Big hauler 4-6-0 & Annie 4-6-0 Chassis prices

[Loco Bill Canelos]

Hi All,

I was helping a friend buy a new chassis for his Standard Line Big Hauler 4-6-0 and noticed that of the 8 styles available 4 were sold out.   The current prices is as low as it has ever been at $40 each.

Prices have gone up if you need to send your loco in for repairs. As of July 1st 2019 the price for repair is $110 for large scale powered items.  Remember the lifetime limited warranty is available only to original owners with proof of purchase as stated in the service info.  If you buy a locomotive, even if in original packaging, units purchased at flea markets, railroad swap meets, garage sales, online auctions of previously owned products, and similar venues are NOT covered by  warranty.  check out this link for specific details: 
https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/service.php

The price for the Anniversary 4-6-0 chassis with the metal siderods and detail parts are currently selling for only $45.  These are perfect upgrades for the Big Hauler 4-6-0 and have never been cheaper.

Both chassis are the latest and greatest very reliable Version 5 chassis!  There are no replacement chassis available for the version 6 chassis, so if you have one and it needs repair you will have to replace the chassis with a version 5.

Replacing a chassis yourself continues to be the most economical way to repair your loco and with care is not very hard to do. 

Check this link for repair tips and assembly and disassembly info:
https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,30394.msg224039.html#msg224039

Remember that the above are the current prices and I have not yet upgraded the info in the repair tips link.  I will try to get that done in the next few days.

If you think you will need a new chassis in the future, now might be the time to grab one to have on hand.   With Bachmann, when a run of product gets sold out, there are often no future reruns! 

Keep having fun with your large scale trains

Loco Bill

[Joe Zullo]

Thanks for the update. 

[cgpiper]

I'm really new to G Scale, so please bear with me. I'm interested in getting one of the chassis that you mention to upgrade. I have three older Bachmann 4-6-0 locos, but there are no obvious model numbers on two of them, and the third is numbered 8254, green, Southern Railways. Is there a way to determine which of the chassis offered by the Bachmann store that will fit?

[Joe Zullo]

They all can fit. 

[Loco Bill Canelos]

Not only that but there is a 25% off parts sale going on til Nov 2.   Check out the link below for more information on chassis replacement and how to identify the chassis you currently have:

https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,30394.msg224039.html#msg224039

If after you read through the link if you have questions, we will be glad to try to answer them.

Loco Bill

[Mark Oles]

Reminds me, I have to take a look at the anniversary motor block we bought a few years ago.  It runs OK with a 10 pin analog piece in place on the non-plug and play board, but when I install the REVO board, it causes problems. Fried at least two. Better check for dead shorts again.

[DoyleS]

Thanks for the posts Bill,
I have 3 older Big Haulers, Rocky Man 90015, Royal Blue 90016, and Emett Kelly 90020.  All run very rough and always have. I was getting ready to part with them and found the forum.  Ordered three different Annie Chassis today and looking forward to the upgrades.   
Thanks

[Joe Zullo]

Reminds me, I have to take a look at the anniversary motor block we bought a few years ago.  It runs OK with a 10 pin analog piece in place on the non-plug and play board, but when I install the REVO board, it causes problems. Fried at least two. Better check for dead shorts again.

Check out this article. It may help you with your problem...http://ovgrs.org/the-trains/sound/bachmann-4-6-0-annie/

[DoyleS]

I received my 3 Annie Chassis.  Boy do they run a lot smoother than my originals. 
Only issue was that the 81097 Chassis arrived with wobbly center drivers and I could hear something rattling inside.  Since it was the first one I was changing, I didn't realize it until I had mounted the old shell on the new chassis.   I opened it up and there is a plastic joiner that connects the two wheel shafts and it was in 2 pieces.
I  sent an email and pictures to Bachmann over the weekend and hope to hear they will send me a replacement.
I tried calling this morning but the phone tree choices didn't match with my problem.
I guess I just have to wait until they get back to me. 

[Loco Bill Canelos]

Bachmann will make good when the error is theirs.
This is their busiest season if you do not hear from them call them on the phone.  have your invoice or shipping documents handy.

Bill

[DoyleS]

Finally got through on the phone line to a person in parts, she couldn't help me as she didn't have access to previous orders but she transferred me to Bob who was one of the managers.  Took Bob all of 2 minutes to pull up my order and tell me that a new 81097 chassis was on the way to me along with a return tag for the broken chassis. 

Great service and I have to say I love the look and smoothness of the 81XXX chassis. 

[Loco Bill Canelos]

Doyle,

Glad it worked it out as I knew it would.  In many cases, they are overwhelmed by emails, especially now in their busiest season, so the phone is often the better way to go, even if it takes a try or two to get through.

Bill

[Stokerman]

I must have gotten one of the very last version 5 chassis at the $45 price, a #81095 SPC. Ordered it last Friday 1-17-20 and received it earlier this week. I now see they have about doubled in price to $79.95 from what my order went through at one week ago. Still a bargain price if you need one as far as I'm concerned, just not as good a bargain as it was last week.

Meanwhile, I continue with my efforts to learn the idiosyncrasies of these rather amazing little machines. My SPC #21 Annie, which I modified to R/C & Battery, now has some thirty or forty miles logged, and running a five car passenger consist around my test loop today for most of two hours at between 25 - 30 scale MPH with 2.5% grades, I noticed excessive wobble on my left front driver. So today I learned to tear a driver down and shimmed the axle end insert with scotch tape ..... we'll see how that holds up, but it is definitely much better for now. A 9/32 hex driver made the perfect wrench to pull the connecting rod screws!