I'd like to address some concerns regarding the 3D printed parts that Ron experienced issues with bought from eBay. Over the past 2-3 years, I've successfully sold around 300 of these parts, and it's worth noting that Ron's case is one of the very few - possibly only three - where problems have arisen. To assure Ron's community, I have already issued him a refund for the costs. In response to this incident, I'm planning to implement minor modifications to enhance the durability and functionality of these parts. Interestingly, after incorporating the brass fittings, the measurement was precisely 2.14mm, aligning with the original design specifications. Moving forward, I intend to add a subtle taper to each axle. This adjustment aims to ensure a tighter fit for the wheelbase. I encourage Ron and others who have faced similar issues to give the updated version a try once I get that completed, in the future. I'm committed to continual improvement and customer satisfaction. The whole reason my 3d printed parts exist is because I ran into the same scenario where I had all axels cracked on all sides. tried the shapeway version and instantly cracked. Please also keep in mind mfg. Torrences as we have seen they verry a lot.
Hello Dave, I'm going to pin this at the top of all the comments. I respect you and your open communication with all of this and I know you will build an excellent replacement part (s)
Press fit plastic gears can be tricky, gear/room temp can be important. Usually made from Nylon which actually absorbs water. Boiling the Nylon in water makes them less brittle, a trick I used for Nylon model airplane propellers. Got some new Anycubic Tough resin which seems to act a bit like Nylon to try. The Brass Ferrules are a great idea, common on Wood Chisel etc to stop the wood from splitting. Lots of useful tips from this vid.
@@babbagebrassworks4278that's what I actually use the anycubic tough resin for most prints I have found a new resin that I'm going to try from sunlu pa-like resin aka nylon like and will be giving that a go to see how it holds up. To give a bit of spring to it
I enjoyed this video immensely. "The patience of a craftsman" should, you know, be a thing! Personally, I run O gauge trains, but after watching you at work, I will never again complain about working on O gauge again. I have subscribed, and I will be a regular viewer from now on! Again, great video!
In my opinion to this date this to me is probably one of the most valuable restoration videos that you've done repairing these bachman in cracking gears and drives on these locomotives I think it's incredible how you figured out to do this and I will one day be trying to repair a bachman that I've had sitting on the shelf as a display for a long time that just haven't been able to get it going and hopefully this brass sleeve will fix the problem Great video One of my favorites thank you Ron never settle find a way get er done
PLAIN & SIMPLE ....This video should be required watching for the Brass @ Bachmann, and anyone applying to work for them. Granted, their newer products have improved, but there are far more of their old steamers floating around in the condition Ron got these in... they become shelf queens, or parts locos, or just thrown out. Crazy impressive the determination he has to repair and complete these. It could not be more entertaining, and I've been inspired over the last year to dig into some of the old locos that I have to bring them back to life. Happy Holidays to you Ron, and to the nearly 10,000 of my fellow veiwers.
Greetings, I suppose the brass would say "that's not our companies product. That was the owners before us and there legacy". or something like that. NOW....If someone would come to the plate and make the gear sets like they did on these and sell them as legacy parts. We can all wish for miracles. M.C. to you and yours as well :-)
Congratulations Ron for your very well done work! Your skills - as I already said before - are really amazing! You have transformed a very crappy model into a decent one, surpassing many extremely irritating difficulties (at least for me). I bow to you my friend!
The Lionel version is the original one from the 1970's. Bachmann bought out the tooling and produced the "Gen 1" as you call it in the 1980's and early 90's. The "Gen 2" version is the newer Spectrum version that was supposed to be better, but in reality, it wasn't. I have a first gen Bachmann 4449 and it was always a good running engine. I also had a Spectrum AFT 4449 and it ran horribly. Bachmann still makes them to this day under their Spectrum line, and from my understanding they are pretty good engines. They have all new tooling for the running gears, and I think they now use the tender for electrical pickup instead of the engine.
Hello Andy, Your story of the Lionel/bachmann marriage makes more since to me. Someone mentioned Kader was in the mix as well? Thanks for the good information.
@@classicmodeltrains I've heard it differently. Kader owns Bachmann - I believe they still do to this day. Back in the late 70's, when Lionel was selling HO trains, they partnered up with Kader and had them manufacture their HO items for them. But then Lionel quit selling HO trains for a while. Then in 1980, Kader purchased Bachmann, and they re-used the design for the Lionel HO locomotives on the new-for-1980 Bachmann locomotives.
Inventive use of sproooz! I have used them for repairs too. Could really feel your frustration - and impressed to no end by your perseverance and inventiveness. Thanks for all the tips on techniques and tools that help us all our repairs!
This is the kinda stuff I like to do. Being raised on the farm, you have to make due with what you have. Repair things with what you have. That engine from what comes through on the video sounds really smooth and quiet. Merry Christmas Ron to you and your family. I hope you have a great holiday!
@@classicmodeltrains Oh yes, both N and HO models. I'm sure a lot of people independently had the same idea too. But for some reason I never seen to actually hear of anyone else doing it. Also works with those early Proto 2000 HO units that had similar cracked gear issues.
Yeah I got fed up with trying to use parts designed and made by other people… never fit! I just do it myself now and have had great results with resin gears/mechanisms! I even managed to build an entire chassis and gear train out of resin. It’s great but resin doesn’t flex… so if the dimensions are off, the parts are no good! Great work coming up with another solution that works!
Thanks Sam! I really enjoy the work you do on your channel as well. I hope one day to have as many subs and views as you do Sir! Merry Christmas from over here in Montana, USA :-)
Ron I’ve learned a lot from you being one of my go to channels along with Harrison SMT . Can’t wait for a post to see what’s next. You need a bigger layout 🤙🏼🤙🏼🚂🚂🚂🤪
After owning a Bachmann NYC Niagara back in the 90's, I'll never own another. But i love watching your videos just got you. The "juiceses" and all the other ways you make it fun, yet informative, keeps me watching. Keep up being you brother!
Thanks Ron you are like me, you never give, you find a way to overcome the problem. I've been doing the same thing myself for over 60 years so far. Keep pressing on. Thanks again my friend.😊
35:09, Not Spectrum. Bachmann Plus from the mid 90s to the early 2000s if i remember right. its the predecessor to the Spectrum line, that died out pretty quickly. They tried their best to improve the old Split chassis models but just couldn't get them to be reliable, so they completely cut the Plus line, and went back to the drawing board for the Spectrum line. The Spectrum line locomotives are so much better. I had a old Bachmann Plus J-class that had the same gearbox issues these daylights have, the NEW Bachmann J-Classes are nothing like the old ones. I think the ONLY Split Chassis locomotives Bachmann still produces is their low grade Northern's they sell in train sets like the Overlander.
I got out of HO YEARS ago, but recently started getting into N-scale, and ill tell you, the Spectrum Models i have, of the Light mountain, AND the J-class both are amazing runners, with brass bearings and everything. they are SUPER high quality models.
