I purchased a couple of N scale steamers as new old stock. One, a Kato Mikado, runs flawlessly. The other, a Bachmann Northern, has a marked front end wobble. It is worst on curves but it's also noticeable on straight track. I can't see anything obviously wrong, but I am a real novice dealing with steamers. Anyone have an idea as to the cause and if it can be fixed? Thanks, John
I call mine 'Old Shakey" Spookshow mentions thick traction tires causing extreme wobble in one version (there have been five iterations of this particular model).
If it has a pronounced duck waddle then it's probably one or more drivers out of quarter ( I have 4 of these - one had a duck waddle) . Did it come in a modern clear case (like a spectrum case), white box, green box (lime green) or the really old black case with a clear lid?
If an older model probably a cracked split axle since all older BMann steam developed that problem along with the older F units.
Yeah, I had a Bachmann 4-8-4 Northern I purchased new in an Empire Builder set in the early 2000's, when I was just getting into model railroading. That set was a good learning experience. I replaced the freight car trucks/couplers with MT and kept using them. The track and power pack eventually made their way to the landfill (off-layout), replaced by Kato Unitrack (best lesson!) and an MRC power pack. I think I still have the 4-8-4 Northern. It was last used as a "future historical site" on an unpowered siding at the back of the old layout. Hey, it stopped wobbling!
With the cracked split axles it will rapidly get out of quarter. The wheel is no long attached to the gearing and can be spun freely and moved from side to side readily. There is no good effective cure for this problem since I tried everything with the 4 I used to have.
The good news is, real steamers do tend to wobble a bit under power. The bad news is you need a microscope to see that small a wobble in N scale.
The possibilities all have been mentioned: traction tyres, drivers out of quarter, split gears, drivers out of gauge. For the B-mann, it could be any of the above. I have been informed that the latest version of the 4-8-4, the one in the plastic box, is acceptable, although there are numerous far better N scale steam locomotives out there. I only ever had one of these things, a very old version that had one pole pickup in the drivers and the other pole pickup in the tender. When I first put it onto the track, girlfriend's instant remark was "Is that broken?". There could be a gear that is not properly seated, as well. What your problem is would depend on the version of this that you have. I did not buy the later versions of the B-mann 4-8-4 as I do not run anything larger than a mikado or Pacific any more.
just as a FYI there are repair parts on shapeways for the split gear axle problem but it does entail removing the drivers and attaching the new gears. This would also mean having to quarter the drivers
It is in a clear case with a tan liner. I think it will go on a shelf and I will stick to Kato 2-8-2s for now.
