Bachmann Alco 2-6-0 | Insanely Cheap DCC Sound | Unboxing & Review

[@robinforrest7680]

The separately fitted pump on the side of the boiler is the Westinghouse air pump for the air brakes which is why it goes chuff, chuff when stationary. Nice wee locomotive.

[@sambrown6426]

Westinghouse is actually the name of one specific company that produced those, the proper term is 'cross-compound'.

[@greatbritain2017]

@@sambrown6426 don’t be pedantic - just like saying it’s a vac vs Hoover - everyone knows what you mean 🤣

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks for this Robin - duly noted! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@michaelprice3609]

Southern subsidiary New Orleans Terminal Company had 5 of these locomotives. They were built in 1905 by Baldwin and numbered 7080 to 7084. They were retired 1933 to 1937.

[@alanhaynes4576]

The piece on the side with the 2 shiny bits in it is what is called a Cross Compound Air Pump. This is one of the key parts of the Westinghouse Brake System. No Vacuum brake on this loco. The pump charges the Main Reserviour on the loco. That sound that began on connection to power is the sound a Cross Compound air pump makes.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks a lot for sharing Alan - appreciate this! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@SouRwy4501Productions]

Most American locomotives have a cross compound air compressor. All American steam locomotives have air brakes. Even the SR USA class (usatc s100) have sing air compressors and air brakes.

[@davidbugler4597]

Unlike in the UK, most American railway companies bought locos built and designed by Alco or Baldwin -- like smaller companies buying from the Beyer Peacock or Kitson catalogues in the UK. A few American companies designed their own, then had Alco or Baldwin build them. Only a couple of the biggest companies had their own loco-building works. This model looks like a bog-standard Alco product of around 1920 -- each buyer would of course have company-specific requirements for fittings and details.

[@quintinbarnhart]

The headlight should turn on with function 0, and would have a dynamo sound as well. Once these are programmed and the speed limited, if momentum is turned on, they are a fantastic switching loco. It looks like the pilot axle is binding, that pony truck might be gripping a little tight to the axle. As far as the jerking backwards, it could be a number of things, my best guess is that it is the motor shaft has too much play and the worm is slightly lifting every rotation off the idler gear. I’m sorry the sound is irritating to you, the sound selection for these locos is actually really good, but a lot has to be programmed and volumes adjusted. The first sound you hear when power is applied is the air pumps, and it doesn’t loop, it has cadences based on acceleration and deceleration, just like the real ones.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks for that - yep definitely not getting anything on function 0... time for a better controller I think! Duly noted, thanks for sharing, Cheers, Sam :)

[@streetfightinmanrs]

The Sound Value line does not come standard with the dynamo sound. Just Bell (F1), Long Whistle (F2), Short Whistle (F3), Blow down (F4) and the idling/chuffing. The Sound Value DCC decoder is a parsed-down Soundtraxx decoder that eliminated extra sounds and functions to make it a bit cheaper for model railroaders who don’t need all the extras when just starting out, but can upgrade later with a drop-in upgrade with more whistles and functions from soundtraxx. I used my Alco 2-6-0 as a test for painting backhead detail, re-lettering, weathering, and programming speeds with the command station.

[@josephtucker7181]

You have to remember this is supposed to work with bachmann dcc controller you only get functions 1-10

[@ecpcharles]

The bachmann 2-6-0 is based on the Green Bay & Western class R 2-6-0 loco (pretty accurate actually) which bachmann painted in a whole lot of fantasy schemes for other railroads.

[@alexanderstrubeck6253]

I also have one of these locos (mine’s in a Lackawanna Railroad livery) and I paid $100 for mine. It was a great bargain at that price

[@SamsTrains]

Wow yeah - perfect for that price! :D Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@adriannash2705]

Same here but mines NYC 1906 and I paid the same when I got it or maybe $10 more, I forgot

[@Ryan_Rail]

I got one off my friend's brother once best $60 I ever spent, granted mine was only DC but it's the best little engine I got. (A.T.S.F 9446)

[@TheAtlantaRailfan]

The function button for the headlight is button 0, if it doesn't work with button 0 then it is your controller and the reason the locomotive is so fast is that its decoder is designed for a 28 speed-step system, not a 100 step one.

[@Poliss95]

Confusingly there are two kinds of speed steps. There's the speed steps in the decoder. They are like gears in a car. The more speed steps a decoder has the smoother the acceleration is. The Bachman Sound Vale decoder supports 14, 28 and 128 speed steps. In the beginning DCC controllers and decoders only had 14 speed steps. This was soon increased to 28, then 128 speed steps. The 14 speed steps is still included just in case you have a very old controller. We're talking about the 1990s here. The other kind of speed steps found on DCC controllers are notional speed steps that are just there as a guide on how fast your loco is going. On my controller you can set the speed steps to MPH, KPH or just simple 1 to 126. The 100 KPH doesn't mean the loco goes at a scale speed of 100 KPH.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks for sharing Steve - yeah I tried function 0... and all the other functions for that matter! I've had other Bachmann sound value locos that do exactly the same thing on this controller... so I definitely suspect the controller! Interesting about the speed steps... I'll have to see if I can find any settings in Railmaster to change... but don't hold your breath! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@williamsquires3070]

Yeah, and most decoders have 14, 28, or 128 speed steps. I’ve never encountered a decoder with 100 speed steps, though you could fake it (on high-end decoders that have programmable speed tables ) by programming the 1st 100 speed steps in the table, then setting the remainder (28) to whatever top-end speed value you have for step 100.

[@jamesm6638]

As with most USA bachmann models, its pretty much a generic design with as many roadnames they can stamp on it... still, the prices make them great for beginners, which is what we need more of to keep the hobby alive

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks James - yeah you're right, definitely noticed that pattern with the locos I've bought! xD Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@bentullett6068]

Its similar to the Hornby Railroad range idea in the UK. Utilise older models that once were in the main detailed locomotive, carriage and wagon ranges and sell them cheaper for beginners or people who want to custom weather and super detail a model.

