@@VT29steamtrain Like an Auscision B class : ua-cam.com/video/JaIlVdy6swc/v-deo.html Although I have paid as little as $150 from the Auscision stand at an AMRA exhibition at Caulfield.
@@johnd8892 usually i've seen them above $250 sometimes going up to $400 from memory. What especially is a expensive model is the $550 SAR P class by OER. That certainly is expensive for a medium size made of plastic tank engine.
Southern Engines were among the most colorful over here in the states. Another Bachmann product you should consider is the Southern "Ten Wheeler" or the Southern EMD E7A
@@SamsTrains EMD stands for the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in case you're interested. It still stands for the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors even if you're not interested. :-)
@@Poliss95 call me favouritism, but in terms of diesel locomotives I prefer EMD than Baldwin or Alco. Don’t get me wrong but EMD made really good diesel locomotives and EMD is one of the many companies that made EMD diesel locomotives for the world. Alco is okay but the only classes I liked is the PA and FA class. It’s just that EMD have more power than Alco. Baldwin diesel locomotives, weren’t as marketable compared to EMD or Alco.
These originally came out about 20 years ago, and if I remember correctly, the 2-8-0 was the first steam locomotive Bachmann offered in the Spectrum line (or possibly second, the Pennsylvania K-4s Pacific might have come out before it). At the time they were pretty revolutionary. Bachmann had a well-deserved reputation for making crappy, toylike stuff before this, and these were among the first mass-market American steam locomotives to feature a quiet, smooth-running mechanism with a flywheel. Obviously they continued to improve since then with some of their newer models, but to compare one of these to the old Bachmann 2-8-0 was a night-and-day difference! The reason you don't see a class designation on the box is that this isn't really a model of a Southern engine, it's a model of a generic 2-8-0, painted in Southern livery. American steam models tend to be either iconic (UP Big Boy, NYC Hudson, etc.) or generic (USRA types, for example, where the same design was used by several different railroads). In the UK, the hobby seems to be healthier in general, and there are/were fewer different railway companies to dilute the market. In the US, the market just isn't there to support an accurate 2-8-0 type from every major railroad, so manufacturers go for something generic that can be sold in multiple different liveries. In this case, the Bachmann model is based on an Illinois Central prototype, with a few modifications to make it more generic. As luck would have it, the Southern had 2-8-0s with similarly chunky proportions, that shared the same 63" drive wheel diameter as the Illinois Central engine, so the Bachmann model makes a passable stand-in. The differences would be pretty easy to spot though, if you were to study photos of the real 722 and compare them with the model. It's no coincidence that the Southern Railway (US) and the Southern Railway (UK) both had pretty green liveries. The American company took inspiration directly from the green livery of their British namesake. In regular service, the green livery was reserved only for express passenger locomotives, but former freight engines 722 and 4501 were also painted in the passenger green livery as part of the Southern (and later Norfolk Southern, after the Norfolk & Western merger) steam excursion program, which lasted into the early 1990s.
The K4 spectrum was much earlier, perhaps eighties. A large worm gear acting as flywheel like early UK Bachmann Branchline. Lots of fragile detail. Got one very cheaply in the 1990s.
It also seems like over here in the US most modellers prefer to model more modern/diesel operations anyways, though I guess it's because a lot of us grew up with diesels, and can also more easily find references for rail operations post-dieselization here in the US.
Southern railway number 630 and 722 were sold to the “tweetsie” after retirement, the railroad ran the locos until southern bought them back for their steam program which would eventually sponsor over 10 locos. They two locos, along with 2-8-2 cousin SOU 4501 ran on the steam program until being out classed by larger locos. 630 and 4501 are at TVRM in Chattanooga Tennessee running in service every once in a while, and I can’t remember where 722 is off the top of my head.
@david holt there were two tweetsies, the one I’m mentioning was owned by the Southern, not the new one which is in a loop, they are not close to each other in any real way
I ride or watch the Summerville Steam Special every year, except 2020 when it was cancelled. That runs one or two weekends each month from May to Nov. She is pulled by 630 or 4501 (Mikado) and in Nov both as doubleheader with ten coaches. I live 90 minutes from Chattanooga and an hour from the route. It is a nine hour round trip 9am to 6pm. Few other excursions feel like you're really taking the train somewhere. Southern/TVRR steam program repainted them black after restoration. 630 is an extremely smooth puller and the engineers at TVRR can drive them as smoothly as any diesel electric, especially in coupling and on the Summerville turntable. Hoping they restart this July. The Hiawassee, TN helix train started back up TODAY.
Yes, watched the documentary on 4501, must say was very impressed on the quality of this program and the Southern Railways back to steam railtours, almost like the frenzy of interest accosiated with the Flying Scotsman over hear...but not to last, this was steams really last fling...
@@lorrainedimmock4096 the UP Big Boy restoration is currently the "last fling" and i think groups have more restorations planned over the next 20 years. I'm hoping the Summerville Steam biweekly excursions start back by Sept,Oct. Currently TVRR is only running GP diesels, but four or five hour runs.
722 actually worked in my home town of Elizabethton after her Southern days and before preservation. She actually worked here with her sister 630! Nice to see a model of her!
Great Northern & Great western were separate companies, nor did they have the same name. The only part they shared was "Great". The similarities end there. They definitely end mid-BN & somewhat early BNSF era.
I always thought it was interesting how the US and UK shared a Southern Ry. Fun fact: they also both had Great Northern Railways! Also, about the paint: the gloss color is correct for the southern's Crescent train. However, to my knowledge, no 2-8-0s were ever painted in crescent green. It is beautiful though!
@@SamsTrains thanks! Merry christmas to you too! Also, I love how you actually take the time to reply to every comment... most people wouldnt take the time to do that, so it's just another reason to enjoy your videos! -Andy
722 was the only Ks-1 to ever be painted green, mainly because of its excursion service. The Southern Railway painted it green to match their larger 2-8-2 Mikado, number 4501. 722 ran excursions a lot in the early days, and between 1981 and 1985, it ran at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum alongside sister Ks-1 engine 630. 722 ran on several different railroads after that until ending up on her old stomping grounds in Bryson City, North Carolina, in 2000. She’s not operational yet, but her sister 630 (mentioned earlier) is currently operating at the same Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum where she and 722 used to work.
Just in case you didn’t know, the Southerns green and gold was inspired by a visit to Britain. The president of the Southern saw the clean colors and lines of the British Southern, and promised to bring this order and color back to the US. That why the Southern has that iconic green and gold.
So two years after your review I have just pulled my Bachmann out of a 16 year storage! I purchased it in 1998 when it first came out. It’s a Western Maryland livery. No DCC. I took it from box to DC track and did nothing more. Turned on the power and off the darn thing went!! I was not expecting it to run but was instantly surprised!! Considering it is 25 years old I would say it is a pretty good locomotive!!
@@halfofacouch2397they sold it to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City, North Carolina, in 2000. She’s currently undergoing restoration there.
This paint scheme was used on their premiere passenger train (matching coaches) "The Crescent Special" or "Crescent Moon Special". Yes it had shiney paint. Freight locos were flat black. Your yellow American "old style" coaches are some of the nicest I've seen.
722 and its sister 630. Were sold to a private line after retiring from the Southern. And then repurchased by the Southern in the 60s for the steam program and cooperated in the program with southern 4501 and 750. Sister loco 630 and 4501 are OPERATING at the Tennessee Valley railroad meuseam (T.V.R.M). You can learn a bit about it in the UA-cam documentary AND THEN THERE WAS ONE about the 4501 and in the video it talks about the Southern steam program including the 722 and 630.
The noise and poor crawl performance is partly due to the decoders Bachmann uses in their DCC equipped locos. I swapped out the one in my 2-8-0(same paint as well 😊) and it runs much smoother.
Literally came down to say this, toss the decoder and let the loco run at 30-50% for an hour if its brand new or has been packed away for awhile. To fix pulling and grade issues apply Bull Frog Snot to the third wheel set.
Sam the cringe doesn't come from the fact that a freight loco is pulling a passenger train, its the fact that the baggage coaches go before the regular passenger coaches -PRR Class S2 PS I counted 23 Ocean wagons
I just recently got this model Sam! It's a beautiful model! More interesting is that it's a discontinued item! This past May 19th, it's been announced that the real 722 is finally being restored and hoped to be finished in 2026!
WOW, incredible review of this amazing model of Southern 2-8-0 in that beautiful green livery Sam 👍👍 Fun fact, one of the Southern 2-8-2 Mikado No.4501 was painted in this livery during the early days of preservation.
