No.40 More pulling power – about Bachmann V2s both old and new
So how was your weekend – wet and wild? No gardening here so in between the showers I
had time to revisit my Bachmann V2s.
60862 Bachmann Catalogue No. 31-565.
‘60862’ is one of Bachmann’s latest offerings which comes
DCC ready and has a ‘fixed’ Cartazzi rear axle.
Straight out of the box the engine feels very light weight and at 310 gm
it is not as heavy as the models that it replaces. As I have said here on this Blog before – I
like playing with my trains and at 310 gm the resulting tractive effort was not
acceptable.
Back to the kitchen scales and the engine now weighs a
respectable 370 gm
.
60865 Bachmann Catalogue No. 31-563 (Split axle chassis)
What about my older models with the split chassis? Previously the body of these engines had been
packed with lead shot held in place by ‘draughting/masking tape’. Not really an engineering solution but this
had brought the weight up to around 340gm.
However the biggest single improvement that can be made to these earlier
models is to remove the pony truck and trailing axle springs. Removing the trailing axle spring (false
Cartazzi) is straightforward requiring only one screw to be undone. Removal of the spring for the front pony
truck is trickier. The early Bachmann
V2s were very thoughtfully engineered with pickups on all wheels. Unfortunately the wire leads from the pickups
for the front pony truck wheels pass through the spring. The leads can be released by removing the
tiny screws on the underside of the pony truck, or the leads can be un-soldered
at their other end where they join the chassis.
Time goes by and I forget what I did, I suspect I have used both
methods.
The view above shows locations where it is straightforward
to wedge pieces of lead. Again the mini
slab on the back of the firebox needs holding in place (double sided tape) and
the infill to the banjo dome needs fixing – I used draughting/masking
tape. With lead positioned as shown
above the engine weight has been brought up to just over 360 gm. – satisfactory
for my needs.
60964 Bachmann Catalogue No. 31-552 Original Split Chassis
model
I have to include a picture of 60964 (Durham Light Infantry)
which has been given the same lead weight treatment and which still runs very
well. This was my very first Bachmann
engine, bought new from MG Models (Sheffield) in March 1996 for what was then the
immense sum of £62.95. At the time I was
hugely impressed by how smoothly and quietly the V2 seemed to run – compared to
the Mainline offerings of the period.
(It also came with the correct size wheels for the Cartazzi axle.)
What about performance?
As in BR days gone by I want my V2s to be able to deputise for ex LNER
Pacifics. With lead ballast added as
described above all my V2s can haul seven coach trains up my 1 in 56
grades. Yes – there is space to add more
lead in the smoke box and perhaps around the firebox but I don’t need to. Did I do anything with the pony truck spring
on ‘60862’ (the latest model)? No it was already very slack - so leave well
alone!
I am pleased with all my Bachmann V2s and in terms of
running I would say there is very little to choose between the older and the
new models. Perhaps the running of the newest model is a touch smoother and
quieter. What do you do if you are
using Digital Control and want to increase the tractive effort – well I guess
you put the Chip in the tender!
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