Bachmann HO EMD GP38-2 Santa Fe #3502


Rogue

Rogue

Flying Scotsman
Just won one of these on Ebay for my wife who is collecting together SF items so that she can begin her own layout later in the year!

I haven't bought Bachmann before and all my US locos are either Athearn or Atlas, so I was wondering if I have I made a good, or at least reasonable decision in getting this loco.

Thanks

George
 
Well, that all depends on your own taste. The Atlas and Athearn models you're used to are almost guaranteed to be more detailed. On the other hand, Bachmann has really started to up the quality of their product. With alittle TLC in the form of detail parts you could have a pretty good looking loco. For future purchases though, I would personally stay along the tracks you have been on...No pun intended! BTW: Good luck on your future layout! Sure wish my wife would consider anything other than disapprovement of my future layout....:rolleyes:

-Rich
 
Assuming it's this one: http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products.php?act=viewProd&productId=1574, you got a fine engine. It already has DCC and the detail level is very good. It's a little below the level of detail you'd expect with a P2K or Atlas Gold line engine but it's also abut half the price. I've got the GP-35, which has the same mechanism. It runs fine - a little noisier than more expensive engines but smooth and a good puller. I added a few grab irons and some lift rings to the top of the hood and it looks fine in consist with other, more expensive CSX engines. I think your wife will be very happy with it.
 
Thankyou everyone for allaying my fears, the loco arrived this morning and it certainly doesn't look too bad at all. I'll give it a run when I get home from work tonight to see how it goes. My wife isn't as bothered as much as I about detail (at least about trains, a different matter when it's about shoes and stuff however"! lol) but I think I'll add some stuff probably on the lines you suggest, Jim and yes that is the one!
Thanks again guys!

George.
 
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I'm glad it arrived OK and I'm sure you and your wife will like it. Give it a good hour of run-in time, both forwards and backwards, to settle in the gears. I'm happy to hear the shoe issue is not a problem confined to just the USA. :)
 
Well, she runs like a dream, is much quieter than I expected and pulls pretty well. I am very impressed.

Thanks again all for your input

George
 
Glad to hear it. I've found the newer Bachmann engines to be a really good value for the money. You'll read a lot of negatives about Bachmann but their newer products are really quite good.
 
UP2CSX said:
Glad to hear it. I've found the newer Bachmann engines to be a really good value for the money. You'll read a lot of negatives about Bachmann but their newer products are really quite good.
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As a former Bachmann Basher, I concur with the opinion above. I have a Spectrum NP SD-45 and it's quite good both in terms of appearance and mechanics.

12-08-07BachmannNPSD-45.jpg
 
BNSF dude said:
Except the fact that no one but Athearn cares about prototypical per-railroad details..
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Or charges you $100 more for the (more) correct prototype details. :) I agree that Athearn, in general, is better about this but the Athearn DME G-9 reviewed in this month's MR is a good example of paying attention to small details and getting big ones wrong. They got the ALCO style number board font right but left on the footboards, which no modern locomotives uses. That's why, no matter what brand of engine I've ever bought, I always had to do some kitbashing to make it look like the prototype.
 
BNSF dude said:
... no one but Athearn cares about prototypical per-railroad details..
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"no one but Athearn cares"? I think you'll probably get some rebuttal to that comment. There are a number of manufacturers besides Athearn who do at least as good, if not a better, job of producing prototypically accurate (although nobody is perfect) models, e.g., Atlas, BLI, InterMountain, Red Caboose, et al
 
Agreed, RiverOtter. Actually, Athearn didn't give rats behind about getting anything right for a long time. They persisted in calling what was obviously an SW-7 an SW-1500 for years just because Uncle Irv didn't want to admit he was wrong when he saw the preliminary drawings for the 1500 that looked like an SW-7 but the real thing looked much different. Athearn is really a latecomer to prototype accuracy compared to Atlas, IM, and Bowser, just to name a few. Oh, and I screwed up on the DRE GP-9 flub. It's a Walther's engine, not Athearn...but my point still stands
 
riverotter said:
"no one but Athearn cares"? I think you'll probably get some rebuttal to that comment. There are a number of manufacturers besides Athearn who do at least as good, if not a better, job of producing prototypically accurate (although nobody is perfect) models, e.g., Atlas, BLI, InterMountain, Red Caboose, et al
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KATO too. :) Sure it is a pain to install all of the handrails and all the other things. But that is what makes Model Railroading so fun. :D
 
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