I'm full of questions lately and here's another. Sitting in the cab looking forward, I'm talking about the left hand side. Going forward = no problem, but in reverse on a left hand curve and sometimes on the straight, it stops suddenly, locked up. It started this a couple of weeks ago so I stripped it down, cleaned everything up, lubricated it with Woodland Scenics grease and oil and it's still the same. I think it's the jack shaft on the left side that's locking it all up but can't find why. The rod holes don't look enlarged, but the jack shaft does get out of quarter with the rest of the rods on that side. Has anyone else had this problem and cured it, possibly by fitting new rods and jack shafts? I'll give Bachmann a ring tonight, but meanwhile I'd be interested to get an answer.
Is this the new Bachmann 03? I was given one for Christmas and tried running it in yesterday. Worked fine on reverse but as soon as it went forward it locks up with the same problem. Will contact the supplier today.
No this is an older one, 31-361. I have heard that reaming out the coupling rod holes on the rod between the rear drivers and the jack shafts can sort this out on the newer models, but mine (now I've had a closer look) seems to have enlarged holes at the jack shaft end. I've just phoned Bachmann UK but no answer. This was eight o'clock your time, maybe they don't open until 8.30.
*** 8.30 will not be a likley time - 9 is possible but in my esperience, most retail-related contact points for customer service will not be available until 10 am.
If ANY reaming is needed its probable the cause is bad quartering. In beneral reaming will give a compromised fix. Generally opening the hole vertically rather than all rouind will give better results.
The 'standard' technique from the time this was a Mainline model was to remove the jackshafts completely, in order that the rods would
not foul on them. (The jackshafts are not on an axle, mechanically inadequate design for longevity in operation.)
I've just received the new rods, solid ones this time. Bachmann had no red or jointed ones. I fitted them and it's now got a tight spot/waddle. I can't see if the quartering's slightly out because I haven't got a good enough jig. I reckon on easing the holes out a bit, vertically as RJ says.
As for the new design 03, which has a way superior mechanism (my own has been operating beautifully since purchase when a new release, whenever that was!) just had a friend's example to look at with a problem of locked up drive train and a slightly bent rod.
Learning: it is critical that the jackshaft crankpin doesn't partially unscrew, as it will foul on the mesh guard, and the drive has enough grunt to bend the rod. Fixed with a spot of 'unbending' and the jackshaft crankpins are now treated with a little threadlock* - on his and mine! - to ensure no repetition.
*AKA nail varnish, free because discarded by SWMBO; good enough for small scale model railway purposes rather than the expensive Loctite product. (Which you can use if you really want to...)
It's a long time since I started this thread, but I fixed the problem by doing away with the jackshafts and no problem since. It's pretty hard to see that they're not there.
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