Hi Mr. Bach Man! I just opened my Acela Express HO set and ran it for five minutes. Then I noticed that the dummy engine (the engine in the back) had a pair of wheels that were not turning. I then started a series of tests. I ran the acela fast, then slow. The wheels had no problem turning when the train was going fast, but when I ran it slowly, I noticed that the very last pair of wheels where not turning! They were just sliding. At first, I thought it was the electrical pickups rubbing against the wheels too hard. But I lefted the electrical pickups and ran it again. The same problem. I think it is something inside of the dummy. If I put my hand lightly on top of the dummy and push it, there is no problem. However, I don't have a weight that fits inside the dummy! I do not know how to dissasemble the acela and do not want to break it while trying. Do I have to send the train back to bachmann? Will I have to pay for shipping? Do I have to send the whole train back, or just the dummy car?
Thanks,
Christopher ???
It does sound mostly to due with a factory problem. No, shipping is free, and you only send the dummy back. They will send a new or fixed dummy to you. Your wheel are probably at some sort of angle or alinment. I would wait for some other advice, but I would certainly call bachmann. Don't worry, you can and will have your Acela up and running, these things happen.
;) Happy railroading!
~Santa Fe buff.
Thank you for your helpful answer. I will call Bachmann as soon as possible to let them know about the defective dummy. Do I have to fill out a form or something? Or do I just call and ship? Do they send me a letter with the shipping stuff? Thanks again.
Christopher
Dear Christopher,
Before contacting the service department, try a little plastic compatible light oil on the axles. If that doesn't help, by all means contact service.
Have fun!
the Bach-man
Thank you! It says on your website that items that are less than a year old are fully covered. Does that include shipping? If it does, how would I get free shipping if I have to send it to you? Will you send labels to me? Thanks again!
Christopher
Shipping is at your cost.
No labels to collect.
Yup,
Your cost to them, and their's to you. Like regular mail.
Another Puzzling Question! I was about to send my acela dummy back, but was wondering about the drawbar. Do I keep the drawbar that came connected with the dummy? Or do I send it back? I just want to make sure that if I send the drawbar back with the dummy, I get a new dummy with another drawbar back. Because if I get the dummy back without a drawbar, I wont be able to couple it to my best HO set ever!
Keep the draw-bar with you just in case.
How do I take it off the dummy? It seems to stay connected to the dummy everytime I uncouple the cars. Do I just grasp it and pull?
Yep. Crude but effective.
Timothy