Saw a photo of the new Bachmann NW2 with DCC. The GN unit looked good and comes with all weather windows. The couplers look bad though. Anyone seen one of these up close? I assume the couplers can be replaced with MTL couplers. John
Bachmann makes the couplers "big" so they're reliable with "everyone" (to counter the complaint that N scale couplers don't work well). They also know that most modelers replace even the MTL N scale couplers with Zs, so it doesn't matter. If the NW2 is like other recent Bmann products (44T, 70T, S-4), then the couplers are mounted on the shell and can be popped out and a modified MTL 905 Z coupler install (worse case: shave off the back of the coupler box). Model looks good! Hope it runs as well as the S-4!
They've been listed for a few days on the site where I buy my "woo woo woo". Supplies are starting to run low though...
Saturday, I ordered one on-line from a certain vendor that sells both on-line and brick and mortar. They are outside Baltimore; I am in Washington. According to my tracking data on the USPS website, it is supposed to show up to-day. It usually takes only a day, or so, for those guys to deliver. As soon as it shows up, I will put it onto the track for break in. I should have some initial impressions fairly quickly. I also ordered the Bachpersonn ten wheeler in B&O. B-mann has issued this in three new roadnames: B&O, C&O and NYC&StL. I do not know if any of those roads had ten wheelers that looked anything like these. B&O had some ten wheelers for branch and secondary lines that lasted to the end of steam. Funny thing, it preferred pacifics for its Washington commuter trains. I do not know what steam it used for Pittsburgh commuter trains. One of the railfan magazines had an article on Pittsburgh commuter trains many years back. It mentioned what steam PRR used on theirs (ten wheelers) and what steam P&LE used (atlantics, pacifics and ten wheelers) but never mentioned what B&O used.
I ordered one from BLW back in July, but apparently Pete hasn't received his shipment yet. Cheers, -Mark
That particular web and brick store is almost completely sold out already of all roadnames as of this morning.
I think Bachmann's couplers look bigger than they are because they are molded in brown colored plastic and so look more obvious than if they were black and harder to see. I've replaced them with McHenrys and noticed an improvement to my eyes.
Does anyone have any photos of the Bman NW 2? I was unaware that they were releasing this model. I checked BLW and N scale supply for any photos and nothing was even listed. Ryan
Mine showed up to-day, along with some other stuff that I ordered. First on the track was the new B&O ten-wheeler. Yes, I know, this topic is about the NW-2, but this is steam, it is B&O and it is a ten wheeler. There ARE priorities here. It ran well. Allright, now for the diseasel. I am using an MRC 2800; pulsed DC, can not turn off pulse. I bought the yellow/black painted unlettered. Out of the box, overall appearance looks pretty good. The top part is black, the lower yellow, the handrailings white. The railing along the hood appears to be cast-on, but I can not be sure. It is still pretty finely done, be it cast on or separately applied. The couplers are the clunky type, but, as B-mann has had a problem with coupler height in the past, I suspect that this was deliberate, so it would couple properly, which it does. The headlights are the small double type, as opposed to Kato's single lens. I suspect that this one is a phase that is different phase from the Kato as the top grillework and the rest of the top of the hood appears different. Still, the scale of the headlight fixtures appears fine. The stacks on this appear more clunky than those on the Kato. The horn appears to be about the same. I like the Bachperssonn bell better. The Bachmann appears a bit longer than the Kato; both in the hood and the walkway. Still, overall the appearance is pretty good. Out of the box I ran it at forty SMPH to start the break-in. It ran smoothly and quietly in both directions. After a few laps in both directions, I decided to try it at slower speed. It ran well in both directions at twenty five SMPH. Next, came a pulling power test. I used a well weighted Roco wood caboose and ten empty hoppers of various manufacture: Bowser, Atlas and MT. I tried only the ten empty hoppers and the caboose. I ran it only in the hood forward direction at twenty-five SMPH. I will try a more extensive test after completing break-in. Specifically, I will do the loaded MT gondolas test. It pulled the ten hoppers and the caboose up the one per cent grades. It slipped on the short ruling two per cent grade. Swapping out the Roco for the MT wood caboose got the train up the grade. I am running on straight Atlas Flex track and Kato UNITRAK thirteen and three quarter curves. I did try it on the UNITRAM . It went around the curves, but did derail on the turnout. This is what the S-4 did, as well. My initial impressions of it are pretty good. As it will not run on the UNITRAM , which its Kato counterpart will, this one's use to me is limited. Still, it is pretty good, so far. I still await the Atlas S-2.
I'm sure that many do go with the Z. But I kind of doubt it is most modelers. Very few of the N scalers I know have even tried the change. Most just stick with the N version.
Probably not to-day, I have something to do. Also have something to do to-morrow. I will see if I can find GF's digicam and take some photographs next to the Kato. I have not taken this thing apart, but I did look under a magnifying lamp. I saw a wire soldered to a brass piece. This leads me to suspect that the current transfer on this is similar to the S-4: flexing wires soldered to pivotting trucks. This is 1980's and before construction method and will cause problems down the road. This is a deal breaker. The soldered wires and its inability to operate through UNITRAM turnouts are the dealbreakers on this one. While the one that I have runs well and is, for my purposes, an acceptable puller, I will not buy another. Thus far, I would recommend this thing, with reservations. Admittedly, I am requiring some harsh operating conditions for mine. I will have more on that when I pose some more questions to the brain trust, here, about rosters, operations and tasks. That is, of course, the subject of another thread. For the majority of users, it will be just fine. It could even function as an entry-level switcher for those who would prefer a switcher to an entry level F-unit.
The question-- mostly for the folks at Atlas... is how many people are no longer awaiting the Atlas S-2, with both the NW2 and the S-4 now having come out before then? Hopefully for Atlas, close to 100% of those who'd originally wanted an S-2 still do. Thanks for the review, Brokemoto.
The Atlas model will be based of the actual prototype and the tooling will be 100x better, so I'm going to wait. Jason
Not really sure if I will buy the Atlas S-2 or not. The GN units were gone before the merger and I already have a Bmann S-4 painted for NP. I am totally pleased with the running quality of the Bmann unit, I have seen no smoother running switcher.
Wow, a 100x better....can't wait. The Bachmann S4 I have must be a piece of junk, and not based of the actual prototype. Learn something every day here...hboy: Otto K.
