I've got a 44 Tonner, and it has broken gears on the drive axles. Replacements for my model are made of unbotainium apparently. Repacement listed in the parts section have bushings on the axle, which mine does not. Does anyone know if the axle set is the same other than the bushings? And, does anyone know of someone who has 3d printed replacements for older 44 Tonners? I saw a repair here where someone put sleeves over the edge of the gear to strengthen it. I'm going to try that and see what  happens. JUst looking for other options.

Sam,

Here's what I did.  The loco still runs well.  It's not as quiet as when new.  I use the 44-tonner to test trackwork and to display in the yard.

The gears are still working... so far.

Regards,

Jonathan

https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,34426.msg253468.html#msg253468

Thanks Jonathan, much appreciated. That is basically what I was going to try, altho I was told NOTHING will stick to those gears. I was thinking maybe epoxy might be better, with copper tubing, was told 5/32", for reinforcement. I was even going to buy the replacements that Bmann sells in the hopes that the gears and axles would be the same. The ones in the parts dept have square bushings on them but I was hoping I could just remove them and the rest would be the same. The person I was emailing at Bmann was unable to confirm that so it's just a crap shoot.

EDIT:  I just revisited the post I saw about the sleeves, and discovered it was YOU that tried this fix. Hopefully I will have the same success that you had.

I just purchased the Bachmann 44 tonner (Model 62207) Baltimore & Ohio (B&O).  In these last few weeks.  You have me concerned that these gear issues are in my new locomotive and sometime in the future may present the same type of gear failure.  This brings me to the question: Are these gears splitting from age, high tensional force from use, or is the grease attacking the gear material?  How long will the 44-tonner operate before this splitting gear shows up, 1-year, 2-years (pass the warranty), you get the picture.

I normally never submit those Bachmann postcards for the warranty, but maybe on this one I should.

Quote from: Ralph S on August 16, 2026, 03:28:49 PMI just purchased the Bachmann 44 tonner (Model 62207) Baltimore & Ohio (B&O).  In these last few weeks.  You have me concerned that these gear issues are in my new locomotive and sometime in the future may present the same type of gear failure.  This brings me to the question: Are these gears splitting from age, high tensional force from use, or is the grease attacking the gear material?  How long will the 44-tonner operate before this splitting gear shows up, 1-year, 2-years (pass the warranty), you get the picture.

I normally never submit those Bachmann postcards for the warranty, but maybe on this one I should.

I'm no expert on the subject, so take this for what it's worth. From my understanding, there were 3 generations of these  made by Bachmann. First had 2 motors and no DCC, 2nd (mine) had one motor, and DCC installed, 3rd has one motor and DCC w/sound. Hopefully by the 3rd gen units the gear issue might have been solved. I know other manufactures have units with broken gear issues, but that design hasn't changed so parts are still available.

I'm curious, where did you get your 44 tonner at? I've got a friend who is looking for one and has  not been able to find one.