I have an N scale Dash 8-40 C which I’ve been very happy with. It does not run nearly as smooth as my Kato, but it is probably the equal of my P2K locomotive.
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After ‘fixing’ several Bachmann ‘Spectrum’ series engines for a LHS, this is what have found. Several had the clip for the ‘worm’ pop off - simple. Some sucked up ‘lint’ from running on the floor - A ‘cleaning’ resolved the problem. Most of the ones that had not ‘died’, were close to it - the motor bearings lose lubrication and start to make a ‘squealing’ noise. For these motors(some have plastic bearing surfaces!), a drop of plastic compatible oil(like Labelle 108, IIRC) will get them running. Some folks make thing worse by dumping ‘3 in 1’ oil into the engine from the bottom. One guy even shot a small can of WD40 into the engine. This stuff can attack plastic in the trucks and the gears. Different runs of the same engine may have different motors as well. I ‘de-grease’ the engines, and put Labelle plastic compatible lube on the gears, and Labelle 108 oil on the bearings(worm and motor). If the motor is not burned up, they seem to run quite well. The problem is that one has to ‘lubricate’ them every 5-6 hours of running time since most of them do not have ‘oilite’ bearings. I honestly believe that they are getting better, but I would not want to run them with a heavy load for a week-end at the local mall ‘train show’.
For myself, I have several Bachmann ‘Spectrum’ steamers and they run very good. I have one 44T spectrum center cab(old 2 motor run). I have had no motor burnout problems with it(but I do not have very many ‘miles’ on it). Most of my diesels are Atlas/P2K/Kato/Genesis - solid performers.
Jim Bernier
That’s good to know![:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
I’m feeling even better about having a new 8-40CW on my Christmas list![:D][:D][:D]
Trainworld has them right now for only $30!!! That’s a lot better than $135!!![:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]