I agree with the plastic gears cause even though I never owned one of them they can break easily and since they aren’t made anymore Parts become rare And hard to find
Yes. I bought a lot of old Tyco at track and it helped me get started, but. This sucked, the rail jointers would not work over time and it was a hassle. I have a little heart for all these brands, but. They can make some pretty scrappy stuff. But you also have to remember these are just starter sets, you can't expect a lot out of them.
There is a hidden use to these HO bridge trestle pieces that I don't know if anyone has ever used them for. Couture them to the terrain, if you don't have the patience or time to build a trestle from scratch or want to kit bash a wooden trestle kit these work well with one modification. Take the track holders and cut them off as well as a tiny bit of webbing under the rails between the ties then your able to have the track sit on the supports and then secure your track at either end. I have honestly bought incomplete kits for a couple dollars and after painting and modifying the supports plan to use them to make longer single hight trestle s. You can also 3D print or use balsa wood as a deck and continue to customize your structure from there.
I smiled when I saw the 'bridge and pier set' - I was once given a train set containing one of these, and I remember having great difficulty mounting the piers on the track, the whole thing was rather wobbly, and the grade too steep. I think the one I had was by Model Power, but they all seem very similar.
The D&RGW "Bumble Bee" 4-6-0 from the Bachmann footage is actually not the older "train set" tooling you're referring to. Those are recent models with metal details, improved motors with metal gears, speaker-equipped for DCC, and have completely retooled components including the tender. They are sold as separate-sale locomotives and are not the same as the 4-6-0s found in sets. Just an FYI.
G scaler since 1996 here. I started with an LBG Stainz starter set, and a Bachman Big Hauler set the christmas after that. Take a guess which still runs today, perfectly, like it was just built yesterday and then guess which one won't run at all anymore, despite several re-wirings and constant maintenance and babying. The track and transformers from that set are also long gone. The 2 pullman coaches are still great rollers though. Go figure. On old G-scale forums you can find they had a nickname for the 4-6-0: Bachman Bug Maulers. In 2012 I bought one of the "Annie" Anniversary Bachman 4-6-0's (was marked down like 60%), and that's still running fine. It can't haul much, and I don't run it for long, as I'm scared to burn out the motor, but it is much better than the starter set one for sure.
Keep in mind that Bachmann and Lionel have gone through huge changes in quality and ownership over the past 100+ years the brands have existed. Your commentary about the trestle sets is spot on. Love that fact that you are a young person involved in the model train industry. My first employment was in a model train shop at the age 14-15.
Always very good information. I appreciate the time you take to make these type of videos. And like the old saying goes, "One person's trash is another person's treasure".
I have some from the bachmann locomotives that had the dreaded nylon gears but have replaced them with those from a resin 3d printer via a seller on eBay. They do work pretty well but the holes need to be drilled out slightly due to inconsistencies during printing but other than that they work great.
As a Lionel collector I can’t agree more with your Scout reference. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had someone ask me to look at ‘grandads train set that’s worth a mint because it’s Lionel’ only to be produced a Scout set…… then I have to break the news that while it’s cool, it’s really not worth anything. I have seen a little bit of a price increase in the last couple years but not much. I’ve given away several of them to kids trying to get the younger generation into model trains, it’s helped some lol.
The Bachmann big haulers are worth wild if you replace the running gear with anniversary edition running chassis. However, you have to purchase the ten wheeler set and then add a chassis on top of that. And yes, the track is crap so you are buying the sets for basically the trains themselves
I watched this video to see if there was anything fun I might be able to buy on the cheap some day, so that's another good reason to make these videos... to move your unmovables off the shelf and out the door. :) The Big Haulers 4-6-0's are favorites of mine. I grew up watching my Dad's three and Grandpa's two of them taking turns running around their respective owner's Christmas trees. They take up a lot of space, but I wouldn't mind saving a few other sets from "scrap" and making a collection out of them someday. If people keep making a habit of sending you the bridge pier sets, you should make a bin labeled "Free (You Have Been Warned)" and put it by the front counter. I liked the metallic finish of that Bachman Union Pacific Deep, and wouldn't mind owning one even if it was just a shelf sitter, or if I pulled out the mechanism and made it a dummy engine for Tyco's Silver Streak (Another metallic finished Union Pacific diesel albeit one in a freelanced paint scheme) to pull around. I would happily give $10 for one, maybe a little more.
Honestly, I wish more people who sell (or resell) trains would have this mindset that some trains are "worthless", because as it stands the secondary market as a whole is way over inflating the value of these trains, and they feel like slapping terms like "vintage" on something instantly makes it worth it. Yes those Bachmann trains are horrible with the gears, but that just means we should be getting these things for pennies on the dollar if we want to have a project engine, but unfortunately too many are seeing what trains are going for in general, they and they jack up the prices accordingly.
I think that because I'm both a collector and a seller, I've been on the other side of the deal wondering why someone is charging so much for something common - so I certainly try to be a realist when it comes to what I sell my trains for 🙂
I've been fixing up and modifying one of those funny promotional train set F units from Bachmann for use in a project. One motor was actually quite alright mechanically, but didn't run. Dirty I wanted to add a second motor. I have since acquired and torn down at least three other locomotives in order to get a set of gears that are all in good shape. Both motor finally run. They've been given a proper, full-scale and Overkill service, and now I just need to finish fixing the chassis before I can make the Gravy Train break speed records untill the gears finally give up
For years I have learned to repair my locomotives and most of the time I succeed,but when you discover that the gears are nylon, you can almost belive it can't be fixed. I have had Bachman locos that ended being unrpairable because of the nylon gears 😕
The worm gear in my American Flyer 290 has about 1,000 miles or a trip from New Haven to my home in Atlanta and still works fine. The brass worm is in good shape, too. Wish the wheels on the first and third driver axles were not so worn down. But the nylon worm gear on my Mantua 0-6-0 is worn out with way fewer miles - maybe not even a mile.
03:35 Anytime you see plastic gears (instead of metal) in a product, walk away. This is planned obsolescence. They are designed to break soon after the warranty expires. They are usually encased in a plastic shell, which is glued together (instead of using screws), so it is almost impossible to disassemble without breaking it.
