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 Posted - May 27 2007 : 2:18:11 PM
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Happened across the first of these quite cheaply by accident last Christmas and couldn't pass it up.... then two more turned up...!
These are still quite popular although to my knowledge the WP and Chessie are no longer made. The real SP Daylight colors were produced in great numbers but still fetch a good buck; I did manage to get one after these photos were taken but it needs a little work. The Freedom Train is another one that goes for a fair dollar... especially in the Lionel box with the rare 5th AFT display car.
Kader tooled these for Lionel and then when Lionel croaked, Bachmann took over. Lionel offered the Freedom Train, SP Daylight, and Western Pacific... the WP is the rarest and even Bachmann only carried it for another year or two, yet it doesn't go very high when compared to the infinitely more plentiful SP and AFT versions. Go figure!
Bachmann introduced the fantasy Chessie (with a nod no doubt to the Chessie Steam Special which used a different loco, a Reading T-1) and a few other variations, and continues to upgrade and offer this tooling today!
These are all vintage examples with original drives. They perform OK but not spectacularly. But they do make an awesome racket that almost sounds "real". They are massive engines and deceptively tall! Taller than a typical EMD diesel.
Supposedly the Bachmann examples have subtle tooling variations over the Lionels, but I have not been able to discern any.
Edited by - GoingInCirclez on October 26 2009 12:25:33 AM
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Posted - May 27 2007 : 3:18:58 PM
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They are certainly neat looking. I have an older run Bachmann Plus Southern Pacific "War Baby" example.
Bachmann has now begun offering the GS-4, still in the standard product line, with DCC factory installed.
A new run of American Freedom Train GS-4 models arrives later this year from B'mann.
Does anybody have an EZ-DCC Bachmann GS-4 to compare with an older example? Is the drive different/better.
My older Bachmann Plus example run okay, but doesn't pull very much.
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
http://ho-scaletrains.net
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 Posted - May 27 2007 : 7:11:02 PM
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| Nice pieces...the Chessie unit especially appeals to my more sadistic side when in the company of rivet counters...Amtrak anyone?
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Posted - May 28 2007 : 06:40:43 AM
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quote:Nice pieces...the Chessie unit especially appeals to my more sadistic side when in the company of rivet counters...Amtrak anyone?
Originally posted by shaygetz - May 27 2007 : 7:11:02 PM
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How about modern BNSF with the "wedge" logo on the tender?
[:O)]
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
http://ho-scaletrains.net
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Posted - June 02 2007 : 3:10:03 PM
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What does Bethany think about the GS-4 compared to the PCM T-1?
A lone amature built the ark! A large group of professionals built the titanic!
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Posted - June 03 2007 : 7:45:31 PM
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Oh, she loves the racket they make... she'll come running for any of them. [^]
But the steam whistle on the PCM T-1 makes her smile even more!
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Posted - October 26 2009 : 12:26:54 AM
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| (Got an email that this topic had been moved. Looked and saw another with busted pics. Pics have been fixed.)
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Posted - October 26 2009 : 10:35:50 AM
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*is uber jealous* ooo nice locos   Heh The WP one is cheaper? weird Will have to look for it on Feb 20-21 Only going the 20th  But you're right tho the SP & AFT do go for huge bucks  What did you pay for each of the locos? 
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Posted - October 26 2009 : 11:12:22 AM
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Tony, did the early Lionel/Kader version have the pancake drive as well? Kader made some engines with 5 pole motors in the early seventies. One was the 0-6-0T (with a saddletanker shell for the Bachmann line, and a side tank shell for AHM), and another was the AHM FT diesel with all wheel drive and pickup, so I've always wondered when their pancake era began.
Nice fleet, btw. That's the first fantasy Chessie steamer paint scheme I've ever liked, since it's surprisingly true to the original Daylight livery.
The Tyco Depot
Edited by - NickelPlate759 on October 26 2009 11:15:47 AM
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Posted - October 26 2009 : 12:22:25 PM
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The Lionel Kaders were the beginning of their pancake motor drives.
I like the all wheel drive F unit (and GP40 and U33) drives.
I have installed newer can motors in a couple of the F unit drives and they are beautiful running locos.
I rebuilt one of the Bachmann 0-6-0T locos for my brother-in-law, they are nice.
I have an early Bachmann GS-4 with the pancake motor that my wife bought for me as a birthday present and plan to upgrade the drive someday.
The Bachmann drive for those went through a few evolutions. the newest looks pretty intense.
