# Bachmann Consolidation 2-8-0



## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Kicking around buying a Connie for one of this fall's project. I've seen some good prices. Anybody know where they are cheap? Is there a FAQ link here for inherent issues/upgrades for that loco? Upgrades to driveline, sound, etc. so on?


S


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## steam5 (Jun 22, 2008)

Search this forum, many threads about the Connie. 

The main fault with it is the Connie will eventually split the gear on the axle. 

Three options to fix this 
-Replace the gear with another from Bachmann â€" It will fail again 
-Replace the gear with a North West Short Line (NWSL) delrin gear â€" better solution 
-Replace the motor and gear box with a Barryâ€™s Big Trains motor and gear box â€" best solution 

I have a BBT motor and gear box, but havenâ€™t installed it, but people have report it to being excellent and well worth the money.


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## Bill Swindell (Jan 2, 2008)

What do you consider a good price?


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## steam5 (Jun 22, 2008)

I haven’t purchase one for a while maybe $250 - $300 US Dollars.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Steam5 that's just the info I was looking for. 

I will research the North West Short Line (NWSL) delrin gear and do a swap of the OEM gear if/when I buy one before running it.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

If I recall, the NWSL part number is 2226-6, and sells for $12.95. It's definitely a worthwhile grab, though I don't know that replacing the stock gear straight out of the gate is imperative. Mine gave me 7 years of faithful service before the stock gear split. The other thing you need to keep in check is the screws that hold the counterweights in place. They have a habit of working loose over time, and the counterweights get a bit floppy as a result. What happens then is that they may snag on the rest of the valve gear and jam up. Some people yank the screws out and put Loc-Tite on them. I'm not a big fan of that, as I've found a simple periodic tightening is sufficient. (Once a year, twice if you run a lot.) Other than that, the loco's a fantastic runner. It's long been one of my favorites. I saw them at one of the retailers the other day for clearance of $200 each and almost grabbed another one myself, but they were all listed as "backordered" so I took that as a sign. When I went back to check today, the sale was no longer going. Still, you'll have no problem finding them for $300 or so from the big guys. 

Having said that, if you can find one for a really good price and have the extra $200 in the budget for a BBT drive, that's when you'll want to buy both and install the drive before doing anything else. If you've also got to buy sound and/or control electronics for it, I might back-burner the BBT drive just to get the loco earning its keep, then start budgeting for the replacement drive. Even with all three elements--loco, replacement drive, and control electronics, you're still looking at less than $800 for a loco that's going to look, sound, and run as good as anything on the market for any price. That ain't a bad deal... 

Later, 

K


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

I bought my Connie from Gold Coast in very early 2007 for $150, brand new. Another $200 for Barry's drive and you'll have a sweet engine


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## steam5 (Jun 22, 2008)

Another quick thing that just came to mind. Some of the motor mounting screws can be loose. Best give them an inspection before you put her into service.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

When I installed my DCC system I did a good check of all gears and and screws that held everything in place. it's a great running locos and has given me 4 good years of service so far. Bought mine for 250 so that wasn't bad back then. Later RJD


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

I bought one a few months ago for $189 on Ebay (with free shipping) as new old stock (NOS). It works well. I modified to bring all the control lines to the tender as well as isolated the track wiring to run on either battery or track power. It runs quite well via radio control and I have now added a Phoenix P8B with the K480 sound files. There is a ton of room in the tender for everything, including batteries. I'm still making my mind up on what kind to install inside but did install an MU cable for now. It runs well BUT I did pull too many cars up too high a grade. Now it suffers from the slipping drive gear. I plan on installing the NWSL Delrin gear soon. Here is a link to a write up with pictures on taking it apart to install a radio control. 90% of the writeup is good for about any control. 

http://precisionclays.com/uploads/Cab_Command_Consolidation_Install.pdf 

I just documented what many others have described in detail both on this forum and others. Hope it helps. I highly recommend the locomotive, even with its gear train issues.


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

Posted By SRW on 18 Sep 2010 11:21 PM 
Kicking around buying a Connie for one of this fall's project. I've seen some good prices. Anybody know where they are cheap? Is there a FAQ link here for inherent issues/upgrades for that loco? Upgrades to driveline, sound, etc. so on? 

 
S 




I have two which I recently got new but have decided to put one up for sale. Was going to have wife put on eBay for $250. It has not been run outside and only for about 30 mins indoors and runs fine. No split gear. Let me know if you are interested let me know and I can send pics.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Mickey. I scored a used one in Yellow Pine Lumber livery this very evening on eBay for 155 bucks. Gonna tear it apart as soon as it arrives and check the gear/driveline and the screws on the counterweights, etc. Sounds like a good engine from folks who own 'em so i thought it was a fairly safe bet.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Oh Yeah. The stock front coupler looks weird on the ones I've seen. When I get mine I'll study it more but has anyone swapped theirs with a more prototypical one? Suggestions?


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## steam5 (Jun 22, 2008)

I haven’t got round to changing my front coupler over as yet. 

Have a look on the Kadee page under conversions, they suggest couplers http://www.kadee.com 

I would use the new E series couplers, they look great.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Try the Accucraft 1:20 coupler and pocket. Take the stock coupler off, and the new pocket bolts in. If I recall, it's a pretty straightforward conversion. 










The same coupler and pocket works well on the tender, too. 










Later, 

K


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Cool. That's the look I'm interested in. Probably just do the front coupler for now. All my narrow gauge cars for the 2 Tweetsie BigHaulers I have are still bachmann couplers. I need to budget to convert the 6 Aristo cars I bought this year for my Southern RS-3 freight to pull from plastic to metal wheels so that takes precedence over couplers in my world. I most likely will build my own log cars for this loco to pull someday so I'll convert to the same couplers for the whole train when i do that. For now I'll pull my ET&WNC cars with it and be happy, and also make a new shelf for it in the basement layout room like the other engines.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

I have found a connie new with phonix sound for $500.00 does that sound like a ok price. Thanks for any help.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Pete, 

I've found new Connie's listed at some of the big guys like St. Aubins and Trainworld new for 275 bucks. Taxes, S&H would need to be added into that amount so I'm guessing around 300 bucks. I'm not certain since it's been a while since I looked but I think a Phoenix card could be had for about 150 bucks these days. Especially if the sound card is already installed, even though I understand they're not hard to install then 500 bucks may not be too out of line for such a package. 
I got engine [or will, it was shipped Monday] on eBay for 155.00 plus 26 for shipping so 180 bucks. I have been kicking around just installing one of the cheap cards that have been talked about recently such as in Garden Railroads for under a hundred bucks like MyLocosound. That's only because for now I just want it to make basic choo-choo noises [laugh] since I'm still running track power but may some day may go to different controllers or battery power, etc. I may want to get more complex sound cards then that I can control more and better sounds. For now I just want it to not be completely silent as it runs.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for the reply. I was told that the phoenix sound set up cost around $200 to $250 and another $20 or $25 to install.So i guess $500 is about the wrigth price. Anybody else have any thougths. Thanks


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## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

All,

I spoke to NWSL and they have a complete new gear box for the Connie for $45 and if you want a high end motor they can add one for $85 so a total of $130 for the gear box and the new motor. According to NWSL you will need to do a little surgery on the engine in order to fit the high end motor. They also need the diameter of the main drive shaft as that is the only gear that you will need to replace. Now, I have not yet experienced this but I plan on (as soon as I save up enough cash).


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

I just ordered a gear for now. Hopefully that will fix it. If not, I'll definitely take a look at the gear box. I didn't see it on their site.


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## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

You have to call to get the gear box. You are right, it is not on their web site.