Ooh, lovely! I have a Bachmann 4-4-0 3863 "Selma" in the same Southern livery and I love it to bits. It has optional firewood or oil tank top plates for the tender. The paint is semi glossy which gives it a very realistic look. The chassis seems to be made of metal and the loco weighs 206 grams, a respectable figure for such a delicate model. Thank you for reviewing an American loco! Stay well and have a merry christmas!
Ironic how both nations' Southern Railway decided on green with gold lettering. They seem to have extensively retooled their 2-8-0s since I bought one in 2003: Mine didn't have a belt drive, and as a result it wasn't able to have so much daylight between the boiler and the frame. The boiler detail also seems to be enhanced, but unfortunately the cab detail seems to have taken a hit: if I recall correctly, mine had adjustable windows. I've ridden on those coaches! They're on a heritage railroad just 360 km southwest of me. Do you have any Athearn Genesis locomotives? I've heard great things about them. When I dabbled with returning to physical model trains four or five years ago, I had my sights set on a Southern Pacific MT-4 class by them.
Yeah I know! I hear the USA one took inspiration from British liveries! That's awesome - are they comfortable? No Athearn for me sadly, will have to look into them! :D Merry Christmas - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Considering that they were about 90 years old at the time I rode them, they were surprisingly comfortable. About the same level of comfort as bus and tram seats. I wish we could have afforded a first class ticket: from what I could see of the parlor coach, it looked exquisitely comfortable.
Both Southerns had green with gold liveries because Fairfax Harrison (the president of the Southern Railway in the US) took a trip to Great Britain in 1925 and was inspired by the British Southern Railway. In 1926, Southern Railway (the US one) repainted all of their passenger locomotives in the green scheme represented in this 2-8-0 model. In a way, it really set Southern apart from other US railroads and their passenger services!
A 2-8-0 is also called a “Consolidation” as the first consolidation locomotive was introduced by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1866 where the Lehigh Valley Railroad needed a better locomotive to haul coal trains over steep inclines. It was evolved from an 0-8-0, and thanks to a pony truck, a consolidation can go through curves better than an 0-8-0 and being stable at speed. Also, most consolidation locomotives were designed for freight but they did pull passengers from time to time or when other passenger locomotives were unavailable; even though the top speed for a consolidation locomotive is 60 to maybe 65 mph (97 to 105 km/h)
Now that... thats just perfection i am gonna get it for me and do a custom blue comet with it! As always good review and of course a merry merry Christmas 🎄🎁 to you sam
722 currently resides at the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad in Dillsboro, North Carolina. It's currently disassembled with an uncertain point of restoration.
This is the second time I’ve watched this video, still enjoyed it. You remarked about the piping under the cab, these are the locomotive end of the water feed from the tender. The pipes go up to the injector pump one is the feed the other is some kind of vent. The “hand rail” on the front is a cut lever, on a full size locomotive, there would be a short chain connecting the cut lever to a lift pin which releases the jaw on the coupler allowing it to open, thus uncoupling the train, or helper locomotive from the road locomotive The British trains you have don’t use “automatic” couplers, they are a very interesting hook and link coupling.
@@SamsTrains Trust me, MTH doesn't skimp out on their locos. They're pricy, but you get a die-cast metal constructed loco, sounds, lights, smoke, PROPER BEARINGS, the works.
@@ShineOrtiz2199 and some kind of back up when inevitably it craps out. not too sure of the progress made when my 95 year old Lionel outperformed and vastly more reliable and better built than since thrown away MTH. way too much $ when it's loaded with gimmicks and an inevitable breakdown. Broadway seem to be having better luck with anyway, although having a now 100 year old Ives S motor that you know just always runs is a good thing. merry Christmas
More American stuff! ;-) I actually really like the glossy finish Sam, I wish more British models had a gloss finish. As you rightly point out, in real-life the locos would be gleaming beautifully after a good clean.
The real 722 at the Great Smoky Mountain Railway is in a rather sorry state right now because she's in pieces with no plans of restoration yet since it's current owner, already has an operational steam engine (a USATC S160 which you're likely familiar with) #1702. She sure was popular in the days of the Southern Railway steam program until 1984 when it was taken out of service. Her sister, 630 is currently running at the Tennessee Valley Railway Museum (TVRM).
That thing you pointed out at 8:07 is used for blow downs when shutting down a steam loco and also to remove water that forms within the loco during operation.
Not only that but try to run the loco on dc or on a aftermarket decoder, because Bachman DCC decoders are horrible from factory. Trust me it runs way better when you do the change.
1. the southern railway was formed out of about 150 different shortline railroad companies that were crisscrossing the southeast in 1894, by 1971 the southern owned and operated over 6000 miles of track (over 9000km) of track all around the southeast and even reaching as far north as Washington D.C, the railroad operated some of the most famous passenger trains of the south such as the Cresent a train that is still operated by Amtrak. In 1980 the Southern and the Norfolk&Western merged into the Norfolk Southern railway company that still operates today 2. 722 is barely preserved it is sitting in about 200 pieces outside of the great smokey mountain railroad's shops and they don't seem to care about it at all 3. 722 served in excursion service during the southern railways steam program from 1968-1985. 4. Southern 722 served on the Southern's murphy branch until 1952 when it was sold to the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina railroad and in 2000 it was sold to the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad a scenic railroad that operates the same Southern railway murphy branch 5. Although 722 is in a million pieces its sister KS-1 #630 is in operation at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga Tennessee. 6. the coaches are the wrong way around I know in England you have brake coaches but the cars at the back are not brake coaches they are a railway post office car and a baggage car and those cars go at the front just behind the locomotive.
The movable handrail on the pilot is not a handrail. It is a coupler cut lever. Used to trip the couplers without stepping between the cars to prevent one from getting crushed.
I know that this comment is very late, but I’m glad Sam is covering a semi-famous steam locomotive that is local to my area. It actually used to work in my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is now being restored to operational status in Bryson City, North Carolina. I actually have an older version of this model. I’ve personally weathered it to look like it did in real life. The Bachmann stock dcc decoders are pretty infamous for being very bad decoders that barely last longer than a few months and have terrible performance.
If I remember correctly, the 2-8-0s all had the southern 3 chime whistle, which is the whistle that Flying Scotsman had when she Toured the USA. 722s classmate, 630, while in steam, now has a different whistle, a Central Georgia 6 chime. Just an interesting fact I remembered that tied her to a more prominent locomotive in your collection.
The hand rail that rotates on the front is called a coupler cut lever and the way it works is you lift the lever from the side and it removes a pin that holds the coupler shut, this was made to make switching safer and easier
I have a version of 630, the second preserved 2-8-0 locomotive of this type. Bachmann didn't make a new mould or anything it's the same standard 2-8-0 that they can slap anything on, in my case, they made the top of the tender red, made the smoke box a dark silver, and slapped the number 630 on the side of the tender.
It's my understanding that most "american" steam locos aren't one spific prototype but more of a close enough for many roads. Baldwin made vast amounts of "catalog" locos where buyers could pick packages of parts, cab styles, etc.
From what I've read online, the prototype that Bachmann used for their Spectrum Consolidations, is an Illinois Central Railroad 900 Class. The model has some detail differences compared to the IC prototype that give it a more generic look, including an oval sand dome and a 32-foot United States Railroad Administration-style tender.
The Southern Railroad had some amazing engines! If you like the green livery you should definitely look into some of their other stuff. The most notable Southern engines in preservation over here in the states including #1401, a beautiful green Ps-4 class Pacific, #4501, a USRA Mikado (Currently painted in black, but has taken the green livery in the past) and #401, a little 2-8-0 from the H-4 class among others. I have a number of Southern engines and couldn't be happier with them (Especially the looks). Keep up the good work!
For those Americans wondering what .66 Newton's is in Drawbar force it's 2.37 ounces (make it 2.4) 2 ounces alone are roughly thirty 40ft free rolling freight cars on straight level track so figure if you get one of these that's about your realistic limit. Less if plastic wheel. Obviously size and weight of what you're running does matter. But I hope this comment helps for anyone looking to buy one new or used.
Hi Sam, The reason for the gloss finish is that the loco is preserved & operates still in the USA. Bachmann Spectrum are usually 3 pole motors, their couplings & 28 step decoders are cr*p! I'd suggest a Kadee coupler either a Number 5 or number 48 (whisker) knuckle coupler and either a TCS or other suitable decoder. Merry Christmas!
