Thanks much Mark for the tips...I now know exactly what the bearing blocks are!  I had a squeaky 2-10-2 that I took the plunge (a different one than the other I mentioned in an earlier thread....hey, I mentioned I was a collector! ) on and it reduced the squeaking by about 80%.  It was getting stuck on my rerailer track at first, but I went back and really screwed down the bottom plate; this did the trick.  Still a couple of squeaks here and there, but this was after about an hour of running back and forth...I will go back and check out the lube situation (not wanting to over lube) and decide what to do next.

Meanwhile, when I get a bit more time I will take the plunge on the squeaky 2-8-8-4....   EDIT:  I know to be much more careful when using my cradle with this one....when trying to look at the "dead one" I mentioned earlier, I broke off one of those air (or water?) hoses on the side...I specifically purchased a 2-8-8-4 shell a couple of years ago to keep in reserve in case it happened again

Regards,

Jeff

Hello kewatin...thanks for the reply!

The other one does still run, but it has always been a bit slower and squeaks after a while.  I mentioned gears (I know what those are) and bearing blocks (I assume this is what the axles sit on), but I might need to consider putting lube where the driveshaft meets the motor...I think they have slightly different terms in model railroading (ha ha and I don't know after 35 years).   That would mean taking the frame apart...now I've done this for some of my older locomotives over the years, but for the EM-1 I am a bit hesitant to try until I feel comfortable that I can get it back together!

...and I have enjoyed Mark's (spookshow) site for many years now....it is quite the service Mark does for the N Scale community by including the locomotive database and other N Scale pages.  Heck, I even noticed he likes board/card games (as does our seven person household; lots of games!) and I found out about the card game Dominion through his reviews.  My older kids really like it!

I have a few DC steam locomotives that do not run (ha ha you could call me a collector ), and I think I will start taking one of those apart and putting it back together just to get acclimated with steam.  I have had limited success doing this with diesels, but steam is a bit trickier for me.  One thing I have not seen too much of on youtube (maybe I am missing it somehow?) are folks taking apart and putting back together N Scale steam...I might just video record what I do and post it to help others see what it is like. 

See ya on the boards kewatin and thanks for the tips!

Jeff

Hello everyone.  Just spreading love for Bachmann's N scale 2-8-8-4!  I bought one about three years ago from ebay that unfortunately died, but I liked that loco so much that I bought two from BLW when they were still in stock.  Speaking of ebay, they are few and far between and as of this writing and used ones go for premium prices. Would be awesome if Bachmann released a second edition with other roads!

So, of the two, one still runs like a peach!  The other has always been a bit slower (both run exclusively on DCC) and squeaks after a while (and trust me I have lubed the outside connections and gears after 24 hours [or less] of running, but still squeaks...my hunch is I will have to take it apart and try to lube the inside portion of the gears and/or bearing blocks).

I would be interested to hear the experience from others...thanks Bachmann for such a fine model!

Jeff

Quote from: Yardmaster on March 24, 2018, 11:08:57 AM
Just out of curiosity what DCC system are you using?

Hello Yardmaster....I am using Bachmann EZ-Command.   

Jeff

Hello everyone....first off, I am very thankful for Bachmann's great steam offerings in N Scale, and I hope they continue this trend! 

I have a 2-10-2 that does not move anymore although the lights still come on and in the proper direction.  I use DCC mode exclusively. 

I get the feeling that this could very well be a decoder issue (based on reading many posts and second hand experiences).  I also see (thanks to spookshow for the great review and pics!) that it looks fairly straight-forward to hook up the connector to a new tender.

On the flip side, I owned a 2-8-8-4 EM-1 that also did this (lights but no movement)...I returned it and spoke directly with a repair person who suggested "the rods were bound up"...I really liked that loco, so I used the proceeds of the replacement they sent me (a very nice 2-8-4 with sound, but it did not fit my plans) to help in the purchase of two more EM-1s which still both run well.  With that said, although I'm not 100% sure what "bound up rods" would look like, I can confirm that at one point it was running fine, but then one day it barely ran, and then stopped running.  When I inspect it, I do not see any issues with the rods, but I imagine that even a small issue could cause big problems, and well, my eyes ain't quite what they used to be  

I would prefer to still have my 2-10-2 as opposed to a replacement loco of another kind (assuming the Bachmann store does not have one anymore) if I send it in...

So, please advise o sages of the Bachmann forum!  Should I send it in, or hope that it is a decoder issue that can be fixed with a new tender/decoder. 

Thanks in advance for any replies,

Jeff