Has anyone had a problem with their Bachmann Shay jumping the track on curves? Mine is, usually when running in reverse, with the cylinders on the inside of the curve. This is happening on curves as tight as 18".

Also, when reversing over curves with the cylinders on the outside, it seems to 'wobble', due to something going on with the mechanism.

I'd like to try and get this sorted out, as I do like the shay.

Hi all,

I've got a Bachmann HO scale 2-6-2 (http://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=258_276_284&products_id=1864) which I'm planning to use as the basis for a conversion to an On30 tank engine.  However, I can't seem to get the body shell off the locomotive.  I've tried undoing all the screws on the bottom, as well as the two tiny screws on the side.

Despite this, the body shell still refuses to come off the chassis.  It will lift up at the rear, but seems to be attached somewhere else at the front.  I can't seem to see anywhere on the parts diagram where this may be the case, though.  Any help with this would be appreciated.

Does anyone know where I can download an exploded view diagram of the On30 2-6-6-2?  I'm mainly trying to see how similar it is in terms of construction to the 2-4-4-2.

Hi all,

I'm in the process of converting one of the Bachmann 2-4-4-2s into a tank engine, and as part of this, I'll need to wire in a new decoder.  However, I'm unable to find a wiring diagram on the Internet.

The model has two plugs - a two pin plug on the right, and a four pin plug on the left.  Can someone please tell me which pin is for which function?

Hi,

This is a message for the admin of these forums.  I've just had a rather unsatisfactory experience with one of your parts people, and I would like to contact someone else in the parts department in order to get the matter resolved and the part I actually need delivered.  Can you please advise how I could do so?

Hi all,

I'm looking at getting one of the 2-4-4-2 mallets and converting it into a tank engine.  With this in mind, can someone tell me how long the locomotive itself is without the tender attached?

Hi all,

I've got an On30 0-4-0 Bachmann Porter with DCC (not sound) on board, which I'm doing up with a tender and sound decoder.  To this end, I'm planning to use the original circuit board for the connections to the decoder, motor, LED, etc.  This is the board in question:


The L, R, M- and M+ connections are obvious - these are motor and pickup, respectively.  What's unclear to me are the markings in the middle.  LED- and L+ indicate that these are the negative and positive connections to the front headlight.  But at the bottom of the board, there's an extra connection, and the middle ones are labelled F-, R- and L+.

Looking at the traces on the board, it seems as though the L+ is for the common +ve LED wire, and the other two are for the front and rear light inputs from the decoder - to have them drive the LED when the loco is moving in both directions.

Can someone advise if my understanding of this is correct?

Hi all,

I've got an On30 Climax that seems to be suffering from a motor issue.  Namely, the motor seems to have a lack of power, and the model doesn't move at the speed it's supposed to.

I've had this model apart, to the point where the only thing attached to the motor was the worm gear.  While listening to it like this, I could hear the motor vary in speed despite the throttle not changing.  As such, I suspect that the motor may need to be replaced.  To this end, I'm considering sending the model to Bachmann for repairs.

The thing is, Bachmann's repair policy states that they may just replace the model instead of repair it.  I don't want that to happen, as I've done some custom detailing and lettering on this model - it's got a Backwoods Miniatures Climax detailing kit on it, a wood load made of real wood, etc.  I'm hesitant to send it in as I want to be sure I'll get the same model back.  Is there any way of guaranteeing this?

Hi all,

I'm looking to use a Bachmann HO scale 2-6-2, (http://shop.bachmanntrains.com/images/HO_Scale/51501.jpg) as the basis for an On30 locomotive conversion.  To this end, I'm trying to locate the dimensions for it, but I can't seem to find them online.  I mainly want to know the length of the loco not including the tender, and the boiler diameter.  Could anyone provide this information?

Hi all,

I've got an On30 climax which is experiencing a rather unique problem.  Up to about speed step 64, it will accelerate normally, with no signs of slowing.  However, when I go faster than this (speed steps 65-127), then the locomotive will begin to slow down.

I have checked the mechanism, and replaced some parts that were slipping on their shafts with replacements from the Climax gear set, however the problem still occurs.

I've performed additional testing, by running the mechanism without the driveshaft to the wheels or the gearbox cover in place.  When running like this, I cannot see any parts that are binding, but the motor just seems to slow down for brief periods at random, before getting back up to speed again.  As such, I suspect there may be a fault with the motor itself.