Thanks Boa, that's true, but many of our British models are glossy, yet that's so rarely represented in model form! Yeah, the decoders certainly are useless, I realised that with my Berkshire! ;D Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Running quality is known to be hit and miss on these. I also have one, and the torque on mine is very good with consistent performance around curves. The belt drive was an experiment by Bachmann to make the space between the boiler and chassis fully see-through, which very few manufacturers had been able to accomplish at that point in time (Rivarossi was close with their dual-gearbox system connected by a vertical shaft). The motor on mine is a 3-pole Mabuchi FK-130SH, but I think they may have switched to their own cheaper (and less powerful) motor later on. I also tend to replace Bachmann's DCC decoders right away due to their usually poor performance (and I use DC anyway).
Yeah I can see why - dodgy mechanisms really! Many thanks for all the motor info, I'd love to open it up for a look at the motor one day! Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The pipes you were asking about are the injector suction and just ahead of it was the injector overflow waste pipe. It's got Nathan Type R Lifting Injectors that are mounted higher near the cab.
Hi Sam. Enjoyable as always, the Baldwin Locomotive Works may need future videos as the output was so prolific and it excelled in the 2-8-0s . When in Arizona I saw the 2-8-0 shedded at Wilmington (a later version of this) working the Grand Canyon Line. It was headed by an A4 Classic Diesel. As it pulled up in the rebuilt Grand Canyon wooden station, the locomotive engineer descended in period uniform. A stunning and very capable blonde female!
An interesting fact about 722, it and a fellow KS1 630 were sold to a short line in Tennessee at the end of Steam on the Southern. While the 630 and 722 were running for the short line the Southern began their famous steam excursion program, and the one engine they had (Southern 4501) couldn’t keep up with the demand sometime. So in 1967 Southern traded 2 diesels to the Short line for 630 and 722, making them the first railroad to buy any steam since the end of steam on the mainline in America. 722 was painted in the color seen here which is Southern’s famous passenger Virginia Candy Apple green for the steam excursion program, it and the 4501 wore the green in Excursion service but never did in revenue service. At the end of the program in 1994 it was put on display until 2000 when it was sold to the Great Smoky Mountains Railway in North Carolina where it has set completely disassembled for the last 20 years with its fate currently unknown.
The black things hanging down near the cab that you asked about are Blowdown exhausted valves. There were controls on the fireman's and engineers side of the cab.
The speed changes on slight grades is a problem shared by all Bachmann belt drive locos. On the club layout's 2% grades, my belt drive 4-6-0 halves it's speed going up, and doubles it's speed going down. The belts also tend to stretch over time, meaning that there is a considerable delay when changing directions.
I bought the Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 Consolidation and turned it into a WWI US Army Pershing that served in France which was similar to the RoD version. I gave it several modifications, resprayed it, changed the top half of the tender and added magnetic couplings. It started off pretty much the same as yours albeit a different colour. PS The bell was metal :)
Sam: I need a suitable train for a Christmas time video Bachmann: Have a train that looks like a Christmas tree, complete with light and hard to hide wires
Hi Sam, I am fairly certain that the issue of the engine speeding up/slowing down is due to the band drive being used on DCC- the band is designed to prevent wheelslip on long trains, but because of this the amount of power going to the wheels can fluctuate. On DC this can be worked around by ensuring the loco is at a high enough power to get the train going, but on DCC because the power level is always fixed it can cause some issues. Bit of history on band drive, it was used a lot in the US from the 1950's to 1990's, mainly on cheaper models to keep costs down but is also a popular way to power kit-built locomotives within having to scratchbuild gearboxes. I am currently making my own class 50 with band drive to all axles, and I can see the appeal from its ease of construction
8:07 those are the water lines for the fireman’s side injector. The rear one would have a hose going to the tender, with the forward one terminating in air as it is an overflow line that is used when the injector (which appears to be a penberthy) is started. Also at 10:00 that is not a handrail, that is a couple cut bar. On the actual locomotive, there would be a chain running down to the top of the couple
I've had one of these on my model railway for about five years now and it's only broken down once in that period. (the valve gear fell off and needed to be refitted)
I would call the Baldwin consolidations from Bachmann to be entry-level models, often found in sets and the like and had been around for years. And it's strange that Bachmann did better with these old models than Broadway Limited Exports who based their consolidations off the Pennsylvania H10 class and it's very, very obvious, especially when they did SOU 630 and 722 a few years ago. I personally prefer a glossy finish over the usually flat non-weathered liveries model companies make because they are glossy when fresh in real life. Also, fun fact, in the mid-1920s the president of the Southern Railway of the US visited the UK and was blown away by how good the liveries of the Southern engines of the UK were and decided to do the same to all passenger engines back home. So starting with the second batch of Ps-4 class pacifics and then all other passenger engines the Southern of the US painted the engines green with a silver smokebox and a red cab roof. When Southern 4501 was purchased back from a colliery in 1964 and began the famous Southern steam excursion program in 1966, it was painted those colors as well and it had been so until 1996 when it was put black in freight black, where it had been since.
God, these things are super versatile, they're great for kitbashing and as 2-8-0's they can work on just about any Steam era pike, I think they and the 4-6-0's they did are some of their best IMO
At 8:05, if I am not mistaken, those are meant to be water pipes connecting the locomotive to the tender. On the prototype, there would be another set of pipes underneath the tender and they would connect with the locomotives water pipes with flexible tubing. Hope this helps you and have a Merry Christmas!
I have a 0-6-0 version of this engine called Smokey Mountain Express which has a smoke generator, but the detail on it is on par with the Prairie you've reviewed. This one looks very good. My favorite detail is probably the lining on the wheels. They look so good and the overall livery, especially that gloss green, is just excellent. I think that the retailers price is pretty decent as well. The performance I would give 3.5 stars since the slowing down is a nice touch in realism in my opinion and it doesn't seem to affect the pulling power either. Great review and merry Christmas, Sam
@@SamsTrains well it doesn't work anymore since the generator is broken. Aside from that it runs pretty smoothly even after the many years it sat on the shelf
I live in the United States and grew up seeing this locomotive (the real one). It made me extremely happy when I seen you reviewed this locomotive. Loved this train so much it’s my UA-cam photo. 722 also has a sister locomotive 630 that’s currently in operation. Sam I love your videos keep up the good work!
Gads, I don't care to bash a manufacturer, but I do have some experience with this particular piece, or my friend Jimmy did, and he is related to that region of the United States, in the South. First time fresh out of the box we marveled at its smooth running, until a side rod promptly dropped off and we could not find the tiny screw for love or money. Fortunately, B'mann has a return policy, unfortunately one has to pay the shipping, which is not cheap. And the wait. And the wait. Get it back, and for another twenty minutes we are enthralled until it just drops dead as a wedge. No amount of curses or incantations bring it back from the grave; it appears to be something electrical, never did find out. So, back to Philadelphia it goes and weeks later the replacement turns up. Being quite cautious now, we gingerly start running it in reverse at 50% power, and this is a fine idea, for about ten minutes, and again it drops dead as a door nail. Back to Philadelphia with a demand for a refund, which they did. Another pal had a similar B'mann, this with sound and DCC, and it failed repeatedly as well. This why I'm a little leery of Bachmann, but if they pull up on their quality control, they do make some of the more interesting and under represented pieces out there.
The hanging things you mentioned at about 8 mins are the water injectorspipes, US locos feed the injector with a syphon like device. Those hang over and feed the injector!
She spent her entire first life on Southern in matte black. The sylvan green and glass is more representative of her excursion carrier on Southern, Tweetsie, and later Great Smokey Mountain, as the green was Southerns passenger locomotives. The other surviving Ks class is Southern 630
Gonna be honest here. This is a MAJOR nostalgia blast for me! I had the same model as a kid and it was my favorite locomotive in my collection. I ran the crap out of that thing! Sure, it has a few faults but they were few and minor. Even now I’m astounded at the detail for its time and for the price. I’ll add that the cab detailing on mine is a bit more detailed than the one in the video. Wondering if Bachmann got lazy between then and now. Anyway, thanks Sam for a trip down memory lane!
Oh my, another Spectrum model in the collection. The belt drive has its reasons for the need to get power to the wheels without impeeding that visible gap between boiler and frame, the belt makes that possible as it sits in the firebox. This is a fairly old model by todays standards as far as I understand it, so this was how they made that possible back then.
