# Product review. Bachmann 18 piece pier set



## Smokestack Lightning (Oct 31, 2010)

Check this out. Are you serious? To call this stuff cheap, plastic crap. Would be an insult to dollar stores everywhere. This junk was $25 BTW. I will never buy another Bachmann product.
Apparently it's E-Z to make money. I bought it on vacation, so returning it isn't practical. If I can paint this turd it will be truly artwork.


----------



## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

they weren't designed for adults who crave realism. They were designed for children who play with trains that is basically the soul of Bachmann Co. while they do make very nice upper end trains for the prototypical type like there SD40-2 or their deco-pod steamer.


----------



## Smokestack Lightning (Oct 31, 2010)

For $25 I expect more than thin, rough cast plastic.. The box is also very misleading as it appears that the piers have a block texture which they do not.


----------



## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

I have found that Bachman can be summed up as a tale of three different companies. All have their target audience.
1. The entry kit level. This is where I would place the EZ-Track and the pancake motor powered locomotives. Also any car they make that is not Silver Series or higher. Much of their Plasticville line fall in this category to. Now while this is not great quality or less than prototypical I cannot condem it. If it were not for this entry level line at a low price my parents would not have bought a set for me at 8 years old (actually that was an equivalent quality Life Like, that summer was a Bachmann from a garage sale). Without those starter sets I would never have started in the hobby and continued to the point I am today.
2. The Thomas the Tank engine line. Lets just say it does attract kids to the hobby at a young age. My kids love to see Thomas and Emily om my layout. Their enjoyment is better than an hy quality prototypically correct moddel could give. Once again though this is a line aimed for a younger audience.
3. The Spectrum line. The locomotives are well detailed and do run well. They cost more though and are not as well suited to kids that are learning to handle trains. The details can break easy and accidents are costly. The silver series and above cars are also in this category. Decent couples, metal wheels, better plastics all make these better performing an looking than the lower line of products.

I think that Bachmann has different products for different audiences. The problem is that they have allot of gray area in there marketing that makes it hard to know what is what when it comes o their accessories and model buildings.


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Good commentary, TK!


----------



## Smokestack Lightning (Oct 31, 2010)

tkruger said:


> I have found that Bachman can be summed up as a tale of three different companies. All have their target audience.
> 1. The entry kit level. This is where I would place the EZ-Track and the pancake motor powered locomotives. Also any car they make that is not Silver Series or higher. Much of their Plasticville line fall in this category to. Now while this is not great quality or less than prototypical I cannot condem it. If it were not for this entry level line at a low price my parents would not have bought a set for me at 8 years old (actually that was an equivalent quality Life Like, that summer was a Bachmann from a garage sale). Without those starter sets I would never have started in the hobby and continued to the point I am today.
> 2. The Thomas the Tank engine line. Lets just say it does attract kids to the hobby at a young age. My kids love to see Thomas and Emily om my layout. Their enjoyment is better than an hy quality prototypically correct moddel could give. Once again though this is a line aimed for a younger audience.
> 3. The Spectrum line. The locomotives are well detailed and do run well. They cost more though and are not as well suited to kids that are learning to handle trains. The details can break easy and accidents are costly. The silver series and above cars are also in this category. Decent couples, metal wheels, better plastics all make these better performing an looking than the lower line of products.
> ...


Well said sir. I can see having different levels for different demographics. But don't charge premium prices for entry level product. This train set I'm doing IS for my son. I don't feel he should have low quality stuff just because he is a kid. Your right the packaging should be more clear. The pier set I bought should be the "cheap plastic crap" series.


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Smokestack Lightning said:


> The pier set I bought should be the "cheap plastic crap" series.


The Bachmann *CPC* line! Like it!


----------



## mr_x_ite_ment (Jun 22, 2009)

I feel compelled to chime in about Bachmann, as I own A LOT of their products and use them a great deal. I am going to try to state facts and not just opinions. You can buy a brand new Bachmann loco for about $40. I know this because I have bought many at the stated price (sometimes less). Many other loco's will cost 2 or 3 times more, and you would still have to buy a $20 decoder if you want DCC.

Do Bachmann's have drawbacks? I suppose so. Are they cheap? Yes. Are they noisy? Perhaps. Do they lack detail? Maybe. For me, the big question is, "How do they run?" From what I have observed, they run well. They pull fine, and are relatively smooth...even the cheap ones. If they didn't run well, I would do something to make them run better, but I have almost never had to do anything to them. I have tried to stick with facts. Everyone has their opinion, and I respect that. I have no problem whatsoever if people want to spend more for something smooth, quiet, and with more detail. I own a few of those too. Everyone has their reasons for doing what they do!

Chad


----------



## mr_x_ite_ment (Jun 22, 2009)

I forgot to mention tk's point about the Silver Series. These railcars are great. They roll well right out of the box, and with nice detail too. I have never had an issue with any of them.


----------



## Smokestack Lightning (Oct 31, 2010)

I have sent an email to Bachmann with no reply. The next Bachmann pieces I buy will be transition pieces to flex track. I am a "screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, shame on me" type of guy. I have no reason to take another chance on Bachmann. There are lots of other companies out there. This stuff is expensive and I expect top quality.


----------



## Mouse (Jul 1, 2010)

I bought a couple of there Silver Series flat cars which I really like for the money. Metal wheels, decent detail, nice couplers etc. However, I also purchased a decoder from Bachmann (cant remember the model but its a basic one), and from the first 30 seconds in my Athearn Dash-9, i've decided to replace it with a Digitrax like my other units all have. It made sooooooo much "noise" like a nasty humming, that I couldnt stand it. Once the Digitrax was in, the "noise" was gone. 

I also have the EZ-Command DCC controller in which i now plan to get rid of in favor of a "better" system. Everything works great with it, but i want / need to be able to do more with the system that the EZ-Command is incapable of.

Guess like others have said, depends on what you buy from them. I now plan to limit myself to rolling stock and rolling stock only from them.


----------



## mr_x_ite_ment (Jun 22, 2009)

The original product in question was the 18-piece pier set. I will focus on that for a bit. I would agree that Smokestack has a point...the set DOES look very cheap, and likely very misleading from what it appeared on the box. I would also go on to say that I haven't seen many pier sets that actually do look very realistic. I have nothing against them. They do provide a variation in elevation, and give a nice "over-and-under" effect for those that want it...plus, they are great for kids. I don't think I would ever use one on my layout simply because I don't think they look very realistic when set up. By that I mean that they often rise sharply, turn just as sharply, and might severely limit how many cars you can pull through it. If I had one, I would probably use it to create a grade, but then cover it up with a sloped landscaping to hide it. I would say that the over-and-under effect they create can be a nice focal point to a layout.

Chad


----------



## Smokestack Lightning (Oct 31, 2010)

I've stopped pouting about getting screwed, and I've started to see if i can make a silk purse out of this sow's ear. I will post some pics soon.


----------



## mr_x_ite_ment (Jun 22, 2009)

Sounds good, Smokestack...can't wait to see pics!


----------

