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 OTW's - The "Of The Week" Series
 Locomotive of the Week (LOTW)
 LOTW March 12 to 18, 2023
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Author Previous Topic: LOTW April 2 to April 8, 2023 Topic Next Topic: LOTW March 5 to 11, 2023  

jward
Hudson

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 Posted - March 14 2023 :  6:12:12 PM Link directly to this topic  Show Profile  Add jward to Buddylist



Here is a Bachmann GP40. I have mentioned in this forum how they upgraded these locomotives over the years. This is not the old pancake motored clunkers of the old days, They redid them about the same time as they went to knuckle couplers. This is now a nice running locomotive that pulls well without traction tires. Best of all, they are dirt cheap. I now have over a dozen of them, and I don't think I paid more than $50 for any of them. They are truly a bargain.

If you're going on ebay looking for them, keep in mind that I've seen many pancake motored ones going for similar prices. They can be identified by the incredibly thick handrails, the open pilot and truck mounted couplers, and the use of horn hooks. I stay away from these as they don't preform the way I need them to.



















Here's a quick look under the hood. Notice there are no flywheels. These things run so smooth they really don't need them. All wheel drive and pickup makes this a powerful beast
that really made me take a second look at Bachmann, a line that I, like many, had written off as not worth my time.
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Bamos
Big Six

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 Posted - March 14 2023 :  11:07:51 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Bamos to Buddylist
The new style Bachmann locamotives are very nice. I have several GP40, FTa and F7a locamotives, and they have several nice running steam locomotives.
Bill
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Chops124
Big Boy





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 Posted - March 16 2023 :  08:33:10 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Chops124 to Buddylist
Well, this is new information. And you have an entire fleet!
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jward
Hudson

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 Posted - March 16 2023 :  10:17:43 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add jward to Buddylist
Yes. I have the FT, F9, GP7, GP9, GP30, GP35, GP38-2, GP40 and gp50. And they all have similar drives. They are what Atheaarn was back in the day: a low cost reliable alternative to the high end stuff by Atlas and others.
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Hypoponera
Mikado


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 Posted - March 25 2023 :  11:10:19 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Hypoponera to Buddylist
Other good ones from the same time period are the B23-7 and H16-44. The B23 started life in the Bachmann Plus line and then got dropped down to the standard line. The H16-44 started in the Spectrum line and was also demoted to the standard line.

B23-7



H16-44



Both models do keep flywheels in the standard line but the B23 does get them reduced in size.
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Chops124
Big Boy





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 Posted - March 26 2023 :  02:33:07 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Chops124 to Buddylist
Love those stripes.
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jward
Hudson

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 Posted - March 27 2023 :  05:13:07 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add jward to Buddylist
quote:
Other good ones from the same time period are the B23-7 and H16-44. The B23 started life in the Bachmann Plus line and then got dropped down to the standard line. The H16-44 started in the Spectrum line and was also demoted to the standard line.

B23-7



H16-44





Both models do keep flywheels in the standard line but the B23 does get them reduced in size.

Originally posted by Hypoponera - March 25 2023 :  11:10:19 PM








Notice the difference in the design between the two. The H16-44 has the split frame design of the early Spectrum and Plus locomotives. This design is commonly used on N scale locomotives, but Bachmann is the only one I know who used it in HO. The frame consists of two vertical halves held together by plastic T nuts with a plastic washer seperating them. Each half of the frame is a different polarity in normal operation, so keeping them insulated from each other is key to the design. The motor is sandwiched between the frame halves, with metal contact strips rubbing each half. electrical pickup off the trucks is through circular contact strips bent at a 90 degree angle so that they contact both the wheels and the bottom of the frame. This is the only weakness in this design, as the tabs must be readjusted periodically or they lose contact with the frame. When reassembling the locomotive, care must also be taken that these tabs rub the bottom of the frame and not the inside where they will interfere with the free movement of the trucks.

The B23-7 appears to be one of the earliest examples of what is now standard practice form Bachmann. The entire frame is isolated from the track power, and each truck is wired directly to the PC board on top of the frame. I wish they'd release an upgraded U36B using this frame, as the dimensions of the locomotive are similar.

Both of these designs run well right out of the box, and are easy hardwire jobs to convert to DCC. They also both have a feature unique to Bachmann where the trucks have bolsters above the worm gear, and can be tightened or loosened similar to a freight car.
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