Consolidation 2-8-0 engine revs but doesn't move

[dferet]

Hi,  Question if train could be sent in for service.  I have item #0651, Consolidation 2-8-0 w/smoke purchased 12/27/1979 was running and now just revs.  Have the original receipt from Two Guys, warranty card must of been sent in back in 1979 because I have the top half, and I have the original paperwork that came with the engine to service it, and it's in the original box.  Can it be sent in for service and receive the same engine back?  I don't really want to be messing with a 35 year old train.  I've had this since I was 12.

[jonathan]

First, congratulations for having a 35-year old locomotive that was running up until recently.  That's pretty cool.

Now, technology and engineering techniques have changed over the years, so getting repair parts would be near impossible. 

Call the Bachmann Service Department.  Use the regular number, not the 800 version.  They have a good history of honoring their lifetime warranty. Though I don't know if they were yet offering lifetime warranties in 1979.  Understand you may not get the same locomotive back if they can't fix it.

Anyway, call. It never hurts to ask.

Regards,

Jonathan

[uscgtanker]

If the motor is running and not moving the engine, sounds like the gearing is miss aligned. If you can move the drive wheels freely that's your problem. I had the same problem with a merchant navy loco from hornby.

[dferet]

I called the company, was told the engine is too old for service and there's nothing they can do for me.  Even said that it's a cheap version from the late 70's not worth fixing.  Guess I'll have to try my local hobby shop.   They were offering the warranty back them, I still have the top half of the registration card.  They basically said the warranty wouldn't apply.

The wheels are still tight but I'm thinking the gear slipped too.

[Doneldon]

df-

In my experience, the B'man rarely tells anyone to give up on an old locomotive unless they know that restoring it to health would be hopeless and/or so expensive for what you'd have after repairs that the work is completely unjustifiable. I strongly urge you to follow his advice and spend your money on a recent, quality locomotive. The new 2-8-0s are very nice and will give you years of good service (as opposed to a fixed oldie that might well fall apart in a different way tomorrow, if not sooner).

If this loco holds some emotional value for you, cosmetically do it up as you please -- right out of the backshop and a rebuild
or decrepit old timer -- and park it in a roundhouse stall or a little-used yard track. It can be a place of honor for a valued old friend.

                                                                                                                                        -- D

P.S. Do you have anything else around the house which is 35 years old and still in service?

[dferet]

Sure do, I have a stock 1968 Mustang and that get used a lot more than the few times this train has been out the box.  But thanks, I'll find a local hoppy shop to fix it.

[Doneldon]

Sure do, I have a stock 1968 Mustang and that get used a lot more than the few times this train has been out the box.  But thanks, I'll find a local hoppy shop to fix it.

df-

Well, that beats the age of my '74 E-type Jag but I'd be happy to take 'em head to head!

                                                                                                                          -- D

[jbrock27]

Feret, I am sure you did not buy the Mustang when you were 2.  How do you know it's all stock?

I am with Doc (Don),  I would not pump any money into this loco, sentiment or not and if you like the style and like to run it, buy a new replacment.  Or if you are mechanically inclined, which one would be led to believe since you are still driving 68 Mustang, take it apart to see if you can fix it-just don't expect to find a part that you find needs replacing.  You could of course search, and find another loco to canablized parts from, but given the age, the canablized part may have the same weakness as your original.

And if I still had my 280Z, I would race you both, but I think it is part of my stove or refrigerator now...

[Doneldon]

Jim-

You realize, don't you, that Nissan modeled the original Z car, the 240 Z, after the e-type? They knew the E (more commonly known west of the Atlantic as the XKE), design was revolutionary and exceedingly well liked, and saw an opportunity to entice the market with a less spendy and much more available vehicle than the E. I liked the 240Z, too, but its sound and acceleration never outshone my old 12-cylinder Jag.
                                                                                                                                                                                                   -- D

[jbrock27]

I certainly did know that Doc!  I have a book I got as a Christmas gift years ago, that goes into great details, including that tidbit.

Maybe the straight 6 did not "outshine" the 12 but I am going to go out on a limb and bet it was more trouble free.  Plus, do we want to talk about comparing electrical systems?

[Doneldon]

Jim-

I have absolutely no doubt that the 240Z series was more reliable then my old Jag, although mine was a sweetie in that regard. It never failed to start even in the dead of winter when I would start and run it for a while to get the juices flowing, dry out the innards and what not.

You may have noticed that I wrote in the past tense. That's because I had to sell the car when we downsized two years ago. For a variety of medical reasons I hadn't started it for over two years and it started right up. All it took was a rap on the fuel pump with a screwdriver handle.

The man who bought the car lives in England. He hired an agent to check out the car, verify that it had a valid title, drive it from Minneapolis to Philadelphia, crate it and put it on a ship to England. Then the buyer had to have it converted it to right-hand drive and get it adjusted for English driving and fuel. He paid me quite a bit more than I paid for it plus all those other costs. The car was an excellent driver or a 10-footer but the broker said it could win concours events in merry ol' since their standards are much lower there.

And the punch line is he still has a Lucas electrical system (although I had put in high-energy  electronic ignition.
                                                                                                                                                                        -- D

[RAM]

I would open it up to see what is going on.  I might be something simple.  If not, what do you have to lose.

[electrical whiz kid]

Doneldon;
Mine is a 91 SJX  12-cyl. ragtop.  Nice set of wire wheels (real) on her.  I wouldn't put it up against anything geared for the quarter mile, but she is a nice ride.  ANd a real babe-mobile (If I were twenty years younger...)
Rich C.

[Doneldon]

Rich-

Mine, too, had wires and a flip top. It also had leather, A/C and a stick which made it the best to drive. However, my wife was afraid
I'd yell at her if she made noise with the tranny (yeah, so?) so she would never drive it. I also had an XJ-6 for a while. It's impossible
to even try to compare it to the E-type but it was the best road car I ever owned. It was as smooth as silk going down the highway at
80, with no bumps, no wind, no road noise -- nothing but the sweet hum from the huge six. And it got better mileage than my
Camry! Sadly, I had no where to keep the saloon and I had to sell the E-type when we downsized. Now I'm in a hybrid Sonata -- lots
of car for the money, but nothing like a jag.
                                                                  -- D