Bachman Monopoly Train Set with Engine #1935

[allstate8114093292]

Hi all.  First post on here. 

I, like many dads, received a few presents over the weekend.  My youngest son, like my other sons and daughters (all grown), knows that I like older stuff.  Old autos, old Nascar stuff, etc.  Well, yesterday, he and his wife came to the house with an HO train set to give me, and they were excited that they found it at a decent price.  Whatever the price was, my granddaughter said it was a lot.  Unfortunately, when I pulled the steam locomotive (smoker) out of the box, it was broken.  By that I mean one of the pushrod guides was broken off, the rear hook for the tender is missing, and the back and middle set of wheels fell off.  Looks like there is a plastic piece that the axles on the middle and rear wheels push into to keep the wheels on.  From what I can tell, that center plastic piece on both rear and middle axles is cracked, and that is probably why the wheels won't stay on.

I don't want to let my son know he sort of got taken.  However, this part is hard to figure.  The caboose, all the boxcars, and the tender look like they haven't ever been run.  I mean like brand new.  The sign set and the Police Station are still sealed.  Everything looks perfect except for the loco. 

Anyone else on here have that set and maybe had that wheel problem?  Are chassis parts still available for this engine?  It was manufactured in 1998. 

I know this isn't made with the wheelbarrow technology of the old metal trains, but I would like to salvage it if I can, so my son and his wife can see it run, and not know that it was broken.  I have a feeling they bought it at a garage sale or flea market.  Set is perfect and complete, but just a slightly messed up loco.

Any help will be appreciated.

Jack

[Guilford Guy]

If you could post a picture of the locomotive, and offending parts, it would be much easier for us to help.

[rustyrails]

As a dad myself, let me suggest a small subterfuge.  The quality of Bachmann locomoteves has increased a LOT over the past 10 or 12 years.  If I were you, I'd buy a current production engine about the size of the one that came with the set and get the hobby shop guys to replace the coupler on the new tender with a horn-hook type that will match the rest of your equipment (no big deal).  Good Luck.
Rusty

[allstate8114093292]

Guilford, Rusty, thanks for the replies. 

About the time I wrote the above, I also wrote Bachman, and today Bachman responded and told me to send them the engine, and they were sure they could put in the same running mechanism; and, for any reason they couldn't, they would update it with a slightly newer motor/wheel ass'y.

So, I will let you know how it goes when it comes back. 

I belong to a forum called Handymanwire, and they require pictures to be hosted before putting them on there.  Course, I have never figured out how to put pictures on there, so I just post. 

Does the same scenario apply here?

Thanks again Guilford and Rusty.

Jack

[Guilford Guy]

You have to host them to a third party, and then post the link to the image inside image brackets on her.
http://www.photobucket.com is what I use, but some like imageshack, or flickr.

[bevernie]

 :DGREETINGS!! ???Have you contacted BACHMANN concerning the problem? If the engine is presently, or will be in stock, perhaps they can replace it... possibly even free! (Since it would be real good PR on this board where BACHMANN has suffered a lot of -maybe undeserved- bashing!!
    How about it, Mr. B?     (If it is in stock, the most it will cost to repair/replace it will be $15.00!!)
                                                                                     THANX!!
                                                                                    Ernie