# Bachmann 2-6-6-2 Saddle Tank Loco



## williep99 (Sep 19, 2008)

After reading a somewhat disconcerting post on the K27's, is there some concern about the next Bachmann out this fall? I haven't been able to look at any specs but it sure looks like one sweet machine!!

Thanks, Bill


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## Guest (Sep 26, 2008)

Word on the net is there *may* be some sort of conflict with the space avail in the loco for the PnP modules in regards to NMRA specifications? ONLY Hearsay, but we'll see?

ripped from the Bachmann board:

_"Dear All,_
_ I have never seen so many absurd rumors surrounding a model!
It will be produced, it is, at this writing, expected by year's end, and we are not trying to "design out" any after-market control system- quite the contrary!
Never fear, it will arrive!
Anticipate!
the Bach-man" _


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

Yes, and if you read that thread carefully, you will see who is spreading rumours. 
Nobody in that thread said anything at all about any compatibility issues until he did. 

If I or any of you had made a post like that here on MLS, you would have most likely received an e-mail from the official/unofficial spokesperson, condemning you for spreading rumours! 

Several have.


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## williep99 (Sep 19, 2008)

And I always thought it was a friendly hobby. Thanks to everyone for the information. The K27 thread was sometimes beyond me but I'm learning from folks everyday.


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## Paradise (Jan 9, 2008)

It IS a friendly hobby... 

It's the people that are more interested in money than trains that are unfriendly.


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## bobgrosh (Jan 2, 2008)

Compatibility issues? 

Let's see. 
The "SOCKET" was supposed to have been plug and play compatible to accept the same decoder as the ArisoCraft socket. 
The ArisoCraft socket was designed jointly by ArisoCraft and Digitrax to accept the Digitrax DG383AR or DG583AR DCC decoders or the new ArisoCraft TE radio for either track power or battery/RC. 

Plugging in either of the Digitrax decoders causes an instant "false" shutdown on most DCC systems. (Anybody know if it works with a plug and play TE) 

I have asked on the Bachmann forum if this design error has fixed in the Mallet. They have to check, which means they didn't fix it or they would surly be touting the new improvement. 

So, as it stands, we will have yet another PnP socket that can't be used with the very decoder that it was advertised as being plug and play with. 

I went to pre-order my Mallet, I wanted to order a Digitrax decoder for it at the same time. Do I order the DG583AR (Aristo socket) and just plug it in? Or, do I order the DG583S (screw terminal) and gut the Bachmann electronics? Neither the dealer, nor Bachmann can answer my question. Is the Mallet compatible with the DG583AR DCC motor and light decoder. 

As to sound. Should I decide to go with on-board sound, are there two chuff signals? There should be one for the front cylinders and another for the rear cylinders. The very distinctive chuff of a mallet goes in and out of sync as one set of drivers or the other slips. Putting a single chuff sound card in the Mallet would be a huge NO NO for anyone who has ever heard a mallet in real life. You would be missing the single most distinctive sound feature of the Mallet. 

So, anyone know which pin on the socket is the second chuff? And, wouldn't we need a second set of "added chuff polarity transistors" on the board? Funny, but the photos of the Mallet only show one set of transistors tacked onto the board. Strange, but, there is nothing on the NMRA site about the second chuff input pin either. 

B0B


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

And I always thought it was a friendly hobby. Thanks to everyone for the information. The K27 thread was sometimes beyond me but I'm learning from folks everyday. 



In most places this is indeed a friendly hobby. The internet is a great place to gain really useful information. Unfortunately a lot of rumors, and false information also abounds. Sorting through it can sometimes not be easy to accomplish. 

Stan
www.tttrains.com/largescale


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Bob,

A Mallet steam locomotive uses steam twice, so you really only would hear one set of engines (like a normal steam engine) when a Mallet is running at speed. At lower speeds. like less than 10 mph, the engineer could direct steam to both cylinders. However, once up to a certain speed, you'd only hear one set of cylinders working. A simple articulated, like the UP Big Boy or Challenger uses steam only once, so you hear all four cylinders exhausting. 

