Quality Comparison Between Williams (USA) and Williams By Bachman

Bill,

 

I believe that Williams was made overseas even before being manufactured by Bachmann.

 

Sunrise

However, what concerns me is the mechanical quality of the new Bachmann items compared to the old made-in-the-USA locos from Jerry Williams. 

 

Williams items made early 1980's was assembled in the USA. But ever since Williams and Mike Wolf partnered with Samhongsa in the late 1980's, all Williams items were made overseas.

 

Early Williams had the Oversized Mabuchi motors with no flywheels and no or crude electronic e- units that melted at the triacs.

 

The WBB items are miles ahead in decoration and paint from the Williams items with small details such as pad printed builders plates and more scale proportionate locomotives.  Now with the inclusion of the diesel sound, the WBB units will be favored in the long term from the Jerry Williams items in the past. Most  Williams and WBB have MEtal Gears, die cast truck blocks, metal wheels and can motoes with flywheels and a robust yet simple reverse unit.

 

Williams was never made in America. They were always built in the orient. 

Jerry Williams was doing the made in China thing long before it became fashionable. I have actually seen better electrical and mechanical quality from Bachmann. I miss the shiny paint of the old Williams bodies.

The problem I had with the old Williams was the poor soldering techniques of the electrical connections and the stiff insulation of the wires. This combination would cause complete disconnections and electrical shorts. I rewired all of my engines and passenger cars with more flexible wires.

Not true david1. How do you think mike wolf came on the model railroading scene? Might I suggest you obtain the Greenberg book of Williams trains. It has a lot of interesting items on Williams early years.

I have about ten Williams and WBB items, and all run exceptionally well.  I do not see the major differences some do in their look or their operation.

 

Only one non-fixable problem in the bunch.  An old Williams item that I purchased in an unopened box... when I opened it I discovered the decorative sides of the trucks (which are cast, I believe) had begun to disintegrate.  If you touch them, they crumble further.  I chalk it up to age and storage more than I do a manufacturing problem.

 

Outside of that issue, 100% satisfied with both eras.

Early Williams trains were absolutely Made in The USA. I have a Virginian FM made around 1979 or 1980 that is built like a tank. It has uses two high end USA Pittman Instrument Motors, has magnet traction (magnet placed between two wheels) and a Lionel eUnit. Eventually Jerry Williams did go overseas but the early stuff was all made here. Let us not forget that Williams also made some fine detailed brass engines but in Korea.

All I know is....any Williams locomotive will out perform a Lionel Pullmor/TMCC combo for a fraction of the price.

I am at the point where I avoid the Pullmor/TMCC combo like the plague, it is 3 steps forward, 2 steps back.

Far better to just buy every Williams loco you can get your hands on with can motors and upgrade them.

Its either that or just buy MTH Rail King and Imperial Rail King.

My days are over paying $500-$1,000+ for Lionel Legacy or MTH Premier engines.

Maybe Bill needs to clarify what he means by "old Williams". What Jerry was offering just prior to the Bachmann takeover was all made overseas. 

The only complaints I have read about Williams by Bachmann is sometimes the gearboxes lack lubrication. All my Williams are pre Bachmann so I can't confirm that.

 

Pete

I like the Current WbB as much maybe more than older Williams. The early Williams with bright aluminum chassis need to be taken apart and painted to look decent....and some early power trucks can be a problem if previous owners did not care for them correctly.

 

Bachmann offere for FREE all new gear sets for the defective On30 locos that COULD have had them. I got new sets for each loco I own....but yet to have one fail. It may happen when I run them more.....but if it does...I have the parts on hand. GOOD customer service.

I do own six of the older original Williams pieces. Each came with the over-sized motors without flywheels. All of mine came without e-units. While they are crude they are robust. Most are in their simple cardboard boxes and packed away. While not worth much these days. They are part of the history of this wonderful hobby. I will not express my feelings about WbB.

 

God Bless,

"Pappy"

Good point on the free gear replacement Dave!  My On30 Shay had cracked gears.  They clicked, but it still ran. It was several years out of warranty when Bachmann finally offered free replacement.  They had it 6 months, because of a shortage of gears they said, but when I received it back, it ran smooth as silk.  I thanked them very much, and passed the information on to some other forum members.  They will either send you the gears to replace yourself or you can send it in for the factory to replace the gears at no charge.  I chose to have them do it, because I have several infirmities with my hands, and knew I would mess it up.

Before the Dawn of Time Williams did indeed manufacture in the US. Parts here, parts there, assembly here, mostly...? Ask Mike Wolf; he started there.

 

But, the Williams that we all have come to know and mostly love - not for all the same reasons, of course, and some for exactly -contradictory- reasons - that has been on the

market for years, from bad brass to really solid brass (Samhongsa, for one), to Traditional die-cast, scale die-cast Hudson, plastic diesels ranging from not-so-hot-looking to the very

nice Alco FA-1's, have been made on the Other Side of the Pacific.

 

It's stated on the boxes.

 

It pre-dates Bachmann, altogether (excusing the 4-6-0, GP-30 and 

other new stuff).