I have a 2nd generation 44 ton with dcc on board , the plastic on all the axles are split & they no longer make new wheels for it , Is my only option to send it in to bachmann ?????? Nobody has this problem with there 44 ton ???????
yes I have this engine with same problem. my 44 ton was made 2005. and of course they don't make axles for it anymore. I did find out that nwsl or nswl makes a axles set for it but it cost 46.00+ on ebay. haven't decided if I want to pay that to fix this engine or work on another way to fix it.
Quote from: indian_hills_r_r on March 27, 2017, 02:31:03 AM
I did find out that nwsl or nswl makes a axles set for it but it cost 46.00+ on ebay.
Are you aware you can deal directly with
NWSL?
yes, I do. went to nwsl website and the axles cost even more there. don't know if engine is worth the money. might scrap this one and buy a newer one.
Quote from: indian_hills_r_r on March 27, 2017, 01:07:01 PM
went to nwsl website and the axles cost even more there.
That surprises me.
They are some pricey wheels ??? more then I paid for the loco!!! to bad there is no other alternative ???
this seems to be a class problem with the 44 tonners. it would be nice if Bachmann would make so affordable ( less than $8.00 a pair replacement wheels for these engines. I imagine there are a lot of these 44 tonners out these.
as much as I like this 44 tonner I am thinking of putting it on ebay and get rid of it. I only bought for 45.00 but probably sell it for parts for 30.00 plus shipping. only one axle has the split. unless Bachmann comes up with a wheel replacement.
Honstly how many sets of do you think NWSL sells for that price ?????
kamerad47
my understanding is and am waiting nswl to reply, is that there is 4 wheelsets in a package for 39.95 plus shipping. that is to replace all 4 axles. there 3 types listed for the 44 tonner so just have to find out which one will work.
Quote from: indian_hills_r_r on March 30, 2017, 07:07:34 PM
kamerad47
my understanding is and am waiting nswl to reply, is that there is 4 wheelsets in a package for 39.95 plus shipping. that is to replace all 4 axles. there 3 types listed for the 44 tonner so just have to find out which one will work.
I went to the NWSL website..only found 1 type for the 44 tonner...could you provide a direct link to the others??
I am not that good with computers and setting up links. I just went to their website, found the parts section then went the geared wheels where I found 4 items listed. 3 of which from how I read it was axles for the 44 tonner. best I can do. sorry
I have two, new from dealer. 44 tonners with DCC. They both have the open bottom gear covers, ( 5 gears ). Of the 8 axles involved, 6 were split on arrival. Gear portion of axle was fine in all cases. Only clue was wheel gage would widen out, causing derailments after awhile. Sent letter to Bachmann advising of problem. No response, 3 mos.
Solution. As gears were fine, and locos ran great, I figured if I could keep axles in place, and in gage, no problem.
I used a Loctite product, in small blue tube from Ace hardware. The product does not cure rock hard, and
allows it to be pulled apart with some slight force. It has held the axles in place perfectly.
These locos ran exceptionally smooth right from the factory. I have since upgraded them with Tsunami2 DCC & sound.
Freakin" awsome! I installed TSU1100 w/dual Catipillar engines, Current Keeper, and RailMaster sugar cube speaker. Motor control is phenominal (?), sound accuracy and fidelity will blow you away. These are now first class locos!
Don't give up on them, especially if they are newer production run.
dave2744, .
I was thinking if I could find a needle type locking clamp maybe a hemostat clamp would hold the split together after I filled the gap with super glue or maybe wellwood contact cement which I used for years and even now when I find that I need a glue when no other glue will hold.
if my wife was still working I could get a pair from the doctor she worked for.
I am going to try it but when I have nothing else to do
This is what I was thinking, was to try to glue the split axles ???? I glad someone had success with it !!! I willing to try that !!! Dave it would be nice to see a pic of the inside of the chassie with the deocder in it ?? I wanted to put a soundtraxx decoder in it only if you could put a keep alive in it too !!!!