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Well, my Connie is back up and running! I brought it to Marty's Battery Steamup this last weekend as I had the package that had the replacement gear but no time to experiment with it before I left. Friday night after dinner, I got my Connie out and gingerly layed it on the workshop table. Stan Cedarleaf had offered to help do it but he hadn't come back yet. Rodney Eddington stepped in and showed me one that he had already installed on a shaft (he had seen my post and had brought a replacement....just in case!) As a number of gentlemen gathered around to watch the operation, I tore open the bad with the gear only to find...._a phone battery and charger?!! _Umm............this is rather ackward! Apparently, I grabbed the wrong bag when I was packing! "Oh Rodney....do you still have that replacement axle with the new gear?" I was given a one-on-one tutorial on taking the driver off and replacing the cracked gear. The Connie runs great and I am indebted to Rodney! By the way Rodney, you need to e-mail me your address so I can get that replacement gear mailed off to you. Thanks again for everything!!


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

removing the circuit suppressor board: 

I've seen a few mentions of doing this, especially if thinking of going DCC in the future. Are there other reasons for bypassing the circuit? Wasn't it put there for a reason? 

I'm looking forward to hearing what folks find out about the 45 dollar NWSL replacement gearbox. Is it a new box or just replacement gears for the Bmann gearbox. How does it compare to the Barry's Big Train gearbox?


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

Definitely remove the suppressor board, it is a very BAD design and even Bachmann removed them. They WILLl cause problems with any PWM/PWC motor controller. Fortunately the engine is very easily disassembled. 

I just installed a Delrin gear from NWSL tonight. Works great. Turns out when I reassembled my loco last time I missed one of the bearings on the motor block around the existing gear. This is what actually caused the slippage (yes I'm a bone head). However, upon inspection of the drive gear, it was in fact split so I replaced it. Here are some pictures of the original and replaced gear. When replacing the trick is to simply remove the end screws of the driver wheel. Pop off the parts but remember how they go back together again! 

Original gear (big picture) 

New gear (big pictrure) 

Good luck, 

russ


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks for the response Russ. When I get other responsibilities out of the way I'll invert the engine, remove the bottom and open the can of worms to see what I got. I am also waiting to see what Rich finds out regarding the 45 dollar gearbox from NWSL and maybe replace that at the same time I replace the drive axle gear. I'll probably go ahead and remove the suppressor board at this time if it has one and I suspect it does. 

If I read your file correctly that you linked you mention loosening the solder to the board then resoldering the wires directly to the engine in the [hopefully] same polarity as they were attached to the board.


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

Posted By SRW on 06 Oct 2010 06:06 AM 
Thanks for the response Russ. When I get other responsibilities out of the way I'll invert the engine, remove the bottom and open the can of worms to see what I got. I am also waiting to see what Rich finds out regarding the 45 dollar gearbox from NWSL and maybe replace that at the same time I replace the drive axle gear. I'll probably go ahead and remove the suppressor board at this time if it has one and I suspect it does. 

If I read your file correctly that you linked you mention loosening the solder to the board then resoldering the wires directly to the engine in the [hopefully] same polarity as they were attached to the board. 
My main drive gear box looked fine. I do want to see pictures of the NWSL upgrade though. The drive gear on mine was cracked but as it turned out, that wasn't causing the problem (yet). Definitely eliminate the suppressor board if you're going to use PWM motor control. Try to resolder them the same but you can always flip the NMRA/LS motor switch on the front if you get them backwards.

If you do replace the gear, it's not that bad to remove. take off the two strips that hold the brake and bearing blocks in place. pull the brakes up and out of the way. I was able to just pull up the drive axle, remove one end phillips screw at a time and carefully take all the parts out. The existing gear slid off very easily (cracked). The new one is VERY tight. I used a deep well socket to gently tap it down into place. Remember when you reassemble to put the motor block sleeves in right and put the motor block back on them. Just take your time and don't force anything, it all does come apart easily.

good luck,

russ


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Hmmm, second [or third] hand locomotives of unknown provenance...[grumble, swear, get what you pay for, mumble, cuss,]. 

I inverted my auction loco in the upper styrofoam packing box and got my jeweler's screw drivers out to open this can of worms and see what I gots here. 

First, I noticed how easily all 16 screws holding the 2 strips that secure the axles all turned for me... ["Warning Will Robinson. Danger. Danger."]...this gave me my first clue that a former owner may have tried their hand at this repair and bailed out. [Actually, maybe the second clue, the loco also arrived with four print out schematics/exploded plan views of the locomotive that someone wishing to repair said Loco would've likely printed out for reference prior to dissection and possibly not included with the original manual, etc.] 
I then placed the screws in a cup and marked one of the strips 'right side' for reference just 'cause I do that kind of stuff when I take things apart and swung the brake assly' back out of the way. I then unscrewed the 4 screws on the cover over the drive axle gear [again, turned very easily] I find a drive axle gear that isn't cracked but IS missing 4 teeth. 
I carefully lifted up on that axle to see how things go together and a small spring drops out. Upon inspection I see there is/are [supposed to be] a spring under each bearing block. I check each axle and find two other springs are MIA. I replace the errant one and then notice that there appears to be a brush or something that contacts each axle on each side from the frame. I notice this fact because one of them under the drive gear axle pops up. I retrieve it with tweezers and replace it only to notice its opposite number on that axle is also MIA. Starting to think this little loco has a few surprises that may make it a bit of a challenge. On the plus side, it was running [sort of...occasionally] before I took it apart so the few missing pieces aren't absolutely vital but I obviously wish to restore them. Plus, it seems like the aforementioned repairman possibly chickened out at this point as nothing else seems to have been loosened and I don't hear any small parts loose in the engine so they're probably on the floor of his workshop or under his kitchen counters. 

Anyway, Questions, Questions. How should I proceed to tell Bachmann which parts I need [brush and two springs] and how best does one access the motor and gearbox under the frame? 

It's all good here, with Stevie Ray Vaughan in the background, the engine otherwise is in very fine shape, and the fact that the eBay Gods intervened in this sale [don't ask] so I actually got the loco for 135 bucks, not 155 so when I restore it, it should be a lovely addition to my engine roster and a funny story to tell. 

I appreciate any advice on how best to proceed. Or should I chicken out and send the whole thing off to Barry's Big Trains and ask him to make it better? [laugh] 

Scott


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm definitely interested in the new NWSL gearbox. If anyone gets a photo of it, please post it.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Send to Barry's Big Trains and be done with it. When it returns from Barry, you will have a bullet-proof loco that will be very smooth running and pull anything.


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## steam5 (Jun 22, 2008)

On the diagram you have of the loco does it show the parts you are missing? It should have a part number on it. Bachmann will use this number. 

The driver springs could be purchased else where… Maybe NWSL???? 

The brush… is that for electrical pick up? I can’t just turn mine over right now as I’m at work. You may get away with a couple missing if it’s just for pick up. Or if you’re going battery you won’t need them at all.


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

Sorry to hear you got a simibroken locomotive. They are relatively easy to repair. 

Our railroad has 5 Bachmann 2-8-0s used for short distance trains that switch industries. 

If the main gear is missing teath, the idle gear in the gear box will need to be replaced. I use the NWSL gear for the axke and Bachmann lists the idle gear in its parts catalog. 

To get to the motor and gearbox you need to remove the boiler. 

There are actually 4 springs on each driver. 2 are between the driver and the frame and 2 are for the electrical pickup. I replaced the latter ones with stainless steel ones as the steal ones tend to get overheated if used with track power. 

Hope that helps, I may have an extra part or two if you have problems getting the parts you need. 

Stan Ames


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks guys. The locomotive basically looks brand new other than the bad drive gear and three small missing parts. For 135 bucks I still feel like I got a good deal! 

I seem to be missing two tiny coil springs which go under the bearing blocks on the frames and I was not sure if the metal ones between the frames and axles were brushes or springs [?] They obviously don't keep the engine from running by their absence but...you know...I want to replace them. I'll get my magnifying glass out and see if i can read part numbers on the exploded schematics. I haven't ordered any parts from B-mann so don't know what that's like. 

