bachmann f7


T

trainmannick83

Member
its a wuss !!!!!

it cant even pull a dummy engine and 4 box cars :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

I will keep using t , but so glad I have 1 more powered engine and 1 more dummy coming soon ............im gonna NEED it
 
trainmannick83 said:
its a wuss !!!!!

it cant even pull a dummy engine and 4 box cars :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

I will keep using t , but so glad I have 1 more powered engine and 1 more dummy coming soon ............im gonna NEED it
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Is this the old single truck drive F7? If so, you are doing well for it to pull that much.
 
bnsf971 said:
Is this the old single truck drive F7? If so, you are doing well for it to pull that much.
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Not sure , It came in the 2012 Bachmann Norfolk Southern Thoroughbred set that I got online . But the thing is this ..... I took the dummy engine off and im using it as a display piece in my room now :cool: , Which looks cool sitting on my dresser might I add !! But it pulls 4 cars and a caboose ( the F 7 ) down in the basement on my layout now .
 
I have a bachman plus F-7 that runs very well, It sounds like you have the cheap one that they threw into train sets.
 
CNR Glen said:
I have a bachman plus F-7 that runs very well, It sounds like you have the cheap one that they threw into train sets.
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Yeah it came with my set that I bought to get me started on my layout

Norfolk Southern Thoroughbred

Needless to say its not running as I have put it back in the box with the other cars . Im using the Life-Like HO scale GP39 santa fe engines on my layout with horn hook couplers and all of my cars have those couplers as well . Im ALOT more happier now .. I don't think I will be buying nomore Bachmann stuff anymore , that's for _____ sure !
 
The Bachmann stuff you have should not be used to judge a whole company's product line. Bachmann has become one of the innovators in the hobby. They were the first to come out with a highly detailed, excellent running and pulling plastic steamer. Plus it was offered at a very reasonable price. That was the 2-8-0. This "kick started" the current market of plastic steamers from BLI, mth, etc. They have now switched almost their entire line to this type of comstruction. Their current diesels have 8 wheel drives with flywheels and they run quiet and smooth, plus they pull quite well.

I believe that the day of the pancake motor in Bachmann engines are fast becoming a thing of the past.
 
Cjcrescent said:
The Bachmann stuff you have should not be used to judge a whole company's product line. Bachmann has become one of the innovators in the hobby. They were the first to come out with a highly detailed, excellent running and pulling plastic steamer. Plus it was offered at a very reasonable price. That was the 2-8-0. This "kick started" the current market of plastic steamers from BLI, mth, etc. They have now switched almost their entire line to this type of comstruction. Their current diesels have 8 wheel drives with flywheels and they run quiet and smooth, plus they pull quite well.

I believe that the day of the pancake motor in Bachmann engines are fast becoming a thing of the past.
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well then apparently the F7 in their 2012 Norfolk Southern Thoroughbred line is OLD ?? I mean I watched it SPIN in place trying to pull 4 boxcars and a dummy GP39 .... didn't do squat . I just put it back inside the box and told myself " forget it " Bought those Life Like engines and they pull like a beast !
 
trainmannick83 said:
well then apparently the F7 in their 2012 Norfolk Southern Thoroughbred line is OLD ??
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I didn't mean to imply that. I meant to imply that it was of an older design, especially with the pancake motor.




trainmannick83 said:
I mean I watched it SPIN in place trying to pull 4 boxcars and a dummy GP39 .... didn't do squat . I just put it back inside the box and told myself " forget it " Bought those Life Like engines and they pull like a beast !
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The life likes should pull better. Chances are they have 8 wheel drive.
Here is an exploded view of a Bachmann DCC ready diesel, meaning it doesn't come with a decoder. Pay attention to the gears, and motor setup.

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/dwg/dwgs/H850X-IS001.PDF

This is typical of the type of construction that is available on most of Bachmann's newer designs. Granted, its not the quality of Kato or Atlas, but I believe that it is slowly headed in that direction.
 
I just got the Bachmann F7 A and B units. These are in the orange box "sound value" (read: Tsunami). Each one weighs in at 11oz and are both powered.

All I can say is, these are horses when it comes to pulling power. I have an overhead layout with several grades that are not exactly prototypical with 5%-6% grades and each has no problem pulling alone and obvoiusly they pull very well in a consist. They were speed-matched out of the box with only CV's 4 and 5 messed with.

They are also very quiet and start moving at step 1. I watch my Power Cab amp read-out and it doesn't nudge much when they are on the steep grades which I found amazing considering my Bachmann Alco RS3's tend to nudge up on the amp's on grades.

All-in-all, I am very happy with the F7's and changed my mind on Bachmann. I feel that you have to know what you are buying with Bachmann in order to be happy.
 
