From looking at the forum I know this is an issue that has been discussed before, but not for the last few years.
I have an old Northern 4-8-4 Santa Fe steamer from back in the 1980's (item #660). It hadn't been used for years, but I pulled it out of storage and gave it a try. It worked fine for a short time, but then the wheels stopped turning. I opened it up and guess what? The nylon axle from the rear driver (the one with the gear attached to it) was cracked. I guess this is a common problem with these locomotives.
Apparently, Bachmann no longer stocks this part and glues don't really work to fix the crack. On Youtube I saw a guy who used shrink sleeving and had success, so I tried it and the sleeve wouldn't stick to the nylon. The brass tubing solution sounds way beyond my ability. Has anyone come up with another solution over the years?
If I send it in to Bachmann could it be fixed? I purchased the locomotive new but I have no receipt, so I wouldn't expect it to be covered under warranty. I really like this model since it would work well with my new Santa Fe layout, so I'd be willing to pay a reasonable amount to have it fixed. Or would paying to have it fixed by Bachmann or someone else just be a waste of money?
Thanks for your help.
I have an old Northern 4-8-4 Santa Fe steamer from back in the 1980's (item #660). It hadn't been used for years, but I pulled it out of storage and gave it a try. It worked fine for a short time, but then the wheels stopped turning. I opened it up and guess what? The nylon axle from the rear driver (the one with the gear attached to it) was cracked. I guess this is a common problem with these locomotives.
Apparently, Bachmann no longer stocks this part and glues don't really work to fix the crack. On Youtube I saw a guy who used shrink sleeving and had success, so I tried it and the sleeve wouldn't stick to the nylon. The brass tubing solution sounds way beyond my ability. Has anyone come up with another solution over the years?
If I send it in to Bachmann could it be fixed? I purchased the locomotive new but I have no receipt, so I wouldn't expect it to be covered under warranty. I really like this model since it would work well with my new Santa Fe layout, so I'd be willing to pay a reasonable amount to have it fixed. Or would paying to have it fixed by Bachmann or someone else just be a waste of money?
Thanks for your help.