The bad drive gear seems to be an inevitable fate with these engines so a new loco from Trainworld/St.Aubins, etc. at 275 bucks would probably still lead to the same fate down the road so I'm sure I'm not alone with this issue. I think I will call NWSL and order the new gear box and drive gear. It sounds like most folks are able to replace these parts without a degree from MIT. I was just trying to figure out what the best way to replace the drive axle gear and then the gear box without completely disassembling the entire locomotive. 

Seems like if I go the new gearbox route I need to reassemble the bottom of the engine and remove the boiler to access the engine gearbox. but then it seems like you need to disassemble the bottom parts to access the drive axle. I'm guessing you can remove the screws that hold the counterweights on the drive axle and remove just the drive axle and knock off the Bachmann gear and tap on the NWSL delrin gear with gentle force. I should be able to figure it out but I appreciate folks sharing their knowledge about the best way to access these parts. Usually, [from my past experience fixing anything mechanical] there's an easier way to do these things than first appears if you cna just talk to folks who have already successfully attempted it.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Oh, and Gary. I appreciate you thoughts on this issue too. Your advice speaks to the part of me that likes the path of least resistance [which usually, but not always, is the most expensive path] and wants to just pack it back up and ship it off for a Barry's Big Train rebuild. I will add up the the missing parts and tax and shipping thereof, add upp the cost of the NWSL parts and shipping, [factor in the frustration equation] and may still decide to go the barry's bullet proof rebuild route.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

SRW, 

The cost of a new Barry's drive is nothing compared to the frustration you will incur with getting gears from Bachmann or enywhere else for that matter. Remember you are STILL missing some parts from the bottom end of this thing. I have a Connie I bought new about four years ago from a dealer. I have run it a few times, but I treat it with "kid gloves" until I have Barry do his magic on this loco. You will not be sorry you spent a little more now to do it right.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Gary, I will weigh the options. Definitely with the missing parts it now makes the Barry's option all the more attractive. I just needed to tear into it tonight to see how bad it was. If all I needed was to replace a cracked drive gear then NWSL would definitely be the way to go. 
I need to call Barry's for their price. I think it was 150-180 bucks if I remember someone else's post on this issue. I will weigh that against the 45 dollar gear box and the 13 dollar drive gear from NWSL, plus tax, S&H, plus the three missing parts from Bachmann, tax, S&H and when you add that into the equation plus the DIY frustration it makes handing the whole mess to someone else to rebuild with better parts all the more attractive. Plus, since I got the engine so cheap to begin with...it's probably the way to go. Especially since I got the loco for 135 bucks at auction.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

I've been back east, running on my dad's railroad this weekend. (Well, Friday and Monday--Saturday and Sunday were spent up at the EBT.) One of my "chores" while here was to replace the stock Bachmann gear in dad's 2-8-0 with a NWSL gear just as a precaution. His railroad has some serious grades which task even the most robust drives. (8% grades in one spot, a long stretch of 5%, and a fair amount of 4% grades.) Anything but flat... 

Dad hadn't run the 2-8-0 very much, except to test the electronics, as he's working on aleviating the clearance issues with such a wide locomotive. (I did narrow it considerably in its "downsize" rebuild, but the cylinders are still very wide.) The stock gear had some fractures on the hub, but it was still intact. Given the nature of dad's railroad, though, I think it would have been sooner rather than later that the gear would fail. The replacement went without issue, and then it was time for the big test. I was interested in two specific areas; (a) how smooth it ran compared to the BBT drive I had recently installed in my 2-8-0, and (b) how it performed going up and down the steep grades on dad's line. 

In terms of the first area of interest, it was very smooth. Without having the locos side by side, a direct comparison would be hard to call, but with the Airwire control dad has installed, I didn't find its performance lacking by any means. Very slow speeds could be had, though slow crawls on the steep downgrades were difficult to maintain. By chance, I did have an early generation BBT 4-6-0 chassis with which to compare it, and it was on par with that. 

As for the loco's performance on grades, I was very impressed. A 6-car train on an 8% grade, not only did it walk right up without hesitation, but it started and stopped very smoothly and easily on that grade. Going down with the train on the same grade, it ran equally as smoothly. Again, I couldn't get it to a nice, slow crawl on the 5% downgrade with a train behind it, but on the more moderate (4% and less) grades, speeds were very good. 

While here, I did some work on some of dad's diesels, which use the old NWSL power trucks (don't know if they're still available or not). These diesels have seen years of rather hard service, and when dad told me one had died, I expected to see some worn gears. Instead, I discovered the gears were all in pristine shape; it was the motor itself that had gone belly up. That's 15 - 20 years of service on gears made from the same material as the NWSL replacement gear for the 2-8-0. If it holds up that well, I think you'd be in good shape, assuming the rest of the gears and the stock motor hold up. (a bigger "if" than the NWSL gear IMO.) When I get home, I may do some more testing on my BBT drive to see how it performs on ultra-stee (>5%) grades, just as a comparison. I don't think many of us run grades anywhere near that steep, but my curiosity is piqued. 

Later, 

K


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

Here is a link to the exploded parts diagram for the 2-8-0: http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/dwg/dwgs/81294.pdf 

You should be able to read the part numbers from it easier than a blown up print. I'd get the missing parts from Bachmann. Found the power pickups but for the life of me I can't find the springs in the diagram!

Did I understand that the broken teeth were on the motor block or the drive axle gear? Replacing the drive axle gear with a NWSL gear was fairly easy to do. The power pick ups popped out on one and a spring on another. I carefully replaced them and reassembled. Seems to work perfectly but only time will tell. I spent $18 including shipping. 

Good luck, 

russ


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Kevin and Russ for your insight. My railline at present is almost DEAD flat, zero % grades, nada, zip, inclines, and this 2-8-0 loco I intend to haul about a maximum of three log cars, MAYBE, I'll add the new bachmann log skidder car just for, I don't know,...diversion/interest/sh-ts & giggles. I know, I know, a logging railroad with no incline BUT, that's what I have as it will have to run on my current ET&WNC track. Maybe in the future I'll make a separate, steeper track for my logging railroad. For now, I will leave the steep stuff to my brother with all his Shays, Heislers and Climaxes on his narrow gauge RR. My engine will not be worked very hard but I DO LIKE my engines to run smoothly at very low, scale speeds. 
I will continue to research the NWSL gearbox because I kind of like to fiddle with stuff myself. However, the reports I've read about the performance of BBT's drivelines make it very attractive to what I want out of my new Connie.


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By rmcintir on 11 Oct 2010 10:18 PM 
Here is a link to the exploded parts diagram for the 2-8-0: http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/dwg/dwgs/81294.pdf 

...

russ 
Russ...is that the parts diagram for the first production run...or the second production run??


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

Posted By Mike Reilley on 11 Oct 2010 11:25 PM 
Posted By rmcintir on 11 Oct 2010 10:18 PM 
Here is a link to the exploded parts diagram for the 2-8-0: http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/dwg/dwgs/81294.pdf 

...

russ 
Russ...is that the parts diagram for the first production run...or the second production run?? 
My guess is first run but that is only based on the fact that it has suppressor caps shown on the motor. I believe that Bachmann stopped using them but don't know if they stopped during 2-8-0 production or later. 


It was the only 2-8-0 parts diagram on Bachmann's site. I also noticed that it doesn't have the plastic center pieces on the screws for the counter weights for wheels as mine does. I guess that blows the motor suppressor idea since mine had a suppressor and the center hub pieces. I guess in other words, who knows!









russ


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## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

All,

Here has been my experience with Bachmann to date. I have had brand new engines with the wheels being loose from the axles. I sent a unit in for repair to Bachmann (it was an American 4-4-0) for a striped gear. It came back repaired and I went to run it and after about 20 minutes it started to slip. As we took it apart we found that the gear box assembly was missing four of the six screws and the other two were about ready to fall out! Now I have they Shay's, a Climax, 3 moguls, one American , one Connie and a bunch of Annies. Needless to say I went back through this and found MANY screws loose and all in disparate need of lubrication. After seating all of the screws and properly lubricating the engines most of them are running very well. So the lesson learned with any Bachmann, new or used, is to check ALL screws and recheck the lubrication. 