[@jamesm6638]

@@bentullett6068 bachmann does have a few winners in their lineup, the 2-6-6-2 has awesome detail and runs nicely... and their 2-8-4's are much cheaper than brass (or even the p2k version) albeit at a lower level of detail... I haven't tried their new USRA 2-8-2 or PRR k4 yet but I'm assuming they'd be good for newcomers... you can buy a k4 in brass for about the same price tho lol

[@bentullett6068]

@@jamesm6638 I have seen some of Bachmanns US diesel locomotive models on layouts here in the UK and they look fantastic. I have seen a few of the US steam locomotives as well and they don't look too bad either.

[@jamesm6638]

@@bentullett6068 yeah I've got a couple spectrum gp30's and they're not bad, any kato clone mechanism is gonna hold up pretty well... not sure what the UK locos look like inside but Id imagine they're similar

[@JonatanGronoset]

I have one of these in the Lackawanna scheme and so far it's been a solid runner even if a bit speedy (typical Bachmann). They have headlights on F0 and a nice crawl, so it is your rubbish PC controller! Scrap that thing and get a proper handheld DCC unit and every DCC loco will thank you. Furthermore, the model CAN run in DC mode, you have instructions on how it works and you'd do well to READ those before slamming full DC power through them as some DC units can damage them by overcurrent - indicated by the headlights flashing. For my Bachmann drawbars I've glued on a tiny bit of rubber tube on the tender end to keep them from coming apart, and since I never disconnect my locos and tenders when transporting them anyway, this is a perfectly viable solution.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks for sharing! Yeah solid runners aren't they? As for running on DC, the instructions read "The decoder is set to operate *immediately* using either a 12 volt DC power pack or NMRA-compatible DCC command station". The instructions also say not to exceed 27 volts... so slamming it with the full 12v of my Gaugemaster shouldn't do any harm whatsoever, though I tested it at all speeds with zero response. Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@JonatanGronoset]

@@SamsTrains Hmm, the common trend for H0 controllers is 16-18v though? Is 12v a UK standard by chance? I've experienced that some older controllers could put out well over 20v in some cases but your Gaugemaster shouldn't have that problem if its capacity is 12v... As for the "set to operate Immediately" part of the instructions, I know most Sound Value models I own will play sound and display lights at around 4-6v, then they start moving. It is normal as the decoders need a certain voltage to "wake up" as yours does, perhaps there is an incorrectly set CV making yours not recognize when to start moving??? I have tested mine using a cheapo Mehano controller at 13v and it ran ok with lights... guess you won the raffle and got another "Quality Suprise" from Bachmann! At any rate, get a proper DCC unit for your trains, that Railmaster software drives both _you_ and _us_ crazy. ;)

[@Trains-With-Shane]

@@SamsTrains If your DC controller is only putting out 12v that may be the problem. My trusty old ancient Life-Like (Same controller was also made for Bachmann, Lionel, Tyco, etc) puts out around 18v at 100%. I imagine that may be your DC issue. As far as DCC I believe it's likely the DCC setup you are using. I have seen in several videos where lights and other functions don't work on your track so it's either your DCC setup or you have the worst luck in history with locomotives malfunction right out of the box. Get yourself an NCE power cab or some other inexpensive unit to test against your Hornby stuff.

[@muir8009]

@@Trains-With-Shane 12v is fairly typical, the exceptional H&M, well wellkut, Sykes etc being a highish 14v, and the standard for HO or OO has always been 12v. If a manufacturer wants to sell a too high non standard 18v that's for them, but a 12v controller is definitely not of any issue. And NCE powercabs are not inexpensive.

[@muir8009]

@@JonatanGronoset I mentioned in a comment below that 12v has always and still is the norm, if a manufacturer wants to put out a motor burning 16v or 18v that's their choice. The issue as has been relayed many times through instructions, reviews etc is how the volts are delivered: any feedback pwm etc are highly recommended to be avoided

[@awesomecronk7183]

My grandpa gave us two of these, both broken. One had a split drive rod joint and the other had a mangled wiring harness and blown decoder. I made a horseshoe shape out of copper wire to repair the rods on one, then swapped its decoder into the other one. I then converted the one with repaired drive rods to DC and gave it to my brother, who has a DC controller.

[@overpoweredsteamproduction513]

I highly recommend these, I had one myself that was being sold off for 50 dollars but it was in absolutely perfect condition, there was even weathering added by the previous owner, the thing lasted me 2 years until she finally gave out from age. But I am extremely satisfied with the life it gave me and I highly recommend any starters to get one Edit: oof, I spoke too soon. I guess the previous owner did some modifications

[@jamesm6638]

you highly recommend something that died after 2 years? that doesn't make much sense... edit: i know it was used, but it can't be more than 9 years old since they came out around 2012 or so... it shouldn't be dead after less than a decade

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks for sharing! Yes overall for the money they're amazing aren't they? But yeah - locos should last more than 2 years... though it sounds like this was in used condition, so fair enough! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@overpoweredsteamproduction513]

@@jamesm6638 it was just because I was mostly new and didn’t know how to maintain it very well, I got another one and with my new found knowledge I can make this one can last mUCH longer

[@lnerj50productions32]

​@jamesm6638 tell that too my hornby 0-6-0 peckett died after 3 months

[@TheRiverLeW]

There’s a Bachmann USA set called ‘Echo Valley Express’ that also comes with a SoundValue Southern 2-6-0, and a Bachmann DCC controller. I see it for sale every now and then for around $200-$250. A DCC sound loco, a DCC controller, some cars and track for that price seems pretty flippin’ good to me, especially considering that the RRP of this model and the EZ Command controller are $160 and $210, respectively.

[@SamsTrains]

Wow! That does sound pretty amazing - don't understand how Bachmann can be such good value some of the time but not others D: Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@keiyakins]

@@SamsTrains either they're pricing it at what the market will bear and taking a nice slice of profit, and that's higher for already entrenched hobbyists, or they're taking a loss on the sets hoping to draw in new blood.

