# My Bachmann journey -- an un-rant.



## SlateCreek (Jan 2, 2008)

When my Shay trucks started to break down, Dave Goodson showed me how to determine which run they were, and take advantage of the replacement program. 

When my Shay caught fire, Dave Goodson replaced the wiring, installed Hillman Brass pickups in the trucks, and explained the current vs pickup problems that some sound and power systems could cause in these locomotives, even with the trucks that Bachmann sent everyone to replace the ones with plastic that crumbled ... another problem that Dave Goodson had discovered. 

When my LHS dealer bought a 2-6-0 that wouldn't run because of the roller guides, Dave Goodson explained how to remove them so it would run, without any further problems. 

When my 2-8-0 Consolidation arrived, Dave Goodson showed me how to fix the gearbox so that it wouldn't strip out the gears, and how to reinforce the tender trucks so they wouldn't break apart. He also removed the problematic electrical parts on the motor that caused problems for so many. 

When my 45 Tonner(s) proved to be twitchy, and tried to run at two different speeds (one for each truck) Dave Goodson showed me how to remove and rewire the connections to the trucks so that it wouldn't do that anymore. 

When my Railtruck stuttered and jerked like my Mom's Datsun did when I learned to drive a standard transmission car, Dave showed me how to correct the driveline and pickup problems, as well as a cost-free way to fix the gearbox so it wouldn't growl, grind, and ultimately strip. 

When my long awaited K-27 was finally available, I had the dealer ship it directly to Dave Goodson, so that he could fix the counterweights, pinched wires, lights, sliding axles, and chuff timer, so that it would do what I wanted it to do, and run well. 

Over the course of all of this, Dave Goodson has taught me more about how to build, wire, customize, detail, and run my trains than any ten people I have ever met in the hobby. He has been a source of oddball parts, track, resources, supplies, rolling stock, and equipment the likes of which no hobby shop could ever match (even ones that CAN afford to provide "local hobby shop service at internet discounter prices.") He has bailed me out of disasters caused by manufacturing problems and my own stupidity or ham handedness, and while they call him a "Curmudgeon" for a reason, he has been exceedingly patient and tolerant when I had "a better idea" that he ultimately had to either fix, or tell me how to fix. 

If it's not abundantly clear from that, I got a good friend and mentor in the deal too. 

Time was, if you posted a problem on the Bachmann board, someone from Bachmann would refer you to a solution that Dave Goodson had posted on how to fix it. There are examples of difficult cases referred to Dave Goodson by Bachmann's own service department, and of Bachmann implementing modifications sugested by Dave for their own service people to use. 
It's a good thing. Had it not been for Dave Goodson, I would have stopped buying Bachmann locomotives at two, instead of the more than a dozen I now own and run. I would not have bought any 1:20.3 freight cars from them, and would probably not be as prone to spending all my "fun money" on my model train hobby. 

So, Bachmann, if you're thinking that someone's giving you bad information, making your product look bad, turning people off to your trains, and model trains in general, serving their own commercial interests, being less than ethical or honest, and in general steering your ship toward perilous waters, I'm not saying you're wrong, in fact, there are a number of things, not the least of which is how you've treated Dave,that suggest (to me anyway)that might just be exactly what's going on .... but it sure isn't Dave Goodson who's your problem. 

Matthew (OV)


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Very well said. You should post this on the Bachmann board Matt. Seriously!


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## Alan in Adirondacks (Jan 2, 2008)

As a lurker on this topic, but one who has also been supported by Dave, "Hear Hear Dwight!" 

Best regards, 

Alan


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

That sums it up pretty well!


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Well said Matthew! Well said!! You've put it more eloquently than I ever could!


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Del it sure does. 

In which case one has to ask: 

Why is this course of action being taken by Bachmann? 

Seems like outright stupidity and marketting suicide to have such a mendacious attitude simply because the corporate entity has tied itself to a "person" of influence. That said person having subsequently had their nose put out of joint over a pet project that has turned sour. 
The stupid part about all this is Bachmann have got the (so called) "Super Socket" pretty well about right for battery R/C and screwed it up completely for the DCC fans. The very section of the LS community it was (supposedly) designed to promote in the first place. 

What better way to deflect the criticism of a screwed up pet project than to exert some of that "influence" to try and shoot a messenger they don't agree with. 

I too have read the posting at the 1:20.me blog. The one interesting item I saw there was this: 

http://www.bachmannindustries.com/press_080114e.pdf 

What that has to do with any of this escapes me. 
It seemingly has nothing to do with the subject matter so why did Durango Dan offer the link??? 

Curiouser and curiouser.


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## Guest (Apr 4, 2008)

Amen Brother Matt!... 
Much Like You, Dave has been a tremendous support to my fledging RR'ing career! Not to mention...his becoming a dear friend in the process! 