Thanks Jonatan, quite happy with this one! Yeah I guess that's true, though my Hornby 9F has a similar amount of room, and yet they work without belts! That's true though, it doesn't have age on it's side! Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Interesting review Sam, something a bit different. I've just picked up one of these to have a go at converting to an S160. Considering the ages of some of the Bachmann US models, I'm quite impressed by how well they work and the level of detail.
Further, I wanted these to replace the gen. 1 Bachmann couples on my 0n30 trains I set up for Christmas. I had to settle for gen IT's they weren't any better like your videos they are interesting. Keep it up
I have the same model Sam and it's a heavy hauler!!! On my locomotive, the back 2 driving wheels tended to pop off the axel and mess up the quartering. If this happens super glue will hold the wheels back on the axel, and the quartering can be adjusted just by holding the left wheels and spinning the right side wheels on their axels. (Not recommended but if you don't feel like taking it all apart it is a solution. Mine has been running reliably for 8 months now and I do run it regularly. ) Hope that doesn't happen to you, other than that it's a very reliable locomotive!! Hope you have a Merry Christmas!!
The long pipe under the cab would connect to water hoses coming from the tender on the prototype. This how water reaches the injector. The pipe in front of it is the overflow pipe from the injector.
With everyone commenting on the loco, let me give a shout for the coaches. They look really good. Although I'm a British outline modeller, mainly narrow gauge, I do have a soft spot for some American stuff, indeed I have a live steam Shay. But love US coaches with the exposed platforms and the celestory roof. Very atmospheric.
These coaches were popular before the turn of the previous century, before the heavyweight coaches. However the yellow Denver and Rio Grande Western coaches don't match the Southern livery whatsoever. Sam's consist is all messed up as well, but I'll give that a pass since he is British. Sam, the observation car is the rear car, not the lead car...
Thank you! Glad you liked the coaches - I'm very happy with them too! Thanks for the info Ron - I know they weren't suitable, I think I said so in the video! Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The ratings for the locomotive is understandable and I completely agree with the ratings that you gave it, the colour and the shape are pretty cool and the design looks wonderful (my own honest opinion). The locomotive was a little bit slow going up but a good speed going down. Let's just hope that the next one that you do will have a better ratings that this cool locomotive. I can't wait for the next train review that you will do after Christmas. Have a great Christmas and I hope you get what you asked for this Christmas.
I've had a lot of issues with Bachmann steam locos in N scale and will likely not buy any more Bachmann steam locos since they are generally a huge mechanical let down. I don't know if Bachmann has the same issues on HO/OO scale but from what I've seen from your videos it seems pretty common for their OO models
my late grandfather had one . but back in 1990s it was bachmann plus before spectrum came to be , he had a 2-8-0 consolidation great northern railroad. recieved as a gift from teachers ( co workers) when he retired as a history teacher. the difference no dcc and it had the smoking feature which wasnt great because its just a sluthe type smoke unit but still it was a great runner. nice locomotive just not my type of roadname
@@SamsTrains merry Christmas to you too Sam. Yes bachmann spectrum is actually better then the regular bachmann. The bachmann 2-6-2 you got a while back was the older version and they changed to what this spectrum line is no more split chassis . now axle bearings i know are non existent unless you go for a brand like Athearn
just a heads up for any UK viewer who is curious: Here in the US, Bachmann values their spectrum line from anywhere between $500 and $600 USD per unit, which is about £374 to £450.
Sam you are possibly one of the greatest traintubers, instead of taking a bias you can actually Compliment and Criticize both British and American locos instead of just talking bad about one like so many others do
This is an older Spectrum model. You can typically tell by the slightly less quality detail and especially the amber led headlight. To my knowledge, spectrum models all have a five pole motor. In addition, I do believe that locomotive is painted in a fantastic paint scheme as the Crescent Limited livery was exclusive for passenger service and all black for freight. I won't knock on you for it but those passenger cars are prototypical for up to maybe 1915 or so.
Just a note, Painted cabs are not a common thing on american models.
Working Headlights, however, are pretty much the standard.
Yeah I've noticed that - I'm quite surprised!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I like the working headlight on my 40 yr old Bachmanns, you instantly know when you've lost continuity with the track 😂
“More American, more American” then there’s me hoping you might review a Australian locomotive.
He should review one of those expensive Ausicion locomotives and compare it to a Lima engine based on the same class of loco
@@VT29steamtrain Like an Auscision B class :
ua-cam.com/video/JaIlVdy6swc/v-deo.html
Although I have paid as little as $150 from the Auscision stand at an AMRA exhibition at Caulfield.
That would be interesting - maybe one day! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I'm right there with you. Hopefully a NSWGR one, but any will be a treat
@@johnd8892 usually i've seen them above $250 sometimes going up to $400 from memory. What especially is a expensive model is the $550 SAR P class by OER. That certainly is expensive for a medium size made of plastic tank engine.
Americans: wE nEeD mOrE AMeRiCaN sTuFf
Me, the American who watches for the British stuff:
haha more coming soon!! ;D
Relatable
I agree!
same
Southern Engines were among the most colorful over here in the states. Another Bachmann product you should consider is the Southern "Ten Wheeler" or the Southern EMD E7A
Yeah!! I guess that's why I like it so much! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains EMD stands for the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in case you're interested.
It still stands for the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors even if you're not interested. :-)
@@Poliss95 call me favouritism, but in terms of diesel locomotives I prefer EMD than Baldwin or Alco. Don’t get me wrong but EMD made really good diesel locomotives and EMD is one of the many companies that made EMD diesel locomotives for the world. Alco is okay but the only classes I liked is the PA and FA class. It’s just that EMD have more power than Alco.
Baldwin diesel locomotives, weren’t as marketable compared to EMD or Alco.
I wish they had models of the FM OP800
These originally came out about 20 years ago, and if I remember correctly, the 2-8-0 was the first steam locomotive Bachmann offered in the Spectrum line (or possibly second, the Pennsylvania K-4s Pacific might have come out before it). At the time they were pretty revolutionary. Bachmann had a well-deserved reputation for making crappy, toylike stuff before this, and these were among the first mass-market American steam locomotives to feature a quiet, smooth-running mechanism with a flywheel. Obviously they continued to improve since then with some of their newer models, but to compare one of these to the old Bachmann 2-8-0 was a night-and-day difference!
The reason you don't see a class designation on the box is that this isn't really a model of a Southern engine, it's a model of a generic 2-8-0, painted in Southern livery. American steam models tend to be either iconic (UP Big Boy, NYC Hudson, etc.) or generic (USRA types, for example, where the same design was used by several different railroads). In the UK, the hobby seems to be healthier in general, and there are/were fewer different railway companies to dilute the market. In the US, the market just isn't there to support an accurate 2-8-0 type from every major railroad, so manufacturers go for something generic that can be sold in multiple different liveries. In this case, the Bachmann model is based on an Illinois Central prototype, with a few modifications to make it more generic. As luck would have it, the Southern had 2-8-0s with similarly chunky proportions, that shared the same 63" drive wheel diameter as the Illinois Central engine, so the Bachmann model makes a passable stand-in. The differences would be pretty easy to spot though, if you were to study photos of the real 722 and compare them with the model.
It's no coincidence that the Southern Railway (US) and the Southern Railway (UK) both had pretty green liveries. The American company took inspiration directly from the green livery of their British namesake. In regular service, the green livery was reserved only for express passenger locomotives, but former freight engines 722 and 4501 were also painted in the passenger green livery as part of the Southern (and later Norfolk Southern, after the Norfolk & Western merger) steam excursion program, which lasted into the early 1990s.
The K4 spectrum was much earlier, perhaps eighties. A large worm gear acting as flywheel like early UK Bachmann Branchline. Lots of fragile detail. Got one very cheaply in the 1990s.
It also seems like over here in the US most modellers prefer to model more modern/diesel operations anyways, though I guess it's because a lot of us grew up with diesels, and can also more easily find references for rail operations post-dieselization here in the US.
Many thanks for the info Richard - surprised to hear it was as long ago as that too!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Southern railway number 630 and 722 were sold to the “tweetsie” after retirement, the railroad ran the locos until southern bought them back for their steam program which would eventually sponsor over 10 locos. They two locos, along with 2-8-2 cousin SOU 4501 ran on the steam program until being out classed by larger locos. 630 and 4501 are at TVRM in Chattanooga Tennessee running in service every once in a while, and I can’t remember where 722 is off the top of my head.