When it comes to the gearbox assembly I spoke to NWSL and they have the replacement gearbox for the Connie. The price for the gearbox by itself is $45 and the price for the high end motor is $85. I will try to call him today and get more information and post it back here. I am getting ready to send out my gear boxes from two moguls and the connie (the moguls look like the American) and have them verify the replacement of the assemblies.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Interesting news from Bachmann. No spare springs available! 

When I flipped my eBay Connie purchase upside down and unscrewed everything to look inside it and find how bad the drive axle gear was damaged it appeared that two of the springs that ride between the bearing blocks and one of the brass brushes that rests between the axles and the frame were missing. Luckily for me I heard something rattling inside the boiler and with a little gentle shaking one spring and the missing brass brush fell out of the boiler onto my work bench. I was able to replace those parts except the one bearing block spring that was still missing. I then thought that, since they are so easily misplaced that if they were still available I might like to purchase some replacements from Bachmann as they are VERY EASY to loose when taking this locomotive apart and since I plan to take it apart again when I order a new drive axle gear and gearbox from NWSL that they may be handy to have spares. I called Bachmann today and talked to the parts department and someone in the repair department. They both claimed the springs and brushes are NO LONGER AVAILABLE!!! I gave the woman the part number for the brush and the springs don't even appear on the frame assembly schematics and both folks said they are NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Said they haven't seen them for some time. 
I therefore urge anyone taking apart a Connie to be extra, special, careful that these small springs don't disappear into the alternate universe that things like that have a tendency to do. Work on your engine in a well lit place with a good smooth surface where these little springs have no chance to migrate under inaccessible cabinets and corners in your workshop as there are no replacements available from Bachmann. 
I did find a suitable spring to the one that I'm missing for the bearing block at the local hobby shop that came out of an RC car differential. I have no idea how to find a replacement for one of the brass brushes/bushings.


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## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

All, 

A little hint when it comes to calling Bachmann Support. There are three extensions to call (got these right from the repair guy): 

- 330 Bridgett 
- 329 Jennifer


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Yep, Jennifer is the one to call! She helped me out a while back.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Good to know. I spoke with Cynthia twice regarding two separate inquiries and she seemed vaguely aware that Bachmann sold model trains and that they may in fact have some parts for them but other than that... 
She passed me off to some guy she said was a tech and he didn't seem to act like he was too familiar with the Connie but then did finally seem to recall the brushes and springs I was asking about and said he hadn't seen any of those in a "long, long time". 
Fortunately for me the springs I found at the local hobby shop were a perfect match.


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

Sounds like you're back in operation. Glad to hear. I've been enjoying mine again since replacing the original gear with a delrin. 

russ


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## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

Just for the record.

The BBT Motor and gearbox is a Kit for the customer to install.

I just received my December Garden Railways Mag. The BBT Motor and Gearbox Kit received a favorable product review .


The Cons were to improve the pictures, which I will do. 


Kevin Strong did the review and also wrote an article on gears, which included the NSWL replacement gear for the Connie.

Barry - BBT


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## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

I have been trying for the past five minutes to open up the Edit screen to correct one word in the message above. 

Should read "Kevin Stron did the review and also........ 

Sorry about that. 

Barry - BBT


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## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

Can't get anything right......... 

Should read "Kevin Strong did the review and also.........." 

Barry - BBT


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

What great timing. Just as I find a bargain Connie on eBay that needs the drive axle gear replaced Kevin does a review of the available driveline fixes in this issue of GR. With the money I saved on the engine I'll review the options both Barry's and NWSL and decide which way I want to leap. I took the bottom apart to inspect it and found it was a little tricky to keep the small parts from wandering off but think I have that figured out. 

I need to figure out the easiest way to just remove that drive axle to pop it out w/out taking the entire drive train out. It looks like you can remove the screws on the ends of the axle that hold the weights on and extract just that axle and then remove the shot gear and tap on the new Delrin gear from NWSL.

I'd like to consider Barry's option or the new gearbox and motor from NWSL too. All I need to find out is the easiest way to remove just the relevant parts of the boiler without removing the entire top of the engine. Hopefully these things will be revealed in the coming article. I understand Barry's new and improved motor requires minor surgery to the boiler but that there's a cutting template included so...should be able to handle that "plastic surgery" okay.


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## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

I also include 8 eight photos to help you find your way.

The first step is to remove the boiler from the chassis, we have those instructions, too. Written by TOC and usually available.

According to the review, I have to improve the photos (which I will do) and the written instructions were useful.

Barry - BBT


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Barry. 

Do you have a website where folks can view more info about the BBT Motor and gearbox kit? Can you post that info here or shoot me a personal message with it please? 

Thanks, 
Scott


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Barry's Big Trains[/b]


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## Ted Nordin (Feb 27, 2008)

SRW, here is a link to some great pictures Tony Walsham posted when he installed the BBT into the Connie. http://www.mylargescale.com/Communi.../afv/topic/aft/114834/afc/153234/Default.aspx 

His pictures were the inspiration I needed to get off my duff and install one. It is not difficult but be sure to read Barry's instructions 3 times before starting. I also put paper towels in a cookie sheet and did the work in it. Dropped a couple of springs but they didn't bounce or get lost. 

The Connie runs great but my loop is small so I can't determine its true capabilities. I will run it next month on Gary Martin's Eagle Mtn RR ( in GR last year) and expect to pull 15 cars minimum. I also have a NWSL gear but will wait for my other connie to crap out before I contemplate installing it. 

You can't beat Barry's service, advice, price, quality and friendship. I also have 2 other BBT drives and can vouch for my previous statement. 

Email me if you wish as I also have a pdf document showing how Tony installed both BBT and battery power. 

Ted N SE Arizona


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Cool! 

Thanks Ted for the link to what Tony shared with his BBT Connie upgrade. I especially liked the: "It is not difficult but be sure to read Barry's instructions 3 times before starting. I also put paper towels in a cookie sheet and did the work in it." suggestion. Noted and understood! 

I believe my skills are up to the task but always leaning towards the path of least resistance I may choose to do the NWSL Delrin drive axle gear replacement first. I mean, if I can get this loco churnin' again for 13 bucks...that's tempting. However, my drive gear is missing four teeth on the drive gear which begs the question;...where did they go? My guess is bits are meandering around in the grease in the gear box still. That makes me think the NWSL gearbox AND drive axle gear may be the best short term repair. 

It's not too much bread to try that first, then if that gives me no joy then I may want to pull the trigger on a BBT driveline. Other folks like Russ have reported happy results with simply upgrading the drive axle gear. I appreciate the link Barry sent and the other info from folks like Ted & Tony with their experiences improving this loco. I also look forward to reading Kevin's report in GR. 

Either way, I'm tickled with the engine and how it looks. It ran enough even with the faulty drive gear to know I want to make this a steady running part of my train roster. I enjoy watching my brother's geared engines like his Shays/Heislers/Climaxs and the outside frame Connie with its counterweights and drive rods and valve gearing is as enjoyable to watch run. There's a 'massive-ness' [if that's a word] about watching those models that makes you feel like the thing actually weighs about 50 tons. This was not in my budgeted plans so I may skimp on the sound system for now too and install one of the cheaper sounds systems i've read about. Like the driveline, I figure I can always upgrade it later.

Appreciate everyone's knowledge,

Scott


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## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

This is a new product, so is not included on the website. www.barrsbigtrains.com 

I can send the BBT Motor and Gearbox order form and a descriptive page to anyone who sends me an e mail with the request. BBt Drive Annie and Plus order forms are on the website. Plus a couple of Videos. 

Ted, thanks for digging up the reference to Tony's install, it was good. Ted is one of my earlier customers. 

Barry - BBT


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Barry, 

I found your website last night after using the link Steve provided. http://www.barrysbigtrains.com/ 
I think you may have made a typo when you posted the link. It looks like it's short a 'y' in the link. I saw that you didn't seem to have any info on your site about it yet and figured that it was new and there fore you didn't have any pricing or details up yet. I'll send you an e-mail so you can give me some more info. 