You would think that by now "somebody" would have put up a 3D print for Bachmann gears on Thingverse. But nope, nothing. I'm not great with 3D printers, but my son is (taking engineering in university right now), and he made multiple versions of them that seem REALLY close, but don't work perfectly. Whoever comes up with a workable print for these will be a superhero.
Maybe 3D printing can be used to make replacement gears for those 90's Bachmann locos. Some model railroaders use them to make rolling stock from scratch, so why not a new part?
I'm sure people have done this in the past, however for me at least, that's just more hassle than they're worth - at that point I would rather just get a newer Bachmann product 🙂
@WashingtonDistrictRailfan my brother is doing the gear replacement to a J1. It didn't end well. He is probably buying an IHC mountain to replace the chassis with.
I love your videos on worthless trains. I’ve owned a few of the worthless trains and accessories that you have mentioned, and I’ve loved and enjoyed them. You’re not saying they can’t be enjoyed, or appreciated, only that they don’t have great resale value. And that’s something I know about, because my small figure 8 layout (a by product of dwelling downsizing) is, drum roll please, made up of all Marx rolling stock and engines😁! In fact, I don’t know weather I should be offended that you haven’t mentioned them in worthless trains, or, weather I should be elated that they are extremely valuable and that I’m sitting on a veritable goldmine😂! No matter, keep up the great videos. on a goldmine 🤣!
Bachmann Big Haulers make good kitbashing material and affordable fleet builders precisely because they're common as dirt. Have one of the original battery RC ones, and while it's definitely cheap it's not a complete dumpster fire either, does what I ask of it without fuss so I can't complain.
The kitbashing and/or detailing potential of the Bachmann Big Hauler is a great appeal to me. Have 4 of them in various stages of long term detail adding - add 2 details, wait 10 months, add another detail, wait 3 months, change the lights to LED and add a couple more details; that process.
I had one of the trucking sets as a kid too and I liked it. I think tyco even made slot car pieces that had track built into them so you could have the trains cross the road.
Interesting assessment, have to say the Bachmann Big Haulers was my first introduction to G-scale in the late 80's. Know they were designed to be a budget introductory set, and not anything close to being a premium grade like "Bachmann Spectrum." I have to say I started out with the plastic track, battery operated engines, and had many fun hours, they were remote control. Then moved to that tin metal track you spoke of...and purchased later the first DCC command 2000 MRC system with later engines. The problem with those sets regarding a hobby Shop is they were easily available in big box stores in the late 80's. They were always regarded a low end introductory set, but as you say is not good for hobby shop sales. Still they were really fun and the market was likely very narrow.. and now I use all the major "brand" G-scale engines in DCC control, but my old Big Hauler is setting on the top self as a distant memory.
I was gifted the Bachman Daylight (in SP colors) and the Bachman J611. These are very pretty renditions but both stopped running due to the gear issues. I still have them on a shelf as I like the look of them, but it never even occurred to me to try to repair them based on their values. These are the sorts of things that non-model train owners gift model train owners. They look nice and these folks don’t know any better.
I love that bridge set actually. I actually want to get that bridge set in the future and actually have my mainline trains run over it. I have a few Bachmann locomotives with those dreaded gears and I HATE working with those gears. I’ve been able to make them run a little better, but they are very hard to work on.
I buy every Bachmann big hauler I can find. Sure their drive gears are junk but that’s remedied. Their track is junk but the trains themselves are fine. Great entry level trains. My entire garden is filled with them.
Idk how you remedied the driver gear. Couldn't find one anywhere and had to buy a new chassis. And the anniversary chassis with the nice metal running gear isn't even available anymore
Agreed. I have many sets. For the price, can't be beat. If they die, open them up and replace what broke. I have flm and resin printers. Everything can be made and replaced. No one mentions dcc on these either! Diy via cheap parts.
I had these old tyco track and a old tyco set They sat in a bin for a few years and when we were clearing the bins out I tested it with my ho scale BNSF switcher Surprisingly it ran well On both tracks Though one of the tracks had rusted rails meaning the previous owner back in the 80s or 90s ram it through water or something
Did you ever get the infamous Canadian National HO Model train set. It's a Tyco/Aurora Train set from the 80's and the 90's. And it is like the Santa Fe Starter set.
Bcahmann G scale ten wheelers depend on the Verizon you get. The solo versions with the nice anniversary valve gear and the better driving gear that won’t strip are great. The early train set ones with plastic rods and the gear that’s prone to stripping is a hard sell
A Local Antiques Dealer told me , after viewing a Photo of my Lionel Trains, that the 26 Lionel Articulated Steam Locomotives (never Run, with Boxes_ ) are worthless.
Victim of Bachman 90’s N scale locomotives here. They would die early deaths from the motors burning out. Other brands like Roco etc would last a lifetime in comparison.
A bachmann big hauler was my very first G-gauge train, and my parents got it because it was literally the cheapest starter set available then in 2001. In retrospect it did not hold up very well mechanically at all.
I live in California too San Jose to be precise Literally the next city over in Santa Clara Which is somehow apart of San Jose Has the train shop The train shop has a bunch of things Ho scale n scale G scale and o scale They have what I call “ the Great case of ho scale locomotives because it hold a lot of unique locomotives I went there a lot Buying some locomotives a decoder and some railcars
1st or 2nd gen Big Haulers you need to find the upgraded Annie chassis they sell thru their parts department. This gives them an latest upgraded drive with metal gears and much much better reliability. They were only $50 but might be back up near $150, still worth it. I haven't been on their website in a long while. BTW I generally just scrap these for kit bashing parts.
As a young kid My first train set was a Tyco Silver Streak set with the bridge and pier set. My dad did the assembly and had it all stapled down on a 4x8 sheet. I think it worked OK. Later as a teen the Bachmann and Lifelike locomotives of the early '90s was all I could afford. I still have 2 Bachmann F9s a BN and a Chessie Systems. Yeah both have broken gears.
If the trestle set was the over and under variant, the grade was far too steep. TYCO offered the low bridge set (for over a river or highway on your layout) that performed OK.
