Cracked gears 44 ton

[jerryl]

In my previous post I mentioned NWSL as a supplier for Bachmann gears. I didn't mean replacement gears, I meant supplying Bachmann with the original gears. It would be a win, win, win.  Bachmann would have a reliable product & be done with the repairs & bad PR & be able to advertise their products as having NWSL gears.
   We would win by buying a loco that would be virtually problem free & NWSL would win with the added business.
   Hey Mr. Bachmann...think this over!

[Tom M.]

I received the promised replacement set of replacement wheelsets from Bachmann today.  As I inspected them for cracks just to be sure no defective ones were received in this shipment, I noticed that the design of the gear has changed a bit.  The thickness of the plastic axle portion on the "short side" nearest the gear has been visibly increased.  I didn't check the dimensions with a micrometer, but it appears to be twice as thick as the former casting.  I am sure this is intended to prevent the splitting in this location that would work its way all the way to the drive gear.  When the actual gear splits that is when the mechanism binding and erratic operations takes place.

The longer side of the axle casting appears to be the same thickness as the original ones.  I surely hope they recalculated the plastic's shrink rate and allowed for it.  I had several of my original axle castings crack on the long side as well, but none of these splits went all the way to the gear.

At this point, I am cautiously optimistic.  But, only time will tell if the problem has been adequately addressed.  However, at least it appears that Bachmann is trying to correct the problem.

Tom

[on30gn15]

Unfortunately, Bachmann seems more concerned with proof of recent purchase from a Bachmann authorized dealer than they are with recognizing that there's an actual problem with the product.

It is not beyond possibility that the first could be confirmation of the second.

[jerryl]

Doesn't seem to me to matter where you bought the product. Bachmann still manufactured it along with the split gears.

[railtwister]

This is one of my hot buttons, expensive model locomotives that can self-destruct inside a sealed package all by themselves without ever seeing the tracks. Split gears is one way this happens, another is the diecast metal that warps, cracks, and then crumbles, all on it's own. Either of these two things are clearly a defect in manufacturing, in either the process or the materials chosen by the manufacturer. If a product suffers from either of these two problems, they should stand behind their product and make it right for the customer no matter who the item was purchased from, what price was paid, or how long ago the item was purchased. This is totally different from an item that is worn out from excessive use or customer abuse. In no case should the manufacturer try to hide behind legal loopholes written into their warranties. Also, a lifetime warranty should be, as it's name implies, lifetime, not just until such time as the manufacturer decides they no longer wish to live up to the terms of the original warranty. Bachmann used to have a lifetime warranty for many years, but they discontinued it a few years (rather quietly), but there are still products out there on dealer's shelves that have documentation stating that the item is covered by a lifetime warranty.

To Bachmann's credit, most of the experiences of people I know who have dealt with Bachmann's service department have been very positive, and some of those go back as far as the mid-seventies. Hopefully, Bachmann wouldn't want to spoil a good reputation  that has taken so many years to develop, just to save a few cents on replacement gears. Also, I hope they are scratching their heads trying to figure out how to prevent such problems in the future, because the other improvements they have made in their products over the past few years have really been terrific (except for the lingering splitting gear syndrome). Unfortunately, all we can do is wait and see...

Bill in FL

[Bucksco]

Bachmann has not changed it's warranty policy. Bachmann products are (and have always been) covered by a Limited Lifetime Warranty. The product will be repaired or replaced for free during the first year of ownership and will be repaired or replaced for a nominal service fee for the life of the product after the first year.

It is important to note that most model railroad items are not produced in large quantities. They are actually manufactured in very small production runs compared to most other items produced by the Toy and Hobby industry and it is often a long time before more are produced. Bachmann always makes an effort to improve upon items in subsequent production runs - good examples would be recent runs of our Climax, 2-4-2 and 4-6-0 in large scale which include improved drive trains. The point is that it might be a while before another run of an item is produced but issues are usually addressed at this time. Bachmann consistently strives to improve it's products and stands behind them with the best warranty policy in the model railroad industry.