4-4-0 american

[RBMN #425 Fan]

i got one of these in christmas '08. it ran fine until now.
i was actually able to get it to pull 10 boxcars!

but now it sounds like the gears are loose. i took it apart, none of the gears are loose, and none are missing teeth!
i don't want to send it back because it Philadelphia and Reading, which i don't know if they still make

[jonathan]

RBMN,

Forgive my ignorance.  Are you asking about the early American 4-4-0 (standard) or the Richmond 4-4-0 American Modern (Spectrum)?

Also, can you elaborate a little more on the noise you hear?  Is there a loss of pull force or just a noise?

Either way, as this loco is now 2 years old, the first thing I would check for is any dry bearings that may need a little lube, including the drive rods.  I would also look for any build up of dirt, hair or fuzz around the axles and current contact points.

On Spectrum steamers, I have found it easiest to to turn the loco upside down and remove the contact plate to check for dirt, lubrication and loose gears.  It's a little tricky, because you have to be careful handling the pick up brushes.  However, it sure beats having to remove the shell and open the motor housing.  That's just me.

Regards,

Jonathan

[RBMN #425 Fan]

thanks and I'm talking about the standard.
and yes I'm loosing power some times with no cars.
the noise is like the gears are slipping and grinding (it gets worse in reverse)
as in your 3rd paragraph, that was the first thing i did
thank you!

[jonathan]

Gotcha.  I am on my second little 4-4-0 standard (B&O Royal Blue of course).  The first one died when... well you don't want to read about that (operator error).

So far mine has held together.  I must say I am concerned about the drive shaft that runs from the tender to the loco.  I have heard that shaft can wear down and start slipping.  Hasn't happened to me, but you may want to check for wear marks on that shaft.  That could be an issue.

My present one was starting and stopping intermittently (jerky movement).  Turns out the tender pick up brushes were not making good contact with the axles, so I repositioned the brushes to sit under the axles.  Worked great and the loco runs like a champ.  Eventually I will put the brushes back on top, since they probably have a nice little bend in them now.  If you see any blue sparks, check for pick up contact.

These locos can be had pretty cheaply... and for good reason.  Of all the great Bachmann products, this loco is probably the most toy-like.  As reliable as mine is, the wobble is reliable, too.

Here she is:


One can't help but be attracted to these little locos.

Hope you find the offending noise maker.

Regards,

Jonathan

[RBMN #425 Fan]

I'VE FOUND IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
as it turns out, the shell was loose. the cab actually. and because the cab was loose, the gears weren't being held in place

now its back to 15 boxcars with no problem
(these cars all have plastic wheels, and the trucks are to tight so its more like 20!)

[jonathan]

Congrats, RBMN!

Glad it was a simple fix.

R,

Jon

[RBMN #425 Fan]

Congrats, RBMN!

Glad it was a simple fix.

R,

Jon

yeah, sadly it only works fine in forward, still the same in reverse.
but i noticed the headlamp doesn't work sence i got it back together

[jonathan]

Hint:  the headlight current is supplied by the pony truck ONLY!  Perhaps when you disassembled/re-assembled, you put the truck or wheels in backwards.  Worth a try...

Regards,

Jonathan

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

Here she is:

Looks pretty good with those Mantua Classics passenger cars. Maybe I should take another look at these engines.

[RBMN #425 Fan]

Hint:  the headlight current is supplied by the pony truck ONLY!  Perhaps when you disassembled/re-assembled, you put the truck or wheels in backwards.  Worth a try...

Regards,

Jonathan

i made sure of that befor i put it back together
because it would short it out.  and the wire that goes between the engine and the tender is for the headlight. and theres only one wire on the pony truck

[JohnM]

Hi

I'm looking for the PRR version (as being simpler to change to my Brockville and Westport #65). Does anyone know how easy it is to convert to DCC? Could you recommend a decoder?

Thanks

John

[richg]

Hard wire in a Digitrax DZ125 decoder. Convert the tender trucks to all wheel pickup. You will need it.
If the loco does not have driver pickup on the left side, add them. You will need them.
Follow the NMRA DCC wiring code.
Try to add some lead shot to the tender.

My tender drive locos with an older Lenz N scale decoder made about six or so years ago.



Rich

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

My tender drive locos with an older Lenz N scale decoder made about six or so years ago.



Rich

Rich, do you have a picture of the car coupled behind the IHC engine in the foreground? Looks interesting!

JBJ

[richg]

The car is a 1870 Union Pacific Photographers Car the was sold by BC Models when I bought back in 1996.
The new company is Bitter Creek but he has not started releasing the kits yet as he works a regular job.
The line of HO and HOn3 is 1860 to 1910.
Go to;
http://www.hoseeker.net/

click on Literature and look for Bitter Creek. You will see the BC Models catalog at the bottom of the page. The new owner is supposed to release some of the cars.

Do a Google search for up photographers car for the history.

Rich

[surveyorbill]

Hey old pard. I got a Bachmann 440 CB&Q from 2009 I will give you a deel or trade on. It has about 4 minutes of run time.

SOL. This does not mean SOL. BR.