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/dwg/dwgs/H502X-IS001.PDF
Ray
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Posted - October 26 2009 : 1:23:34 PM
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quote:Tony, did the early Lionel/Kader version have the pancake drive as well? Kader made some engines with 5 pole motors in the early seventies. One was the 0-6-0T (with a saddletanker shell for the Bachmann line, and a side tank shell for AHM), and another was the AHM FT diesel with all wheel drive and pickup, so I've always wondered when their pancake era began.
Nice fleet, btw. That's the first fantasy Chessie steamer paint scheme I've ever liked, since it's surprisingly true to the original Daylight livery.
Originally posted by NickelPlate759-October 26 2009: 11:12:22 AM
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What Ray said: Pancakers all. IIRC correctly, they're a little more interesting than that though, in that they use a split diecast frame similar to an N scale loco. I remember being surprised when I took one apart to fix it. They run well enough, but noisily. And suffer from split/ spinning axle gears as it seems do all Bachmanns of similar vintage.
The Chessie one is very nice, and you're right about the translated Daylight scheme. I almost like it better than the real T-1's. And it's certainly waaaay better than Tyco and AHM's hastily-made eye-gouging Pacifics!
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Posted - October 26 2009 : 4:21:58 PM
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I think SP was the ONLY one to have those type of locos in the Daylight scheme & streamlied  WP is a fantasy as is the Chessie Except the AFT that was real
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Posted - October 29 2009 : 09:13:50 AM
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quote:
I like the all wheel drive F unit (and GP40 and U33) drives.
Originally posted by Ray Marinaccio-October 26 2009: 12:22:25 PM
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Thanks for confirming that for me, Ray. I was sure I remembered a repair guy we went to in the early 70's when I was a kid bragging about his new Bachmann U33B having all wheel drive & pickup, but all I've ever seen are the later pancake drives. Didn't those units have metal handrails like Athearn's? I remember his was painted in the Autotrain scheme.
I also repowered an AHM/Kader 0-6-0T with a FK-130, and it runs quite smooth. The gear ratio is quite high.
Tony... yes, all Bachmann steamers were made with die-cast split frames at least up through the "Plus" era, and I think early Spectrum, too. I'm the only one I know who never had an axle split.
quote:
And it's certainly waaaay better than Tyco and AHM's hastily-made eye-gouging Pacifics!
Originally posted by GoingInCirclez - October 26 2009 : 1:23:34 PM
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/tyco/forum/uploaded/NickelPlate759/ahm_pacific_chessie.jpg
Oh, you mean the Cheesy System? 
The Tyco Depot
Edited by - NickelPlate759 on October 29 2009 09:14:45 AM
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Posted - October 29 2009 : 12:03:39 PM
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quote:Didn't those units have metal handrails like Athearn's?
Originally posted by NickelPlate759-October 29 2009: 09:13:50 AM
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The GP40s I have with that drive have plastic hand railings. (but that will change).
Ray
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Posted - October 29 2009 : 1:04:40 PM
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quote:I'm the only one I know who never had an axle split.
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Now you know someone else...cross my fingers
Mine are a hoot to listen to, but they run quite well, they over hang enough though that I can't run them side by side on this layout...17 1/4" radius inside, 20" outside. The Northern looked like this when I got it...
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Posted - October 29 2009 : 11:41:19 PM
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quote:
Mine are a hoot to listen to...
Originally posted by shaygetz-October 29 2009: 1:04:40 PM
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I know... they sound sorta like crickets on crack.
I have the Plus version of the Santa Fe Northern, which runs great but can barely pull it's own tender. I think they plated the drivers with butter. I also have an early Spectrum K4 that is going to meet it's maker, because the motor is toast. I figure I'll take advantage of their lifetime guarantee. I still have two old USRA 0-6-0's pancakers from 1980 that won't die. Funny, the only axles I've had split were on their Brill trolley (a complete Bowser ripoff, btw).
quote:
The GP40s I have with that drive have plastic hand railings. (but that will change).
Originally posted by Ray Marinaccio - October 29 2009 : 12:03:39 PM
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So either my memory is faulty, or the guy had done his own retrofit with Athearn U-Boat handrails.
The Tyco Depot
Edited by - NickelPlate759 on October 29 2009 11:55:07 PM
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Posted - September 24 2012 : 06:01:41 AM
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My Lionel GS4 Freedomtrain
toptrain
toptrain
" It's a Heck of a Day " !!!
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Posted - September 28 2012 : 12:52:06 AM
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| [EDIT] Fixed the images in the lead post... Wow, I stumbled upon them on my PC a while back, and then this thread was resurrected. Yay, timing!
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Posted - September 28 2012 : 07:54:37 AM
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| cool spider I'm still looking for the WP loco
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