Thanks a lot for sharing this, glad to hear it's still around though! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
@david holt there were two tweetsies, the one I’m mentioning was owned by the Southern, not the new one which is in a loop, they are not close to each other in any real way
I ride or watch the Summerville Steam Special every year, except 2020 when it was cancelled. That runs one or two weekends each month from May to Nov. She is pulled by 630 or 4501 (Mikado) and in Nov both as doubleheader with ten coaches. I live 90 minutes from Chattanooga and an hour from the route. It is a nine hour round trip 9am to 6pm. Few other excursions feel like you're really taking the train somewhere.
Southern/TVRR steam program repainted them black after restoration. 630 is an extremely smooth puller and the engineers at TVRR can drive them as smoothly as any diesel electric, especially in coupling and on the Summerville turntable.
Hoping they restart this July. The Hiawassee, TN helix train started back up TODAY.
Yes, watched the documentary on 4501, must say was very impressed on the quality of this program and the Southern Railways back to steam railtours, almost like the frenzy of interest accosiated with the Flying Scotsman over hear...but not to last, this was steams really last fling...
@@lorrainedimmock4096 the UP Big Boy restoration is currently the "last fling" and i think groups have more restorations planned over the next 20 years.
I'm hoping the Summerville Steam biweekly excursions start back by Sept,Oct. Currently TVRR is only running GP diesels, but four or five hour runs.
722 actually worked in my home town of Elizabethton after her Southern days and before preservation. She actually worked here with her sister 630! Nice to see a model of her!
That's awesome Alan, thanks for sharing!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
There was even a Great Western Railway and a Great Northern Railway in the US too.
Still is a Great Western Railway; it's less than a two-hour drive northeast of me.
@@foraminuteforaminute4056 That’s interesting.
Great Northern & Great western were separate companies, nor did they have the same name. The only part they shared was "Great". The similarities end there. They definitely end mid-BN & somewhat early BNSF era.
@@BattleshipOrion Colorado's Great Western Railway still operates interchange freight services from the Union Pacific.
There is a Pike's Peak Railway as well.
I always thought it was interesting how the US and UK shared a Southern Ry. Fun fact: they also both had Great Northern Railways!
Also, about the paint: the gloss color is correct for the southern's Crescent train. However, to my knowledge, no 2-8-0s were ever painted in crescent green. It is beautiful though!
Yeah me too - I couldn't believe it when I found out!! So cool! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains thanks! Merry christmas to you too! Also, I love how you actually take the time to reply to every comment... most people wouldnt take the time to do that, so it's just another reason to enjoy your videos!
-Andy
I think No. 722 was painted southern green, there are older pictures online of her in that livery.
@@liamroggenkamp oh, well my bad then. The only crescent colored locos I knew of were the Pacific's and 4501, though I guess I was wrong. Thank you!
722 was the only Ks-1 to ever be painted green, mainly because of its excursion service. The Southern Railway painted it green to match their larger 2-8-2 Mikado, number 4501. 722 ran excursions a lot in the early days, and between 1981 and 1985, it ran at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum alongside sister Ks-1 engine 630. 722 ran on several different railroads after that until ending up on her old stomping grounds in Bryson City, North Carolina, in 2000. She’s not operational yet, but her sister 630 (mentioned earlier) is currently operating at the same Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum where she and 722 used to work.
9:55 that rotating part is to lock and unlock the coupler
Ahh interesting, thanks for this!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Me watching the end car being pulled at the front and the baggage in the back: don't cry, don't cry. P.S. Merry Christmas
haha!! Sorry about the coaches! xD
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Just in case you didn’t know, the Southerns green and gold was inspired by a visit to Britain.
The president of the Southern saw the clean colors and lines of the British Southern, and promised to bring this order and color back to the US.
That why the Southern has that iconic green and gold.
Ahh interesting - that explains why they're so similar then!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Merry Christmas Sam :D
This is a nice model for the Christmas tree! Merry Christmas Sam!
It is actually - that's a super good idea! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
So two years after your review I have just pulled my Bachmann out of a 16 year storage! I purchased it in 1998 when it first came out. It’s a Western Maryland livery. No DCC. I took it from box to DC track and did nothing more. Turned on the power and off the darn thing went!! I was not expecting it to run but was instantly surprised!! Considering it is 25 years old I would say it is a pretty good locomotive!!
The real Southern #722 is going through restoration in Tennessee. I hope someday it will be back running, especially in that green color.
Ooh awesome - I hope so too! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains merry christmas to you as well! Stay safe!
722 is sitting in Dillsboro NC completely disassembled. It’s owned by the great Smokey mountain railroad
@@harpe4422 oops my bad. I thought 722 was owned by Tennessee Valley RR, but you're right
@@halfofacouch2397they sold it to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City, North Carolina, in 2000. She’s currently undergoing restoration there.
This paint scheme was used on their premiere passenger train (matching coaches) "The Crescent Special" or "Crescent Moon Special". Yes it had shiney paint. Freight locos were flat black.
Your yellow American "old style" coaches are some of the nicest I've seen.
This train makes it look like a full blown Christmas tree
haha I know right!! xD
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
100% Christmas tree train
That is the passenger sheme of Southern railroad in southern United States.
722 and its sister 630. Were sold to a private line after retiring from the Southern. And then repurchased by the Southern in the 60s for the steam program and cooperated in the program with southern 4501 and 750. Sister loco 630 and 4501 are OPERATING at the Tennessee Valley railroad meuseam (T.V.R.M). You can learn a bit about it in the UA-cam documentary AND THEN THERE WAS ONE about the 4501 and in the video it talks about the Southern steam program including the 722 and 630.
Many thanks for all the info - I'm really enjoying learning about this in real life! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The pipe under the cab
Its a over flowpipe its for your injectors
There is a 26 class south African locomotives is for sale
Duly noted, thanks a lot for the info! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The noise and poor crawl performance is partly due to the decoders Bachmann uses in their DCC equipped locos. I swapped out the one in my 2-8-0(same paint as well 😊) and it runs much smoother.
Yeah I've noticed their decoders are pretty useless - will try a different one some time!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I agree, imo taking the decoder out and throwing it away (literally) is a must upon purchase lol.
They run great on dc
Literally came down to say this, toss the decoder and let the loco run at 30-50% for an hour if its brand new or has been packed away for awhile.
To fix pulling and grade issues apply Bull Frog Snot to the third wheel set.
Stuck a fairly cheap digitrax decoder in it and it’s run so much better since then
Sam the cringe doesn't come from the fact that a freight loco is pulling a passenger train, its the fact that the baggage coaches go before the regular passenger coaches
-PRR Class S2
PS I counted 23 Ocean wagons
haha you're right - my bad, thanks for letting me know! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Merry Christmas to you too Sam
I just recently got this model Sam! It's a beautiful model! More interesting is that it's a discontinued item! This past May 19th, it's been announced that the real 722 is finally being restored and hoped to be finished in 2026!
Southern had some beautiful paint, wish I had been able to see them run the line by my house before they became Norfolk Southern
I agree Brent - and that would have been nice! :(
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I have see her in person. GSMR was going to restore her.
WOW, incredible review of this amazing model of Southern 2-8-0 in that beautiful green livery Sam 👍👍
Fun fact, one of the Southern 2-8-2 Mikado No.4501 was painted in this livery during the early days of preservation.
Thanks so much Joe - and that's very cool! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
On the first railway I’ll be going to in the future in Chattanooga, Number 630 is the same class
Ooh that's cool - thanks for sharing! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Cool I just went about a month ago
Hey bro, your profile pic is roblox isn’t it, Halliwell Railway?
@@adamchmielewski6162 yeah I made that game
Ooh, lovely! I have a Bachmann 4-4-0 3863 "Selma" in the same Southern livery and I love it to bits. It has optional firewood or oil tank top plates for the tender. The paint is semi glossy which gives it a very realistic look. The chassis seems to be made of metal and the loco weighs 206 grams, a respectable figure for such a delicate model. Thank you for reviewing an American loco! Stay well and have a merry christmas!
Very nice mate - glad you love yours! I like the idea of the optional top plates - awesome idea!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Ironic how both nations' Southern Railway decided on green with gold lettering.
They seem to have extensively retooled their 2-8-0s since I bought one in 2003: Mine didn't have a belt drive, and as a result it wasn't able to have so much daylight between the boiler and the frame. The boiler detail also seems to be enhanced, but unfortunately the cab detail seems to have taken a hit: if I recall correctly, mine had adjustable windows.
I've ridden on those coaches! They're on a heritage railroad just 360 km southwest of me.
