This is interesting. Bachmann split chassis locos are fetching £35-£45 on ebay. If I buy a new Bachmann B1 for £69.99, sell the bag of bits for £8, fit the body on the old chassis and get £40, I've effectively got a new chassis for my old detailed B1 for £32. That'll do me nicely. Hornby can get stuffed with their poor plastic wheels and £110 price tag.
Bachmann B1
I got a new Bachmann B1 (61180) for Christmas and I regret to say it's a disappointment.
Certainly runs better than my previous split chassis version but it has retained the crude tender coupling and the resulting, by todays standards, huge gap between loco and tender. The tender also has two peg-holes on the tank top for which I see no part to fit, it doesn't have the big cylindrical thing (!!) on the tank top I have on 61132 and the "toy" coal load doesn't seem to be removable.
Not good Bachmann - a rush job? - not thought through? - cutting unnecessary corners? On this evidence it won't be hard for the Hornby version to be far better and worth the extra money over this Bachmann "railroad" equivalent.
If Mr Bachmann reads these forum pages, I'd be interested in hearing the excuses.
Mike
PS I'm sending it back to the retailer anyway as the crude tender coupling is not properly fitted and I'm not prepared to have to repair a brand new item. Quality control???
Certainly runs better than my previous split chassis version but it has retained the crude tender coupling and the resulting, by todays standards, huge gap between loco and tender. The tender also has two peg-holes on the tank top for which I see no part to fit, it doesn't have the big cylindrical thing (!!) on the tank top I have on 61132 and the "toy" coal load doesn't seem to be removable.
Not good Bachmann - a rush job? - not thought through? - cutting unnecessary corners? On this evidence it won't be hard for the Hornby version to be far better and worth the extra money over this Bachmann "railroad" equivalent.
If Mr Bachmann reads these forum pages, I'd be interested in hearing the excuses.
Mike
PS I'm sending it back to the retailer anyway as the crude tender coupling is not properly fitted and I'm not prepared to have to repair a brand new item. Quality control???
1 - 2 of 45 Posts
The old split chassis ones are still commanding up to £45, which I find quite supprising as I've always thought it was Bachmanns worst chassis by no small margin. I hate Hornbys bogie and pony wheel tyres on all their models. They just look wrong. Its time they upgraded them all.
1 - 2 of 45 Posts
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