Sounds about right on these items. I don't have much experience with Bachmann G, but I do see the point about market saturation. The Lionel Scout sets always get me. It seems like someone on Facebook Market has thought they found an expensive gem. In reality, the scout set was the most common thing due to the entry price of the set. So, the likely hood of having a rare Lionel piece that is found in some attic is not as high as people think. Maybe the people watching all those picking shows should do some research. As far as the trestle sets, they are far from reality. If a train would use them in real life, the train would collapse it within the first few feet of climbing to the bridge. On the final note, I agree with the late 1970's to 1990's Bachmann diesels with the pancake drives having gear issues. It wasn't until the Spectrum line came out that Bachmann started to reevaluate their poor decision to go with the pancake drive system of early years which they went back to some of their early 1970's drive system ideas.
For those nylon gears, I bet with the plethora of 3D printers about, one could come up with a pretty decent replacement part that would be more rugged.....
The Bachmann Big Hauler is an interesting product line. Bachmann recently introduced a “New” Ten Wheeler with a finally high quality drive train, increased detailing, and a new tender. It is a phenomenal value for the entry level large scale modeler. What is fascinating about it is that they have done minimal marketing to differentiate the new loco from the older, cheaper, flimsier big hauler sets. In addition they have introduced a new line of brass track (outdoor) with built in screw connections (something many outdoor railroaders pay significant money to add to their layout). I do not know the quality of this track, though it seems a great product on paper. People in the entry level large scale community seem to still flock to LGB and Piko “Gummy Scale” locos that frankly don’t look nearly as nice as the new 10 wheelers and run the same or worse for more money. All this to say all of the eBay listings for broken cheap 10 wheelers does not help. Bachmann is an odd company producing tons of crap and hiding gems in the line up and doing nothing to identify those gems to the public.
LGB has the brand recognition in G scale over Bachmann, essentially kick-started the modern G scale hobby and they have a deserved reputation for quality products. Bachmann....well it's Bachmann. Got its act together nowadays but it has never really shaken off the residue of its early days of being the guys that made 'em cheap and cranked 'em out like crazy in quantity over quality. Personally getting to be a fan of Playmobil's range. Battery RC in G that doesn't break the bank that's built Tonka tough.
That outdoor brass track is pretty decent, I know someone who got some and a small oval of it has been outside for a couple years now. Somewhere along the way, turnouts by a different manufacturer I don't remember name of right now were added to the loop, the different brands work fine together. Even though the plastic ties were said somewhere to be UV resistant they did get some kind of clear UV resistant spray paint and go over the track with it.
I have Bachmann's North Pole & Southern 4-6-0, despite its cheap build quality, it has held up pretty well ever since I started playing with it when I was 4. What killed the attraction for the new heavy haulers for me was when they got rid of the Walschaert's valve gear and swapped it out for Stevenson's valve gear. Even though the Stephenson's valve gear also fit's with the 1890's look of the locomotive, it just isn't as satisfying.
How does Z scale fit in your list? is that a dying scale or still something worth having? I know my two local hobby shops did not have much and the little they did had, was marked down and i was still about to get a 15% discount on top of it by buying everything they had left.
Unfortunately true. I am sure I have some items in my collection that fall into what you were talking about. Early on I bought Bachmann locomotives and rolling stock. Never any train sets. I quickly moved to Atlas, Rivarosdi, Con Cor, and now Kato. I do have a pair of life like locomotives (because of the road name).
Going to have to partially disagree with you on the Big Haulers, at least on the later stuff. The Gen 5 and "Annie" Big Haulers are still very highly valued, and will go for a pretty penny, as they are genuinely really good models, but the earlier Big Hauler's stuff, such as the original battery-powered set, and the early electric models (The Gen 1 and 2 Big Haulers), tend to be the ones you can find for dirt-cheap. You are absolutely right about the track though. Even if it would up the price, offering actual brass track in Big Hauler sets would really up their value as sets. The sets you had in your store seem to be the original Gen 1 Big Haulers, and $20 for those is more than a fair price. If you are looking to buy a Big Hauler's 4-6-0 in future, I'd recommend looking into the later, more modern stuff. You tend to find those go for a lot more money, as they're of much higher quality. An excellent video though!
I always thought the bridge and pier set was a bit ridiculous, even as a kid. It was basically a way to shoehorn a figure 8 into your layout without having to use a crossover. The toy train locomotives it was targeted at didn't have much pulling power to begin with. The play value even as child, was short lived. Watching a train pass over itself over and over again would get pretty boring after a while.
I enjoyed your last two videos in this series, and I thought you had some fair and relevant points. I must say though, I do have a few comments with this entry. Bachmann Big Haulers. Claiming these are worthless, even by G Scale standards? Have you *seen* Ebay recently?! I've been looking around as a friend has recently expressed interest in setting up a garden railway, and it seems you need to be extremely lucky to find a Big Hauler starter set for less than $100 (price + shipping) that isn't being sold a la carte or smashed up to the point that nobody would want it. If you had a set in your store that you had to mark down to $20 or even $50 to move, I would have jumped on that bargain in a heartbeat. Lionel Scouts. I understand Lionel is a revered name, particularly amongst Eastern model railroaders where O scale is more common. But frankly, as far as I've seen their main staying power has been in brand recognition more than actual quality products. The amount of sets that have been around for decades that are trotted out year on year with the pop culture phenomemon de jure plastered all over them is just sad, and their handling of their HO scale range (mostly cheap models from when they bought Model Power) is downright insulting. And sad to say, the same disregard holds true even for older sets like this: They just look like the cheap toys they always were. It's no surprise they don't hold value because they never had much value to begin with. Bridge & Trestle Sets. Another entry I agree with. Though with the caveat that they do hold some slight tangential historical value: by their use in miniature set design by film and television companies like Gerry Anderson, maker of Stingray and Thunderbirds. One entry I'm surprised has not come up on this list yet: Porter Hustlers. These tiny 4-wheel diesels based on no particular prototype have been manufactured by a number of companies, most notably Tyco, Model Power, and Athearn. They've gained a lot of criticism from certain reviewers (*Cough*Sam's Trains*Cough*) for their lack of detail and primitive mechanics. Yet I recall a day when right alongside the Tyco B&O Teakettle and Docksider, the Hustler was the mainstay of every child's starter layout, one of the first locos they bought or were given that wasn't part of a train set.
The latest generation drive trains on Big Haulers run well, but track really only good for temprary setups around a Christmas tree. Replace rolling stock wheels with metal wheels.
