[Mac Man]

I have a nice 1949-52 Lionel O-Scale set but as with O-Scale, it takes up space! So, for Christmas this year I wanted to get an HO-Scale train so I could have it set up and running in my garage a little more regularly. My LHS had a good sale running earlier in the fall, and my wife agreed to let me pick out a set to get for my gift, and I ended up settling on the Bachmann Frontiersman set.

Of course, I'm not going to be able to make use of it until just before Christmas--she's letting me open it early so I can set it up around the Christmas tree. So, I'm curious if anyone else out there has tried this set and what your impressions were of it?

 

[tkruger]

I have that set. The cars are OK. I liked the detail of the locomotive. Unfortunately the drive in the loco quickly became loud. The motor is in the tender with a drive shaft to the loco on mine. The drive shaft now clicks on the corners. I replaced it once and it was fine for a short time before it started again. The loco also will not pull more than the cars that it came with. I built my layout with flex track so I did not use the ez track that came with it. The transformer is good as a starter unit. Reliable but small.

 

[Mac Man]

I think one of the big attractions behind my choosing this particular set (aside from it being an all-in-one starter) is the locomotive itself. I loved the detail as well, and I can't wait to get it all set up under the tree. That's good to know that it will be limited to only a smaller number of cars though.

P.S. I see you're in Upstate NY--I grew up in Oswego and went to college in Elmira. Anywhere near there?

 

[tkruger]

I am in Greece, near Rochester.

 

[full maxx]

I got a Bachmann Explorer New York Express , should be here this week some time ...its for my little man , can't wait till he sees it Christmas morning

 

[Mac Man]

Oh ok, I think I've been through Greece before. I have a few friends from Rochester, so we make it that way every now and then.

And I almost bought the NY Express set (if it's the one I'm thinking of) but for some reason I'm thinking they sold out of that set and I was equally happy with the Western Maryland set from the Frontiersman starter.

 

[MacDaddy55]

What a small world!

P.S. I see you're in Upstate NY--I grew up in Oswego and went to college in Elmira. Anywhere near there?[/QUOTE]
I grew up in Minetto,went to Oswego Catholic/Bishop Cunningham High School (Class of 73). :thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[Mac Man]

Oh wow! I grew up in Oswego and also went to Elmira College! I attended St. Mary's but didn't get to go to BC because it closed the year before I would have started 7th grade there. I ended up going to Oswego Middle & High School until 1995, and then I transferred to Mexico High School where I graduated in 1998.

VERY COOL!

 

[ontario mainline]

it's nice to see some guys that were close to were I live. and one that still close to me. I live in Sodus.

tkruger you got a PM.

Ron

 

[Mac Man]

Ok, so wow! Slightly old thread of mine

Anyhow, I loved the Western MD trains that came with the Frontiersman set. But, as previously mentioned, I notice the train goes a little slower at the farthest point from the transformer. I'd like to expand the set with some additional EZ Track but I'm worried the train will really slow down. Any recommendations on what should be done? I'm assuming I probably will need a new and more powerful transformer but no idea what direction to move it--still quite newbish with my trains. BUT, I wanted to get an early start on it so I could do a nice Christmas display this year.

Thanks all!

 

[tjcruiser]

MacMan,

Yours is a simple DC setup, rather than DCC (digital control), right? If so, you should try running a 2nd pair of power leads to a far section of the track. I.e., if transformer red and black are wired to inner and outer rails locally, then run a 2nd pair of red and black power leads to the corresponding rails on the far section of the track. This might help bridge over the resistance (power loss) of the track itself.

Depending upon your layout size and power needs, you still might want to consider a more powerful transformer, but I'd suggest trying the simple trick above first, then making decisions from there.

Cheers,

TJ

 

[Mac Man]

Thanks for the suggestion TJ! I'll give it a try and see how it goes. I was hoping to add some additional track to the layout (as you're right: it IS very simple), and will most likely need to look into a more powerful transformer down the road.

 

[tjcruiser]

MacMan,

Also, make sure that the top of the track rails are clean, without oxidation, etc. Use a "Bright Boy" eraser-type track cleaner.

TJ