Which version of the 70 Tonner do you have? They made a 2 motor & a 1 motor version over the years.

Rob

I have 2 of the Shay's - I also built a steel jig to get the new gears from NWSL on with, but just haven't bitten into that nightmare project.

I also have a 2 trk & a 3 trk Climax, while beautiful units, I should have bought brass instead. Neither plastic Climax has moved any farther then 10inches under their own power before the gears crapped out. I have some gearing for them, but even with replacing the main gear box with the bachmann replacements, those cracked as well, so I have 2 very expensive paperweights now. Probably going to place them in my 'for sale - parts units" shelf in my store over here. I'm considerably unhappy with my purchase of the plastic geared logging locomotives.

Rob

I ended up hunting down a master modeler (some years ago) that was repairing the shays, & he gave me a plan to make a steel bar jig to lightly tap the NWSL gearings on to the shaft. That's the easy part. The troublesome part is getting the drive shaft itself out of the truck without damaging the small plastic bearing caps that hold it in place.

Rob

The NWSL Shay gears are here: https://nwsl.com/products/bevel-gear-ho-bachman-2-truck-shay-81907-80-ton-3-truck-upgrade-bevel-gear-6

As for the Climax gearing, it's impossible to find all the gears needed, unless Bachmann creates more. I'm still waiting to find the drive shaft gear with the shanks. I bought my 2 & 3 truck Climax units some 10yrs ago, they moved approx 10inches & had broken gearing. Makes me wish I had bought brass instead, because I now still have 2 very expensive and broken models, with no repair in sight.

Rob

Quote from: jward on September 09, 2023, 12:24:22 PMPretty much anything the real StJ&LC ran including its successors as well, would run well on 18r. I visited the line in 1979 when it was the Lamoille Valley, and they were running RS3s at that time. Will you have a covered bridge on your layout?

I actually do. -- I built the Swanton covered bridge out of balsa wood & It's about 32inches in length. It's currently getting added to my main layout (this afternoon actually)

There's still the Fisher covered bridge in place in Wolcott VT, but they've torn up the rails & changed the outside cladding. It doesn't have the same look as it did when rail ran through it, but I have so many photographs of the line back when it was railroad.

I model the St. J &LC because I live in Saint Albans VT, where they used to come in off the CV-Richford Sub. I don't know how many times I've traveled up route 36 (Richford sub) & followed the STJ&LC route from Swanton VT out to St. Johnsbury. I model the years 1930 - 1960, only because for a branch line railroad, they had some of the best scenery, not to forget motive power. I've got a few B15 Moguls, as well as the typical 70 tonner units. It's not a terribly large layout, but mine is a branch line off the main line part. I'd share progress pictures, but cannot figure out how to attach pictures here.

Hello,

What locomotives can run/will run on an 18R code 83 curve? Due to some space limitations I had to include some 18R curves on my Greensboro Bend (VT) (STJ & LC) layout. Just looking for a list of what I might be able to run up that way? I would assume any 4 axle diesel, not a 6 axle, but more in the ways of what steam can I run?

Thanks,
Rob

It's not that simple - the main gear cracked, in half. So a replacement gear is required now.

Rob

Hello,

I have an HO Scale Bachmann Plus 4-8-4 Niagara that has a main gear cracked axle type thing going on. I have not been able to locate a gear for it. Shapeways only has the Northern gear, which does not fit. I already tried it, it's too big in diameter. Where can I possibly source a gear for it? It used to run beautifully, but now sits on the shelf awaiting a new gear.

Thanks in advance,
Rob

About the only place to find parts for these things, if the Bachmann parts store doesn't have them, has been Ebay.  I would shop for a basket case unit then you would have a parts unit for yours.

Rob

I run the cars I have that come with metal wheels, but for the most part, I stick with the usual Athearn or Accurail plastic wheels. In the space I'm in for a layout, I find it irritating when the metal wheels drown out the sound equipped locomotive, & sound like Lionel tinplate at speed. I do switch the plastic for metal in the IHC passenger cars, simply because I've found they track better on code 83 rail.

It's also just not cost effective for me to switch my entire fleet of plastic for metal, same goes for putting decoders in all of my locomotives.

Just my 2 cents,
Rob

Well, in my collection of shop items, & personal collection - ALL of my Model Power units run the opposite of everything else. My 3 Mantua locomotives, 4-6-4's all run the same direction as my Bachmann & BLI units.

I'd say that the only fix is to inspect the model power unit for ways to reverse the motor leads if you want it all to run the same direction as everything else. That's kind of the only way to fix that issue.

VTBob

I actually have this problem with 2 separate Spectrum 2-8-0's. It seems that in my case, the last owner installed new 4pin plug wires & reverse the motor leads.

About the only way to fix your locomotive issue, not knowing what it is that you have, is to reverse the motor leads in which ever locomotive doesn't go in the same direction as the others.

Can you provide more information as to what it is that you have for locomotives?

Thanks,
VTBob

That's how I ended up with mine. At the time I bought both of mine, I was in the market for a "1 of every Spectrum" locomotive. Couldn't beat the price at the shows for a pair of 2 & 3 truck units. The same thing with both of my 3 truck Shays. Beautiful units, absolutely love them, save for the cracked gears. I ordered some NWSL gears for them, but haven't installed them yet. Might just give the driveshafts to a friend who has a machine shop & ask for him to install those tiny things.

Good luck with your repairs.

I have both the 50 & the 70T Climax locomotives. Both of mine broke pretty much straight out of the box. I was told the warranty didn't apply to me because I bought them from a train show vendor, & not an "official" licensed hobby shop with Bachmann.

There's a website full of great step by step photos on how to figure out exactly what gear is broken,

http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/2017/12/bachmann-ho-scale-climax-disassembly.html

I haven't been able to repair mine yet, no one around me can fix something this small & my eyesight isn't the greatest for small stuff.

Hope this helps.