Disassembling & Repairing a Bachmann Spectrum HO 4-6-0
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- čas přidán 1. 08. 2022
- EDIT: I later discovered that plugging the 8-pin decoder plug the other way around would have solved both the direction and lighting problems, and saved me a lot of programming. Flipping the plug around reverses the polarity to both the track and the motor, and swaps the front and rear lights. Oh well - at least now I know that for next time.
Digitrax CV calculator: www.digitrax.com/support/cv/c...
Exploded diagram:
www.bachmanntrains.com/home-u...
Replacement motor blocks with 5-pole motors (while supplies last):
Low boiler version: estore.bachmanntrains.com/ind...
High boiler version: estore.bachmanntrains.com/ind... - Krátké a kreslené filmy
Thanks for posting. I just picked up the same model "un-tested." Hopefully, it won't need any serious repairs, but if so I'm glad this video is available.
I have a Bachmann 2.8.0 with the same valve gear as this model. If you are unfortunate to have a rivet that connects two rods together fall out you will be in for a fun time trying to put the rivet back in. It is a pain in the backside and one of the most frustrating things I have ever had to do.
That does sound bad! Thankfully I haven't had to do that yet. I did figure out a trick for the bolts that hold the rods to the wheels - if you don't have a hex driver small enough, you can use an Allen head screw as a driver by holding it from the threaded end.
Thanks! This video saved me a ton of time changing out the headlight LED.
Yes more uploads!, thanks for the tutorial on how to replace the motor, if I ever run into that issue
Ah this is a godsend! I have one of these and the motor recently kicked the bucket and I could never figure out how to get inside to fix it. Thanks!
That's exactly why I made this video! I'm so glad it's serving its purpose.
Love your videos, keep up the great work 👍
I have had several Spectrums over the years--lots of Heavy Mountains when I had a larger layout. The only one I had a problem with was the one I accidentally dropped. I tried the Athearn Genesis USRA Mikado, only to find out that most of them arrived new with broken axle gears! The only two BLI locos (PRR M1a) I ever bought had broken axle gears within months of purchasing. Paid $100 to repair the first one and it ran unevenly; the second one I dumped on eBay as-is. I don't trust anything but Spectrum at this point.
Some early Spectrums also had issues with cracking axle gears, but the issue was solved by the early 2000s. BLI and Athearn steamers have a mixed reputation - I don't have enough experience with either to offer any advice. Spectrum locos have their ups and downs, but they're definitely one of the better HO steam brands that have been made.
Hey, here's question for you and/or your Spectrum steam fans. Is the wire color an indication of early or late production? My guess is that colored wires indicate earlier production, and black later. Correct?@@michaelramsey81
Thanks for this... just saved my bacon on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Great video thanks for sharing.
Hi Michael, I really enjoy your videos, as being relatively new to model railroading, it has been great having a channel to go to with entertaining, but also very helpful and informative videos. I recently picked up a Proto 2000 USRA 0-6-0 from a train show in my local area. I was partially influenced to buy it by your video saying it was an extremely smooth runner, and very well detailed. While I’m very happy with my purchase, and it runs great at the higher speeds, it cogs really badly at lower speeds and tends to make a lot of noise. I’m thinking that the motor must ether need replacing or cleaning out, however when I went to try and find a video on how to remove the body, I couldn’t find one anywhere on CZcams. I did some random searches on the Internet, and I was able to find a review of the model from Model Railroader Magazine, however they recommended that you do not remove the body. To get to my main point though, I was wondering if you ether know how to get the body off, or if you could make a video on how to remove the body. Thanks for taking your time to read my comment, and keep up the great work!
Glad you enjoy the videos! Unfortunately, I have no idea how to take the Proto 2000 0-6-0 apart. Thankfully, mine has never needed any mechanical repairs. As for the cogging, my first guess would be that there's some old, dried-up grease stuck in the gears somewhere.
I would also try searching for disassembly instructions for the Proto 2000 0-8-0, as I believe it's designed similarly to the 0-6-0. Good luck!
Thanks for replying back! Oh right, I forgot they did the 0-8-0 as well. I’ll look into that, thanks for the tips!
