Large Scale Central

NEW Bachmann LS Switcher?

General Discussion
#1

Copied this from MLS, not my post:

Quote:
....

An Fn3 vesrsion of the gas mechanical?

http://www.45mm.jp/page175.html
Garrett


…

then I posted this on the Bmann board…

…
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,6001.0.html

Quote:
...

…Interesting links?

http://www.45mm.jp/page175.html

http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/forumid/4/postid/37675/view/topic/Default.aspx

OK Bachmann here is your chance to beat all the pundits on the scoop…


and sent a note to my new buddy Dan…

so let the Rumors begin and let that blame fall on me!

oh, btw…I’d buy one of those!

cale

#2

making news as we type:

Durango Dan has it up!

http://120pointme.blogspot.com/

cale

#3

I must say that I am very disappointed with the Davenport. While it will find a market niche, I feel it will fall into a similar consumer ‘black hole’ as did the 45-tonner - nice loco but who really wants one. No doubt it will find a degree of acceptance, but a better choice would have been the SP ‘little giant’. For reliability, largescalers really need a two-truck diesel to ensure reliable power pickup when traversing frogs. Seems like we need to await 2009 for anything of interest from Bachmann inlargescale.

#4

Would be nice if they could have gotten the counterweights to match each other, angle-wise.

Of course, they now have a paid consultant and are handling all issues “in-house”, so that HAS to be right.
Right?

Imagine the pickup issues on a 4-wheel unit on track power.

Imagine that on dcc.

I guess the new caboose will have pickups on the wheels and an Aristo plug so you can spread the pickup pattern out.

#5

Do you put a Davenplug into a Davenport?

Dan also has links up to the new On30 railbus and trailer. You can have a green bus, a yellow bus, a red bus, or a Susi-Bus.

Here we go again.

Matthew (OV)

#6

Or, you can ride the Short Bus…

#7

A perfect candidate for battery power if you want no pick up worries.

R/C too for perfect control.

#8

Pre-cisely.

Did you happen to notice the particularly fetching white foam coupler centering device between the HUGE coupler and the front beam?
Now, that’s really special.

I wonder aloud if that is required for SUSI Interface…maybe some type of insulation?

Never know what Howard and his paid consultant are going to come up with next.

“The new nmra standard for couplers…mounted in foam…simply re-glue where you want them, no worries about different coupler boxes, springs, height…all problems solved!”

“Coupler Remounting Always Proper”

#9

how do those figures work out in USDollars? I agree Tony, a perfect candidate for the side cutters and 14.4! cale

(http://bp0.blogger.com/_jl-RFo6VUnk/SG_YUXEyUaI/AAAAAAAAA2k/Fb0YfrXovgE/s400/img1115.jpg)

#10

I’m really looking forward to it. In their later years, many NG RRs had some kind of internal combustion critter to use for switching and setout duties in place of crewing and operating a steam engine.

Also, lots of NG construction RRs used critters like that for their main motive power. Even more so around manufacturing plants, sawmills and quarries. There is one in the southwest that was still running just a few years ago!

Since I only use battery + RC, pickup problems don’t exist and it would appear that the Davenport has more potential battery and controller space than most of the 4x4s. An RCS receiver and some reasonable amount of batteries should fit easily. Hopefully at a price that supports getting several for bashing and other uses.

Like TOC, I wonder about the counterweights / cranks. The last two pix seem to really show them in a binding situation. Surely Bachmann won’t go through another axle manufacturing fiasco?? In light of the previous problems, I would think they would have made absolutely certain those media pix showed the counterweights and cranks perfectly aligned / quartered, even if they had to photo shop the images prior to release. It looks like these are pre-production shots, with some of the details (like the coupler pokcet and counterweights) not yet finalized or colored.

Tim, I know lots of folks talk about the 45 tonner falling short on sales. Do you seen any data that verifies that? I have 3 of them and would have a couple more if I had the time to work on them. I know of several folks who operate several and / or have bashed one or more into something they wanted. My sense is that sales of the GE were nominal. If not so, why would Bachmann be putting another IC locomotive forward? Especially one that would address the only complaint I have heard about the 45 tonner: ‘It’s too big’. I think ‘too big’ would also be the response to a model of SP #1, Little Giant.

Another thing that comes to mind is the possibility of operating a Davenport in automated point to point service using battery power and Del Tapparo’s Enhanced Critter Control. I think it would look really good pulling my upgraded Bachmann side dumps!

