Mind the fact that N Scale was not designed, intended, recommended, or warranted to be used outdoors.
The lack of UV inhibitors added to the molded plastics is but one of many obstacles that will need to be overcome.
The frequency and intensity of maintenance, of your motive power alone, may well outweigh the enjoyment of the actual run time.

Good Luck.

Hi harryc,

My latest version of the 4-8-4 Northern has

Blackened drivers
Vertically split frame chassis
3 pole motor

FWIW

My “old” version Northern, with the shiny drivers, had a 3 pole motor.

My new Spectrum Class “J” 4-8-4 also has a 3 pole motor.

I have not seen a  B’mann 4-8-4 with a 5 pole motor, not to say it has not been made, but I have yet to see one so equipped from the B’mann factory.
Maybe they did it in HO scale?

Quote,the rear wheels keep falling off,the wheel comes out with a stem attached

I’m going to take a “wag” here and assume you are speaking of the trailing truck.
One wheel falls free while the other stays attached to the axle (stem).

My first fix for this scenario would be to replace the wheel set.
The second would be to ACC the wheel in place, in gauge, on the axle.

If the bosses are not cracked, put a small sliver of paper down into the hole tighten the screw and rip off the excess paper.
If the bosses are cracked, fill with epoxy, and after cured, re-drill new holes of the proper size.
A repair could be made by cutting a proper length piece of either round hollow or round solid styrene. Remove the broken ones and glue the new ones in place. Drill if necessary.

The wheels need to be slightly under gauge to all fit within the confines of the arc of the radius. This would include the drivers on your northern as well as the eight wheel trucks. If they were all in proper gauge, the lead wheels and the trailing wheels would want to climb the rails while the middle wheels would be within the arcs.

It is absolutely necessary for the Northern 8 drivers to be slightly under gauge as well as the eight wheel tender trucks. Your lead and trailing trucks should, however, be in gauge as well as all four wheel trucks.

I can explain it better with a crude picture.





The tighter the radius the further under gauge they will need to be.
I don't know the radius that a perfectly gauged set of  Northern drivers will handle, but I would guess it to be above 20-22 inches, taking into consideration tolerances and slop.

Sorry Dick, you are correct. It is 11.25r EZ Track.
My mistake

I don't know the minimum curve radius this loco will handle but I have run mine on an oval utilizing Bachmann's 11.25r EZ Track.

QuoteThey took it apart and discovered that a light blue gear had stripped. They think that the rod bent (somehow) and because it couldn't move stripped the gear

Is this a typical problem? If it is there a way to fix it or will I have to send it back to Bachmann?

Anytime a loco comes out of storage, at least open it up and have a look to see if cleaning and lubrication is warranted before running again.

Is this a typical problem?
No.

Is there a way to fix it?
Yes, there is.
Find a used one on the auction site and cannibalize it for parts.

But before you do that…..

Bachmann has re-worked this lokie in the last year or two.
Send the old one back to B’mann along with 15USD.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised with what they send back to you.

The old version is nowhere near on par with the new.

brokemoto

Have you had opportunity to pop the shell and investigate the root cause of the binding mechanism?
Is the cause design or assembly?

TIA