Hi all . Any of you guys have any info or experience in putting a decoder in a new release of the Bachmann Northern? Thanks , Mike
It's an easy decoder installation Mike. A new lenz mini gold decoder will fit with some grinding of the frame or you can put it in the cab. Stay cool and run steam....
Mike - check here for pics and other tips on installing a decoder in the loco. http://www.trainboard.com/ultimatebb.php/ubb/get_topic/f/9/t/007331/p/3.html
Tony: Do you have a photo's showing your wiring to the front headlight of the Bachmann 4-8-4? Stay cool and run steam.....
The headlight wiring was nothing special. The factory light just has wires that wrap around the plastic light shield and make contact with the frames when the shield is screwed in place. All I did was unwrap the wires, bend them up and away so they couldn't contact the frame, insulate them and attach the decoder leads. You may want to add a resistor in line or change the bulb also. The factory bulb is very bright on DCC and can melt the shield. MRC suggests that wiring the bulb to the headlight lead and one frame lead instead of using the common light lead will dim the bulb. It worked quite well, not sure if it would work with other decoders.
I got it today and it is a definite lemon. Gerks lunges ,quits, derails. Well I have not had time to look and diagnose the many aparent problems but man I hate that. Someone please tell me why I bought a steam locomotive again? I hate to tinker. Mike
Because you have a secret desire to learn how to tinker. These locomotives can be made to run well but usually takes a lot of tinkering.
Mike: I recently bought two Bachmann 4-8-4's and they both run without problems. Did you get the most recent version? Send it back to Bachmann and ask that a "tech" test out several and send you the best one. They are definitely not as smooth as the Spectrum loco's , but are a big improvement over the original and second runs. Pete Nolan was over to my place today and we were taking for some time about the Bachmann 4-8-4's amongst other topics. Stay cool and run steam.....
Mike, I guess it's too late for this but the best thing you can do for that loco is to run it. They all run a little jerky out of the box. It takes about an hour or so of break in before they really start too smooth out. The loco doesn't have bearings in the frame so the axles need to polish the frame journals a bit for it to smooth out.
Mike, Don't give up on steam, just run from most bachmann unless picked up cheap. Buy just about any MicroAce or Kato steamer and I have a ConCor Hudson that runs very well and pulls a lot. I just got my Micro Ace 0-6-6-0 Mallet Wednesday and it runs great especially considering there are no flywheels. Don't give up on steam, just buy the right ones. I will say, No other N scale loco runs as well as my ConCor 1934 Burlington Pioneer Zephyr. that thing glides along the rails like it's alien technology.
Mike: If you put it on a test track and let it run for several hours, your would notice a big improvement. All steam loco's have to be broken in properly . Stay cool and run steam....
Bob , I have rebuilt Brass Steam and used to do alot of it , just got tired of fiddling and I have all the tools (wheel pullers and quarterers). This loco had way more problems than break-in. If I tear it apart there is no going back. It was a real lemon , very poor. Sorry , Mike
Bob , You made me rethink going back to DCC from DC , but I am not going to cave into fiddling with these darn steam engines. I must have had a weak moment!
