Bachmann 4-4-0 American Problem


NYO&W

NYO&W

Member
I know this has never been the best locomotive on the market to begin with :rolleyes: but...

...I am still trying to break in a PRR 4-4-0 American by Bachmann. I have read where it could be a good one if you take the time to break it in properly.

On clean, straight track it will move only a couple of inches in either direction before stopping. To start it again I must lift the engine off the track while leaving the tender on the track (the motor is in the tender with a drive shaft connecting to the engine). Then it runs beautifully. :confused: Once I set the engine back on the track it runs for a few inches again and stops.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
Is there any binding in the loco portion? I mean, are the gears or the side rods causing any hangups? An easy way to test this is to undo the screw that is on the drawbar and pull the driveshaft so that you can work with the loco seperately from the tender. Then run the loco slowly by hand over soem track while feeling for any binding. These loco's have a tendency to often be slightly out of quarter, and that can cause binding. It may only be slight, but this loco has little power, so a slight bind can be a major problem. Correcting any issues here can help a lot.

Also, the gears can be broken in quite nicely with either valve lapping compound or good old toothpaste. Just smear some on the gears and run the loco back and forth some. Don't leave that stuff on long enough to dry up though. When you're done, make sure to wash all of that stuff out real good, then lube it up good like you normally would.

One of the biggest issues this loco has is electrical pickup. All the pickup is in the tender, and it's so lightweight that even a little dirt on the track can cause it to stall. Clean track is a must. Also, any weight you can add to the tender is a plus. Maybe some moldable lead putty, spead thin, with an apporiate load on top of that to hide the lead. I know you can't do much there, but anything would help I'm sure.
 
Thanks

Thanks for the input, Phillip. (The first thing I always do before working with this loco is thouroughly wipe the rails down with track cleaner. I do this frequently anyway since I run several steamers on my layout.)

I almost get the sense that the drive shaft, above the drawbar, is hanging up. If I lift only the front of the engine, leaving the rear driver on the track, just enough to re-align the shaft, it seems to briefly fix the problem.

Another observation I have is the wheel flanges on the tender are spaced more narrowly than the rails, causing some noteable amout of play from side to side. Would this compromise electical pickup?

I like the looks of the 4-4-0 and I got it primarily to display on a siding, but every once in a while I feel the need to torture myself and try to run it. :D
 
Reguaging those tender wheels can be a real chore. The biggest problem you'll likely encounter with them being out of guage is them maybe having a tendency to pick the points of a turnout or maybe ride up a guardrail once in a while.

You might take a jewelers file to the drive shaft and it's socket and make sure there's no burrs. Be very careful, as you don't want to remove much material though. You might also try flipping the drive shaft and see if it runs better.

I'm like you.....I like this silly little loco, so I goof with it perhaps more then I should. To give you an idea of how stupid crazy I've gotten, check out my latest endeavors with this little thing. It's far from done, but it runs decent, and you get the idea of where I'm going. (Warning - LARGE pic) http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/N Scale Trains/Projects/Captured2006-6-1000014.jpg
 
pcarrell said:
I'm like you.....I like this silly little loco, so I goof with it perhaps more then I should. To give you an idea of how stupid crazy I've gotten, check out my latest endeavors with this little thing. It's far from done, but it runs decent, and you get the idea of where I'm going. (Warning - LARGE pic) http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/N Scale Trains/Projects/Captured2006-6-1000014.jpg
Click to expand...

That's quite an amazing transformation! I notice the shaft seems to be sitting more horizontal, relative to the track, on your loco than on mine.
 
And that just might be the issue with yours. Make sure that bottom plate on the loco that holds the axles in place is tightened up good. That being cocked funny or loose can cause the loco to sit high and cause that misalignment you're describing.
 
I have a Bachmann 0-6-0 given to me as a gift since I would never buy a Bachamann. It runs terrible. It dies on the switches and the Bachmann cars that came with it can't go over the switches at all. They always split the switch. The Atlas cars and my F unit engine run great over the whole set.
But a free loco is like a bad kid. I keep paying attention to it and play with trying to keep it out of trouble. Not much success though.
I did have a problem with it when it ran an inch then stop. I had a small braid stuck on the botton magnet-shorting it out.
N-scale Johnnie
 
The 0-6-0 can be a good loco (especially the newer ones with the new mechanism), but like the 4-4-0, it has a very short electrical wheelbase. This can cause issues if you use dead frogs. Also, making sure that all loco's and cars are in guage as much as possible, and cars are set at the correct weight, will do wonders for running.

Is it a Kato Mikado? Not on your life! But these loco's can be made into usable loco's with some basic work.
 
I got the Bachmann 4-4-0 "Jupiter" in a set for Christmas when I was 13 (25 years ago). It ran quite good for about 4 years and then it started having trouble so I sent it in to Bachmann for repairs and they sent me a brand new one! I have been running that one ever since. It is a pretty good runner although the design has some limitations:

1) All of the electrical pick-ups are on the tender which is quite short. This can cause jolting or stopping when crossing switches or crossings at slow speed. When I run this engine, it is usually at pretty high speed.

2) The motor (and most of the weight) is in the tender instead of over the traction wheels. Thus the wheels tend to spin when there are too many cars especially on grades or curves.

I think that Bachmann could make this into a pretty good runner if they would:

A) Add a little weight to the carriage that holds the front wheels to help them track over switches better.

B) Make the engine shell out of pewter or some other heavy metal to improve traction.

C) Add pick-ups to the driver wheels to make slow running more realistic.

Concerning your issue, I would take the engine apart (it is quite easy) and make sure that there are no foreign objects near any of the drive parts. While you are at it, inspect the gears for damage. As you put it all back together, make sure that everything turns freely. Also, check the driver linkage rods that screw to the driver wheels. If the screws are in too tight, or if the rods are bent, that can cause problems like what you described. If all else fails, send it back to Bachmann and they will send you a new one.
 
Thanks for more good advice.

eaolsen5 said:
Concerning your issue, I would take the engine apart (it is quite easy) and make sure that there are no foreign objects near any of the drive parts. While you are at it, inspect the gears for damage. As you put it all back together, make sure that everything turns freely. Also, check the driver linkage rods that screw to the driver wheels. If the screws are in too tight, or if the rods are bent, that can cause problems like what you described. If all else fails, send it back to Bachmann and they will send you a new one.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great advice, eaolsen5! I definitely am commited to the tinkering options. I bought the 4-4-0 on eBay a couple of years ago, so sending in back to Bachmann is probably not an option.
 
Actually, you could send it back to Bmann, along with $15, and they'll make it right. You don't need a sales reciept or proof of purchase. Thats the best thing about Bmann if you ask me.
 
pcarrell said:
Actually, you could send it back to Bmann, along with $15, and they'll make it right. You don't need a sales reciept or proof of purchase. Thats the best thing about Bmann if you ask me.
Click to expand...

I have a Bachmann 4-8-4 that my Dad gave me when I was a kid. I was probably too yourng because I took the thing apart and jacked up the electrical leads and stripped out some of the screw holes. Do you think the $15 would cover that?

Erik
 
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