@@michaelramsey81 Hi again Michael, I finally managed to figure out how to get the body off the Proto engine, and it is now running much smoother! If you ever need to get into yours, there is a screw in the funnel, plus a screw under the smoke box on the plate covering the wheels. You also have to remove the locomotive to tender drawbar, and unscrew a screw under there. There are also two pegs that connect some of the firebox pipe work to the chassis that needs to be unplugged as well. If you want a visual look at this, Daniel Corrtopassi here on CZcams did a good video explaining how to do this. Edit: there are also two extra plates that are part of the firebox that need to come off as well.
@@modelrailfan37 Fantastic! Thanks so much for all the info! That might prove very useful in the future.
@@michaelramsey81 No problem!
FYI - Phillips screws/screwdriver sizes are identified by their number, from #1 on up, most common are 1, 2, and (largest) 3. Most model work will be with the #1. It's important to use the right size, as the female cross-indented portion can be damaged.
Amazing to see more frequent uploads! This video was really helpful! Also what are your plans for this engine In terms of the WP&SC?
Thanks! This loco is going to become the "new" #12. I'm going to paint it to match the old one (and reuse some parts from the old one). It'll essentially be a better model of the same fictional prototype.
Very interesting. While I'm not looking to do a full disassembly of my HO Spectrum locomotive (a Pennsy K4), I do hope to add some weights in the front (in the smokebox area), and was wondering what method you would recommend for removing the smokebox door.
Unfortunately, I don't have a K4, and it's different for every loco. Some are just glued in place, some are molded in one piece with the boiler, and some have other unusual methods for holding the door in place. I would suggest looking up the exploded diagram of your loco, and from there, see if you can figure out how it's attached. It may end up being easier to remove the entire boiler.
Perhaps someday, when you get your hands on an old Tyco Mantua 4-6-0 locomotive (based on Sierra Railroad No.3) you can take a look to see how it works and some tips to make it a good runner; not smooth but good is all.
In some of your other videos I saw some Bachmann On30 in the background. Please do a video telling us about those!
I do have an On30 video in the works!
Would it be possible for you to demonstrate how to disassemble the Bachmann Modern 4-4-0?
I'll make a note to do a video on it at some point. The basic process is almost identical to the 4-6-0.
Thanks much for excellent tips. I have the same engine. It runs well at low speed but is noisy going foward-a grinding sort of noise. Any ideas about noise? Maybe related to the motor mounting freedom you mentioned??
The belt pulley on the worm gear shaft is made up of two plastic pieces, and sometimes, one of them moves slightly out of line and rubs against the metal casing. That might be the source of the noise. It could also be the motor rattling against the inside of the boiler, which you can fix by putting electrical tape over the top and sides of it.
Out of curiosity, could you do a disassembly of the spectrum 4-4-0? I’ve been wanting to add woodland scenic engine crew figures. Keep up the great work
I'll definitely do that one at some point. It comes apart very similarly to the 4-6-0.
Do you know if the smoke stack is removable on these? I’m planning on getting one and wanting to replace the stack and just wondering how easy it’ll be to replace.
Yes, it's very easy. There is a screw inside the stack, going down from the top, that holds it in place. Remove that and it should come right off.
@@michaelramsey81 alright perfect. Thanks
Would it work to unsolder the wires coming from the motor block that go down to the chassis and solder on the new motor block? I’m not trying to nitpick, I just noticed that while watching and was wondering, as if that would work, it looks like it would be a lot easier than taking the entire motor block apart and disconnecting and reconnecting parts of the drivetrain. Also is the motor failing just a problem for the 4-6-0, or does it hinder the 2-8-0, 4-4-0, 2-10-0 (etc.) as well? I’m just wondering as I’ve been wanting to buy some spectrum locomotives for a while, but I know other than the 2-8-0 I’ll have to probably buy used models of eBay, so I thought I would look back at this video, as switching motors in these does look like a bit of a pain. Thank you so much for making these videos, as I’ve actually been unable to find another channel that does as good of videos on North American Steam Locomotives as you!
Ha... I feel a bit silly for not even considering unsoldering the other end of the wires! That probably would have been easier. In my experience, the newer 4-6-0s are the only ones with common motor issues, but Bachmann's motors have never been their strongest point. Most Spectrum models run well, but it's best to test run the model before buying it if you can, or at least ask the seller for a video clip of it running.
@@michaelramsey81 don’t feel silly, and sorry I didn’t mean to make you feel that way, everyone makes mistakes. Thanks for the information about the motors, I’ll keep those tips in mind!
