Bachmann Union Pacific 866 Engine Not Working

[trainman203]

I have to say, sir, you definitely get an A for effort and a P for persistence for you loyalty to that dog.  I'da given up a very long time ago.

I have two Bachmann moguls and two decapods on the scrap line that, if I had your persistence, would probably get running again.  The decapods are almost certainly beyond repair because some moron tried to remotor them years ago, and gouged the frame out to fit the motor in, but I keep them for assorted parts. Especially the tenders, which I'll probably put behind a couple of Bachmann consolidations to shorten the wheelbase a little to fit on a turntable I've thought about getting. The moguls are probably repairable, but I've got 50 other engines that work, so, unlikely when I could be running a train instead.

If you are sentimental about this UP  diesel, and a contemporary version is available, why don't you buy a new one that runs good and put your sentimental shell on the mechanism?  I did that with one of my decapods.  I had decaled it years before for the Missouri Pacific, but the mechanism gave out because of the same fool that tried to re-motor the other two.  MP engine 949 is still in service on my railroad , into 16 years of service now, with many more years ahead due to the heart transplant it got a few years ago.

[jward]

I tend to agree with Trainman. I wouldn't have expended the effort because I know a pancake motored unit will never measure up to the performance of my dozen or so newer Bachmann GP40s.

But for somebody just getting back into the hobby, this locomotive provided a very good learning experience. You learned alot about how to approach troubleshooting your layout, and this process can be applied to many situations you will run into in this hobby.

If you'd like to see how much better designed the newer locomotives are, look for the Bachmann locomotives in the blue boxes. You can find these pretty cheap on Ebay or at a train show. They are one of the true bargains in this hobby. That's why I have so many of them.

In the meantime, connect that wire and have fun with what you have.