Bachmann vs PECO/Kato

[Elizabeth Meecham]

I am totally new to rail modelling (not just 009) and don't know the proper lingo but I would really appreciate some advice please.
I am planning to get one of the locomotives that have been used on the Festiniog Railway.
The - 391-130 Bachmann OO9 Narrow Gauge Mainline Hunslet 0-4-0STT with DCC sound fitted works out really expensive but looks magnificent with lots of detail. Is it worth the extra money (nearly £100 more) over the 51-251F OO9 Scale Peco/Kato Festiniog Railway "Small England"? I do realise there is an element of is it worth it to me but I would appreciate some take on the overall quality - are the Bachmann superior? Thank you.

[Graeme Dunbar]

I think if you compare non-DCC versions the Kato/Bachmann price differential is rather less. (And the Kato offering is not offered in a DCC version nor is DCC ready.)

I guess it depend what you prefer and if you want DCC without the need to modify the loco I guess the choice is made for you.

[JulienW]

Essentially the extra £100 is the cost of the sound chip, because as Graeme points out the non sound & DCC version is probably about the same price as the Kato England.

Taking the sound out of the equation the 2 models are about equal in the amount of detail each one has. Both seem to run well from examples I've seen (North Wales NG is not really my preference when it come to 009 so I don't own either). Ultimately it will come down to personal preference and how much is in the model railway budget.

DCC is not strictly necessary for 009 as most NG railways would operate on a 'one loco in steam' system so having the facility to run 999 locos at once is not really any use.  That being said if you do want all the bells and whistles - literally! - then DCC with sound is the way to go.

Fitting a DCC decoder to the Kato England is not straightforward as the loco has not been designed with this in mind (DCC does not seem to be as popular in Japan) so to fit a decoder, let alone a sound decoder and speaker is not an easy task.  This is in contrast to the Hunslet where all the locos come with the speaker on board. Fitting a decoder - 'silent' or with sounds - is just a case of taking the body off, removing the blanking plug, plugging in the decoder and refitting the body and took me about 15 minutes with a friend's loco (and that included testing it!). The drawback was that the sound chip cost £126 (against about £30 for a silent one) so it would have been cheaper to get the 'factory sound fitted version.

So to summarise if you want the sound effects now go for the 'less cheap' option of the Bachmann Hunslet with sound (and they do sound good!), but expect to keep spending as you'll need the DCC controller to go with it and other silent locos added to the collection may be a disappointment so additions to the fleet will probably be preferred with sound.

If you are not sure, but think it's something you might want to try down the line the go for the non-sound Bachmann loco as it's an easier option to fit sound to later on.

If you are happy to quietly 'play trains', maybe making the chuffing noises in your head or under your breath (I've exhibited with people who do this...) then the choice between Hunslet or England is up to you.

Hope that helps,
Julien

[Elizabeth Meecham]

Thank you. Just the info and explanation I needed to help me decide.