Bachmann HO scale 4-4-0

Steam fans now have a superdetailed American-type to add to their HO scale rosters. Bachmann’s Spectrum modernized 4-4-0 American comes equipped with a factory-installed dual-mode Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder, so the model is ready to run on DC or DCC layouts.

American Standard. By the latter half of the 1800s, locomotives with a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement were so prevalent in the U.S. that they were classified as the American Standard or American type. A surge in new locomotive designs in the early 20th century quickly made the 4-4-0 obsolete, and few new Americans were built after 1900. Many 4-4-0s remained in service on Class 1 railroads through the 1920s and on short lines into the 1950s.

A “modernized” American. The prototype for the Bachmann 4-4-0 is Maryland & Pennsylvania no. 6. American Locomotive Co.’s Richmond Works delivered this engine along with two identical locomotives, nos. 4 and 5, to the Ma & Pa in 1901. These 4-4-0s were similar to other modernized American-type engines built for several other railroads around the country.

The model’s dimensions match drawings of Ma & Pa no. 6 published in the March 1965 issue of Model Railroader. Cab style, stack and dome arrangement, piping and other details also match prototype photos of no. 6.

The drawings show no. 6 with piston-valve cylinders that were added to the locomotive in 1924. Some of the Bachmann 4-4-0s also have these cylinders. The sample we reviewed has the earlier slide-valve type but has other features of a modernized 4-4-0, such as a steel cab, and an electric headlight.

Roadname-specific details. Our sample came decorated and detailed as Maine Central no. 84. The Bachmann engine has a tapered boiler and dome and stack arrangements similar to modernized 4-4-0s found on the MEC as well as other roads. The model has roadname-specific details, such as the cab type (wood or steel) and the headlight type (with or without visor), and bell, headlight, and classification light arrangements.

Our MEC sample has a factory-installed solid pilot and coal bunker. Two different types of user-installed spoked pilots as well as a footboard pilot and wood and oil bunkers are included.

Model construction. Most of the Bachmann engine is made of die-cast metal. The quality of the boiler casting is excellent with sharp cast-in details, including rivets and boiler bands. Other detail parts, such as the bell, whistle, air compressor, and piping, are metal.

The cab has a detailed molded-in backhead with a separately applied throttle, painted figures, and window glazing, including open wind deflectors. Another neat detail is the hinged cab apron.

The tender has a plastic tank with well-defined rivet detail. The metal archbar trucks include safety chains. These rattle a bit when the locomotive is under way, but they sure look cool.

Paint coverage is smooth and all lettering is crisp and opaque. The railroad roman font looks close to that used by the MEC. The Alco/Manchester builder’s plate is legible and shows a built date of July 1905 and construction number 37754.

Drive train. Inside the boiler, a five-pole can motor and brass flywheel are enclosed in a metal housing. A cogged belt connected to the motor drives a worm shaft that runs below the motor. This shaft drives a worm gear on the front axle driver. This arrangement is the same as on other Bachmann HO steamers.

The model picks up power from both sets of drivers and all the tender wheels. Inside the tender, the DCC decoder is plugged into an 8-pin socket on a printed circuit (PC) board. Two sets of wires connect the PC board in the tender to a two-pin and a four-pin socket, each located under the rear of the engine’s cab.

DCC on board. The model has a factory-installed dual-mode two-function one-amp decoder that operated correctly. I found I could turn the headlight on and off by pressing function 0 and dim the headlight (for Rule 17 lighting) by pressing function 1.

The decoder supports some configuration variable (CV) programming. A printed instruction manual for the decoder wasn’t included, but you can find programming information for E-Z Command decoders on Bachmann’s Web site.

HO scale 4-4-0
Price: $240.00
Manufacturer
Bachmann Industries Inc.
1400 E. Erie St.
Philadelphia, PA 19124
www.bachmanntrains.com
Description: Metal and plastic ready-to-run steam locomotive with dual-mode DCC
Road names: Maine Central; Maryland & Pennsylvania nos. 4 and 5, each with wood cab; Ma & Pa no. 6 with steel cab; Seaboard; Southern (green); painted/unlettered with steel cab, or painted/unlettered with wood cab, or undecorated Russia iron jacket with pinstripes and wood cab

Performance. The 4-4-0 can run on DC or DCC layouts. In both DC and DCC the engine’s speed range allowed for realistic performance, but its top speed was a bit high for a model based on a prototype with only 62″ drivers.

In DC the model began moving at 3.8 scale miles per hour, and its headlight shone dimly. The headlight reached full brightness at 3 volts with the engine running at 10 mph. The model’s top speed at 12 volts was 108 scale miles per hour. Real 4-4-0s of the same size and type had a maximum speed of between 60 and 70 mph.

The model’s decoder supports 28 speed steps. We tested DCC performance using an MRC Prodigy Advance system that delivers 16.4 volts to the track. In DCC, the 4-4-0 began moving in speed step 6 at 4.2 scale miles per hour and accelerated to 59 mph in step 14 and to a top speed of 98 mph in step 28.

Initially, our sample had a noticeable lurch when starting in DCC. Increasing the value of CV 2 (starting voltage) slightly to 15 and adding some acceleration and deceleration (I set CVs 3 and 4 to a value of 5) made the lurch disappear and let the model run more realistically at slow speeds.

I ran the model through a 15″-radius curve of Atlas track, but the
4-4-0 looked better rounding the wider-radius curves of our Black River Junction project layout. It ran through that layout’s no. 4 turnouts without any derailments.

The model’s pulling power is below average but is enough for trains appropriate to a locomotive of its size. On straight and level track the 4-4-0’s drawbar pull equaled 34 HO scale freight cars.

The Bachmann modernized 4-4-0’s excellent level of detail and factory-equipped DCC control make it a standout locomotive for a steam-era layout.

Bachmann 4-4-0 features
Blackened metal valve gear
Die-cast metal boiler, chassis, and frame
Dual-mode DCC decoder
Electrical pickup on both sets of drivers and all tender wheels
Front and rear magnetic knuckle couplers (at correct height)
RP-25 contour metal wheels (in gauge)
Minimum radius: 15″
Weight: 9.5 ounces