Bachmann B1 driving wheels.

[Saint Johnstoun]

I went to do a loco change today and take Bachmann (Split chassis) B1 Wildebeste which just happens to be coupled to the self weighing tender at present out of the siding stub where it has sat for a good few weeks. The loco jammed when forward running and I found on inspection that the left hand rear driving wheel was distorted - the spokes are all warped. Does anybody else have experience of this phenomenon and cause thereof?

I have emailed Bachmann to see if the service dept. can supply another wheelset. Despite being split chassis all my five B1s are tuned up and run satisfactorily as a norm!

[mick b]

Old age at a guess. I had a Replica version where the centre of the had distorrted forward.

[Saint Johnstoun]

Thanks Mick - Bachmann are supplying a replacement set so it means 'Cowlairs' for the beast when they arrive!

Unusually, this is one of the later chassis as it has the later couplings - my original replacement Bachmann chassis which I used to deal with the dreadful Replica ones on my 61244, 61245 and 61292 are still going strong. I couldn't keep the Replica ones in traction tyres!

[Atlantic 3279]

The Bachmann B1 that I turned into a B2 for John White was selected for the purpose because the plastic centres were bulging out of its wheels locking the motion. I've heard occasional reports of the same on other examples.

[Saint Johnstoun]

I've stripped the rear driving wheels out of the chassis and it would appear that the plastic spoke insert has warped outwards for some reason. Once I get the new wheelsets it will be an easy job to drop the replacement set in. However, I'm wondering if I clamp the wheels and immerse in boiling water it will return same to its rightful place - worth a try?

Tried this and it only partly solves the problem - it seems that the plastic has 'expanded' so I removed the insert from the wheel, filed round the outer rim of the insert, and refixed using superglue - we will see if this works pro-tem but I will use the new wheelset when it arrives!

[paulmblythe]

This is quite a common problem.My dads replica ouribi did the same thing. I remember some years ago being told it was because the plastic reacted to certain lubricants which caused it to warp. That and the hot/cold temperatures of being kept in the loft. My newer bachman gazelle hasn't had the same problem but the split axles did fall apart and needed pushing back together.

[Saint Johnstoun]

The problem is still there so I will have to await the replacement driving wheel sets from Bachmann. This loco was a s/h purchase and suspect it may have been over lubricated at one time so that could have caused the warping.

[Tom F]

The problem is still there so I will have to await the replacement driving wheel sets from Bachmann. This loco was a s/h purchase and suspect it may have been over lubricated at one time so that could have caused the warping.

Bachmann used a lot of thick white lubricant in their split chassis locos, many of mine (all long gone) never ran properly. Oh and yes, I had a wilderbeeste with bulging wheel centres too!

[Saint Johnstoun]

I've stripped most of my split chassis locos that remain, thoroughly cleaned the chassis -axles and wheelsets, and replaced with very careful lubrication with light oil. What a difference it makes! The only area I grease is the 'flywheel' gear and there I use a Castrol grease suitable for nylon gears.

Anything with a pancake motor has long gone - the best place for those abominable items is the bin!

[Blink Bonny]

..... or eBay!

However St J's tips also work with Mainline pancake motor chassis. You'll never get them working as well as anything with a proper motor but every little helps.

Oh, and don't be tempted to fit "wiper" pickups to cure running problems. They don't. As an experiment I fitted these to a Mainline parallel boiler Scot and tested this against my beloved 6115, unmodified but thoroughly cleaned and serviced, and a rebuilt Patriot, uncleaned. If anything, the experiment showed that cleaning the motor and chassis made more of a difference to the running than the pickups. In fact, 6115 was slightly better than 46137!

[60156]

I've known, and still have some, B1s and Standard 4s with this problem. Some of the locos had never been out of their boxes, bought them for 'the future project'.
Not known it with any other bachmann locos, do they share wheel inserts I wonder? Almost certainly the thick white goo in my opinion, although a lot of the locos from about the same time came 'over lubricated' with smears all over the bodywork. Some V2s were particularly bad but didn't seem to suffer in the wheel department, that said most are still in their boxes............................

[Saint Johnstoun]

I've just checked all my other B1s and it is interesting that the only other one which is showing signs of the same fault is a more recent one, my original three which started life with Replica mechanisms show no signs of this problem, the replacement mechanisms are at least 20 years old, the two which are faulty date from the mid 1990s so I suspect that there may have been a batch of driving wheels with 'soft' plastic. Fortunately there will be enough wheelsets in one spare set to repair both.

[Saint Johnstoun]

I've stripped both chassis and using good wheelsets (rear left on one was warped and centre right on the other) repaired, cleaned and reassembled one loco - await bits from Bachmann to deal with the other - I shall probably fit the complete new wheelsets intact and keep the unwarped wheels as spares.

I suspect that the problem had been there for a while and I had not noticed as 61101 now runs far better.

[paulmblythe]

on these split chassis designs it pays to drop the wheels out periodically and clean the bearings as they get gunged up with carbon, grease, dust etc. this will improve current collection no end. I have done this on a mainline 03 which is nearly 30 years old

[Saint Johnstoun]

Parts arrived this morning and complete wheelset dropped into chassis after cleaning out the gunge - warning - be careful dismanting the motion as the little circlips that hold the return crank in place have a habit of popping off and getting lost.

Bachmann's crankpin design for the centre driving wheels is not so clever as it is a push fit and on reassembly it may be necessary to use a little Loctite to ensure its staying put.