Bachmann Eggliners

Manufacturer
Bachmann Trains
1400 East Erie Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19124
www.bachmanntrains.com

Price: $229.00

Product nos.: 96281 (Christmas scheme); 96282 (bumblebee)

Features:
Self-propelled unit
Single can motor with all-wheel drive and pickup
Metal and plastic construction
Polarity selector switch
LED headlights and marker lights
Runs on 45mm track using DC track power
Available in nine paint schemes

The Eggliner, Bachmann’s self-propelled rail car, has some colorful new looks, including the eye-catching bumblebee and Christmas décors shown here. Bachmann has had Eggliners in its lineup of garden railway equipment for some time, and these reliable little models are designed for indoor and outdoor use on any 45mm gauge garden railway using DC track power. The firm currently offers nine versions of Eggliners. Most are decorated for whimsical or holiday themes, such as Halloween and Easter, allowing you options for adding some colorful fun to your garden railroad all year.

Essentially the Eggliner is made up of two streamlined passenger car observation ends sandwiched back to back, powered by a single can motor under the floor. If you’re looking for a prototype for the Eggliner, perhaps the Reading RR’s Crusader was a distant cousin, which had an observation car on each end of the train. The idea was that the train set wouldn’t need to be turned at the end of each run. Although the Eggliner is missing all of the cars in the middle, like the Crusader, it does run equally well in either direction.

The model features directional LED headlights and classification lights.

The windows are glazed with frosted plastic and there is no interior in the model. However, there is space where an ingenious modeler could add partial seats and figures above the motor housing. The frosted glazing could easily be replaced with clear styrene to show off the handiwork.

Our sample Eggliner performed very well in several tests with different types of track and turnouts. All four wheels provide power pickup, and the Eggliner has a smooth speed-control range. The model is also equipped with Bachmann knuckle couplers, and our sample hauled two 40-foot Garden Railways magazine boxcars around a loop of level track for more than 20 minutes without any difficulty.

The bottom line is this: the Bachmann’s Eggliner is just plain fun! My mother is a Master Gardener, and although she doesn’t have a garden railroad (yet), this is definitely a model she’d love to have rolling through her garden for guests. They’re also eye-catching pieces for open houses or public displays, and are likely to attract kids (of all ages).