@@modelrailfan37 All good, lol! At least now I know for next time.
so out of curiosity do you know if the spectrum boiler will directly replace the sound value boiler because bachmann and their "lets cut detail to save money" mentality gotta go lol...i want to order a spectrum boiler to replace the poorly detailed newer version.
Do you know what locomotives the Bachmann High boiler 4-6-0 are based off of?
The low boiler version is an exact copy of Maryland & Pennsylvania #28. The high boiler version just has the boiler raised up, larger drivers, and different running boards. It's close to a few prototypes, but it's not a perfect match for anything.
Michael! I am so glad I found your. Channel, I am trying to find someone to do a gear job on a spectrum shay new in the box.
Those Shays are tricky. I have one myself that I haven't worked up thr courage to try and fix yet.
Hi Michael finally I find an aswer to my problems I have a DCC loco with tender and the connection (the small cables are broken)you show the peoblems to that, but it was to late for my loco and 3 of the connentor are off of the pin. Now I saw what you did to solve this probles, Could you show how I open the tender to fix the cableÉ I tray but I'm scare to broken my loco.
Most tenders come apart easily with 1 or 2 screws underneath. You may have to slide the shell forward or back and then lift it off.
I am wanting to convert my modern bachmann 4-6-0 into a spectrum without buying an entire locomotive. Will spectrum 5 pole motors fit into modern 4-6-0s?
Yes, it's a direct swap. This should be the correct one: estore.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=68_210&products_id=1560
Hellomike I kind have three questions is there any maintenance you have to do with the belt? how long will this function until it deteriorates? And if it does deteriorate what can be a substitute?
So far, I've never had a belt fail on one of these (and I've put a LOT of miles on various belt-drive Spectrum locos over the years). Surprisingly, the belt drive seems to be one of the more reliable parts of these engines. I've had motors fail on multiple occasions, but the belts have never been a problem. They can get a little bit stiff when the model sits for a long time without running, resulting in rough low-speed performance, but they loosen up after it's been run again for a while. Apart from that, they seem pretty bulletproof.
@@michaelramsey81ok thanks
@@michaelramsey81 thanks Mike , ps I really wanna see bachmanns 2024 now, just to see if they have a render for them new ten wheelers. Than on my bucket list for sure.
Sorry about that I mean to say. Is bachmann Parts store down? Can you still order from them?
It works fine for me. Bachmann's main site went down for a day or two recently, but it's back up now.
Hi Michael i am from Cuba
I would like to know if is possible turn my Bachman Trail yard master Ho in to Dcc model?
The locomotive in the Yardmaster set is the same USRA 0-6-0 that's in most of Bachmann's HO steam sets. While they do make a DCC version, trying to convert the basic DC version to DCC is a bit complicated because all of the electronics are inside the loco, rather than in the tender. If you want to do a bit of tinkering, you can run wires into the tender and put the decoder there. Otherwise, you'll have to get a really tiny decoder and stuff it inside the engine somewhere.
Thanks again but when i took things apart i removed the cab. Dang it. The cab wont slide back on because of pipes that extend through holes in cab face. I tried bending them to clear the cab but its just too hard. Help!??
Those pipes are quite annoying. They shouldn't be too hard to bend, but they tend to spring back to their original shape when you let go.
What I usually do is use tweezers or a small flathead screwdriver to hold them out of the way while you slide the cab on. Once it's on, use the tweezers to nudge them back into their holes. It may take a few tries to get all of them in.
Are you ever going to get a roundhouse for your layout?
Maybe at some point. I like having the locomotives visible when they're parked, so it's not a high priority right now.
Hey man I've got a question, are the boilers of the 4-6-0 spectrum and the spectrum 4-4-0 about the same diameter? Cause I wanna do a custom build with a boiler door that has the light on the door front and the 4-4-0 is the only model that has one for sale on the bachmann's website.
The 4-4-0 boiler is significantly smaller. Unfortunately, the 4-4-0 boiler front will not fit on the 4-6-0 boiler. I would suggest either gluing a headlight onto the 4-6-0 boiler front, or finding one of a similar size from a different (maybe even non-Bachmann) loco.
@@michaelramsey81 glad I asked before I bought anything. Thx a bunch
Oh also one more thing, what Vanderbilt tender are you using for, I think it's your engine 13, cause it looks like an old Vanderbilt from an 0-6-0, I could be wrong I need to rewatch the video where I saw it. Cause I want one behind my spectrum 4-6-0, but my options are bite the bullet and get the beautiful spectrum Vanderbilt or cheap out and use a less detailed one from a 0-6-0 off the bachmann parts page.
