While running yesterday, the pilot truck on my K-27 broke: the left side square where the axle goes through broke from the "V". According to Bachmann parts, the pilot truck is no longer available. Will it come back into stock? I do not need the wheels, just part 08503.

I have a problem: my D&RGW 1:20.3 LS Long Caboose has a problem: the stove smoke stack is too high to go through my tunnel and needs to be shortened. I pulled the roof off and cannot tell if the two pieces of the chimney (parts 00Z01 and 0AB07) are glued or simply a very tight fit. I don't want to break them but how are they removed?

I recently purchased a used Spectrum Large Scale C&S #8305 box car and trucks. Unfortunately the metal truck screws and springs are missing. Does Bachmann sell replacements or can anyone suggest another source? Thanks in advance for the help!

Running outside on Code 250 track and having problems: the front truck jumps the track on the slightest excuse: any little bump and it jumps, always to the right so as soon as it reaches a right hand switch, the truck goes right while the drivers try to go straight.

I have watched it carefully: it does not happen every time, but it will not go more than 2 or 3 trips without the problem.

The truck will jump on the slightest excuse. I have seen it jump going over a flange way on a switch. It lifts going over the switch points. Once it jumped on a rail joiner.

Are the wheel flanges too deep or too wide?

I am about ready to truncate the K-27 into a 0-8-2 -- at least it will go around! Anyone got a better solution?

A company is known by, not the quality of its products, but rather how it handles those times when the products fail. Customer service will either destroy the company or increase its market share. Bachmann fits the former category. It has been long enough for me to cool off and look at the situation with a bit of detachment. Let me explain:

A year ago, exactly a year ago, mid-April 2008, after due diligence, I decided to "upgrade" from LGB to Fn3 with a Bachmann K-27. I read the reviews in Garden Railroad and Railroad Modeler, I watched the various online videos and read the online comments of early purchasers. I went down to Caboose Hobbies and they ran one for me. And I bought the green boiler 455, added QSI sound, and took it home.

It was beautiful! I began purchasing Spectrum and AMS freight cars to go behind it. As a member of the Denver Garden Railway Society, I took it out to Golden and ran it on the club's layout at the Colorado Railroad Museum. Oh, the comments passerbys gave me!

Until mid-November. The engine stopped. I took it down to Caboose and Lee diagnosed the problem as a broken gearbox. Under Bachmann's warranty, the company would not send the replacement to local hobby stores so I packed the engine and mailed it to Philadelphia.

At least it would be back before the grandchildren came for Christmas.

By mid-December I had not heard anything from Bachmann so I tried calling. When I finally got through the pleasant receptionist checked and said James was scheduled to work on it. And it would take 6 to 8 weeks. No Big Engine for Christmas. I left a voice mail for James.

He called me two weeks later – December 30. No, he wasn't the one working on it, but he checked. When he returned he said that it was being worked on right now, but it would not be mailed back until January 5, because of their being closed over New Year's. When it had to arrived by January 9, I called again. No, it had not been fixed – it was scheduled for Irvin. I left another message for Irvin.

Two weeks later he called me. There was nothing wrong with the engine – worked fine! I held my temper, did not say, you blithering idiots! You've already fixed it! Instead I politely asked him to send it back.

Another two weeks – everything at Bachmann seems to take two weeks – UPS delivered it to my front porch. Thank heavens! I excitedly open the packing case, opened the Styrofoam inner case and carefully lifted out the engine.

And the pilot fell off! The engine had gone from China to my house, with stops in between, to Caboose a couple of times, to the Colorado Railroad Museum, then from my house to Philadelphia, without problem. But Bachmann could not mail it back safely.
There is a flat metal plate coming from the front of the frame, over which the pilot or snowplow slips. And it had sheared off. I was sick. I also discovered they had managed to lose the lower cylinder cap.

I e-mailed, I snail mailed, I called. There was another two weeks before I got a call back. Again the polite Customer Service Representative apologized and promised they would mail me the necessary parts. When the package finally arrived, I discovered that Bachmann's engineers had decided that this metal plate was a weak spot, and the plate was screwed into the frame. That at least was good news. However, Bachmann had misinterpreted my request and instead of sending a cylinder cover, they sent the long upper cylinder cover. And when the engine was repaired, we discovered that two of the tiny screws that secure the braces were gone. Another e-mail, with the missing part numbers.

And, after more wait, a message was left on my phone: again, very sorry, they did not have ANY spare parts, at all. Please callback in July!

Well, I have a temporary cylinder cover fitted so I can run the engine. And she does sound as lovely as ever, behind her freight train of AMS and Spectrum cars.

I have been trying to think what I should do now. I thought about flying to Philadelphia and picketing Bachmann's headquarters but that seemed a tad expensive. Wait, the 25th Annual Garden Railroad Convention is here in Denver this July. And my club, the Denver Garden Railroad Club, are the hosts.

When the convention comes to Golden, I plan to run my engine with its cars strung out behind. And on top of the box cars and the flat cars and the Spectrum GRAMPS tank car, and the caboose, will be a series of Burma Shave-style signs. It is a work in progress, but how does "ASK ME ABOUT TERRIBLE BACHMANN SERVICE" sound?

One of the advantages of smaller scale model trains is the ease with which one may pick them up. Light weight, one hand, holding lightly, there are no problems.

Large Scale is a different matter: they are big and heavy and often need two hands. Additionally, because of their weight you have to hold tightly. For most cars that is not a problem: every thing from the tender to the caboose is, after all, a "box" car -- a rectangular cube, whether it is a flat car or a streamlined dome car.

The exception is a frameless tank car. Which brings me to my topic:

A Christmas present from my wife is a Spectrum Gramps. It is beautiful and, placing it next to a 1/24 Gramps, is an impressive example of the scale difference. Placed behind my K-27, it attracts attention! 

However, with the beauty comes a problem. The thing is so danged fragile! Almost before I got it out of the box I had knocked off of the grad iron ladders! I was able to glue that back on but I still haven't figured out how to handle it without breaking or losing something. Indeed, Bachmann recognizes that by including the bag of spare parts!

A neat thing is that the draft gear covers lift up. I suppose I need to supply the oily rags to go in there. 1/20.3 of a Kleenex? And they keep dropping off.

Seriously, is there any problem with my gluing them shut?

I justy tried to  run my K-27 for the  first  time in a month or so. DC, with !SI sound. The sound is fine, the lights come on -- but it doesn't run!

It goes forward smoothly about a 1/4 inch then jerks backward the same distance.

What am I doing wrong?