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Anyone have any experience with these? I'm new to MRR and am about to request (for my birthday) my first DCC locomotive. I have seen a few on youtube and they seem to have decent sound.
I'm not sure I want to go for the home run loco for my very first (especially since my wife is also getting me the NCE power cab along with it)... And I like steam locos very much.
If not the Alco's, anything you all would recommend with DCC sound at a comparable price? Ebay is listing these anywhere from $100-150
I have the S2, RS3, and 2-6-0. I like all three of them, but the S2 is my favorite. It looks clean, runs very well, and sounds great.
Now, none of these engines has all the peripheral sounds that come with a full-blown Tsunami, the motors don't start up or shut down, there is no turbogenerator sound for the steam engine, and there is no brake squeal when stopping. For someone just getting started, any of them would be a good locomotive.
Scale and track radius will help determine what to get (I assume HO). Deciding what era and what type of rolling stock you want to have will also matter. I would make sure you can find and/or buy the rolling stock you want before getting the loco.
Bachmann makes some underrated, but quality locos for a good price in their Spectrum Series. You won't be disappointed once you put it on the track.
Scale and track radius will help determine what to get (I assume HO). Deciding what era and what type of rolling stock you want to have will also matter. I would make sure you can find and/or buy the rolling stock you want before getting the loco.
Bachmann makes some underrated, but quality locos for a good price in their Spectrum Series. You won't be disappointed once you put it on the track.
I have a Bachmann Alco S-4 and a Mogul 2-6-0 in HO. I am very happy with both of them. The S-4 has to strain with 10 cars up a 3% grade. The little Mogul, 6 cars. I mostly run them on the flat. The S-4's decoder went south after I had it for 6 months. Only used it maybe 15 minutes, Total. Bachmann replaced the decoder, no charge, 1 year warranty, can't beat that. Love the sound.
I have the S-4 and Mogul because I also have an S-4 in 7 1/2" guage, and also had built a Wabash Mogul live steamer and ran it for three years before the S-4. This size is called "ride on scale". These are 400+lb engines. Summer and winter railroading.
Bill W
I don't run DCC but I can tell you my experience with the Bachmann Spectrum series HO has been 100% positive. I have 2 44ton GE's, a 70 ton GE, 2 GP30's, an S4, and a New Haven rectifier and they all run as good as any of the Atlas I own. Smooth quiet and reasonably well detailed. The 70 ton and the GP30's are dual mode DCC and I do run them that way on my buddy's layout when I go to visit. They run equally as good on DC or DCC.
I also have an older H16-44 DC only that runs well but not quite as good as the Spectrums. More like the older blue box Athearns. Good but a bit noisy.