I feel called out lol. I have the exact bachmann big hauler set as in the thumbnail in somewhat bad condition. I cant believe you had to mark them down to $20! I payed 10 times that on mine... i will agree on your opinion though, now that ive had mine i definitely should not have purchased it
I have a question about a piece of rolling stock why Lionel made two versions of a twing dome take car the Sunoco which is my favorite and the other one had several different names Such as rocket fuel on it but to find this particular car in any other scale is next to impossible I've only seen them either cet bashed or was made by a company that had gone out of business decades ago like globe and they were meta in which I have two of them And in my opinion very rare.....
Personally, I think that you can add the batter powered RAIL KING Intelligent Classical Train to this list. Just for the sole reason that the tracks they provide can only turn in 1 direction. To the right only. No one makes extra train track parts that allows it to turn left, due to the way that the plastic tracks connect. You have to buy a completely new set of tracks for the scale of the train, that's more than 5 times the cost of the original train set.
I can understand pricing a small layout bundle of Bachmann Big Haulers steel track for 20 bucks, but for an entire set? With a working locomotive, rolling stock, speed controller/power brick, AND the track? I find it really odd you have to price it THAT low for people to buy it!
Trainworld would give you a free bridge or trestle set for accessory with a large order just as a thank you for buying from them which I thought was cool
Maybe the Lionel Scout is worthless to you, but I inherited my Dad's old set. The engine itself seems to be $50-$100 for a working engine. I get that you may not have people looking for it regularly.
i think bachman as jeep, yea they look good and run but they have problem after problem after problem and i bought a n scale bachman c44-cw for $250 with DCC/sound and after 6 months it gave me problems already, and i take care of my trains regularly.
Model trains are like real cars as far as depreciation goes. They lose value the moment you take them out of the box and put them on the track, even for most items from renowned makers like the German Marklin company. Case in point, i recently bought an old Marklin Diesel loco in very good condition for about 40 bucks plus 10 for shipping. The list price according to a 1978 price sheet was $88. A good chunk of my collection has been obtained at similar savings. So it's no surprise to me that the value of some used trains has skidded to zero, especially if they weren't made well to begin with. I've seen a lot of old Tyco or made in Hong Kong Bachmann cars go for $1 or less at shows.
I think the Bachmann Big Haulers were cursed by cracked gears for years and many G scalers would rather go for higher quality or more unique engines...
I believe your customers are serious model railroaders, rather than little kids. Many of those items you disparage are better suited to the toy department at Wal-Mart, than a store such as yours.
@@elultimo102 I sell train products all the way down to 25 cents a piece - just because an item is catered to the younger demographic doesn’t mean I don’t sell it
I picked up a g scale New Bright set a number of years ago for 10.00! It worked 100% but me not being a G guy, I only bought the set for the heck of it. It was very flimsy and cheesy.. I ended up giving it to a local underprivileged kid.
Well I may not know a lot about toy trains and what they're worth. But I do know that the train engines in the beginning of the video are running in reverse. The silver and red Santa Fe engine is running backwards. The red part of the engine with the windows should be in back and the silver part should be in the front. The same thing applies with that blue and yellow Santa Fe ones yellow should be in the back and the blue part should be in the front.
the problem wit bachman big hauler sets is that the cost more to ship than they're worth. Nothing wrong with the set but it's a very niche market I kind of want to find one again because now I got a bunch of cheepo newbright sets and can make a stupid long train and the newbright engines are kind of junk like you have to put a whole cake of lead on them (i melted down a bunch of old wheel weights) to get them to pull the whole thing.
Do you guys agree with these picks?
Yes because the g scale track is just not that great and the bridge and trestle sets from tyco and bachmann are hard to put together.
I agree with the plastic gears cause even though I never owned one of them they can break easily and since they aren’t made anymore
Parts become rare
And hard to find
Yes. I bought a lot of old Tyco at track and it helped me get started, but. This sucked, the rail jointers would not work over time and it was a hassle. I have a little heart for all these brands, but. They can make some pretty scrappy stuff. But you also have to remember these are just starter sets, you can't expect a lot out of them.
What about the newer bachmann diesels
Yes.
There is a hidden use to these HO bridge trestle pieces that I don't know if anyone has ever used them for. Couture them to the terrain, if you don't have the patience or time to build a trestle from scratch or want to kit bash a wooden trestle kit these work well with one modification. Take the track holders and cut them off as well as a tiny bit of webbing under the rails between the ties then your able to have the track sit on the supports and then secure your track at either end. I have honestly bought incomplete kits for a couple dollars and after painting and modifying the supports plan to use them to make longer single hight trestle s. You can also 3D print or use balsa wood as a deck and continue to customize your structure from there.
I smiled when I saw the 'bridge and pier set' - I was once given a train set containing one of these, and I remember having great difficulty mounting the piers on the track, the whole thing was rather wobbly, and the grade too steep. I think the one I had was by Model Power, but they all seem very similar.
kato N scale(maybe HO) is pretty good, built with quality
The D&RGW "Bumble Bee" 4-6-0 from the Bachmann footage is actually not the older "train set" tooling you're referring to. Those are recent models with metal details, improved motors with metal gears, speaker-equipped for DCC, and have completely retooled components including the tender. They are sold as separate-sale locomotives and are not the same as the 4-6-0s found in sets. Just an FYI.
G scaler since 1996 here.
I started with an LBG Stainz starter set, and a Bachman Big Hauler set the christmas after that.
Take a guess which still runs today, perfectly, like it was just built yesterday and then guess which one won't run at all anymore, despite several re-wirings and constant maintenance and babying. The track and transformers from that set are also long gone. The 2 pullman coaches are still great rollers though. Go figure.
On old G-scale forums you can find they had a nickname for the 4-6-0: Bachman Bug Maulers.
In 2012 I bought one of the "Annie" Anniversary Bachman 4-6-0's (was marked down like 60%), and that's still running fine. It can't haul much, and I don't run it for long, as I'm scared to burn out the motor, but it is much better than the starter set one for sure.
Keep in mind that Bachmann and Lionel have gone through huge changes in quality and ownership over the past 100+ years the brands have existed. Your commentary about the trestle sets is spot on. Love that fact that you are a young person involved in the model train industry. My first employment was in a model train shop at the age 14-15.
