New Bachmann Class 37 - A worthy contender for the Diesel crown?
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- On the fence about a new 37? This might help! Join me on a deep-dive on the impressive Bachmann Class 37 "Dounreay" featuring impressive lighting, sound board and new tooling to boot! I would love to hear how you think this compares with the highly praised Accurascale version! Do let me know in the comments below!
Oh and... Happy New Year!
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The opinion battle has been between the Bachmann 37 and the Accurascale 37. Both are potentially excellent models. Given that every thing about these two are very similar, the critical deciding factors for the DCC sound fitted models are:
1. The quality and usability of the sound, as in the sound file and speaker responses.
Pros; The Accurascale has an EM1 speaker for bass and a sugar cube for treble which sound fantastic together. The Bachmann sounds good too with its built in twin speakers but its lacks the same bass rumble as the Accurascale.
Cons; Apparently on the Accurascale the impedance of their speakers is compromised, either because they used the wrong impedance rated sugar cube speaker with the EM1 in series or, as Richard at Roads and Rails suggests, the circuit board design was wrong, wiring the two speakers in parallel. In series wiring adds speaker impedances and in parallel divides the impedances. The ESU decoder used accepts 4 to 8 ohms impedance and it is calculated that the parallel wiring on the Accurascale 37 is equalling around 2 ohms. This will cause the sound amplifier circuit to cut out or even blow the decoder. Both of these failings are widely reported on social media and YT. Even Accurascale themselves advise lowering the output speaker power from the decoder by changing CV63 from 192 to 150 in an attempt to remedy the problem. Lowering this CV63 leaves the sound rather quiet though... Hmmm! Not good.
The Bachmann has no such reported problems and the volume is loud.
2. The usability of the sound file.
The Bachmann sound file to me is generally better and more flexible. Accurascale's automatic flange squeal on corners is a excellent addition. Bachmann don't have this feature.
3. Lighting:
Accurscales's directional lights are deeply recessed so can be hard to see, they are not particularly bright either. They are set on max from the factory. There have been lighting failures too where they either work intermittently or pack up altogether. I have personally experienced both of these lighting failure issues. Their illuminating driver's dashboard is a nice feature that Bachmann don't have.
Bachmann's directional lighting is generally better, brighter and more visible.
4. Built in stayalive.
Accurascale have this feature built in to their circuit board and Bachmann do not, or even have an option for one. However this also seems to have issues charging and working consistently.
5. Ease of access.
Accurascale's have a lift off magnetic roof section for ease of decoder fitting. The body lifts off easily too as it is held on by clips. This is better than Bachmann where screws are still used and no lift off roof section. Accurscale now have chassis fitted bogie chains too which no longer cause a problem when removing the body.
6. Weight
Accurascale is heavier.
7. Bodyshell and fitted parts fragility.
Bachmann's tends to be far more robust, generally solid. Accrurascale, although better than previous models, still has parts falling off or easily knocked off and lost.
8. Motor
Accurascale's is stronger pulling, with bigger flywheels but has serous reliability issues! The motors across their class range are liable to fail after a short amount of time, sometimes within an hour or so or after 10 hours combined use, it's random. This is another major problem. The symptoms usually start out as erratic running, speeding up and slowing down. This can lead to a hot motor, excessive current load drawn on the decode, causing it to fail or cut out.
The problem is actually caused by the motor's commutator gaps clogging, causing a partial sort circuit across the motor's induction windings. It is possible to clean them out and rectify it, but it's rather a fiddly process and only recommended for the electro mechanically able/competent/qualified.
Bachmann's generally is smooth and reliable, although they have had similar motor failure problems in the past.
9. Price
Accurascale RRP £269
Bachmann SXF RRP £379
Accurscale 37s are hard to acquire unless pre-ordered. If buying new after the release the dealer/eBay prices are usually well over £300, as much as £400!
Bachmann 37s are easily available but at full RRP, more expensive. However, because of sluggish sales many retailers are heavily discounting them, making them a similar price, or even cheap than Accurascale's 37. Between 30% and 45% discounts are offered if you keep your eyes peeled.
10. Customer Service
With Bachmann you are at the mercy of your retailer.
If buying direct from Accurascale, they have been to date giving excellent customer service; which is possibly their saving grace given the issues and amount of returns.
Accurscale also offer points on their direct website purchases, applicable for future discounts on purchases.
