I have a Bachmann #11422 2-8-0 with a bent driver set ,causing a hitch when it runs. Can I send it to them for repair?
I believe you still can. However, Bachman will most likely replace your 2-8-0 rather than repair it so you won't get the original back - in case that's important.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Not really,just want it to run correctly.
FWIW that seems to be a common problem with Bachmann steam engines in my experience. It probably has more to do with the engines bouncing around in a container from China than a failure of the factory to get it right at the start.
I normally just gently bend the offending siderod(s) back to the way it should be; the metal is pretty flexible. Then the engine runs fine.
Looks to me that one of the driver sets are bent causing a wobble and hitch.
Not all Bachmanns have a lifetime guarantee. If you have the '70s 2-8-0 model, I don't think it was covered.
Simon
Hello All,
Yes, they still have a "Lifetime" warranty.
Here's the "Fine Print":
"Items less than a year old are fully covered and will be serviced or replaced at no charge when accompanied with registration card and proof of purchase."
If it's still under warranty, they might choose to replace the unit at their discretion, as has been posted.
If not, their repair fees are reasonable- -if it can be repaired.
Recently I bent the side rods of my USRA 0-6-0. Rather than sending it back for repair, I ordered the entire Drive Wheel Assembly w/cylinders & Rods- -which came as a complete assembly- -and replaced it myself.
From the Bachmann home page > Parts, Service, & Information, from here you can go to Service Dept. Information to begin the service process or Order Parts > HO Parts (on the left column) > 2-8-0 Locomotive, if you want to DIY.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
They changed it,used to cover just about any loco .
philo426 I have a Bachmann #11422 2-8-0 with a bent driver set ,causing a hitch when it runs. Can I send it to them for repair?
philo426 Looks to me that one of the driver sets are bent causing a wobble and hitch.
Sent it to Bachmann for repair. They returned it marked "fixed". Except that it wasn't fixed, so I returned it again. This time, Bachmann said that it was "unrepairable". Say what? They said that parts were no longer available.
They kept it and sent me a replacement under their lifetime warranty. It was a different road name and a different wheel configuration. So, I sold the replacement on eBay.
Rich
Alton Junction
richhotrain philo426 I have a Bachmann #11422 2-8-0 with a bent driver set ,causing a hitch when it runs. Can I send it to them for repair? philo426 Looks to me that one of the driver sets are bent causing a wobble and hitch. Had the same thing happen to me with a Bachmann Spectrum 4-8-2 Light Mountain. I nicknamed it Thumper. Sent it to Bachmann for repair. They returned it marked "fixed". Except that it wasn't fixed, so I returned it again. This time, Bachmann said that it was "unrepairable". Say what? They said that parts were no longer available. They kept it and sent me a replacement under their lifetime warranty. It was a different road name and a different wheel configuration. So, I sold the replacement on eBay. Rich
Had the same thing happen to me with a Bachmann Spectrum 4-8-2 Light Mountain. I nicknamed it Thumper.
Ah the thumping light mountain. I have one that does some of that and another guy at the club had the same issue. Just has a slight catch going around that no one can pinpoint. The symptoms were nearly identical seems to be common as I heard several others complaining online. I wonder if this was why it never was reissued?
Seems to me, the last time I'd spoken to Chuck at Hub Hobby, or at his home where his magnificent layout was, he said they've been running Bachmann HO locomotives at the store and in his home since the beginning of both of them.
He continued to say, anytime they ever had a problem, Bachmann fixed or replaced them.
And that's all I've got to say about that.
TF
The "lifetime" warranty do not start until about the time the Spectrum line was introduced, it does not apply to older models.
They can't fix what they don't have parts for, the can't replace what they don't have replacements for.
They give you something else for the very modest service fee if the item can't be fixed or replaced and the item was purchased more than one year ago.
Broadway Limited is no better/different - just ask Kevin about his N&W 2-6-6-4, or ask me about my two USRA Heavy Mikados.
All these companies are up against the same problem, batch production on the other side of the globe, no real parts inventory maintenence, sometimes a one time "batch" of parts with a production run. Returned locos used as parts mules.
They do the best they can.
Finding skilled techs to work the repair department is another issue - staff sizes are limited, turnaround times vary with workload.
But it can be just the luck of the draw - my experiances with Bachmann have been good. Out of some 40 locos, mostly steam, mostly Spectrum, I have returned 3-4 items in 25 years. Most were replaced with the same item - sometimes a different roadname in the case of several doodle bugs - but one of those came with the "free" trailer coach. And one loco was returned with my original shells for me to swap out.
