gear trouble?

[trmwf]

I have been out of On30 for about a year and am thinking of getting back in it.  In doing some reading here to get caught up I keep reading about "gear" problems on locos.  What's this all about?  Has the problem been address and is it wide spread?

[NarrowMinded]

Personally I have had no problem with gears. There have been cases of split gears reported, I don't think its a huge problem especially considering Bachmann has great customer service and will take care of you if a gear does go bad. I have twelve Bachmann locos in various scales some old some new, four are ON30.
It may seem like there are lot of postings here for gear problems, but consider the fact that nobody comes here to post that their loco is running fine with no gear problems. as a result it's hard to really gage if there is a big problem or not.
I would just try to buy from a shop that will back up the product and handle
any repair problems arising from a manufacturer defect. 

NM

[C.S.R.R. Manager]

The gear problems that have been reported are isolated to "geared" locos, namely, the Shay and Climax, which actually use the gearing system to turn the wheels.  Locos that have "rods" are unaffected.

manager

[trmwf]

Thanks guys.  I had a shay and 2 climaxs previously with no problems so I guess it is something that I just won't worry about and get me another climax to start with.

[foles1]

I originally reportred a problem with the axle gear on my gas mechanical I bought used.  Ran ok when I got it.. Went so far as to buy a new set of axles from the parts dept(great service), but the problem all along was GREASE!  The original lube hardened and broke off, got between the plastic gears, and wiped out teeth.  I can buy a new chassis with gears, for $15, spent $15 for axles, and the cost for a new one is too reasonable to do that. So, the moral of the story, is to take apart the drive train, clean out the old grease(mineral spirits work well) and relube with some good Kadee #106. Did this with all my On30 locos. Might not be as much of a gear problem as we think.

Bob Foley