Cale


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Matthew. 
Eloquently put. 

One thing you left off that Dave was the first to diagnos as being wrong with the K-27, is the gear ratio. 
It should be about 30:1 and is exactly half that. This has the effect of loading down the loco. Reduces pulling power up hills and increases the load on the controllers. 
Just wait until the (until now) shelf queens have their counterweights replaced and become operational. Then the bitching and whingeing wil really start. 
This has the potential to be an even bigger problem for Bachmann than the loose counterweights. 
I don't yet see Bachmann even acknowledging that it is a problem, let alone announcing some way of fixing it. 
Not an easy fix and certainly will be expensive. 
But, mark my words, fix it is something Bachmann will have to do.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By TonyWalsham on 04/04/2008 8:20 PM
Matthew. 
Eloquently put. 
One thing you left off that Dave was the first to diagnos as being wrong with the K-27, is the gear ratio. 
It should be about 30:1 and is exactly half that. This has the effect of loading down the loco. Reduces pulling power up hills and increases the load on the controllers. 
Just wait until the (until now) shelf queens have their counterweights replaced and become operational. Then the bitching and whingeing wil really start. 
This has the potential to be an even bigger problem for Bachmann than the loose counterweights. 
I don't yet see Bachmann even acknowledging that it is a problem, let alone announcing some way of fixing it. 
Not an easy fix and certainly will be expensive. 
But, mark my words, fix it is something Bachmann will have to do.





Wrong gear ratio? Barry (and Dave) to the rescue? (again) /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/whistling.gif


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## Duncan (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By TonyWalsham on 04/04/2008 7:35 PM
I too have read the posting at the 1:20.me blog. The one interesting item I saw there was this: 
http://www.bachmannindustries.com/press_080114e.pdf 
What that has to do with any of this escapes me. 
It seemingly has nothing to do with the subject matter so why did Durango Dan offer the link??? 
Curiouser and curiouser.




Tony, 
Me thinks it puts "Tings" in perspective...


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Just in case anyone thinks the wrong gear ratio issue is being made up. 
This was just posted by the Bach-man acknowledging there is a problem with the incorrect gear ratio. 
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,5105.0.html


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## mhutson (Jan 2, 2008)

Matthew, 
Amen! Dave helped me fix my Shay about ten years ago. If the B'mann had a clue they'd put Dave on a lavish retainer and vet ALL of their large scale motive power through him. 

Cheers, 
Matt


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

My first locomotive that I sent to Dave was my two-truck 36 ton Shay for conversion to r/c battery. I wanted to go r/c since I had tried out some battery r/c large scale engines at a train show in Denver and was hooked (The same thing happened when I first saw my Shay. It had a Sierra sound system already installed and the only thing I had to compare to it was the "chuff" sound in a Bachmann Big Hauler! I was hooked...) What convinced me to go with RCS wasn't the product (sorry Tony but I honestly had never seen one of your systems in person.) What convinced me was the fact that Dave Goodson was an RCS dealer and that is what _he_ recommended! Yep. I bought my first RCS system and had it put in my beloved Shay all on Dave's reputation! (Well, that and the fact that Dave and I were already becoming friends and I trusted him!) 
My Shay had never given me any troubles but I went ahead and bought the replacement trucks from the 38 ton version and sent them along. Dave told me that when he went to disassemble the Shay the trucks started disintegrating (_good_ timing on my part!) Dave didn't just install the system. He went over my entire locomotive with a fine toothed comb and performed all kinds of "tweaks!" My Shay is still one of my premier runners today! In fact, I have sent six locomotives (so far) to Dave for RCS r/c battery conversion (yes, Tony! Now that I had tried it, I was hooked on RCS!) with more to follow. 
I am unashamedly a proud member of "The Battery Mafia" (hey, we need to think about a logo...) in large part because of Dave Goodson! I am proud to call him a friend and I also would not have purchased 19 Bachmann engines over the last decade if Dave had not been there to work through the "little problems" that inevitably cropped up! In fact, I broke my own rule about waiting until Dave had had a chance to go over the new Bachmann offering and devise "fixes" and pre-ordered the K-27. I told Caboose Hobbies in Denver to ship it directly to Northwest Remote Control Systems so Dave could "do his magic!" " border=0> My K is perfect with NO problems whatsoever that I have found and _that's_ the way I first saw it! That's the way _everybody_ should see their first K-27!! Thanks Dave!/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/satisfied.gif" border=0>


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

All this discussion merely demonstrates that "the Customer is King" which we all knew anyway, as we vote with our wallets.


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## Wendell Hanks (Jan 2, 2008)

Tony and all: 

The link from Durango Dan -- Kader announcing a new exec. Mrs. Ting -- was puzzling as to why bring it to our attention. Here's a guess - it is one until Dan tells us -- Mrs. Ting is the new guard and she may be calling the shots as to suppressing all criticism of the company. 

