# bachmann consolidation slows when warm



## oofarfoo (May 19, 2011)

hi im in uk where nobody has a helpful g scale website and b/mann dont do repairs so hope my cousins in usa can help,l purchased a new connie 6 months ago $400 it ran for 3 hrs then one of the 8 wheels came loose i tightened the tiny screw and off it went, but 2 days later it slowed when it was warm and if l stopped it it wouldnt run until it was cold,i read g/boxes are weak so i removed motor and checked g box all gears are fine as is axle gear l noticed while running it upside down the cast g box became live ie if i earthed it against chassis it stopped, i checked the brass gear on motor shaft and its tight, , im at my wits end , if i put it on track it runs till its warm and then slows and stops, lf i send max power to it i can hear a whirring noise but it will only move with a push then slowly builds up speed,ls it normal for the g/box and motor assembly to be loose its only held in place by a 90 degree bracket held in place by 2 tiny screws,ls something to do with all the junk on the motor top i e suppressor or is the motor kaput lve been inside this 4 times now and my brain hurts HELP ME PLEASE,B4 I BIN IT,REGARDS KEITH,


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Most likely a split worm gear on the axle, being warm lets it spin more. This is a common problem. 

Greg


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## oofarfoo (May 19, 2011)

thank you greg i will inspect it and reply kindest regards keith


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## oofarfoo (May 19, 2011)

thank you greg it was stripped inside where can i get one and will they ship to uk do they make a tuffer one kindest regards keith


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

When the time comes..... http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/gear.html 

I also had some trouble with the brake rigging rubbing on the flanges and shorting - causing a weird stutter. So make sure that they aren't rubbing when you re-assemble it.


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## oofarfoo (May 19, 2011)

thank you mik, i have already moved them, kind regards keith


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Very nice Allen, do you mind if I link to your site from my Connie page? 

http://www.elmassian.com/trains-mai...achmann-motive-power-mainmenu-73/connie-2-8-0 


Greg


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg, go ahead, that's what it is there for.... to help folks


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

Mik

I used the NWSL gear on two of mine and found 6 months later I had some problems. Turns out that the NWSL gear is thinner at its base then the stock Bachmann gear. This lets the brass bearings on the axke to move inside the gear box. I placed a#10 brass washer with its center drilled out so it will fit on the axle on one side of the NWSL gear which provides sufficient thickness so that the Bachmann brass bearings say in their correct place.

Stan


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I put your tip up on my page too Stan... 

Altogether, a nice compendium of helpful information. 

Greg


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## jake3404 (Dec 3, 2010)

So if I'm understanding this correctly Stan, was the gear "wandering" on the axle from side to side?


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Stan, was the gear "wandering" on the axle from side to side? 
Not the gear, but the gearbox. The gear is firm on the axle, but it's narrower than the stock gear. That leaves a small bit of space between the gear and the brass bushings on the gearbox through which the axle passes. It's possible if the bushings are narrow enough that they may work themselves loose from the side wall of the gearbox and "fall" in between the side wall and the gear. Stan's washer is just a spacer to keep the bushings from being able to work themselves free of the side wall of the gearbox. 

Stan, check me on this one, but on mine, I've found very little (if any) lateral play in the axles themselves relative to the frame, so the lateral movement would _just_ be at the gearbox, and checked by wiggling the gearbox itself on the axle. My 2-8-0 now has a Barry's drive installed, so it'll be Fall before I can check my dad's, which got my NWSL gear. An alternative to a washer if you've already replaced the gear would be to cut a very thin sliver of 1/4" ID styrene tubing, cut it and snap it over the axle. Then take a small drop of plastic weld and glue the opening back together if you're particularly OC about things. I've done that in the past without gluing things back together and they held fine. 

Later, 

K


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

It sounds like Keith across the Pond is having the problem with a stock Connie without yet having swapped for a NWSL gear. Do the brass bushings slide out with the stock gear as well? Keith's post sounds kind of like the classic stripped gear issue but it also sounds like he may have some kind of heat related electrical/ground issue.

The NWSL gear fixed my locomotion problem but it doesn't sound like Keith had the chewed up or split gear issue many of the rest of us have had with that gearbox. If further issues develop I will consider Stan's brass washer fix. Good to know about. Thanks! 

S


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