This is the third loco I have recieved from bachmann and everyone of them the belt is slipping and will not pull 5 cars without slipping any help is thanful thanks Guy
Hi Hot Rod,
I also had one which would barely pull 7 or 8 cars. Liked the look of it but quite powerless probably due to relatively light weight. I since onsold it to a friend for whom the power factor is not such an issue. His belt drive was not slipping but rather the axle gear started to chew up on it and the replacement cost is high. A 2-8-0 I have has done much the same.
Can we get such gears? Seems not so. One often heard quote here in Australia is that some of the drivers need requartering and the gear seems to have a sloppy tolerance.
Its a pity that Bachmann seem to let themselves down in the performance department. I see where many people write that these engines are great runners but I’m not so sure about that! Will I ever buy another Bachmann of any kind? Most likely not. I like the look of them (fell in love with the 2-8-0’s when I first saw them) but I want something than performs at least as good as it looks. The fault to me is in the running gear and Bachmann would do well to have a look at Proto’s steamers. To their credit, they sent me a replacement 2-8-0 but the performance is not that credibly much better and I am expecting the gear problem to develop on this engine!
It is a gripe and a bit of a rant I suppose but you will have the issue of power as a constant problem, and I believe the gear will strip (where it meets the worm after the belt drive) in the fullness of time.
Regards from down under
Trevor
I, too, have 3 Bachmann locos - 2 Consolidations and a Heavy 4-8-2. All 3 are excellent runners and pullers. The first Connie I bought had a problem with the motor brushes about a year after I got it. I wrote them (a real letter, not an e-mail), explained the problem, and asked for a price on the motor (I hadn’t sent in the warranty card, so I figured I should pay for the part). Their reply, about a week later, was a box with the entire boiler-weight-and-motor assembly. No charge. I bought a second Connie a week later.
I have absolutely no problem with Bachmann quality, or their customer service.