Re-gearing old Bachmann Steamers

[Slim Rail Mike]

 Getting back into model railroading after a long time away. My Grand Daughter and I dusted of my ancient roster of equipment. We laid down a loop of track and a couple of sidings. With a little work  got some of them running again.

    On the sick list are 3 Bachmann steam locomotives that have split gears. Peteski has an excellent post on how to approach a fix for them. While searching on line for other ideas of ways to fix them, a Shapeways site came up with 3d printed replacement gears. James’ Train Parts made a set for the first generation 2-8-0 and 4-8-4 printed in FUD.

My questions are has anyone successfully used these or similar gears? And what is FUD?
 

[peteski]

Welcome to the Railwire Mike!

FUD (Frosted Ultra Detail) is Shapeways' name for a type of resin, its printing process, and the print resolution.  Shapeways changes those names from time to time, so I'm not sure if they still use the FUD moniker, or what the current name is.

As for whether someone has used 3D printed gears to repair Bachmann locos, the answer is "yes".  I accidentally discovered that when Lee sent me one of his Bachmann 2-8-2 second-hand locos for repair.  I discovered that the previous owner used what looked like 3D printed FUD gears.

Guess what?  Those split too! I also fixed them.  I suspect that the fix loco still runs.  Lee  @wm3798  would know.

That  repair is documented in https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=46293.msg660666#msg660666

[Slim Rail Mike]

Peteski, Thanks for the link. The post of yours I had read was for diesel wheel sets. For the steam locos I’ll need to alter the frame as well as add the collars to the gears.

What I think I understand as the issue with the gears splitting is a miss match of too large an axle stub in too small a hole. Then if I try new gears, making sure the wheels are just a light press fit , that should work. If too tight reaming or drilling to achieve that fit would be necessary.  Is that feasible?

Not being a machinist the less I do to the mechanism the better. Else I can take what is merely  broken and truly destroy it.

[mmagliaro]

See my follow up.  This idea will not work because those aren't just simple gears.  They have that axle tube portion on them,
and the custom gears would not have that.

Allow me to poke my nose in here....
Yes, putting a collar on will fix the cracked gears.  But there is also a good source for replacement gears like this
from a custom maker I use in Poland.

https://shop.kkpmo.com/index.php?cat=c32_M0-4-spur-gear---gearwheels---pinions-M0-4---Gears---Pinion---Spurgear---0-4.html

You would need to carefully measure the diameter and thickness of the gear, and count the number of teeth, and also measure the bore (the axle diameter).  Then we can figure out the "mod" (I'm guessint it is mod 0.4 given the engine's age).  They can make these and they are really good quality.  They cost about $5 each these days.

[peteski]

Max, it is not just a gear. It is a typical Bachmann (or even Kato or Atlas) gear/axle tube combination.  I fix with the axle tube part with a collar (that also eliminates the gear's crack.



Does the company in Poland produce this type of part?

[mmagliaro]

Whoops... Yes, Peteski is correct.  That Bachmann gear has the long axle shank on it, and the custom gears I cited will not have
that.  You can get them in a variety of thickness, but not with an extended tube like that.
So yeah... forget what I said!

[Slim Rail Mike]

The 4-8-4 has been disassembled. All 4 drive gears were split. The putting brass collars on the gears doesn’t look too difficult. The holes for the axles in the plastic frame will need to be drilled out for clearance, but the metal frames won’t need to be touched.
 
If I can find thin walled brass tubing I’ll try to make the fix to the loco. If I mess-up then the 3d printed gears can back me up.

 Any suggestions for brass tubes. The gear stub axle measured 3mm.

[peteski]

When I fixed Lee's loco (in that post I liked to earlier), I used thin-wall brass tubing I got years ago from Special Shapes Company.  They has all sorts of brass tubing and shapes, but they got absorbed by K&S Metals and they discontinued bunch of their items.  They might still have thin-wall tubing available (I haven't checked). The tubing I had did not have a size which would be the best fit for that repair, so that is why I ended up splitting the tubing and adding a small copper foil piece to slightly enlarge the tubing.

There is also a company in UK called Albion Alloys.  They carry all sorts of metal shapes.  You might want to check them out.

[wm3798]

Hmmm.  Honestly, dollar for dollar, pound for pound, and minute for minute expended on those things, just buy a newer release that doesn't suffer from this malady.
The new 4-8-4 has the same clunky shell from the 1960s, but the drive is superior in every way.  Better gearing, better wheels, better electrical pick up, better motor...  The same is true of the new 2-6-2 Prairie, which also carries the familiar shell, although with much better paint and lettering.  And of course, the newer 2-8-0 is legendary.  The only reason to get an old White Box Bachmann is to create a nice display down in the railway park on your layout.



P.S.  The 2-8-2 that Peteski worked on was improved, but was still a dog.  It went on the market shortly after I got it back, and as I recall, fetched the usual next to nothing these things sell for, even with the repair.  My advice is cut your losses and move on.

Lee

[Kentuckian]

Hmmm.  Honestly, dollar for dollar, pound for pound, and minute for minute expended on those things, just buy a newer release that doesn't suffer from this malady.
The new 4-8-4 has the same clunky shell from the 1960s, but the drive is superior in every way.  Better gearing, better wheels, better electrical pick up, better motor...  The same is true of the new 2-6-2 Prairie, which also carries the familiar shell, although with much better paint and lettering.  And of course, the newer 2-8-0 is legendary.  The only reason to get an old White Box Bachmann is to create a nice display down in the railway park on your layout.



This. So much this.

P.S.  The 2-8-2 that Peteski worked on was improved, but was still a dog.  It went on the market shortly after I got it back, and as I recall, fetched the usual next to nothing these things sell for, even with the repair.  My advice is cut your losses and move on.

Lee

[Slim Rail Mike]

WM3798    True enough, however I've more time than money.

 In addition there is the use they are to be put to. My grand daughters are nine and five and being gentle with things is often forgotten in the moment. I'd prefer that my Spectrum and Kato locos are not in the mix. Nothing says little girls like trains and dinosaurs.  

Besides it is a good project to ease back into modeling. Fun if successful, and no great cost if not.

Michael

[wm3798]

You and your granddaughters will become quickly frustrated with locomotives that don't deliver the goods.  Especially after hours of surgery.
I don't suggest that you spend big bucks to put fragile working models into the hands of babes... that would definitely be counterproductive.

However, as more of us old codgers downsize our fleets, there is a flood of decent running equipment readily available in the aftermarket that can be had for bargain prices.

I highly recommend old Rivarossi steam over old Bachmann.  I've picked up Pacifics, Mikados, as well as a few 0-4-0 switchers and 2-8-8-2 behemoths for a very small investment.  Will they ever be worth much?  Probably not.  But will they run forever?  With a little care and the occasional dot of oil, mine are still piling up the miles at 50+ years old.




Another good one to look for is the Trix 0-6-0 switcher.  Absolutely bulletproof, and usually can be had for under $50.

I don't suggest you give up.  Not at all.  But I do recommend you give up on Bachmann models from the 80s.

Lee