Rumors of Bachmann N Scale K4

[Specter3]

You SPFs have had your day now. It is time to love on another road. NH I4. Southern PS4. NYC Niagra or J1. Santa Fe 2900. Lots of good choices out there.

[victor miranda]

ah lets find some common ground.

I definitely think that 'crap' is a value call.

so to better understand where one might agree when a loco (in this thread...)
might meet the level of a 'crap' call...
 perhaps we should explore what is and is not 'crap'

here may be a reasonable line....

the recent b-mann J... I think is a reasonable value.
runs ok (not fantastic, just good) I paid 99 for it
the Kato GS-4 is similar and I paid 140 for it.
runs ok. so lets say both are not crap
and in a few important ways I consider the Kato unit a better model.
... I can state if some one called the Kato unit the crappier of the two
I would be hard pressed to disagree...

so in that 40 dollars of difference one could see where the 'crap' evaluation can stand.

lets use the same j and a b-mann hvy-mtn
I paid 180 for the hvy-mtn.  it has all the same features of the J AND a DCC decoder.
if you go buy and expensive decoder I would think you would spend 40 dollars...
that is one over priced decoder bachmann is selling
and I think the Hvy-mtn can be called crap for that reason alone.
so there you have a line from "not crap" to "crap." 

Now , jdcolombo, you say that the berks you have  are not in the same class as the mike, gs-4, or the FEF.
I do agree, if my one berk is an example. 'Tis Not in the same class of performance. 
Relative to price, it was the most expensive of those four.
  (I should mention that I do not like the sound it makes...)

so with the sound, maybe the berk has not all the hallmarks of 'solid crap'...
I do think it is pushing over the line.
At some point the running qualities has to be in the evaluation....
For the price b-mann demands for the Berk, it should run well.
there is little reason to give quarter here.
b-mann has managed to make better runners for less coin. (the miraculous 2-8-0)

You said something that gave me an example that helped me see a good way to state some of what I was thinking.

back to generic...

to be clear here,
b-mann has not abandoned the fine art of making poor mechanisms.
They have clearly abandoned making low priced models...

thus I am not happy for the offering they promise in the k4.

victor
 

[eric220]

You SPFs have had your day now. It is time to love on another road. NH I4. Southern PS4. NYC Niagra or J1. Santa Fe 2900. Lots of good choices out there.

If you think we've had our day, just you wait until the K4s and M1s start landing in SPFs' hot little hands. This day is but the first of many! 

[basementcalling]

All I know today is I won't buy bmann sight unseen or without a test run.  Therefore, even if I were to want a K4, which I dont, I would likely not be able to get one. I expect they sell out because every SPF who has ever bemoaned their lack is buying one per such post.

[Dave V]

Sigh...

Again...  The only other options besides the Bachmann are really poor-running (if they run at all) PSC brass or some sort of re-motored/chassis-swapped Minitrix K4 which will represent some level of compromise from the prototype.

So I ask again, what is the &%$#ing point of bemoaning all of the possible problems with a locomotive that no one has had a chance to see or operate in person?

I've about had it, actually...   

[Blackout]

All I know today is I won't buy bmann sight unseen or without a test run.  Therefore, even if I were to want a K4, which I dont, I would likely not be able to get one. I expect they sell out because every SPF who has ever bemoaned their lack is buying one per such post.

What is SPF?

[Kisatchie]

What is SPF?

Slobbering Pennsy Freak.


Hmm... Kiz just slobbers...

[Smike]

I'm with Dave on this one.

For all the threads of we want a K4, now all of the talk of crapping all over it once it comes to light. Not enough facepalms in the world to cover this one.....

Atleast this crap is contained under "Product Discussion"

[James Costello]

I expect they sell out because every SPF who has ever bemoaned their lack is buying one per such post.

Not only sell out, but be the most popular steamer ever made in N - the Pennsy apparently has the largest H&TS membership base according to previous threads here     

But yes, on to the NH I-4s and I-5s and an ATSF #3751.

[eric220]

On one hand, I'm also with Dave on this. On the other hand, given how many members here have tossed "why can't we have a K4" into other threads, I get it that this thread is troll bait by its very nature. Frankly, I'm still on cloud 9 with this announcement and I still have the stomach for more discussion, even in the absence of any factual data. Still, at this point I wouldn't be offended at all if this thread gets locked. We can always start a new one when the product lands.

[victor miranda]

Sigh...

Again...  The only other options besides the Bachmann are really poor-running (if they run at all) PSC brass or some sort of re-motored/chassis-swapped Minitrix K4 which will represent some level of compromise from the prototype.

So I ask again, what is the &%$#ing point of bemoaning all of the possible problems with a locomotive that no one has had a chance to see or operate in person?

I've about had it, actually...   

hi Dave,
If there is any real complaint I have it is simply the price of the kit...

I strongly suspect your brass k4 will be almost as good a runner as the b-mann unit
and I am expecting the k4 to be between the berk and the 4-6-0 in terms of overall performance.

right now we know the 4-6-0 will run for over 350 hours.... and not 400.
I am pretty sure your PSC unit will run a lot longer.

as far as looks go... the advert lacks details and what few I see are not in good proportion.
I think everyone can decide on that aspect for themselves.

I can list the major and minor flaws in the Berk.
and since no one seems to think any of them are enough to stop or pause the
consumer from a purchase, the folks at b-mann keep making more...

again, I can hope I will regret every work I have typed on this subject.
bachmann has surprised us in the past.
once.

I am not sure what would be a good bet to place on all this.
I will bet the new k-4 will be a good a performer as the J...
and I do not think the loco will be worth the new price.

victor
 

[Dave V]

And with that, I'm outta here...   

[Joetrain59]

Have any retailers listed them yet?
 Joe D

[CodyO]

Haters gona hate hate hate....

I`m with @Dave Vollmer and @eric220 on all this.
Anyway I`m excited for this K4 and will buy at least one to start since thats what the budget can afford.I`m happy we have Ks and Ms coming along with centipedes!

I`ve seen a Berk in action and was pleased with it I just don`t have a use for one.

[victor miranda]

there are times when I am sure I missed an important communication.
this is one of those times.

so I will attempt to go about it another way.

there are a few n-scale steam locos that I have looked forward to receiving.

here is a list
in the order I recall buying them.
a gs-4
a different 4-8-4
a 2-8-4
a 2-6-0
an 0-8-0
a 4-6-0
a 4-8-4
and another 4-8-2
another gs4
a 4-6-2
a different 0-6-0
a 2-8-0
a different 2-8-0
a k4 !!!!!!!!
a 2-8-2
a different 4-6-2
a 2-10-2
a 2-8-8-2
a different 2-6-0

some where in here I got a whole pile of used locos

and
then there
the first two

and a 4-6-4
a 0-6-0

I am thinking I may have missed mentioning a few.

I buy steam engines.  they are a great joy to me to own and operate.
I know every wart and mold mark on every single one.

distinguishing by type, four are very good.

back to the k4 by b-mann.
this loco model is one I have wanted for many years.
I do not want to be bitter.

how many poor quality locos must I buy to get a good one?
If you go an buy 20 different n-scale mass production locos
I can tell you you will get three good ones and possibly the fourth one will be good
straight outta the box.

that is a 20 percent hit rate for good locos.
and retail price does not indicate which ones are the better units.
and of those 80 percent, in the other category... which brand has made the most?
which brand is the price leader?

I want to look forward to the new k4.
I would like to think it will be exceptional.

tell me how I can do that?

victor