All-
I’ve had some great luck with Bachmann Spectrum engines and I’m 1 out of 2 on their cheaper DCC on-board line. My GP40 has a noticeable stutter to it. This doesn’t seem noticeable at open throttle but at speeds up to 50% it “hiccups.” It does not move side to side.
Any of you experts out there know what could be causing this and how I can go about fixing it? I have already replaced the stock decoder to the NCE BACH decoder.
Thanks as always,
It stutters because it has no flywheels. These locos are pretty sensitive to dirty track, in fact they’re down-right picky. Make sure the track is clean (white glove clean) and that the wheels are clean. The Kadee Speedi-Driver cleaning brush works great for this. I’ve always had some crud left over after an alcohol/towel cleaning.
Hi, Wow thanks for the quick response. The track is definitely clean. My other DCC equipped works like a charm. This one’s wheels are spotless as well.
Any other thoughts?
Check out the pickups real good. They can be a bit flaky. I have the Conrail GP35 and it gave me fits until my friend fixed it for me. He said it had some dust trapped in the pickups. Take a good look at the wires for the pickups too. They can break real easy.
Thanks - pickups are clean, engine is basicly brand new. It does look like there is almost no grease on the gears. Could this be the problem? IF so, can anyone recommend a household product that I can put on the gears to lub them up nicely and eliminate this as a potential cause?
Dexron/Mercon transmission fluid. A drop goes a long way. It’s plastic compatible. I use it on my locos all the time.
I think its definitely the magnet/engine. Doesn’t look like the gears are grinding. Wonder if its a mfg defect…oh well, I have an old spectrum motor that may fit this.
As spotty as their engines are, Bachmann has a very good warranty program. Ship it to them with a copy of your receipt and they’ll repair/replace at no charge. If you start monkeying with it the warranty goes out the window.
Lee
Make a trip to your LHS and get some Labelle grease, and pick up a bottle of the oil as well while you’re there. It’s formulated specifically for model railroad applications.
My Bachmann trolley, also brand new, is already starting to stutter. I’m thinking there’s either a pickup problem or a loose wire between the trucks and the decoder, because the lights are flickering, too. (How are your lights, by the way?) If you are having stall problems at turnouts, it’s likely that you have good pickup from one truck, but marginal pickup from the other.
By the way, the gears on mine were pretty dry on delivery, so a shot of that Labelle grease is highly recommended.
Mine doesn’t shutter yet. I have 3 of them, but I find when going down the 1.5% on my branch line it will jerk almost like it gets going too fast and it stops to catch up.
Is there any way to retrofit a flywheel on it?
Answer #1: This is a problem seen even in some more expensive locos. One cause is that there’s too much slop in the worm gears back and forth travel. Putting in extra thrust washers can help eliminate this.
Answer #2: From what I’ve seen of the way the locos are made it would require a lot grinding to remove enough of the frame to make room for a flywheel. In my estimation it’s not worth it.
Where would I place the washers? I am at work, so I don’t have one to look at off hand, but I cant think of any placed to put a washer.