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Bachmann locomotive warranty

How much documentation does Bachmann require for the lifetime warranty on the locomotives they manufacture? I am the original owner of a several years (possibly over a decade) old N&W Class J locomotive and have the card stock box, foam packing and cardboard filler - but I'm unable to locate the purchase receipt or the package insert.

I've replaced the rear truck of the tender with a Microtrains truck. Does Bachmann have the reputation of requiring the inclusion of the tender when customers return steam locomotives for warranty service? If I don't have to return the tender I'd be less concerned about getting it back with a rapiedo coupler.

Was the more recent Class J release essentially the same mechanism and shell in different packaging?

Apparently the motor in mine has failed. I haven't made any attempts to determine if the problem is purely a motor failure or the result of a gearing lock up. The locomotive has been in the box for years since the evening it started smoking on the layout.

Reply to
RobertVA
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In my case they required none.

I had (and still have) one of their early Shays, and when the drive- train went south I called them and simply told them what had happened and which parts I needed.

A padded envelope showed up in my mailbox just a couple of days later, and proved to contain not just the two parts but an entire drive-train assembly.

~Pete

Reply to
Twibil

You should find all the info you need at the Bachmann website. There are some product diagrams also.

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I am sending back a HP 44 ton two motor. They will send me the newer single motor version.

If you send a loco back that is not made anymore, they will send a "near" equivalent loco back. As an example, a HO Climax loco will be replaced by a HO Shay loco.

r
Reply to
Rich

I had three Bachmann locomotives that, over the years, had failed. I'd put them in my display case, where they had just been sitting. All three were over 10 years old. When I was in my local hobby shop to buy a new Bachmann Diesel, I asked about how to get the old ones repaired. Bachmann will repair or replace any locomotive regardless of age for the original owner, for a fixed fee. They have the fee scheduale on their web site. He advised me to call before returning them, which I did. They did require me to return both the locomotive and tender. They did not ask for a reciept, which some what surprised me. The were very nice and provided one caveat. Over the holiday season, they get VERY backed up and to expect it to take about 60 days, maybe more. IT DID. It turned out no parts for any of my locomotives were available(not surprising, they were more than ten years old). A little over 60 days later, I received three brand new replacements. Other than the wait time(which Bachmann was up front about, I can't say enough about the Bachmann Warranty.

Reply to
Ronnie

On 12/3/2009 9:35 AM Ronnie spake thus:

Indeed; it sounds even better than the excellent warranty Craftsman had (and still has) on hand tools (bring in a broken one and get a replacement, no questions asked). Good to know.

Reply to
David Nebenzahl

Robert, this is a multi-scale discussion group and you didn't mention scale. You did mention Micro Trains so I'm assuming N scale.

If so, then the new Class J is totally different than the original. Mechanism has been redesigned and the body is now die-cast metal.

Also if you do sent it to Bachmann do not expect to get the same loco or tender. None of the parts you custom-installed (even things like DCC decoders) will be returned to you. They will most likely just give you another (not necessarily new) loco. But it will be working.

For more details about both releases see

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Peteski

Reply to
Peter W.

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