Good afternoon to any interested readers,

As stated in my previous post just below, my two (2) Davenport Gas Mechanical Engines (DGME) were operating at a slow, reliable speed on my test track (less than 5 smph). Operating them on my layout was a different story, both only running several inches before stalling and stopping, requiring a nudge to get them moving again for a few more inches. Why? Back at the test track again, they ran smoothly.

Trying to keep this short, my test track is a 3-foot section of flex track, no joints, curves, turnouts, scenery and cleaned before every test session. The layout had all of these. Apparently my track laying skill on the layout was not quite as good as it should have been. Testing as I built, my Shay and Porter engines operated reliably, overcoming my unknown errors. The recently acquired DGMEs are fussier. "Close enough for government work" is not acceptable.

After several days of thinking, then going over my layout track again with the NMRA gauge, and making necessary adjustments/corrections, I have reached the following conclusions. The Shay (15.8 oz.) and Porter (5.8 oz.) have more mass, weight, larger wheels, higher axle clearance; hence, slightly more forgiving. The DGMEs (5.5 oz.) have smaller wheels, lower axle clearance, lower and wider front and rear running boards and less weight/mass; hence, less tolerant.

The running boards showed me scenery that was too close/too high at the track which "snagged" the engine. I use a brush to weather my rail and ties. Evidently some of the simulated track spikes on the tie plates received enough paint to eliminate Peco's designed clearance for the spikes, causing a bumpy ride or complete stall by the smaller wheels.

In conclusion, my DGMEs run a lot better on my layout track. So, if you have similar problems, I advise to check your track before tearing down your engine or sending it back to the factory to cure a problem that might not be there.

Old Pilot 

Hello Fred and any others interested in my long-winded posts,

The engine returned in today's mail. It was only about 10 days since I mailed it to Bachmann, they repaired it, and the return mailing. I will call that prompt service. A receipt from the service dept. shows they replaced the whole axle assembly (one gear was split) and they replaced the motor which was apparently inoperative, which is why I made no progress on my attempt to repair the engine. There was no additional charges for parts, etc., just the original service charge and my postage. Overall, I will give Bachmann a well done.

I spent some time running the engine before it was timed on my test track; 4.48 smph forward, 3.64 smph in reverse. It might improve after several more hours of running.

These two engines were a good learning experience for me; hopefully someone else was able to learn something from this post.

Old Pilot

Good morning Fred and any other interested readers.

Continuing with my saga, I am going to admit defeat with my second gas mechanical engine. I have been unable to make any progress toward repairing it to running condition. I could find only one defect on the tear down inspection; a split gear on one of the axles. Two problems were encountered on making possible repairs that were not encountered on the first engine. I have no knowledge on how to pull the wheels from the axles to replace the gear. These Bachmann engine axles are different from my HO scale engines which only require some hand power to remove wheels. Unfortunately, it appears a tool called a wheel puller is required for these axles. Checking the internet prices, I decided the cost of the tool was not worth it for one or two repairs. The second problem is testing the motor to see if it is still operational. The videos did not address either issue during the discussions of the gear problems and I am unable to find any other internet videos on these two other areas.

Since I am out of ideas, wanting an operating engine, and the cost of the wheel puller appears to be more than Bachmann's service fee ($99), I sent the engine to their factory repair department ($10.80 postage)for repair. I will report on this phase when the engine is returned.

Old Pilot

Hello Fred and any others interested,

The saga continues, forcing this old dog (pilot) to learn some new tricks. After I finished watching the videos and making notes, I started to slowly dis-assemble my one engine, modifying my notes as I proceeded and actually saw the working parts. To Bachmann's credit, I found no cracked or chipped gears, just a broken wire-solder connection on the wheel wiper circuit board. Redoing the connection, I put the engine back together. It wasn't exactly this easy; I learned some new levels of patience getting small parts where they needed to be.

