average life expectancy of a bachmann locomotive

[sedfred]

how long will my locomotives last? i have a spectrum 4-4-0, a usra 0-6-0 from the desert flyer set, an f9 from the red rock express, and a 4-8-4 from the overland limited set. they all run fine except for the f9 sometimes. it loses power at random parts of the track. this locomotive is very picky about dust and hairs. if i get it cleaned out it works fine. i saw a picture of a overland 4-8-4 from 2007, and it was falling apart, it's valve gear was a twisted wreck and the wheels were falling out. is my beloved 4-8-4 due for the same fate in 7 years? should i get extra locomotives as spare parts sources in case this happens? can someone tell me how i can prevent locos from falling apart?

[kdgrant6]

What track are you using?

Losing power at random parts of the track sounds like an issue with loose rail joiners, not necessarily locomotive malfunction.

Use a voltmeter to check the consistency of current around the track.  If it's consistent, my guess is that it's likely the loco that's causing the problem

However, wait until more knowledgeable forum members have their say.

[ACY]

There is no hard and fast rule. For example a child may break a locomotive more quickly than an adult who handles it with more care generally. If you are careful and operate under ideal conditions, locomotives can last quite a while, however operating on carpet or other surfaces where the locomotive is adversely affected from hair, dirt, fibers et al, then don't expect them to last as long. I have a Union Pacific 4-8-4 from an Overland Limited set that still works perfectly fine and it is almost 10 years old.
Keep in mind that generally the more expensive a locomotive is, the more likely it is to be made with good workmanship and reliability, but this is not always the case.

[Len]

Before it closed last year, the LHS my repair shop was in had a 4-6-0 on a display layout that ran 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. It lasted 18 months, until some idiot tossed half a Sausage McMuffin onto the layout and knocked it to the floor.

Len

[Trainman203]

Like any machine, it will last forever with proper cleaning, maintenance, and replacement of broken comments.

Getting replacement parts is another story.

[Piyer]

I have both N and HO -scale Bachmann models that I bought in the late 1980s / early 1990s that are still mechanically functional despite having had their shells much abused over the decades - and that's without any maintenance beyond wheel cleaning. I have first, second, and third-hand models from other companies that are as old or older, that are still chugging along, too. For models of diesels and electrics, the biggest threat is oxidized pickups and busted solder  joints on wires. For steam models, its messed up side rods.

That said, for all models, powered or otherwise, the fastest way to shorten their lifespan is to have them take that mother of all plunges from the tracks to the floor. Derailments: the one area where model railroading is as realistic as the prototype (or more so!).

[Irbricksceo]

Like any machine, it will last forever with proper cleaning, maintenance, and replacement of broken comments.

Getting replacement parts is another story.

Ahh, but can we really say we're extending the life of a locomotive by using spare parts? If taken to the endpoint, the Theseus' Ship Paradox comes into play.

For those who do not know the paradox goes something like this: say you build two identical ships. One gets kept in the warehouse by the docks, the other sails nonstop between ports. As parts of Ship A, the one that sails, wear down, they are swapped with parts from the second ship and left in the warehouse. Eventually, when all the parts have been switched, where is Ship A, at sea where it had always been, or in the warehouse which now held the original parts. And it follows that where is Ship B.

To this end, if you buy enough parts to replace them all, you are basically just buying two locomotives and using one for parts (fun fact, the UP has two FEF-3 Locomotivces, 844 that is used, and another (I think it is 838) that they use for parts.

[rogertra]

Like any machine, it will last forever with proper cleaning, maintenance, and replacement of broken comments.

Getting replacement parts is another story.

Ahh, but can we really say we're extending the life of a locomotive by using spare parts? If taken to the endpoint, the Theseus' Ship Paradox comes into play.

For those who do not know the paradox goes something like this: say you build two identical ships. One gets kept in the warehouse by the docks, the other sails nonstop between ports. As parts of Ship A, the one that sails, wear down, they are swapped with parts from the second ship and left in the warehouse. Eventually, when all the parts have been switched, where is Ship A, at sea where it had always been, or in the warehouse which now held the original parts. And it follows that where is Ship B.

To this end, if you buy enough parts to replace them all, you are basically just buying two locomotives and using one for parts (fun fact, the UP has two FEF-3 Locomotivces, 844 that is used, and another (I think it is 838) that they use for parts.

