Bachmann Class 66 Bogie Troubke

[Monday]

I have a new Bachmann Class 66 (Evening Star) which has been very little run because it won’t go round corners! The bogies seem to be catching on the underframe/running plate, particularly the front (short cab) end as defined by the factory fitted driver. With model held clear of the track, the front bogie is held much closer to the underframe than the rear bogie and much less free to rotate.
I don’t know if I can loosen off the bogie pivots but it would seem that the weight of the model - which is considerable - when on the track, would simply bear down on the bogie frames. So at present, the loco does go round a second radius curve but the bogie rotates for the curve, catches, stays rotated, then derails on the following straight.
Anybody else had this problem? I’m reluctant to file bits off at this stage in case it has to go back.

[Monday]

Apologies for duplicate post, not been on here for a while. Just seen the post below mine on similar trouble with a Bachmann Deltic. Similar problem? But I am using flexitrack and 600mm min radius.

[Chops]

There are a number of Bachmann owners who swear their stuff runs great and what are the rest of you talking about?! I am not one of them. I have gingerly acquired a few more Bachmann pieces in both the British and North American range, but only after having eye witnessed it myself or if it got good marks on Sam's Train Review. If it were me, I'd run, not walk, to the nearest post office to return the thing for a refund. Hope you didn't pay too much for it.

[Bigmet]

...the front bogie is held much closer to the underframe than the rear bogie and much less free to rotate...

It's possible the (cosmetic) bogie frame isn't correctly clipped on to the gear tower which houses the (functional) running parts of the bogie. Another possibility is the body slightly displaced, but I think that less likely.

I would unclip the bogie frames and check the running like that: if that's ok then the problem is going to be readily fixable, it must be something on the mouldings catching, just got to find it. (On my sole example - a very early production of this model - the trouble was the front of the NEM coupler pocket catching on the inside of the obstable deflector.)

This all comes down to 'are you confident enough to pull it apart and find the problem, then decide how to fix it?' ; if not return to retailer with 'not fit for purpose' as it won't stay on the track. A replacement model will probably be fine.

... Just seen the post below mine on similar trouble with a Bachmann Deltic. Similar problem? But I am using flexitrack and 600mm min radius.

The Deltic is fouling on curves, but there the owner has identified what is fouling: the tops of the wheels, which are catching inside the bodywork. (This is correct in terms of the prototype, the wheeltops really are inside the bodywork.)

When this model was introduced, Bachmann's scheme was to put the body too high above the bogies so that the wheels cleared underneath: a good method, as a modeller with curves of 30" radius or greater could simply modify the bogie mounting in order to 'drop' the bodywork to correct height above the bogies. It appears Bachmann may since have lowered the body relative to the bogies, which will cause problems for those using the model on curves below 30" radius.

There are a number of Bachmann owners who swear their stuff runs great and what are the rest of you talking about?! ...

Some of this will be gratitude among RTR OO customers. Bachmann were the first to introduce to RTR OO the Athearn pioneered design of centre motor with shaft drive to both bogies, and basic competent HO steam loco drives.

Compared to the Hornby and Lima product with 'unpower' bogies/tender drives (model T Ford) these were much superior (think current Fords). They weren't all perfect, but for anyone with a little know how they were a vastly better start toward a good running model for the layout; and the best of them such as the WD Austerity 2-8-0, BR std4 2-6-4T and first version of the class 24, were to a standard taken for granted in RTR HO since the 1960's: that's how far off the pace almost all RTR OO was before Bachmann UK got going in the 1990's!

[Monday]

Bigmet, thanks for a very helpful response. I’ll check the bogie frames tomorrow - I didn’t realise they are a separate cosmetic item. Beyond that, I may take the ‘Chops solution’ and send it back for repair or replacement. I have had the body off to fit a TTS sound chip but I am reluctant to disturb the bogies because of the cardan shafts you mention and which are clearly shown the exploded spares diagram. Probably best to send it back before I break something!
It goes - and sounds - very well on straight track!

[Chops]

Sounds like the solution is staring you right in the face. Merely change your layout into one straight point to point from one end of your dwelling to the other. A sledge and chisel will make openings in the walls easily enough, and you can tunnel right through.

