copied and pasted from http://mrr.trains.com/news-reviews/new-products/2014/07/2014-national-train-show-report 2-8-4 Berkshire steam locomotive. Chesapeake & Ohio (nos. 2724 or 2760), Nickel Plate Road (railfan version no. 765 or no. 759 with Mars light), and Pere Marquette (no. 1225). Die-cast metal chassis, prototype-specific details, and SoundTraxx Sound Value steam package with chuff, short and long whistles, bell, air pump, steam release, and blower. $329. Ready-to-run. Bachmann, 215-533-1600, www.bachmanntrains.com Bachmann N scale Electro-Motive Division SD45 diesel locomotive Electro-Motive Division SD45 diesel locomotive. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Denver & Rio Grande Western; Erie Lackawanna; Northern Pacific; and Pennsylvania RR. One road number per scheme. SoundTraxx Sound Value diesel sound package with prime mover, three air horns, and bell. $249. Ready-to-run. Bachmann, 215-533-1600,
Man, I better start saving up. You're looking at $279 for the Berkshire and $199 for the SD45 on www.¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤.com.
As I recall, you just spent time and money hunting down an older version? Sounds like another time that Murphy's Law strikes!
Yep, but that's OK. The Bachmann ones won't be available until at least mid-2015. I have the other ones for Christmas for my son. I just hope the Bachmann version will have traction tires and will pack a lot of weight on the nose, allowing it to transverse 9 3/4" radius curves. Knowing Bachmann, the Berkshires will have traction tires and will be able to go around tight curves.
The Bachmann Berk is VERY welcome news, particularly if it is a Spectrum-class locomotive and runs/pulls anything like the EM-1. The old Life-Like/Walthers Berk ran beautifully, but was a bear to convert to DCC, is rear-heavy on balance (causing the front drivers to lift around tight curves) and pulled maybe six cars before giving up the ghost. I've overcome many of these problems with one fix or another, but a Spectrum-class Berk (with the Mars light!) would be EXTREMELY welcome. Not terribly excited by the stripped-down TSU sound decoder, but if all the wiring runs back to the tender, replacing this with an ESU Loksound should be a cinch. I'll keep my fingers crossed! John C.
I echo that too. My Berkshires actually were very easy to convert to DCC. Took my all of 15 minutes to convert. I wonder when these will be available...?
Well I did look in the crystal ball and did state that all signs pointed to Bmann coming out with a new steamer. I got the 8 drivers part right, and the 4 wheel trailing truck right, but I just couldn't get a clear view of the lead truck and assumed that it was going to be 4 wheel also. Dag nabbit they left off an axle on the lead truck. Oh well if I hurry up and place an order for a new gazing ball from Madam Zahariset's Emporioum of Things Mystical to replace this well used and slightly foggy one I have I should be in good shape for next years predictions. And a Berk did cross my old mind a few times being that Mr. Murphy likes to mess with folks trying to get a decent running Berk by going through a lot of tweaking. How ever since I did not publically state said prediction it don't count against my record.
Bachmann's brochure at http://www.bachmannindustriesinc.com/pdf/NMRA_2014.pdf indicates "shipping in 2014." So maybe we will see them first-quarter 2015? Although maybe sooner - my recollection is that the EM-1's arrived pretty darn quickly after the announcement. John C.
Last year the B&O 2-8-8-4's were announced in July and here in Sept or October I think. I think the really big news is the prices. For what they are charging the things better fill the room with sound and make the walls shake as well.
I know the Bachmann 2-8-4 Berkshire will be better than the one I have! [video=youtube;f2Pg3PIFcwA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2Pg3PIFcwA[/video]
Well, those are MSRP prices. I fully expect discount hobby shops online to have better prices. Maybe $279 for the one with sound.
I am with John on guestimating when we will see these for sale. I think during calendar year 2014. I could rationalize purchasing one and reletter to B&O even though I understand they never owned these locomotives.
The photos in the brochure are of the HO scale models, but the C&O version has the correct sand dome placement (forward of where it is on the NKP/Pere Marquette units). Since the HO model is correct, one has to believe the N scale shell will also be correct. It also looks like they got the headlight placement correct (low). So for C&O fans, this is probably as close to a prototypical Kanawha as you're going to get. God I hope these run as well as the EM-1's or 2-8-0's. I'll retire my LifeLike units in a flash. John C.
John, what's wrong with your LL units besides not being able to pull much? I love mine, but I know the Bachmann ones will be better. Hopefully they'll have a metal boiler.
It's not the pulling power that is the issue. I long ago adopted the "tape traction tire" technique, using double-sided Scotch tape on the #4 driver set to improve pulling. My LL Berks will pull 30 cars plus a caboose without problem on my level layout. The problem is that they still tend to lift the front drivers around curves, even my 16" minimum radius. I have 10 of these, and 4 of them are really bad about this; the other 6 are usually OK as long as I don't get too crazy with train length (e.g., hold the consist down to about 25 cars, including caboose). They are also finicky about electrical pickup; because of the tape traction tires, the engine itself tends to be pretty useless for power pickup. That means I rely almost completely on the tender for power pickup and transfer via the drawbar. Again, 90% of the time this is OK, but I'm usually tweaking the phosphor-bronze wires that wipe up against the engine frame and the tender pickup contacts before an operating session just to make sure. And the damn things don't have the Mars light! The NKP put the Mars light on its Berks beginning in 1947, and by the 50's (my modeling era), they were ubiquitous, and a major spotting feature. I don't know how many times I've thought about trying to make a detail part for the Mars light, but I never did, hoping that one day someone would make the Berk with the Mars light. Well . . . here it is! In Bachmann's HO scale Berks, it is an operating Mars light. I think that's probably too much to ask for in N, but just having the non-working detail part is a very big deal for me. So if the pulling power is good and the engine runs as smoothly as the EM-1, I'll probably end up replacing my entire fleet. It's not hard to renumber them with appropriate decals. John
While the brochure I received does mention a diecast chassis they don't mention the boiler unless my old eyes missed it. However several of the last releases over the last few years have had metal boilers so there is a fair to middling chance this may also have one.
I suddenly see in the future 10 N scale 2-8-4 Berkshires being put up for sale on eBay. I got the tape traction tire idea from you, BTW. Thanks. As far as the weight is concerned, I used tungsten putty in the steam dome inside the shell, and added weight on the front pilot. Not prototypical, but the nose does not ride up any more.