Scott


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## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

Since I am an advertiser, I got my GR mag last Friday. Wherein the BBT Motor and Gearbox for the Connie is reviewed and very nicely, I might add. 

Also Kevin S. has written an article on the various gearing issues. 

Barry - BBT


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Barry of BBT has written to me good advice on how to install his upgraded motor and gear drive. His upgrade looks pretty bulletproof and looks like it would make the engine capable of plowing snow up hill with about 50 cars behind it accelerating the whole way [chuckle]. He referenced me a post from Dave Goodson on removing the boiler of the Connie that explained the process to get to the insides where you need to do a little cutting on the boiler. Steve Stockham posted it here last summer and here is what Dave Goodson said:

http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/aff/23/aft/108416/afv/topic/Default.aspx

I also spoke to someone at NWSL [Dave?, Doug?...something like that]. He told me that they have not only the Delrin drive axle gear we've all spoken of but if I understood him correctly there is more than one gearbox option too. I think he told me there is one for about 37 dollars, an idler gearbox that's 25:1 and also a ball bearing gearbox that is available for 45 dollars or something like that, call them for more accurate numbers. Both will apparently gear the Bachmann motor down to smoother slow speeds. They also have a new motor option as others have noted here already if you wish to jettison the original motor too. He said they'll install these drivelines as well. They will NOT give you an estimate over the phone, but you can pack the engine up and send it to them with a check for 35 bucks and they will tear into it and give you an estimate when they find out what your particular loco may need. Their labor rate is 35 bucks an hour. How many hours labor is involved is an unknown. Depending on what your time is worth, what you want the engine to be able to do, and your level of frustration patience is, that may be a good option for some folks too.


Scott


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Ah, well now. Live and learn. Here's what I experienced with NWSL. After thinking about what Dave said that they would repair the engine at 35 bucks a hour but wouldn't give an estimate I thought what the Heck, a 37 dollar gear box and a 13 dollar drive gear, how bad could it be? So I shipped it out to them 3 weeks ago for 40 bucks [UPS. Should've gone with USPS and saved over 10 bucks but wanted it to get there fast and intact], and included the 35 dollar check for the estimate. Got a call today finally from NWSL's tech. He advised not only a new drive gear but also the gear box which I was prepared for but he also pushed me to install a new motor as well and estimated it all at 8 hours of work!!!!!! I told him 300 dollars labor, another hundred in parts plus the 75 I spent getting it to them for an estimate was a BIG negatory. Told them to ship it back to me right away and in the future to give people some kind of ball park figure. I could've half paid for a Barry's Big Train motor driveline for the 75 bucks I spent. 

The guy tried to tell me that Bachmann's got the engine MSRP'd at 900 bucks so...I cut him off and said I can buy it at Trainworld right now for 275.00.The rest of my day was a 'trainwreck' too so this just capped it off swell. 
I may just try buying the drive axle gear from them for 13 bucks and hope like Russ found out that will get my train running again. Then down the road buy one of Barry's motor/gearbox upgrades. If anyone was wondering about having NWSL upgrade their engine for them I thought they would consider this valuable info towards that decision.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Youch! Definitely takes itself out of the realm of being an option. Eight hours labor? That sounds a bit extreme to me, though in fairness, I don't know the steps involved in what they're doing. Seems to me, though, that swapping out for their gearbox would be no more labor intensive than swapping out for Barry's, which for me was a 2-hour project. Definitely, just buy the $13 gear and be done with it, unless--possibly--they'll sell you the gearbox components and you can do it yourself. I personally think you'll be fine just replacing the gear. 

Later, 

K


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Kevin. That's exactly what I'm planning to do. Buy the axle gear for now and then down the road if the drive has catastrophic failure...go with Barry's driveline. 

I may even just go ahead and buy BBT's driveline now and buy everybody crappy Christmas presents just so i can afford it. ["Wow, socks and a three pack of Fruit of the Looms! Thanks Scott!] 

I don't begrudge NWSL making a profit by fixing people's toy trains but.....I'll whittle the damned gear out of a block of Delrin with a pocket knife before I pay someone 400 bucks to fix it. 

BTW Kevin, I enjoyed your articles in this issue of GR. Good stuff. Thanks again to you and all the others here who have offered their assistance in messages and in this thread. With this kind of support I'll have that Connie chuggin' like a top again in no time.


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## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

All, 
I am going to give NWSL a try on purchasing (not having them install) their gearboxes. I spoke to Dave and I am sending two Bachmann Mogul gear boxes (both have the idler gear bad) and a gear box from my Connie. In that way he can confirm the correct replacement gearboxes (it appears Bachman has used several different gearboxes depending on when they were made). I will keep everyone informed as to how this process goes!


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Hey Rich, 

Sounds like the way to go. NWSL's tech Darryl called me back this afternoon and wanted to suggest some other possibilities. The first one made me chuckle a bit. They offered to BUY my engine! I told them thanks but I would like it back. He and I discussed other options and have settled on just sending me the axle gear which I told him the number I had for it of 2226-6. He said he'd check to see if they had one and send it to me along with my engine. He said if I get hung up I could send them just the axle and drivers and he'd install the axle gear and quarter the gear. He madeit sound like it's a delicate operation installing the gear just perfectly and quartering it, etc. Kevin's article and I think Tony Walsham it might have been both made it sound harder than novice but not as bad as putting men in orbit either. Therefore, I'll try my hand at it. I'm fairly handy at repairing things so I'm not a-skeered of it. Russ's link for installing DCC in the Connie had good instructions and he has offered his experience from replacing the same gear already. Looking forward to giving it a try.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

No need to quarter anything. The ends of the axles are keyed to quarter the counterweight, and there's only one way they can go on. The gear just slides over the middle of the axle and presses onto it. 

Rich, let me know what they say about the 2-6-0 gears. I think my "issues" with the gearbox heating up are due to the motor building up heat and the gearbox being the only place it can go. I'm going to insert some kind of heat transfer so that there's metal-to-metal contact between the motor and the firebox so that takes the heat instead. When it's cool, it's very smooth. It's when it heats up that things get weird. It could also just be the motor, too. That's a winter project... Worst come to worst, I'll swap out the motor and gearbox from my other 2-6-0, since that one usually just does passenger duty and I don't do switching with it. I don't notice the deteriorating slow-speed operation under those circumstances. 

Later, 

K


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks for that info Kevin. I look forward to getting the loco back and taking a run at the gear replacement. I will take my time and make registration marks and take photos if it looks like a good idea. 

Your 2-6-0 almost sounds like it needs a blower fan on the gearbox for switching. Shame you can't mount a computer fan in there somehow [chuckle] 

Scott


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I'm trying to laugh about the continuing eBay Connie saga right now but...Nah, I just can't. 

I'm really pretty @#!!%&*+!!!, right at the moment. 

I got my 2-8-0 back from NWSL today packed in the original box and foam packing and in the foam packing and secondary Bachmann shipping box that I sent it to them in. 
I opened the outer shipping box up this evening and on top of the box was the delrin gear I needed and enclosed was a bill for the new gear of 12.95. I thought cool, life is good. 

After dinner and a meeting I needed to attend I finally got back home to open the box tonight and remove the engine eagerly looking forward to attempting to replace the drive axle gear myself. When I opened the box and lifted the upper half of the styrofoam packing, on top of the cab was a note that read: "Please be careful removing engine from box as it's not fully assembled." I then find alongside the engine is the motor and gearbox neatly wrapped in bubble wrap and the parts for the drive axle gear box cover also neatly wrapped up. Okay I think. I can fix this. Then I look further. The ashpan is completely missing and the wires are all hanging out, the lead truck is gone and nowhere to be found. the cowcatcher is snapped back on the frame, the smokestack is knocked askew off of the smokebox. WTF!!!!! I mean seriously, What the freakin' f--k?!?! 
It's half trashed. I might as well buy a new one from Trainworld and keep this one for parts. 
My lessons from this are as follows: 
1] Don't buy a used Connie on eBay from someone who lists it as "Excellent condition" 
 2] Don't send an engine to NWSL for repairs, just buy parts from them. 
I'll call them tomorrow and with great personal restraint inquire if they have my missing ashpan cover and lead truck and if it's not too much trouble ask them if they might send them to me. 
Not a happy evening here. No wonder when Darryl called me the first offer they made was to buy the engine from me. They must've known they'd screwed it up then! Grrrrrr!!!