@@flamedeerproductions5569 It's the one from the 0-6-0. Nothing fancy. It's the perfect size to go behind the high boiler 4-6-0. The only issue I had was squeezing all the wiring inside the tender, but it can be done - I just had to use a very small DCC decoder.
@@michaelramsey81 so the circuit board that comes with the engine just bairly fits inside then, wow. Bet that was fun. I was originally going to use a tender from an old roundhouse die cast kit, but my circuit board is ever so slightly to big, what sad is that I had just barely figured out how to fully insulate one of the trucks from the die cast frame, so it might have worked if the locomotive's circuit board was smaller.
Actually you don't happen to know where I might find a smaller one do you?
@@flamedeerproductions5569 I actually got rid of the original tender circuit board entirely and hardwired the decoder directly to the motor, pickups, and headlight. Most of the stuff on the board is redundant - the only important thing is the resistor for the headlight, and that's easy enough to wire in yourself (a 1K resistor is ideal).
Will this work with bachmanns new ten wheelers
Yes, they go together pretty much the same.
Do these steps work for the 63” driver version
Mechanically they're both the same, just aesthectically different
Yes, the process is exactly the same.
so this is a question i thought of. why didn't you buy another Moter for number 12. just a question that's bin on my mind. also, will you ever do a train collection motor
The plan for this locomotive is to become the "new" #12. I'm going to paint it to match the old one and use some parts from the old one, and essentially make it a better model of the same fictional engine. The original #12 has had a lot of parts salvaged off of it already, and wouldn't really be practical to get going again.
I did actually buy two motors, but I'm saving the other one as a spare for #13 in case it ever has issues.
Can this work on the bachmann mogul
The Mogul is built quite differently. Maybe I'll do a video on it at some point.
No sound??? All that work?
I might add sound at some point, but it's not a high priority for me right now.
Hello friend, I’d like to know if you could help me with Spectrum locos.
I use on my layout Peco switches, and Spectrum locos always derail pilot wheels.
I have a large collection : Trix, Fleischmann, Roco, Athearn but only Spectrum has the problem.
If you knew any solution wil be welcome.
Thank you for yours videos, I watch and learn a lot.👍🇪🇸
Interesting, I've never had that problem on my Peco switches. I have heard of others having issues with Spectrum pilot wheels derailing, though.
If you can, get an NMRA gauge (you can buy them from most hobby retailers) and use it to measure the gauge of the pilot wheels. If they are slightly too narrow or slightly too wide, they can ride up on the guardrails and derail. If that's the issue, you may be able to adjust the gauge by twisting the pilot wheels on the axle.
If the gauge is fine, the pilot truck spring may not be putting enough pressure on the pilot truck to keep the wheels from wandering off the rails. Try taking the pilot truck off, bending the spring outwards a bit, and putting it back on. That should put a bit more pressure on the pilot wheels and hopefully keep them on the track better.
Hope that helps!
Hey Mike have through of doing you’re own homemade locomotive from other. Non working engines, mabey you can make a camelback.
I've actually started a couple of projects along those lines, but I never got far enough with one to make a video about it.
Hi
Why do you keep saying Digitrax when you are NCE ?!! Anyway, enjoyed vid just the same...
The decoder in the locomotive is a Digitrax one. I was using an NCE system to run it, but the CV functions are determined by the decoder manufacturer.
I think that's called a serpentine belt. Since I've had nothing but bad luck with Bachmann, I stay away from all Bachmann engines. That is a horrible design. I prefer Atlas and Atheran. Can't afford BLI or Rapido. Straight DC for me. How do you like Bachmann's plastic couplers? Cheap plastic knock off of a Kaydee coupler. Cheers from eastern TN
The plastic couplers are usable in a pinch, but they're not the best. They work fine for short trains, like the ones I run, but if you're pulling heavy loads, they tend to flex vertically, causing the knuckles to slip apart. If you can't afford enough Kadees for all your equipment, I would at least put them on your locomotives, and run the Kadee-equipped cars toward the front of the train. I keep meaning to replace all my plastic couplers with Kadees, but since I run fairly short trains and my layout has no significant grades, the plastic ones work well enough that I haven't gotten around to it yet.