I bought a secondhand Bachmann starter set this weekend. N scale is not my thang--I do vintage O gauge. But the price was really good so I bought it to increase my trading stock. I know it must be fairly recent, because it came with the Bachmann E-Z track with integrated plastic roadbed.
When I got it home, I found the set was in worse shape than I first thought. A couple of the cars were missing a coupler. A couple of cars had busted-off steps. The transformer was missing an AC adapter that plugs into the wall. The dummy locomotive, well, was missing a lot. And the set is missing about half of its curved track sections (if I count the sections that are just missing rails as missing).
Questions:
1. Way back when, Bachmann had a horrible reputation. I know Bachmann will never be Kato or Atlas, but how is the new stuff, as far as running goes? (The detail on the cars themselves impressed me--again, I know Kato or Atlas would be better still, but the Bachmann stuff has more detail than anything on the low-end of O scale.) I know Bachmann has a higher-grade brand that is pretty good (Branchline? Spectrum?) but this is the plain old stuff--it literally did come off the shelf at Hobby Lobby. I know because the price tag is still on the box.
2. Can I get a replacement wall wart for the transformer? Should I bother?
3. How does one go about getting replacement N scale couplers? Can I just go to a hobby shop and buy a pack of them?
4. How much interest is there in the E-Z track? The Lionel equivalent is just about the hottest thing going in O gauge, but I also know the mindset is a bit different, and the Bachmann product has been on the market a lot longer.
Thanks for any info you're willing to provide!
When I got it home, I found the set was in worse shape than I first thought. A couple of the cars were missing a coupler. A couple of cars had busted-off steps. The transformer was missing an AC adapter that plugs into the wall. The dummy locomotive, well, was missing a lot. And the set is missing about half of its curved track sections (if I count the sections that are just missing rails as missing).
Questions:
1. Way back when, Bachmann had a horrible reputation. I know Bachmann will never be Kato or Atlas, but how is the new stuff, as far as running goes? (The detail on the cars themselves impressed me--again, I know Kato or Atlas would be better still, but the Bachmann stuff has more detail than anything on the low-end of O scale.) I know Bachmann has a higher-grade brand that is pretty good (Branchline? Spectrum?) but this is the plain old stuff--it literally did come off the shelf at Hobby Lobby. I know because the price tag is still on the box.
2. Can I get a replacement wall wart for the transformer? Should I bother?
3. How does one go about getting replacement N scale couplers? Can I just go to a hobby shop and buy a pack of them?
4. How much interest is there in the E-Z track? The Lionel equivalent is just about the hottest thing going in O gauge, but I also know the mindset is a bit different, and the Bachmann product has been on the market a lot longer.
Thanks for any info you're willing to provide!