Bachmann 93811, G-Scale Great Northern caboose

My recent visit to San Francisco allowed me to experience closing of the last real train model store in the city. It was a sad view to be honest, but a closing sale was involved, too. At 80% off I felt like I could buy all the merchandise that was still remaining. (Un)luckily I was constrained by my travelling suitcase. So I decided to just limit myself to one G-Scale car.

The caboose I picked was originally priced at $129, so with the discount I paid less than $30. The model comes from Bachmann and it's my first product of this brand in G-Scale. Its catalogue number is 93811.

The car is packaged in a box 64 x 20 x 14 cm in size. It's filled with the usual polystyrene foam. Considering the fact that it survived the air travel in the registered luggage, I can only praise the job Bachmann did protecting my new toy.

Here's the full content of the package. We basically get two items:

• the caboose car itself
• LGB-style couplers

Nothing more is included, which is not surprising considering the fact that all the details are factory installed.

Let's take a look at the photos of the car.

Well, it's definitely very, very red but also pretty decent looking!

The car is mostly made of quality plastic that feels good in hand. The exception are the details: handrails, ladders, etc. where a much softer material is used. This fact is actually visible even in the above photos - some of those elements are slightly bent or not standing straight at all.

The paint scheme is very simple. The car is red with logos on the sides. Nothing really to complain about - that's the way the American cars are...

It's very nice to see that Bachmann continues its support for metal wheels also in the G-Scale. The wheels are heavy and solid. It's just a pity they do not support picking the power from the track - this would be very much appreciated in case of a passenger car.

The model comes equipped with knuckle couplers. Luckily LGB-style couplers are included, too. A short manual explains their installation.

This is what the car looks like after the couplers are replaced.


Unfortunately after the change, the model does not fit in its box any more. I had no choice but to use the knife and make a necessary packaging-upgrade.

Summary

I'm pretty happy with my choice. There are things one could complain about (bent details) but all-in-all the model does look nice and solid. I'm making that statement however considering the fact that I've paid only $30 for the car. Had I paid the full price, I would have been seriously disappointed with those imperfections. Another reason to always look/wait for a good offer when making a purchase!