Many Fellers including myself say they will not buy another Bachmann. Nobody can tell the difference of production names or series so they all get grouped together as expensive junk with no manufacture support. Of course this is just me talking, many Fellers have had good luck with B-mann
yeah fair, Ive had decent experiences with them, but also bad one's. and i know ALOT of people haven't had good experiences. They are VERY hit or miss, but as of late they are doing alot better. The Spectrum line was really good before it died, And even now the Higher quality models that are left over from the now discontinued Spectrum line, like the N&W J-classes are great runners. I just wish they weren't so expensive, or they sold a version without all the over priced DCC sound junk. Im a old School DC person, hence why i seek out the older DC Spectrum releases of their models.
When I was able to do things a year ago before my strokes, I made a silicone mold to remake Athearn gears and spacers for the 0-6-0 steam engines from the 1960s. I made about a dozen of each for my brother in law to repair his engines. The looked and performed well once assembled in the engines. I used Smooth on products for the mold and the resin casting. I think the resin I used was Task 9 by name.
I've never seen anyone fix a split frame Bachmann. That is the very reason I will never buy another Bachmann engine. Their rolling stock is okay but engines, they're a no go for me. Everyone says that Bachmann engines are good, but I've had to throw too many in the scrap bin after only 1 year of use. You thought through the problem and came up with a really good fix for split gears. I think that now it will last for a very long time. Brilliant idea using sleeves around the plastic. Maybe Bachmann needs to adopt your idea. Cheers from eastern TN & Merry Christmas
I have a 30 year old Bachmann 0-6-0. I went through what you through with the gears and axles. All cracked plastic. I fixed it with a lot of creative work with hard plastic tubing. Thanks. Great job.
Wow, Ron! Just wow! I'm a kiwi from New Zealand and we take much pride at breeding guys and gals that show ingenuity. You would fit right in over her on I wee patch of dirt. Btw, I loved your pipe stretching tapper machine!
Thanks Dave! Kiwi is an interesting description for New Zealanders. A Feller from Australia was just chatting me up. You "islanders" (he he) sure have interesting slang down there :-)
I've been through cracked gears with bachmann. I found with a good cleaning with hot water and Dawn dish soap. Sewing 🧵 and CA you can glue the cracks and carefully position thread using it to completely close the crack all the way. Obviously the tighter you pull and wrap the thread better it holds. Then take off thread after about 24 hrs dry time. I would put them back together and clicking gone. Still running some common Santa Fe's and chessie after fixing them 6yrs ago. Love video and some great not to order from replacement stuff information. And these are the ones I was telling you about with the wheel timing. I had bought 1 in lot buy. Didn't have close up pix of it. Ya then got it. Disappointed major. It was non diluted hand painted red white and blue. Paint was so bad when I started taking it off... SMH 🤦♂️... I see that it was painted over a daylight scheme tender to. Had a chance to get different shells but after another lot buy. I spent my limit so missed out. Still looking for another shell set that fits budget. Kicking myself in the head everytime I see it for not just buying them. Thanks for info t have great Xmas and New years 🎉🎉🍻🍹🥳🎇🎆
Thread and CA sounds like a pretty good idea as well. Seems a Feller could leave the thread in place? So somebody painted a daylight special into an American freedom scheme? Poor paint jobs....what do ya do? Guys got learn one way or another :-). M.C. to you as well John
@@classicmodeltrains wish but you need to wrap around and through the gear ⚙️ teeth. Pulling tighter the closer you get to crack. Almost like windings on amiture. Use lock tite super glue to. Works well and you can use uncure on it as well as CA.
Nice fix brother !!!!! .I really like the tube stretch method to get what you need . Made in freaking China/Tiawan /Korea .Rebuilt right in the USA MAN!!! The makers of the junk replacement parts needs to be called out big time or the old fashioned way .Well you know. .Almost seems they made them and never took the time to actually test to see if they actually worked .. Thanks Man !
Thanks Adam. The second set I received, I was able to phone call and visit with the creator of the piece. Says he's sold over 500 of them and not had the problems I encountered. He was at a loss as to why I could not get his gears to fit on my axles. Merry Christmas to you and yours Sir!!
Wow what a chore! If Bachmann had done that extra bit of reinforcement back when they were building these new they might have kept a good reputation. But the Bean Counters had to get involved I suspect and make more profits at the cost of many unhappy customers. Too bad. I have a version of that engine which is later gen2 or maybe Gen 3. It still works good, although it's spent most of it's life in a box. My Uncle has the Gen 2 version which all the spacers cracked, causing the frame to short out. He thought it was the motor so he threw it away. Now I have to find a motor, gear and probably spacers to fix for him. The smoke units worked pretty good before they burn out, a nice stream of smoke at speed. Also apparently that giant brass gear was supposed to act as a flywheel too. Thanks for another helpful video and Merry Christmas!
I'm an O gauge guy Ron but really enjoy watching all your videos. Like to watch people who problem solve. Watched your Bachmann gen 1 gen 2 twice. Never know if I will have to make something for an O gauge item. Thanks
This is the by far the best repair channel on youtube. An absolutely incredible job. Love your channel, keep up the tremendous work. A very happy new year to you, from Ireland.
I just did the same repair on a Bachmann 44 tonner a couple of weeks ago. I still have one gear giving me fits. That might be a two beer project to get the last gear to work correctly. Have a merry Christmas.
I do a lot of 3D printing and you have to use the right resins for the right job. Sometimes even mixing resins. And then you need to stress test the parts so you can be reasonably sure they will not fail. It's not as simple as just designing the part, printing it and then here you go. This is why I will not make these types of parts for sale. But I will take a loco and custom make parts. Fit them, test them and only if I'm successful, do I bill the person. And because this all takes time, I only do it for club members, friends and maybe... friends of friends. I really enjoyed watching you tackle this job. Well done. But most important I think is for the people who ask others to do these repairs to watch these videos so they can see how difficult it can be. Maybe then they won't complain about the cost.
I had to do something of the same with some MTH turbines. I replaced the gears with Athearn gears after I drilled them out and did sleeves like you did. They all work great now, just takes time to build the parts
Thanks. I........HAVE......TO.......KEEP.....FEEDING....THE....ALGORITHM.......OVerloard.....no..rest..for me............ Merry christmas to you and yours as well :-)
Hi Ron, new subscriber. As someone who has worked for a while in a machine shop your skills are impressive. We can cut the gears to reset the teeth in a wood lathe, yep they do wear out after a while. In general we don't work on things as small as you do and you are obviously a very skilled person. By the way, a local hobby store had a now retired clerk who used to say that Bachmann would send out free replacements for any cracked gears. Strangely enough I have found messing that much with their older stuff to be worth the hassle. I tend to stick to lines that don't have cracked gears. Still, if I was going to get one would have to refer to your solution. Sheer genius. Cheers.
