Bachmann O Gauge A1/3

GeoffB · Post by **GeoffB** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 4:55 pm

Ouch!! That's double the price of the one from Tower. Even a painted one is only another £250 or so.

GeoffB

x568wcn · Post by **x568wcn** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 5:05 pm

Sorry to shock you...it's not quite that much!

GeoffB · Post by **GeoffB** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:16 pm

No - not quite!! Still quite pricey for the same model - the NRM one is the bachmann painted version, so I'm not sure where they say that they are a specially commissioned one of only 25 units!. Still, compared to a hand built one in this country, you'd probably be paying half as much again - but the springs might be softer and the guard irons in the right place!!

GeoffB

PS - just machined up a large flywheel for the motor yesterday, but have only had chance to test it on the rollers and not on the track. And I've still got to change the springs.

x568wcn · Post by **x568wcn** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:34 pm

GeoffB wrote: She performed reasonably well, but kept derailing the front bogie
on a big bump on a baseboard joint on a curve.

Exactly the same as the (Bachmann) Graham Farish Version then!
The Front bogey always comes off at points, chucking the driving wheels off and stopping dead. And these are worse than the V2 front bogey, which is a single axle, and can therefore twist within the tracks, and the front coupling sits off line then (but I have her going round in reverse now, hauling goods!)

Post by **richard** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:13 pm

Mark: Have you tried adjusting the back-to-back on the wheels?

I haven't paid attention to my V2's pony wheels, but if they're anything like the A3's leading bogie, then the wheels can be adjusted on the axles (I've changed the wheels to better looking ones on my A3's front bogie).

Richard

GeoffB · Post by **GeoffB** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:13 pm

I've had a good look at the front bogie and it appears that (along with the heavy springing, which gives the loco a "rigid" chasis feel) the bogie is restricted in it's downward movement to virtually the rail height plus about 1/2mm - which in O gauge is not sufficient for it to ride really uneven track.

It is easy to fix - a simple extension to the centre sring/swivel pin of about 1.5 mm and it should go down that extra bit. The bogie on the O versions are very rigid and made from substantial thickness of brass, but it doesn't allow the frame to "twist" to offer any compensation. A little relieving in the vertical plane of the bearings on one axle with a retaining pivot rod fixed to the middle resting on the axle will solve that problem (I did this on the front and rear tender axles on the V2 to give a little "compensation", which appears to work well. I shall carry out these mods when I reset the guard irons.

It might be worth looking at your OO version and giving it a similar treatment - then you can drive it the way it should be run - in forward motion!

In a way, it was a good thing that the test track had the bump on the joint as big as it was, allowing me to find this problem before letting her out in full flight on the garden railway (with a possible disastrous outcome of hurtling down steep embankments!!

)

Regards,

GeoffB

x568wcn · Post by **x568wcn** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:42 pm

Anyone in the Bachmann collectors club, will soon get / got the Volume 6 No.4 Summer 2006 issue, with an article on the NRM version, and a copy of the flyer I have a photo of further up!

Bullhead · Post by **Bullhead** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:57 pm

Yep, mine arrived today.