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Gary Armitstead on 11 Oct 2010 09:31 PM 
SRW, 

The cost of a new Barry's drive is nothing compared to the frustration you will incur with getting gears from Bachmann or enywhere else for that matter. Remember you are STILL missing some parts from the bottom end of this thing. I have a Connie I bought new about four years ago from a dealer. I have run it a few times, but I treat it with "kid gloves" until I have Barry do his magic on this loco. You will not be sorry you spent a little more now to do it right. 
You know now why I posted this so long ago. Good luck with what you have now. Bite the bullet and contact Barry for his drive. Once you do this, the frustration will go. I feel your frustration.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Laugh!! Thanks Gary, just what I needed to hear right now. I know you mean/meant well.

I actually have hit upon a use for the Connie.

Back in the semi-rural county in Maryland I hail from there was a farmer who had a farm along rte. 140. Apparently the guy had bought a John Deere backhoe that must've been a particular LEMON. He went round and round with trying to fix it for years and one day, i guess, in a fit of total and final disgust, he drove the SOB down into a particularly boggy section of his meadow within sight of the highway and buried the thankless P.O.S. up to the frame in the mud. It sat there for a good ten years just rusting that i can remember. People used to stop by his farm and offer to buy the thing from him but he always said "NO". I think he got more personal satisfaction from the statement he made by burying the thing in the mud as a monument to his dissatisfaction of the particular JD product for all to see [laugh!!]

I may just model a new section of railroad that depicts a tragic logging railroad accident which occurred from time to time with this Connie. It might give me more satisfaction to have it lay upside down, rotting/rusting, outside in all the elements, wrecked in a gorge and just buy a Shay like I always wanted from the git-go. Maybe next time Bachmann decides to make such a nicely detailed locomotive they'll take the time to engineer it so it runs more than a summer or two.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

SRW, 

Please accept my apology for coming down so hard on you.









This Connie fiasco has been going on for a very long time. I KNEW about the problems when I bought mine back in early 2007, but I just had to have it. The Bachmann K27 had problems also. But Dave Goodson was able to post his fixes and help those folks out. I also knew that considering what I paid for it at the time, I could well afford to put a Barry's Big Train drive in it and be very happy. My Connie has languished here because I finally was able to buy an Accucraft C19 in 2008. I'm now getting back to finishing the detail work I started three years ago! 

A very good friend of mine (known over forty years) wanted to get into large scale recently and he wanted the Bachmann three-truck Shay. I asked a couple of questions about that engine on this forum and received a lot of positive feedback from folks here that I trust. I told my friend what I was told and purchased his engine a couple of weeks ago. He IS a very HAPPY camper right now! After the first of the year, his Shay has a date with Jonathan [email protected] EMW to have Airwire and Phoenix sound installed. 

I like your idea of the Connie at the bottom of a gorge rusting away. R.W. Marty (a member of this forum), has a derelict Connie under a trestle, on his railroad in Northern California.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

No seriously Gary, it's all good. 
I just wish NWSL hadn't have torn my engine all apart and then I guess it got further damaged in shipping. I was willing to install the delrin drive gear. that seems from most reports to make them limp along just fine. it is such a shame that such a fine looking loco had such a POS driveline from the word go from Bachmann. I'm glad to hear others are willing to fix them up as from watching the few times mine actually ran it was a great looking loco. I may fiddle with it and get it back to working order but at this point I remember my business courses and "the point of diminishing returns" and frankly, it may just be worth more to me as I said, a derelict wreck in a gorge along the line. I like my brother's Climax's, Shays and Heislers and they seem to run well so...might just cut bait at this point and just save up for one of them rather than throw more good money after bad on this Connie


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## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

Just for the record, I am out of the BBT Motor and Gearboxes, probably until mid January. I am cutting extrusions to make the parts now, the process begins.

Of course i'll take orders and credit cards will not be touched until the order is ready to ship.

Barry - BBT


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks for the update Barry. 

If I can get my missing parts back from NWSL I think I will give you a call for one of your drives to make my Connie righteous again. 

Happy holidays!! 


Scott


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Ah, good news here campers, 

My buddy Darryl, at NWSL looked around and found my missing loco parts on his workbench. He said he'll shoot the errant front truck and ashpan cover etc. to me pronto and apologised all over himself which I told him was not neccesary. I used to do techinician type work myself...stuff happens. No big deal. I was pretty frustrated last Monday night from a long and fruitless day and when I opened the shipping box and found things broken and missing...well, you know. I apologise for my venting. It actualy reminded of numerous jobs I went on that just seemed to go wrong from the git-go and everyone ended up feeling sour but in the end...it usually turned out alright. 

Russ sent me a great pdf a while back that has helped me tear this engine back apart from a bag of parts. He also re-assured me that the counterweights on my engine that seem to be 90 degrees opposed instead of what might be expected, 180 degrees is exactly the way his engine is also. 

Another interesting thing was that while the engine was upside down with no drive gears in place I took the time to lube every single 'rubbing' component in the drive line with conducta-lube and HD bearing lube. I was amazed!!! at the difference in the resistance creatd from the drive rods etc. that puts a load on this engine. Properly lubed the drive rods,etc. turn very freely. That's got to go a long way in preserving the original motor and gearbox. I know it's no earthshattering revelation but on this engine the exterior drive rods, etc. make a strong resistance on the motor. I will keep this engine regularly lubed fromnow on. 

S


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## steam5 (Jun 22, 2008)

The gear on the axle more than likely failed not because of the mechanism resistance, but the plastic shrinking. NWSL make their gears from aged Delrin which has minimal shrinking. I'm not an expect here but I think its right.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

A timely topic for me. Mine just arrived. The seller said it was a 'consignment' and didn't know if it ran or not. The axle gear is missing 5 teeth (the rest look new), so it's a good thing that I bid under the assumption that it didn't.

Anyway, The wheels, like all but one don't show much wear either but EVERY SINGLE screw in the gear case and driveline was 1/2 to 1/4 turn loose, but don't show scratchmarks like they'd ever been removed then hastily re-assembled, either.... I'm assuming it was just 'GM Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend sloppy' type assembly at Kader. Must be hard to get good slave labor these days?


I'm probably ordering the NWSL gear tomorrow. Is there a printed procedure to follow someplace? and will I need any special tools?

Considering how much tooling cost went into these things ya'd think they'd have made sure the driveline held up? ... odd place to suddenly get lazy.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Well I had mine apart a while back to install DCC and checked every thing over to make sure all was ok which it was. This engine is 3 years old and still running great with no gear issues. So maybe the newer locos have problems. Later RJD


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

New? or Old? Mine had a sheet of paper saying something about 2002 taped to the box... was that first run?

It's going on a serious diet. Bug Mauler cab and tender, shortened pilot... Just to be contrary I think I'll keep the Baker gear that so many guys hate -- unless somebody has a Southern type to swap.


It's gonna be the grubbiest freight hog anybody ever saw before I'm done.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

New? or Old? Mine had a sheet of paper saying something about 2002 taped to the box... was that first run? 
I believe so. I got mine shortly after moving out here to Colorado, which was early 2002, and that was right when they first came out. I don't think it's a "new/old" thing, as the problem seems to exist on "newer" and "older" locos (considering the loco's been out of production for a while.) Mine lasted 7 years in service before it finally gave up and split. Might just be a "when conditions are right" thing. 

