Ken - For many years I wouldn't touch anything from Bachmann. Having had terrible luck with their locomotives in N scale and reading not so good reviews in Model Railroad magazines, I didn't have anything to do with them in HO scale either. I was more concerned about how they ran as I could detail the locomotives just like the fantastic job you did on the geep.
When they brought out their Spectrum line and I saw some favorable reviews in magazines. We have no hobby shops here for seeing them run in person. I took a chance on their doodlebug, which was my first HO scale powered unit. Liked the detail and it did, and still does run nicely, although a bit noisy. Slowly, more spectrum locomotives were introduced. Some didn't interest me at all, but when they brought out their consolidation and it got excellent reviews in magazines, I figures, what the heck, and got one. Mikes and consolidations are the main steam power on my layout. Details were decent, but it did run really well. Still have the couple I picked up and they do still run just fine. Their decapod is another really nice looking steamer, but with the two and a half percent grades on my layout, it is a wuss and it usually does yard switching or hauls 2 passenger cars whick is about it's limit on the grades.
Guess Bachmann had to get their poop in a group to compete with other manufacturers. I really like their three truck shay, and still haven't had any gear problem with mine. The one that did impress me was the little Alco switcher I picked up. I wasn't interested in DCC, but being that the little bugger was painted for the Milwaukee Road, why not. It's in the video below "Switching Churchill". The details were excellent for a plastic locomotive. Nice low speed control for switching. It did stall once momentarily in the video. I had just gotten it and wasn't aware of how clean the tracks need to be to run a DCC locomotive on DC. Ran it at the club a few times and had no problems at all with it. Don't run it much at home because after a while the sound drives me nuts.
You did a fantastic job on that locomotive and you should be proud of your work.
