NYC Niagara 4-8-4 bad wheel gear

[OlddManWithHO]

Hi guys,

    Just got a Niagara HO 4-8-4  (#11306) off of Ebay and it has what sounds like a split gear on one of the drive wheels.  It thumps and jumps around on the track. How hard is it to repair this myself.  Cant figure out how to get bottom gear cover off.  Took off two bottom screws but can not pry cover up off of chassis.  Dont want to break it.  Should I send in to Bachmann for repairs?

[ABC]

Since your loco was bought on Ebay, unless it was from thefavoritespot, it is not under warranty to be replaced/repaired for free save shipping. If your loco has DCC then it is $25 for repair/replacement, otherwise if your loco is DC, it will cost you an additional fee to upgrade your loco and it will cost about $50 if I recall correctly. You have to pay shipping one way. I am in Cleveland currently, so I can't check first hand, but I think there are three screws on the bottom-check out the parts diagram under the product reference tab to your left.

[OlddManWithHO]

Yeah, I was planning to put in DCC.  I must assume that the upgrade is for putting in wires leading to the tender for DCC and not for the decoder itself.  I may go this route as that would save a lot of trouble getting the shell off without breaking anything.

It really ticked me off getting this loco from a seller that said it was running perfectly when It's obvious that it has a major malfunction.  But at $59 I think this could be turned into a good running loco with DCC and sound installed. 

[OldTimer]

I hope you left appropriate feedback. 

[Doneldon]

Old HO Guy -

I'm not so sure that Bachmann won't honor warranties from any ebay seller other than Favorite Spot.  FS is a first class operation, don't get me wrong on that, but I believe Bachmann will at least consider repairing your loco under warranty if you have the paperwork and the loco is obviously unused current merchandise.  That said, of course, upgrading to DCC would be on your tab.  Good luck!
                                                                                                   -- D

[OlddManWithHO]

I'm not even going to try to get original paperwork for this issue.  The seller I got it from is probably just passing off a damaged loco he acquired from somewhere.  I'll just contact Bachmann for repair as is and pay for it.

I think I'll fore-go the DCC upgrade as it properly just entails running wires to plugs between engine and tender.  I've managed to spot notches holding front of loco to chassis and got to see what's involved in rewiring for DCC.  Only problem I see is getting to bottom motor contact that is hidden.  I assume I have to take chassis totally apart to get to that area.

[ABC]

I think I'll fore-go the DCC upgrade as it properly just entails running wires to plugs between engine and tender.  I've managed to spot notches holding front of loco to chassis and got to see what's involved in rewiring for DCC.  Only problem I see is getting to bottom motor contact that is hidden.  I assume I have to take chassis totally apart to get to that area.

Basically the seller you purchased the loco from has put you in a bad situation. If your loco does not have DCC then you essentialy must pay the upgrade fee if you want a Niagra, because there is a 99% chance that they will not be able to make repairs for your loco because they do not have the parts or otherwise. In which case you will be sent a brand new Niagra already equipped with DCC (decoder already installed, you don't need to do anything). Since your loco does not have DCC, you do not have the option to have it replaced for $25 because the new locomotive is considered an upgrade. If however you do not want a Niagra, I'm sure Bachmann would be more than willing to send you a locomotive that they feel is equivalent back in return for your Niagra locomotive. This would probably be any Bachmann locomotive that does not have DCC or is otherwise considered of greater value. Also, the policy states that the warranty only applies to the original owner so unless the person you bought it from is a dealer or wons a hobby shop or something like that you're out of luck. I once bought a Santa Fe Northern 4-8-4 on ebay for $15 including shipping advertised as in Good running condition and it had issues to say the least so I went through all my options with the service dept. and decided to just pay the $50 or so and get a brand new loco back with DCC.

[ABC]

I'm not so sure that Bachmann won't honor warranties from any ebay seller other than Favorite Spot.  FS is a first class operation, don't get me wrong on that, but I believe Bachmann will at least consider repairing your loco under warranty if you have the paperwork and the loco is obviously unused current merchandise.

There are a few others,Internet Trains, Mark Twain Hobbies, are two, but I can't remember the name of the others at the moment. But anyways unless it was from one of these sellers then he's out of luck. And the Favorite Spot is the only one that has been selling brand new Niagra's within the past 6 months or so of all authorized dealers on ebay. Since his loco didn't have DCC it is most likely not "new", but occasionally things are "new-old stock", but these tend to be purchased and resold by unathorized dealers 99% of the time on ebay making you the 2nd owner. But, $50 is not bad to upgrade to a locomotive with a MSRP of $200. If he only wants to pay the $25 he still could get a decent loco with an MSRP of $80-90.

[Jim Banner]

These gears are often repairable.  The trick is find or make two little pieces of tubing that will just fit over the hubs where the half axles plug in.  Then when the axles are back in place, the split cannot open up and cause problems. 

Jim

[OlddManWithHO]

lol .... the warranty card is still in the box!  The card says I have 10 days within purchse to have it  warranty coverage.   Of corse can not use ebay purchase with this as it's not from a store.   Guess the original owner decided not to send it in.

There is a coupon in the box for a free color catalog for '1997 Plasticville 50th Anniversary'.  The loco looks brand new with no track residue on the wheels.  I think this is a store return item that has been sitting around and someone is trying to offload on Ebay.

Sent in a request for service repair but advised I was the second owner.  Bach mann guy!  Please speak up!  Dont want to send back if it's just a matter of a $5 part!

[the Bach-man]

Dear Old Man,
If you purchased a new loco from a legit eBay dealer, the warranty applies. If it was purchased second-hand from an individual, it does not.
In the latter case it can be sent to the service department for repair, but there will be a small charge. Give them a call to discuss the situation.
Thanks!
the Bach-man