Well…, what is good about them?
Well because they have such a bad reputation you can get at least the 2-8-2 very cheap. It is also easy to install a decoder if you are willing to keep the pigtail that sticks out of the cab and must be stuffed into the tender. They have better than average (IHC) detail and run very smoothly as long as you don’t have one with the cracked gear. All that said I have 2 and except for their weak pulling ability I like them.
I also have a BLI Mikado with DCC and sound. It has better detail, runs and sounds great and will pull twice as many cars, but it cost me three times as much. Old saying goes “you get what you pay for”
When they’re running, they offer very smooth operation and decent detail, and at a reasonable price since a lot of people seem to be unhappy with them. On the negative side, poor pullers and a proclivity towards cracked or split idler gears. The pulling capacity can be increased, with some effort, and replacement gears are available from NorthWest Short Line. Your bearing problem is an issue that I’ve not seen elsewhere, though, and not really an easy fix, although certainly do-able.
Wayne