon communication between Doug Blaine at Bachmann and Marc Horovitz at GR (published verbatim with permission):
"Dave,
I received an e-mail from Doug Blaine regarding your posting on Large
Scale Central. To clarify things, the purpose of Doug’s call to me
yesterday was to express concern that your review did not adequately
cover Bachmann’s “Super socket.” Regarding your future reviews of
Bachmann products, the door is not necessarily closed. It will be my
decision who, in the future, reviews these products.
If you could clarify these points in your posting, I would appreciate it.
Regards,
Marc Horovitz
Editor, GARDEN RAILWAYS"
Now, to address this issue.
The review was 5 columns long.
NObody said to “concentrate on the Ames Super Socket”.
No-one from Bachmann sent me a list of items that would supposedly plug into this, nor did they send me samples of said items to plug into said socket.
At the time of the writing, I think the QSI was a plug-in.
But, we were not sure.
If I had mentioned QSI, all hell would have broken loose from any manufacturer who had something they claimed would plug into that socket.
In the roughly 3 months since the review was submitted, several more manufacturers have come up with plug-in units, INCLUDING RCS, the owner of which I worked closely with on development by giving him measurements, voltage and current readings, and what signals on what pinouts actually did.
Bachmann did NOT send a unit to RCS for development, rather, Tony and I worked together to develop this unit, and when he finally obtained a K-27, it worked.
Equal coverage was given to as many aspects of the K-27 as space allowed.
I asked, and have been told, that if I had submitted 6 pages of review material, it would probably NOT have been any longer in print as it was.
This is the content of the data submitted for the review on the socket:
“In the tender, visible for the most part through the rectangular opening once the coal load is removed, is the new electronics board.
This is designed for some things to plug into, and solder pads are provided along one side for those who do not want to use the sockets.
I think this constitutes the sixth or seventh interface board design for Bachmann Large Scale.
This one provides three switches for motor on/off, track polarity, and track/other. Consumers should be aware that the only screw terminals provided in this model are marked “BATT”, and really are only so for controllers plugged into the two parallel control system sockets provided in the electronics board in the tender.
For other applications, they are “Throttle Output”. If you use any system for control that does not plug into the sockets, connect charged batteries to these terminals and actuate the slide switches, you will have a full-speed launch.
When feeding through the “BATT” terminals, the polarity switch and motor on/off work normally.
This can be an issue if your choice of control systems is not protected from reverse battery power. The “BATT” terminals are marked “+” and “-“, but the inputs to the socket assembly actually changes polarity with the moving of the track polarity switch.”
I do not see any negative content regarding the Ames Super Socket in this review submittal.
TOC
Really now! How can you review what doesn’t yet exist or have no way in testing if it does?!? Just more of the dark side trying to shove DCC down the throats of no one who wants it.
-Brian
You obviously left this part out:
"Wow, the AMES Super Socket is so super it defies description. God knows I’ve tried to find out what problem it solves, but no one wants to answer THAT question. But, it is so kewl. I don’t know how we got along without it up to this point. In fact, it’s going to really change the way I do installations in the future. I can’t begin to tell you what it will help. "
Heck, the Bachmann site provides less detail. Out of 19 bullets, there is one that states “interface to accommodate DC, NMRA DCC, and remote control/battery operation.” There is NO mention of which boards it interfaces with, nor how the interface is supposed to accommodate these different methods of control.
One has to be careful when posting comments! Two years ago yesterday I posted an “April Fools” post on MLS that said Bachmann had bought Accucraft. I made the mistake of using real people and made it sound plausible. It was all in fun but Bachaman and Accucraft demanded apologies in print! WHAT YOU POST CAN BITE YOU IN THE BUTT!!! (Something to remember…)
Dave WASN'T supposed to get a K in time for a review if SOMEBODY had his way! Dave's comments on the "Super socket" (which the Bach-man has said is Dave's name and NOT Bachmann's name for it) and his insistence on "ripping it out" and pushing the "Jurrasic Park" method of r/c battery convinced SOMEBODY that Dave was biased toward DCC and what SOMEBODY was trying to accomplish with Bachmann! This K-27 has been "handled" from the beginning. Dave wasn't supposed to do the review and when it showed up in print I'm willing to bet that SOMEBODY was pretty unhappy about it!