[@Mildcat743]

Not just munitions, a fair number of Sherman tank components were produced by ALCo.

[@gregl2419]

According to Model Railroader Magazine this is a 1924 Green Bay and Western design, clearly they believe it's generic enough for other US roads. Interestingly Bachmann doesn't make these engines in the GB&W scheme, go figure

[@SamsTrains]

Very nice Greg - many thanks for sharing this! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@nathanschronce8703]

#0 turns on the headlight, when you reverse, it automatically dims. Due to rule #17 lighting

[@AQuietNight]

The Bachmann Alco 2-6-0 was a locomotive of no particular qualities, basically designed for general lighter duty work. The version you have was based on a design for the Green Bay & Western, a railroad in the State of Wisconsin. This sort of locomotive would be found in and around the American midwest. I believe the American Locomotive Company was larger than Baldwin and ALCO engineered some of the more advanced locomotives built in the U.S.

[@chasesrailwaylinesrr6447]

Your right I searched it up and it is the same locomotive

[@emilianoshort]

I love Sam's hatred for the Bachmann catalogue advertisements.

[@magnificus8581]

It is funny to see him angry. Maybe it is the accent.

[@SamsTrains]

haha yeah... not sure why I have such a problem with those ;) Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@sevensprings460]

Maybe feed the ad to the evil Scrapman?

[@hiryu6672]

I've dreamed of having this loco for years, but now I'm modeling and designing my own locos. Amazing video!

[@SamsTrains]

haha awesome - definitely more fun to design it yourself! ;D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@ivovanzon164]

no light control and bad speed control = dcc steps issue. The basic functions (lights, shunting mode and gradual acceleration) should always work regardless of the dcc hardware used as these are NMRA standardized

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks for sharing! I do need to investigate this properly when I get time! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@That_One_Guy_In_A_Band]

Sam, these locos are actually exact replicas of a fleet of 17 2-6-0s built by ALCo for the Green Bay & Western Railroad. Sadly, all 17 were scrapped, but there are plenty of photographs of these machines on the internet. Happy searching! ~Mike

[@sixsmallwheels5104]

Although I live in America, I don’t like American locomotives. Good price thought . Good video sam

[@jacesmith7817]

You're not alone mate.

[@tempertantrum6464]

Strange that the lighs on yours don't work, because it does have a very nice LED in both the tender and headlamp (the tender light is only activated in reverse). Unless your copy has a qc issue, I'd wager the DCC chip is to blame, Bachmann have been known to have pretty sketchy chips in the past. I'm not sure if it was just mine, but after a few weeks, my copy delevoped a wobble that made the performance super janky at any speeds. And good call on leaving the body, on top of screws, its also held on by pressure, and the only way to remove it is to basically pry it off, which *will* leave stress marks, if the body doesn't just break.

[@michaelprice3609]

Southern’s New Orleans Terminal Company had 5 locos numbered 7080 to 7084. They were built by Baldwin in 1905. As far as I know they were Southerns only 2-6-0s. All retired between 1933-1937.

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah I knew there'd be an LED or two in there - but I wouldn't jump to blame the loco, as I've had this happen with other locos on my controller! That's Bachmann mechs for you - they can be pretty janky... and I pretty much knew it'd be a disaster to try and remove this body ;) Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@muir8009]

@@SamsTrains what dc controller are you using? Hasn't got pulse or feedback or anything? Cos those are a no-no

[@MatthewChenault]

This would be good if someone has a triple crossing set-up. There’s a post card for Richmond, Virginia made back in the day with the famous triple crossing. There’s a Southern 2-6-0 on the ground level rail crossing.

[@CustomiZe_]

I bet models in the future are going to be so expensive and detailed that the instructions will have to tell you where you can pick up the the model. They will probably cost the same as o gauge locos do today. As far as the fully coloured catalogue leaflet, you should burn it in the garden and video it and send it to bachmann, haha 😄 😆 😜

[@SamsTrains]

haha you're probably right - we need that with some current models actually... many of them are difficult to handle!! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@bentullett6068]

Could be worse 1:1 scale locomotives cost the price of a supercar to run and fix. Brake blocks for a steam locomotive cost around £1,500

[@eforster9480]

I am Going on flying Scotsman tomorrow Sam I can’t wait

[@stratagama]

Odd. I think the place you bought it from may have played around with the settings or something. I have this model in and Pensy scheme (well, I've repainted it to LZW&W), and it didn't have any of those issues; Headlight and directional backup light worked in DC mode, and it ran that way out of the box, although sound only worked at 8v and above if I remember right. The motor isn't the greatest, but I did add some weight to it runs like a champ 6 years on. If I had to guess, the place you bought it from probably tested the model on a test track and screwed around with the settings in JMRI or whatever European equivalent is popular because the model should definitely run in DC mode. Still, I know that is something that can be changed there. I've bought over a dozen Bachmann DCC models, and yours doesn't behave like the default settings at all.

[@muir8009]

It's pulse, anything dcc which can run on DC doesn't like pulse, feedback, pwm etc

[@keegannoland8245]

Hello! American steam locomotive running numbers and be confusing but in this case it's easy! The one shown in this video, the running number is 7082, pronounced seventy eighty two. Instead of seven zero eight two. I hope this helps you Sam!

[@Vyn_Solina]

This body style reminds me of a Manila Railroad 45-class "Porter" as there called, back in the day there were a lot of these but sadly one of the last variant was scrapped in the 1990s.

[@TrentFalkenrath]

Yep, that idling chuff sound is the steam powered air compressor. This is used for the brakes or pneumatic power tools. British steam locomotives used vacuum brakes right?

[@F40Productions]

I think you should review some Rapido north american locomotives, they are very good

[@Poliss95]

Also very expensive.

