# Bachmann track?!?



## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Anybody have any old Bachmann track? Or is anyone familiar with it? Does the connection system look like Atlas and Lionel? (i.e. little brass clips that make electrical contact AND physically hold the track in place...)

Just because I'm a huge fan of Atlas/Lionel and I just noticed this auction:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BACHMANN-SL...300334510180?pt=Slot_Cars&hash=item45ed54f064

I never knew there was another manufacturer that used this method. Did their track always look like this? Somehow I had it in my head that Bachmann track looked like an older version of LifeLike, with the hook/lock thing in the center, but I have come to the conclusion that I was actually confusing it with Eldon. I don't think I've ever seen Bachmann track...

Was their track always like this? And if so, here's the big question for me: Is the lane spacing like Tyco (and Atlas and Lionel), or like Aurora/AFX?

Didn't post this on Track Building because it's more of a history/trivia question... 

thanks in advance for any info 

--rick


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Hey rick, this SITE may help enlighten you


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Aha. I also found this page on that site that is even more informative:

http://modelmotorist.com/web-content/bach2lel.jsp

But in my Googling, I came up with another Bachmann question. Check out these catalog pages here:

http://www.slotcarmuseum.com/ho_scale_slot_car_catalogs/

Specifically, look at page 1 of the 1972 catalog. Did Bachmann ever make the AMX, AMX/2, Mustang Mach 1, or Charger Daytona? I recognize all the other cars on that page as actual Bachmann releases, but I've never seen these four. Do they exist, other than on that page of the catalog? Anyone got pictures?

I noticed that on page 1 of the 1973 catalog, they only list 5 cars... the ones I questioned are left out, as well as the Charger...

thanks again! :wave:

--rick


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## Rawafx (Jul 20, 1999)

I have a Bachmann Set and the track has very wide rails. At first glance, you'd think it would be great to race magnet cars on but the rails are non-magnetic. The set I have came with the later "Groovebusters" chassis, a cheap knock-off of the TycoPro. It says in the Johansen book that the #9153 '69Mustang Mach 1, the #9158 AMX/2, the #9159 Dodge Charger Daytona, and the #9159 BMW Turbo may have been produced and sold overseas but they were never imported.
E-mail me and I'll send you photos of the set/cars.

Bob Weichbrodt
[email protected]
Winston-Salem, NC


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Rawafx said:


> I have a Bachmann Set and the track has very wide rails. At first glance, you'd think it would be great to race magnet cars on but the rails are non-magnetic. The set I have came with the later "Groovebusters" chassis, a cheap knock-off of the TycoPro. It says in the Johansen book that the #9153 '69Mustang Mach 1, the #9158 AMX/2, the #9159 Dodge Charger Daytona, and the #9159 BMW Turbo may have been produced and sold overseas but they were never imported.
> E-mail me and I'll send you photos of the set/cars.
> 
> Bob Weichbrodt
> ...


hey thanks! just sent an email, i'd love to see pics. shame about the cars that may/may not have been produced... i'd LOVE to see an AMX/2 slot car...

--rick


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Rick:
There was an earlier *HT thread* that touched on Bachmann track. It appears to use model railroad rail (maybe N scale), or something like it, for the power rails, but inverted so the rail surface is wider than on Atlas track. On the other hand, those sure look like Atlas/Lionel joiner clips. If Bachmann used a standard version of the clip, it might connect to Atlas. Even if the vertical part of the Bachmann rail is thicker than the Atlas rail, you could probably pinch the Atlas end tighter or make some other easy mod to join the two types. I don't own a piece, so I'm just guessing. Why don't you buy the eBay example and end the suspense?


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Hahahahaha... I was apparently in on that thread too, I just didn't remember it. Though in rereading it, some of it came back to me. Think I'm beginning to suffer from CRS... :tongue:

--rick


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

The other interesting thing I noticed from that last link ( the one with the catalog pages) is Bachmann had 6,9,12 and 15" radius curves... And they list an adapter track, but I can't make out what it adapts to.


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

ParkRNDL said:


> Hahahahaha... I was apparently in on that thread too, I just didn't remember it. Though in rereading it, some of it came back to me. Think I'm beginning to suffer from CRS... :tongue:


It just means you've contributed too much to remember it all. :thumbsup:


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Hey all, Bob was kind enough to send me pictures of some interesting Bachmann stuff he has, and gave me the go-ahead to repost them here. So if anyone else, like me, is interested in this old off-brand stuff, here it is for your enjoyment:










Check out the cool plastic case this stuff came in!










Nice gold chrome Chappy, never seen one of these before...










And I DID see a blue chrome Howmet once at a show, but I didn't know there was anything special underneath.










Check out what's under the hood:



















I have several Bachmanns with chassis that look like the ones on the left in these last two pics; I think they are fairly common. I never knew they made the chassis on the right. It's a dead ringer for a TycoPro. Cool stuff, huh?

Thanks again to Bob for the pics. I just resized them a little so they'd fit nice on the board...

--rick


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## Rawafx (Jul 20, 1999)

Thanks for posting them, Rick! 

Bob Weichbrodt
[email protected]
Winston-Salem, NC


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