One thing that isn't being discussed openly is the problem with the gear ratio! It's 1:14.5!! What that means is that the K will go like a rocket (anybody watch the warp speed demo on LSOL?) but have half the pulling power! What could have happened? Dave has theorized that Bachmann used a gear ratio of 1:29 but that they realized they would need a double worm gear [i]and they didn't change the gearing ratio so the 1:29 was halved into 1:14.5![/i] It's a logical conclusion and I have yet to see any confirmation of this theory in print but what the ramifications are is that the engine begins to draw a LOT of amperage trying to negotiate our high percentage grades! I seem to recall that 3 amps was supposed to be the maximum and the K, as currently configured, routinely hits this! Dave and Barry Olson of Barry's Big Trains were working on a solution but I'm sure that the people at Bachmann have got it all figured out and that nothing is wrong because SOMEBODY says it's so! (Sheesh!.....)
The thing is that Dave documents EVERYTHING! He keeps emails and posts because there are people out there that LOVE to "spin" things to satisfy the moment and damn the truth! It's a form of CYA as much as anything else! Dave doesn't make idle comments that he can't back up with facts and figures. SOMEBODY hasn't realized this yet! (Y'know, it's taking longer than we thought but DOOR #2 is looming on the horizon.....) I will say this though: Marc Horovitz has gone a LONG way toward reassuring me that GR reviews aren't just talking points distributed by Bachmann's marketing dept. by his insistence on editorial independence and his openness about this. I still say Dave should punt the next locomotive altogether! PURPOSEFULLY take a break and let them deal with it by themselves! The results should be interesting....I agree, there’s nothing negative there, unless one considers warning battery users that the polarity switch could short their systems to be a “negative”. That’s actually the kind of helpful, honest information one expects from a review.
Perhaps Bachmann thinks their SuperSocket is the greatest invention in the history of large scale, and simply neglecting to tout it as such constitutes a “negative review”?
I have been buying Garden Railways as well as Model Railroader from the news stands for years. Obviously Marc Horovitz is more concerned with his advertisers than his readers.
I have bought my last issue of both magazines.
I will take the money I save and send it to Bob to upgrade my membership. I learn much more here.
Ralph
Before we go off on Marc Horovitz we need to remember that this is Bachmann demanding that Dave not write reviews! Marc HASN’T GONE ALONG WITH THIS!! It remains to be seen what reviews will be done and by whom! Before I accuse ANYONE of becoming “just a mouthpiece” I would want to see what they have printed! While we are incensed by Doug Blaine’s outrageous demands, we mustn’t lump Marc Horovitz in with him!! In some ways Marc is even more a victim than is Dave! Let’s go easy on Marc as this issue is just getting warmed up! Bachmann REALLY doesn’t want to go down this road…
Model Railroader Reviews: The K-27
The most recent issue had a review of the K-27. I found it non-controversial and certainly non-threatening to Bachmann. What was in this review that was not in Dave’s effort?
Is MR in time-out for the same reasons given to Dave?
Wendell
Interesting.
Seems I am now on Mister Blaine’s list of e-mail correspondence.
One quote, when asked, what appears to be repeatedly, about not have someone named “D.Goodson” write reviews:
“Never did suggest/request that, and never would.”
SOMEBODIES lips are moving.
The apparent snag is the comment:
“This is designed for some things to plug into, and solder pads are provided along one side for those who do not want to use the sockets.”
My response:
" I do appreciate the note that you included with the review sample directing me to concentrate on said Ames Super Socket, and for providing data and samples of all items that would plug into it for testing and review purposes."
Do you know how many “things” of “some” would plug into the Ames Super Socket 3 months ago?
To the best of my understanding, since the first unit hit someone’s house on or about 21DEC07, we still, as in not yet, do not have a published list of what works on the Bachmann Forum, as promised…I think LAST YEAR.
Even MR wasn’t specific, from the little I saw of the review.
“These new Bachmann Spectrum narrow gauge models also have provisions for adding a sound system and a Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder or a Radio Control (RC) receiver.”
CYA, Olympic Backpedaling, oh, boy, I don’t want to get specific…
Steve Stockham said:You are correct. I should have referenced Kalmbach Publishing. My apologies to Mr. Horovitz.
Before we go off on Marc Horovitz we need to remember that this is Bachmann demanding that Dave not write reviews! Marc HASN'T GONE ALONG WITH THIS!! It remains to be seen what reviews will be done and by whom! Before I accuse ANYONE of becoming "just a mouthpiece" I would want to see what they have printed! While we are incensed by Doug Blaine's outrageous demands, we mustn't lump Marc Horovitz in with him!! In some ways Marc is even more a victim than is Dave! Let's go easy on Marc as this issue is just getting warmed up! Bachmann REALLY doesn't want to go down this road....