Mark


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## bobgrosh (Jan 2, 2008)

Mark
I think the Bachmann model is a simple articulated. So, it needs 2x4 chuffs.

Somone please correct me if I am wrong.


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## Dougald (Jan 2, 2008)

Bob

I have not seen the B'mann model (only pics) and since it was proposed but unbuilt (for Biles Coleman) it could be either a mallet or simple articulated. However, Biles Coleman is a lumber company and all the 2-6-6-2's built for logging were in fact mallets ... check out this site for a listing http://loggingmallets.railfan.net/list/list.htm

I would guess based on this that the B'mann model is a mallet. I have never personally heard a mallet chuff so cannot comment on the sound.

Regards ... Doug


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## bobgrosh (Jan 2, 2008)

OK, I found another piicture of Bachmanns model in their catalog. The front Cylinders are definitly larger than the rear cylinders.. I think that means the rear cylinders are the low pressure. And that, I guess means it is a true Mallet.


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Acctually it would be the other way around, The larger cylinders are the low pressure ones.


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## Rod Hayward (Jan 2, 2008)

http://www.mylargescale.com/Communi.../52193/view/topic/www.tttrains.com/largescale 

The page cannot be found 
The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. 

Prob the wrong socket then, windoze hazzum y'know


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## SlateCreek (Jan 2, 2008)

The Biles Coleman 2-6-6-2 as proposed would have been a compound locomotive, hence the differently sized cylinders. 

A compound locomotive has a bypass valve in the cab (sometimes called an "emergency valve" ) that allows the engineer to temporarily run the locomotive as a simple articulated locomotive. This feature was designed to provide a means of running the locomotive in the event of a failure, or in certain situations where more power was require to start a train moving, or on a heavy grade. The advantage was lost above just a few miles per hour. 

When operating as a compound locomotive, the only exhaust to the blast pipe comes from the low pressure cylinders. As such, it would have the standard four beat pattern common to most rod type steam locomotives. In simple mode, you would hear the syncopated rhythim Bob refers to, as all four cylinders are then exhausting to the blast pipe. 

Most locomotives designed to be simple articulated all the time had two smokestacks up front, and exhibited the syncopated chuffing all the time. 

Those particularly interested in this topic might consider a good cup of coffee and this article: http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/mallet.Html 

There is also some other related information here: http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/blwmal00.Html

Matthew (OV) 

PS. I agree ... there IS a lot of stuff out there to sort through regarding the proposed Bachmann locomotive. I am aware that there are reports the locomotive will never actually be released. Note that its accompanying D&RGW caboose release has ALREADY been pushed back to "first quarter of '09", and that only selected folks (and no dealer I'm aware of) have the Davenport, which was supposed to have been released when "Now" was two months ago... which may be the source of some of those ideas. There are also rumors that it's been designed to make various common control and sound systems incompatible (I'm not sure where that rumor might have been formulated; perhaps someone on this board knows.) These two rumors have been discussed by Bachmann people on the Bachmann board itself, and they reassure us that they are both "ridiculous" ... so taking that at face value, if the locomotive IS actually released, and it IS NOT made in such a way that adding my choice of sound and control is impossible then I'm looking forward to installing a mechanical chuff timer on both sets of drivers, and making the locomotive selectable remotely between simple and compound, just as its larger cousin would have been. Otherwise I suppose, it may become the most perfect model yet: A theoretical proposed model locomotive that was never built of a theoretical proposed 1:1 locomotive that was never built.


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

Wait a minute! 
The World Class Expert on such matters is certain to have opinions on the validity of HIS interpretation to the DENIAL of yours! 
How much do you want to bet, as in cash, that HE has stipulated, based upon HIS vast knowledge of the matter, that there be TWO sets of chuff triggers in the locomotive? 

Of course, when that is pointed out to the entire hobby world, HE will blame YOU for failing to interpret the data correctly. 

You ever wonder about these "rumours" amd what starts them? 
Recall "Loose lips sink ships"? 

