# Bachmann Spectrum Jackson Sharp cars



## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

Can someone give me the quick difference between these cars and the regular Bachmann?


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## TJH (Dec 27, 2007)

I didn't think there were spectrum (ie 1:20.3) J&S cars. I thought the only ones were the 1:22.5


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

So they will be a little smaller. Any input as to how they will look behind the 1:20 engines? What is the difference in detailing, wheels, etc. between the two?


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## Big John (Jan 4, 2008)

The only j&s coaches from Bachman are in 1/22.5 scale. They have not released a spectrum version of these coachesk. I have their coaches and they look fine behind any of their engines.


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## Big John (Jan 4, 2008)

The only j&s coaches from Bachman are in 1/22.5 scale. They have not released a spectrum version of these coachesk. I have their coaches and they look fine behind any of their engines.


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Two things really: The first is that the Bachmann cars are "compressed." By that, I mean that the cars are shorter (i.e. fewer windows) than what you would find in an accurately scaled model. Even if the Bachmann coaches were scaled 1:20.3 they would still be "compressed!" In contrast, the AMS coaches are true scaled. This is not a coach (obviously) but it is combine #212 _Pagosa Springs _which is a kit that was designed to modify an AMS coach in order to build and is shown next to the LGB 1:22.5 version and the HLW "drover's caboose" in 1:24 for size comparison. Note that the LGB and HLW versions (both compressed) are dwarfed by the 1:20.3 version which is _not_ compressed:










Now, with that being said, will 1:22.5 cars look good behind a 1:20.3 locomotive? That is a subjective question that can only be answered by you! For years, Bachmann made 1:20.3 locomotives of prototypes that were relatively small so that the size difference didn't show that much. If you are planning on purchasing a K-27 or one of the Accucraft Mikados I would think that the 1:22.5 cars would look noticeably small behind them but a Climax or an American or Mogul would look about right. The second major difference is that 1:22.5 cars have truck mounted couplers whereas the 1:20.3 cars are all body mounted. The only other obvious difference is the height of the doors. For detail oriented people this may be distracting but the average person probably won't even notice.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

What is the difference in detailing, wheels, etc. between the two? 
Looking around the 'Parts' section of the B'mann site, I noticed that the "Jackson & Sharp" trucks have wipers for lighting and cost $19-ish, while the 'ordinary' coach trucks do not and cost $13-ish. Maybe that's the main difference - track powered lighting ? [The old coaches had lights and a battery box underneath for a 9V battery with an on-off switch.]


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

Ok, so i'm a little confused then. I understand th 1.20 vs 1.22 issue, but when I look at TrainWorld (not that they are the world renounded experts) they list 

SPECTRUM JACKSON SHARPPASSENGER CARS WITH TRACK POWER LIGHTING

PRR, EBT, D&RGW, SP Coast.,
ET&WNC, White Pass 

as #89091 for $54.90 for example

Then have a 
#89093 D&RG Baggage Car for $24.99

Are they the same? Or some old hold over stock? I assume what this means is that Bachmann did some sort of revision and the old battery or no longer?

I think I want the track pickup. I have a 12-15 year old Big Hauler which came with cars (and we got some extra), that originally got my son and I into this. But they had plastic handrails and the 9V battery which was a pain to make sure it was turned off or end up with a dead one, then a pain to turn on, etc. I have those for comparison. Where those 1.20 and compressed too? And are the JS metal rails, metal wheels, etc. 


What exactly are JS? Is that a style form history or just something Bachmann names. To add to the confusion, I remember seeing at TrainWolrd just a month or so ago some cars listed for like $25ish. What were those? Are these AMS ones really that expensive?


Thanks for all the help in understanding this.....


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Mickey; 

I just checked the current Trainworld ad in Garden Railways. My guess is that the #89093 D&RG baggage car for $24.99 is indeed an older and overstocked car. Apparantly Trainworld is using the Spectrum designation on that same page to show that the $54.99 passenger cars are lighted via track power. The SCALE for both offerings should be the same - about 1:22.5. These cars should also be the same size as the Bachmann coaches you already own. I also noticed that below the #89093 D&RG baggage car for $24.99 there is another ad stating that Trainworld has coach kits starting at $41.99. My guess is that these coaches are undecorated, but I'm sure you would need to call Trainworld to confirm that. Anyway, the passenger cars in all three of these notices are still the same scale, but they still will have the plastic handrails. 

If the Bachmann passenger cars ever did get reissued in 1:20.3 scale, you could expect the price per car to jump to around $150.00 or more per car. As an example and on the same page (24), compare the 1:22.5 scale #93430 tank cars at $42.99 with the 1:20.3 #88195 framed tank cars $119.99. 

Hope this helps clear some things up, 
David Meashey


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

I just went over to the Bachmann site. All of the passenger cars that they show are in the "Big Hauler" series, 1.22.5. Not a Spectrum to be seen.

When I first got an Accucraft K-27 and a Bachmann Connie, I tried pulling some of the LGB coaches behind them. I thought that the coaches looked way to small behind the much larger behind the 1:20.3 engines. The only 1:20.3 J&S passenger cars currently on the market are by Accucraft (AML (meta)l and AMS (plastic). Hartford has (or had) wood kits, but these are about the same price as the AML cars and are not for beginners. 


