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I had some forgotten Bachmann GE 70 ton switchers in the cellar bought for a steel layout planned some years ago. They are robust runners with an unbelievable noise level (with an high quality DCC decoder!) but they are nice and cute looking guys perfect for a small layout.
They came into my mind when I stumbled over the Modesto & Empire Tracking Company serving the Beard Industrial District in Modesto CA exchanging with UP and BNSF on a only 5 miles long short line. There are some exceptional photos pulling a long hopper train with six GE 70 ton switchers through the streets of Modesto. They got two SW1500 too but replaced all GE 70 ton and the SW1500 with modern RP20BD Gensets (no H0 models available to my knowledge) today.
Microscale 87-801 decals arrived yesterday and it was time to start the paint job. This is the first shot after the masking tape has been removed. Paint needs some more hours to set until I can touch the engines for the decal job. The decals look quite old. I hope the large front decals are still flexible and smooth....
![[Image: file-4.jpg?t=1346314057]](http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/faraway52/Misc-1/file-4.jpg?t=1346314057)
Reinhard
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Nice!
I like the way the paint job matches the Red Grill Saloon's color scheme!
Mike
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Aren't those 70 tonners great bang for your buck engines. I like that your train could look humongous with 3 70 tonners and 15 cars.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines
" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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Mike Kieran Wrote:Aren't those 70 tonners great bang for your buck engines....
It depends how much you prefer a quiet and smooth running drives. If you feel only Atlas drives are well designed drives you should not even think about this little beasts. Those old Bachmann drive has nothing in common with the drive of the new GE 45 ton switcher and the GP7/9 or the GP50 I discussed here too. It is the same construction concept as found in the GE 44 ton switcher but even more noisy.
That is a problem of the drive and not of the decoder. The stone age Lenz decoder must be replaced in any case. All other aspects of the engines are fine and they are a good value for the price. They have a solid current pickup and run save and pull well.
To be frankly I would not buy them again due to the nasty noise but because I have them I will try to get the best out of them.
Reinhard
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The best running enginrs that I have are Kato NW2s, Walthers SW1, and the old Atlas/Roco Alco S switchers. They can really pull.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines
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Next milestone reached. All has to set over night for the semi gloss coat fixing the decals.
- I will not do the very special safety marks at the side. I simply don't like them at all. There is also a lot of white paint markers around the steps. They look a bit overdone too.
- Under the front light is not enough space for the road number. Another deviation from the prototype.
![[Image: file-5.jpg?t=1346347618]](http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/faraway52/Misc-1/file-5.jpg?t=1346347618)
Reinhard
Are you going to run them all MUed together?
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jwb Wrote:Are you going to run them all MUed together?
I hope to run with four separate units. That would fill the staging yard and I have a complete MET session on my layout. The fifth may be a single too or MUed as a dummy.
Reinhard
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The weather forecast for tomorrow is gusty winds and rain. I decided to do the semi gloss finish this evening as we had at about 8pm no wind and no rain.
Five roaring babies on their way. We will see how my ears can handle that challenge.
![[Image: file-6.jpg?t=1346358330]](http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/faraway52/Misc-1/file-6.jpg?t=1346358330)
![[Image: file-7.jpg?t=1346358335]](http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/faraway52/Misc-1/file-7.jpg?t=1346358335)
and the first one at work
![[Image: file-3.jpg?t=1346359615]](http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/faraway52/FL2012/file-3.jpg?t=1346359615)
Reinhard
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Nice!! Reminds me old pictures of T&NVR in the 80s. Are their noise similar to GE44? It was noisy, but still bearable... Well, a symphony for five is almost noise in Dolby Surround!
Matt
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sailormatlac Wrote:Nice!! Reminds me old pictures of T&NVR in the 80s. Are their noise similar to GE44? It was noisy, but still bearable... Well, a symphony for five is almost noise in Dolby Surround!
Matt
I have to admit they are worse. At least four of them. One is a nice guy more like an older Athearn RTR or a better 44 tons.
I am switching since some time with them and I notice a funny thing. I hated the noise out of the box (with a new decoder) of those "Bachmann" engines. Since I reworked them the sound of "my" engines gets some sympathy...
Reinhard
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Sweet looking flock of 70 tonners you got there.
Larry
Engineman
Summerset Ry
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Boy, aren't those a bunch of sweeties!
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Great work Reinhold.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines
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Mike
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