This is how locos in the UK were overhauled.  The large collection of parts that went into the shop and engine No. 1234 were not the same collection of parts that came out of the shop as engine No. 1234.

As soon as an engine when into the shops it went in stripping bay.  Here, all the worn out parts or parts that had reached a point where they needed to rebuilt, like the motion, cab fittings, the boiler, and many, many other parts were stripped from the engine and sent to the various departments for reconditioning, rebuilding, or scrapping.  These departments, rather than take the time to repair the bits they had been sent, would just send identical parts from inventory back to the assembly shop, where engine No. 1234 was now being rebuilt.  When engine No. 1234 leaves the shop to go back into service, usually about ten days later, it may have a new, or rebuilt, or even a slightly different boiler, new or rebuilt motion parts from other engines, new or rebuilt cab fittings from other engines, ditto for wheels, and all kinds of other bits and pieces.  it may even have a new cab is the old one was too rusty or damaged to rebuild.

In the UK, for major steam loco classes there were spare boilers, wheels, motion and other parts so as to turn the loco around as fast as possible.  In fact, when they were still building steam, it was not uncommon for a brand new loco to enter service for the first time with a boiler, wheels and other parts from previously built locos that had already been shopped.

This is unlike how North American locos were overhauled as I gather from various books, they generally re-entered service with most of their original major parts.

Cheers

Roger T.

[CNE Runner]

You have asked a very complex question - one that has no definitive answer. When I was in the Lionel collecting phase of the hobby, I routinely ran locomotives that dated back to Lionel's standard gauge era (1920s). While some of these 'toys' had been cared for, or restored, most were 'finds' at numerous train shows and garage sales. With a little 'tweaking' all of them ran just fine.

All of the aforementioned posts are germane to the answer to your original question. Of all of these conditions, I would have to put lubrication at the head of the list. Model railroad locomotives (no matter the scale) are rather complex machines. Machines, by their very nature, have parts that will come into contact with each other...said contact will result in wear. Keeping your locomotive fleet properly lubricated (notice the word "properly") will go a long way in extending their longevity. [In physics input work never equals output work because of friction (which is always present). For that reason there has never been - nor will there ever be - a 'perpetual motion' machine as friction is an unescapable contradictory (or opposing) force in nature.]

The best thing you can do with your locomotives (in additiion to lubrication) is to run them. No machine will react well to inactivity. I have a Tyco/AHM/Rivarossi HO American 4-4-0 from the late 1950s/early 1960s that still performs...even with the motor in tender, AND that ridiculous drive shaft arrangement. How? By lubricating, cleaning and running the locomotive on a regular basis. [Now for the truth: I haven't run it, nor my meager brass collection in years. The Tyco is still capable of 'turning a wheel' whilst the brass will not...they have all succumbed to the 'siren call' of DCC.]

Unless you spent an inordinate amount of money on a particular locomotive, getting 8 or 9 years of good running out of one is excellent performance. One needs to keep in mind that these models are toys; and are not expected to last for eons.

Regards,
Ray

[Joe323]

Like a cat it depends on maintenance and avoiding accidents. Consumer Reports recently published a list of cars  that were likely to last for 200,000 miles. I would  think  this assumes proper maintenance and not banging it up.

[Len]

Having run a train repair shop for the better part of 15 years, I'll second what Ray said.

Especially the bit about "properly lubricating". Too much lubricant can be worse than not enough. It attacts dirt, and gets gummy and actually creates more drag on motors over time. And it does really "not good" things to motors if it gets on the commutator and mixes with graphite from the brushes.

For HO and N, most bearings don't even need a full drop of oil. So use a needle type appliator and put the oil on the end of a toothpick. Then use the toothpick to apply the oil to the bearings.

Len

[Br 98.75]

With my 2-10-2 it was a horrible life span of 6  weeks but my; 44 toner, doodlebug, 0-6-0(though now a brass tank engine),Sou Pac- S4, and my recently sold 4-8-4 Santa Fe, and my Tomas and Friends collection i got for her autistic kid to run, Plus my RARE BACHMANN JUNIOR 0-6-0 T =p(not rare at all) i love bachmann, and being a hobby store co-owner i love to sell them

[thewizard]

I have an F7 diesel from 1993, give or take, that is on my workbench to convert to DCC.