Noise in my H.O. 44 tonner

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have two Spectrum H.O. 44 tonners with LokSound decoders installed. Both run great and sound good but one has a noticable noise, like a noisy gear sound, in one direction only. Both engines run at .002 amps in either direction, despite the noise, There is no hesitaiton nor “shakiness” when running in either direction. This really puzzles me and I hesitate to disassemble the engine since the LokSount micro 3.5 decoder is really a tight fit and the wires are fragile. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

John in Carolina

2

It’s pretty common for bachmann diesels. If they’re new start by doing a good hour break-in by running each direction for a half hour on about half to 3/4 power.

Some people have used pearl drops on the gears to quiet them down. You run it for awhile then clean them off. The pearl drops are a mild abrasive and rounds the gears some.

3

Thanks for the suggestion but this particular engine is older and the gear noise is in one direction only and the other engine is quiet in both directions.

John

4

The lack of quality control in Chinese products has raised its ugly head. Often no two locos operate alike.

5

Duplicate post. Note moderator; I did not do it. I noticed another duplicate post on the site from someone else.