Do you have any Athearn Genesis locomotives? I've heard great things about them. When I dabbled with returning to physical model trains four or five years ago, I had my sights set on a Southern Pacific MT-4 class by them.
Yeah I know! I hear the USA one took inspiration from British liveries! That's awesome - are they comfortable? No Athearn for me sadly, will have to look into them! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Considering that they were about 90 years old at the time I rode them, they were surprisingly comfortable. About the same level of comfort as bus and tram seats. I wish we could have afforded a first class ticket: from what I could see of the parlor coach, it looked exquisitely comfortable.
Both Southerns had green with gold liveries because Fairfax Harrison (the president of the Southern Railway in the US) took a trip to Great Britain in 1925 and was inspired by the British Southern Railway. In 1926, Southern Railway (the US one) repainted all of their passenger locomotives in the green scheme represented in this 2-8-0 model. In a way, it really set Southern apart from other US railroads and their passenger services!
@@SamsTrains Wasn't it the British Southern Railway copied the US one?
I didn't know they ever made these without a belt drive. The early ones were famous for it, and the currently produced version also has it.
A 2-8-0 is also called a “Consolidation” as the first consolidation locomotive was introduced by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1866 where the Lehigh Valley Railroad needed a better locomotive to haul coal trains over steep inclines.
It was evolved from an 0-8-0, and thanks to a pony truck, a consolidation can go through curves better than an 0-8-0 and being stable at speed.
Also, most consolidation locomotives were designed for freight but they did pull passengers from time to time or when other passenger locomotives were unavailable; even though the top speed for a consolidation locomotive is 60 to maybe 65 mph (97 to 105 km/h)
That's very cool Nathan, thanks a lot for all the background on this - didn't know they were the first!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Now that... thats just perfection i am gonna get it for me and do a custom blue comet with it! As always good review and of course a merry merry Christmas 🎄🎁 to you sam
Thanks a lot mate - ooh that sounds lovely too! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I would recommend using a USRA 4-6-2 for the blue comet, simply because the CNJ used USRA pacifics for the blue comet.
my mate has one of these on DCC ready and he said it is more smoother if you remove the decoder and run it on dcc with these models
Yeah! I've heard the Bachmann decoders are rubbish - I might change or remove it one day! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Merry Christmas Sam!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I love watching you reviews because they give me ideas for engines on my freelance railway
Awesome! Glad the vids can help you! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
What a beauty!!
I agree Woody! :D
722 currently resides at the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad in Dillsboro, North Carolina. It's currently disassembled with an uncertain point of restoration.
Ooh awesome - great to hear it's still around!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
It is perfect for Christmas because of the Green Livery.
haha I thought so! :D
This is the second time I’ve watched this video, still enjoyed it. You remarked about the piping under the cab, these are the locomotive end of the water feed from the tender. The pipes go up to the injector pump one is the feed the other is some kind of vent. The “hand rail” on the front is a cut lever, on a full size locomotive, there would be a short chain connecting the cut lever to a lift pin which releases the jaw on the coupler allowing it to open, thus uncoupling the train, or helper locomotive from the road locomotive The British trains you have don’t use “automatic” couplers, they are a very interesting hook and link coupling.
Another great looking HO model. 😁 Another HO scale model I could recommend for you is the MTH HO scale Norfolk & Western Class J steam engine.
Thanks Shine, that sounds really good too! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Trust me, MTH doesn't skimp out on their locos. They're pricy, but you get a die-cast metal constructed loco, sounds, lights, smoke, PROPER BEARINGS, the works.
@@ShineOrtiz2199 and some kind of back up when inevitably it craps out. not too sure of the progress made when my 95 year old Lionel outperformed and vastly more reliable and better built than since thrown away MTH. way too much $ when it's loaded with gimmicks and an inevitable breakdown. Broadway seem to be having better luck with anyway, although having a now 100 year old Ives S motor that you know just always runs is a good thing. merry Christmas
I love the look of these they look so unique this has to be my favourite livery have a good Christmas
Thanks a lot Lewis, glad to hear that!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
More American stuff! ;-) I actually really like the glossy finish Sam, I wish more British models had a gloss finish. As you rightly point out, in real-life the locos would be gleaming beautifully after a good clean.
Absolutely! Me too - quite like the gloss for a change! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The real 722 at the Great Smoky Mountain Railway is in a rather sorry state right now because she's in pieces with no plans of restoration yet since it's current owner, already has an operational steam engine (a USATC S160 which you're likely familiar with) #1702. She sure was popular in the days of the Southern Railway steam program until 1984 when it was taken out of service. Her sister, 630 is currently running at the Tennessee Valley Railway Museum (TVRM).
Ahh that's a pity Alex, sorry to hear about that - hopefully they sort her out some day! :(
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Great review Sam it looks okay but doesn’t appeal to me
Thanks David, that's fine!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
My great grandfather used to work for Southern during the late 30s and into the 40s. So I always like to see things from that railroad.
Ahh fantastic - I bet he had some stories to tell!!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
“Just call me Frank” - Frank
haha! xD
Is that a t&f reference?
@@hetrainenthusiast Hamster Jelly 😁
@@jacobg130productions But Frank was a GN 2-8-2.
@@Steamerthesteamtrain close enough 🤣
That thing you pointed out at 8:07 is used for blow downs when shutting down a steam loco and also to remove water that forms within the loco during operation.
Also on 10:01 that is the coupler cut lever to safely decouple the loco and cars.
Duly noted James, thanks for the info! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Not only that but try to run the loco on dc or on a aftermarket decoder, because Bachman DCC decoders are horrible from factory. Trust me it runs way better when you do the change.
Oh yes love Southern Railway 722!
Me too!! :D
@@SamsTrains I highly consider getting southern 4501 2-8-2
1. the southern railway was formed out of about 150 different shortline railroad companies that were crisscrossing the southeast in 1894, by 1971 the southern owned and operated over 6000 miles of track (over 9000km) of track all around the southeast and even reaching as far north as Washington D.C, the railroad operated some of the most famous passenger trains of the south such as the Cresent a train that is still operated by Amtrak. In 1980 the Southern and the Norfolk&Western merged into the Norfolk Southern railway company that still operates today
2. 722 is barely preserved it is sitting in about 200 pieces outside of the great smokey mountain railroad's shops and they don't seem to care about it at all
3. 722 served in excursion service during the southern railways steam program from 1968-1985.
4. Southern 722 served on the Southern's murphy branch until 1952 when it was sold to the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina railroad and in 2000 it was sold to the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad a scenic railroad that operates the same Southern railway murphy branch
5. Although 722 is in a million pieces its sister KS-1 #630 is in operation at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga Tennessee.
6. the coaches are the wrong way around I know in England you have brake coaches but the cars at the back are not brake coaches they are a railway post office car and a baggage car and those cars go at the front just behind the locomotive.
The movable handrail on the pilot is not a handrail. It is a coupler cut lever. Used to trip the couplers without stepping between the cars to prevent one from getting crushed.
Ahh interesting - thanks for sharing Michael!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I know that this comment is very late, but I’m glad Sam is covering a semi-famous steam locomotive that is local to my area. It actually used to work in my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is now being restored to operational status in Bryson City, North Carolina. I actually have an older version of this model. I’ve personally weathered it to look like it did in real life. The Bachmann stock dcc decoders are pretty infamous for being very bad decoders that barely last longer than a few months and have terrible performance.
If I remember correctly, the 2-8-0s all had the southern 3 chime whistle, which is the whistle that Flying Scotsman had when she Toured the USA. 722s classmate, 630, while in steam, now has a different whistle, a Central Georgia 6 chime. Just an interesting fact I remembered that tied her to a more prominent locomotive in your collection.
Ahh duly noted Bryce, that's pretty interesting! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Merry Christmas to you as well!
The hand rail that rotates on the front is called a coupler cut lever and the way it works is you lift the lever from the side and it removes a pin that holds the coupler shut, this was made to make switching safer and easier
Ahh okay, thanks a lot for letting me know! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I have a version of 630, the second preserved 2-8-0 locomotive of this type. Bachmann didn't make a new mould or anything it's the same standard 2-8-0 that they can slap anything on, in my case, they made the top of the tender red, made the smoke box a dark silver, and slapped the number 630 on the side of the tender.
It's my understanding that most "american" steam locos aren't one spific prototype but more of a close enough for many roads. Baldwin made vast amounts of "catalog" locos where buyers could pick packages of parts, cab styles, etc.