Accurscale's new stock alert system on their website is hopelessly too late in communicating the email notice of new stock, meaning they'll probably be sold out again before the email is even sent, rendering their alert system utterly useless!
Blimey. That’s a serious breakdown! Thank you so much for putting this all down. It really does help 😊 I’m strongly considering an Accurascale 37 now, maybe a slightly different livery to this. But overall it seems it’s a great value for money. I take it you have both yourself? Given this solid breakdown.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hylt
@@Proper_Chuffed Hi Hylt, an unusual name...I'd re-read what I wrote!
I do indeed have both. I've had eight Accurascale 37s, of which 5 have been returned for refunds due to issues! and I've a similar number of the Bachmann newly tooled versions, as well as a dozen or so older tooled Bachmann 37s. I've had other classes of Accurascale locos too and they are afflicted with the same motor issue. So far I am experiencing a 75% failure rate with Accurascale and expecting the remaining ones to fail too. I can repair them myself but I always go for a refund.
In my opinion I would stick to the Bachmann 37s, but only buy them when they're sensibly discounted; at least by 35%. They tend to be reliable and more robust.
The Accurascale model's motors seem to always fail, so if you aren't good with model electro-mechanicals, soldering, wiring and disassembling then I give them a miss until Accurascale themselves sort out the manufacturing problems at source, in China on future batches! I hear of people on a constant cycle of returning their Accurascale locos for motor repairs. It comes back and then the same issue reoccurs and is sent back again and again. If you do repair it yourself the warranty will be compromised so I just go for refunds from the first instance of a problem.
So the serious motor issue, fragility, dodgy speaker circuit/failing sound, failing decoders and failing lights make them currently not worth the aggravation in my considered opinion and experience. This is a shame because they could be a great model if these continuing issues were finally sorted out.
There's a lot of Accurascale buyers still in denial of the loco's issues. They either haven't run their locos enough yet to discover these Achilles Heals or buy them only for show or to keep new in their box.
Regards Julian
Hey Julian,
Yeah, full name Hylton, spelt oddly I know.
Wow, eight 37’s… and five sent back! Good gracious, I was talking to a local hobby shop about potentially supplying them, being in South Africa, the chances of getting a loco fixed or replaced here are slim to none should they bring them in :/
You paint a pretty grim picture! 😂 Although I think this may be the most helpful comment received on this video thus far. You have made me feel much better with my Bachmann 37 😂
I saw Charlie recently posted a video on his, so good to see attention is being brought to the situation, with any luck this may help Accurascale make adjustments going forward.
Thanks again for your time and feedback Julian.
Hylt
@@Proper_Chuffed Hi Hylt,
You're welcome. Given your country of residence and the prospect of Accurascale returns, I'd definitely stick with the Bachmann locos for now. They are exceptionally good locos. Their newly tooled class 47 are very good too! I realise that you may not have the access to as many retailers there so the availability of discounted models may be less.
You may well be able to buy from Accurascale's website directly, but I would suggest that you wait until they've sort out their reliability issues first, which will be quiet a way ahead in the future I feel!
Peter Dixon's YT channel Torridon Road did a couple of videos on the motor issue with Accurascale's 37s about 3 months ago which are well worth viewing. He goes into the motor problem cause and how to fix it. His channel is very informative and he's quite a character!
I've noticed more videos appearing on YT recently too explaining/exposing the the Accurascale issues. Reading down the comments page of such videos paint a worrying story of failures by many customers!
Anyway Hylt, all the best and happy modeling.
Regards Julian
@@Proper_ChuffedI have the previous generation Bachmann Class 37
This was an excellent presentation. Your enthusiasm is infectious and I look forward to viewing your future reviews.
Thank you very much Murray, that’s incredibly kind of you to say and I will do my best to continue improving. I am just really getting so much joy in this hobby.
Happy new year.
Hylt
Thats a terrific model mate,sounds great too. Good luck with your continuing modelling journey.🇬🇧
Thank you so much Peter! Yes she’s rather special I think 😊 appreciate that, and you stopping by!
Hylt
A very nice model and one of a few that retained round buffers .
Indeed, beautifully crafted. Thanks for watching. Hylt :)
Great choice of Class 37, can't go wrong with Departmental Grey
Thanks so much Alex, yes it is a very brutalist sort of livery, quite handsome. Thanks for watching 😊
Hylt
We used roll up newspaper stuffed into the side windows to stop drafts in the winter whilst working coal trains in Nottinghamshire UK❤
That is so cool Christine, how long did you operate for?