Thanks for the kind words and welcome aboard!! Sure the Brand "bachmann" has lifetime warranties that last only as long as the particular parent company owns the name Bachmann. Its been bought and sold so much in the last 40 years the warranties aren't worth the paper there printed on. P.S. Ive been a heavy truck and equipment mechanic for many years and always looked up to machine shop Fellers. You guys fix the stuff we broke while trying to fix it :-)
@@classicmodeltrainsYeah, I'm always amazed by how those things go. The gent I was mentioning was an employee as recently as a year ago he mentioned that with regard to the newer models. Personally I'll just stick with better brands, Kato being on of my favorites along with Atlas and a few others. I've had very good luck with Rivarossi equipment. Anyway, thanks for the welcome and I think have watched about 10 of your videos, please keep up the good work. RGM
Great video. You give me hope that I may be able to fix the gears on my Rapido Turbo Train. I will never buy another Rapido engine... I paid a lot for that when I purchase it only to have gears that split and when I contacted them i was told they have no replacement gears for it. So I figured all I had was an exspensive paper weight.
Wow! Amazing amount of fussy little rebuild-from-scratch work! Did not think you did repairs for hire (do you? - I have a Bachmann 3-truck Shay with broken gears & NWSL brass replacements for that model but no adequate eyes or patience for it any more. I found a site in Cali that claimed to do this work but multiple phone calls & emails have not been returned. Been watching you for at least a year now & would trust you if you're interested).
I know the pain of a split chassis... it was like watching myself with the rat tail. Love the brass collar idea. Every day is a school day! Wishing you and yours a classic Christmas and a model new year!
You do know with the kind of fabrication I would think this makes you a professional model railroader Ron every episode of your channel you the man. How many frosty ones you put down when you finished?
Thanks, I'm good at fixin things but my modeling skills are still lacking a bit ;-). I have 5 practice beers before my first real beer when the workday is done.
Great work Ron…amazing video, love the fabrication using the brass…without anyone to ‘engineer’ the repairs, the pieces would end up in a junk pile…well done…
That was an excellent video Ron! You’re too funny trying to keep it clean. I was helping you fill in the gaps on my end. LOL Merry Christmas to You, and your Family. Enjoy your holiday! Tom
Go Ron go....your ingenuity never ceases to amaze... Thanks for the great comparison of the gen 1 and gen 2 locos... It's a good observation that they changed the loco numbers from the gen 1 #4454 to the gen 2 #4446 Not to confuse things...but a quick search on the ebay showed that there is also a #4449 out there... my GS4's are both gen1..1 still works fine...the other has zinc rot on the center set of drivers...least I know which used ones to keep an eye out for now... Keep up the great vids... Hope you and yours have a grand holiday and a Merry Christmas.... Rich...
I'm speechless. Bravo! Bully! Bully my good man! This video is a treasure of knowledge. Thank you! I just love engineering things by the seat of my pants! By the way, I have a Lionel GS4. It runs. But sounds like a rock tumbler.
The guy who offered those first set of gears through shapeways also offers gears for N scale bachmann trolleys. I was fixing a friends, he ordered the gears- same thing happened to me, I tried inserting a gear and it broke the instant I pressed it onto the axle. Axle holes weren't big enough! I figured if one gear broke, the others would probably break too, so instead I widened the holes in the gears until the axles slid into em, and then used a dab of CA to hold them in, which seemed to work out. They should really offer a buyer beware on those 3D printed gears! It's always fun trying to make up something because you can't get the part you need. Used some K&S metal tubing, thin sheet brass, and some ball bearings salvaged from an old busted VCR to fix up an O gauge Lionel engine of mine that never ran because the bearings were shot. Runs like it's brand new now! It's an early MPC job where the bearings are just plastic, molded into the bottom of the motor truck and the brushplate on top, so there's no real seperate bearing to replace. Had to open the holes up and make my own!
If I would have started with that little file set I bought for this job I suppose I could have done the same thing and made it work. I just thought if the gears are this brittle will they break if I set the loco down bit rough? Sounds like you came up with a pretty good solution for that MPC. Quite the fabricator you are!!
Wow... Well, I'm pushing buttons and clicking a mouse to support your channel. The time you spent reengineering those axle gears... Wow... I'd like to win the fight some day... and then sell the action. Priceless effort on your part. Good job, sir. John
Wow Ron you are awesome and did an amazing job on that locomotive and I know you got that thing running better than it ever did even brand new straight out of the box 👍
A lot of work involved there. Loved the hammering technique, reminds me of the ole Benny Hill show. Made me laugh fer sure. Good old Bachman broken gears. Nice job Ron… Merry Christmas
Oh boy, this was the engine that forever cemented my hatred for plastic steam. I remember I ran this on my table at the time, I think a gear got stuck for a moment then it shot off the corner and broke. Makes me wish Bowser or Mantua made a GS4 back in the day since they knew how to make steam locos.
@@classicmodeltrains Thank you, If I ever started a model train company I would make neo-classical models with crisp and accurate scale. And these said models would be user and very upgrade friendly.
Merry Christmas Ron! New subscriber here! Fantastic vid! You were truely against all odds, yet your diligence paid off!!! Great job getting that steamer runnin' again! 👍👍
I have Bachmann Spectrum Reading 2-8-0 that has split gear and axle pegs. I bought 3D printed ones from shapeways also but must be gen1 with round holes. My axles are square like in this vid. It been sitting in it's box for almost a year now. I tried using super glue and thread to basically do what you did with the brass rings. I only did two of the wheels because that was only ones broken. It made it two laps before the last axle slipped out of gauge. Just happened to be one of the two I didn't thread wrap. I'll go back and do the other two probably tomorrow. And see if it improves performance.
Got an 80's model Bachman 2-8-0 and sure enough, cracked gears and out of quarter. No rooms for sleeves but replaced the axels with an old ink pen. Decent little runner now
I've been doing 3D printed replacement aristocraft gears for a while. it was a long process because I had to find the right resin for the job. i HIGHLY recommend the Siraya Tech blu nylon-like resin. and then a little extra post-print curing than what you'd normally do.
Wow, from Canada also. And I have 2 of these in series 1. I have pulled out my last hair working on these, lol. I was so glad you made a video on your repair and fix...going to have to give this a try! Just became a 33% er about a month ago. Been playing catch up on your videos. Love them and learning from them. Keep up the good work and have a Merry Christmas.
@@classicmodeltrains by the way, I have the Niagara hidden somewhere in my collection, I remember it having something wrong with the steam chest or something, had to be glued. I might get it out and look at it sometime.
Some years ago Bowser made a conversion kit for the Bachman GS4 it included all new metal drivers and gears plus all the parts to put them in and have it run properly with no danger of split gears in the future
Hey Ron, I have a Gen 1 Chessie 4-8-4 that I had bought replacement parts from a fellow named Otto back in 2015-16. They worked....for a bit. Now, that loco is back to being a shelf Queen because the gears broke. Imagine that. I must say the idea if "sleeving" the gears never crossed my mind. This repair ranks up there with the one I did on my Walther 90ft turntable. I bought bearings to carry the electric to the track instead of the crappy wiper/brass sleeves Walthers had
Nice work! I have 2 brand new barely ran Bachmann 4449's Southern Pacific Daylight and American Freedom Train GS4 series engines that are ironically both in need of the same repair. They havent been on the track since they went on self-destruct mode the same way. I wonder if the effort in restoring them would be worth trying. Thank you for sharing
Great video Ron! Loved it! Maybe you remember, but I mentioned to you in one of my postings that I had a Lionel GS4. I was surprised just how cheap it was when I took a good look at it with the shell off. I didn't like the way it ran, and it look cheaply made. I figured I was buying quality Lionel. I didn't know it was actually a Bachmann. I was able to sell it though. I got rid of it and glad I did after watching your video. Love the way you fabricate and find ways to overcome with broken parts. Brass sleeves were brilliant. Even melting the sprues to fabricate those pins. Learned a lot! Thanks for the work you do to help us MRR'ers. Especially newbs like me. Merry Christmas!
