On30 Railtrucks

[DWU]

Anybody else SUFFERING from stripped gears in the rear of the railtrucks?Ive had 4 in the past,another one now,unrun right out of the sealed box! Cmon BACHMAN ya know theirs a problem,address it!

[2foot6]

YES ,unfortunately I have suffered the the same problem.I,m reluctant to buy any motorised vehicle that may suffer the same demise.I take care of my rolling stock,starting and stopping gently,but still suffered a failure,resulting in an expensive static model.

[DWU]

Thanks 2foot6,I dont know about you but I know and Bachman knows they have problems with gears in other locos too.For the cost of locos I dont think we should have to repair it ourselves or 3 days after buying it have to return it for repair and hope its repaired FREE!I dont abuse my locos either,I didnt have a chance with this one it was SHOT right out of the box! OK Bach Man how about your side of the story!

[dutchbuilder]

I don't know about the backend but i had problems with the small gears in the front gearbox.
After contacting and explaining the problem, Bachmann sent me an unpainted railtruck for spare parts.

Ton

[Broken Shay]

Have 3,  all three have stipped gears,   sent one back twice.  Now they are shelf queens.  Have thoughts of repowering one, but not rite now.

[WTierce1]

My climax in HO scale has a small problem on the front truck but not with the others. I can't tell what the problem is. It doesn't have a problem unless it has to large of a load that holds it back. They should make the gears metal and not plastic. That would be a VERY good idea.

[lokonaut]

Anybody else SUFFERING from stripped gears in the rear of the railtrucks?

Yes, I just noticed that I do! My railtruck is new right out of the box.
Let's see how Bachmann will handle the problem (for a german customer like me)...

[the Bach-man]

Dear All,
If you bought the truck in the US, contact service.
Loconaut; contact the dealer from whom you bought the truck.
Thanks!
the BAch-man

[DWU]

Returned my railtruck,and it will be replaced free! I asked about the problem and was told yes their are gear problems with locos,Boy thats reassuring to know!

[ngbobme]

I also have experienced issues with the rear end gears on both of my railtrucks. On both of these vehicles I have spent considerable time, and expense, on cosmetic upgrades (Mt. Blue body on one), and to send them back for replacement is out of the question. Both were acquired in the U.S. but my dealer, here in Maine, is essentially out of business. So, there goes a second alternative. Replacement parts of good quality should be available for those modelers who want and are able to use them. Period.

Bob Bennett

[DWU]

I am a custom builder,I recently returned a Railtruck with alot of work done to it,I removed what I could.I must admit they contacted me fast,but said the original could not be repaired which I find hard to beleive.After explaining my problem they did send a new one and the bad one back to me,I had to start all over again.I was assured their are no gear problems with these.To their credit both were at my door within a week.I would tell you to do as I did,return them to Bachman with a letter explaining the problem.If you purchased it within 1 year of your problem they will replace it,hopefully you sent the warrenty cards in.You may be doing your custom work all over again but at least you have something that runs!

[railtwister]

I am a custom builder,I recently returned a Railtruck with alot of work done to it,I removed what I could.I must admit they contacted me fast,but said the original could not be repaired which I find hard to beleive.After explaining my problem they did send a new one and the bad one back to me,I had to start all over again.I was assured their are no gear problems with these.To their credit both were at my door within a week.I would tell you to do as I did,return them to Bachman with a letter explaining the problem.If you purchased it within 1 year of your problem they will replace it,hopefully you sent the warrenty cards in.You may be doing your custom work all over again but at least you have something that runs!

DWU,

You have just stated the problem with Bachmann locomotives (highlighted above in bold type), their denial when they have a problem. At least in the good old days they used to replace defective items for the life of the product with no questions asked. Now, in an effort to reduce their operating costs, they require warranty cards to be sent in as well as keeping a receipt, and what used to be a lifetime warranty is now only good for a year. Never mind the fact that cracking gears and crumbling white metal are factory defects that were designed and built into the item the day it was assembled at the factory, and should be covered, or at least be repairable with purchased parts made available from Bachmann. They know there is a problem, all one needs to do is read the other posts in this thread (as well as many other threads on this list) to realize their claim of no problem is just head-in-the-sand BS. I really like the majority of their On30 products, and even a lot of their items in other scales, but I will not be purchasing any more items like locomotives that would require me to maintain a file of receipts on merely to get warranty satisfaction on them for one year. What they are really saying is that their products should be purchased as being disposable, only good for up to one year at best. This might have been acceptable many years ago when Bachmann's prices (and reputation) were cheap, but it certainly isn't the case at today's prices.

I'm glad for those of you that have gotten your rail trucks replaced, but I really wonder how long the replacement units will last before they suffer the same problems.

Bill in FL

[DWU]

To Railtwister, I was told their are no longer gear problems on newer runs,my question is how many older units are out their that sooner or later someone will buy,HOW DO WE KNOW?The fact that they repair or replace is great but annoying cause ya gotta pack it and send it,then a phone call and finally you get it back.I see the Bachman man answeres the easy questions but so far hasnt touched this.What amazes me is people are still finding Lionel in attics that are over 100 degrees in summer and cold in winter and the locos have sat in boxes for 30 or more years.Set it on the track and off it goes,sure needs some TLC to get it in tip top shape but no problems,Get the hint BACH_MAN?

[railtwister]

To Railtwister, I was told their are no longer gear problems on newer runs,my question is how many older units are out their that sooner or later someone will buy,HOW DO WE KNOW?The fact that they repair or replace is great but annoying cause ya gotta pack it and send it,then a phone call and finally you get it back.I see the Bachman man answeres the easy questions but so far hasnt touched this.What amazes me is people are still finding Lionel in attics that are over 100 degrees in summer and cold in winter and the locos have sat in boxes for 30 or more years.Set it on the track and off it goes,sure needs some TLC to get it in tip top shape but no problems,Get the hint BACH_MAN?

Hi DWU,

What you were told sounds to be in conflict with replies #2 and #5 in another thread < see: http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,18147.0.html > by the Bachmann administrators of this group. Reply #2 from the Yardmaster states: "There have not been any production runs of On30 Shay locomotives since the gears were improved.", while reply #5 from from the Bachmann reads "Gears are available for the Climax. The new gears were produced after the last run arrived." If both these statements are true, it would seem that any current models of either loco will still have the old gears, because all new gears were produced AFTER those locos were made, so it sounds to me the problem must still exist, how about you?

By the way, this is the first I have heard of Bachmann having produced new gears for the Climax, it would be nice if we could have part numbers for both of these sets. Still no word about the Railtruck, which was the original subject of this thread, so a lot of us are still waiting.

Bill in FL

[DWU]

Hey Railtwister!!!!!!!! You really think their gonna tell us either way,it just shuts us up for awhile. Guess what??Brand new Climax sittin here,front drivers turn back ones just follow along for the ride! Here we go again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!