Bachmann HO Passenger Car Pricing

[JoeD]

I was looking forward to adding a few new heavyweight cars to my small consist, but after seeing the pricing ($105) I am re-thinking that.  I see the Diesels they are releasing at refreshingly low prices (have a slug of their Alco's with DCC and Sound) and am scratching my head over this one.  My local shop probably won't be getting these and the drive to the next shop in Oregon is 4 hours away...anyone have eyes on these?   Are these extra special cool?  I am building a small consist based on the Orient Railroad and that Combine would be just right, but thinking my old Atlas blue box I got for $5.00 may be a smarter starting point.

Thanks for any intelligence on these

Joe

[Chris333]

I see some here for $49
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/HO-Scale-Passenger-s/1463.htm?searching=Y&sort=3&cat=1463&show=30&page=1&brand=Bachmann

Maybe they are pad printed in multiple colors 

[Spikre]

 
  are these the PRR Heavies that came out about 1990 to run
  with the Original Spectrum  PRR K4s ?
  even back then they had a high list price,around $29.95.
  that was a high price then.
  have some of the Coaches,but none of the Head End cars.
  they didn't roll good,and the roof tabs would break off way
  too easily.
   with the current Sound GP7s at $199.98,Bachman is really
  trying to fool people that Higher Prices = Higher Quality.
  but out of the box its still the same questionable junke.
       Spikre
     

[bnsf971]

The B-mann heavyweights are indeed the same warmed-over 1990 stuff. I managed to get a train of them, and found they roll much better, and the couplers are at a more correct level than the original version. Paint and lettering are also a little better, but I don't think these improvements are enough to justify the jump in price. Also, the ones I got still have bulbs, which get hot especially if you run DCC. The roof will still melt...

[Spikre]

 
  bnsf971,
   do the coupler boxes still have that crummy linkage to the trucks ?
  forgot about that yesterday.
   think that the Walthers swinging coupler kit may work ?
  they were designed for the 86' Hi Cubes and 89' Pig Flats,but may
  work on these passenger cars.
     Spikre
       

[bnsf971]

  bnsf971,
   do the coupler boxes still have that crummy linkage to the trucks ?
  forgot about that yesterday.
   think that the Walthers swinging coupler kit may work ?
  they were designed for the 86' Hi Cubes and 89' Pig Flats,but may
  work on these passenger cars.
     Spikre
       

Yes, they still have that weird coupling from the coupler boxes to the trucks.

[Chris333]

They are reviewed in the new MR and says they now have finer rivets and other details?

[Spikre]

 
  Cris,
    it just may be finer paint they now use ?
   a lot of the so-called Bachman re-tooled items look
  exactly like the earlier unretooled models.
   so Look before you Leap with Bachman.
    then there are models that after 2 or 3 retoolings
  still don't look correct, the GP35,SD45,F40PH,and C40-8
  come to mind.
  maybe even the PRR K4s,it may be on its 4th retooling
  by now ?
      Spikre
       

[Catt]

Actually the review in MR starts with "A new body shell and finer details highlight Bachmann's recently released HO scale heavyweight passenger cars." Personally I would trick out the old Athearn blue box car before I would even consider paying $105.00 for a passenger car.

[Spikre]

 
   well either they are "New",or they are the warmed over cars
  from 1990 ??
   catt,
    not sure what the price of the last run of BB cars was,but know
   they weren't $3.98 any more.
   but the Spectrum cars are PRR cars,the BB cars are Generic shorties,
   not even close to most PRR cars.
   another Bachman Miss was the Re-Tooled GP30 shell.according to the
   original designer,Dr Jerry Moyers,Mr GP30,they added details to the
   roof that shouldnt have been there,and goofed up something else that
   was Correct on the Original 1976 Lionel shell.
   but it slips my mind currently 
      Spikre
       

[Dave V]

There are a whole mess of the older Bachmann Spectrum P70s on eBay for $24 a pop.

[Spikre]

 
  Dave,
    will guess that many of those cars have broken off
  window tabs.
   didn't even have to disassemble the cars for that as some
  came from the factory Pre-Broken.
     Spikre
       
   

[Spikre]

 
  read the MR review earlier,it says the cars arnt free rolling.
  guess some things never change ?
    Spikre
     

[bnsf971]

  read the MR review earlier,it says the cars arnt free rolling.
  guess some things never change ?
    Spikre
     

They are very free rolling when compared to the original version. In fact, they're really not that bad, better than most of the BLI passenger cars out of the box.