I posted a few weeks back that I got my train and track back up and running after a long hiatus. The loco is a Bachmann Spectrum GP30 and I've had it for a long time. From reading up I see that they are notorious for being noisy. I notice that the truck gears are kinda sloppy and I think that makes for the noise. I'd call it a "rattle" but not sure that's exactly accurate. At any rate, I'm not worried about that noise. What I'm trying to pin down is more of what sounds like a bad bearing. I can clean and re-lube and get maybe 2-3 hours of quiet running (aside from the aforementioned rattle) and then I begin to start hearing that intermittent bearing noise again. It remains intermittent but gets more frequent and louder. Occurs in straights and curves and forward or reverse. I have searched and found similar reports but didn't find a concensus solution. One suggested checking the worm gears for binding but mine spin freely. I've been focusing on the gears in the trucks but I don't believe that's the source. I believe it may be the worm gear bearings and I'll target those specifically with a drop of lube when it starts acting up again and either rule them in or out as the source. Clearly, I'm not sure it's a bearing, that's just what it sounds like to me. I'm not an expert on fixing or troubleshooting these engines. Any ideas where I should put my focus on to try and solve this particular issue?
On the plus side, I have gotten one of my old Athearn blue box engines back running if this Bachmann defeats me.
Had another question but it has slipped my mind for now.
Thanks in advance.
On the plus side, I have gotten one of my old Athearn blue box engines back running if this Bachmann defeats me.
Had another question but it has slipped my mind for now.
Thanks in advance.