Next came the test track. Major lesson learned here was about axles, wheels, the quartering of the side rods and making notes on their relative position before disassembly. Once I figured this all out, the engine ran better than I expected. Giving the engine some running break in time, I decided to use the stop watch; a slow and steady 2.37 smph forward, 3.43 smph backwards at approx. 2 volts, 1 amp on my gauges.

This first engine gave me a good basic understanding to proceed forward with my second engine which will be more complicated as a quick look shows at least one cracked gear. All in all, it wasn't as difficult as I originally thought. I hope I can say this after the second engine.

Old Pilot

 

Good morning, Fred and others who are interested,

Another email exchange with Bachmann Customer Service confirms they are not flexible on their service guidelines and prices. As such, for me, due to the large added expense, sending my engine to them will be a last resort.

Meanwhile, I have found three videos on the internet by Black Dog Mine which demonstrate how to take apart the Gas Mechanical engine and explains the gear issue. I am repeatedly watching it, making notes on each step until I am fairly sure I can try it. I am also using the Bachmann exploded parts diagram that came with the engine to see what each part looks like as sometimes the narrator's hands block some of the view in each step. I am only about 3/4 through so I still have a few steps to make notes and understand before I give it a try.

Old Pilot

Hello Fred and others who are interested,

My initial e-mail exchange with Bachmann is not encouraging. They no longer accept "drop-offs" at the facility, must be mailed. Ebay experience will mean about $10 in postage plus the $99 service charge to look at it. They did not specify but parts would be extra plus return postage. Guessing, this appears to be at least $130 and its no guarantee the engine will operate at the slow switching speed I want/need. I did ask about this requirement but there was no reply to this question.

Facing this expensive decision, I may look at more videos, take a lot of notes, and even with fading my eyesight and manual dexterity, try the repairs myself.

I also tried NWSL web site for gears but too confusing as of now. Maybe a video will offer some insight on ordering gears from them.

That's all for now.

Old Pilot

Hello Fred,

Thanks for the info. I too like the little engine and want to see it run well on my switching layout.

I found several videos on replacing the gears, etc., so I thought I would start taking it apart to see what I could determine. However, after removing the body and one cover plate, I decided this was going to be beyond my old age fading eyesight and manual dexterity. Since I only live about 90 minutes from Phila., I will make a road trip to Bachmann in the near future and let their experts do the repairs. With my sometimes history, it will probably be cheaper in the long run. I'll post the results after the repairs are done.

Old Pilot

Hello All,

I just purchased a gas mechanical engine on Ebay. It has a slight hesitation on each rotation of the wheels. Before I try to take it apart to check the plastic gears for cracks, I would like to find some guidance/direction on how to properly take it apart.

Do these plastic gears crack with age as do some other manufacturers plastic gears?

I see the Bachmann parts store has a replacement set of gears (all 6 gears) to order if that is my problem.

Has anyone replaced these gears? If so, is it difficult, any special tools needed, etc.?

Is there any other area to check relative to this hesitation problem?

Thanks for any help.

Old Pilot

Back again,

I recently found an empty Bachmann flat car at a train show to use for the last load of my remaining artillery pieces. To those of you that lean towards the "rivet counter" side of the hobby, I know my loads probably do not comply with prototypical guidelines. But in my relaxed train world, and lack of artistic skills, I just wanted to create loads that appear safe and secure for their short local journey.

Perhaps a reader can post where to find the correct loading guidelines for those that want more accurate loads.

Sorry, no photo, due to non cooperating computer.

Old Pilot

The unsafe breathing conditions caused by the Canadian/US border wildfire smoke has curtailed any outside activities for me for several days. Not wanting to get involved in anything heavy, I decided to do a simple project I have been wanting to do. I took my Bachmann engines, a stop watch and a note pad to my workshop test track to see what scale speeds my engines were actually running, hoping they are in the "restricted speed" range as I have a switching layout.

I marked off a 6" timing zone in the center of my 3' test track. This gives me time to set the power pack throttle (I'm a DC operator) to the same voltage setting for each run and the engine to run steady before it enters the timing zone.