After a long trip I just got home and after reading this thread I pulled out all 3 of my 44-tonners. 2 are at least 5-7 years old and the most recent is a CN liveried one I bought about3 years ago.All were bought new from the local hobby-shop, are factory equipped DCC models with the open bottom gear covers. None of them have been run in at least 2 years if not longer. I put all 3 on the layout the other day and ran them....the older two are definately noisier than the newer one but to me its just the old traditional Bachmann growl....the newer CN livried one is quieter...they all ran perfectly fine after a minute or two , I assume the lube had dries out a bit from sitting so long. Yesterday I was at my LHS, they had another CN liveried DCC-equipped 44-tonner so I grabbed it. I assume its a more recently manufactured unit than the one I bought 3 years ago but I suppose it might have been built back then and been sitting on various wharehouse shelves since then. This one ran beautifully and much more quietly than the others straight out of the box...so thats good. Over the next few days I'll open all up and closely examine the gears and report back. Meanwhile, Dave2744, it would be great if you could offer any advice or tips,pics of how to install all that sound-hardware into the loco...its definately something I would like...a sound equipped 44-tonner...how awesome would that be!!!
Sorry for the long post.
Cherrs
Gene
Sorry to have not seen these posts recently. Very busy with work and girlfriend. Gotta keep 'em happy!
Indian-hills: The axles on my units were all split at the "hub" area. The ends where the metal part of the
wheels inserts. The axles ran true enough with the metal wheel stubs inserted. The Permatex
product I used is Threadlocker Blue. # 24206. Ace hardware carries it. Comes in a small bottle.
It allows disassembly if needed, but has held up very well in use. I run these 44s every day, with
lots and lots and lots of switch activity. Have had zero failures since application of product.
genetk44: I do have installation photos. They are on my android phone. I would gladly share them, but I
need instructions, ( for dummies ), on how to get from phone to forum. Meanwhile, the installation
is challenging, but not undoable. Patience is a must. I only worked on it a couple hours each time.
Overall plan: decoder, TWU1100, sits crosswise snug against roof of cab. Two window glazings had
to be removed to allow decoder to sit flat against roof. No big deal. vandals probably knocked them
out! Next, the Railmaster sugarcube speaker, DS1436-8, mounts under one hood, snug against top,
and about 1/4 inch from end of hood, to leave room for Led & resistor.
No cutting or filing required. The CurrentKeeper mounts under the other hood, snug against top, and
about 1/4 inch from end of hood, to leave room for led & resistor. Leads from both items are facing
center cab. More on this later.
Led lights. I had to install 1000ohm resistors on each to dim the lights down to realistic levels.
Hi is now proper brilliance, low is nice and dim. The resistors are soldered directly in series with the
Led tabs. The resistors sit vertically up alongside the radiator surface. There is NO room to spare.
Resustors stay cool, no worry about heat. I'll continue this in the next reply, getting rather long and
gal is calling.
TSU1100 Tsunami2 sound install continued.
The biggest challenge was to find room for all the wires. I cut off the auxillary wires for other
light functions. All wires needed to be cut as short as possible so they can fit in small crevices
between CurrentKeeper and cube speaker. Wire splices were done by laying pretinned wires
alongside each other, then soldered together. Joint is no thicker than wire with insulation. I did
not use shrink tubing. No room for it! My solution was to apply several thin coats of a liquid
product, that when dried, forms an isulating blanket around joint. The product is a model
airplane canopy glue, Formula 500, from PACER.It goes on white, but dries clear. My insulated
joints are barely bigger than the original wire. It has worked perfectly. Is very durable, so
disassembly or vibration is not a problem.
As I stated in earlier post, this project was successful beyond my wildest dreams. The sound is
very loud, had to tone it down. The Tsunami2 sound files are outstanding. The two prime movers
start up separately, and are very accurate. This project is a must for these little engines. They
become first class units, are fun to run, and the slow speed control is perfect. I will post my CV
in the next post, tommorrow, for my installation. I run these units at scale realistic speeds, makes
them even more impressive.
They can pull/push 6 or 7 40ft cars on level. All my cars have drag brakes installed so my Kadee
couplers work 100%. Car weights are close to NMRA std.
