newbie and Bachmann On30 trolley

Hello...

I know very little about model trains, but I am enjoying perusing the internet and learning a bit about them. Anyway, to add to our growing Christmas village setup at home, I bought the Bachmann On30 Holiday trolley set, and we like the new addition. I'm just curious about a couple of things:

It seems just a bit noisy, but I also know that it's not an incredibly expensive item, so perhaps that's to be expected. I also have nothing to compare it with, either. Is it normal for this item to be noisy, beyond just the sound of the wheels rolling and clicking along the track? Should I expect the same amount of noise if I were to purchase one of the Bachmann On30 holiday-themed train sets? (2-6-0 locomotive, I believe)

Next, I noticed that the trolley stops pretty well short of each end point (well, at least shorter than I would have guessed, knowing nothing about train sets). As an example, some of the trolley is still sticking out of the "barn", when it stops at that end). Everything normal with that?

Lastly, when purchasing new EZ track, do I need to buy the 'reversing' track for use anywhere on the line, or only at end points where I'd want the trolley to stop and change direction?

Sorry, I know these are pretty remedial questions....but I'm going to keep learning, and before long I'll know just enough to be dangerous!

Thanks, Greg

Reply to
Greg
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Bachmann trains can be noisy - it seems to be the luck of the draw. My Christmas trolley is very quiet. It helps to lightly lubricate them. Use a plastic-compatible, Teflon-bearing grease for the gears, and the trolley should quieten down. I repeat: _lightly_ lubricate. A small dollop one the end of a toothpick is enough.

The 2-6-0 loco can also be slightly noisy, and usually benefits from a bit of grease on the gears. It also runs better on 22" radius track, instead of the 18" radius that comes in the set.

Yes. The "barn" is a compromise design, also used for the HO version of the trolley. It's too large for HO (1:87) and too small for O (1:48).

AFAIK, the whole line must be auto-reverse track. Re-read the instructions. The trolley will run on any HO track, by the way. You could set up a non-reversing oval, so the car can run round and round and round, just like a real trolley. :-)

What you do need to know is that the trolley is 1/4 scale (O scale) runnning on HO gauge track, that is, it's a narrow-gauge trolley. It will run on any HO gauge track, not just EZ track. But if you want the auto-reverse feature, you are stuck with the auto-reverse EZ track.

You're welcome.

Beware: Christmas trains have been known to morph into a year-round hobby. :-)

HTH

Reply to
Wolf Kirchmeir

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