[Monday]

[quote/Sounds like the solution is staring you right in the face. Merely change your layout into one straight point to point from one end of your dwelling to the other. A sledge and chisel will make openings in the walls easily enough, and you can tunnel right through.][/quote]

Indeed, why stop there? A bigger chisel and a Railway Inspectorate approved catflap and we are in the garden and away!
Bigmet - the bogie frames seem OK, fed up with fiddling so sending it for repair in the New Year before I break something.

[Chops]

How do you Brits say it? Bin it.

[Monday]

Just to close this off; I sent it to Bachmann Europe who fixed it in 10 days for £26 incl return postage. Bit cheesed off as it was brand new but my own fault I suppose for not running it in properly before the warranty expired now. Runs well with a Hornby Class 66 TTS chip which fits easily with a 8/21 pin converter. There are even screw holes for the speaker.

[Bigmet]

...Bit cheesed off as it was brand new but my own fault I suppose for not running it in properly before the warranty expired ...

This is annoying, but those are the terms. We quite simply have to cope with them.

What I do, and would recommend as general practise to anyone, is plenty of test running immediately after purchase. For traction models that means 12 hours on my test circuit within days of obtaining the model. First two hours at quite a slow pace, about a quarter of maximum speed, with no trailing load, regular reversals of direction and turned around on the circuit after an hour; this allows the motor brushes to form on the commutator under low current conditions, no overheating on the very small initial line contact. Then the next ten hours (in my case after DCC decoder fitting) are accumulated building up to full load and working up to sustained full speed. (I operate the layout every day, so this is minor extra activity.)

If something fails it's a return to vendor, the item is 'new' so there's no argument. What this approach does is find out any 'infant mortalities' (slightly tasteless, but this was the standard term in my industrial experience, which is where this approach comes from). From the near 300 Chinese made RTR OO locos I have tested for myself and a few friends from 1999, I have a tally of faults:
Mechanical, several gear towers binding on gears in centre motor twin bogie drive chassis (wasn't keeping count at the time!) three split driveline gears, three deformed three axle plastic bogies with centre wheel low (these I fixed), two axle gears slipping but not broken, two slipping drive line joints (these I fix), one motor failure (magnet not secured inside casing), one out of balance motor, one rapid wear out of side rods, one plastic moulded expansion link bracket mounting broken. Other than noted as fixed by myself, returned to retailer, not fit for purpose.
Electrical, numerous component failures, mostly capacitors, which are ignored because I am going to fit a decoder, several miswirings and numerous poor electrical connections (I fix these) two cases of floppy pick up wiper material, one utterly feeble motor. Those last three returned to retailer not fit for purpose.

None of this can pick up slower long term deteriorations (of which the most notorious is mazak rot) but has proved very successful in delivering reliability on locos which on my operation typically run at least every other day and have been operating for up to 21 years. Haven't had a single failure on my 90 locos (I am careful to lubricate adequately). One final note: roughly 200 of these locos I have tested in this way were steam models with side rods: no problems with wheel quartering on any of them. I believe a lot of 'less than smooth' running attributed to quartering problems, is actually caused by grease not 'worked' enough so it is evenly spread through the gear train - hours of running sorts that out.

[Monday]

Sympathy appreciated! I haven’t had the opportunity fir continuous running on my end to end Sheffield Park layout. However
I have finally got ahead of the Bluebell by extending south and round into a continuous layout. This finally means that I can do extended continuous running in and testing. What’s a Class 66 doing on the Bluebell Line? You may well ask!

[Bufferstop]

What to do when bogie wheels foul inside the model bodywork, usually coach wheels fouling on solebars is always a bit of a dilemma. If the buffers are going to come somewhere close to the right height some fakery with wheel sizes and axleboxes may help. If you take 1mm of the wheel diameter, the axle bearing will only be 0.5mm low. Set the bearings half a mil low and you'll be hard pushed to spot it, especially if you can take a smidgen of the bottom of the axleboxes.
Motor bogies can present a bit more of a challenge mallet wheels that fit the axles may be hard to come by. You might be lucky and discover it's only the flanges that foul, probably because they are overscale , you can turn them down mounted in a drill chuck and attacked with a file, or you could try Dad-1's method, just dispense with the drill and chuck and file them down by hand. It must be possible I've seen his videos.