The other 30 plus locos ran great out ofthe box, all the replacements run great.
It is what it is, the market will not support more frequent production of each item, big parts inventories, relatively low prices (discounting) and the extremely wide range of product that has been offered in the last 25-30 years.
You are not dealing with Apple or Amazon here. Even ther "big boys" of model trains are little companies with a handfull of employees on this side of the pond.
Sheldon
My gripe with Thumper is that Bachmann wouldn't even offer an opinion on what was wrong, what was causing the "thumping". If I knew what the problem was, maybe I could have fixed it.
My other gripe was that I couldn't even get the same model in a different road name or a model in the same road name with a different wheel configuration.
So much for a lifetime warranty. If they can't repair it or replace it with a similar model, how about reimbursing me for my original purchase price.
richhotrain My gripe with Thumper is that Bachmann wouldn't even offer an opinion on what was wrong, what was causing the "thumping". If I knew what the problem was, maybe I could have fixed it. My other gripe was that I couldn't even get the same model in a different road name or a model in the same road name with a different wheel configuration. So much for a lifetime warranty. If they can't repair it or replace it with a similar model, how about reimbursing me for my original purchase price. Rich
Yep, I have a 3 truck Climax that was a failure a week into owning it. stripped gear in the gearbox. The claimed to have repaired it but it did the same thing right of the box from Bachmann "repair" . They offered me a 2-8-0 instead. NOT exactly a replacement for a geared logging engine. its been a $300.00 shelf queen for the last 10 years.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
Had a brand new diesel that had issues from the get go, it was the same as other I had bought shortly before that were fantastic. It went back and forth a few times and never worked, it fact it got worse. Ended up returning to were I got it but the shipping cost back and forth to Bachmann made the deal a lot more pricey.
My friend at the club (who has since passed away) wound up sending it in to Bachmann and they wound up sending him a dcc WP GS4 4-8-4. They did ask him beforehand. He did have another one that was good that his son now has. Strangely we just had to make a minor repair last night. It was thumping audibly but fortunately it turned out to be a minor issue where the cross head came off the guide. I was going not another one at first. Unfortunately that is not the issue with mine.
Geared Steam richhotrain My gripe with Thumper is that Bachmann wouldn't even offer an opinion on what was wrong, what was causing the "thumping". If I knew what the problem was, maybe I could have fixed it. My other gripe was that I couldn't even get the same model in a different road name or a model in the same road name with a different wheel configuration. So much for a lifetime warranty. If they can't repair it or replace it with a similar model, how about reimbursing me for my original purchase price. Rich Yep, I have a 3 truck Climax that was a failure a week into owning it. stripped gear in the gearbox. The claimed to have repaired it but it did the same thing right of the box from Bachmann "repair" . They offered me a 2-8-0 instead. NOT exactly a replacement for a geared logging engine. its been a $300.00 shelf queen for the last 10 years.
Well yes, several runs of the Shays were lemons, no question. But they all make lemons occasionally, like Athearn Genisis Light Mikados that the supplier left Athearn holding the bag for their bad work, and Athearn never stood behind, never offered anyone anything at all.
Or my Broadway Mikados with drivers that failed, but they had changed factories so they did not have the correct drivers to fix my locos, even on my own dime.
But I bought more Athearn and more BLI, and their other products were just fine.
If you buy enough of this stuff for long enough, you will get something from every company that is less than stellar, and few real dogs.
How many companies can you swear off of and still build trains?
Despite the Shays, and few other pieces from Bachmann I would skip, my Heavy Mountains, 2-8-0's, 2-10-2's, 2-6-6-2's, 2-8-4's, and others all run great.
It still runs but I noticed that it is really geared low. Even at top throttle it runs pretty slowly and the drive rods are not binding.
philo426 It still runs but I noticed that it is really geared low. Even at top throttle it runs pretty slowly and the drive rods are not binding.
DC or DCC? What kind of throttle? With sound or without?
I would bet that either because of limited experiance or orders from above, their techs only spend a limited amount of time diagnosing problems. Then it is replacement time. They likely never got to the cause.
Rich,
Did Thumper thump from day one or was it something that developed later?
Jim
Soo Line fan Rich, Did Thumper thump from day one or was it something that developed later?
DC conventional ,MRC Control Master ll transformer.
philo426 DC conventional ,MRC Control Master ll transformer.
Does the locomotive have a decoder or is it a DC only version?
You may need a motor if the loco runs smooth but slow - double check your track voltage.
Bachmann has parts, may not cost much more than shipping the loco and their service fee. If it is over one year old, they are not fixing it totally for free.