Bachmann Trains · Premium
Bachmann's Thunder Chief, model 00826, is a boxed HO set built around a DCC sound-equipped F7-A diesel locomotive, three freight cars, a 56 by 38 inch oval of snap-fit track and an E-Z Command Plus control center.
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We have not tested it ourselves: strengths and weaknesses below come from the tests cited.
Bachmann's page describes a diesel sound package with a prototypical prime mover, three air horns and a bell, all in polyphonic 16-bit sound, and the box artwork points to an on-board speaker in the locomotive. The box shows an F7-A numbered 275 in Santa Fe lettering, followed by a green box car, a silver three-dome tank car and a red Santa Fe caboose. The page calls the locomotive all-wheel drive, and the box adds that it offers sound, speed, direction and headlight control.
Bachmann gives the assembled product as 56 inches long, 38 inches wide and 2.25 inches high, so the oval needs a flat surface of about that footprint. The track is nickel silver E-Z Track: 12 curved pieces, 3 straight pieces and one plug-in terminal rerailer. According to the E-Z Command Plus instruction sheet, a red power wire runs from the control center to the terminal rerailer, and the control center should be connected to the track before the wall pack is plugged into the outlet. The same sheet describes nine programmable address buttons, 128 speed steps, an electric momentum effect for gradual starts and stops, a STOP button that halts every train at once, and a function mode with 28 functions plus headlight control on addresses 1 through 8. It adds that most DCC-equipped locomotives leave the factory set to address 3. Because the control center handles up to nine DCC locomotives, and the sheet says it will run NMRA-compliant DCC locomotives from other makers, the oval can later host more than this one engine. Bachmann lists the set as recommended for ages 14 and up; the retail package measures 23 inches by 16 inches and is 4 inches deep.
Strengths
Weaknesses
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | 00826 |
| Scale | HO 1:87 |
| Track | 56 x 38 in. oval of nickel silver E-Z Track (12 curved, 3 straight, 1 plug-in terminal rerailer) |
| Control | E-Z Command Plus Control Center with wall pack and plug-in wiring |
| Couplers | Body-mounted E-Z Mate |
| Locomotive | DCC sound-equipped F7-A diesel, all-wheel drive |
| Power supply | US-style 110 volt |
| Product size | L 56 in., W 38 in., H 2.25 in. |
| Rolling stock | 40-ft box car, three-dome tank car, offset cupola caboose |
| Recommended age | 14 and up |
A hobbyist or a parent buying for a teenager or adult who wants a sound-equipped diesel and a complete ready-to-run oval in one box, with room to add DCC locomotives later. It is not the choice for someone who wants steam sound or a layout larger than the supplied oval.
Bachmann's Echo Valley Express page (00825) lists a DCC sound-equipped Alco 2-6-0 steam locomotive with tender and headlight, with chuff, whistles, bell, air compressor and blower sounds, on the same 56 by 38 inch oval; choose it for steam rather than diesel. The Rail Chief page (00706) lists an EMD GP40 with headlight, a 47 by 38 inch oval, a signal bridge, 36 figures and a power pack and speed controller, but mentions no sound package.
Image: Bachmann Trains · source
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A 155-piece HO-scale electric train set from Bachmann (00626) with an 0-6-0 steam locomotive with working smoke and a working headlight, four cars, a 47 by 38 inch oval of E-Z Track, station and signal-bridge kits, and a power pack with speed controller.
Image: Bachmann Trains · source
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Image: Bachmann Trains · source
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A ready-to-run HO scale electric train set in CSX colors, with an EMD GP40 diesel locomotive, two flat cars with container loads, a wide-vision caboose, a 36-inch circle of E-Z Track and a power pack with speed controller.
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