Newsgroups: rec.models.railroad
Date: Thu,  1 Oct 1992 00:28:44 -0400 
From: Jason Paul Togyer <jt3y+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: TYCO equipment(long)



Steve Fulks, Utah State University, writes:

>am new to this, would someone please enlighten me as to the quality
>of TYCO, BACHMAN, and other companies?  What are the pros & cons, and
>what should I watch out for?

This is the best method for dealing with any equipment made by Tyco and
Bachman:

First, you take a big garbage bag, put all of the Tyco and Bachman
equipment into it, and set it out by the curb.  8)

But seriously, folks...

Some Tyco and Bachman equipment is okay.  You might be able to get some
use out of the cars & buildings in particular.  Some problem areas to
look out for are:

*Couplers... Inexpensive plastic freight cars come with with inexpensive
(read cheap) "hornhook" couplers.  These have a tendency to come apart
on curves and snag on switches.  Cutting the trip pins off of the
bottoms of the hornyhooks will cut down on the snagging, but as far as I
know, there's very little that you can do to stop them from coming
apart, besides making sure that they are all the same height and all
move from sidetoside easily.

*Weight... These cars are very light and will fall off the tracks
easily.  They need weightd down (though too much weight will not help,
either.)

The locomotives are another matter.  Most Tyco and Bachman locos will
run okay for a short period of time, but many of them will soon begin
acting up (esp. the steamers).  If you're handy with a few simple tools
(screwdriver, pliers, blowtorch...just kidding) you might try one of the
loco kits put out by the Athearn company (blue boxes).  Any reasonably
well stocked hobby store should have them.  Pick one without handrails,
like an F7.  An Athearn loco will give you many years of trouble free
performance.  Their cars are much better than the Tyco and Bachman, too.

I would recommend going to the hobby store <<BEFORE>> you buy anything
else and purchasing a <<GOOD>> Howto book (Getting Started in Model
Railroading, An HO Railroad That Grows, et.c.).  Not only will these
types of books have simple plans, but they will have tips and
instructions on how to begin a simple 4'x8' layout.  Check for howto
books by Kalmbach, Carstens, or Atlas.  They seem to be the best.

In addition, you might try picking up some of the hobby mags at your
local 5&10 or bookstore or hobby store.  MODEL RAILROADER or RAILROAD
MODEL CRAFTSMAN are good (MR's a little better for the beginner though).
 Close to Christmas time, they will begin printing more articles for
newcomers to the hobby.

Watch your local paper for details on clubs having open houses in your
area.  Visit them and ASK QUESTIONS.  Most model railroaders are big
Bullshitters (like me) and will be glad to help you.

Above all, don't get discouraged!  No one's an expert they first crack
out of the box!  The damn things are gonna fall on the floor sometimes! 
Mine still do!  And remember, you GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.  I would
seriously consider buying Athearn equipment over Tyco, Bachman (anything
that comes wrapped in cellophane with a low, low price).  An honest
hobbyshop owner will steer you towards the best values [I Hope!  8( ].

I hope I haven't written too much, I'm new to these newfangled Bboards. 
I hope someone else can help you out! Good Luck!

Jason Togyer
Carnegie Institute of Technology
Pittsburgh, Penn.
(McKeesport Model Railroad Club, McKeesport, Penn.)

**"The moral of the story is: Don't Count Your Boobies Before They're Hatched."
      James Thurber, The Unicorn In The Garden