Hi, all. I have a Roundhouse Old Time B&O 2-6-0 with sound installed. When the engine moves, it jitters, jerks, and lurches all around. I have tried lubricating the locomotive, and that didn’t work. Is there any way it can be fixed?
-Grant
I'm striking out today, saw Old Time and I thought of a Bachmann model I was looking at. Sorry for the useless information.
Some people have had very good customer service from Bachmann, I would try them or ask in the Bachmann forum.
If you try to fix it yourself, you lose the option of sending it back. However, Bachmann has had gear cracking problems in other locos, that would be easy to inspect yourself. Is it making unusual noises with the sound off?
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Bachmann probably won't fix a Roundhouse loco
If this is an older model, it will have an MRC decoder for sound. Rather poor motor control.
COuld be mechanical - first thing is probbaly a driver set out of quarter. Second thing would be the axle gear not in good mesh witht he motor gear. Or completely dry and in need of lubrication.
There's usually enough play in the gears to feel a bind if the quartering is off, but this is easier if you remove the motor so the drive wheels turn freely. If they are out of quarter, there will be noticeable resistence to turning the wheels.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrinker Bachmann probably won't fix a Roundhouse loco If this is an older model, it will have an MRC decoder for sound. Rather poor motor control. COuld be mechanical - first thing is probbaly a driver set out of quarter. Second thing would be the axle gear not in good mesh witht he motor gear. Or completely dry and in need of lubrication. There's usually enough play in the gears to feel a bind if the quartering is off, but this is easier if you remove the motor so the drive wheels turn freely. If they are out of quarter, there will be noticeable resistence to turning the wheels. --Randy
Thanks, Randy. I’ll see what I can do!
NickelPlateGrant Hi, all. I have a Roundhouse Old Time B&O 2-6-0 with sound installed. When the engine moves, it jitters, jerks, and lurches all around. I have tried lubricating the locomotive, and that didn’t work. Is there any way it can be fixed? -Grant
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
If this is one with an MRC decoder, replace it.
This loco should have a small open frame motor with skewed armature and flywheel, not the older large open frame motor.
I had one with an MRC decoder. I replaced it.
Be advised, the 4-4-0, 2-6-0 and 2-8-0 are identical. I have all three. I bought all mine DCC ready and installed SoundTraxx 750's some years ago. They are very good running locos. Excellent gear setups. Don't mess with the gears if you bought it new.
I have two that were DC only and very good gear setups.
By the way, controlled by DC or a DCC controller? Which brand? Does the controller trip at times, indicate a short? Does the loco seem to lose power? Maybe the drivers are not quartered. Have the drivers ever been worked on?
Is the loco used or new?
Rich
Check all mecanical, proubly a little burr somewhere as I used to build them before they were RTR.
Have you tried cleaning the wheels? What about the track? That is always a good place to start. I have a locomotive that is behaving exactly as you described and I know that after I clean the wheels today it will run fine.
If it rolls OK when it's rolling - doesn't stick at the same point each revolution for example - it may be a power pick-up issue. Older engines like that were set up to only pick up power through the engine wheels on one side and the tender wheels on the other side. I'd suggest picking up a decoder with some variation of "keep alive" technology and try that out - maybe try a non-sound one first as they're cheaper. It can be amazing how much difference it can make.
If you took off the bottom drive and lubricated the drive wheel, I would see if I could SLOWLY turn the wheels and check for a gear crack. (You can do this by removing the motor, then turning the drivers by hand carefully with the bottom off.)
As Randy mentions, a bad quartering would cause similar behavior.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
I have some of these DCC locos. The drivers pick up from both sides on all drivers.
A six wire connection is between the loco and tender and is actually in the tender.
The tender wheels pick up on all eight wheels. A very nice design. I bought three sets from Athearn a number of years ago and some loco pickups for an older MDC DC 2-6-0.