Cracked frame

[Bob Horn]

I have 14 IM FT frames which are around 15 years old, no defects on any of them. Bob.

[Caddy58]

I have a lot of IM F-Units: 20 FTs, around 10 F3 and F7s (some converted to F5s)

Only the F3 give me trouble: one had a cracked and disintegrating frame, one is binding so hard (probably also due to the frame changing its shape) that I needed to remove the drivetrain.

I had send pictures to IM and they sent me a replacement frame (to Germany!)

So yes, they are aware of the issue.

Cheers
Dirk

[djconway]

Discovered that I now have 3 of 7 F3's with rotting frames all PRR A and B units.  Strange thing is only one side of the frame was bad on all 3 locos.
I bought the first replacement - (assumed I over tightened the screws and cracked the frame.)
An exchange of letters with Inter Mountain assures me that I have 2 replacement frames on the way.

I get a little annoyed when I spend $$$ for a loco and it disintegrates in the box on the shelf, (I much prefer to ware them out.) but IM was very prompt in replying to my complaint.

None of my F9's have this problem, so maybe the problem is limited to specific batches of frames. For all the serial numbers I have to track at work it's too bad none of our locos have them, would make zeroing in on the cause of the problem a little easier.

[peteski]

Bad batch seems to be a reasonable assumption.  Zinc pest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_pest) seems to be caused by impurities in the alloy being used. Some batches could have been improperly made or contaminated.

[Doug G.]

I have been wondering for years if this was going to rear its ugly head again (after the early N scale years) and voila!

I am lucky, so far, in that none of my newer stuff has the problem (I call it "Zamacitis") yet.

Doug

[railtwister]

I'm the one mentioned earlier in this thread who had two bad frames in my Atlas N SD35's (an ACL #1017 and an SCL #1905). The ACL loco frames had expanded to where they were a full 1/8" longer than the SCL, and the SCL frame was so tight in the body shell that it was almost impossible to get it off. The ACL shell was totally damaged, only the clear plastic headlight and number board castings were salvageable. Both locos were from a run in late fall 2009, so I wasn't able to order the decorated shell, although Atlas does list the frame halves as being available. In desperation, I sent a letter with photos of the damage to Paul Graf at Atlas, and he emailed me back very quickly in just a few days, saying he had asked Don Fidecaro to help me locate the needed parts. Don phoned my cell the next day, and after I explained the situation, said he would try to find a decorated shell, but it would probably take a few days to do so. I was hoping to not have to paint and decal an undec unit into the ACL scheme (even though it's not a very complex scheme), but I figured it was likely that's what I was going to have to do. Amazingly, Don called back in a week or two, saying he had found an ACL unit, but it was a different road number, if that was OK with me (it was). I was surprised and grateful that he was able to find any ACL decorated locos in any roadnumber, and my hat is off to Atlas for providing great customer service. I have always been fond of Atlas products because of their outstanding quality and the fact that Atlas also stocks repair parts even for some of it's older items. They have helped me repair items in the past by having parts available (otherwise, I would have had to throw that item out). I wish every company were as helpful as Atlas, and my thanks go out to both Paul and Don for their help.

Thanks Atlas!
Bill in FtL

[djconway]

Well the replacement frames showed up Saturday.  Nice job Inter Mountain - excellent service.
Had both units up and running as good or better than new in about an hour.

It isn't until some thing goes wrong that you get to measure the quality of the company you're doing business with.  Inter Mountain has provided top level support. 

[brokemoto]

I have bought more than a few Intermountain F-units and had two problems, over the years.   Both times IM rectified matters promptly, cheerfully and went far beyond what I expected of them.   IM's customer service is top drawer.  I would recommend  purchasing their products to anyone.