[@F40Productions]

@@Poliss95 you get what you pay for though, they are dedicated to making thier models perfect

[@Poliss95]

@@F40Productions True. I'm waiting for one of their N scale models to drop through my letterbox any day now. Also looking forward to the Titfield Thunderbolt.

[@F40Productions]

@@Poliss95 I have the F59PH locomotive on order, super excited for that one

[@steamier7755]

Is there any chance you’ll review any Athearn locos, including Big Boy, Challenger, FEF-3 and DDA40X Centennial? Also will you be reviewing and Scaletrains and Rapido locos such as a GTEL and an F40PH?

[@lachd2261]

I actually really love the look of that thing! Just doing a bit of research it looks really similar to the Strasburg Railway Number #89 (ex-Canadian Pacific) locomotive in Pennsylvania, which was built in 1910

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah me too Lach! And thanks for doing that - I found loads of locos it's similar to... but none of them exactly alike! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@waterloocentral9production475]

It’s an ex Canadian national, not an ex Canadian pacific.

[@michaelramsey82]

@@SamsTrains The Bachmann model is based on a Green Bay & Western prototype that was scrapped in the '50s.

[@lukeslocomotives]

I don't get how all of Bachmann's American locos are cheap as chips but the British ones are rediculous in terms of price

[@alexomega0622]

Hey a U.S. Southern Railroad locomotive. That railroad ran through where I live.

[@elliottsaucedo442]

When I try DCC locos with my DC controller, I need a lot of power to start it. It won’t start making noise till about 60/100 on the dial. And won’t move until maybe 90 or so. I can’t remember. Also. YAY! Another US loco. Also also. For DCC, i use digitrax dcs 51 if that’s any valuable.

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah it's strange isn't it? I tried it at all speed settings on my DC controller... with nothing! And thanks for that - definitely time to start shopping for a better DCC controller! ;D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@firestarspelt]

@@SamsTrainsget yourself the dcs 52 from the digitrax zephyre express set then it will also let you change cvs to make your loco run on dc and it can be plugged into your computer so you can control your trains with your phone

[@sambrown6426]

Sam: It is a bogie tender, as they tend to be on American locos. Me: The only American locos I can think of with fixed-axle tenders are pioneering locos, and those locos with centipede tenders (Though those have both fixed axles and a bogie).

[@SamsTrains]

haha yeah - another interesting difference between British and American stuff... our tenders almost always had fixed axles, even right up until the end of steam! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@Trains-With-Shane]

I don't have any steam DCC locomotives in HO scale but all of my Bachmann DCC Sound Value diesels, in both HO and N scale, run and operate perfectly. It's difficult to shake the memory of the garbage that they made in the 80's and 90's but their modern stuff compares favorably with other lower cost offerings out there. Of course a nice Atlas, Scaletrains, or other fancy unit with an ESU Loksound is far superior in detail and quality but you're likely to spend double if not more of what you did on the Bachmann. Simple economics. But I am glad that somebody is still offering affordable entry level trains these days as the model railroad hobby in general has inflated quite a bit, cost wise, over the last 5 years or so.

[@BattleshipOrion]

When it comes to PC controllers, US engines don't like them. This cab be said for JMRI, users have to practically reprogram everything on the engine. As for other issues, it might be your controller, because f0 is the headlight, and the flashing headlight indicates a voltage higher than what the engine is meant to handle. Also, again reminder for more appropriate US rolling stock.

[@muir8009]

The flashing light is due to the pwm feedback DC controller. They don't like it, the jack rabbit starts are due to this, they just need a straight DC delivery

[@randompersonwhocomments3645]

11:55 that appears to me to be a Westinghouse air brake, no exactly a pump, but close enough 21:29 As a guy from spaceballs once said, LUDICROUS SPEED

[@SamsTrains]

Duly noted, thanks for sharing! haha!! xD Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@a2020vision_official]

I'm glad that you overall liked this one. I sure hope that adjusting CV's will make it run a lot better; let us know if that's the case. I actually picked up 2 of the DCC ready versions of this in the Canadian National and Green Bay Western guises, I just tagged you on Instagram in a post with a few videos of them. The one I picked up more recently runs well; crawls decent and doesn't seem to have trouble picking up power; but the one I bought in January and haven't serviced yet is a little less good. Take a look if you'd like to know what you'd have gotten for $30-40 less. I'm pretty sure that these replaced an older "2-6-0" model Bachmann had which was basically the Prairie minus trailing wheel (aka the USRA 0-6-0 plus a leading axle)... this is a huge step up from that.

[@seeleymainline8293]

Hi sam loved the video as always. If you ever want to I recommend that you review the Broadway limited 844 steam locomotive if you ask me that is one of the best American locomotive companies we got and this locomotive really shows what Americans can do with model railroading

[@SamsTrains]

I certainly would like that - or anything Broadway for that matter!! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@alanhaynes4576]

Get a proper DCC controller. Even the Bachmann cheapie will be better than the Hornby software version If you want to review a really good US loco try the Hornby / Rivarossi Big Boy. It should be able to negotiate the 2nd radius curves. Only problem is it will probably cost you an arm and a leg.

[@williambabcoke248]

The Hornby/Riverossi big boy is a bit of a rip off. I believe the tooling for it dates back to the 70s. If he really wants a big boy he should get a modern tooling, which will be about $100 more

[@shiftingears1325]

Great video Sam! I personally have this exact mogul, just with the Union Pacific livery, and mine does not share any of the issues that this one does. Although, I do have the DCC non-sound version. I'm not going to say yours is a faulty unit, but I'm shocked at the amount of problems yours has compared to mine that I've had for 4 years. I promise this model is much better performing than the anomaly that you received!

[@MarkInLA]

Ditto ! And his controller isn't very sophisticated either.. (See my post above)...

