Quote from: 686 Shooter on February 01, 2024, 06:21:50 PMOh, I will never sell one of my Spectrums. You are correct, Bachmann never should have stopped making these. I like them because if you shop around, you can get one of these and install sound for half the price of a steam engine from the likes of Rapido or Broadway Limited.

Hopefully Bachmann starts making steam engines like these again some day.

Ahem, ahem.. can this be put in all caps, bolded and stickied? Preach, my friend!

Check the gauge of the wheels of the pilot truck. I've had several over the years that were off.

If it was bought "new" it's still under warranty. Send it in to Bachmann. They will fix it free.

Otherwise, here's a good start...
https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/how-to-repair-a-bachmann-climax-12212235

I'm afraid you may be out of luck. Those replacement gears appear to be plastic as well and I'd be leery about buying them whenever they are back in stock. They will get your locomotive going again, but it's only a matter of time.

I've looked over the NWSL site and am not finding specific replacements. I'd get out the digital calipers and see if you might get something spot on. The Bachmann photo makes it difficult to count teeth. DO NOT BUY WITHOUT COUNTING OR MEASURING but I'd look at these maybe?
https://nwsl.com/collections/0-5-mod-gears/products/mod-0-5-compound-gear-model-power-4-4-0
https://nwsl.com/products/spur-gear-0-5mod-x-18-teeth-x-10-0mm-od-x-2-4mm-bore-delrin
https://nwsl.com/products/mod-0-4-18t-sg-delrin-2-0mmm-bore-1-5mm-face
https://nwsl.com/products/spur-gear-0-4mod-x-18-teeth-x-8-0mm-od-x-0-079-face-x-2-0mm-bore-delrin

The newer 2-6-0 and 0-6-0 both have metal gears and I'm curious if those are interchangeable with your model. Bachmann would know. They are not in the parts catalog but I'd think Bachmann might have a few, perhaps?

Have a friend with a 3D printer and some PETG filament?

Otherwise I think you'll have to wait. They made tons of those models but none recently so I wouldn't hold your breath. Parts in this scale are becoming few and far between.

Welcome to the hobby! It really is a great hobby and don't let this deter you! There have been plenty of models from all manufacturers with gear issues in the past several decades so getting models with good gearing should be at the top of your list. While you are waiting for your new gears, go out and find a good, solid running locomotive (are there clubs near you?) so you can be up and running ASAP!

Good luck!

The 38 ton shay is what first excited me about logging locomotives! I saw one at a train show once (The G-Whiz Gang) and I was hooked on geared locomotives. So I had to have shays in HO, On30 and G (Fn3), all but the latter re-geared.

I rarely run my G scale shay... it took quite the tumble about 18 months ago (long story) but I still run it now and then. I've always somewhat, sort of considered building an indoor G scale layout to show it off. Never seriously, but I do think about it now and then.

Now I'm going to have to go take it out of the box again and stare at it. She is gorgeous.

This is brought up frequently. Is there anything in particular you are looking for? Stalking ebay for a little while will bring up most anything Bachmann has ever made in the scale.

Personally, I think 3D printing is the future of this scale, and model railroading in general. There are some neat 3D printed freight kits available on ebay now. I just bought a printer to begin experimenting. Should arrive next week.

Since the passing of the great Lee Riley, I think Bachmann is taking a very cautionary stance with On30. But I hope they reconsider, as there wasn't really a market for On30 before Mr Riley designed the shay. Bachmann created the market! I hope they can recreate it again, but I don't think they have the backing.

On30 isn't dead, but the days of 3 freight cars for $39 are long, long gone. I haven't seen any On30 at any local train shows in quite some time.

After Bachmann tried to reintroduce the gorgeous On30 2-8-0 and canceled due to lack of preorders, I'd bet the farm there will never be any more mass produced locomotives in the scale.

If I didn't have the mountain of On30 equipment I currently have, I'd look at HO for logging. Plenty of releases in that genre recently.

Many of the Bachmann freight cars use identical tooling. The frame is the same for the boxcar, flat, gondola, etc.

How about some "shake the box" style, one evening freight car kits using these components?

I will continue to argue that it was the shay and climax that created the On30 boom. I think rereleasing those with upgraded tooling, gears and sound would reignite interest and sales in the scale.

My annual arrived yesterday. Well done.

Shucks. The original 2-8-0 was the best running loco, I think, in On30. I was looking forward to this release. I hope they reconsider!

Bachmann certainly did flood the market at the beginning. But did they take a loss on any of it? I recall St Aubins (long gone) offering 3 freight cars for $39. I don't know what the wholesale price was but I'm not sure Bachmann would sell them at a loss.

The BIG thing that got many into On30 were the logging locos; the shay and climax specifically. They are just phenomenal once you get the bugs worked out. Interest in the scale dried up at the same time inventory on these did.

Very few modelers today are going to start out with the 0-6-0 or 2-4-4-2 as their base. (Please don't misunderstand, these are great models.) But what brought people over to On30 were the shay and climax. Just those two and a dozen log cars and you can have a stunning layout. Those models were just simply "cool."

I do hope Bachmann reintroduces those two models. I think it would be a huge boom for the scale by bringing people over from HO.

To answer the question, I don't think On30 is dead to Bachmann. But there is so much more to be made in the other scales that it's likely not high on the proirity list.

Thanks for the reminder!

I have every single one. Can't miss out!

Same.

Also, since most of those original length freight cars had similar components (frame, trucks, etc) I'd love to see just those parts with the add-on component to suit one's needs. So the flatcar addon, or the high side add on, or low side add on, etc. I would think that would make them more economical.

Many of those cars were a flatcar with extra parts.

I hope that makes some sort of sense?

I ended up just sending my Climax back to Bachmann. They fixed it up well and it runs like a Swiss watch. It's the smoothest loco I own.

Did I miss the announcement of these? Looks great!

I'm looking at page 11 of the July August Gazette.