Mik, no printed procedure that I can think of, save for what I published in the recent GR, which is about as close as I think we get. No special tools, but watch the springs. They tend to find the nearest parallel universe rather quickly. 

BTW, I assume you've seen my "downsized" 2-8-0? 



















 Click here for the construction thread if not (or for anyone else's reference if they haven't. 

Later, 

K


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Kevin! Started my own thread rather than hijack this one.
http://www.mylargescale.com/tabid/56/afv/topic/aff/8/aft/118316/Default.aspx


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## ORD23 (Jan 2, 2010)

Scot, would you happen to have a copy of that PDF from Russ that you may be willing to share. 

Ed


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I have to agree with what Steam5 and Kevin said about the axle drive gear failure from my experience and what others have reported. I don't think it has anything much to do with "old or new" or how well the drive rods etc. are kept lubed. It seems to me as others have speculated that internal pressure on the nylon gear and maybe even hairline cracks when they originally pound it on seem to just build up at some point and when temp/humidity, planet alignment, etc. are all just right...the thing gives up the ghost and snaps. The missing drive teeth also seems to be the other failure reported often. I'm impressed Mik, mine was only missing 4 teeth not 5! Folks seem to report that NWSL's delrin replacement gear is da' bomb for fixing that design flaw.


I also took the 6 screws out that hold the gearbox together and poked around inside it and located and removed two of the four missing gear teeth. They were stuck in one corner in a blob of lube. The other two teeth seem to have gone to that "alternate universe" Kevin often speaks of kind of like that one sock that sometimes disappears in the dryer, never to be seen again. I inspected the gears in the gearbox for wear and they all seem fine. I wiped the old lube off and re-lubed it with plastic compatible lube and reassembled. I'm still glad I lubed the Heck out of the external drive rods/valve gearing/axle blocks and conducta lube on the drivers over the brushes as it made a remarkably big difference in rolling resistance and should make life easier on the original Bachmann motor and gearbox in the future. When that takes a dump I plan to buy one of Barry's replacement drives and be done with things once and for all and be able to pull stumps out of the ground with the Connie then.



It also doesn't hurt to put a small screwdriver on each and every screw you can find from what others tell me as I've heard the Connie is prone to having some screws loose. People have postulated on occasion that I share that same condition but the Connie is easier to fix [laugh]

ORD23 I sent you a message to your inbox about the pdf Russ sent me that has good directions for tearing the boiler loose from the drive line. E-mail me back about that if you care to please. 


Scott


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I fiddled with the train this week and after removing the two rails along the bottom and swinging the brake assl'y out of the way to free the axle blocks I was, as others reported, able to unscrew the drive axle screws inside the counterweights and remove them. There is a little black plastic cap/ring kind of thing in there with the screw. Careful removing that or you can crush it. I found this out by half crushing one with tweezers. 

You may have to apply a fair amount of pressure to pop the counterweights free from the axle but they will come loose. As others state label things and maybe take some digital photos of how all the little spacers go back on the axle. I put a piece of masking tape with an 'L' on the left half of the axle after removing drivers and spacers and laid all the spacers, etc. out in an exploded fashion for re-assembly. Again, as others advised, the axle is keyed so when put back in the right way the counterweights will slide on in the correct orientation. 

The original drive gear was still on the axle with 4 teeth missing but some wiggling snapped it the rest of the way. studying it I count no less than 7 cracks on the inside of the gear. 

To tap the new delrin gear on easily I took a scrap piece of 2x4 and on the 2" side i drilled a 5/16ths hole down in about 3 inches deep. I could set the gear on the axle, set the axle down in the hole and take a piece of hardwood and place it on top of the axle to strike it with a hammer and not bugger up the axle end. Worked fine. 

The gear goes on very snug and even though I tried to be perfect about lining it up perfectly true and centered it is not absolutely perfectly 'bicycle-wheel' true but very, very close. Upon reassembling the engine and running it inverted in the box top with brushes from a power source the engine ran very smoothly so having the gear laser true doesn't seem to be critical.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I would like to give all the more experienced 'largescale' members who viewed my posts on the beginner's forum over the last two months a big shout of Thank You!!! 

Your patient counsel and encouragement made the difference between simply shoving this Connie in a box as a poor investment and hoping someday to meet someone who could help me fix it and giving me the reassurance to tear into it myself. 

I received the missing front truck and ashpan parts and screws from the tech at NWSL yesterday in the mail and got them back on my Connie last evening. I took the engine downstairs tonight and ran it on my test loop. It runs great!!! with the new NWSL delrin gear. The original Bachmann gearbox and motor had no signs of wear when I disassembled them, inspected them, re-lubed them and put them back in the Connie. 

My advice to any other 'newbie' to Large Scale trains regarding buying a bargain 2-8-0 Consolidation on eBay, etc. is "Go For It"!!! 
Fixing this Bachmann engine isn't the easiest thing you have ever done but..it won't be the hardest thing you've ever done either by a long shot.

You CAN repair this beautifully detailed model on your own, folks here will gladly help you, and in the end you'll feel great achievement as I do right now when you put this good looking engine back together correctly, put it on the tracks and throw the power to it. When this engine has the known fixes done to it i feel you will enjoy watching it even more knowing you 'tweaked it' yourself.

From my experience I would say to simply get it going again, buy NWSL's delrin axle drive gear and check the motor and gearbox over thoroughly. To make it what it should've been from the 'Git-go' and for serious use...buy Barry's Big Trains new driveline for the Connie.


Again, thanks everybody. The advice and encouragement has helped me restore this engine with the better parts and for less than what it would have cost me new. If anyone else is trying to rebuild a Connie and has a questions shoot me a message. I'm certainly not the last word on this subject but I've learned a lot.


Sincerely,

Scott


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## steam5 (Jun 22, 2008)

Glad it all worked out for you! I hope to have some time over Christmas to install my BBT drive.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Steam5, 

I look forward to reading about your BBT installation on your Connie and thank you for your positive thoughts on my engine rebuild. 


The Connie, with all its little tiny springs and screws, is an intimidating model to folks like me. I'm a woodworker and historically futzing with things that have a myriad of screws and springs like carburetors and clockwork have not turned out well for me. Messing with the Connie was a positive experience though. 

I greatly appreciated Russ McIntires' pdf for the Cab Command installation as a tutorial to tearing the Connie apart. 

I got a chuckle out of his list of tools required when it said that a "Hammer" would not be required. After fiddling with this model over the last two weeks I think what he meant was that at NO TIME when working on this model should you have a Hammer or Mallet within arm's reach [Laugh!] When it gets to you...walk away. Go split some firewood, etc. instead. It will make sense...later...when you come back to it.


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## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

SRW, 

Been following your adventure.........well done. 

Appreciate your experience and your comments. 

Barry - BBT


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

Scott, 

Very glad to hear you have her running again. Post some pictures of it running for us. That is the way to finish up this thread! 

russ


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Russ and Barry for the thumb's up and the good advice throughout. 

Next step, sound card, not sure which to go with yet. When I had it upside down lubing every joint I discovered the chuff switch had a similar split to the drive gear. It had cracked and one of the metal reeds was loose and falling out. Epoxy solved that issue. Doin' some research now and deciding whether to just do a MyLocoSound now and if down the road want something better putting the MyLoco in another old Big Hauler I have. Maybe when I get that installed and the log disconnects finished I'll do a YouTube of it. 

Scott


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Russ and Barry for the thumb's up and the good advice throughout. 

Next step, sound card, not sure which to go with yet. When I had it upside down lubing every joint I discovered the chuff switch had a similar split to the drive gear. It had cracked and one of the metal reeds was loose and falling out. Epoxy solved that issue. Doin' some research now and deciding whether to just do a MyLocoSound now and if down the road want something better putting the MyLoco in another old Big Hauler I have. Maybe when I get that installed and the log disconnects finished I'll do a YouTube of it. 

