Bachmann Deltic

"Kevin Rayner" wrote

Remove the screws which Bachmann told you to remove and the body should come off fairly easily. It's a two minute job assuming you've got a suitably sized cross-head screwdriver.

John.

Surely if it needs oiling after just 10 minutes running that is a warranty issue and Mr Rayner should be able to expect the retailer (or Bachmann) to deal with this issue under warranty - not just expect him to pull apart a model that he / might / not have the skills to do ?

Or demand your money back and buy one from a more helpful dealer.....

You are entitled to a replacement or a full refund....if it's mail-order, you can, having been supplied with sub-standard goods ie., not as originally advertised and/or described or offered, also claim the cost of the p&p originally charged plus the cost of the return p&p.

Colin.

If you still want to take it apart...

The screws are all "hidden" under the bogies (four in total I think). You will need to rotate the bogies to see the (well recessed) screws. With those ondone, the body just lifts off.

Adrian

"Jon" wrote

With respect I think it not unreasonable that routine maintenance such as lubrication is something which the purchaser should be able and willing to carry out himself, along with wheel cleaning and the like.

At least one manufacturer in the USA has stopped lubricating all its models at the manufacturing stage due to the number of complaints about oil & grease getting onto the loco bodies. Their instructions now state "lubricate before use".

I certainly wouldn't tell a purchaser to do this himself and would gladly assist but I doubt very much whether its a problem serious enough to justify returning the model.

John.

If the model doesn't run, is tricky to dissassemble and lubricate, the finish on the axleboxes is incomplete, and the dealer is uncooperative, I would feel inclined to return it for a refund and purchase one from a more customer-oriented dealer such as yourself.

You don't write Haynes manuals in your spare time, with those undone, the body just lifts off. I take it that there are only 4 screws. I have undone these and the body certainly doesn't just lift off.

Kevin

With respect, some half decent instructions wouldn't go amiss. Like where to find the screws, how many there are, how to lift the body off, how much pressure is required. The instructions that come with the model are, quite frankly, crap. Routine maintenance is one thing, putting enough oil in it at the factory so that it runs for longer than 10 minutes is another.

Kevin

Isn't it four under each bogie ? I've seen two taken apart and recall a lot more than 4 screws. Also it is beneficial to unclip the tension lock couplings. One Deltic lost a buffer when the coupling argued with it whilst the body was being refitted.

Mike Parkes snipped-for-privacy@mphgate.removetoreply demon.co.uk

"Kevin Rayner" wrote

Right there are six screws to remove.

Holding the loco underside towards you with one bogie upwards there are two screws behind each buffer beam and one to the lower right of the upper bogie with the other diagonally opposite at the other side of the fuel tanks.

All six screws are partially hidden by the bogies so you need to look for them.

Removing all six screws will allow the body to be removed easily.

I was under the impression from your original posting that Bachmann had told you where these screws were, otherwise I'd have tried to explain their location eariler.

John.

"Jon" wrote

Sorry I disagree; it sounds like it requires some very basic maintenance, which the retailer should have picked up & corrected at the point of sale.

What would you do when the wheels got dirty, or, say in the case of a Bachmann 08, when the electrical pick-ups got clogged?

John.

I agree with what you say, as you say it should be recitified at point of sale. Therefore the responsibility of the vendor.

Althought it is basic maintenance, surely you shouldnt be expected to have to oil the gears after 10 minutes. That would be like buying a new car and having to change the oil in the gearbox after an hours driving.

"Jon" wrote

More like finding a light bulb blown on your new car. No it shouldn't happen, but occasionally these things slip through. I can just imagine what a car retailer would say if you asked them to swap because your new car needed a new bulb.

Personally I think the retailer should check for these things - we test

*every* loco before sale - but I know many of the mail order people don't and have no plans to do this either.

On the other hand I still think a spot of oil is something the purchaser should be capable of handling himself, bearing in mind it is likely to want doing again at some stage in the future. I also think the manufacturers should make it clearer how to remove loco bodies to allow jobs like this to be tackled.

John.

I think ill leave this discussion here otherwise people are going to think we dont have anything better to do with our time :)

Jon

In news:c7q44g$unq$ snipped-for-privacy@newsreaderg1.core.theplanet.net, John Turner blithered:

Query John et al. While it is encumbant upon you as the vendor to ensure your customer is happy, something you do with more than necessary effort, have you thought what you are actually doing? You are performing your suppliers' outgoing inspection. He is supposed to provide you with a product to spec for you to factor. Not a kit of parts nor partially completed. More than likely your supplier doesn't perform outgoing, even on a sample basis, it is often seen as an avoidable expense. Quality is now 'built in' the production process is performed under SPC, Statistical Process Control, where production trends are monitored and variables tweaked/adjusted so that the final products fall within specified limits. The so called 6 sigma culture. If this is the case, obviously it isn't working satisfactorily, it would seem the necessary feedback is not being received or acted upon. While you're doing their job for them it ain't going to get any better. Keep any product you have to work on, give it physically to your rep when he arrives. And require a failed product report from their returns dept. sorry, customer satisfaction!

"GbH" wrote

We told some of our suppliers years ago that we were in effect their quality control department, but there attitude was very much take it or leave it.

A couple of interesting facts:-

a) Bachmann, for instance, don't credit us with the cost of returning faulty products.

b) Years ago Hornby claimed that every single loco which left Margate was tested before release. We actually received two loco's without motors - wonder how they passed the quality testing?

Seriously though I'd sooner be the quality control rather than leaving it to the customer to solve his own problems.

John.