Problem with the new Spectrum 2-10-2 N Scale Steam Loco

[Richard H]

Hi All,

Just received my new Spectrum 2-10-2 loco. It is a magnificent piece. It runs well; it pulls great. My problem is that the front pilot trucks like to derail on curves. There is no problem with the track because all 20 other of my locos run flawlessly. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Richard H

[Country Joe]

Hi Richard,

Check to see if the wheels are properly gauged. If you have an NMRA standards gauge this is easy to do. Another way is with a caliper. Wheels out of gauge is the most likely cause of the problem.

[Richard H]

Thanks for the info but I already checked the wheels. They are right on as far as gauge is concerned.

Richard H

[skipgear]

Hi All,

Just received my new Spectrum 2-10-2 loco. It is a magnificent piece. It runs well; it pulls great. My problem is that the front pilot trucks like to derail on curves. There is no problem with the track because all 20 other of my locos run flawlessly. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Richard H

What are your other 20 locos that you are comparing too? Diesels need not apply. Steam will find flaws in your track that a diesel will never even hic-up on.

[James in FL]

On the curves, where the loco de-rails, what is the radius?
Are you using easements at the beginning and end of curves?
Does the pony truck derail when running light or when pulling a consist? or both?
Are the rail joints soldered in the curves?
Are the top of the rails level with each other where your curve sections meet?
What is the smph (scale miles per hour) when running through the curves?

As a rule of thumb, when I lay new track, I test with my longest steamers, if they run well everything else I have will have no problems.

If you could provide a little more info, it would go a long way toward problem solving.

[railtwister]

I just got my 2-10-0 last week, and so far, I haven't noticed any problem (fingers crossed!). Generally, I am pleased with the loco, but I am very disappointed by it's couplers, which are grossly oversized by at least a factor of two, and are mounted on the loco at least a half knuckle too high. They will just barely couple with Micro-Trains couplers, and occasionally require a bit of fiddling to do so. After all these years, Bachmann finally has made an N scale loco with a working front coupler, only to have both the front and rear couplers hindered by them being mounted at the wrong height. C'mon Mr. Bachmann, please tell them in China to get it right!

My little test layout is a series of T-Trak table-top modules set up on a 30"x80" hollow-core door. The track is all Kato's Unitrack with 11" & 12-5/16" radius curves, and both #4 & #6 turnouts. The basic loop uses Kato's super-elevated double track curve sections, which I would expect to be more sensitive to pilot truck issues due to the twist required when transitioning from level to banked track, but so far, so good.

I would suggest that you check the pilot truck carefully, to see that it is free moving from side to side and can "float" a bit vertically. Also, check carefully to be sure the truck wasn't mounted upside down at the factory, this has been known to happen occasionally on other Bachmann N steam locos. And just because the wheels look to be in gauge at one spot on their circumference, if they are slightly out of true, they could be out in another spot, so check them in several points all the way around.

Bill in FtL

[n-scale chesapeake & ohio]

i added a spring to the front truck on mine and now it runs flawlessly. (just be sure the spring is not too powerfull or weak)

[Richard H]

Hi,

What kind of spring did you use? I noticed that simply putting a piece of thin cardboard above the front truck bracket where it is attached to the chassis corrects the problem. That is till the cardboard falls out! I think that some of the front truck brackets may be malformed at the factory. This should not be happening in a loco of this cost. This may be a quality control issue.

Thanks,

Richard H.

[n-scale chesapeake & ohio]

i used a spring from a pen that i cut down to a size that would hold the the truck down but does not have enough force to lift the front set of drivers of the rails all you really need is any small spring that fits on around the pin that holds the front truck on

[Richard H]

How difficult was it to  dismantle part of the loco to get at  the pin that holds the front trucks to the lcoc chassis?

Thanks,

Richard H

[n-scale chesapeake & ohio]

as long as your fairly gentle you should be alright but the rear truck is sprung so slowly lift the bottom plate away. there are two screws holding it on as well as 4 small plastic clips that may need to be pryed open with a small metal pick. also be carefull with the drivers as they may lift out of the chassis.

[Richard H]

Hey,

Thanks for the help. I'll try my luck on Monday. I'll let you know the results.

Richard H.