Bachmann S4 - Any pics?

jamesdewarinireland Aug 13, 2013

  1. joetrain59

    joetrain59 TrainBoard Member

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    Especially Z905's. Mine lokie will be here Wed.
    Joe D
     
  2. Spookshow

    Spookshow TrainBoard Member

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    It looks like you could screw just about anything you want in there -

    [​IMG]

    Cheers,
    -Mark
     
  3. joetrain59

    joetrain59 TrainBoard Member

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    Got mine just awhile ago. It's doing laps around layout. Track needs to be very clean, due to lightness of loco. Got to be room to add some weight somewhere on this pup. Is cab a separate piece? First thing I think I'll do is see about fitting it with Z905's. Think I have some here. But overall VERY nice loco, and as Mark said, very quiet. I'm happy. Thank you Bachmann.
    Joe D
     
  4. PiperguyUMD

    PiperguyUMD TrainBoard Member

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    I just discovered the same thing - man my track is dirty! This is a stellar model. I wish the WM had rostered more than two, they're that good!
     
  5. Westfalen

    Westfalen TrainBoard Member

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    My pair of Santa Fes just arrived and they look fantastic, however like the above two posts I'm finding pickup very erratic, even on a meticulously cleaned Unitrack test track. I'm hoping it will improve as the blackening wears off the wheel treads. I haven't had time to look into the decoder settings yet but mine appear to have quite a bit of inertia programmed into them.
     
  6. joetrain59

    joetrain59 TrainBoard Member

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    Yeah, we need to find a way to add weight. Tho, now it's been pulling 10 ass'td cars around flawlessly. I have Peco E/F turnouts.
    I run DC, but I think I read, it can be programmed thru DCC to run smoother, lower speed for DC?
    Joe D
     
  7. joetrain59

    joetrain59 TrainBoard Member

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    Also, as far as I know, first Bmann loco with brighter/whiter LED's. Applause to Bmann.
    Joe D
     
  8. Westfalen

    Westfalen TrainBoard Member

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    Given the track an extra cleaning and they are both now running like switchers should. These things will find your dirty track that looks spotless to the naked eye.

    Now to get out the decals and renumber one, I wish bachmann would do multiple road numbers.
     
  9. bumthum

    bumthum TrainBoard Member

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    Well there is hope, they have done multiple road numbers on the GP7... perhaps other popular (read: selling well) locomotives/road names will also see additional road numbers.
     
  10. fifer

    fifer TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    I did this little video a few days ago. Hope you all take a look.


    [video=youtube_share;Aq9eWTtW0Nk]http://youtu.be/Aq9eWTtW0Nk[/video]



    Mike
     
  11. joetrain59

    joetrain59 TrainBoard Member

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    Popped the shell off my loco just now. Once boxing glove couplers removed, there is that post that needs to go. I intend to mount Z905's.
    [​IMG][/URL]
    Then, looking for room to add weight. Think I'll lose the black shroud in cab, paint side of LED and light tube black and see what happens. Should be room to add weight there. And maybe tungsten discs at front of front truck tower?
    [​IMG][/URL]
    Joe D
     
  12. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    I would urge some caution with using Tungsten as it is conductive. However in the putty form far less so and certainly easier to mold to fit in small bits here and there.
     
  13. johnh

    johnh TrainBoard Member

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    I have been thinking that the two metal blocks could be replaced with pieces machined from tungsten alloy. Another thought is that since the frame is not of a split design, a person could cast a new frame from a heavier alloy.
     
  14. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    My thought is that there is probably enough room to shoehorn some Tungsten putty, keeping clear of the bearing shaft end, between the gear tower and the end, hopefully on both ends. Plus a little more maybe here and there in the chassis while keeping in mind equal weight distribution. That I believe with also wearing off some of that wheel blackening will improve the tractive effort by a few more cars. Once I have one in hand, maybe by this weekend I do some testing on grade once broken in. Since most of my smaller stuff is destined for the branch line and its' 2% grades double heading with not more than 18-20 cars will be the limit.
     
