Bachmann GP7...worth it?

[diburning]

Bachmann has been upgrading their locomotives so that people getting into the hobby or those who want to buy toys develop brand loyalty.

When I first saw the retooled SD40-2, I thought it was the late version of the Athearn bluebox (with no pilot slots) except that it ran a lot better.

They attempted to add details, such as coupler lift bars, flush mounted windows, etc, and they aren't half bad.

 

[Wojo]

Bachmann and Life-Like earned their reputation as purveyors of low quality junk, based on their Toys-R-Us and Kiddie City train sets marketed as throwaway Holiday toys. I bought several for my sons only to end up substituting my BB equipment to maintain some sense of reliability.

The GP7, the Baldwin Shark, the GE 44 ton and 70 ton engines, the FM H-16-44 and the U-23-B, do not fit into that category. They are fairly reliable out of the box and are excellent kitbash and detailing candidates.

The best part of the GP7 is that it can be made to duplicate any era in which it was used in from as delivered to chop nose rebuild, and is cheap enough that with a decent decoder, and aftermarket details you still come out better cost wise than a DCC ready unit from another manufacturer.

Joe