[@freebrickproductions]

Yea, looking up the reporting mark + number on Google (SOU 7082) only comes-up with either this model or the high-hood EMD GP50 of the same number. Wouldn't be surprised if it never existed IRL, some manufacturers (like Bachmann) have been known to make fictional locomotives that never existed IRL. For example, they sold a GE BQ23-7 in both the Seaboard paint scheme (which existed IRL, as all 10 built were bought and used by the Seaboard Coast Line) and the Chessie System (which was an existing railroad, but never used any BQ23-7s).

[@mikeking2539]

Invest in a decent DCC controler! (Says I, ok yes I need to upgrade the DCC system that I use)

[@Poliss95]

Black Z21 by Fleischmann/Roco. £334.50 from Scograil, or the basic z21 for £169.95.

[@ThomasZoey3000]

I actually have the model from the Train set, and I can assure you, it is jerky backwards, but it's still a good model to have. On a regular DCC controller, you can in fact get it to do a crawl. Bachmann locos are good, though I would recommend Broadway Limited locos. All the ones I have are grand, and I run them more than any other loco in my collection.

[@kenjimaurerfromdisneyland2001]

That engine reminds me of Tweety and Sylvester Mayham express. Whoa! So cool. Can you do the Bachman BR Black Standard Class 4 2-6-0.

[@MrTeabow1958]

The "M.R. Cyclopedia Volume1, STEAM LOCOMOTIVES" mentioned below says "Narrow Fireboxes weren't usually built after 1924 when the Green Bay and Western bought this engine new from ALCO. While Moguls were generally used in light freight service, they did as much as 70 miles per hour for an occasional light passenger train.

[@seaboard18]

Regarding the design of the model: It is a model of the Green Bay & Western Company's 2-6-0s. Some of these engines eventually received center-mounted lamps later in their lives. No surviving examples

[@aidenrambharose9509]

hi Sam normally I would by the first few but I have out keep up the great work

[@aidenrambharose9509]

and what scale I our railway I would like to make a replica of the track with out the building

[@JohnnySlicer]

I love these videos, but I really want you to get a better DCC controller. I beg you!

[@farmerdave7965]

Ditto

[@JakubPoniatowski]

I'm not a modeler myself, but I'm curious if the voltage difference between the US and the UK might at least partially explain the peculiarities like the speed or LED lights not working.

[@SamsTrains]

That's a good thought but it can't be that - it's only the mains power that's different... these run on heavily stepped-down DC power supplies! If the voltage was wrong, the controllers just wouldn't work! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@JakubPoniatowski]

@@SamsTrains Thanks for the clarification, I thought that might be the case.

[@NJGAMER_12]

Get a Bachmann Percy please

[@busterdragon1]

Hi Sam thanks for the reviews as always. I did buy the DCC ready version for $60 which is good but mine example didn't survive the journey, I would describe it as smashed to bits. My example all the glazing fell out, the tender wheels fell off & the rear driving wheel was only being held on by the connecting rods. I did manage to repair it but it makes a thumping noise as it goes along for some reason but the DCC ready version did have working lights on it & wasn't to fast but still a little too quick. Overall I do like the model but my experience was spoiled thanks to all the damage it had on arrival & sending it back was not an option as I live in the UK. It really looks like your Hornby digital software doesn't like you, I've never had any luck with Hornby digital controllers. A digital controller that might be worth trying is the Bachmann EZ digital controller they are the same price roughly as the Hornby elite controllers, I got mine from rails of Sheffield & have had no issues that the controller was to blame for.

[@ROBERTNABORNEY]

From MODEL RAILROADERT MAGAZINE "A long pedigree. Though some rigid-frame locomotives with a 2-6-0 wheel arrangement were seen as early as 1852, the first true Moguls with pivoting lead trucks were built in 1866. The Mogul was designed as a general purpose engine, though its low drivers (56″ on early versions, 64″ later) and low top speed suited it better for hauling freight trains than for passenger duties. Though it filled the same niche as the heftier 2-8-0 Consolidation, which was also developed in 1866, Moguls were nonetheless popular, perhaps in part due to their ease of maintenance. About 8,000 were built. Despite the development of larger and faster steam locomotives in ensuing years, Moguls were still being ordered by Class 1 railroads as late as 1924. Some railroads kept these plucky little engines on yard, industry, and light branchline duty until the end of steam. Bachmann’s model is based on a prototype built by Alco for the Green Bay & Western in 1924. The Alco locomotive has a domed smokebox door, a tender with raised fuel bunker and Andrews trucks, a spoked “boiler tube” pilot, a slightly flared smokestack, and a single cross-compound air compressor mounted on the left side of the boiler"

[@EsotericArctos]

I just have one question. If the American locos can be made so cheap why are we paying so much for UK locos? You are paying almost 150 more for UK compared to US ones

[@johnd8892]

This US one has much less detail and takes a generic approach to liveries. Many liveries from companies who had nothing close to this. Lots of detail, painted cabs, lining, sprung buffers etc all put the price up. UK equivalent might be a less detailed Bachmann Southern N painted in GWR, LMS, LNER, LBSCR, Midland etc etc and selling well to modellers who do not care or no about accuracy. Gets the volume up and the costs down. Bachmann US has very few steam toolings with rare new tooling keeping producing old tooling and so keeping costs down. May be a bigger market in the US too with much higher population.

[@EsotericArctos]

@@johnd8892 Maybe you are right, but when the price of the UK model is more than double the price. Almost triple the price in a lot of cases, it just seems that someone is making a lot of profit off of them, and I guess will continue to as people are willing to pay it.

[@NW-gi1cp]

Do you have a 1218 model :>

[@SouRwy4501Productions]

I am considering getting one of those and relettering it for my own railroad. The Southern Railway had five of those 2-6-0s in real life, although they were all allocated to the New Orleans Terminal Railroad. They were numbered 7080 through 7084, and were used on local freight trains. They were all scrapped at the end of the steam age, with no surviving members.