Thank you for this information. I really appreciate it. I have two Bachmanns one is the N&W 611. I'm putting a Bowser rebuild under that one. The other is the 806 Union Pacific which I'm going to try your fix on. I'm hoping that the brass will work the same on Gen 1 as they do on Gen 2. Happy Holidays Ron and wishing you the best.
Great video Ron I love your videos and Merry Christmas to you you're a patient man working with all that little stuff like that Merry Christmas young man
On the printed parts I wonder if heating them some prior to installation would be another route to consider? Steep them in boiling water or just place them near a light bulb before pressing them into place. The sleeves are a super solution though and the whole video was a good one. Also, I bet using nylon screws and nuts would have also been a option instead of the home-made sprue screw assembly.
I’ve seen one guy on RUclips use RC gears to repair Bachmann locos, Gears are are gears, a 14 tooth gear is a 14 tooth gear no mystery to it. Is pretty much wat he said. I wonder if I could get metal gears from somewhere, I have a catalog from a gear supplier somewhere.
Wow Ron. I do a lot of repairs to some of my stuff, and funny that it seems to be just Bachman.They used that split chasis design on nearly all their stuff ,steam & deisel, back then.The steamers did not need the phospher bronze wipers to pick up current.They did change that around mid 2000s I think.to the wiper system. I was blown away with your determination, & thought process, to get the perfect results, especially wth this one. I thought, at the time, I hopng those drivers dont end up with a wobble, but NOT ON YOUR NELLY. Perfect just spot on.Wishing you all the best over the xmas period. Michael NZ
I'd like to address some concerns regarding the 3D printed parts that Ron experienced issues with bought from eBay. Over the past 2-3 years, I've successfully sold around 300 of these parts, and it's worth noting that Ron's case is one of the very few - possibly only three - where problems have arisen. To assure Ron's community, I have already issued him a refund for the costs.
In response to this incident, I'm planning to implement minor modifications to enhance the durability and functionality of these parts. Interestingly, after incorporating the brass fittings, the measurement was precisely 2.14mm, aligning with the original design specifications. Moving forward, I intend to add a subtle taper to each axle. This adjustment aims to ensure a tighter fit for the wheelbase.
I encourage Ron and others who have faced similar issues to give the updated version a try once I get that completed, in the future. I'm committed to continual improvement and customer satisfaction. The whole reason my 3d printed parts exist is because I ran into the same scenario where I had all axels cracked on all sides. tried the shapeway version and instantly cracked. Please also keep in mind mfg. Torrences as we have seen they verry a lot.
Hello Dave, I'm going to pin this at the top of all the comments. I respect you and your open communication with all of this and I know you will build an excellent replacement part (s)
Happy holidays to you and yours, Ron. Thank you for sharing such a great repair with us. Sometimes ya gotta think outside the box. Ron
@@ronaldjoyce7374 M.C. to you and yours as well Ron!
Press fit plastic gears can be tricky, gear/room temp can be important. Usually made from Nylon which actually absorbs water. Boiling the Nylon in water makes them less brittle, a trick I used for Nylon model airplane propellers. Got some new Anycubic Tough resin which seems to act a bit like Nylon to try. The Brass Ferrules are a great idea, common on Wood Chisel etc to stop the wood from splitting. Lots of useful tips from this vid.
@@babbagebrassworks4278that's what I actually use the anycubic tough resin for most prints I have found a new resin that I'm going to try from sunlu pa-like resin aka nylon like and will be giving that a go to see how it holds up. To give a bit of spring to it
I enjoyed this video immensely. "The patience of a craftsman" should, you know, be a thing! Personally, I run O gauge trains, but after watching you at work, I will never again complain about working on O gauge again. I have subscribed, and I will be a regular viewer from now on! Again, great video!
Thank you for the new Sub and kind words :-)
I gauge is bad enough when your eyes get some age.
In my opinion to this date this to me is probably one of the most valuable restoration videos that you've done repairing these bachman in cracking gears and drives on these locomotives I think it's incredible how you figured out to do this and I will one day be trying to repair a bachman that I've had sitting on the shelf as a display for a long time that just haven't been able to get it going and hopefully this brass sleeve will fix the problem Great video One of my favorites thank you Ron never settle find a way get er done
Thank you Lawrence!!
PLAIN & SIMPLE ....This video should be required watching for the Brass @ Bachmann, and anyone applying to work for them. Granted, their newer products have improved, but there are far more of their old steamers floating around in the condition Ron got these in... they become shelf queens, or parts locos, or just thrown out. Crazy impressive the determination he has to repair and complete these. It could not be more entertaining, and I've been inspired over the last year to dig into some of the old locos that I have to bring them back to life.
Happy Holidays to you Ron, and to the nearly 10,000 of my fellow veiwers.
Greetings, I suppose the brass would say "that's not our companies product. That was the owners before us and there legacy". or something like that. NOW....If someone would come to the plate and make the gear sets like they did on these and sell them as legacy parts. We can all wish for miracles. M.C. to you and yours as well :-)
I've got a 44 tonner and doodlebug (with dcc built-in) that can grind out the miles on the club's T-trak layout at shows.
Congratulations Ron for your very well done work! Your skills - as I already said before - are really amazing! You have transformed a very crappy model into a decent one, surpassing many extremely irritating difficulties (at least for me). I bow to you my friend!
Thank you Regis!
The Lionel version is the original one from the 1970's. Bachmann bought out the tooling and produced the "Gen 1" as you call it in the 1980's and early 90's. The "Gen 2" version is the newer Spectrum version that was supposed to be better, but in reality, it wasn't. I have a first gen Bachmann 4449 and it was always a good running engine. I also had a Spectrum AFT 4449 and it ran horribly. Bachmann still makes them to this day under their Spectrum line, and from my understanding they are pretty good engines. They have all new tooling for the running gears, and I think they now use the tender for electrical pickup instead of the engine.
Hello Andy, Your story of the Lionel/bachmann marriage makes more since to me. Someone mentioned Kader was in the mix as well? Thanks for the good information.
@@classicmodeltrains I've heard it differently. Kader owns Bachmann - I believe they still do to this day. Back in the late 70's, when Lionel was selling HO trains, they partnered up with Kader and had them manufacture their HO items for them. But then Lionel quit selling HO trains for a while. Then in 1980, Kader purchased Bachmann, and they re-used the design for the Lionel HO locomotives on the new-for-1980 Bachmann locomotives.