From what I've read online, the prototype that Bachmann used for their Spectrum Consolidations, is an Illinois Central Railroad 900 Class. The model has some detail differences compared to the IC prototype that give it a more generic look, including an oval sand dome and a 32-foot United States Railroad Administration-style tender.
Ahh that's very interesting Christian, thanks a lot for sharing this!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The Southern Railroad had some amazing engines! If you like the green livery you should definitely look into some of their other stuff. The most notable Southern engines in preservation over here in the states including #1401, a beautiful green Ps-4 class Pacific, #4501, a USRA Mikado (Currently painted in black, but has taken the green livery in the past) and #401, a little 2-8-0 from the H-4 class among others. I have a number of Southern engines and couldn't be happier with them (Especially the looks). Keep up the good work!
Thanks for sharing - me too, I will look into more of them! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
For those Americans wondering what .66 Newton's is in Drawbar force it's 2.37 ounces (make it 2.4) 2 ounces alone are roughly thirty 40ft free rolling freight cars on straight level track so figure if you get one of these that's about your realistic limit. Less if plastic wheel. Obviously size and weight of what you're running does matter. But I hope this comment helps for anyone looking to buy one new or used.
FYI, in the US, the baggage cars are at the front.
Hi Sam,
The reason for the gloss finish is that the loco is preserved & operates still in the USA. Bachmann Spectrum are usually 3 pole motors, their couplings & 28 step decoders are cr*p! I'd suggest a Kadee coupler either a Number 5 or number 48 (whisker) knuckle coupler and either a TCS or other suitable decoder.
Merry Christmas!
Thanks Boa, that's true, but many of our British models are glossy, yet that's so rarely represented in model form! Yeah, the decoders certainly are useless, I realised that with my Berkshire! ;D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Running quality is known to be hit and miss on these. I also have one, and the torque on mine is very good with consistent performance around curves. The belt drive was an experiment by Bachmann to make the space between the boiler and chassis fully see-through, which very few manufacturers had been able to accomplish at that point in time (Rivarossi was close with their dual-gearbox system connected by a vertical shaft). The motor on mine is a 3-pole Mabuchi FK-130SH, but I think they may have switched to their own cheaper (and less powerful) motor later on. I also tend to replace Bachmann's DCC decoders right away due to their usually poor performance (and I use DC anyway).
Yeah I can see why - dodgy mechanisms really! Many thanks for all the motor info, I'd love to open it up for a look at the motor one day!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The pipes you were asking about are the injector suction and just ahead of it was the injector overflow waste pipe. It's got Nathan Type R Lifting Injectors that are mounted higher near the cab.
Ahh duly noted, thanks a lot for the info! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Hi Sam. Enjoyable as always, the Baldwin Locomotive Works may need future videos as the output was so prolific and it excelled in the 2-8-0s . When in Arizona I saw the 2-8-0 shedded at Wilmington (a later version of this) working the Grand Canyon Line. It was headed by an A4 Classic Diesel. As it pulled up in the rebuilt Grand Canyon wooden station, the locomotive engineer descended in period uniform. A stunning and very capable blonde female!
Thanks again Leroy, absolutely - I could do more on Baldwin!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
An interesting fact about 722, it and a fellow KS1 630 were sold to a short line in Tennessee at the end of Steam on the Southern. While the 630 and 722 were running for the short line the Southern began their famous steam excursion program, and the one engine they had (Southern 4501) couldn’t keep up with the demand sometime. So in 1967 Southern traded 2 diesels to the Short line for 630 and 722, making them the first railroad to buy any steam since the end of steam on the mainline in America. 722 was painted in the color seen here which is Southern’s famous passenger Virginia Candy Apple green for the steam excursion program, it and the 4501 wore the green in Excursion service but never did in revenue service. At the end of the program in 1994 it was put on display until 2000 when it was sold to the Great Smoky Mountains Railway in North Carolina where it has set completely disassembled for the last 20 years with its fate currently unknown.
Thanks a lot for sharing, that's very interesting!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The black things hanging down near the cab that you asked about are Blowdown exhausted valves. There were controls on the fireman's and engineers side of the cab.
The speed changes on slight grades is a problem shared by all Bachmann belt drive locos. On the club layout's 2% grades, my belt drive 4-6-0 halves it's speed going up, and doubles it's speed going down. The belts also tend to stretch over time, meaning that there is a considerable delay when changing directions.
Glad to hear mine isn't just faulty then - thanks for sharing this!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I bought the Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 Consolidation and turned it into a WWI US Army Pershing that served in France which was similar to the RoD version. I gave it several modifications, resprayed it, changed the top half of the tender and added magnetic couplings. It started off pretty much the same as yours albeit a different colour. PS The bell was metal :)
That sounds very interesting - did it turn out well?! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Sam finally got a Bachmann Baldwin 2-8-0!! They may be oldies but mine from 20 years ago still work!
Yeah I did!! And glad to hear yours still works! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I have a southern railway steam engine, it's a bachmann spectrum 4-4-0. Absolutely beautiful engine.
That does sound beatiful - thanks for sharing! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Beautiful model Sam! Lucky to have two survivors! Perfect model for Christmas! Merry Christmas!
Thanks Ryno - very lucky indeed! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Sam: I need a suitable train for a Christmas time video
Bachmann: Have a train that looks like a Christmas tree, complete with light and hard to hide wires
haha absolutely lol - my thought too! ;D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Merry Christmas to you too!
Hi Sam, I am fairly certain that the issue of the engine speeding up/slowing down is due to the band drive being used on DCC- the band is designed to prevent wheelslip on long trains, but because of this the amount of power going to the wheels can fluctuate. On DC this can be worked around by ensuring the loco is at a high enough power to get the train going, but on DCC because the power level is always fixed it can cause some issues.
Bit of history on band drive, it was used a lot in the US from the 1950's to 1990's, mainly on cheaper models to keep costs down but is also a popular way to power kit-built locomotives within having to scratchbuild gearboxes. I am currently making my own class 50 with band drive to all axles, and I can see the appeal from its ease of construction
Thanks for sharing mate! As I understand it, the belt drive is toothed, so I'm fairly sure it isn't slipping or anything!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
8:07 those are the water lines for the fireman’s side injector. The rear one would have a hose going to the tender, with the forward one terminating in air as it is an overflow line that is used when the injector (which appears to be a penberthy) is started. Also at 10:00 that is not a handrail, that is a couple cut bar. On the actual locomotive, there would be a chain running down to the top of the couple
Ahh thanks a lot for the info Rider, appreciate that!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I've had one of these on my model railway for about five years now and it's only broken down once in that period. (the valve gear fell off and needed to be refitted)
Ahh sorry to hear that - that's bad luck :(
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I would call the Baldwin consolidations from Bachmann to be entry-level models, often found in sets and the like and had been around for years. And it's strange that Bachmann did better with these old models than Broadway Limited Exports who based their consolidations off the Pennsylvania H10 class and it's very, very obvious, especially when they did SOU 630 and 722 a few years ago. I personally prefer a glossy finish over the usually flat non-weathered liveries model companies make because they are glossy when fresh in real life.
Also, fun fact, in the mid-1920s the president of the Southern Railway of the US visited the UK and was blown away by how good the liveries of the Southern engines of the UK were and decided to do the same to all passenger engines back home. So starting with the second batch of Ps-4 class pacifics and then all other passenger engines the Southern of the US painted the engines green with a silver smokebox and a red cab roof. When Southern 4501 was purchased back from a colliery in 1964 and began the famous Southern steam excursion program in 1966, it was painted those colors as well and it had been so until 1996 when it was put black in freight black, where it had been since.
Yeah maybe you're right - they are very basic! THanks for sharing! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
God, these things are super versatile, they're great for kitbashing and as 2-8-0's they can work on just about any Steam era pike, I think they and the 4-6-0's they did are some of their best IMO
Yeah I bet they would be actually - great for kitbashing at that price! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
One of my favorite models of all time. Love your reviews man.
Great to hear that - I can see why, they're lovely models!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
With thought a belt drive would give some protection to the motor. It would skip rather than stall.
I don't think it would though - the belt is toothed, so it shouldn't slip!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
At 8:05, if I am not mistaken, those are meant to be water pipes connecting the locomotive to the tender. On the prototype, there would be another set of pipes underneath the tender and they would connect with the locomotives water pipes with flexible tubing. Hope this helps you and have a Merry Christmas!
