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Bachmann Mallet

Last Post 16 Nov 2009 10:04 PM by Greg Elmassian. 6 Replies.

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Tom Lapointe User is Offline

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08 Nov 2009 11:45 PM
The newest addition to the Watuppa Railway's motive power roster.... Impressively "massive"! SILKY-SMOOTH runner, straight out the box! Here she is in action... A few observations... There's been some negative comments on this loco for having a "Meyer" vs. a true "Mallet" suspension; the only "downside" to that is the that the front end "Mallet pilot swing" is reduced (NOT eliminated, it still DOES swing ) & that the rear driver set does pivot (where a true Mallet shouldn't). The latter is not very noticeable on moderately wide-radius curves (my mainline radius on the outdoor railroad is 69", Aristo 11.5' diameter). The upside is this loco has a suspension as flexible as a snake! - It will round R1 radius curves! (Tried it as an experiment on my old indoor layout - handled the curves OK, but overhang was an issue in a few spots (tunnel & bridge portals ). Tractive effort, while good is NOT equivalent to the 3-truck Shay; I staged a "tug-of-war" between the two, & the Shay won handily. (The Shay could drag the Mallet off in the opposite direction, whether the drivers were turning or not! ). When the Mallet DOES start to slip, the front driver set slips first (prototypically). Interestingly (I'm running DCC), smoke unit output seems to be GREATER if the smoke unit "DC - OFF - DCC" switch behind the smokebox front is used in the "DC" position, even on DCC. (I'm theorizing that there may be a switching transistor in the circuit for turning the smoke unit on / off via DCC, dropping the voltage to the smoke unit slightly in the "DCC" position). The "Plug - & - Play" interface pretty much works "as advertised" (I installed a QSI large-scale sound decoder, purchased at the same time as the loco). I say "pretty much" because the loco boiler must still be removed to install a speaker . (In practice, not too bad a job, just follow the boiler shell removal directions in the instructions; just watch out not to lose the tiny screws under the headlight, & be careful not to pinch any wires when re-installing the boiler. I pinched a couple between the engineer's side of the saddle tank front & running board when I first went to reassemble the boiler - fortunately, I only nicked the wire insulation (the wires were for the smoke unit); a bit of electrical tape over the nicks, & a cable tie prevented the wires from getting caught a second time). A suggestion to Bachmann - furnish future locos with speakers pre-installed. (On a manufacturer's level, 3" speakers are cheap). The speaker I installed was a 3" one I just happened to have on hand (manufacturer unkown) which fit the speaker cutout perfectly. (Although the placement of the speaker hold-down clamps was such that screwdriver access to the front clamp was blocked by a frame support - but the speaker fit snugly enough that just tightening down the rear clamp held it securely). My overall rating of the Mallet HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Tom

Tom

SlateCreek User is Offline

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09 Nov 2009 04:38 AM
Tom, Knowing that you pay attention to this kind of thing ... you did seal up the lift out section on top to seal the speaker box, right? Have you considered any additional weight, particularly up front? Matthew (OV)

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chuckger

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09 Nov 2009 06:37 AM
Hi Tom, Nice looking engine and train. Thanks for your review on the mallet, it's good to to hear a report on a bachman product without all the usual negativity that comes along with it. Chuck

Tom Lapointe User is Offline

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10 Nov 2009 02:33 AM
Thanks for the nice comments, guys! Matthew, in answer to your question, I did NOT try to seal up the top section; I had plenty of volume from the sound system as-is. I live in a densely-populated neighborhood, so I try not to get too extreme with the sound system volumes. Most of my sound systems are Phoenix 2K2's or P5's; the latter especially can get very loud. (My Bachmann "Centennial" Mogul was the first engine to get a P5; if I crank up the volume enough, I can actually hear the exhaust echo off the nearby houses)! The neighbors enjoy the railroad (& I want to keep things that way). The one engine I did try an enclosure on was the 3-truck Shay (which was only 1-watt sound output, vs. 2 watts for a Phoenix 2K2 or up to 6 watts on the P5's); the enclosure was nothing more than a plastic cup hot-glued over the original speaker - it did improve the sound level on the 3-truck Shay (which was the factory "Tsunami / Quasinimi" by maybe 3 db. or so, comparable to the levels I normally run the Phoenix boards at. I have not tried to add any additional weight - the train shown in the video is typical length for my (modest-sized) railroad, train length being primarily dictated by the length of my shortest passing siding. In tests (before I finished lettering the Mallet), I had up to 11 cars behind it (shown below)... This train was the length that I just started to get slip on the front drivers going upgrade; but the Mallet was still able to get the train upgrade unassisted. Tom

Tom

Peter Osborne User is Offline

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14 Nov 2009 07:20 AM
Tom, I ordered one last week, so your timing is perfect. Which Quantum sound file did you use and who made up the decals for you? Peter.

Tom Lapointe User is Offline

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14 Nov 2009 09:54 PM
Hi Peter, Unfortunately, I bought the QSI board pre-programmed from their booth at the York TCA meet, (& I don't have a QSI programmer yet ), so I can't tell you specifically which sound file they installed. I actually carried the Mallet unopened in the box to the QSI booth, told them I wanted a Mallet sound file (if they had one specifically for articulated's), & to program the loco address for #9. If I decide to buy more QSI decoders, I'll break down & buy the programmer. Regarding the "Watuppa Railway" decals - they're not! The lettering is actually 2 different sizes of self-adhesive vinyl lettering obtained from a "Michael's" craft store. Took me about an hour per side to do the saddle tank lettering (trying to get all the lettering evenly spaced & nicely lined up ). ALL of my other locos that bear the "Watuppa Railway" lettering were done the same way. Next, I've got to do the long caboose, box car, & hopper. Tom

Tom

Greg Elmassian User is Offline

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16 Nov 2009 10:04 PM
Glad you are having fun Tom! I heard a number of negative things about the loco when it came out, but the 2 that I have run personally ran like swiss watches, and handled tight curves fine. Regards, Greg

Be sure to visit my site, lots of technical tips and modifications, and you can search for topics and key words. Click here for Greg's web site Note: I'm tired of the acrimony too, so I may not respond or participate in these types of threads. You can email me privately so I can help you without conflict. PLEASE NOTE: I have disabled Private Messaging, please use regular email: greg@elmassian.com

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