Inventive use of sproooz! I have used them for repairs too. Could really feel your frustration - and impressed to no end by your perseverance and inventiveness. Thanks for all the tips on techniques and tools that help us all our repairs!
THANK YOU once again! Your are very kind!!
You are incredible your talents have no boundaries
Thanks Brent :-)
This is the kinda stuff I like to do. Being raised on the farm, you have to make due with what you have. Repair things with what you have. That engine from what comes through on the video sounds really smooth and quiet. Merry Christmas Ron to you and your family. I hope you have a great holiday!
It was very quiet. I was shocked. Farmers can certainly "engineer" there way out of a lot of broken issues. M.C. to you and yours as well Sir!!
This video just skyrocketed to the top of my favorite list!!
A video that gives ya somethin’ ta sink ya teeth into.
Glad you enjoyed it Jeb!
Yes! Finally! Other people who make their own sleeves for Bachmann gears. Thank you!
Have you done this as well?
@@classicmodeltrains Oh yes, both N and HO models. I'm sure a lot of people independently had the same idea too. But for some reason I never seen to actually hear of anyone else doing it. Also works with those early Proto 2000 HO units that had similar cracked gear issues.
Yeah I got fed up with trying to use parts designed and made by other people… never fit! I just do it myself now and have had great results with resin gears/mechanisms! I even managed to build an entire chassis and gear train out of resin. It’s great but resin doesn’t flex… so if the dimensions are off, the parts are no good! Great work coming up with another solution that works!
Thanks Sam! I really enjoy the work you do on your channel as well. I hope one day to have as many subs and views as you do Sir! Merry Christmas from over here in Montana, USA :-)
You are awesome 🎉🤙🏼👏🏼here to help your great channel. Have a wonderful Holiday 🎄🚂🚂🚂
THANK YOU!!!! Very kind of you! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well :-)
Ron I’ve learned a lot from you being one of my go to channels along with Harrison SMT . Can’t wait for a post to see what’s next. You need a bigger layout 🤙🏼🤙🏼🚂🚂🚂🤪
After owning a Bachmann NYC Niagara back in the 90's, I'll never own another. But i love watching your videos just got you. The "juiceses" and all the other ways you make it fun, yet informative, keeps me watching. Keep up being you brother!
Thank you Danny :-)
Thanks Ron you are like me, you never give, you find a way to overcome the problem. I've been doing the same thing myself for over 60 years so far. Keep pressing on. Thanks again my friend.😊
Thank you Chris!
35:09, Not Spectrum. Bachmann Plus from the mid 90s to the early 2000s if i remember right. its the predecessor to the Spectrum line, that died out pretty quickly.
They tried their best to improve the old Split chassis models but just couldn't get them to be reliable, so they completely cut the Plus line, and went back to the drawing board for the Spectrum line.
The Spectrum line locomotives are so much better. I had a old Bachmann Plus J-class that had the same gearbox issues these daylights have, the NEW Bachmann J-Classes are nothing like the old ones.
I think the ONLY Split Chassis locomotives Bachmann still produces is their low grade Northern's they sell in train sets like the Overlander.
I got out of HO YEARS ago, but recently started getting into N-scale, and ill tell you, the Spectrum Models i have, of the Light mountain, AND the J-class both are amazing runners, with brass bearings and everything. they are SUPER high quality models.
Many Fellers including myself say they will not buy another Bachmann. Nobody can tell the difference of production names or series so they all get grouped together as expensive junk with no manufacture support. Of course this is just me talking, many Fellers have had good luck with B-mann
yeah fair, Ive had decent experiences with them, but also bad one's. and i know ALOT of people haven't had good experiences.
They are VERY hit or miss, but as of late they are doing alot better. The Spectrum line was really good before it died, And even now the Higher quality models that are left over from the now discontinued Spectrum line, like the N&W J-classes are great runners.
I just wish they weren't so expensive, or they sold a version without all the over priced DCC sound junk.
Im a old School DC person, hence why i seek out the older DC Spectrum releases of their models.
When I was able to do things a year ago before my strokes, I made a silicone mold to remake Athearn gears and spacers for the 0-6-0 steam engines from the 1960s. I made about a dozen of each for my brother in law to repair his engines. The looked and performed well once assembled in the engines. I used Smooth on products for the mold and the resin casting. I think the resin I used was Task 9 by name.
Well that's pretty cool to be resin casting stuff. A process I have no knowledge in. I should do some research :-)
@@classicmodeltrains I was lucky enough to be trained by a master model caster with a full shop of everything needed to be successful.
Curious, what material did you use for the gear material ?
@@dogbreath312 I think it was smooth on brand and maybe Task 8 product?
@@dogbreath312 the original Bachmann broken gear
That was amazing. Spectacular repair and one of the best videos I have watched on any model train video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I've never seen anyone fix a split frame Bachmann. That is the very reason I will never buy another Bachmann engine. Their rolling stock is okay but engines, they're a no go for me. Everyone says that Bachmann engines are good, but I've had to throw too many in the scrap bin after only 1 year of use. You thought through the problem and came up with a really good fix for split gears. I think that now it will last for a very long time. Brilliant idea using sleeves around the plastic. Maybe Bachmann needs to adopt your idea. Cheers from eastern TN & Merry Christmas
I won't buy them either.
What a ride. This video is nice and thorough, love to see locomotives that are labeled as dnr/parts being fixed back to working order
Glad you enjoyed it!
What an amazing job and uncommon patience!
Thanks Alan. I really wanted to find a solution for these dang things :-)
I have a 30 year old Bachmann 0-6-0. I went through what you through with the gears and axles. All cracked plastic. I fixed it with a lot of creative work with hard plastic tubing. Thanks. Great job.
Thanks Mike
Brilliant solution to the Bachmann curse. Thanks for sharing and have a great Christmas!
Thanks Paul, M.C. to you as well
That was an amazing piece of work fabricating the parts you needed and PATIENCE! Keep up the good work.
Thanks Richard :-)
Thanks!
WOW!! Thank you Steve! Very kind of you Sir!!
I am glad that You managed to find out the solution. Nice trick with the brass tubing. :)
Thanks Tony :-)
Wow, Ron! Just wow! I'm a kiwi from New Zealand and we take much pride at breeding guys and gals that show ingenuity. You would fit right in over her on I wee patch of dirt. Btw, I loved your pipe stretching tapper machine!