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trainmannick83 said:
well then apparently the F7 in their 2012 Norfolk Southern Thoroughbred line is OLD ?? I mean I watched it SPIN in place trying to pull 4 boxcars and a dummy GP39 .... didn't do squat . I just put it back inside the box and told myself " forget it " Bought those Life Like engines and they pull like a beast !
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Huh... I had a life-like train set when I was younger and my GP38 had the same type of motor as your F7.

That thing could pull its dummy twin and 15 cars. It was nuts.
 
Since this thread has started, I picked up a DCC and sound equipped F7. It is a slightly improved version of their old plus F7, with almost the same trucks and motor, same shell with a few extra details, and a different frame to accommodate the decoder and speaker setup.after breaking in, it runs very well, quiet and smooth. It pulls my 6 car passenger train with no trouble.
 
Just an update on my F7's. I like them so much that I got a Pennsylvania A unit at a local hobby shop. Just like the Santa Fe units, it runs very well.

I am now running the F7's in an A-B-A consist and it can very easily pull 20 cars around my overhead layout, grades and all. I am so happy that I am purchasing a Pennsylvania A and B unit to run with the one I have in an A-B-A setup. I am also getting another A unit Santa Fe and do the same A-B-A setup.

So far, I love these locomotives and hope I can stumble across other makes that run as well. I looked at the high-end loco's like MTH but just cannot pull the trigger on the prices and risk taking a chance they will not run as well as my F7's. We cannot see the fine details on the MTH's at 8' in the air anyway.

I am thinking of getting an Athearn though ;)
 
RCShadow said:
Just an update on my F7's. I like them so much that I got a Pennsylvania A unit at a local hobby shop. Just like the Santa Fe units, it runs very well.

I am now running the F7's in an A-B-A consist and it can very easily pull 20 cars around my overhead layout, grades and all. I am so happy that I am purchasing a Pennsylvania A and B unit to run with the one I have in an A-B-A setup. I am also getting another A unit Santa Fe and do the same A-B-A setup.

So far, I love these locomotives and hope I can stumble across other makes that run as well. I looked at the high-end loco's like MTH but just cannot pull the trigger on the prices and risk taking a chance they will not run as well as my F7's. We cannot see the fine details on the MTH's at 8' in the air anyway.

I am thinking of getting an Athearn though ;)
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I would steer clear of the MTH F units. I got one as a test bed, and that was more than enough. It was impossible to program (sound/DCS), and wouldn't operate with anything else in my roster. It had to go back for repair (three times), and I finally almost gave it away to be rid of it. If you like the Bachmann F units, stick with them. Athearn RTR are good basic engines, as well. Genesis F units are usually great, but as you point out, the extra detail from the viewing distance you will be using them means they really wouldn't be worth the extra cost.
 
Early Athearn Genesis F7s had MRC decoders, beware, no bargain if you get stuck with a beautiful pair of these units.
 
My son's first set came with a C&O B23-7, DC. It's retired now that we've converted to DCC. With the DCC EZ Command set, we got a Rio Grande GP40, and it struggles to pull 6 cars up the grade made with the EZ-Track piers.

My Proto 1000 NYC Subway set, (one power car, three trailers, DC) can't pull itself up that grade.

Got a Proto 2000 GP50 (DCC Ready) and put a decoder in it, and it pulls 10+ cars (all the freights he has) up that same hill.

We also have a DCC-Equipped 2-8-0 that doesn't seem to have trouble pulling three 85' coaches.

Once we unbox them, we'll see how well the DCC Daylight and Southern 2-10-2 run...
 
I bought a couple of B'mann F7s a couple of weeks ago, and when I received them I noted (1) they were VERY light - 8.5 ounces each, and (2) the motor was smaller than normal but both trucks were driven from it.

I noticed too that the F7s' interior weight filled up only about 2/3 of each shell (vs. the FTs that are HEAVY - their shells are filled with the metal body and therefore are VERY good pullers.)

So the F7s are still sitting while I decide if I want to go to the trouble of filling the rest of the shell space with lead sheets and stick-on weights. Seems to me they NEED 6 to 10 ounces each if I could get them in.

I'll admit I sort of compare all my HO engines (mostly Bachmann) to THE STANDARD - Bachmann's SD40-2s. They arrive weighing 18 ounces each and I add 4 ounces such that they also equalize the entire 22 ounces on both trucks. Any one of my these SD40-2s can walk off with a 65-car train by itself - forward or reverse.

So these F7s, while very nice-looking, are a disappointment. Seems like these two are bare-bones, semi-useless engines. I wonder why B'mann didn't use the interior weights (or their equivalent) of their FTs on these. Saving $$$?

DougC
 
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