Always very good information. I appreciate the time you take to make these type of videos. And like the old saying goes, "One person's trash is another person's treasure".
Thanks so much for watching, John!
I have some from the bachmann locomotives that had the dreaded nylon gears but have replaced them with those from a resin 3d printer via a seller on eBay. They do work pretty well but the holes need to be drilled out slightly due to inconsistencies during printing but other than that they work great.
You don't happen to recall the name of that seller, do you? All the ones I found had the wrong number of teeth on the gears (likely for Athearn).
As a Lionel collector I can’t agree more with your Scout reference. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had someone ask me to look at ‘grandads train set that’s worth a mint because it’s Lionel’ only to be produced a Scout set…… then I have to break the news that while it’s cool, it’s really not worth anything. I have seen a little bit of a price increase in the last couple years but not much. I’ve given away several of them to kids trying to get the younger generation into model trains, it’s helped some lol.
It's worth introducing children to model trains though.
The Bachmann big haulers are worth wild if you replace the running gear with anniversary edition running chassis. However, you have to purchase the ten wheeler set and then add a chassis on top of that. And yes, the track is crap so you are buying the sets for basically the trains themselves
It's a shame that's the only way to get a ten-wheeler in G without paying big money for brass or kitbashing an LGB or Piko mogul.
They don't even have the good anniversary chassis with the metal running gear available anymore
@ True, guess they figured out what people were doing to fix the issues
i would love to see longer videos of this : ) this is absolutely amazing
I watched this video to see if there was anything fun I might be able to buy on the cheap some day, so that's another good reason to make these videos... to move your unmovables off the shelf and out the door. :)
The Big Haulers 4-6-0's are favorites of mine. I grew up watching my Dad's three and Grandpa's two of them taking turns running around their respective owner's Christmas trees. They take up a lot of space, but I wouldn't mind saving a few other sets from "scrap" and making a collection out of them someday.
If people keep making a habit of sending you the bridge pier sets, you should make a bin labeled "Free (You Have Been Warned)" and put it by the front counter.
I liked the metallic finish of that Bachman Union Pacific Deep, and wouldn't mind owning one even if it was just a shelf sitter, or if I pulled out the mechanism and made it a dummy engine for Tyco's Silver Streak (Another metallic finished Union Pacific diesel albeit one in a freelanced paint scheme) to pull around. I would happily give $10 for one, maybe a little more.
Honestly, I wish more people who sell (or resell) trains would have this mindset that some trains are "worthless", because as it stands the secondary market as a whole is way over inflating the value of these trains, and they feel like slapping terms like "vintage" on something instantly makes it worth it. Yes those Bachmann trains are horrible with the gears, but that just means we should be getting these things for pennies on the dollar if we want to have a project engine, but unfortunately too many are seeing what trains are going for in general, they and they jack up the prices accordingly.
I think that because I'm both a collector and a seller, I've been on the other side of the deal wondering why someone is charging so much for something common - so I certainly try to be a realist when it comes to what I sell my trains for 🙂
Yesssss the nylon gears! I 100% agree. The plastic dries out.
I had the Tyco Bridge and Pier set when I was a teen in the '70s! 😀 ...and I agree with your assessment.
I've been fixing up and modifying one of those funny promotional train set F units from Bachmann for use in a project. One motor was actually quite alright mechanically, but didn't run. Dirty
I wanted to add a second motor. I have since acquired and torn down at least three other locomotives in order to get a set of gears that are all in good shape.
Both motor finally run. They've been given a proper, full-scale and Overkill service, and now I just need to finish fixing the chassis before I can make the Gravy Train break speed records untill the gears finally give up
I believe selling a big hauler for more than $100-$150 is a crime, especially the 1st and 2nd generation big haulers.
For years I have learned to repair my locomotives and most of the time I succeed,but when you discover that the gears are nylon, you can almost belive it can't be fixed. I have had Bachman locos that ended being unrpairable because of the nylon gears
😕
The worm gear in my American Flyer 290 has about 1,000 miles or a trip from New Haven to my home in Atlanta and still works fine. The brass worm is in good shape, too. Wish the wheels on the first and third driver axles were not so worn down. But the nylon worm gear on my Mantua 0-6-0 is worn out with way fewer miles - maybe not even a mile.
Yes! another one! love your videos keep it up!
03:35 Anytime you see plastic gears (instead of metal) in a product, walk away. This is planned obsolescence. They are designed to break soon after the warranty expires. They are usually encased in a plastic shell, which is glued together (instead of using screws), so it is almost impossible to disassemble without breaking it.
Can’t wait this is gonna be about! I bought a Bachman big hauler set back at your store in Springview??
I love the Tycho glow-in-the-dark train bridge it is so cool
You would think that by now "somebody" would have put up a 3D print for Bachmann gears on Thingverse. But nope, nothing. I'm not great with 3D printers, but my son is (taking engineering in university right now), and he made multiple versions of them that seem REALLY close, but don't work perfectly. Whoever comes up with a workable print for these will be a superhero.
Maybe 3D printing can be used to make replacement gears for those 90's Bachmann locos. Some model railroaders use them to make rolling stock from scratch, so why not a new part?
At that point, you are better off buying new chassis for them.
I'm sure people have done this in the past, however for me at least, that's just more hassle than they're worth - at that point I would rather just get a newer Bachmann product 🙂
@WashingtonDistrictRailfan my brother is doing the gear replacement to a J1. It didn't end well. He is probably buying an IHC mountain to replace the chassis with.
I love your videos on worthless trains. I’ve owned a few of the worthless trains and accessories that you have mentioned, and I’ve loved and enjoyed them. You’re not saying they can’t be enjoyed, or appreciated, only that they don’t have great resale value. And that’s something I know about, because my small figure 8 layout (a by product of dwelling downsizing) is, drum roll please, made up of all Marx rolling stock and engines😁! In fact, I don’t know weather I should be offended that you haven’t mentioned them in worthless trains, or, weather I should be elated that they are extremely valuable and that I’m sitting on a veritable goldmine😂! No matter, keep up the great videos.
on a goldmine 🤣!
Bachman 4 8 4, busted split axles.