Thanks Dave! Kiwi is an interesting description for New Zealanders. A Feller from Australia was just chatting me up. You "islanders" (he he) sure have interesting slang down there :-)
I've been through cracked gears with bachmann. I found with a good cleaning with hot water and Dawn dish soap. Sewing 🧵 and CA you can glue the cracks and carefully position thread using it to completely close the crack all the way. Obviously the tighter you pull and wrap the thread better it holds. Then take off thread after about 24 hrs dry time. I would put them back together and clicking gone. Still running some common Santa Fe's and chessie after fixing them 6yrs ago. Love video and some great not to order from replacement stuff information. And these are the ones I was telling you about with the wheel timing. I had bought 1 in lot buy. Didn't have close up pix of it. Ya then got it. Disappointed major. It was non diluted hand painted red white and blue. Paint was so bad when I started taking it off... SMH 🤦♂️... I see that it was painted over a daylight scheme tender to. Had a chance to get different shells but after another lot buy. I spent my limit so missed out. Still looking for another shell set that fits budget. Kicking myself in the head everytime I see it for not just buying them. Thanks for info t have great Xmas and New years 🎉🎉🍻🍹🥳🎇🎆
Thread and CA sounds like a pretty good idea as well. Seems a Feller could leave the thread in place? So somebody painted a daylight special into an American freedom scheme? Poor paint jobs....what do ya do? Guys got learn one way or another :-). M.C. to you as well John
@@classicmodeltrains wish but you need to wrap around and through the gear ⚙️ teeth. Pulling tighter the closer you get to crack. Almost like windings on amiture. Use lock tite super glue to. Works well and you can use uncure on it as well as CA.
@@classicmodeltrains wish whoever did it tried learning on a cheaper and more common engine. Lol
Nice fix brother !!!!! .I really like the tube stretch method to get what you need . Made in freaking China/Tiawan /Korea .Rebuilt right in the USA MAN!!! The makers of the junk replacement parts needs to be called out big time or the old fashioned way .Well you know. .Almost seems they made them and never took the time to actually test to see if they actually worked .. Thanks Man !
Thanks Adam. The second set I received, I was able to phone call and visit with the creator of the piece. Says he's sold over 500 of them and not had the problems I encountered. He was at a loss as to why I could not get his gears to fit on my axles. Merry Christmas to you and yours Sir!!
Fantastic job Ron on rebuilding those axles! Love your comedy!👍🚂💯🎄😊
Thank you T McG! trying to keep it interesting :-)
Good evening Ron, a nice shout out to your Bachmann cracked gear fix tonight on SMT Mainline channel. Take care, Jeff
Thanks Jeff for the heads up. I headed over to his channel and found the video. heard it and Gave him a thanks!!!
Wow what a chore! If Bachmann had done that extra bit of reinforcement back when they were building these new they might have kept a good reputation. But the Bean Counters had to get involved I suspect and make more profits at the cost of many unhappy customers. Too bad. I have a version of that engine which is later gen2 or maybe Gen 3. It still works good, although it's spent most of it's life in a box. My Uncle has the Gen 2 version which all the spacers cracked, causing the frame to short out. He thought it was the motor so he threw it away. Now I have to find a motor, gear and probably spacers to fix for him. The smoke units worked pretty good before they burn out, a nice stream of smoke at speed. Also apparently that giant brass gear was supposed to act as a flywheel too. Thanks for another helpful video and Merry Christmas!
The bean counters can really "F" up what the engineers designed that's for sure. Thanks for watching and M.C. to you and yours as well :-)
I'm an O gauge guy Ron but really enjoy watching all your videos. Like to watch people who problem solve. Watched your Bachmann gen 1 gen 2 twice. Never know if I will have to make something for an O gauge item. Thanks
Thank you for your support Leon! I hope I get some more O stuff to work on.
33%er here, 100% of the time! Great videos! Keep’em coming. 🚂💨
Thank you so much for your support Eric!!
This is the by far the best repair channel on youtube. An absolutely incredible job. Love your channel, keep up the tremendous work. A very happy new year to you, from Ireland.
Very Kind of you!! Thank you from over here in Montana, USA. Happy new year to you as well :-)
I just did the same repair on a Bachmann 44 tonner a couple of weeks ago. I still have one gear giving me fits. That might be a two beer project to get the last gear to work correctly. Have a merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you as well!!
I do a lot of 3D printing and you have to use the right resins for the right job. Sometimes even mixing resins. And then you need to stress test the parts so you can be reasonably sure they will not fail. It's not as simple as just designing the part, printing it and then here you go. This is why I will not make these types of parts for sale. But I will take a loco and custom make parts. Fit them, test them and only if I'm successful, do I bill the person. And because this all takes time, I only do it for club members, friends and maybe... friends of friends.
I really enjoyed watching you tackle this job. Well done. But most important I think is for the people who ask others to do these repairs to watch these videos so they can see how difficult it can be. Maybe then they won't complain about the cost.
Thanks Roy. I like the way you think!!
This is In Time for me. My Botchmann GS4 broke the gear first run I used it. Now I know how you fix. Thanks!
Glad I could help Terrence :-)
Ron, you are the engine that can. What perseverance! Well done and Merry Christmas to you too,.
Thanks Rick and M.C. to you as well :-)
I had to do something of the same with some MTH turbines. I replaced the gears with Athearn gears after I drilled them out and did sleeves like you did. They all work great now, just takes time to build the parts
Yup, Lots of time to make custom one offs. I'm surprised MTH didnt offer replacement parts
Great video....Your sense of humor is so entertaining. You are a great craftsman.....
Steve...
Thank you Steve. Trying to bring some humor to the Model RR community ;-)
You are my savior
I have gone through 3 of these things with their gears cracked!
Glad to help out :-)
thanks for your entertaining videos, you make them both fun and interesting! Merry Christmas to you! Warm Regards, Bob. 🎄🎅🎄
Thanks Bob, M.C. to you and Yours as well :-)
that was great! fixing other people's mistakes and making a video all at once,take a break and Merry Christmas!
Thanks. I........HAVE......TO.......KEEP.....FEEDING....THE....ALGORITHM.......OVerloard.....no..rest..for me............ Merry christmas to you and yours as well :-)
Hi Ron, new subscriber. As someone who has worked for a while in a machine shop your skills are impressive. We can cut the gears to reset the teeth in a wood lathe, yep they do wear out after a while. In general we don't work on things as small as you do and you are obviously a very skilled person. By the way, a local hobby store had a now retired clerk who used to say that Bachmann would send out free replacements for any cracked gears. Strangely enough I have found messing that much with their older stuff to be worth the hassle. I tend to stick to lines that don't have cracked gears. Still, if I was going to get one would have to refer to your solution. Sheer genius. Cheers.
Thanks for the kind words and welcome aboard!! Sure the Brand "bachmann" has lifetime warranties that last only as long as the particular parent company owns the name Bachmann. Its been bought and sold so much in the last 40 years the warranties aren't worth the paper there printed on. P.S. Ive been a heavy truck and equipment mechanic for many years and always looked up to machine shop Fellers. You guys fix the stuff we broke while trying to fix it :-)
@@classicmodeltrainsYeah, I'm always amazed by how those things go. The gent I was mentioning was an employee as recently as a year ago he mentioned that with regard to the newer models. Personally I'll just stick with better brands, Kato being on of my favorites along with Atlas and a few others. I've had very good luck with Rivarossi equipment. Anyway, thanks for the welcome and I think have watched about 10 of your videos, please keep up the good work.
RGM
Great video. You give me hope that I may be able to fix the gears on my Rapido Turbo Train. I will never buy another Rapido engine... I paid a lot for that when I purchase it only to have gears that split and when I contacted them i was told they have no replacement gears for it. So I figured all I had was an exspensive paper weight.
