I just received a new Bman Heavy Mountain. It has been 10 years since I have heard anything so horrible. I've got well over 6 hours on it in break in and running and it's still the loudest loco I own. I should have known better but against my own better judgement I got it anyway. I'm sure some of the other steam heads have found a way to quiet them down based on the searches I conducted here on the board. If anybody has any suggestions or a magic bullet, please let me know. I like the cosmetics but the racket is too much to bear.frown:
Return it to the dealer or Bachmann for a replacement. I have 3 Heavy and 2 light and they run like a dream. No noise at all. You must have gotten an engine made on Friday when everyone wants to go home. Bob
Geez I hope not! Between all the hurried Friday assemblies and the groggy Monday assemblies, that leaves Bachmann with only a 60% success rate! OH, no wait.. I guess that does sound about right. :-x Ok in all seriousness. I hear Bachmann has stepped up their game a tiny bit, so I would just send this in and try out a new one, and repeat the process until you get a good one if necessary.
One thing I've noticed is Bachmann packs WAY too much lubricant in their stuff. Perhaps a thorough cleaning may do the trick.
I agree with the other's comments, my heavy mountains and 2-8-0's are good runners, but Bachmann being Bachmann the odd dud may slip through. At least in the US you have the easy option of returning it.
I guess that's the smart thing to do. I envy the majority of yoiu who got a good one. I really like the looks of the unit but such is life.
With Bachmann its the luck of the "draw" unless you can extensively pretest a prospective locomotive purchase. The e-tailer who I purchase most of my locomotives from has always "pre-tested" the locomotive before sending it out to me. He always has this policy.
I've been doing business with Chuck at Feather River Trains since he opened his shop. Over the years I've purchased many locomotives and most other supplies from him. He completely tests all locomotives that he sends to me to make sure they run well. Chuck is very reliable and ships out all my orders in record time. I usually receive my orders from him on average in three business days. His phone number is 415-499-0664 His website is : http://www.featherrivertrains.com
And for those in the Bay Area, he is a pleasure to talk to in person and visit the store. Worth the ride to San Rafael.
Rick: I always speak to Chuck on the phone. Many times he calls me concerning orders. That's a lot of N Scale supplies since 2003. One of these days I'll get up to see his store in San Rafael. I'll combine it with a trip to visit a very old friend in Concord California.