All starts with someone involved speaking out. 
Or, something simple like "we can't discuss the K" and have threads yanked. 
ANYTIME that forum pulls threads wholesale, best be advised someone got too close to the truth. 

The gas-mechanical gets leaked.....denied, as in threads yanked, then admitted to, then announced as ready for delivery, then nothing. 

The LS Caboose gets announced (finally), then delayed until next year. 

The tank cars were another. 

Where do you think the speculation and rumours come from? 

You get one person claiming he has no affiliation with a certain company, yet he posts threads which certainly SEEM official, about the direction the company is taking. 

And, you get one person from that company tell folks he has actually HIRED said person as a consultant....... 

Who do you believe? 

How much mis-information may be purposefully leaked? 
Who knows? 

All one has to do is look back and see what has transpired in the last year, and you will be shaking your head in disbelief.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

I've adopted a phylisophical approach, I'll beleive it when I actually see it. 

Goes for the B'mann, Piko, LGB, Aristo, all have been promising stuff...I'll beleive it when I see one for sale at a place I actually shop at. Till then its all ether. 

Next week...


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## david bunn (Jan 4, 2008)

Davenports on dealers shelves this side of the pond as of some weeks ago.Perhaps the mallett will land here first as well. 
Bunny


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By SlateCreek on 09/28/2008 11:55 PM


Those particularly interested in this topic might consider a good cup of coffee and this article: http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/mallet.Html 

There is also some other related information here: http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/blwmal00.Html

Matthew (OV) 




Thanks for the links. Great information.

Stan
www.tttrains.com/largescale


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,6209.0.html 
the Bach-man 
Administrator 

Re: US dealer delivery date for the Davenport? 
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2008, 11:57:48 PM » 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Dear Garrett, 
I believe they will be shipping next week. 
I ran them in Anaheim, and they're great! 
Have fun! 
the Bach-man 

the Bach-man 
Administrator 

Re: US dealer delivery date for the Davenport? 
« Reply #4 on: August 03, 2008, 10:42:30 PM » 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Dear Mike, 
I am told that in fact this is the week shipping will begin, as all numbers are in and all dealers have been notified. 
Have fun! 
the Bach-man 

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,6408.0.html 

the Bach-man 
Administrator 

Re: The new Davenport 
« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2008, 10:23:17 PM » 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Dear mike, 
I'm still trying to nail this down. Several of my accounts are also still waiting for delivery. 
I'll let you all know asap. 
Thanks! 
the Bach-man 

the Bach-man 
Administrator 

Re: The new Davenport 
« Reply #6 on: August 22, 2008, 10:19:50 PM » 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Dear All, 
They should be available from all dealers next week. 
Have fun! 
the Bach-man 

Been two months since they "shipped".


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## Jeff Livingston (Jan 2, 2008)

Bearing, range, mark. Firing solution. Fire one, fire two. Down scope. Up in smoke or down in flames he's sunk either way.


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

Shopatron says they have it available. 
So far, nobody I know who has ordered one from one of the bigger outfits has gotten theirs. 

Kind of odd MLS nor LSC has any "reviews" of this locomotive.


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## pfdx (Jan 2, 2008)

I saw the davenport at a hobby shop in Flint MI 2 weeks ago. Much heavier than expected.

Regarding the two comment that simple articulated locos had two stacks is not true. The UP challengers and big boys had twin stacks, as did the later northerns including the 844. The UP designed draft arraingement in the smoke box gave the engines a larger volume of draft so they could burn more fuel to sustain the steam pressure at the speeds they ran.

The most of the simple articulated locos had a single stack including the Unitah engines wich were simple.

We now return you to your regularly sheduled argument...


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## SlateCreek (Jan 2, 2008)

Was thinking of locomotives that looked like this: 

http://loggingmallets.railfan.net/list/wt111/weyer111cmpmeh.jpg 

And, TOC, no bet. Regardless of what the locomotive comes with, two, four or thirty seven, unless there's a return to the 2-8-0 school of thought, I'll be installing replacement triggers for the optical ones that will function the way I want them to. Kind of like the rest of the electronics. 

Matthew (OV)


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