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Bachmann locomotive repair

lotrI have a Bachmann 4-8-4 locomotive I bought used on eBay. It runs but very rough, speeding up and slowing down, especially on curves. I have tried to work with the contactors on the driver wheels, but haven't made much improvement. I was tempted to open it up, but the disassembly looks complex and I have no diagram for the re-assembly.

I was told that Bachmann will repair these free if mailed to them, does anyone know if this is true? If not, are there any recommendations for finding a repair shop or model diagrams, preferably in the Texas area?

Thanks

Reply to
Michael Mahan
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I do not know if "Free" is right word but for a minimal amount they may repair it. Afterall this is a second hand locomotive purchased off of Ebay.

Larry at Papastrains.com

Reply to
LarEyman

There can be many reasons why a loco is having that problem and they aren't all related to the electrical system. If you are using a cheap powerpack, you may want to put a grain of wheat bulb across the track and see if it brightens when the loco is slowing down. If so then you do have electrical problems. If the light dims when the loco is slowing down then you have mechanical problems as the motor is driving nicely but the load is higher and thus the back-emf is low causing more current to be requested and thus the lower track voltage. This technique works only with the reostat type powerpacks.

-- There are more Democrats on the Calif. Special Election than Republicans! Go count if you don't believe me! Bob May

Reply to
Bob May

Michael!

Bachmann charges $10.00 for Diesels and $15.00 for service. Usually they simply replace the unit with a new one. Send it to them with a check for $15.00 and ask them to fix the locomotive. Their address is

1400 East Erie Ave, Phila, PA 19124.

Hope that helps

Franz

Reply to
Franz T

My wife bought a Bachman Harry Potter set at the Ames going out of business sale. After she got it home, we discovered that the engine had been dropped on its nose. After calling them, I shipped the engine and a copy of the receipt to their Philadelphia address. Three weeks later we got back a good as new engine. My total cost was packing and shipping to the shop. But that was treated as a warranty repair. They claim to charge for non-warranty service.

Bob McConnell N2SPP

Reply to
Bob McConnell

Please clarify. Texarkana is closer to Chicago than El Paso (by about 20 miles)

Jay CNS&M Wireheads of the world, unite!

Reply to
JCunington

Check the drive axle. Bachmann used a split axle where each wheel and half axle were press fit into a center gear/axle. After time, these can slip a little and lead to the wheels getting out of alignment (quarter). The wheels can usually be twisted in the axle a little to bring them back to proper alignment with the other drivers. Just be careful, too much of this will wear down the fit. If this happens, a little crazy glue will hold it, just make sure it's right before you glue it.

Reply to
Rxrob

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