Bachmann's insane price increase on the DCC Ready version is GG-1 suicide. At 145 I will buy multiple GG-1's and install my own sound package, but at $200 plus they can keep it. I don't know how they can think a non steam engine can fetch $200 + w/o DCC!!. I'd love to hear the reason for this. I have run mine for about 6 hours in total and the detailing is on par with Kato, but the motor performance is below Kato standards especially at the lower speed steps. Too bad as I has some plans to do a nice Congressional. Look forward to your input
This would be the same Bachmann that lists N scale TOFC flat cars at $52.00, 50' SD and plug door boxcars (with poor printing and detail) at $35, the Jackson Sharp excursion car for $45, their northeast caboose (complete with molded on roofwalk) for $29, and a 4-6-0 with a oversized tender for $219 (but it at least has DCC). Other than knowing that most of their products are going to be sold at a discount (although that isn't always the case) I have no idea why they think their stuff is made of gold. I don't think that the GG-1 had issues...I think Bachmann as a whole has them.
Well, the pantographs are live so you can actually string overhead wire and pick power off said wire. That sounds like a bit of N scale wizardry in both making the pantographs work, as well as the modeler stringing and powering the overhead. But just taking a wild guess it sounds like to me with the DC version jumping in price way more than the DCC version that Bachman is trying to deter a DC only version possibly. Aside from a different DC vs DCC board which cannot cause a big change in a production line I can't think of any other reason. Unless who ever made the DC board charged them way more than originally thought. But I've no clue really. And besides, isn't BLI coming out with a GG1 as well? Figure that one out.
Timing is everything. When they first came out they could be had for a song. Same with the Peter Witt streetcar. Retail price is currently $185.00. I think when they came out the MSRP was $169.00 but you could get them on the auction site for $35-$45.00. Historically Bachmann is known to have rather huge markups on their products. I guess it makes the sale prices more appealing.
A friend of mine owns a Bachmann non DCC version GG1 with a Digitrax decoder, it runs circles around the Kato GG1 at real low speeds, also with a Digitrax decoder?