Duly noted, thanks very much for the info mate! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I have a 0-6-0 version of this engine called Smokey Mountain Express which has a smoke generator, but the detail on it is on par with the Prairie you've reviewed. This one looks very good. My favorite detail is probably the lining on the wheels. They look so good and the overall livery, especially that gloss green, is just excellent. I think that the retailers price is pretty decent as well. The performance I would give 3.5 stars since the slowing down is a nice touch in realism in my opinion and it doesn't seem to affect the pulling power either. Great review and merry Christmas, Sam
Ooh nice - sorry to hear about the detail though! How well does the smoke work??
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains well it doesn't work anymore since the generator is broken. Aside from that it runs pretty smoothly even after the many years it sat on the shelf
Great review! Got one of these in a Bachmann Spectrum train set as a kid that got me and my brother into the hobby.
I live in the United States and grew up seeing this locomotive (the real one). It made me extremely happy when I seen you reviewed this locomotive. Loved this train so much it’s my UA-cam photo. 722 also has a sister locomotive 630 that’s currently in operation. Sam I love your videos keep up the good work!
That's awesome mate - really glad you liked seeing this one! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Gads, I don't care to bash a manufacturer, but I do have some experience with this particular piece, or my friend Jimmy did, and he is related to that region of the United States, in the South. First time fresh out of the box we marveled at its smooth running, until a side rod promptly dropped off and we could not find the tiny screw for love or money. Fortunately, B'mann has a return policy, unfortunately one has to pay the shipping, which is not cheap. And the wait. And the wait. Get it back, and for another twenty minutes we are enthralled until it just drops dead as a wedge. No amount of curses or incantations bring it back from the grave; it appears to be something electrical, never did find out. So, back to Philadelphia it goes and weeks later the replacement turns up. Being quite cautious now, we gingerly start running it in reverse at 50% power, and this is a fine idea, for about ten minutes, and again it drops dead as a door nail. Back to Philadelphia with a demand for a refund, which they did. Another pal had a similar B'mann, this with sound and DCC, and it failed repeatedly as well. This why I'm a little leery of Bachmann, but if they pull up on their quality control, they do make some of the more interesting and under represented pieces out there.
Beautiful video and merry Christmas to you 🎄🎅
Thanks a lot mate! :D
The hanging things you mentioned at about 8 mins are the water injectorspipes, US locos feed the injector with a syphon like device. Those hang over and feed the injector!
Duly noted, thanks a lot for letting me know! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The 2-8-0 Wheel arrangement is known as a Consolidation or "Connie" in the states. They were used for Passenger service and heavy freight.
Thanks for sharing - that's cool! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
She is a beauty! A good christmas and a happy good year.
I agree Marco, you too mate! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
She spent her entire first life on Southern in matte black.
The sylvan green and glass is more representative of her excursion carrier on Southern, Tweetsie, and later Great Smokey Mountain, as the green was Southerns passenger locomotives.
The other surviving Ks class is Southern 630
Thanks a lot for sharing Tim, duly noted!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Gonna be honest here. This is a MAJOR nostalgia blast for me! I had the same model as a kid and it was my favorite locomotive in my collection. I ran the crap out of that thing! Sure, it has a few faults but they were few and minor. Even now I’m astounded at the detail for its time and for the price. I’ll add that the cab detailing on mine is a bit more detailed than the one in the video. Wondering if Bachmann got lazy between then and now. Anyway, thanks Sam for a trip down memory lane!
Ahh glad to hear that - that's right, you can't help falling in love with a model sometimes!!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Oh my, another Spectrum model in the collection.
The belt drive has its reasons for the need to get power to the wheels without impeeding that visible gap between boiler and frame, the belt makes that possible as it sits in the firebox. This is a fairly old model by todays standards as far as I understand it, so this was how they made that possible back then.
Thanks Jonatan, quite happy with this one! Yeah I guess that's true, though my Hornby 9F has a similar amount of room, and yet they work without belts! That's true though, it doesn't have age on it's side!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Interesting review Sam, something a bit different. I've just picked up one of these to have a go at converting to an S160. Considering the ages of some of the Bachmann US models, I'm quite impressed by how well they work and the level of detail.
Thanks a lot Ricky - ooh good luck! Me too - I wasn't too disappointed in this one! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I last visited this channel 4 years ago....a lot has changed, even the intro has changed😊
Ooh wow - nice to see you again Ryden! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Great review! I saw the remains of this engine last month in North Carolina on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad.
Further, I wanted these to replace the gen. 1 Bachmann couples on my 0n30 trains I set up for Christmas. I had to settle for gen IT's they weren't any better like your videos they are interesting. Keep it up
Thanks for sharing this John, very interesting!!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I have the same model Sam and it's a heavy hauler!!!
On my locomotive, the back 2 driving wheels tended to pop off the axel and mess up the quartering. If this happens super glue will hold the wheels back on the axel, and the quartering can be adjusted just by holding the left wheels and spinning the right side wheels on their axels.
(Not recommended but if you don't feel like taking it all apart it is a solution. Mine has been running reliably for 8 months now and I do run it regularly. )
Hope that doesn't happen to you, other than that it's a very reliable locomotive!! Hope you have a Merry Christmas!!
They sure are heavy haulers! Ahh that's no good - sorry to hear that!!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The long pipe under the cab would connect to water hoses coming from the tender on the prototype. This how water reaches the injector. The pipe in front of it is the overflow pipe from the injector.
Duly noted Damian, thanks for all the info! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
With everyone commenting on the loco, let me give a shout for the coaches. They look really good. Although I'm a British outline modeller, mainly narrow gauge, I do have a soft spot for some American stuff, indeed I have a live steam Shay. But love US coaches with the exposed platforms and the celestory roof. Very atmospheric.
These coaches were popular before the turn of the previous century, before the heavyweight coaches. However the yellow Denver and Rio Grande Western coaches don't match the Southern livery whatsoever. Sam's consist is all messed up as well, but I'll give that a pass since he is British. Sam, the observation car is the rear car, not the lead car...
Thank you! Glad you liked the coaches - I'm very happy with them too! Thanks for the info Ron - I know they weren't suitable, I think I said so in the video!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The ratings for the locomotive is understandable and I completely agree with the ratings that you gave it, the colour and the shape are pretty cool and the design looks wonderful (my own honest opinion). The locomotive was a little bit slow going up but a good speed going down. Let's just hope that the next one that you do will have a better ratings that this cool locomotive. I can't wait for the next train review that you will do after Christmas. Have a great Christmas and I hope you get what you asked for this Christmas.
Thanks a lot Paul, glad you agreed with them! I hope you do too mate! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I've had a lot of issues with Bachmann steam locos in N scale and will likely not buy any more Bachmann steam locos since they are generally a huge mechanical let down. I don't know if Bachmann has the same issues on HO/OO scale but from what I've seen from your videos it seems pretty common for their OO models
Ahh sorry to hear that - not surprised though - many of mine are huge mechanical letdowns too!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
my late grandfather had one . but back in 1990s it was bachmann plus before spectrum came to be , he had a 2-8-0 consolidation great northern railroad. recieved as a gift from teachers ( co workers) when he retired as a history teacher. the difference no dcc and it had the smoking feature which wasnt great because its just a sluthe type smoke unit but still it was a great runner. nice locomotive just not my type of roadname
Ooh nice - so they've been around a while then?! Thanks for sharing!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains merry Christmas to you too Sam. Yes bachmann spectrum is actually better then the regular bachmann. The bachmann 2-6-2 you got a while back was the older version and they changed to what this spectrum line is no more split chassis . now axle bearings i know are non existent unless you go for a brand like Athearn
just a heads up for any UK viewer who is curious:
Here in the US, Bachmann values their spectrum line from anywhere between $500 and $600 USD per unit, which is about £374 to £450.
Thanks a lot for sharing - wow, far far too expensive for what this was!! :O
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Sam you are possibly one of the greatest traintubers, instead of taking a bias you can actually Compliment and Criticize both British and American locos instead of just talking bad about one like so many others do
Awhh thank you so much - I do my best!! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains wow you replied, Merry Christmas to you as well
This is an older Spectrum model. You can typically tell by the slightly less quality detail and especially the amber led headlight. To my knowledge, spectrum models all have a five pole motor. In addition, I do believe that locomotive is painted in a fantastic paint scheme as the Crescent Limited livery was exclusive for passenger service and all black for freight. I won't knock on you for it but those passenger cars are prototypical for up to maybe 1915 or so.
Thanks for sharing Patrick, duly noted! I know the coaches weren't quite right - but they're the only ones I have!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)