I was a little disappointed at the response from Bachmann.com USA to my request for replacement hand rails, grab irons, and cab windows (all for Spectrum diesels).
Apparently they may have a truck coming in with some railings at the end of July and I can call back to see if they have some for my particular locos (an H16-44 missing some at the moment)
As for cab windows (which have a history of popping out and going missing from Bachmann diesels), I was told I must order an entire shell, then break out the window to put in the old shell.
That got me to thinking there must be a better way. However, since I live in a small town, there are no swap meets and shows to look for little details like these, or for old locos for parts. The next swap type show is in November and 200 km away.
Does anyone know of a site or forum wherein people swap parts or sell off old shells and non running locos for parts? I don’t mean Ebay.
Otherwise, what is a good material to use to make my own railings?
I asked via email from Germany to get some parts for my H0 Spectrum 4-6-0. They told be to send the loco for repair. I guess they have no understanding of cost of shipment.
Next I asked my dealer for support. He asked via fax and got the same answer.
Conclusion: Don’t break your Bachmann if you live overseas… You have to buy a new one.
ps. Yes, they have a German partner/agent but that one is even worse…
The closest I could find was a set for an H-24-66. These are brass stantions and brass wire handrails from Smokey Valley http://www.smokeyvalley.com/Catalog.txt They can be ordered through Walthers and other on-line shops. I have never used SV handrails for these units, (but I have for many others), so I don’t know how adaptable this one set is for the other loco. SV kits come with very nice cast brass stantions and .019 pre-bent wire for the handrails which is a bit oversize, I usually use .012 or .015 brass wire, available from Detail Associates (thru Walthers) and bend my own using the kit wire or the diagram that comes with the kit as a pattern. In your case, you may have to locate a drawing and/or photos for your particular loco.
I am dissapointed to hear all the troubles people are having with Bachmann service as their’s used to be one of the best in the industry.
There’s an HO yardsale group on Yahoo where you can put out a request for particular parts.
Anyone having some to sell can E mail you and work out the details. It’s the most active buy/sell/trade site I’ve seen. (and it’s free)
If you are being asked to mail the unit to Bachmann in the USA then I am assuming you purchased the engine from a USA distributor/vendor.
Not sure what mailing charges are to send the item from Germany to the USA but is it not cheaper than buying a new locomotive?
As to repairing an item, I have yet to actually hear that someone - anyone - had their unit repaired. It appears that a new replacement unit is the norm.
At least the Bachmann warranty covers replacement, I know of no warranty that would pay for shipping an item back to the manufacturer.
Back in the '90s I bought an N-Scale dash 8 dash 40c from a vendor at a GATS show; I was, admittedly, paying more attention to the price than anything else and did not discover until some time later that the handrails and stanchions were missing from the box. I approached my local about how one got replacement parts from B’mann and was informed that one had to go directly to the company. Another customer stepped up from the back of the store and said, “Don’t even waste your time!” I didn’t! I did come up with a 1-800 number which gave me an answering machine which I detest but I did leave a message which was ignored. So I ordered a set of stanchions from Gold Medal Models ®.
I have been a defender of B’mann here on the forum, in large measure because, when it gets boiled down to the grit, my dash 8s, if a mite noisy, have held up well in service but the fact that you cannot just get replacement parts from them is one of the reasons why I will most likely refrain from purchasing B’mann products in the future.
In my case warrenty does not apply. It was my fault and I “destroyed” some parts (current pickup of the loco) and modified other parts (Loksound decoder in Tender with additional weight etc.). Bachmann is by no way responsible for the status of the locomotive.
Therefor I want to “buy” e.g. the current pickup of the loco. At this time only the tenders has pickups. I guess you see the problem. We are talking about goods of a value under $5. Shipment of the engine is one way more than $30 with USPS.
Thanks, Loathar. That’s just the kind of help I needed. I have just joined that Yahoo group and posted my request. Now that I am on this group, I can perhaps help others with some spare parts from all the old locos I have around.
I do agree that I have had good service from Bachmann in replacing entire locos when needed. But I think that is their forte. They would much rather hand you back an entire loco than get into the parts business which would entail more staff and work on their part.
I guess that gives us a good idea of the actual non-retail value of a Bachmann diesel. Must be somewhere around $8 to them. Some that sound as if they were using old Evinrude outboard motors are worth about that. Yet like many of you, I love to collect them and turn them into something smoother. [C):-)]
I shot them an e-mail almost a month ago asking if their was a differecne between the decoders in the FT-As and FT-Bs. No response yet, just like NCE asking about one of their decoders.
BTW, I’m been trying to get 2 bachmann FT-A chassis to put under 2 shells I have, yahoo groups was no luck. (I also asked about BN SD45s, but I only got a response from someone wanting to sell to DRGW SD45s)
With NCE, it’s best to call them, they are very helpfull. Their spam filters are often set too high and a lot of emails just don’t get through. Mon - Wed are best, Thursdays are busy but you might get through, Fridays they’re off to train shows. I think there’s only 3 or 4 people in the whole office/service.
Glad you posted that. I sent them 3 e mails about a bum decoder and got no reply. I didn’t know if they were blowing me off or in the middle of their move. Guess I’ll try calling.
As far as I know (I’ve had both the FT-A and FT-B) they both use the same type decoder. The only difference is the one for the FT-A has an LED for the headlight and the one for the FT-B doesn’t.
My experience with NCE’s customer service has been good, however recently it has declined due to the absence of their lead support guy. Larry Larsen was in an accident and from what I read he has had significant complications and is still out.