Capt. Grimek:With so many steam locos being batch produced and not being sure anything will be remanufactured in the future,
(or at least 2-7yrts.) what are the essential spare parts to keep on hand for repairs in the coming years? (loco/manufacturer specific)..
I own Blueliine, Paragon 2, Athearn Genesis Articulateds, some Bachmann although with their lifetime warrantee I guess parts on hand isn't an issue.
Is there something(s) you would order from your manufacturer to keep on hand? Thanks.
I don't own any modern locomotives (the plastic or die cast imports from China), so I can't say specifically. A lot is going to depend on how many running hours and how much load you put on them. Common wear points are the mentioned crankpin screws, side rod holes, wheel nickel plating (if plated brass), worm - if made from too soft a material or if worm gear is too hard a material, motor brushes, and axle "bearings". Wear can be significantly accelerated if fit is not correct and/or there is no lubrication.
The Chinese production model does not encourage spare parts stocking. Bachmann frequently runs out of parts to fix a given locomotive under warranty and will substitute a different locomotive for the "repair". And I don't believe the designs have long running lives with replaceable wear points in mind.
Do any of your locomotives have axle bearings or bearing inserts? If not, what happens when the axle wears away the frame where it rolls? Can you take the motor apart to replace the brushes? Or is the motor "disposable"? Is the gear mesh in the gear box adjustable? Exactly what can be replaced? How much are you able to tear into these locomotives and adjust or repair them?
I guess my point is I suspect the Chinese RTR locomotives are designed for perhaps a 1000 hrs running time - and that's it. It's not like Mantua or Bowser locomotives where worn parts could/should be replaced to keep the model going another 1000 hours. Keep in mind that a 1000 hrs running time is far more than most of us will ever put on our model locomotives.
OTOH, if the drivers are not correctly quartered, or if the side rod holes do not match the frame axle spacing correctly, or the axle slots aren't square, or the gears aren't meshed properly to begin with, that 1000 hours may never be achieved due to premature wear. Pulling long heavy trains with not quite spot on mechanisms will accentuate the premature wear. The one who probably understands this better than most is Cudaken. He
does put many hours pulling long trains on his locomotives, and he sees
the wear sooner than the rest of us.
Obviously, the more parts your mechanisms have in common, the more variety of parts you can stock, and the less of each part you need. Motors are a good example. If one motor fits all, one spare motor is probably enough. A spare motor for each is probably impractical. Which puts us right back to stocking some crankpin screws, traction tires, and Bachmann cogged belts - and that's about it. Try to make sure the locomotives are properly adjusted, cleaned, and lubricated from the beginning to keep wear to a minimum.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W