odd noise from bachmann daylight

[James Patterson]

Hello all
I got a Bachmann daylight about a year or so ago and for some reason it seems to making a clanking noise from the driver and it waddles down the track. i know the noisy is probably the gear box so how do i open it to lube it? and is there a way to fix my waddling problem?

[Yampa Bob]

It sounds like one of the drivers has slipped on its axle. All driver crank pins on a side must be at the same rotational angle. If one driver is off a few degrees, the loco may "waddle" as you describe, due to binding of the side rods.

You might also check the crosshead at the front of valve linkage. The crosshead slides on a bar or pair of bars protruding from the piston box. The slides need a bit of thin lubricant.  If allowed to run dry, the crosshead can bind, even to the point of breaking the retainer clips.  This might be causing the "clanking" sound.

Inspect and lubricate the crank pins and all moving parts of the drive and valve linkage, including where the valve stem and piston rod move in and out of the steam chest and cylinder if applicable. IIRC, another possible cause of binding on a Daylight is in the linkage from the valve stem to the reverser. The "knee" of the linkage should be at the top pointing forward.

Good luck