It was 1975 and for my birthday present at age 11 my favorite person in the whole world gave me a Bachmann U36B Spirit of 76 N scale Bicentennial locomotive set, Seaboard Coastline.
I remember it to this day like it was yesterday. The gift was magical and I’ll never forget that feeling when I opened the present and I saw it. I cannot remember a better present since then.
It’s almost 50 years old now and I still have that locomotive. It’s very dear to me and I keep it on the fireplace mantel where I can see it every day.
My Grandfather was the Best Man I ever knew in my whole life. He wore a Scottish Tam of the Fraser plaid and took me on his routes in his oil tanker truck.
The original one doesn’t work anymore so I bought a replacement. After having one again I couldn’t help myself so I bought another one.
When I received both at different times from eBay I put them on a test track and ran them back and forth. They both work good in forward and reverse so I put them in the case and put them on a shelf.
Now that I am getting closer to having the track laid on my layout. I took out those old Bachmann’s to see them run again.
I hope one of you know the answer to what I discovered. It isn’t just one but both of them run in forward and reserved for about 45 seconds to a minute and then nothing, they don’t work. They stand dead in their tracks and nothing. After a few minutes again they run perfectly and smooth in forward and reverse and then after about a minute nothing.
They are running on brand new PECO track. I took one of them completely apart one night and looked at everything and couldn’t see anyting wrong.
They work for a while and then they don’t? Does anybody know what this is?
I would be more than happy to share more information if you need it. This one has got me
Some old locomotives used grease in their motors that dried up and cracked with age. I am not an expert in the matter, but that could be a likely cause.
TF. I’m already misty eyed from an email from a friend. Then I read your post. Wow.
Regarding your trains I know first generation Bachmann N was complete junk. I have a couple locomotives and they run like crap. And I love Bachmann! When were your units made?
and thanks for your touching story about your grandfather.
A ring a ding ding ding I think that’s it rrebell You just rang a bell
I thought because they were old a drop of lube in everything would probably be good I may have thought wrong just like putting new transmission fluid in an old car
TF: Put them both on the track and run them at the same time in the same electrical block. A loop of Unitrack would be perfect for this.
If they both stop at the same time, something is tripping the breaker in the power pack. If one stops before the other, the problem is in the locomotives.
My brother is coming over with a Tech 3 on Sunday.
I don’t know how good those are but he says it’s good and I’m sure it’s better than what I got.
P.S. You guys would like my brother. He has a one-bedroom apartment. He has modular layout sections that took over his place.
He has a kitchen, a loveseat, a coffee table and a bed. The rest of his place is layout and a fun place to visit. He is out of control but I like that Kid
Look at the picture, you have to squeeze out of the kitchen to get through the dining room
The top and bottom of the picture is where bridges will go. He’s working on them just like me
Before Bachmann started making serious improvements in their models 10 or 15 years ago, I always knew them as Botchmann too. The quality of older Bachmann was poor and I’ve never been a fan of the brand.
