Bachmann 2-8-4 Berkshire/Kanawha in stock at M.B. Klein

[Bob Bufkin]

They also have the MT PRR heavyweight diner trucks in stock.

[BeastofTheEast]

I wonder if this will be a disappointing, inferior production as most of Bachmann's N steam offerings.

[garethashenden]

I wonder if this will be a disappointing, inferior production as most of Bachmann's N steam offerings.

I was under the impression that most post 2000 steamers were pretty good.

[rrjim1]

Parts diagram:
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/dwg/dwgs/N%20SCALE%202-8-4%20BERKSHIRE%20with%20DCC%20SOUND.CHASSIS.pdf

A round motor doesn't guarantee it's a coreless motor, could be just a standard can motor!

[Dave V]

I was under the impression that most post 2000 steamers were pretty good.

This.

[victor miranda]

strange place for a review of past b-mann steam engines.

the DCC equipt locos are not worth the street prices.

with the addition of sound and little increase in price
we may have a model that is worth the price

What I see in coreless motors is a trade off
good running qualities and higher expense.
eventually someone will make a more durable brush for them
that should drop the cost to operate.

too bad MTS/Kleins sold them out so quickly.

victor

[MVW]

I wonder if this will be a disappointing, inferior production as most of Bachmann's N steam offerings.

Well, I certainly hope I'm as "disappointed" in this model as I am with my "inferior" 4-6-0 and heavy Mountain.

Jim

[victor miranda]

Well, I certainly hope I'm as "disappointed" in this model as I am with my "inferior" 4-6-0 and heavy Mountain.

Jim

it may take a while for you to meet the inferior qualities in those particular locos.

should you suddenly have an electrical problem, consult your warranty
and send the unit to Bachmann.

I look forward to reading about what ever may be the resolution.

victor

[peteski]

it may take a while for you to meet the inferior qualities in those particular locos.

should you suddenly have an electrical problem, consult your warranty
and send the unit to Bachmann.

I look forward to reading about what ever may be the resolution.

victor

Victor, weren't you the one praising Bachmann's 2-8-0 as an excellent steam loco?  It now seems that your view of Bachmann is still very negative. 

[victor miranda]

Hi peteski,

b-mann locos are best evaluated as standalone models.

they do very good ones and a lot of range to not so good.

there is no one simple rule to cover all of it.
I think the 44 tonner is a good value at the 50 ish bucks I paid.
I think the heavy mtn is not a good value at the 180 I paid.
the 2-10-2 is much the same.

the 2-8-0 is often a good loco and at the 70 dollars I paid for the ones I have
I think it a good value.
the DCC version not so much.

the 2-6-0 and 4-6-0 are both nice runners and with DCC
they are almost good values.... the replacement motor is pricey.
I warn against buying these in the used market.
the motor is a tad difficult to replace.
at the 90 dollars I recall I paid, I feel I should get more service life.

the x-6-x is a good value and is an excellent way to learn many things 'steam'
making mistakes with that unint is far less painful that oopsing on a Kato Mike.

b-mann has many offerings...

victor

[sizemore]

So anyway about the Berk...

I was tinkering in the Lab, and decided to keep breaking in the Berk. Turned on the throttle and it would go about an inch then stop, then go another inch, then stop, then go, then stop, then go (no it wasn't a pickup issue). I attempted a factory reset then threw it back on the track, same problem persisted. I figured something internal was shorting out...somewhere. I took the tender shell off, via four screws at the corners, I was pleasantly surprised. In past loco's you had screws and plastic clips on the tender shells which could break.

In other DCC equipped locos Bachmann has produced, the wires from the locomotive are hardwired to the tender PCB. I was again pleasantly surprised they used a 6 wire pin/plug making it really a breeze to separate the loco and tender. With it apart I reseated the decoder which was stacked via a plug directly to the tender PCB (ie. no wires). Once I got it apart I threw the tender, sans shell on the track and hit the throttle/direction -everything checked out with no start/stop issue.

The real key to the sound is the shell completing the speaker box enclosure, it was real interesting to discover how little sound was actually produced without the shell. With the tender shell still off, I put the loco on the track and plugged the loco leads back into the tender PCB. It zipped along with no issues. I put the tender shell back on and ran the loco for about an hour with no fuss.

The growling has gone away, but the "hitch" is more defined. It occurs twice per revolution, exactly 180* out, hands at 11 and 5 if it was a watch face. I'm starting to think that its something in the quartering and siderods, since its occuring twice, 180* out.

The S.

[victor miranda]

will the hitch appear at 1 and 7 o clock in reverse?



I had a J that did as you describe, it was a gear that was not concentric.
(this was the one that growled also)

victor

[sizemore]

will the hitch appear at 1 and 7 o clock in reverse?



I had a J that did as you describe, it was a gear that was not concentric.
(this was the one that growled also)

victor

The S.

[peteski]

The real key to the sound is the shell completing the speaker box enclosure, it was real interesting to discover how little sound was actually produced without the shell. With the tender shell still off, I put the loco on the track and plugged the loco leads back into the tender PCB. It zipped along with no issues. I put the tender shell back on and ran the loco for about an hour with no fuss.

Not really surprising at all to me. Basic rules of acoustics.  When a sound transducer (speaker) has no barrier of any kind separating the front and back of the speaker cone, then since the sound pressure waves are 180 degrees out of phase between the back and front of the cone, the sound waves from both sides basically cancel each other out. When the front of the cone moves forward, increasing density of the air there, the back of the cone is decreasing the density of the air by the exact same amount.  It is a little more complicated than that (the size of the speaker, the frequencies being reproduced), but basically that is what happens.

Any sort of a baffle which isolates the front and rear of the speaker greatly improves the sound reproduction.  In small sizes like we use in our models a full enclosure works the best.

I always shake my head seeing modelers simply plop a speaker somewhere in the model with both front and rear of the speaker cone in open air and then complain how crappy they sound.  I also remember when many teenagers used to buy couple of 6 x 9 car speakers and just plop them down on top of the package shelf in the car expecting loud music.  No such luck - those "installs" sounded really crappy - no bass at all.

[sizemore]

will the hitch appear at 1 and 7 o clock in reverse?



I had a J that did as you describe, it was a gear that was not concentric.
(this was the one that growled also)

victor

So playing in the lab, it hitches at 11/7 in reverse as well. So I flipped it on its back hooked up some alligator clips, and it runs free. If I add a touch of load supplied by a finger it hitches at 11/5 again. Still think its a gear?

The S.