Scott


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

The axle holding the bars in place for chuff wasn't split on mine but one of the bars fell out while running when I first got it. I never found it of course so I cut a finishing nail of the same diameter and fit it in place. Works fine. 

As to sound, I've got a Phoenix P8B in mine. It works great. I did tweak the settings with the programmer. I think I'm using the K480 file in my Connie. 

russ


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Great job Scott! 


Just so other folks will be able to see how reasonably easy it is to do, here's the details of my axle gear swap. It took me about 45 minutes to an hour. But then I had to keep stopping to take pictures....follow the link: http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/gear.html


And yes, the NWSL gear is a lot more substantial than the B'mann one


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Brilliant!! 

Well done.


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## silverstatespecialties (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By East Broad Top on 09 Dec 2010 07:13 PM 


BTW, I assume you've seen my "downsized" 2-8-0? 



















Later, 

K 


Kevin, that's gotta be one of the nicest loco conversions I've seen! Great job, I love it!!


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## silverstatespecialties (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Mik on 20 Dec 2010 11:29 PM 

Just so other folks will be able to see how reasonably easy it is to do, here's the details of my axle gear swap. It took me about 45 minutes to an hour. But then I had to keep stopping to take pictures....follow the link: http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/gear.html


And yes, the NWSL gear is a lot more substantial than the B'mann one


OUTSTANDING Mik!! THANK YOU so much for putting this together, as Tony says it really is brilliant!


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## Ted Nordin (Feb 27, 2008)

MIK, thanks for the photos as to your procedure, tremendous reference material. I have converted one connie to BBT and have NWSL gear for when the other craps out. At my age, I need your references to compensate for memory malfunctions.

EBT, I have been meaning to ask you this for a long time and hopefully this is the appropriate spot given your mentionand pictures of your downsized connie. I have also saved your entire original thread. How did you reduce the Baker gear to Stevenson? Did you have a plan, a drawing, or just start hacking? Did you remove valve gear or do in situ? Any advice greatly appreciated as I also feel the baker detract from the lines of the connie. 

PS: before you posted your extension of the smokebox I had also disliked the long deck and proportions of the smokebox. I also used a pvc connector from Home Depot. It was gratifying to see that my idea was not totally non-prototypical and dismaying to see the workmanship you exhibited compared to my results. I then used your pictures to improve my work. Often you, Mik, Tony, TOC, George S and many other unnamed experts may not realize the help you unknowingly provide via MLS.

Ted Nordin SE Arizona


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Thanks, Ted. 

To change the valve gear to Stevenson's, I just removed all the linkage except for the main rod going to the crosshead, and the small rod going to the valve chest. I left the reverse rod in place, but cut it to about half its original length, pretty much right at the slight bend. Then bent some brass to form a new rod to go from the reverse rod (now technically no longer a "reverse rod") to the rod coming from the valve chest. I think I went a step further, and put an eccentric crank on the axle, hooked a link from that to the rod in the middle of the frame so it actually rocks back and forth, but that's proably a bit over the top. 










I had to cut out a small corner of what was left of the hanger for the crosshead guides to clear the new rod, but that was the only real cutting. The rest of the valve gear is still in my scrap box. I haven't figured out what to do with it yet; I'm thinking flat car load, perhaps. 

Mik, thanks for the write-up. Definitely a bookmark for future reference when others ask what to do... 

Later, 

K


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Great photos Mik!! 
I see you did it a little different than Russ and I. We inverted the engine in the original styrofoam box packaging like you mention. Removed the screws on the axle drive cover like you explain but we didn't take the siderods off of the other axles. We took the rails off that hold the brake assly. in place and flipped that back out of the way but then just removed the screws that held the counterweights on the 3rd axle. There is enough play to ease the driverods and weights away from the axle ends and lift that one axle and axle block up from the engine. No real need to remove the siderods from the other axles from what I was able to see but it would give you more room to maneuver and maybe not bend anything. It is tight but I found there was plenty of wiggle room to just loosen the one axle and remove it. When you replace it the axle ends are keyed so they will only connect properly one way to the side rods so no need to worry about remounting the axle correctly in the weights.
As you state, and I discovered by doing, there's no reason to 'Fear the Connie'. With a little research, proper work area, lighting, [maybe a handy magnifying glass], preparation and all the help from patient/long-suffering folks on this forum who have been down the same road already I feel confident that ANYONE but the most impatient and inept should be able to take a deep breath and dive into fixing the flaws of this great looking engine. Removing the boiler is not that much more intimidating than just swapping the axle drive gear so don't be afraid of that either. Others have offered great advice including the best method to re-attach the 'flea' sized screw that holds the johnson bar on and that too is not difficult with good lighting, tweezers, proper screw drivers...
I too removed the noise suppressor as others suggested and reattached the wiring directly to the motor and also took my gear box apart [both easy operations] and cleaned out the old lube and inspected the other gears which all showed no signs of wear on my Connie. I also took the Connie's tender side frames apart which I believe Mik mentioned that others had problems from the original mounting screws being too short. I bought the next longer #4 screws at the hardware store for about .16 and swapped out the short [1/8" I think] originals for 1/2" or 3/8"s [I forget]. Don't know if it will make a difference but while the loco was in the shop...decided to do it all as well as taking good bearing and conducta lube to every single meshing surface. 
So far it is running great....back and forth between bridges....which now all need to be torn out and rebuilt wider. 
Great work on the tutorial Mik, Kevin, the details on your Connie conversion are excellent and inspiring, and again, thanks to all here for the good advice and well wishes!! 

Scott


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## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

Thought I could add a detail for everyone who needs it: I did lose one of the "irreplaceable Johnson bar screws. So I grabbed a 1-72 Hex Head brass bolt, drilled the hole in the bracket passed the Johnson bar with a 1/16" drill, carefully. Ran a 1-72 tap in it. Then replaced the hexhead bolt with a nut driver, 1/8". 

It's one way.

Barry - BBT


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

That's a great solution Barry but I'm not sure where i would grab a 1-72 Hex head brass bolt any more handily than the "irreplacable Johnson bar screw". I believe I did let out an audible sigh once that item was safely re-installed. It's a shame they don't make black zip ties that small. I think things like zip ties, 5 minute epoxy, seedless grapes and one or two other innovations may be some of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. Actually seedless grapes go back much farther than that but...you know what i mean. Knowing me I would be tempted to insert a straight pin, bend it over, snip off the excess, paint it flat black and call it "fixed". [laugh] 
NWSL told me when i was on the phone with them one time that they not only have the gears for the drive axle but they also sell many of the irreplaceable screws I was worried about losing on the Bachmann. Maybe that might be a possible source for a lost screw. I was wondering where some other folks purchase screws, nuts, bolts and washers in the 'minutiae' gauges [Anyone ?]


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## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

SRW,

I buy most everything in hardware from MicroFasteners. The brass hex head came from a hobby shop display back in Las Vegas some years ago.

Barry - BBT


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Barry, 

I'm in need of some tiny, scale fasteners for another project and I will look MicroFasteners up on the net. 

Thank you once again for excellent, prompt advice. 

S


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## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

Update on the NWSL gears:

All,

I sent in the following for NWSL to look at and make sure they had the replacement parts for them:
[*]One 2-8-0 gearbox and motor (Connie)[*]Two 2-6-0 gearbox and motors (Mogul)[*]One 4-6-0 gearbox and motor (Annie)[/list] They looked at them and then made the following recommendations:

[*]Four of their 29409-9 Motor (my motors were OK but I decided to upgrade some)[*]Four of their 498-6 universal connectors[*]Three of their 1259-6 25-1 Gearbox 6mm Axle ball bearing assembly (these are for the moguls and connie)[*]One of their 1258-6 25-1 Idler Gearbox 6mm Axle ball bearing assembly (this is for the Annie)[/list] Now it's off to my good friend Marc, that has repaired all of my engines to date (and has done wonderful work).

I will let you know as they come back as to how they look and run (however I will be limited since we have 14" of snow on the ground right now!)


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