Hylt
I know the grin at the sound, even though I have an older 37 ;)
🤣🤣🤣 it’s SO good!
Great video ! I have a Bachmann 37 on order having sent my faulty AS 37 back ( see Chadwick review) to be fair to AS their model has a stay alive, better sound and comes in a fabulous package - really special- until it stops 😵
Hello Michael, thanks for the kind words, yes I’ve seen a bit on the AS one, hopefully this will all be ironed out soon for them, they deserve much attention considering their detail/pricing.
Have they replaced your 37 yet?
Cheers,
Hylt
For a first review that was great, from here you'll only get better and better. Happy New year
Coming from you that means a lot! Thank you so much for the support. Happy New Year to you too! 😊
Hylt
What a fab Christmas present, looks and sounds amazing. I hope you get a lot of pleasure out of it. I am more Era 5 so my class 37 would have to be two tone green. Happy new year too you and all the best for 2024.
Hello Robert, thank you so much, yes my eyes nearly popped out when I unwrapped it! Oooh I do love the two tone green, now you’ve got me thinking! 🤣
Happy new year indeed, best regards
Hylt
Bachmann 37s are great, especially the recent offerings
Glad to hear you agree Phil 😊 I completely agree, they are such solid little machines
@@Proper_Chuffed I have about 8 Bachmann 37s!! Mostly Scottish allocated ones. Since Accurascale have brought their 37 models out, Bachmann seemed to have really upped their game and gone the extra mile with the detailing etc. I really believe they’re serious competition now! Just found your channel this afternoon and the Dounreay review was the first video I’d watched, so will be sure to check out the others! All the best from 🇬🇧 cheers Phil
Ah you’re a lucky chap Phil, as I’m modelling Scottish, I am desperately hunting those! 😂 thats very cool! Yes indeed, I see Bachmann catching a bit of heat of late for their pricing, but frankly I think they are well worth it. Such a good mechanism!
Thanks for watching, it genuinely means so much to me! Hylt 😊
Love the video, great again. And like the fact that Bachmann even thought about filling up the diesel tanks, looking at the gauges.
🤣 I didn’t notice that. How considerate of them in this economy!
Brilliant model, and so on theme for your layout! You can tell you're proper chuffed with it 🤪
Quite so, think she fits right in 😊 I am so happy with it, what a monster!
Thank you so much for watching! 😊
wuaooo Wonderfull congratulations
Thanks Bobby! I am very happy with her, she is a real brute!
Hylt
It’s a great review. For my own money, I tend to go with Bachmann. They’re not always the absolute last word in detail (compared to Accurascale mainly), but the balance between detail and robustness is possibly slightly better thought through.
I’ve never had cause to complain about a Bachmann diesel. Now, their steamers on the other hand; they can be a very, very tricky area. They’re just not great at manufacturing a steamer that runs really smoothly. Quite shonky. And I have a few.
Thanks Kelly, I appreciate it a lot. Agreed, and having recently seen a lot more on the Accurascale and their issues, which is shame so I’m glad to have the Bachmann ☺️ I am actually finding myself a little obsessed with the 37 now and want more 😂
I haven’t had much experience with their steam, but I’ll bear that in mind now going forward. Thank you as always for the advice Kelly.
Nice presentation mate. I’ve had Bachmann 37s since they were first introduced in 2003, and they have continually upgraded them. The sound is good but not quite as good as accurascale . The bit that really lets it down is the crappy snow ploughs - using the NEM coupling boxes to fit them in means you can’t put full pipe detail on the buffer beam - a lazy solution they haven’t upgraded. Incidentally I’m not sure what you mean about “ new packaging “ , as Bachmann has been like that for about ten years I’d say 😊
Thanks for the kind words Rob, I really appreciate it. Yes it is rather frustrating not being able to couple up with the ploughs, really daft! Don’t quite understand how a new tool would have such an oversight.
I should have clarified, 🙃 new for me! I’ve never had a Bachmann newer than the old box 😂
Thanks again.
Hylt
Great review and what a beast the 37 is.
That’s very kind of you Carl, thanks! I hope with a bit more knowledge under my belt they will get better. Cheers for stopping by and happy new year.
Hylt
Great video and review, it’s a fantastic model. I got the Colas livery 37 for Xmas with the working fan and I’m blown away with mine.
