07-04-2015, 12:38 AM
Matt, I am now waiting for the shells. I am in positive contact with Jack, thanks to your quick decision. It is also my plan to add some weight. There should be plenty of room in the boxcab.
Two new GE 44 tons (Nickel 90, Rio Grande 43) ordered to be the drive of the boxcabs arrived today. Looks like Bachmann changed the design.
The new GE 44 ton has a new PCB with the LED directly soldered. The old tubes holding the lights are gone. The trucks got changed too. The axles bearings are now the same as Life Like used them for a longtime with the small brass blocks. But they are not used for current pickup. There are small brass strips pressing against the back of the wheels. Drawback from point of view of boxcab is that the GE 70 tons (left) axles can not swapped into the new GE 44 tons.
But the best is: The reworked Bachmann GE 44 tons is a smooth and silent runner!!!!
(after you swapped the fun decoder with a real DCC decoder of course!)
You can distinguish the old and new version by the bottom truck cover. The old one has five holes (like the GE 70 ton) and the new one has only three holes (right side over the truck)
With respect to our boxcab projects:
A. old noisy drive but larger diameter wheels from the GE 70 tons
or
B. new silent drive but to small wheels
I choice is "B"
![[Image: IMG_4235_zpsozwdpfdo.jpg]](http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/faraway52/Misc-1/IMG_4235_zpsozwdpfdo.jpg)
Two new GE 44 tons (Nickel 90, Rio Grande 43) ordered to be the drive of the boxcabs arrived today. Looks like Bachmann changed the design.
The new GE 44 ton has a new PCB with the LED directly soldered. The old tubes holding the lights are gone. The trucks got changed too. The axles bearings are now the same as Life Like used them for a longtime with the small brass blocks. But they are not used for current pickup. There are small brass strips pressing against the back of the wheels. Drawback from point of view of boxcab is that the GE 70 tons (left) axles can not swapped into the new GE 44 tons.
But the best is: The reworked Bachmann GE 44 tons is a smooth and silent runner!!!!
(after you swapped the fun decoder with a real DCC decoder of course!)
You can distinguish the old and new version by the bottom truck cover. The old one has five holes (like the GE 70 ton) and the new one has only three holes (right side over the truck)
With respect to our boxcab projects:
A. old noisy drive but larger diameter wheels from the GE 70 tons
or
B. new silent drive but to small wheels
I choice is "B"
Reinhard