I received my Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 today. I was very disappointed. It looks pretty nice but it runs, well, like plastic steam engines have always run. When going slow it’s jerky and when going anything above a crawl it has a very noticable wobble from side to side. I have only had 2 other steam engines. I had a junk delux mid 70’s vintage that you basically had to run full throttle to get it around the layout. About 10 years ago I was wondering if the plastic steamers had improved at all so I bought a Bachmann Plus 2-8-0. It was a little better than my 70’s vintage one but not even close to what I would call acceptable. I just didnt enjoy watching it, the wobble and the jerky slow operation. After reading for several years about how great the new Spectrum and P2K steamers were I decided to give it another try. This Spectrum runs about the same as my 10 year old Bachmann plus. I probably wont use it.
What experience have others had with the newer plastic steam engines?
pkeppers, return the loco if you can. I have 2 of these locos and have never had any problem with it wobble from side to side. It did start off jerkey but I cleaned the track and ran it to break it in and it stopped. Good luck.
I bought a Bachman Spectrom 0-6-0 and it ran a little rough out of the box but after running it around the track at high throttle for a while it broke in and performed alot better.
Mine is jerkey too. I almost never run the thing, and I’ll never buy another Bachmann engine again-from now on it’s Genesis, P2K, and BLI.
The Spectrum 2-8-0 is the first of this “new wave” steam, so it may not be totally up to the standard of right now. Mine is incapable of smooth low speed operation and she does wobble more than any other of my steamers.
Odd.[:I] My Bachmann 2-8-0 runs like a dream. Runs better than some of my brass even! I remember a little stiffness when I first got it, but that disappeared after the 1st hour of running.
If you can, return it. If not, set up a loop of track, and run the bejesus out of it![:D]
I love my 2-8-0 look at the wheels something is not working correctly
B -
I got it from Trainworld so I suspect that the best I can do is send it in for the factory warranty. It has a very noticable “lurch” when going backwards. Once per revolution. You can sort of hear a click. Not a sharp noise, but something definatly different as it goes past that “bad” spot. When I lift the engine off the rails and run it using only the tender pickups the noise is gone so it has something to do with the bearing surface of the axles or whatever the axles ride on since when there is no weight on it it’s fine. I’m not putting down Bachmann or anything but I had just expected “near diesel” performance, maybe something like a 20 year old Athearn would run. I also ordered a P2K 2-8-8-2. Should be hear in a few days. I hope it runs better especially since it is very close to a NP Z-4 and I’d like to do a mild kitbash on it and run it regularly even though the Z-4’s were never used on Stampede Pass. I just bough the Spectrum for the heck of it. I alway had in the back of my mind someday doing a little freelanced 1910 ore and log hauling railroad set in northeast MN using the Spectrum 2-8-0 as the main motive power.
I’m no expert: somebody more experienced expand on this:
Steam engines are inclined to be less out-of-the-box than diesels. It’s all those linkages: they are sensitive to the “quartering” of the driver wheels: ie not only do they need to be in gauge and aligned lengthwise, they also need to be aligned rotationally: all drivers on one side hit top dead centre at the same time, and opposing drivers out of step by 90 degrees (the latter is more important on the prototype than the models).
Also they suffer from weight imbalance more than diesels: their odd shapes compared to a diesels more symmetrical shape front/back mean they are liable to not have the weight over the wheels.
Then the lurching in reverse maybe points to some gear misalignment…
My point is: don’t give up on a steamer, work on it. They aren’t toys - they are delicate mechanisms. That’s why I find diesels boring [}:)]
Pkeppers,
Send it back to trainworld and ask for another one. They should be willing to do this because it was defective out of the box, not after you ran it for several months. I have two of these locos but I returned two others for exactly the problem you are describing. The 2-8-0s I kept run great. The P2k 2-8-8-2 should be smooth as glass. Mine is.
Good luck,
Guy
I’d be very surprised if Trainworld didn’t make good on this without a fuss. They have always treated me right. Keep us posted on how you do with them. I wouldn’t mess with it-it should run much better than what you described right out of the box. (I intend to add several of this engine to my roster soon and I’m anxious to hear how you make out)
Call it good luck, but all my Spectrum steam locos run like precision watches. I love 'em. I’ve got K4 Pacifics, GE44 tonners,Doodlebug, and a mike. All perform flawlessly and look great (to my eyes anyway).
I’d say there is definitely something that needs attention on the 2-8-0 you got. Mine were a little jerky at very low speeds right out of the box. I lubed the rods, etc. with Aero Products lube and ran them for about an hour at varying speeds. They smoothed right out. I’ve never had any noises out of mine, so I’d suggest either returning it for exchange or getting it repaired.
Tom Watkins
Speaking from a manufacturer’s point of view, it is unlikely all of these locos are tested as they leave the plant. Thus, it would be difficult to determine the cause of every glitch. However, the manufacturing process may leave burrs and flash which can cause problems. One of the most important aspects of getting a good running loco is break-in. You didn’t mention if you had run the loco for a break-in period. I would suggest running both forward and reverse and reverse the direction on the track and run the loco for several hours and see if this improves the operation. You could return for replacement, but don’t form any opinions until the loco has been broken-in. The only Spectrum loco I have owned was K-4 Pacific and it ran great. Also, some real steam locomotives had a wobble or sway, as they moved down the tracks.
Bachmann steamers are still the benchmark by which all other new steam should be compared. They get it right every time, wheras manufacturers like BLI and P2K have sometimes REALLY dropped the ball (the bad engineering on the T-1 chassis and the POS drivers on the P2K Berkshire leap to mind…)
I’ve got seven Spectrum engines, including four of the 2-8-0s, and they all run beautifully. Bachmann has a VERY good customer-service department. If you can’t run the engine into performing better, call up their service department and return it. They’ll send you a brand-new engine that’s been tested and proven to run properly. Don’t send the engine back to Trainworld; they just sell 'em, they don’t make 'em.
orsonroy is right, go to the head, not the butt. You will eat the postage either way, can’t be avoided,
but should be postage free on the return to you.
This is the first disappointment I have seen about the 2-8-0
I have one of these and it jerks at slow speeds. I can’t say I’m overly impressed yet it hauls a fair number of cars. I had it apart a couple of weeks ago and considering I had just bought it a month ago there was a fair bit of wear on the worm gear.
I think Bachmann’s are notorious for wearing out gearing fast.
The problem of gear wear is associated with several of the spectrum steam locos, and if you are not faint of heart you can fix the cause of this. First is to remove the boiler from the chassis. Then look at the metal piece that comes down into the steam chest/cylinder assembly. If that part has a slight rounded shape to it , the gear will wear faster than normal. This “rounding” of this support will cause the gear me***o be too loose, wearing out the outer edges of the axle gear teeth, giving the gear an overall “cupped” appearance in the middle of the gear. By filing this area flat, if rounded, the loose mesh problem is corrected and the gears now will have a normal life. I did this to my spectrum over five years ago and it still runs like a dream. More important, there is no sign of excess wear. Several of my clubs members did not do this and they have had to return their locos for repair.
All of us Spectrum owners should hit the print key and save.
Well said Alabama.