Having a small layout consisting of two 30" x 60' modules butted to each other, I find that powered A&B units run best with long trains on the layout. I have 2-8-0 steam, 0-6-0 steam, and some GE Dash Units. If I were to leave the train running, walk away and come back 30 minutes later, the A&B units would still be running flawlessly navigating the tight turns and hills with no problems. But the others will occassionaly get hung up perhaps on a switch located on a tight turn. Therefore, I like to have a reservoir of the A&B units to run 2-3 long trains at one time.
Today I just received powered Bachmann Specrtrum A&B DCC ready units purchased for just $24.99 from Trainworld http://www.trainworld.com/TW11_08MRRPAGE3_TW1_08MRRPAGE3.pdf. They are the same units sold on The Favorite Spot http://cgi.ebay.com/BACHMANN-SPECTRUM-F7-A-B-TRAIN-N-LOCO-PENNSY-81258_W0QQitemZ370085882462QQihZ024QQcategoryZ19122QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262. Granted, they're not KATO quality units but they've worked just fine for me. For the price you almost can't go wrong. You can only get NYC RR units for the $24.99 price as all other road names are $49.99. Since I have Pennsy, B&O, NYC and Erie, an extra set of the NYC RR units can easily be swapped out. These may not be for everyone, but in my case they're just fine. Over the years I've purchased these same units on the favorite spot for almost the same price or less but he hasn't had them listed as frequently and they have been going for just under his Buy Now price of $36.00 (somewhere in the $30 price range).
If you're not running DCC and want reasonably priced Bachmann Spectrum A&B Units (even though they are sold under the ER Models name), consider these. One last thing, I've never purchased from Trainworld before but these folks were very efficient and the units arrived in just a few days.
Sure, yes, I'm cheap. It comes from having grandsons who handle the units when I'm least aware. In any case, its not a bad deal for the price.
Joined: 2005-08-28