I recemtly aquired two older bachmann steam locomotives. The only thing wrong with them is the little pieces of plastic that holds the wheels together are cracked or broken. I contacted bachmann and they couldn’t offer me any help with replacement parts. Does anyone have any suggestions or are they going to just look good sitting on a self ?
You could post pictures to confirm, but I suspect these are pre-90s locos that barely met the toy train category. The cracked gear/axle is a known problem with these locos and fixing these is practically impossible. You could search for spare parts on Ebay, but these will also break eventually as the manufacturer never really fixed the problem (on the models I’m thinking of anyway, which were the 2-8-0s and 2-8-2s). I had one that I dissassembled for adding details on other locos. I’m not a big shelf queen fan, but they would likely be good candidates for that. If it’s a 4-8-4, Bowser made a mechanism replacement for some of them, but I haven’t seen one of these in ages (Bowser does not manufacture things like that anymore…). Post a picture, maybe my assumptions are wrong.
Simon
If you can’t get the necessary parts they would be good roundhouse scenery (parked on open-air radial tracks with the stacks covered.) Or you can make your shelf into a diorama (anything, including a railroad museum) and pose them in their proper habitat.
I intend to do the latter for my small collection of US prototype HO (5 locos, a half-dozen or so freight cars) when I find my mislaid Round Tuit.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Check with NWSL: http://www.nwsl.com/
Give them a call and tell them what you have. They may be able to help. If not, they’ll be able to tell you just how hopeless it is.
I would post some pictures if I could figure out how.
Explained right at the top of this forum. Surprised you missed it.
Rich
Go to “general discussion” forums, the very first forum.
If they are the pancake motor type, not worth it.
Send loco and tender back to Bachmann with the appropriate amount. The details are in the Bachmann Parts section of their forum.
Service Dept. Informatio. $25.00 for standard non DCC locos.
I did this with a two motor 44 tonner and got back a single motor DCC ready. You might not get the exact loco back though.
I know others have done this the past few years.
Rich
It isn’t an easy task but I have made the axles in the past. It takes some patience but it can be done. Plastruct makes a thick walled ABS ¼” tubing that can be cut to fit. I used my bench drill press as a lathe to turn them to the correct size. I worked them with my set of mini files at about 200 RPM.
The tubing will except the Bachmann square shaft by applying pressure. I put both wheels with the homebrew axle between the jaws of my 5” bench vice and pressed them together using the NMRA wheel gauge as I applied pressure. It also requires a NWSL quartering tool for alignment
I screwed up at least a half dozen before I got four good wheel sets. I don’t run it very often but the locomotive still works after about 8 years.
Edit:
I agree with Rich . . . If they are the pancake motor type, not worth it.
M