Oh, yes, soldering iron was a 25watt pencil tip, solder is 60/40 rosin core .062 inch. Flux is TixFlo
liquid, which I have used for years, ( many, many years), with no problems, period. When soldering
such fine wire, a very fast heat application with iron, and get out of there fast is required. Do not
worry about so called "cold" joints. The currents are so small it just does not matter. If you can pull
lightly on the joint, and it stays together, it is good to go. I have 18 locos with this type of installation
proceedure, and have absolutely no problems. Been this way for years.
Is this a duel motor or single motor?????
kamerad47: Just getting around to forum again. My 2 44's are single motor with dual flywheels. Gear covers are of
the "open" style. All 5 gears partially protrude thru cover plates. One loco I installed a TSU750, Current
Keeper and RailMaster cube speaker. The other loco I installed a TSU1100 (Tsunami2), Current Keeper
and RailMaster cube speaker. You sure can tell the difference in the superior performance of motor
control and higher quality of sound files of the Tsunami2 vs. the 750. Pain that it might be, I am
considering swapping out the 750 'coder. I have a smooth running B'mann RS3 it could go in.
I will post my CV values for these units in another thread.
Quote from: DAVE2744 on April 14, 2017, 02:08:18 AM
TSU1100 Tsunami2 sound install continued.
.........
They can pull/push 6 or 7 40ft cars on level. All my cars have drag brakes installed so my Kadee
couplers work 100%. Car weights are close to NMRA std.
Dave2744..... you mention that all your cars have " drag brakes" installed so your Kadee couplers work100%. Could you explain what drag brakes are and how they cause your Kadees to work 100%. Please??
Cheers
Gene
Gene, work travel really gets in way of hobby! Gotta do something about that!
"drag brakes". All my equipment uses Kaydee cplrs, and Kaydee, Rapido
or Inter Mountain metal wheels. My railroad consists of several, moveable,
modules. The cars are so free rolling, they were all over the place if I even
bumped the layout only slightly. It also caused the cplrs to not lock when
engaged at realistic slow switching speeds, sometimes. My solution was to
installed a small diameter wire, ( .015" ), spring over the axles of 1 truck per car.
The tension is very light. Has only decreased my locos pulling ability slightly, not
enough to bother me. I run 12-15 car count trains mostly, on level track.
My branch-line, ( 5% ) grade, runs 3 to 4 cars max.
NO wheel slippage, NO traction tires.
Kaydee used to have small coil springs to install on the ends of the axles a while
back. They still might. I have a hard enought time getting cplr springs back in,
can't even imagine what it would take to install a spring on a pointed axle end
while trying to insert same into truck side frame. That could cause nightmares!
Hope all that was interesting. Works for me. Happy modelling, Dave
So Dave, I just want to be sure I understand...are you saying that Kadee coupler-equipped cars that are too free-rolling don't couple very well?? And that by adding a bit of wire-supplied friction to one axle on your cars it improves the coupling??
I remember reading an article in a UK magazine about adding braking to cars by adding a strip of styrene to the bottom of the car that rested against one axle...same idea as your wire I guess.
Cheers
Gene
Gene, the free rolling cars would couple about 95% just fine, the rest would roll sooooooo free you would just chase the car down the track! This was with absolutely 100% perfect Kadee couplers. ( easy opening, swing easy, etc.).
With the wire tension in place, even a older Kadee, a little stiff, with flat spring, will work all the time.
I also thought about using styrene. I knew the tension adjustment would be impossible to control. The wire form can
be easily adjusted as needed. Also, I wasn't sure if the styrene would hold the tension over time. BTW, I use only the
new style "whisker" couplers in the Kadee draft box assembly. Every time I think another draft box was OK, I ended
up changing it out later. I will put up with shiny paint, oversize handrails, etc., for awhile, but I just won't tolerate anything short of Kadee cpuplers and Kadee, Rapido or InterMountain metal wheels. And I am not, as they say, a "finicky" person. I just like mechanical things to work as intended.
PS. If we go further with this topic, we should probably start a new thread. We've drifted pretty far from "split axles".
Thanks Dave...how about we start that other thread. 👍 I started a new thread on the subject of drag brakes and Kadee couplers here.... http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,33599.0.html