That’s awesome! 🙌 yeah gotta say I’m pretty happy with it overall. I would love to see the working fan, that’s so cool! Happy New Year, Hylt
The orange roof stripe denotes safe working height when under overhead power lines
Well. You learn something new every day, thanks very much for that Peter 😊
It's called a Can Trail
Hi, very good review of a great loco, I have a few older Bachmann class 37 loco’s and they run extremely well, this later type looks great and has the potential of a working fan that you can add if you haven’t got the deluxe version, the Accurascale class 37 has it’s plus points but a non working fan on such a great loco is a negative for me, I have a couple Accurascale class 37’s in my collection, no working fans in them until 2025 if we’re lucky, for those whom don’t care about this then that’s ok, I do care because I have a Bachmann class 47 with a working roof fans and it’s awesome, I hope to get a working fan model Bachmann class 37 in the future hopefully it will be a re-released network rail yellow livery model or a DB Schenker red livery model that no other manufacturer has produced, after all it is a real livery, thanks for sharing.
Hello thank you so much for stopping by and for watching 😊 do you have the new Accurascale Class 37? In your opinion, I’m curious, how do you think it fairs against this?
I hope you get them in your preferred livery too! I’m sure they will come given the tooling is fresh 😊
Best wishes for the new year!
Hylt
@@Proper_Chuffed Hi, I have a Accurascale class 37 in Europhoenix livery and the Network Rail yellow livery class 97, they are both superb in my opinion in many ways even down to their packaging, Bachmann’s packaging of their expensive locomotives is very poor in comparison, at least the newly tooled class 37’s have decent working fans, these can be acquired from Bachmann spares and fitted straight inside the locomotives, Accurascale have no working fans for years, I asked at a train show and the reply was 2025, Hornby have the worst motorised fans on the market, believe me I have the 21pin HST to prove it.
In general the Bachmann class 37 is a great offering and so is the Accurascale so I guess it’s down to personal preference.
What a beauty! I have an Accurascale 37 on preorder but this Bachmann version is pretty hard to beat. I do love Class 37s, it's a testament to their amazing design that I was still able to walk to my local station to watch one thrash through in 2023, over 60 years after the first examples were made! And the sound of a 37 coming through a tunnel or low bridge is pretty epic. Excellent review as well, very well written, planned, edited and produced - I've subscribed for more.
Great background as well for the intro, that poster is lovely and I admit I'm coveting that amazing number plate you have on the wall. Do you model South African railways at all? I'm quite fascinated by the Avontuur Railway - I used to cross the old tracks when I stayed in PE.
Yeah, I think my grin was almost as big as yours for most of this video 😂
Agreed with you, there is something very timeless about the 37, as my girlfriends says they look very “brutalist” which I agree with. It’s more function over form and oddly it’s very attractive as a result.
Thank you so much for subscribing and I appreciate your kind thoughts. Frankly it’s a wood replica of the GMAM plate and not the real thing but it looks great!
No unfortunately not, SAR diesels are all LIMA and are actually totally incorrect in their scale and sizing. Many guys do locally but I actually find them rather bland looking. I would love some SAR steam but they are very expensive on a made to order basis. Maybe one day?
That’s very cool, was there much steam in action while you were in PE?
Kindest regards,
Hylt
I believe that the small circular decal near the nose represents the emergency off handle.
Aha! Thank you Dave! That makes sense, easy to reach in a rush. Appreciate you pointing that out.
Hylt
Not a big diesel fan, but do have a few in the BR green or blue liveries and they are also by Bachmann sadly none with sound. Nice review!
Neither am I frankly, but have found myself enjoying them more and more. Thank you for stopping by Denis. Have a great 2024!
The Bachmann 37 is painfully exquisite, only really beaten within their own range by the class 47. I would say that between the Bachmann and Accurascale 37s, the Accura model edges it, primarily on the sound package. That is the big downfall with the Bachmann 37, the distortion on the slightly poorly specified speakers towards the upper end of the locomotives thrash and is something their 47 doesn't seem to suffer. My Bachmann 37s have the round speaker slightly padded with some black tack to ease the rattle, but still have to have the volume backed off somewhat to get the best out of them. Next step will be to replace the factory speakers, because the one Accura 37 I own quite simply annihilates the new Bachmann 37 in this department. The snowploughs are best not mentioned and swept under the carpet. They stick out way too far as they should tuck below the buffers rather than jut out, and that spoils the look of the model. They need some work and modification, but can be mounted in a way where you can use a coupler if you dissect them and remount the side plates to the bogies using brass rod leaving the NEM pocket free to take a coupler.
