Gears on older Bachmann Equipment

[GP-9_Man11786]

I have a Bachmann 4-6-0 in SPC livery I recieved as a birthday gift in 1994. The locomotive has not run or even seen daylight since 2007 and I'm looking to restore it. I know Bachmann's HO and N scale models from the same time period used white plastic gears that were notorius for shrinking, cracking, losing teeth and so on. My question is, did Bachmann use the same plastic in its G scale models? I'm worried I may be in for an unpleasant surprise when I put her on the rails.

Also, I'm planning to replace the burnt out filiment bulb in the headlight with a prewired with a resistor 3mm LED. Have any of you done this conversion?

[ttrigg]

I aquired the same engine (i beleive) in 1996. Other than a quick trip to the 'shop' for a repaint in color scheme as directed by She Who Must Be Obeyed and re-lettered in my empire name, a simple lube job twice a year and she is still going strong. My headlight expired last year and have thought about doing as you plan but the fingers are not as nimble as they once were. I'll be interested in the comments from others as to the difficulty level in the replacement.

[Greg Elmassian]

yes, Bachmann has a history of white "nylon" gears shrinking and cracking. Parts are readily available, as well as full drives, etc. Replacing with a LED is a good idea. Greg