Now to see if it’s real.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

#11
Jerry Bowers said:
[i][/i]Tim, I know lots of folks talk about the 45 tonner falling short on sales. Do you seen any data that verifies that? I have 3 of them and would have a couple more if I had the time to work on them. I know of several folks who operate several and / or have bashed one or more into something they wanted. My sense is that sales of the GE were nominal. If not so, why would Bachmann be putting another IC locomotive forward? Especially one that would address the only complaint I have heard about the 45 tonner: 'It's too big'. I think 'too big' would also be the response to a model of SP #1, Little Giant.
I don't have any sales figures, but the fact that the price dropped to under $75 and are still available under $90 indicates to me that they didn't sell in the volume expected at the original price point. I think a lot of people snapped them up when the price dropped. I pickled up 3.
#12
Jerry Bowers said:
SNIP Another thing that comes to mind is the possibility of operating a Davenport in automated point to point service using battery power and Del Tapparo's Enhanced Critter Control. I think it would look really good pulling my upgraded Bachmann side dumps!

Now to see if it’s real.

Happy RRing,

Jerry


Not forgetting of course the RCS BOOMERANG battery R/C shuttle which was the 1st on board battery automatic system available in the USA.

#13

Y’all know I’m NOT a diesel person, but I gotta admit that’s got character. Might make a nice “quick” loco to throw on the railroad to just have something running around. Give it a coat of yellow paint, put “M-4” on it, and it’s kinda-sorta close…

(http://www.spikesys.com/Bin/EBT/07306.jpg)

Later, K

#14

OK - Curiosity asks who provided the layout for the Bachmann switcher photo?
Ah, tis it possible this is a test “mule” that one of own contributors to this site has tested?
If so, hmmmm, any knowledge from the multiltudes that Bachmann does decline sending yet-to-be distributed products to some and favors others?
Just questions.
Anyone with insight they can share?

Wendell

#15

Jerry,
basing my assumption on the popularity of the loco from final ‘street’ prices. My first one I paid $495 locally with one still available currently in a local store for over $800. Ridge Road at one time had them for $60 USD each. This is a big markdown from initial MSRP. I have four of them, but like others, purchased them to one day convert to something more ‘user friendly’.

    In relation to the 'little giant',  then this loco was initially designed as a narrow-gauge locomotive and finished its days as a standard gauge model.  The 45-tonner was basically a standard-gauge body on narrow-gauge trucks and while prototypical,  the size discrepancy with existing narrow-gauge rolling stock (typically 1/22.5 scale at the time of release), was something that the typical modeller could not look past.  With 1/20.3 scale stock now readily available then the 45-tonner may find more universal acceptance.

    A Davenprt used for switching duties,  immediately incurs the malady that any short wheelbase model suffers and that is reliable power pickup over switchwork.   As a remote control model then there is definately a market,  but with track power (DC and DCC) still the more 'dominant' market,  I can see many disillusioned users.  The model appears to use drivetrain components from the 'ill-fated' 45-tonner.
#16

Wendell,
railroad used in builder’s photographs is merely a diorama type display and not an actual outdoor road. I would not be surprised if the photographs are actually of Chinese or Japanese origin. The very neat backdrop (potted plants) has a distinctly oriental theme to me. A check of other scale related photographs has the same background in them. I think that Stanley is off the hook in this respect.

#17

Because he set himself up as a self appointed expert on everything, Stanley is never off the hook.

#18

Accidental double post!

#19
TonyWalsham said:
Not forgetting of course the RCS BOOMERANG battery R/C shuttle which was the 1st on board battery automatic system available in the USA.
Oops! Sorry for not remembering that.

I’m so pleased with my RCS R/C equipped locomotives that I forget that you also make an automated stand-alone system. I’ll of course take a look at that too.

I wonder what the lead time to the U.S. is going to be for the Davenport. By the pix, they are at least at the pre-production model stage.

The concern about the short electrical wheelbase is probably well placed, especially when some folks can’t seem to get a long-wheelbase locomotive to go through a turnout! Though as I wrote above, not a problem here.

I do agree the linked pix are on a diorama track and taken in Asia.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

#20

I am sure the foam is packing foam, looks similar to some stuff used in the smaller scales, and my On30 stuff used to get packed in some of this stuff. Wonder if there will be a change from the huge packing boxes for the small locos. Regardless, on mine, the overisze knuckles will be replaced with link and pin to match my other stuff.

The layout shots appear to be the dealer’s layout maybe by the other photos on his site?

The short wheelbase problem has not been a problem for my Porters on my small loop of LGB track and switches on my deck, but a larger layout with balast, this could be true.

The counterweights are a bit odd, maybe time will tell there.

Now to wait for the On30 railbuses to be bigulated!