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Defective Spectrum 2-8-0

Started by Bo_Diddley, April 20, 2010, 05:35:29 PM

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bruceallen123

Mine came in a black box too.  What are they using now?

jbsmith

#46
Quote from: Bo_Diddley on April 21, 2010, 12:01:07 AM
Mine ran fine right out of the box, it was only after a few hours that my problems started.  First it started off as a "grinding" noise, kind of like the gears were stripped or it needed a serious lube job.  Took the bottom plate off and there was PLENTY of lubrication on all moving parts...  After trying again, the unit ran slower and slower until BOOM-she just quit dead in her tracks--literally.  Nothing. Nada. Zilch.  Not even the faintest buzzing sound coming from it.  The headlight went really dim and the "overload" protector tripped on my power supply...

Strange.  I'm wondering just how widespread this issue is, and whether or not it is confined to a specific batch of bad units that somehow slipped by quality control?  We'll see when I get the loco back.

-Brad

the one i Just got did not fare well either, started out as a low grinding noise then got louder, the loco stopped but
would start with a nudge. Noise got even louder and when it did run it was real jerky and would stop.
Sending it back Monday.

bruceallen123

Very weird... What's the item number?  Roadname?  The saga deepens...

full maxx

The 2-8-0 I just received is road name ...B&O... #2784 and here is the box and item # the little engineer has ran it pretty good this weekend and it runs/sounds fine so maybe all the "bad" one are gone
look up FullMaxx1 on youtube or check the blog for the lastest updates  www.crumbsinmycouch.com

jbsmith

Quote from: bruceallen123 on April 25, 2010, 05:18:37 AM
Very weird... What's the item number?  Roadname?  The saga deepens...

Item Number 51302, Santa Fe 2517

Bo_Diddley

So, that now makes FOUR of us who've had trouble with these?  I think something is up...

Did you run yours through the "break-in" period?  Have you checked the "wipers" on the tender to make sure they're making good contact with the wheels?  It amazes me that Quality Control lets these things slip through...




ABC

I have a whole bunch of 2-8-0s of various production runs and I've never had an issue with any of them, nor do I know anyone that has had an issue.

Bo_Diddley

As I stated before, I firmly believe that these issues are from a bad batch that somehow slipped through QC.  Perhaps yours do run fine.  Ours don't and it strikes me as more than just a fluke...


ABC

You have to consider how many of these 2-8-0 are made in a production run, and it appears to be mostly isolated incidents, there would have to be at least a couple hundred with issues to even show up a blip on the radar, that is probably not even .01% of the locos.

Bo_Diddley

I agree... But how can FOUR of us on the same forum--with the same loco--have the same problem?  FWIW, I've got an el-cheapo Bachmann F7 that came in one of those pre-packaged department store sets, and it runs flawlessly... Go figure.  :D

ABC

#55
It is easily explained a lot of people come on this form just to say that they have an issue with their loco, which skews things a bit. If there were 20 people on the forum stating they had an issue that still would not be enough because of the increased probability of a person to use the forum if their loco doesn't work. Just look at the threads most of them are talking about a problem with their loco or whatever the case may be. I think there's about 10-15,000 people who have used this forum at some point in time, so that is about .001. But of those about half are in HO, and only two-thirds of which have/had a 2-8-0 or have a friend with a 2-8-0. So, if 20 people had this issue it would only account for .38% of people still not very significant.

bruceallen123

Well IMO, anything and I do mean ANYTHING is an improvement over the old pancake motors they used years ago...  Those things were a disgrace.  Any engine that had one I would strip down and convert to a dummy.  That's about all they were good for.

My 2-8-0 is awaiting shipment..  We'll see what kind of luck I have when I get it back.

jbsmith

Quote from: Bo_Diddley on April 25, 2010, 05:25:41 PM
So, that now makes FOUR of us who've had trouble with these?  I think something is up...

Did you run yours through the "break-in" period?  Have you checked the "wipers" on the tender to make sure they're making good contact with the wheels?  It amazes me that Quality Control lets these things slip through...




Yes, that is what i was doing when the trouble started. Inspection using the Mk.I eyeball method, nothing appeared to be amiss, the noise seems to be coming from the motor area.

Bo_Diddley

"Yes, that is what i was doing when the trouble started. Inspection using the Mk.I eyeball method, nothing appeared to be amiss, the noise seems to be coming from the motor area."


That's EXACTLY how mine went.  Worked fine out of the box, it wasn't until about two hours into operation that things went sour.  Terrible grinding noises coming from somewhere and losing power while running slower and slower until it just stopped for good--she ran out of coal I guess--LOL!  Seriously though, I completely share your frustration. Certainly for this kind of money, they should behave better than this...

Clear Block

I do share in the frustration of buying a new locomotive just to find out that it is defective. After spending a fair amount of money I'd expect the engine to run flawlessly.
Understanding that these things are mass produced I do realize that some may pass through Q.C. and enter the market and tick a few of us off. Especially if the dealer we bought it from is loaded with the defected units.
I have 8 PRR K4s' are they run  just fine.  I bought a 2-8-0 recently and it has a sticking motor and gets runs erratically.
As said before  It's probably 1/1000 units that are defective and as long as Bachmann is going to replace them at no cost to the customer then it's annoying but I can live with it.
My suggestion would be requiring all dealers to open their delivery and test and engine from each production run they receive to see if they were given defective units,  If so ship them all back and have the replaced, This is almost the only way of getting these bad eggs out of the barn.