Before starting the "time trials" for each engine, I ran it several times in each direction giving it a chance to warm up and determine what voltage the engine runs its slowest but steady speed. I have a volt meter and amp meter connected to my test track. (For those that don't have a test track set-up, mark off a timing zone on a straight section of your layout track and use your power pack throttle/DCC throttle setting to determine your constant timing speed.)

I timed each engine for five (5) runs in each direction through the zone, thus giving an average to eliminate any variations in my timing thumb. Keep track of forward and reverse times separately as you will probably see a difference in these times; engines usually run faster in the forward direction due to that being the direction it has run the most.

Once I had the average time in seconds for each direction (don't round them off), I went to my computer to a site under the heading Scale Speed Calculators - Model Buildings. It has simple directions for its use, you just have to pick the scale, length of your timing zone and enter your seconds.

I was pleasantly surprised with my results. My Porter 0-4-2 runs at 3.04 smph forward, 1.98 smph backward; my Shay runs 3.05 smph forward, 1.88 smph backward. Both are more than satisfactory for "restricted speed" switching operations.

Hello Fred,

Had to do some thinking on this; not sure, but I think they came from the Bachmann On30 Civil War series cars. This was not one of the cars I saw a lot on e bay ads, so I bought it the 2nd or 3rd time I saw one listed. I originally was going to mate them with the caissons I bought earlier but changed my mind. The caissons will be waiting at the carriage industry for the arrival of the next flat car.

Hopefully, another reader can confirm or correct my fading memory.

Old Pilot

Good morning Fred, and any other interested reader,

It's not too difficult, as part of my philosophy is "Keep it simple, stupid." I tell myself this whenever I contemplate any project, on or off the layout.

Choose your flatcar, check its operational reliability, weather it to your standards. I complete mine with a spray of Dullcote, but not in the coupler pocket or on the trucks and wheels for smooth operation. To keep the moderator happy, Bachmann freight cars seldom need much adjustment.

The cannons were satisfactory to me as purchased, just a spray of Dullcote. The scale 6" X 6" wheel chocks came from my scrap box as did the wooden crate which has two purposes; adding to the interest of the load and hiding some weight to give the car some heft. The thread used for O scale rope/cable came from my wife's threads box (sewer/quilter, etc.).

Position the cannons so the wheels line up (side to side) with the pockets on the side of the flatcar. The thread is weaved several times through one side pocket to give it strength of connection, through the wheels to the other side pocket. Give the thread at each pocket a touch of glue to hold it. Trim any excess when dry. Give yourself plenty of thread for weaving, makes it easier.

I did not glue the cannons or the crate to the flatcar as the thread holds them in relative position for normal handling. The wheel chocks were glued using Elmer's all purpose white glue for easy removal if I change my mind later.

That's about it. If there are any questions or someone needs further explanation due to my poor description, just ask. 

Old Pilot

Hello all,

Computer told me to start a new topic since my last post was too old. Finally built the loads, also two for my HO scale layout. They are nothing fancy or greatly detailed as I read a long time ago, if you can't see a detail from 3' you are wasting your time. This is also my layout philosophy of just trying to create the impression of the real world.

Good morning, Fred,

Your reply helps and makes my imposed limits reasonable. The logging company complex is "off-layout" on a siding but gets inbound/outbound cars delivered to the siding. I too like the small logging-type engines which is why I have the Porter and Shay and created an excuse for them to do the regular (non-logging company) industry switching. All of this comes from my interest in the logging operations in northcentral Pennsylvania during the late 1890s and inspiration from the Graham County Railroad in North Carolina which ran a Shay for its normal operations until it closed mid 20th century.

Old Pilot

I have created a viable reason for two logging company engines (2-truck Shay, Porter 0-4-2)to be doing the general switching (industries not associated with the lumber company) in my layout "history." To create operational interest, I set a self imposed pulling limit of 5 cars for the Shay and 3 for the Porter. Using real world prototypical info for these engines and general freight cars (boxcars, flats, and gondolas in the 26' length range with reasonable load weights), can anyone tell me if these limits are practical/reasonable?

Thanks for any help in advance.

Old Pilot