Anyone know where I can buy parts for Spectrum locomotives besides Bachmann? I need a pair of pilot steps for a 2-10-0 Decapod. Well actually only one step but hey spare parts are always good to have.
I looked on their site and the HO parts available are minimal at best. I’ve searched places like Greenway but so far nothing that matches up I would have to change out the whole front pilot assembly, don’t really want to do all that work for one lost step.
Thanks
Having recently completed a Spectrum parts quest, and gone thru a lot of frustrating stuff to succeed, I feel your pain. Bachmann did come through for me, but it wasn’t easy. Anyway, maybe I can help, or at least have you realize you are not the “Lone Ranger” here…
First off, Bachmann does have a “lifetime warranty”. In your case, it sounds like some of the body shell was broken - which I suspect makes the replacement your responsibility. If you get on Bachmann’s website and send in a repair request email, they will PROBABLY get back to you with instructions - advising you to send in the loco and payment ($20-30) for repair.
Another avenue is to look on Ebay and at shows for broken locos that you can use for parts. It would be extremely “lucky” for you to find just the part itself.
Good Luck!
Mobilman44
Have you tried Bachmann? Sometimes they can help, sometimes not. They were able to fill one recent parts request for me, some tenders not offered seperately, and some other small parts.
But on other needs they had nothing, so, it never hurts to ask them first.
Sheldon
That seems to be the norm with all of the Chinese made models today – the importers don’t stock repair or replacement parts except for their own warranty repair service purposes.
Cacole,
The fact that “spare parts for direct purchase” are not part of the imported loco process is a definite problem and a frustrating one at that. Spending $300 for a loco (and typically nice ones), only to find out a couple years later that a lost or broken part cannot be easily replaced is a real downer. I contrast that with the California made Athearn locos of years ago, where a replacement part was just a call away.
By the way, this is very similar to the situation Japanese car and motorcycle buyers found themselves in the '60s and much of the '70s.
Anyway, the US distributors are probably very reluctant to sink money in a significant parts inventory, but I sure wish they would.
Mobilman44
I’ve found Bachmann to be very good to deal with regarding parts for their steam locos. It helps to have available the parts sheet that comes with the model, as you’ll need part numbers when ordering. I skip the e-mail route entirely and use the 'phone, as it makes it much easier to specify exactly what you need. Some parts are sold only as sub-assemblies - I needed several Spectrum Consolidation cabs and had to buy the entire superstructure (cab, boiler, and some detail parts) as a unit. Occasionally, you can also get out-of-production parts, too. I bought a used 2-6-6-2 at the LHS, and needed to replace the cab, which had been damaged by the previous owner. The Bachmann employee to whom I spoke found a similar loco that had been returned on account of some other defect (they likely replaced the entire loco), and he was kind enough to remove its cab and include it with the rest of my order. Bachmann is also a good source of tender trucks, including axle wipers and mounting hardware - I equipped all of my Athearn Mikados with tender pick-up using Bachmann parts and have used complete tenders for other projects.
Wayne