I hope Larry that you might be able to resurrect the ol gal. Too many paperweights in this hobby :-)
This is Great! It is good to see a way to repair the cracked gears!!
Hope it saves a few out there David :-)
Wow! Amazing amount of fussy little rebuild-from-scratch work! Did not think you did repairs for hire (do you? - I have a Bachmann 3-truck Shay with broken gears & NWSL brass replacements for that model but no adequate eyes or patience for it any more. I found a site in Cali that claimed to do this work but multiple phone calls & emails have not been returned. Been watching you for at least a year now & would trust you if you're interested).
Thanks Doug. Reach out to me at classicmodeltrains@aol.com We can see what can be done :-)
That turned out really nice. Thanks for sharing. And Merry Christmas!
Thanks for watching and commenting John! M.C. to you as well :-)
I know the pain of a split chassis... it was like watching myself with the rat tail. Love the brass collar idea. Every day is a school day! Wishing you and yours a classic Christmas and a model new year!
Thanks Darren. Glad to see I'm not the only Feller out there filing stuff away to get better performance :-)
Mind blown Ron you're not a quitter! Sharp looking train and tender If I get my hands on one of these I know where to send it. Excellent video
Thank you! They are nice looking models for sure
You do know with the kind of fabrication I would think this makes you a professional model railroader Ron every episode of your channel you the man. How many frosty ones you put down when you finished?
Thanks, I'm good at fixin things but my modeling skills are still lacking a bit ;-). I have 5 practice beers before my first real beer when the workday is done.
Great job on those, it is terrible that a company will not supply proper parts for the items they sell. Happy Holidays to your and yours!
Thank you! M.C. to you and yours as well :-)
Great work Ron…amazing video, love the fabrication using the brass…without anyone to ‘engineer’ the repairs, the pieces would end up in a junk pile…well done…
Thank you!
That was an excellent video Ron! You’re too funny trying to keep it clean. I was helping you fill in the gaps on my end. LOL Merry Christmas to You, and your Family. Enjoy your holiday! Tom
Thank you Tom! M.C. to you and yours as well :-)
Love this video Ron I'm working on my gen 2 daylights I would like to try your way with the brass an see if I can do it
Thank you, Hope you can get Her fixed up and back on the rails.
Go Ron go....your ingenuity never ceases to amaze...
Thanks for the great comparison of the gen 1 and gen 2 locos...
It's a good observation that they changed the loco numbers from the gen 1 #4454 to the gen 2 #4446
Not to confuse things...but a quick search on the ebay showed that there is also a #4449 out there...
my GS4's are both gen1..1 still works fine...the other has zinc rot on the center set of drivers...least I know which used ones to keep an eye out for now...
Keep up the great vids...
Hope you and yours have a grand holiday and a Merry Christmas....
Rich...
Greetings Rich, Glad you enjoyed my video. M.C. to you and yours as well :-)
Merry Christmas! You are very talented.
Thank you and M.C. to you as well :-)
Wow. I am really impressed. Great job. Merry Christmas
Thank you. M.C. too you as well!
I'm speechless. Bravo! Bully! Bully my good man! This video is a treasure of knowledge. Thank you!
I just love engineering things by the seat of my pants!
By the way, I have a Lionel GS4. It runs. But sounds like a rock tumbler.
Thank you so much. Here! Here! I need to get into one of those Gen ones and root around a bit.
The guy who offered those first set of gears through shapeways also offers gears for N scale bachmann trolleys. I was fixing a friends, he ordered the gears- same thing happened to me, I tried inserting a gear and it broke the instant I pressed it onto the axle. Axle holes weren't big enough! I figured if one gear broke, the others would probably break too, so instead I widened the holes in the gears until the axles slid into em, and then used a dab of CA to hold them in, which seemed to work out. They should really offer a buyer beware on those 3D printed gears!
It's always fun trying to make up something because you can't get the part you need. Used some K&S metal tubing, thin sheet brass, and some ball bearings salvaged from an old busted VCR to fix up an O gauge Lionel engine of mine that never ran because the bearings were shot. Runs like it's brand new now! It's an early MPC job where the bearings are just plastic, molded into the bottom of the motor truck and the brushplate on top, so there's no real seperate bearing to replace. Had to open the holes up and make my own!
If I would have started with that little file set I bought for this job I suppose I could have done the same thing and made it work. I just thought if the gears are this brittle will they break if I set the loco down bit rough? Sounds like you came up with a pretty good solution for that MPC. Quite the fabricator you are!!
Wow... Well, I'm pushing buttons and clicking a mouse to support your channel. The time you spent reengineering those axle gears... Wow... I'd like to win the fight some day... and then sell the action. Priceless effort on your part. Good job, sir. John
Thanks for your support John :-)
Another informative, yet entertaining video! Thanks for providing a great channel and hope you have a great Christmas and a cold beer...or 6!
Thank you! Sippin an IPA as I type.
Good Job!@@classicmodeltrains
Classic model vice grip trains garage!?!? Awesome channel Bud!!
Thanks Alex!!
Wish I had this kinda time and patience. My Bachmann 611 did the exact same thing and is now a static display.
If its a Gen 2 its worth it
"Merry Christmas Ron"
Hope you have a Great Holiday.
Enjoy your videos
Thanks B.G. and merry Christmas to you as well :-)
Ron…Awesome video. Thanks for sharing! Happy Holidays and New Year 🎉
Thanks Chris!
Great video Ron love the brass fix
Thanks John 👍
Love this guy,he's funny.keep up the good work.
thank you Daniel
Wow Ron you are awesome and did an amazing job on that locomotive and I know you got that thing running better than it ever did even brand new straight out of the box 👍
Thank you very much!
nice job Ron i have one that broke off right at the axle have to wait for a donor so i can change the wheels out👍
yes I have a Gen 1 that's in the same predicament
A lot of work involved there. Loved the hammering technique, reminds me of the ole Benny Hill show. Made me laugh fer sure. Good old Bachman broken gears.
Nice job Ron…
Merry Christmas
Thanks John, Merry Christmas to you and Yours as well!
Oh boy, this was the engine that forever cemented my hatred for plastic steam.
I remember I ran this on my table at the time, I think a gear got stuck for a moment then it shot off the corner and broke.
Makes me wish Bowser or Mantua made a GS4 back in the day since they knew how to make steam locos.
I agree with you Sir!!
@@classicmodeltrains Thank you, If I ever started a model train company I would make neo-classical models with crisp and accurate scale.
And these said models would be user and very upgrade friendly.
Where do you get your train holder to work on your trains
Amazon. There sold under a Bachmann brand. Around $80 if I remember correctly
@@classicmodeltrains if not in a hurry, the price will drift down into the mid 60s once in a while
Merry Christmas Ron!
New subscriber here! Fantastic vid! You were truely against all odds, yet your diligence paid off!!! Great job getting that steamer runnin' again! 👍👍
Hello Frank! Thank you for your kind words and another Sub!! I really appreciate it :-)
I used Shape Ways for brackets to hold my bicycle computer and rear radar on my bicycle. They work great for that application.
