Railtruck and split gear..SOLVED !

[Hobojohn]

My (second) railtruck turned out to be a bad runner, right from the start.
It 'bumped' along the track with regular intervals.

Took the truck apart and examined the whole drive train.
Trouble was caused by both gears (!) on either end of the drive shaft, one inside the gear box, the other one in the 'differential'.
Both showed up 'widened' teeth because of a split

Quite essential parts. I therefore emailed the Bachmann parts department.

I sincerely hope they carry these wee small spareparts, otherwise the truck is of no use and has to be left on the scrap track....


John Baron
Netherlands.

[Hobojohn]

It is quiet out there at the partsdepartment...........

Hybernating?

Hope not.....................

[C.S.R.R. Manager]

John, I've heard that the US Service Dept. isn't that email savvy, and that you are more likely to contact them by phone.  Given your location, that may not be convenient, and if you get the machine, they may hesitate to call you back, but it might be worth a try.

Have you tried to contact the German office?  They might be able to help.
http://www.liliput.de/index.php?option=com_kontakt

[Hobojohn]

Thank you for the tip....

I have tried the English Bachmann first.

Hope they react, one way or another.

Selling trains is one thing.
supporting your customers another, is not it?

[robn30]

I've had the same problem, of the 6 trucks I have, 5 had either one gear broken or both, but Bachman Service sent out the parts to repair them. I just ordered the parts, rather than sending the trucks for repair. The parts were cheaper than the shipping cost, about $18 for all 5 trucks, and I had them in less than a week!   

robn30
Florida,USA

[Hobojohn]

Anybody in the States who can order the parts needed and send them at my cost to  the Netherlands.


Neither USof A, nor England, nor Germany gives any sign of Bachmann life.

Mr. Bachmann, what do you think of all this?

Sincerely

John Baron 

[the Bach-man]

Dear John,
From whom did you purchase the unit? I'd contact the dealer for a replacement and let him return the model to his source.
Thanks!
the Bach-man

[HHRR]

Guys,

The split gears on your rail trucks --- did you first notice a loud clicking sound and a lurching motion at low speeds?  Then the clicking was much lower at higher speeds?  This just started with my rail truck, and I haven't had the chance to take it apart yet.

Thanks,  Joe

[Hobojohn]

Imagine a wee little crownwheel in the gearbox near the motor (front) and a same one in the differential at the rear wheel.
A beautiful drivetrain, when it works.
Mine lurched from the beginning and clicked too. It was caused by the crownwheel that showed a crack between two teeth.

Mr Bachmann advised to go back to the shop that sold the truck to me. As I am living in the Netherlands, the truck was bought at the Favorite Spot in the Us of A, it just is not worth the cost and the effort. ((Imagine US Customs! They think every package from the Netherlands is loaded with a bomb or weed)).

Both German Bachmann (Liliput), the English Bachmann and Bachmann in the States when asked for service, do not bother answering you, not even that they do not have the parts (in stock). It is a 'two cent' part that could be sent for almost nothing.
Bet I am not the only one having truck drivetrain problems.
European trainmanufacturers  (Roco/Fleischmann) do support their customers with sufficient parts

So, my truck ended up in a box where it probably will stay till the time I am fed up with it and chuck it out.
One positive point though: My first Bachmann railtruck runs fine. Loaded with sound it is a pleasure to see it run. All my other Spectrum Bachmanns are fine too.
This truck however is a lemon.

Also, Bachmann, trains o.k. but do not ask them for parts. They only seem to shove boxes.
Sorry mr. Bachmann!

John Baron
Netherlands

[the Bach-man]

Dear John,
I'll see what our service department has.
Thanks!
the Bach-man

[Hobojohn]

Mr. Bach-man

Thanks, already for your much appreciated reaction!

John Baron
Netherlands

[Monte]

John, you said your first rail truck works fine and you enjoy the sound.  What sound system/decoder do you have in the truck?  What about a speaker -- how big.  How difficult was the sound installation?

The Precision Craft rail bus has a great sound system -- although each time it starts you wonder if it will crank over.  I bought a second rail bus and plan to install the unit into a Bachmann combine per the article in the 2009 On30 Annual.

Thanks for insights into installation of sound in the rail truck.

Monte

[Hobojohn]

It is about 2 years ago I added the following ´soundsystem´to my truck

Soundtraxx DSD100 LC sound decoder goose

I do not know whether this decoder is still available. There should be more ´goose/type ´ decoders around. In order to ´hide´the decoder replaced  the steakbed  by a Boulder Valley Models detailed freight box.

http://bouldervalleymodels.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=72

In it a one inch 8 ohm speaker makes this truck fun to hear.

John Baron
The Netherlands. 

[Hobojohn]

Hello Mr. Bachmann,

Have you had any luck yet in finding replacements for the split gears on my railtruck?

Greetings from the Netherlands

John Baron

(Still a happy Bachmann user)

[caf]

I have the same problem with both my rail trucks does Bachman send the parts. Like you my second rail truck was the same as the first. This seems to be a common problem  does the new gears made differently to avoid this?