Defective Spectrum 2-8-0

[ABC]

Just because 1 unit is defective does not mean all of the shipment was defective, that could be the only defective unit in the shipment.

[Pacific Northern]

My LHS does not even have a test track.

Their policy is that if you purchase an item from them and it is defective it is up to you to deal with the manufacturer for repair/replacement. They do not offer replacements on any defective items, not even store credit is offered for defective items.

[Atlantic Central]

My LHS does not even have a test track.

Their policy is that if you purchase an item from them and it is defective it is up to you to deal with the manufacturer for repair/replacement. They do not offer replacements on any defective items, not even store credit is offered for defective items.

Time to find a new hobby shop.

Sheldon

[Pacific Northern]

My LHS does not even have a test track.

Their policy is that if you purchase an item from them and it is defective it is up to you to deal with the manufacturer for repair/replacement. They do not offer replacements on any defective items, not even store credit is offered for defective items.

Time to find a new hobby shop.

Sheldon

I only shop there on rare occasions, now shop  mainly at MB Klein and e-bay on occasion.

[full maxx]

the average hobby shop will not deal with the like they will tell you to deal with the manufacture...walmart will take back anything but a lot of stuff like electronics say on the box do not return to the place of purchase...contact manufacturer blah blah blah

[Rashputin]

   Reading through this thread reminds me of something that happened years ago at a site where I was working as a pipe welder.  We were welding stainless that was specially made for the job and everything was X-rayed after every weld.  One week every weld was being knocked down and even when cut out and replaced it would be knocked down a second time.  The company running the job moved all of us to another section of the job and started checking out their pipe shipment.  The story they eventually told us was that at the end of the month somewhere up the production chain, the company that was acquiring the pipe and responsible for ensuring that only pipe meeting spec reached us had been short of what they needed to ship and keep up to contract on their supplying the job on time.  In order to avoid missing a contract specified shipment date, they had just wrapped up and shipped one batch that had failed to test OK thinking that they would be better off taking some pipe back than being fined for failing to deliver on time.  Unfortunately for them, they were wrong and another firm took over making sure the job had appropriate pipe.

  Maybe there's a batch of these engines that were picked up from the "failed QC" bench in order to make up the final box or two that it took to fill a pallet.  It wouldn't be the first time such things have happened.  Are there any series or serials that could be checked to tell when the failing engines were produced and if they would have all been shipped at the same time?


  Regards

[Jim Banner]

Discussing this problem with a friend, I was reminded that a year or two ago we ran into a pair of defective Spectrum 2-8-0 locomotives that had prematurely failed.  Below is a photo of the innards of one of them.  We felt at the time that the root of the problem was that the worm countershaft was too short.  When the motor moved the locomotive forward, the counter shaft moved toward the rear of the locomotive (i.e. it moved to the right in the photo.)  With no contact between the end of the coutershaft and the frame casting, axial thrust  was controlled only by the clogged belt pulley rubbing against the frame casting.  The extra drag overloaded the rear bushing "B" wearing it rapidly at "A" and opening up a gap at "C."  The "dirt" at D was rubber dust which had shredded off the toothed belt from rubbing against the frame.



It was quicker and easier, in this case, to turn a new bushing shown at N in the photo below than it was to return the locomotive to Bachmann.  The new bushing included a flange to help keep the counter shaft pulley aligned with the motor pulley and at the same time controlled the axial thrust of the worm working against the worm gear.



What brought the fault to our attention was the locomotives' reduced speed and the noise of the belt and pulley shredding themselves.  Since the repair, the locomotive shown has been in service for many, many hours with no recurrence of the problem.  But it does make we wonder if there was a batch of Connies built with improper countershafts.

Jim

[bruceallen123]

I will say one thing, at least these locos are fairly simple.  Mechanically, there isn't too much that can go wrong, and should a problem occur that you can repair yourself, it's pretty easy.  I too agree with you that this is most likely what happened--except in my case there was NO lubrication on anything--gears or bearings...