Maybe you can tell me where to look. Runs fine in forwards, aside from a once in a while bind at slow speeds, that works itself out. But in reverse, the engine can’t shove the train. If I tug on the train, finger on the roof of the obs and pull, she unbinds and the wheels turn at the speed set on the throttle, which is usullay the same speed I;m pulling (Ssssssllllloooowwww). There’s no skip like a crscked axle, there is a clicking from the bind, and I’ve had the enigne apart before, bu all the screws I’ve tried are tight, and again, she’s fine in forwards at any speed 99% of the time. (yes, that 1% does tell me there’s still a problem too, but I’ts got to matter that she don’t like backing) Oh, and if it’s jsut the engine, the problem is not as bad, but the binding still happens.
And if it matters, the train is a consist of 6-8 Spectrum cars. They are not weighed to NMRA, but they are heavy and I don’t have tracking problems with them.
This won’t make you feel any better, but I have had 62 engines on my layout over time, 15 of which are steamers, 5 of which are Bachmann Spectrum. Only 1 was so bad, performance-wise, that I returned it to the manufacturer and replaced it with a different steamer with a different wheel configuration. The Spectrum 4-8-2 was that awful.
As to your problem, if I read your post correctly, even without any cars attached, the binding problem occurs with the engine running in reverse. That seems to confirm that the added weight of the cars simply magnifies the binding problem. So, the binding problem is almost certainly in the gears, not the motor itself
I have no solution, but as a starting point, I would disassemble the engine once again and closely examine each and every gear for flaws chips and cracks or foreign matter such as ballast, then relube the gears, reassemble the engine, and try again.
Sounds like one of the driver pickup wipers is bend and getting caught in the driver spokes. This is a common problem with these locos if you do not handle them very carefully. Since they are a belt drive, there is not much in the way of gears to bind, just one worm/gear set, not likley the problem.
I have nine of these locos, they all run very nice and pulll well.
It will be interesting to see if one of the driver pickup wipers is the culprit. That was one reason that I returned my 4-8-2 to Bachmann. Several of the wipers had broken off of the copper sheet that they were part of causing jerky performance problems. Almost forgot about that. Good point. Incidentally, Bachmann told me that the part was no longer available and could not be repaired so they offfered me a different wheel configuration which I accepted.
Hello all. This is my first post although I have been in model railroading for over 50 years off and on, I have gotten more active than ever. I have several Spectrum 4-8-2 locos and all but one has had the same problem to some extent. The problem was the drivers where not quartered properly, anywhere from 1 to 6 drivers were off. after adjusting, most just by eye without disassembly they all have worked very well. Good luck
Thanks guys for looking in. I’ll check the wipers and quarters, though I know bupkiss about the latter, but I can get the club guys to help. It is interesting ou say that, since I’ve had an issue with the L shaped thingy on the piston set too. Sounds like a culprit to me.
I’ll keep the door open if anyone else wishes to pop in.
I’m trying to figure out what the L-shaped thing is. [%-)]
Mine was a little noisy when I first got it, but it was easy to quiet down. I also had intermittent problems with the power plugs between the loco and tender, and eventually removed them completely, along with the circuit board in the tender. Since I run DC, I replaced them with a pair of wires, and also wired the loco pickups directly to the motor. Throttle response is much better, and I’ve since re-wired all of my locos in this manner.
The one shown below is an Athearn Mikado with tender pick-up added, but the wiring is the same for the Bachmann locos.
The holes that hold the screws for the rods, cranks etc. Also he has found some on axle wheal holes! He repairs engines and has been known to put valve gear together (the ones held by rivets) in 15 min., it would take me more time to figure what goes where!