Does this sound correct, and if so, how should I go about fixing this?

Hi all,

One of my Bachmann On30 Climax locomotives has failed.  I noticed that when I was running it, it would appear that the gearbox was slipping.

Investigation of this fault narrowed it down to this component:


The universal on the left (which goes to the front axle) has developed a crack, and so it slips on the shaft.  Further to this, the gear just to the right of the universal is also slipping, to the point where the model barely moves.  As such, I think that this whole assembly will need to be replaced.

My question is, what part numbers do I need to order?  I know that this http://estore.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=8480 will give me the axle with a working gear on it.  However, I've been through the spare parts list a couple of times now, and can't see where to find the universals or the square axles coming out of them.  If someone could point me to these, I would really appreciate it.

Hi all,

I was just wondering, what is the diameter of the boiler on the Bachmann On30 2-6-0 mogul, in actual measurements (not scale measurements)?

I'm planning to use one of these in a tank engine conversion, and I just want to make sure I'll have enough space for the side tanks.

Cheers,
Tbdanny

Hi all,

I received my Bachmann Heisler yesterday.  It's a great little model, and runs very nicely.  But I did notice a couple of interesting things:
- The on-board DCC decoder seemed to have some settings already set - I noticed that the model had inertia programmed in, and that both headlights came on, regardless of direction.  Has anyone else noticed this on theirs?

- The coupling rods on the two trucks weren't lined up with each other.  One truck had them rotated further forward than the other.  I've found prototype photos with the rods both synchronised and out-of-sync, and I was just wondering which is correct?

Cheers,
Danny

Hi everyone,

I've got one of the On30 inside-frame 4-4-0 engines, and I'm trying to fit a TSU-1000 decoder into it.  I've already bought the decoder, so I'd like to use it.

I don't think I'm going to be able to use the original PCB, as it takes up too much space with the decoder on top of it.  So I have two questions:

1) There are two plugs.  Am I correct in thinking that the two-pin plug is loco power pickup, and the four-pin is for motor and lighting?
2) There are two resistors on the PCB - green with coloured bands.  I'm guessing that these are for the locomotive headlight, and need to be hooked into the decoder's light outputs?
3) Are the other components on the board (capacitors, etc.) strictly necessary?

Cheers,
Danny

Hi all,

I've just noticed that my Shay, when viewed directly from the front, leans to the right when sitting still.  The model also rocks slightly when moving along flat and level track, on both straights and curves.  I was just wondering, has anyone else encountered this with the Shay, and if so, how can it be fixed?

Cheers,
tbdanny

Hi all,

I've just received my On30 Climax, and it looks great.  However, there is one question I have.  I'm aware of the gear cracking problems on the Climax and Shay, and I'm planning to put brass rings around the Climax gears, to prevent the issue occurring.



I suspect that it's the small gears turning the axles that are the ones in question.  Am I correct?  Also, they already appear to have some sort of metal ring around them - could this possibly be a part of a fix to the issue?

Regards,
tbdanny

Hi all,

I've got a Bachmann HO scale DCC on-board 0-6-0T, which I'm using as the base for a conversion to an On30 tank engine.  I'm also going to be putting DCC & sound into it.  I've noticed that the motor is connected to the original lighting board by two resistors, and I was wondering what function exactly they serve, and whether it would be possible to disconnect them and connect the sound decoder directly to the motor?

Cheers,
tbdanny

Hi all,

I've just received one of Bachmann's shays. It runs smoothly, except that it seems to give just a single jerk when running. This is more pronounced in reverse than when going forwards. Is this something that will even out with running, or am I looking at cracked gears?

Cheers,
tbdanny

Hi all,

After dabbling in HOn3, I've decided to make the jump to On30 - specifically, a freelanced Pacific Northwest logging line.

I've got my eyes on the Bachmann Shay and Climax engines, but I'm aware that there have been gear issues with these particular models.  I was just wondering, do the latest runs (with Tsunami sound onboard) also have these issues, or have these been resolved?

Cheers,
tbdanny

Hi all,

I'm considering purchasing the E-Z track turntable, and I was just wondering how the indexing/track alignment is handled?  Is it possible to have this turntable 'skip' a track without having the turntable stop there?

Regards,
tbdanny