[@robmills1547]

Hi Sam love the channel , I’m pretty new to the hobby , have you done a video covering best value for money loco’s steam , deltic, electric I can’t seem to find anything, as some locos are ridiculously expensive & not very well finished or detailed Many thanks rob

[@iceeblueburst03]

Nice that you’re getting back into doing more USA steam locomotives! I like the look of this 2-6-0 mogul USA locomotive! It kinda reminds me of the one I’ve seen in a large scale from Garden Trains a few years ago.

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah! They are great fun to look at for sure! Ahh nice, would love to see a large scale one of these :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@LeviathanYork]

Nice video Sam, I remember I had a Bachman 4-4-0 that also had a faulty headlamp. Out of the box the light didn’t work, but for some reason on October 31 the headlamp started working, I have no idea how that happened.

[@ianhartley395]

Another loco for Sam’s Halloween special perhaps🤣

[@warbabyproductions]

the model is actually based of the greenbay and western 2-6-0, i dont remember if they where built by alco but yeah for the most part bachmann did pretty well capturing the look of the mogul

[@SodorStudiosAndCoProductions]

4:49 *"Bachmann, how many times, I do NOT want a 326-page full-color combined Bachmann & Williams catalog 6.5" x 8.5" Digest Size!"*

[@lukegreen5341]

This Famous Locomotive Is Also Appears In The 1990 Universal Pictures Movie Back To The Future 3. Thanks Sam'sTrains Mate. PS I've Seen The Show Back To The Future The West End Hit Musical At London's Adelphi Theatre Last Saturday And It Was Spectacular. X

[@Poliss95]

I found a loco number 7084 that looks very like this one. When, oh when, oh when are you going to buy a decent DCC controller Sam? The black Z21 has gone up a lot in price, but you can get the white version with wi-fi package from Scograil for £207 or £169.95 for the z21 with hand controller and no wi-fi.

[@josephmcnally0766]

Hey Sam, were you able to ever lubricate the engine and drive train on the Bachman HO 2-6-0 w/ Sound value ? I have the exact same train for five years and trying to figure out how to open it up to lube the engine and drivetrain. I'm able to lube the outside wheels, etc. but having a hard time opening up the shell. So, I was thinking of sending it to Bachmann and let them open and lube it. Joe

[@iamRAYZILLA]

I will say a lot of American models tend to be "generic" or made up. I do think a lot of it has to do with copyright laws, hence why Bachmann's FEF is a redeco (and retool?) of an NYC 4-8-4, unlike Athearn or Broadway Limited's FEF models which are directly licensed with Union Pacific. (Heck, if I'm not mistaken, they even have access to the actual schematics.) I guess it's cheaper to make a one-size-fits-all sculpt, especially one that can bypass any copyrighted likenesses (even better if the railroad no longer exists); simply slap a different deco on it and call it a day. Ironically, it wasn't very common for American railroads to "share" engine designs (steam engines, specifically), so it's kinda funny that a lot of models tend to simply be palette swaps. But in all fairness, sometimes a locomotive doesn't necessarily need to be accurate, it just needs to LOOK good. And obviously run decently. And speaking of running decently, the jerking motion it kept making upset me in a great way. It was worse going backwards, but the engine was "bouncing" every turn of the wheels, like something internal is gummed up. Looked like it got better after running in, but hopefully you can manage to crack that thing open and get the inner workings looked at/serviced.

[@zacscurlockshobbies2133]

An interesting locomotive to look in too is the American 4-4-0 1860s Civil War Era locomotives. Such as The General, Texas, Or York. They are some of my personal favorites and I have a model of the York which is DCC Sound Equipped

[@sargentrowell81]

We didn't tend to give too many squeaky whistles to any of our steam engines. Even small steam locomotives here tend to have whistles that would find themselves at home on beasts like The Challengers or Big Boys. Also, DCC locomotives normally will not run on DC.

[@Poliss95]

DCC locos nearly always run on DC. It was only Bachmann N Scale decoders from many years ago that couldn't run on DC. It's the other way round. You should not run DC locos on DCC.

[@sargentrowell81]

@@Poliss95 Not in my experience.

[@Poliss95]

@@sargentrowell81 DC running is an NMRA standard. The only reason a DCC fitted loco won't run on DC is if DC is turned off in CV29.

[@Zebrails]

Viewer 17,333 Like No.888 Comment 369... Sorry Sam, you're quite right about the price-to-detail qualities of Bachmann locomotives... Buying American locomotives are the better deal. Speed starting: if available, "decrease the starting speed" CV to allow the locomotive start moving at a higher throttle setting. You may discover a defect of either one of the side rods or axles being out of alignment as you notice the "Performance" section of your video: The cab rises (like a bump) at every rotation of the wheels/side rods. An extra mounting hole can be seen on one set of driving wheels. Yes, round axle/body bearings, but that "bump" and "pause" is tale-tell sign of that defect. There should be "Two Chuffs" per One wheel rotation per side... it still is not perfectly synchronized since it chuff's three to almost five times per rotation. Again, get that CV modified. Overall, it's pretty well detailed as it is. It's a combination of Bachmann's "Spectrum" line and lower, easier "Ready-To-Run" model. A "steam locomotive that makes noise..." Get that slight wobble/bump investigated, and that speed CV adjusted. A "mix-breed" of R-t-R, Plus, Spectrum, and DCC rolled into one. Price-to-detail, again, better than the Bachmann English locomotives... but, bottom line is: you get what you pay for, and some effort/time will yield better grade performance. You might find the lights disconnected or totally void. (Maybe another defect or cutback.) Power... The 2-6-0 was built to pull 20+ freight cars and 10+ passenger cars.... and sometimes overloaded with tonnage pulled, but sanding was also used (that cannot be duplicated with a model) to increase its tractive effort. Please remember, Sam, each freight car had four axles and were up to 40 foot long, passenger cars had four or six axles and up to 80 foot long. Eventually, add a 25-40 foot caboose. Double-head locomotives and sometimes rear helpers (your "banking" loco's) were also used for more power for hills and longer freight/passenger trains. Air Brakes were mandatory on all passenger rollingstock by 1900-1910, on freight by end of 1920. P.S. Careful that "Dyno Pipe" just ahead of the cab getting bent/broke off. It should be straight up and down. The "Dyno" (and simulated sound) is the steam-powered electric generator for the lights... which may be another "F-Function" missing or inoperable. Good exposure review. John BC, Canada p.p.s. Great Western, Southern, and Great Northern are three shared railroad names that are /were both in the UK and North America.