Chuck


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## Andre Anderson (Jan 3, 2008)

Greetings,

The term "Jackson and Sharp" refers to the original builder of the full size cars. Everyone of the full size car builders used different trucks, window styles, and many other minor detail differences which for that average hobbyist just don't matter. On the other hand there are a few of us with the dreaded *disease *of rivet counting and these differences do make a difference! Some of the other manufactures of Passenger cars were The Carter Brothers, Kimball, Laconia, Osgood / Bradly and many more and every one of them KNEW that they had a the best way of doing something so there minor differences in each manufactures cars.

The Bachmann Coach are based loosely I think on the Jackson & Sharp passenger coach built for the D&RGW or maybe a stock catalog passenger coach, with some liberty's taken with the number of windows on each side, the width of the window and the number of boards between each window giving a shorter car than a true scale car would be. The reason that they did this was so that the car could go around a tighter radius than a true scale car would, Bachmann realized that their market was such that people would be using their product on tight radius track and some compromises needed to be made. This is neither a good thing or a bad thing, actually the more I think about it, it is a good thing, this way more people can use their cars and the more they sell the more new things they will make. Now as to the baggage car, combine and observation cars, these cars were all based on using as many common parts with the coach as possible. Thus every thing is the same length so they can use the same floor, roof and many of the detailing parts keeping the cost down.


Acucraft through their AMS product line have made a Jackson & Sharp Coach built to the scale of 1:20.3. They made no allowances for tighter radius curves so their car is longer, larger and is a closer and more accurate model. The Accucraft is a more detailed model and the price reflects this.


With two manufactures making models of the same car is a real plus for us the hobbyist as we now have a choice as which car meets our particular needs. I have some of both cars and I use them behind different locomotives, the Bachmann cars I use behind my Accucraft LS Forney as it is a smaller locomotive and they look good together, while I use the Accucraft behind my Accucraft 4-4-0 American and Bachmann K-27. Now I have to admit that I have changed and added details to the Bachmann cars so they look better, but this was my choice and need not be followed by any one else. One other thing to take into consideration as to why the two different cars cost so much different is that the Bachmann cars molds were made 15 or so years ago and the Accucraft AMS cars molds were made a few years ago, the price of labor has gone up since the two cars were made.


I hope this is of some help in figuring out why the cost of the two brands of cars is so much different and which one will work best for you.


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

Thanks to everyone. It is all cleared up now. I did a quick search for AMS coaches and found some that were $1,100 and said plastic body with brass and was like no way for me. Then I found some others listed around $200, which is more in my range. Again thanks to all.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

The $1100 is the MSRP for a case of four cars. It is possible to get single cars for much less.

Chuck


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Mickey, 

I don't know where you live, but I found "my guy", Jonathan Bliese, @ EMW (a sponsor on the forum), has the AMS plastic J&S coaches for $180-$190 each. Great guy to deal with.


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## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

I have had several different Bachmann passenger cars, one of which was a JS (with track lighting)(sold that one). Several real plain jane with no lighting and several with battery lighting. They are all the same size and appear to be made from the same mold. Only difference is a lot of detail and steel wheels and lighting. Here are two of the Bachmann (none JS) coaches, followed by a bachmann compared to an LGB coach. The LGB has finer detail but no lights.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Any input as to how they will look behind the 1:20 engines? 

Depends on the engine and how what you're looking for in terms of your trains. The 1:22 passenger cars will look okay behind the smaller 1:20 locos such as the 4-4-0, 2-6-0 (either version), 0-4-0, Cilmax, etc. (Though the 0-4-0 and Climax are hardly what I'd consider crack passenger locos.) What they _won't_ be are 1:20.3 coaches, so if you're committed to 1:20.3, you're options for passenger equipment are somewhat limited. The AMS coaches (or their more expensive brass counterparts) are your only choices for ready-to-run cars. 

Later, 

K


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## TJH (Dec 27, 2007)

Not sure what trainworld is listing. the Bachmann baggage car doesn't have any pickups because there really wouldn't be lighting in the baggage car. Also is it D&RG and painted maroon or D&RGW and painted gold? I know the maroon D&RG cars have been out of production, not sure bout the gold D&RGW. One thing about the lighting pickups is that unless you go the ballbearing axle route, expect a lot of drag, almost like having a break engaged.


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## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

I have done some experimenting with"wheel" pickups because as TJH indicated, they do seem to have quite a bit of drag (using a metal tab rubbing on the wheel). I have found that if I use fine stranded copper wire rubbing lightly on the wheel it is much better with almost no drag.


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

Posted By sailbode on 11 Jan 2011 01:27 AM 
I have done some experimenting with"wheel" pickups because as TJH indicated, they do seem to have quite a bit of drag (using a metal tab rubbing on the wheel). I have found that if I use fine stranded copper wire rubbing lightly on the wheel it is much better with almost no drag. 
Whats the wear factor? I just never used the lights on the old one with the battery compartment because it was a pain to remember to turn off to avoid having to put new batteries in all the time. Plus a pain to turn each on every time. I am in the process of adding Locolink and am going to try to set it up to have the control board turn on and off the lights. Any insight to doing this as far as negatives or issues?


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## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

Only issue I've had is getting my fat fingers to deal with thos little black connectors


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## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

Oh yes, and the fine copper wire strands rubbing will cause virtually no wear to the wheels or the copper.


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