Bachmann Industries has entered the diesel electric field with a nicely designed 1:20.3 scale narrow gauge side rod GE 45 ton locomotive. The diesel electric should be right at home working industrial sites or serving as short line motive power. Bachmann produced a version of the GE 45 ton locomotive still being built and used worldwide.
Click for larger picture The locomotive comes securely packed with the locomotive's Spectrum carton cushioned in foam and placed inside a large cardboard box. Bachmann has provided ample documentation with this locomotive. Packed with the diesel is an owner's manual, 3 sheets of exploded view diagrams, and 28-minute video. The video covers history and maintenance of the GE 45 ton diesel electric. In addition there is an engineer figure, 2 vials of smoke fluid, and 4 color-coded wires for DCC installation.
Click for larger picture Though the 1:1 scale version of this diesel is small, Bachmann's 1:20.3 narrow gauge examples are big. The engine is 18 1/2" long measured from coupler to coupler. Length at the footboards is 16 1/16 inches. Width is 5 5/8 inches. Height from railhead to top of cab is 7 1/2 inches. Weight 6 lbs. 4 oz. Operators' will need to check clearances before turning this baby loose on their pikes. Following are pictures of the center cab next to the Shay for size comparison.
Click for larger picture
Click for larger picture Just how does it run you ask? Smooth as silk is the answer. Pulling capability was tested using rolling stock equipped with metal wheels. On level, tangent track the engine will pull 20 cars before wheel slip. Level, tangent track was the only place the engine would pull this number of cars. It will pull 17 cars around five and ten foot radius curves and through a double "S" curve of five-foot radius track when the consist is rolling. It will start a 15 car consist in the double "S" section without wheel slip. There are no meaningful grades on the CD&StL so the diesel's performance on a grade could not be tested. Best guess, in out of the box trim, the engine will handle 10 or so cars on grades. There is ample room to add weight for an increase in pulling capability. The engine negotiates two-foot radius turnouts and will go around 2' foot radius curves with ease. While not tested, it appears the engine will handle 2' radius curves. Coupler swing may be such that some lead cars could be derailed when running on 2' radius curves.
Running light the engine starts to move at 2.5 volts. It will just creep along at that voltage even on some very dirty track. At 5 volts the LED headlight comes on. The headlight, one in each hood end, gives off a bright, rather blue cast light. There are double smoke units, one in each hood. These were not tested. One interesting feature is the caps for the stacks. Not sure the reason for these caps.
Under the front hood just in front of the cab is a rectangular opening covered by a snap on cap. This is the location of three switches. The switches control smoke, NMRA or Large Scale polarity, and the cab light. There is a similar rectangular cover on the rear hood with nothing under it.
Click for larger pictureSwitches Under Front Hood - Partial View of Front Exhaust Stack
Bachmann has designed yet another new motor case and gear train. The motor/gear case is metal. Axles are one piece. Axles run in ball bearings. These new motor/gear cases use brushes that are mounted near the top of the case. Each axle is powered so that the side rods are not used to transmit power to an axle set. The wheelbase of a motor case is three inches. Wheel diameter is 1 9/16 inches. All lubrication of the gear train and motor shaft is accomplished through 2 rubber plugs in the bottom of the case. There is no need to remove the case bottom to service the drive system.
Click for larger pictureUnder Side Detail - Note Rubber Plugs For Service
Located between the power trucks, under the cab is the casting that represents air and fuel tanks. This casting has a small grill molded in the center. There appears to be sufficient room inside the tank for a speaker, although it will have to be small. Four screws attach the air/fuel tank to the chassis. Due to the amount of "plumbing" attached to the tanks, removal will have to be accomplished carefully so that the piping is not damaged.
Click for larger pictureCenter Tank Viewed From Right Side
Click for larger pictureInterior View of Tank
Click for larger pictureChassis With Air/Fuel Tank Removed - Green Is The Cab Floor
The cab and hoods are separate pieces. The cab is attached with 6 screws. Each hood is attached with 2 screws at the radiator end. Hoods are held at the cab end by fitting into a slight indentation in the cab. Both hoods are filled with PCBs and the smoke units. The cab is large enough to hold a square dance.
Click for larger pictureWhat Is Under The Hoods
In the above picture the cab interior has been removed. The cab interior detail is a separate item that fits into the cab bottom and is held in place by two of the six screws that attach the cab to the chassis. Note that PCBs are stacked one above the other. There should be ample room for a sound card in either one of the hoods. DCC or on-board receiver should fit easily into this engine. For some types of on-board receivers there is room inside the cab. A receiver and throttle would fit in the cab and set low enough that it would not be obvious from the outside looking in. One of the included exploded view sheets contains wiring diagrams for DC operation with another covering DCC installation. Converting the diesel to on-board RC with battery power should not be a difficult task.
The GE has many nice details in keeping with its Spectrum status. Following are pictures and commentary highlighting some of these details.
Click for larger picture Pictured above is the side frame detail. Brake cylinders are attached to actuating arms and there are inside hung brake shoes. Side rod counter weights are attached, along with the wheels, to the axle ends. Small round covers hide the attaching screws.
Pilot detail and coupler pockets are well detailed along with the cut levers. Couplers pockets may be rotated 180 degrees so that they are adjustable for either scale or high rail height. Two screws hold the pocket in place. When rotating the pocket the screw attaching the coupler must be removed in order to rotate the coupler 180 degrees. Three screws and the job is complete.
Click for larger pictureCouplers Have Self-Centering Springs
Click for larger pictureDraw Head Removed To Change Height
Crews will appreciate the roomy cab. Side windows are track mounted and slide open. There is a working cab door on each end wall. The doors swing out. CAUTION, the cab doors have door handles that must be turned in order to open the door. Failure to turn the door handle will result in a broken door handle. The doors fit tight in their openings so it is best to place a finger through the side window and push the door open from the inside.
Click for larger pictureNote Door Handle and Latch
Click for larger pictureControl Stand With Throttle, Air Brake Stand, and Gauges
The cab is set up with an engineer's seat fastened to the right side wall. Controls are situated to permit the engineer seated facing across the cab. This arrangement of controls and seating facilitates operating the locomotive in either direction without the engineer changing position.
Click for larger pictureReady To Earn Its Keep
Nits: The piping along both sides of the engine while well detailed is fragile. Careful handling will be necessary to avoid damage to the piping. When running, for the short time of this evaluation, there is considerable track noise transmitted through the cab and hoods. The hoods act as a sound chamber amplifying track noise. While the motor/gear cases are quiet and smooth the noise from wheels running on track is most noticeable. No doubt a sound system will easily cancel out this track noise. The handrails are metal and well done. However, they do not extend far enough into the cab walls and have a tendency to pop out. A little delicate bending of the handrails solved the problem on the model tested. The LED headlight is bright but I'm not a big fan of light that has a blue cast.
Bachmann's venture into narrow gauge diesel electric power will not disappoint. The GE 45 ton model contains many new and innovative engineering solutions not found in other models. This was a "fun" little shifter to review. I found it most interesting to discover all the neat little ways that Bachmann engineers went about designing this engine. I think you will find it equally captivating from a design and operational standpoint. Give the GE 45 ton diesel electric a close look. It may just be the motive power for your operation.
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