[@TheAtlantaRailfan]

I looked into the builders number printed on the builders plate and it actually ties to a preserved locomotive that's still in service, Alco product 45921 was built in 1909 for the Mississippi Central railroad as their number 98 although the only similarity is the builders number as 98 is a 4-4-0 American type and it was never owned by the southern railway but the engine did end up being preserved and served for several years on the Wilmington and Western tourist railroad and it remains there currently undergoing an overhaul to return the engine to operation

[@kegapr181]

Bachmann USA has a tendency to use generic models to represent other companies locomotives. In this case the Southern Railroad did not use Alco moguls. One of Southern Railroad Subsidiary companies the New Orleans Terminal Company had 5 Baldwin moguls numbers 7080-7084 built in 1905 and scraped in the 1930s (Guide to NA Steam Locomotives).

[@capybara8868]

Great review Sam - and am I alone in noticing you slipping in the ocassional "darn" into your language? Perhaps this occurred by osmosis as you were describing an American loco! 🤔😂 Anyway - great review as always. Have a good day y'all. (I'm Scottish btw 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🤣)

[@SuperJ333]

Meh...not impressed - a good example of the the adage "nothing cheap without reason" or "never mind the quality, feel the price." Personally, I'd rather pay a little more for something that actually works - although with Bachmann, even that doesn't always help!

[@richardsweeney197]

I had the exact same derailing issue on my brand new Hornby Streamlined Princess Coronation class, King George VI with the pilot truck, after I loosened the screw like you did, it runs fine now, no derailing. I do own the Bachmann mogul, mine is in Boston & Maine Railroad markings, and no it does not represent any Locomotive the B&M ran. But I still like it. American model companies do that a lot. Make one locomotive and paint it in a number of markings regardless of wether or not they used one like it. There is a B&M P4a class pacific under restoration in Scranton, Pennsylvania the class of locos, (3700 class, 3713 "The Constitution" is the one being restored...) A number of companies produced Pacific's carrying the number and are wrong. The two closest are a Very Old Athearn locomotive (1950's or 1960's production) that when it first came out was elastic band drive. And another fairly recent Brass Locomotive for $1,600.00. you would think someone would do an accurate model of a locomotive that will be under steam again and was one of a class of 10.

[@erickroman9857]

Ya know if you want a high quality locomotives (From Bachmann) you should try to get “my personal favorite” Bachman Spectrum modern 4-4-0 with sound (if you want) they are expensive because it’s from Spectrum so they put a lot of care in these locomotives and I got a say it’s worth the price but it’s up to you. It ranges around $200-300 US. Not to sure how to calculate in UK currency. Anyway I still love the review on that locomotive that’s my first steam locomotives in my collection. Too bad it’s giving you a hard time I’m kinda disappointed in that. All in all keep up the good work Sam!

[@brianartillery]

I did enjoy the catalogue rant. I'm sure it's down to the American obsession with advertising. American model kits are always full of extraneous paperwork, all of it bound, unwanted, and unread, for 'File 13' (the wastepaper bin). Any chance of seeing that engine running at 50%, and pulling the Dapol egg vans? 🤔 😂😂😂

[@rayshowsay1749]

An inadvertent, I'd suppose, but also ultimately appropriate combination of engine and freight rolling stock: Norfolk & Western[N&W] + Southern[SOU] now are merged as Norfolk Southern[NS]. Well done '>) .

[@gkjsooley]

You can pretty much assume that minimum radius for all North American models is 18"/457.2mm, as most train sets on this side of the pond come with 18" radius curves. ALCO steam and diesel designs were produced under license in Canada by Montréal Locomotive Works (MLW) which eventually became Bombardier.

[@MarkInLA]

Something needs a little tweaking to get rid of jerking it does.. Should be easy to find.. Running pretty nice at 26:10. It needs breaking in. Far as slow take-off and running perhaps you need to adjust the starting voltage for this one's address, in your throttle (unless yours can't do that like an NCE or Digitrax throttle can). Different subject: If you are going to remain on the floor with your track, why not at least re-do it so as to have the track up on a wooden platform say 2-3 inches high so as to not actually on the carpet but on very very low benchwork... Take, say, 1x3s and make a frame. Then cut plywood or mulch/particle board to fit atop it, track on that, the whole layout raised about 3.5 inches off the carpet... Front truck/bogie is called the 'pilot' truck. A rear bogie would be the 'pony' truck... Lookin' good at 36:31...

[@TomPrickVixen]

I can see the LED + board on the diagram (PC804+00R06), so it should have working lights, even on the tender. My Roco controller (so far) worked fine with US DCC locos, maybe you should try something non British controller too.

[@Matt19matt19]

American steam locos just look awful. They lack the finesse and style of British locos. Generally speaking I mean, not in terms of models like this.

[@RedShedNick]

Here here always said that, so much ugly external pipe work.

[@happiestcamel5064]

American steam wasn’t built for looks, that’s not the point

[@peterainsworth8466]

I disagree. British steam just look like flimsy delicate toy trains in comparison. US steam has so much character and variety. I'm neither British or American so I have no in built bias. British steam is just so bland and boring. With a catalogue that includes 4-4-0 "American" locos all the way through to BigBoys and war era streamliners it's hard to beat US locos. And I know Brits love talking about Mallard but US power and speed is unmatched. Mallard broke itself in a contrived stunt whereas US stuff did speeds not far off that daily with full trains.