Im sure some of the stuff is good
I have Bachmann Spectrum Reading 2-8-0 that has split gear and axle pegs. I bought 3D printed ones from shapeways also but must be gen1 with round holes. My axles are square like in this vid. It been sitting in it's box for almost a year now. I tried using super glue and thread to basically do what you did with the brass rings. I only did two of the wheels because that was only ones broken. It made it two laps before the last axle slipped out of gauge. Just happened to be one of the two I didn't thread wrap. I'll go back and do the other two probably tomorrow. And see if it improves performance.
Sorry to hear your Bachmann is giving you fits
Got an 80's model Bachman 2-8-0 and sure enough, cracked gears and out of quarter. No rooms for sleeves but replaced the axels with an old ink pen. Decent little runner now
cool idea!!
I've been doing 3D printed replacement aristocraft gears for a while.
it was a long process because I had to find the right resin for the job.
i HIGHLY recommend the Siraya Tech blu nylon-like resin. and then a little extra post-print curing than what you'd normally do.
Thanks for the good information on resin's Greg!
Another job well done Ron! Wishing you and yours a merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Thank you Bob! Same for You and Yours as well :-)
Wow, from Canada also. And I have 2 of these in series 1. I have pulled out my last hair working on these, lol. I was so glad you made a video on your repair and fix...going to have to give this a try! Just became a 33% er about a month ago. Been playing catch up on your videos. Love them and learning from them. Keep up the good work and have a Merry Christmas.
Thank you for your Support of my channel. Hope you get a few new idea's along the way of watching the video's. M.C. to you and yours as well Sir!!
Great job Ron ! Have a Merry Christmas.
Thank you Albert, and M.C. to you as well :-)
@@classicmodeltrains by the way, I have the Niagara hidden somewhere in my collection, I remember it having something wrong with the steam chest or something, had to be glued. I might get it out and look at it sometime.
Superb job, have a great x-mas
Thanks, you too David!
Enjoyed your video! Merry Christmas!
Thank you David! M.C. to you as well :-)
Some years ago Bowser made a conversion kit for the Bachman GS4 it included all new metal drivers and gears plus all the parts to put them in and have it run properly with no danger of split gears in the future
Ive heard about them. I also hear there rare as hens teeth
That you for making this video I was considering purchasing replacement gears from that person. Now I know what to actually do!
Thank for watching Alex :-)
Great repair job Ron. Merry Christmas buddy.
Thanks, M.C. to you and yours as well :-)
Hey Ron, I have a Gen 1 Chessie 4-8-4 that I had bought replacement parts from a fellow named Otto back in 2015-16. They worked....for a bit. Now, that loco is back to being a shelf Queen because the gears broke. Imagine that. I must say the idea if "sleeving" the gears never crossed my mind. This repair ranks up there with the one I did on my Walther 90ft turntable. I bought bearings to carry the electric to the track instead of the crappy wiper/brass sleeves Walthers had
Hello Ray! Yes its unfortunate the lack of engineering that takes place with some of the stuff in this here hobby.
Nice work! I have 2 brand new barely ran Bachmann 4449's Southern Pacific Daylight and American Freedom Train GS4 series engines that are ironically both in need of the same repair. They havent been on the track since they went on self-destruct mode the same way. I wonder if the effort in restoring them would be worth trying. Thank you for sharing
Thank you and sorry to hear you have 2 beautiful loco's that are paralyzed. If their gen 2's I would try
Great video Ron! Loved it! Maybe you remember, but I mentioned to you in one of my postings that I had a Lionel GS4. I was surprised just how cheap it was when I took a good look at it with the shell off. I didn't like the way it ran, and it look cheaply made. I figured I was buying quality Lionel. I didn't know it was actually a Bachmann. I was able to sell it though. I got rid of it and glad I did after watching your video. Love the way you fabricate and find ways to overcome with broken parts. Brass sleeves were brilliant. Even melting the sprues to fabricate those pins. Learned a lot! Thanks for the work you do to help us MRR'ers. Especially newbs like me. Merry Christmas!
Thank you Gary, M.C. to you also :-)
Thank you for this information. I really appreciate it. I have two Bachmanns one is the N&W 611. I'm putting a Bowser rebuild under that one. The other is the 806 Union Pacific which I'm going to try your fix on. I'm hoping that the brass will work the same on Gen 1 as they do on Gen 2. Happy Holidays Ron and wishing you the best.
You are welcome James, I hope you get your Gen 1 running again :-)
Thank you for sharing. Merry Christmas Ron and Family🎄⛄🎄🍺🍻🎄🎅🎄🍻🍺🎄⛄🎄
Thanks for watching and M.C. to you and your as well :-)
Ron you are a genius with model trains you know how to fix them like ment condition
Thanks Bnsfrailroader :-)
@@classicmodeltrains marry Christmas Ron
Wow! You really went all in on this one Ron! Great job thinking out of the box.Two thumbs up 👍👍 to you Sir! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Thank you Jason, yes I had to get the old brain cells working overtime on this fix. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well Sir :-)
Great video Ron I love your videos and Merry Christmas to you you're a patient man working with all that little stuff like that Merry Christmas young man
Thank you James! M.C. to you as well Sir!
That was fantastic work. Good for you and your diligence to stick with the problem until solved. Hope you enjoyed your beers. Merry Xmas.
Thanks Jimbo! 4 more to go before im "out" (of beers that is) :-)
Great video Ron and Merry Christmas Ron
Thanks William, M.C. to you as well :-)
On the printed parts I wonder if heating them some prior to installation would be another route to consider? Steep them in boiling water or just place them near a light bulb before pressing them into place. The sleeves are a super solution though and the whole video was a good one. Also, I bet using nylon screws and nuts would have also been a option instead of the home-made sprue screw assembly.
There are some materials which harden when heated, issue is shrinkage. (Nylon parts in RC)
Thanks. Yes the nylon bolt and nut idea would work. I just wasn't in the mood to goto town and get some :-)
I’ve seen one guy on RUclips use RC gears to repair Bachmann locos, Gears are are gears, a 14 tooth gear is a 14 tooth gear no mystery to it. Is pretty much wat he said. I wonder if I could get metal gears from somewhere, I have a catalog from a gear supplier somewhere.
Awesome video I loved it !! Beduan Brass Compression Fitting,Compression Sleeve Fitting Sleeve Ferrules 3/16 inch Tube OD (Pack of 40)
Thank you, and the plastic airline compression fitting is a GREAT idea. I'm familiar with the product. A lot thinner that what I was using :-)
Wow Ron. I do a lot of repairs to some of my stuff, and funny that it seems to be just Bachman.They used that split chasis design on nearly all their stuff ,steam & deisel, back then.The steamers did not need the phospher bronze wipers to pick up current.They did change that around mid 2000s I think.to the wiper system. I was blown away with your determination, & thought process, to get the perfect results, especially wth this one. I thought, at the time, I hopng those drivers dont end up with a wobble, but NOT ON YOUR NELLY. Perfect just spot on.Wishing you all the best over the xmas period. Michael NZ
Thanks Michael!