IF she is the source of such a policy, and Durango can make the connection, we know whom to offer our response. 

Please see the "editor request" posting on this forum -- I have great faith Marc Horovitz reads and may give us a response. That is, unless someone else has done so with their own posting. 

Wendell


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Wendell Hanks on 04/05/2008 4:19 PM
Tony and all: 
The link from Durango Dan -- Kader announcing a new exec. Mrs. Ting -- was puzzling as to why bring it to our attention. Here's a guess - it is one until Dan tells us -- Mrs. Ting is the new guard and she may be calling the shots as to suppressing all criticism of the company. 
Wendell



I think this is a sign of a management change or changes in the Kader company/corporate structure or some being considered. As I understand Kader Holdings / Kader Industries / Bachmann relationships...Kader Industries IS the subsideary of Kader Holdings that manufacturers the trains in China for Bachmann. I've understood that the Kader Industries company was the BIG company for Kader Holdings...and did most (if not all) the plastics manufacturing for the various subsidearies of Kader Holding.



If I am reading this right...Mrs Ting WAS the head of the manufacturing subsidiary (Kader Industries) since 2001...and has been bumped up to the Board (Kader Holdings)...which means, there must a NEW manager running the manufacturing arm. But I've found NO more press releases on who might have been selected to take her position. 



IMHO that means the Board of Directors is working on changes...could be people changes...or corporate structure changes...or both...but Mrs. Ting left her job in January...and it's April. And Durango Dan listed that link....



Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By Wendell Hanks on 04/05/2008 4:19 PM
Tony and all: 
Please see the "editor request" posting on this forum -- I have great faith Marc Horovitz reads and may give us a response. That is, unless someone else has done so with their own posting. 
Wendell




Wendell - If you think Marc or anyone else from Kalmbach is going to jump on a public forum and get into this Pixxing match, you are crazy. It would just be a lose lose situation. Anything that would be said would be attacked, and nothing good could be accomplishied. So, don't hold your breath.


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## Guest (Apr 6, 2008)

I believe there is a "New" Ting happening....maybe a son has taken her place...


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## imrnjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Based on what was in the press release it does not appear to me that the move was a demotion for Ms. Ting, but an elevation in status, and not necessarily a harbinger of better times to come in the customer service/quality control arena. 

I doubt that the customer relations issues Bachmann is/has been having is going to be cleared in short order. Things like that are generally systemic from the top down, and the only way to change them is a large black eye for "endangering the public" or a hit in the pocket book via loss of market share. 

Just my take on my own experience, my 2 cents...... 

Mark


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

If I am reading this right...Mrs Ting WAS the head of the manufacturing subsidiary (Kader Industries) since 2001...and has been bumped up to the Board (Kader Holdings)... 

Mike, 
What I read was that she is the wife of the CEO, mother of one of the Directors, and sister-in-law to another director. 
Chinese companies tend to be run by 'family', much like the Cosa Nostra. I worked at Wang Labs, and both Dr Wang's sons had big roles (not that they did very much - the company collapsed when the Dr died.) And the other Directors and SVPs were mostly of Chinese origin. We (the other managers) knew them as the 'chinese mafia'.


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Pete Thornton on 04/06/2008 8:32 AM
If I am reading this right...Mrs Ting WAS the head of the manufacturing subsidiary (Kader Industries) since 2001...and has been bumped up to the Board (Kader Holdings)... 

Mike, 
What I read was that she is the wife of the CEO, mother of one of the Directors, and sister-in-law to another director. 
Chinese companies tend to be run by 'family', much like the Cosa Nostra. I worked at Wang Labs, and both Dr Wang's sons had big roles (not that they did very much - the company collapsed when the Dr died.) And the other Directors and SVPs were mostly of Chinese origin. We (the other managers) knew them as the 'chinese mafia'.




Roger all...the point I was trying to make (and typed too much)...is that there is a NEW head of Kader Industries...and NO press release naming him...for THREE months...and Durango Dan linked this corporate change to the Bachmann/TOC issue. 

Ergo...my HMMMMMMMM????


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## Ltotis (Jan 3, 2008)

Wang collapsed because it didn't change with the times. It was a great product when it came out but once you could do the functions it did on PC/MS-DOS machines their market share collapsed. 
LAO


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## Allan W. Miller (Jan 2, 2008)

If you think Marc or anyone else from Kalmbach is going to jump on a public forum and get into this Pixxing match, you are crazy. It would just be a lose lose situation. Anything that would be said would be attacked, and nothing good could be accomplishied. So, don't hold your breath. 

Absolutely correct! A lose-lose situation for sure.


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