dead old bachmann 2-8-0.


F

FictionalCharacter

New Member
hey all.

so my girlfriend ordered an bachmann 2-8-0 great northern passenger train set from ebay. track seems to work great. light-up passenger cars are either heavy or stubborn or both, but i'm sure we can work that out.

but the 2-8-0 engine ran a couple of loops around the track before dying. i guess my gal tried to get it up and running a couple of times and it would make some horrific noises but not go anywhere. now it's just completely dead and won't react at all.

also, interestingly, placing it on the track kills the current through it, which i noticed because the lights in the passenger cars wouldn't work when the locomotive is on the track.

i'm aware that a bachmann train set locomotive from 1997 is probably the very definition of subpar construction and unreliability, i was just wondering if anybody might have an idea that would escape a newbie such as myself.

fortunately the whole thing was cheap enough that i still think it was worth it for the ez track, power pack, and four passenger cars. pretty lame walking in the door to a train-wielding girlfriend with a frowny face, though.
 
If it's the old "pancake" motor type, the only thing worth salvaging is the loco shell. I converted mine to an 0-8-0 using a conversion kit made by Bowser I believe (English Model Supply), but that open frame motor is also not worth the trouble. So it just sits there looking pretty....:(
 
I have one of these that died on me too. But, since i got it for about $30 i just pulled the motor and made it a dummy. You should be able to get a new motor from Bachmann.
 
it didn't come with any real in-depth instructions, or even a real description of the model numbers of the cars or locomotive. it's just called 'the great northern passenger set.'

the only real documentation is a little comic that involves a burly man in overalls, an engineer hat, and a cape (really) explaining to a family and their thought bubble-happy pet dog (who apparently thinks in english) how to connect ez track and the power pack. it's copyrighted to 1988...
 
That cutsey little guy is the "Bach-Man". I turned two of these engines into dummies too since they are a Reading prototype. The Bowser/English remotoring kit retails for about $80 and is a craftsman kit.
 
yeah i think it's going to end up being a demotored dummy/scenery piece. might end up with a bit of an homage to when they used to have old steam engines in playgrounds when we were kids...

on a quasi-relevant note, i've read that bachmann stuff is perfectly reliable these days, even if it isn't of the highest detail or quality. especially the spectrum stuff. is that generally true, or should i still be wary of brands like bachmann and life like as a whole?

i have the life like f-40ph that they've been making forever. it's about 12 years old. it runs, but not terribly quickly and with quite a bit of noise. i'm hoping a good oil job in the near future will loosen it up. i'm hesitant to expand my amtrak collection if that locomotive conks out.
 
No, no, send it back to Bachmann. They have a lifetime limited warranty on all their engines. I think they charge is $20 or $25 for engines more than a year old. They'll either fix it or rpelace it with a new one. With those older engines, they usually toss them and send you a new one they make that's closest to the one you have. You might end up with a Spectrum 2-8-0 for cheap.

Life-Like no longer exists as an independent company. It was purchased by Walthers a couple of years ago. The Proto 2000 line was originally Life-Like. The only time Walthers still uses the Life-Like name is for very low end engines, cars, and scenery. The Bachmann Spectrum line is well detailed and runs good. They are generally a very good deal for the money.
 
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UP2CSX said:
No, no, send it back to Bachmann. They have a lifetime limited warranty on all their engines. I think they charge is $20 or $25 for engines more than a year old. They'll either fix it or rpelace it with a new one. With those older engines, they usually toss them and send you a new one they make that's closest to the one you have. You might end up with a Spectrum 2-8-0 for cheap.

Life-Like no longer exists as an independent company. It was purchased by Walthers a couple of years ago. The Proto 2000 line was originally Life-Like. The only time Walthers still uses the Life-Like name is for very low end engines, cars, and scenery. The Bachmann Spectrum line is well detailed and runs good. They are generally a very good deal for the money.
Click to expand...

unfortunately, we bought the 2-8-0 set on ebay. it was originally purchased in 1997, and the warranty card was still in the box saying it must be sent in within 10 days of purchase, so the warranty is no good. do you think it would be worth contacting bachmann anyway, just to see if they might take it?
 
Bachmann could care less about those warranty cards. I don't know why anyone ever sends them in unless you just want to be on their mailing list. All Bachmann cares about is the locomotive is in original condition and shows no signs of consumer abuse.
 
Actually the Bachmann warranty is probably the best out there. They also honor it. If the same item isn't available or can't be fixed they'll send you the closest thing currently available. They have the best service out there.
Oh and about the girlfriend, Be careful how you handle it or the 2nd paragraph of your original post will pertain to you. ;)
 
just as an update, not only has bachmann said they will take the locomotive under warranty, but the ebay seller also gave a partial refund that will pay for the fee of sending it in.

generosity all around. thanks for your input, all.

currently i'm getting lost in the layout design and construction forum, and feeling completely overwhelmed by everything. my gal and i are loosely planning a 5' x 3' continuous operation layout, but i'm thinking i may do a relatively small (perhaps 1' x 4' or 2' x 4') switching layout first, especially since i have a bunch of atlas code 80 track lying around. no idea where to start, though. expect a desperate thread on it soon...
 
Just today, I walked into Bachman's building here in Philly with three N Scale steam loco's that quit running long, long ago. For the three junkers and $45.00 I walked out with a brand new 4-8-4, a new 2-6-2, and a new 0-6-0. The guy put the three new ones on the track to test run them for me. I couldn't believe how quiet and smooth the things were. Not like the one's I traded in, even when they were new!

I'm anxious to get them home (in a couple of weeks) and try them on my layout. I alrady know they run better than those of old, I just hope they last better! Looking them over, they seem to be better built as well.

He gave me the latest price sheet for trade ins.
Standard Series HO and N Diesel - $10.00
Standard Series Ho and N Steam - $15.00
Standard Series HO - DCC - $20.00
Spectrum HO & N = $20.00
Spectrum ON30 & Willians O - $25.00
Standard Large Scale - $30.00
Spectrum Large Scale, 10th Aniv. & DCC - $50.00

They have the option to repair or replace, but he told me they generally replace all N and most HO. The large scale can go either way.

Herman
 
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