Hi Simon, I must say, I haven’t seen the Bachmann 47 but I’ll go check out some videos now that you’ve mentioned it 😊 it does sound like the Accurascale is just that bit better. Thank you for the tips, I’ll see what I can do with regards to a possible speaker upgrade for it 😎
Thank you for your insight and comment, means a lot to me!
Hylt
And yeah that snow plough is very frustrating 😂
Dounreay is an experimental nuclear testing facility that examined the feasibility of a fast breeder reactor design now closed down and site is being decommissioned.
Thank you for sharing that info Rabbit Leader! 😎 a Battle of Britain ref?
@@Proper_Chuffed Yup! Spot on! Amazing how many don’t twig that link!
Well you are a lucky guy. It seems the Accurascale has even more detail, but the Bachmann comes close and has a optional operaterating rooffan. But almost Eur.400,- for a Diesel is a bit over the top. The only diesel that is priced even higher is ESU's class 218 but that has active smoke. Happy New Year!
I hear you on that, I guess I’m fortunate to have received it as a gift. I can see what you’re saying though, new loco prices in general are… scary 👀
Happy New Year to you too!
Hylt
I had to Google to find out what a spirax valve was! One of the better sounding locos but still sounding tinny to me.
Hello Hugh, good to hear from you 🤣 yes I did too! Something to do with releasing moisture it seems? In that case I’m sure it’s almost constantly running 😂
Yes I think that’s a major disadvantage of UA-cam, because in person I can say it sounds rather crisp, especially compared to some of the older sound fitted stuff.
Best wishes for the new year!
Hylt
Very good video: Sam's Trains-esque, which is no bad thing, as he is the best reviewer in UA-camLand IMO, with EuviRail close behind, especially for more modern models.
Here in the UK, the arrival of the excellent Accurascale 37s had the effect of forcing Bachmann to reduce the price of their models, which had become crazily expensive.
So now there are two very stunning, competitively priced options when it comes to 37s.
Both real-life & model 37s are a favourite of mine, as I grew up in the South Wales coal mining valleys, where they seemed to lurk behind every curve in the track! Their excellent route availability and power were ideal for the operating conditions.
Like you, my first love are steam locos, but I also have a collection of diesels, the main attraction being the diverse liveries available, as unlike steam locos, there's not much to see from a moving part perspective when running.
So HNY to you, and I look forward to watching more of your videos in 2024.
Thank you Stephen, that is indeed high praise as I enjoy Sam’s reviews too. I would like to try my best to approach reviews from an original format and do them in my own way however.
That’s very interesting, didn’t realize accurascale forced Bachmanns hand but I guess that makes sense. Would love to get one and compare actually.
Brilliant description there on the 37 “lurking around corners” gives me such a vivid image.
Happy new year to you too sir, all the best for the year ahead and I’ll chat to you soon no doubt.
Hylt
@Proper_Chuffed I'm sure you'll develop your own, unique approach to reviews, but learning from others is no bad thing.
@@stephendavies6949 completely agree with you on that. 😊
@@Proper_Chuffed Bachmann & Hornby pricing has become a huge issue here in the UK. There is much discussion about it on UA-cam (including by Sam & Euvrail). For example, until Accurascale brought their 37s to the market, the top of the range Bachmann models were over £300 each, with the DCC Ready version being around £220, as compared to Accurascale's £170. Even Hornby's new Ivatt / Std class 2 steam locos are around the £200 mark: crazy!
Like many modellers, I now buy new only when there are special offers available, such as the Bachmann 08 Gronk I bought for £99 and the Dapol class 52 for £110 recently. Otherwise, it's the pre-owned market for me!
I can understand that new tooling comes at a high price, absolutely, but if accurascale can bring theirs in, at a better level of detail and quality than the big names it does really begin to look poor for the big two here 👀 in my mind I look at companies like Marklin, who without a doubt produce on a level of quality far superior to English stuff, but their prices make sense, because you’re paying for so much more in essence.
Perhaps we need more of these smaller chaps to help level the field going forward.
Sadly for me it’s either brand new or VERY old. Just the way our market is here in SA. And with the shift to DCC, the former is unfortunately the main option.
Soo dis jy wat die sound fitted een gekoop het!😂😂, het ook een wag net vir n sound chip🙈
😂 yes it was, sorry brother. Drop me a mail, let’s chat so we don’t take each others locos again 😂