belt drive

[exrail]

Do the Spectrum 4-6-0 and 4-4-0 have belt drives like the 2-8-0?

Exrail

[rich1998]

yes they do. Look in the diagrams section. I am surprised you did not look there first.

Lex

[CNE Runner]

Once again Lex you have enlightened me. I only hope the Bachmann belt drive is better than the old Athearn Hi-F drive of the 1950s.

Ray

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

Once again Lex you have enlightened me. I only hope the Bachmann belt drive is better than the old Athearn Hi-F drive of the 1950s.

Ray

Oy!    I remember those, and none too fondly. My grandpa used one of those to replace a busted American Flyer drive in the engine of a Flyer HO passenger set he and Grandma got me for Christmas one year.  The engine could run like the wind by itself, but could it pull three heavy, streamlined passenger cars? Not on your life!

[rich1998]

I guess the only issue with this belt is it could take a "set" if the loco is not run for two or three years. that is only a guess. i believe i read somewhere that happened to someone with a Spectrum that had the belt drive but do not remember where i might have seen that.
lex

[Pacific Northern]

I do not think that the belt drives do set on engines stored for a number of years.

My last two purchases recently of Spectrum steam engines a 4-6-0 and a 2-8-0 were of new old stock

Each of these engines were received in sealed boxes, the 4-6-0 engine contained a reference to Bachmann's 2003 catalogue and the 2-8-0 a reference to their 2004 catalogue.

Both of these engines were broken in after I received them and neither engine exhibited any signs of surging or stalling. They were converted to DCC later and their running characteristics are most acceptable. They both are excellent slow speed running engines.

Note there is a lot of "old" new stock Spectrum engines in the market place. If the belts are subject to setting it would be over a lot more years than three or four.

[CNE Runner]

Hmmm - I never thought about belt 'set'...I suppose this doesn't occur because of the new plastics that are employed.

One last observation on Hi-F drive: Back in the day, I was one of the thousands of [just barely] war babies who wore orthodental 'braces'. The only joy arising from that painful period of my life was that the little rubber dental bands (provided additional tension on the braces) - were direct replacements for the Hi-F drive bands on my two locomotives (a GP9 and a Porter 'Lil' Hustler). Any of you that remember those days can attest to having bags of little rubber bands.

Ray

[pdlethbridge]

The bachmann belts are a different type and much stronger.