Bachmann Big Haulers make good kitbashing material and affordable fleet builders precisely because they're common as dirt.
Have one of the original battery RC ones, and while it's definitely cheap it's not a complete dumpster fire either, does what I ask of it without fuss so I can't complain.
The kitbashing and/or detailing potential of the Bachmann Big Hauler is a great appeal to me. Have 4 of them in various stages of long term detail adding - add 2 details, wait 10 months, add another detail, wait 3 months, change the lights to LED and add a couple more details; that process.
I remember growing up my parents bought me the tyco golden eagle train set and also the tyco us1 trucking set.
I had one of the trucking sets as a kid too and I liked it. I think tyco even made slot car pieces that had track built into them so you could have the trains cross the road.
Interesting assessment, have to say the Bachmann Big Haulers was my first introduction to G-scale in the late 80's. Know they were designed to be a budget introductory set, and not anything close to being a premium grade like "Bachmann Spectrum." I have to say I started out with the plastic track, battery operated engines, and had many fun hours, they were remote control. Then moved to that tin metal track you spoke of...and purchased later the first DCC command 2000 MRC system with later engines. The problem with those sets regarding a hobby Shop is they were easily available in big box stores in the late 80's. They were always regarded a low end introductory set, but as you say is not good for hobby shop sales. Still they were really fun and the market was likely very narrow.. and now I use all the major "brand" G-scale engines in DCC control, but my old Big Hauler is setting on the top self as a distant memory.
I was gifted the Bachman Daylight (in SP colors) and the Bachman J611. These are very pretty renditions but both stopped running due to the gear issues. I still have them on a shelf as I like the look of them, but it never even occurred to me to try to repair them based on their values. These are the sorts of things that non-model train owners gift model train owners. They look nice and these folks don’t know any better.
I love that bridge set actually. I actually want to get that bridge set in the future and actually have my mainline trains run over it. I have a few Bachmann locomotives with those dreaded gears and I HATE working with those gears. I’ve been able to make them run a little better, but they are very hard to work on.
Tough grade ? Use two working engines instead of the dummy engine some sets usually have.
@@kevingallagher188 I decided to actually purge the old Bachmann units and they are now at a new home. Genesis units replaced em.
I guess if he literally gives away the sets, I'd take it for just the bridge alone.
@@gregrowe1168 same bro
I buy every Bachmann big hauler I can find.
Sure their drive gears are junk but that’s remedied.
Their track is junk but the trains themselves are fine. Great entry level trains. My entire garden is filled with them.
Idk how you remedied the driver gear. Couldn't find one anywhere and had to buy a new chassis. And the anniversary chassis with the nice metal running gear isn't even available anymore
Agreed. I have many sets. For the price, can't be beat. If they die, open them up and replace what broke. I have flm and resin printers. Everything can be made and replaced. No one mentions dcc on these either! Diy via cheap parts.
I had these old tyco track and a old tyco set
They sat in a bin for a few years and when we were clearing the bins out I tested it with my ho scale BNSF switcher
Surprisingly it ran well
On both tracks
Though one of the tracks had rusted rails meaning the previous owner back in the 80s or 90s ram it through water or something
This series is really interesting. I still have my old 1960s Civil War Centennial Tyco set with the two engines.
Thank you so much for watching!
Only the kibri and faller trestle sets got the look and angle right.
Did you ever get the infamous Canadian National HO Model train set.
It's a Tyco/Aurora Train set from the 80's and the 90's.
And it is like the Santa Fe Starter set.
I’m pretty sure I had that exact HO gauge Santa Fe set that you show at the beginning of these videos when I was four years old!
Very informative video. Thanks for sharing. 😊
Bcahmann G scale ten wheelers depend on the Verizon you get. The solo versions with the nice anniversary valve gear and the better driving gear that won’t strip are great. The early train set ones with plastic rods and the gear that’s prone to stripping is a hard sell
Your really cool, thanks for helping me figure out which things not to get, honestly they were the most cheap things we could find love your vid btw.
A Local Antiques Dealer told me , after viewing a Photo of my Lionel Trains, that the 26 Lionel Articulated Steam Locomotives (never Run, with Boxes_ ) are worthless.
Those over-and-under trestle sets have been around since the 1950s in HO (Tyco, Revell) and earlier for Lionel and American Flyer fans.
Those HO scale locomotives need a DCC/sound decoder with an awesome DCC controller.
Victim of Bachman 90’s N scale locomotives here. They would die early deaths from the motors burning out. Other brands like Roco etc would last a lifetime in comparison.
A bachmann big hauler was my very first G-gauge train, and my parents got it because it was literally the cheapest starter set available then in 2001. In retrospect it did not hold up very well mechanically at all.
Your store looks radical, I wish I could come but I live in California.
I live in California too San Jose to be precise
Literally the next city over in Santa Clara
Which is somehow apart of San Jose
Has the train shop
The train shop has a bunch of things
Ho scale n scale G scale and o scale
They have what I call
“ the Great case of ho scale locomotives because it hold a lot of unique locomotives I went there a lot
Buying some locomotives a decoder and some railcars
Regarding the Scout sets, I saw a video from Toy Train Tips and Tricks about the sets history and what can be done with them on a lionel layout.
1st or 2nd gen Big Haulers you need to find the upgraded Annie chassis they sell thru their parts department. This gives them an latest upgraded drive with metal gears and much much better reliability. They were only $50 but might be back up near $150, still worth it. I haven't been on their website in a long while. BTW I generally just scrap these for kit bashing parts.
4:03 I own this but my model don’t have the side rods
As a young kid My first train set was a Tyco Silver Streak set with the bridge and pier set. My dad did the assembly and had it all stapled down on a 4x8 sheet. I think it worked OK. Later as a teen the Bachmann and Lifelike locomotives of the early '90s was all I could afford. I still have 2 Bachmann F9s a BN and a Chessie Systems. Yeah both have broken gears.
If the trestle set was the over and under variant, the grade was far too steep.
TYCO offered the low bridge set (for over a river or highway on your layout) that performed OK.
Should catch you at Berea. It is a SMALL train show!
What is the needed turning radius for a Bachman 10 Wheeler? And Thank for sharing.