[@geoker55]

As someone in North America with quite a few Bachmanns, I can honestly tell you that the quality of the engine often depends on which box grabbed at the shop. 3 of us from our club all bought the same engine of the Spectrum line, Bachmann's upscale(?) product. One came out of the box with every little detail broken, bent or botched. One ran perfectly. Mine wouldn't even go. It was dead. No lights, sound or running. The paint and finish were all great, except for the one with all the broken bits. I think the price for ours were right around $200 US w/ DCC. I will say, they were quick about sending out replacements...

[@adifferenttake8971]

The builders plate identified Schenectady Locomotive Works which wikipedia says is in New York and Alco took over in 1901. The builders plate had the year 1903. Wiki linked the mogul design to Canadian National E-10-a class no. 89 which looks very similar. The external link on the page has a long list of Alco preserved engines and the moguls in that list look similar to. Seems like their standard design.

[@bobpfeiffer251]

you may have come across this in your research but the Southern Railway had a couple of 2-6-0s in its fleet that it inherited from the lines it was formed from in 1894 but those locomotives would have been much older than this prototype, which would probably represent a 1910s to 1920s built locomotive. still, great find for the price...glad you've become such a Southern Railway fan!!!

[@railway187]

Good review. I wouldn’t buy it, not for 79 pounds I wouldn’t. The sound is annoying and it is a bad crawler. And that’s a pity because it does look quite alright.

[@Alpha-oo8]

Well, at least you paid a price appropriate for the model, ey? Makes a change from the norm, doesn’t it? Should we call this engine “sonic the steam engine?” I wonder how fast it goes at top speed? Probably a request for a future live stream…

[@off2geo]

I actually think the connection between the loco and tender are pretty damn good compared to let's say... Hmmm, the Hornby R3943 (or the like series). Especially for the price you paid for this loco.

[@muir8009]

Sam, as everyone knows and manufacturer recommendations, for DC only a non pulse, non feedback controller will work correctly. Your gaugemaster is useless, have an old H&M handy, that would work. Hornby DCC controllers do use different function buttons. How can you use some software product as a basis for a review controller? And yet it's almost sounding like you think the loco has an issue? You do realise that out of all the reviews everywhere you're the only one who has issues that are unrecognised. Get rid of that shitarsed railmaster. Whats the point of doing a review like this? "Sam's car reviews: it's got a puncture but we'll still take it on the test track..." ?!?

[@nascargas]

This mogul is not too different from real life moguls. The Strasburg Railroad owns one very similar to your model. Ironically this is also replicated in N scale which is quite a bit smaller than 1/87 sizing of North America's "HO" scale. I don't know why we put quotes on things like this either.

[@ManOfUnknownWorth]

I suppose you could just print some American rolling stock at this point. The only problem would be the knuckle couplers. I'm sure you could figure out how to make those though. If anything else, Piko makes knuckle couplers for NEM pockets (the company that made the rubber band loco.)

[@wilks3620]

1. Where can I find one at this price, preferably in Australia, and 2. You should do a checkup on all your bachmann products after 6 months to 1 year after you buy them. Most people I've talked to say they break down after 6 months! Nice video!

[@Alpha-oo8]

To be fair to Bachman, they probably don’t expect people to buy as many loco’s as you do Sam… though I do think the ad for the catalogue should have been combined with some of the other paperwork. Makes it less obtrusive?

[@jrtanker2271]

I have to disagree about the sound Sam, the chuffs are still synced up with the wheels at speed and it sounds very much like a hard working mogul would have in the day. Remember American locomotives tended to be able to run with less cutoff because of their comparatively large boilers. So at higher speeds they would make much more noise compared to some British engines simply because the exhaust pressure is higher. Though it is not a perfect example I would point you to the videos of the new reading and northern 2102 locomotive, notice how the engineer barely notches back at all on the steam reverse. Put as simply as possible American locos had a larger boiler for the same size cylinders of a British loco and could therefore use significantly more steam at low speed (0-40mph). This created their characteristic strength and sound.

[@richardmendham5278]

Love this. Nice sound. Please, have you got an engine with 'steam?!' They have a few at the York Model Railway Exhibition at Easter weekend.

[@JDsHouseofHobbies]

I have a Bachmann 4-4-0 and a 4-6-0. Unfortunately, I'm between housing and they've been in the box since I got them. I might get one of these because they have a family look to them.

[@mikeking2539]

Just looking at the box, and without reading anything else, my guess is that it is not really "NEW" and is "Dead Stock" from c2014

[@ollieahokas9179]

IIt is a generic engine, made to look pretty close enough to various rairoads as back in time USA had a lot of more railways with all almost custom built, unless you bought some offerings made by Baldwin. Bachmann has based some on the real prototypes but most like these are just based on real engines, where they have altered some specific details to able to make them blend in to others. It would look really nicely home with Santa Fe roster, with some modification of the cabs. Yes, I guess, the Southern livery is just a fiction. But in all, they are a nice addition to any smaller layouts hauling the shortest locals on it. In USA and Canada tank engines were very rare, especially on running on mainline or branches on any railway. So Moguls like this or an American (4-4-0) would be the smallest power you can find. TAnks were used as industrial switchers or by largest companies only to haul out eninges to the turntable from the roundhouses or at the shops! BAchmann do have prototype oriented models of steam aswell. The K4 Pacific is correct for Pennsylvania railroad, the Russian Decapods are correct too aswell the USRA type engines and they do at least offer some variation on details to match the prototypes even better. Funny enough how little is offered as RTR of US steam and how basic the offerings are. Now adays you can get very accurate diesels with correct details to match anyrailroad using them in given time but on steam, all is very basic and more or less Bachmanns offerings are about it all! I have three engines in 0n30 by Bachmann, I got them before the price got too steep, they are made of metal, good runners and look impressive, though they are having a few issues like a h0-scale couplers and adaptation to the non prototypical gauge as mine should have been running on 0n3 gauge.

[@henez7497]

Hi Sam! I was just wondering if you have any Marklin engines? I just got my old Marklin set set up. If you could try find any, can you try DM or something? Thanks, Henry