  15. joetrain59

    joetrain59 TrainBoard Member

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    Good news. Z905's are a pretty easy fit. Once post is removed, there remains a mounting hole. Screwed coupler right in. It is a bit deeper, and protrudes over frame. Will have to be removed to take shell of. Could file the back of 905 a bit, and notch frame a bit, too?
    Coupler sit's a bit low, to gauge. But I see in pic that it does not look flush. Have to see whats keeping it from seating fully.
    [​IMG][/URL]
    [​IMG][/URL]
    [​IMG][/URL]
     
  16. fifer

    fifer TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    Thanks for the tip and update.

    Mike
     
  17. joetrain59

    joetrain59 TrainBoard Member

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    More to come later, perhaps. Draining stinky pond water from Bluegill tank. Eeewww. : (
     
  18. Westfalen

    Westfalen TrainBoard Member

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    I've put 1015's on one of mine. With the post and the two uprights at the sides of the coupler pocket cut off they fit right in and are about the right height.
     
  19. brokemoto

    brokemoto TrainBoard Member

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    A question to Spookshow: your review mentions that the wires are soldered to the wheel wipers. Does this mean that the wires flex as the truck pivots? If so, there will be problems down the road as these things age. While the old LL plastic frame FAs, FP-whatevers and BL-2s were not bad runners for their time, the wires from the motor were soldered to the wipers which were on pivotting trucks. The flexing joints eventually broke. This is one reason that the manufacturers got away from this type of construction method.

    As for mine, it is going through break-in. My initial impressions of it are pretty good. I fail to see why people bash its appearance. Aside from the so-called 'boxing glove' couplers, it looks every bit as good as the old Arnold S-2, if not better. I am not seeing the stalling problems, but I did track erase my track yesterday. I have not tried to run it through the Kato street trackage turnouts, yet, but I did run it on one vendor's Kato street trackage demonstration loop. It ran well on those tight curves.
     
  20. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    After getting back from the show with the new locos in hand and digesting a very excellent Italian sub from the shop next door to the show it was time for a short senior citizen nappy. Awoke with my faculties refreshed and set out to do my version of the old torture test of the new Bmann S-4. First thing I did was to put it in the loco cradle and power it up while holding a fine sanding stick to each wheel to get rid of a lot of the blackening. Then right onto the test track without cleaning the track at all. Ran very well except for the slow speed crawl. Ran the track cleaner around the track numerous times and replaced the loco. At extreme low throttle and speed it took 3 minutes to navigate 12 feet of track without a hiccup. Now that is slow crawling folks. Somebody mentioned that the opposite end light will dim when run in the other direction which I did not experience. However the light did stay full bright no matter what the throttle was set on. At full speed everything I own will run away from this loco. So a nice low speed for a switcher like it should be. Unfortunately after over an hour running not to mention getting rid of the excessive wheel blackening the best I could manage on my 11 radius test track was 10 cars and that was pushing it. It would pick up some speed on the straight but slow down on the curve. Eleven cars equaled wheel slip on the curves. All cars behind this loco were forty footers with MT wheelsets. Tested on the inner track that has 9 and 3/4th radius curves and got the same thing however no issues with derailing on that radius.

    Next ran it through my 9 inch radius Peco turnouts with no issues and also through the 8 inch radius curves I have set up on the third track. So the mechanism appears to be critter fodder in that respect. In all not a bad little loco.

    However now for the negative side. Anyone who expects to latch onto a 20 car cut and move it on the level better have this loco double headed. It is just too light in the butt to do a serious consist pulling. On that note I took the test track to a 2% grade and the best I could do was three 40 foot cars. Add a 4th and it set and spun the wheels. Dropped down to 1.5% grade and no better. I still have to change out couplers and will look at the mechanism then to see if I can add any weight that might make a difference. If not then this loco will be confined to the Port of Astoria as the dock switcher where it only has to wrestle two or three cars at a time.

    In summation a nice loco that has excellent slow speed, probably the best I have seen, but basically useless to me because of the lack of tractive effort due to light weight. However if you run two doubleheaded will make a nice yard switcher due to its slow speed performance.
     

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