Sounds about right on these items. I don't have much experience with Bachmann G, but I do see the point about market saturation. The Lionel Scout sets always get me. It seems like someone on Facebook Market has thought they found an expensive gem. In reality, the scout set was the most common thing due to the entry price of the set. So, the likely hood of having a rare Lionel piece that is found in some attic is not as high as people think. Maybe the people watching all those picking shows should do some research. As far as the trestle sets, they are far from reality. If a train would use them in real life, the train would collapse it within the first few feet of climbing to the bridge. On the final note, I agree with the late 1970's to 1990's Bachmann diesels with the pancake drives having gear issues. It wasn't until the Spectrum line came out that Bachmann started to reevaluate their poor decision to go with the pancake drive system of early years which they went back to some of their early 1970's drive system ideas.
If you do a another one you should mention the newer bachmann diesels that have very bad drives that breaks very easily
Hi Washington District Railfan & it's is Randy and i like yours video is Cool & Thanks Washington District Railfan & Friends Randy
Thanks for watching, Randy!
Mantua was good stuff. 3:42
I do love some Mantua! They had some great products back in their day.
For those nylon gears, I bet with the plethora of 3D printers about, one could come up with a pretty decent replacement part that would be more rugged.....
The Bachmann Big Hauler is an interesting product line. Bachmann recently introduced a “New” Ten Wheeler with a finally high quality drive train, increased detailing, and a new tender. It is a phenomenal value for the entry level large scale modeler. What is fascinating about it is that they have done minimal marketing to differentiate the new loco from the older, cheaper, flimsier big hauler sets. In addition they have introduced a new line of brass track (outdoor) with built in screw connections (something many outdoor railroaders pay significant money to add to their layout). I do not know the quality of this track, though it seems a great product on paper.
People in the entry level large scale community seem to still flock to LGB and Piko “Gummy Scale” locos that frankly don’t look nearly as nice as the new 10 wheelers and run the same or worse for more money. All this to say all of the eBay listings for broken cheap 10 wheelers does not help.
Bachmann is an odd company producing tons of crap and hiding gems in the line up and doing nothing to identify those gems to the public.
I actually have several Bachmann rolling stock cars however no engines. I would like to try an engine or two but as you point out: the jems go fast.
LGB has the brand recognition in G scale over Bachmann, essentially kick-started the modern G scale hobby and they have a deserved reputation for quality products.
Bachmann....well it's Bachmann. Got its act together nowadays but it has never really shaken off the residue of its early days of being the guys that made 'em cheap and cranked 'em out like crazy in quantity over quality.
Personally getting to be a fan of Playmobil's range. Battery RC in G that doesn't break the bank that's built Tonka tough.
I didn't know about that! Thank you for letting me know. Might have to find one of those new ten wheelers to see how it compares to the old ones.
@@Shipwright1918 Playmobile trains are awesome
That outdoor brass track is pretty decent, I know someone who got some and a small oval of it has been outside for a couple years now. Somewhere along the way, turnouts by a different manufacturer I don't remember name of right now were added to the loop, the different brands work fine together. Even though the plastic ties were said somewhere to be UV resistant they did get some kind of clear UV resistant spray paint and go over the track with it.
I owned a bachman 4-8-4 (Nigeria) from the 90s, and she is a good engine. But that due to her being a Gen 2 ( gen 1 has the gear problems).
Fascinating and good to know.
Thank you for watching, John!
Lmao wish I would've seen this 2 weeks ago. Already putting a new chassis under the big hauler i bought to put under the Christmas tree
I have Bachmann's North Pole & Southern 4-6-0, despite its cheap build quality, it has held up pretty well ever since I started playing with it when I was 4. What killed the attraction for the new heavy haulers for me was when they got rid of the Walschaert's valve gear and swapped it out for Stevenson's valve gear. Even though the Stephenson's valve gear also fit's with the 1890's look of the locomotive, it just isn't as satisfying.
Do you sell online?
The only 90s bachmann worth buying is the orient express made by rivarossi
I agree!
I had two rivarossi engines with tenders and an illuminated Pullman passenger car🚂🚃🚃🛤️
How does Z scale fit in your list? is that a dying scale or still something worth having? I know my two local hobby shops did not have much and the little they did had, was marked down and i was still about to get a 15% discount on top of it by buying everything they had left.
Unfortunately true. I am sure I have some items in my collection that fall into what you were talking about. Early on I bought Bachmann locomotives and rolling stock. Never any train sets. I quickly moved to Atlas, Rivarosdi, Con Cor, and now Kato. I do have a pair of life like locomotives (because of the road name).
Going to have to partially disagree with you on the Big Haulers, at least on the later stuff. The Gen 5 and "Annie" Big Haulers are still very highly valued, and will go for a pretty penny, as they are genuinely really good models, but the earlier Big Hauler's stuff, such as the original battery-powered set, and the early electric models (The Gen 1 and 2 Big Haulers), tend to be the ones you can find for dirt-cheap. You are absolutely right about the track though. Even if it would up the price, offering actual brass track in Big Hauler sets would really up their value as sets. The sets you had in your store seem to be the original Gen 1 Big Haulers, and $20 for those is more than a fair price. If you are looking to buy a Big Hauler's 4-6-0 in future, I'd recommend looking into the later, more modern stuff. You tend to find those go for a lot more money, as they're of much higher quality. An excellent video though!
I always thought the bridge and pier set was a bit ridiculous, even as a kid. It was basically a way to shoehorn a figure 8 into your layout without having to use a crossover. The toy train locomotives it was targeted at didn't have much pulling power to begin with. The play value even as child, was short lived. Watching a train pass over itself over and over again would get pretty boring after a while.
I enjoyed your last two videos in this series, and I thought you had some fair and relevant points. I must say though, I do have a few comments with this entry.
Bachmann Big Haulers. Claiming these are worthless, even by G Scale standards? Have you *seen* Ebay recently?! I've been looking around as a friend has recently expressed interest in setting up a garden railway, and it seems you need to be extremely lucky to find a Big Hauler starter set for less than $100 (price + shipping) that isn't being sold a la carte or smashed up to the point that nobody would want it. If you had a set in your store that you had to mark down to $20 or even $50 to move, I would have jumped on that bargain in a heartbeat.
Lionel Scouts. I understand Lionel is a revered name, particularly amongst Eastern model railroaders where O scale is more common. But frankly, as far as I've seen their main staying power has been in brand recognition more than actual quality products. The amount of sets that have been around for decades that are trotted out year on year with the pop culture phenomemon de jure plastered all over them is just sad, and their handling of their HO scale range (mostly cheap models from when they bought Model Power) is downright insulting. And sad to say, the same disregard holds true even for older sets like this: They just look like the cheap toys they always were. It's no surprise they don't hold value because they never had much value to begin with.
Bridge & Trestle Sets. Another entry I agree with. Though with the caveat that they do hold some slight tangential historical value: by their use in miniature set design by film and television companies like Gerry Anderson, maker of Stingray and Thunderbirds.
One entry I'm surprised has not come up on this list yet: Porter Hustlers. These tiny 4-wheel diesels based on no particular prototype have been manufactured by a number of companies, most notably Tyco, Model Power, and Athearn. They've gained a lot of criticism from certain reviewers (*Cough*Sam's Trains*Cough*) for their lack of detail and primitive mechanics. Yet I recall a day when right alongside the Tyco B&O Teakettle and Docksider, the Hustler was the mainstay of every child's starter layout, one of the first locos they bought or were given that wasn't part of a train set.
I wouldn’t say they are worthless, I would say they still have value as set dressing. Extra parts or good practice for painting
Biggest train haul part 3 when?
The latest generation drive trains on Big Haulers run well, but track really only good for temprary setups around a Christmas tree. Replace rolling stock wheels with metal wheels.
Great video. Thanks
I feel called out lol. I have the exact bachmann big hauler set as in the thumbnail in somewhat bad condition. I cant believe you had to mark them down to $20! I payed 10 times that on mine... i will agree on your opinion though, now that ive had mine i definitely should not have purchased it
They have no collection value. They are fun and that is about it.
I have a question about a piece of rolling stock why Lionel made two versions of a twing dome take car the Sunoco which is my favorite and the other one had several different names
Such as rocket fuel on it but to find this particular car in any other scale is next to impossible I've only seen them either cet bashed or was made by a company that had gone out of business decades ago like globe and they were meta in which I have two of them And in my opinion very rare.....
I wish your store was in Northern Indiana. You can't beat a train store owner that's honest.
They're out there. Try model train clubs that have stores.
hmmmm are you able to ship a g scale train er a couple to make the bttf 3 train for a 2024 legit remake
I live in wv far away from your train store so do you have a website. im looking to expand my scout line if you have any more scouts please write back
Personally, I think that you can add the batter powered RAIL KING Intelligent Classical Train to this list. Just for the sole reason that the tracks they provide can only turn in 1 direction. To the right only. No one makes extra train track parts that allows it to turn left, due to the way that the plastic tracks connect. You have to buy a completely new set of tracks for the scale of the train, that's more than 5 times the cost of the original train set.
I'll be watching for your next video
nothing is worthless. you just have to be the correct customer for the product
I can understand pricing a small layout bundle of Bachmann Big Haulers steel track for 20 bucks, but for an entire set? With a working locomotive, rolling stock, speed controller/power brick, AND the track? I find it really odd you have to price it THAT low for people to buy it!
Good One!
Trainworld would give you a free bridge or trestle set for accessory with a large order just as a thank you for buying from them which I thought was cool
Maybe the Lionel Scout is worthless to you, but I inherited my Dad's old set. The engine itself seems to be $50-$100 for a working engine. I get that you may not have people looking for it regularly.
i think bachman as jeep, yea they look good and run but they have problem after problem after problem and i bought a n scale bachman c44-cw for $250 with DCC/sound and after 6 months it gave me problems already, and i take care of my trains regularly.
Model trains are like real cars as far as depreciation goes. They lose value the moment you take them out of the box and put them on the track, even for most items from renowned makers like the German Marklin company. Case in point, i recently bought an old Marklin Diesel loco in very good condition for about 40 bucks plus 10 for shipping. The list price according to a 1978 price sheet was $88. A good chunk of my collection has been obtained at similar savings. So it's no surprise to me that the value of some used trains has skidded to zero, especially if they weren't made well to begin with. I've seen a lot of old Tyco or made in Hong Kong Bachmann cars go for $1 or less at shows.
0:27 You have trouble selling Proto 2000 locos?! Name your price and what you have! I'll take one or two!
Haha, thankfully Proto 2000 locos are some of my best sellers - that was just some random store footage I put over the audio 🙂
@@WashingtonDistrictRailfanoh, I was going to say 😂
Yes, totally agree, price and reliability is extremely important,
And the bridge, lol. Totally useless
Thanks for watching! And yeah, those bridge sets are something else. I don't think actually know if I've ever seen one function properly.
I think the Bachmann Big Haulers were cursed by cracked gears for years and many G scalers would rather go for higher quality or more unique engines...
I believe your customers are serious model railroaders, rather than little kids. Many of those items you disparage are better suited to the toy department at Wal-Mart, than a store such as yours.
@@elultimo102 I sell train products all the way down to 25 cents a piece - just because an item is catered to the younger demographic doesn’t mean I don’t sell it
3:10 ONE PIECE!!!!!!
I picked up a g scale New Bright set a number of years ago for 10.00! It worked 100% but me not being a G guy, I only bought the set for the heck of it. It was very flimsy and cheesy.. I ended up giving it to a local underprivileged kid.
Well I may not know a lot about toy trains and what they're worth. But I do know that the train engines in the beginning of the video are running in reverse. The silver and red Santa Fe engine is running backwards. The red part of the engine with the windows should be in back and the silver part should be in the front. The same thing applies with that blue and yellow Santa Fe ones yellow should be in the back and the blue part should be in the front.
Anything from "Barfman",
the problem wit bachman big hauler sets is that the cost more to ship than they're worth. Nothing wrong with the set but it's a very niche market I kind of want to find one again because now I got a bunch of cheepo newbright sets and can make a stupid long train and the newbright engines are kind of junk like you have to put a whole cake of lead on them (i melted down a bunch of old wheel weights) to get them to pull the whole thing.
F ing scout sets. Lmao. I gave a set away.
When waltzers acquired life like, I saw quality drop.
Can I have th g scale set the only thing I need is the address