My BachmannYard Boss has started making a clicking noise when running and is stallingfrequently … it is running on the Bachmann EZ-track. She only has about twohours of running time on her.
It is either a cracked gear or she has picked up a piece of something that is getting jammed in the gears. Since she is stalling, my guess is that there is something stuck in the gears. A cracked gear usually just clicks.
Surgery is probably not necessary. Create a cradle and place the loco upside down. Run wires from you power source and touch to the wheels. Look and listen. I am not sure, but does this loco have a bottom plate?
Yes, there is a bottom plate. Try running it upside down in a cradle and look for any foreign objects stuck in the gears. Also, watch the movement of the running gear to see if any of it is hitting something and causing the click. One problem I've run into with this latest version of the 0-6-0 is that, out of the box, the mechanisms can be a bit bindy (with the end result being stalls at slow speeds and overall uneven running). Like a lot of Bachmann's steamers, the problem seems to be with the way the models are assembled at the factory, and the solution is to adjust some (or all) of the screws that hold things together. I had a very bindy 0-6-0 and was able to solve its problems by simply tightening the two screws that hold the sides of the chassis together. -Mark
If it is a newer version, I would be surprised at cracked gears. I would follow Spookshow's instructions and check out his website for more information on this, and other locomotives. One thing that I would do is to go to FeePay, or somewhere, and find a SPECTRUM all wheels live slopeback tender, flip over the drawbar and swap it for the stock tender. This will improve both contact and pulling power. Spookshow has more information on this upgrade on his website. Do note that it is necessary to do surgery to the tender chassis only if you buy the USRA switcher tender. It is not necessary to alter anything on the slopeback save flipping over the drawbar. The stock tender has only the forward truck live and has a construction such that the contact is not the best and it creates a tremendous amount of drag on the locomotive. The clicking sounds like foreign matter, as others have indicated. I had a similar problem with the recent issue of the Bachmann 2-6-0. Get the foreign matter out of there, quickly, as further operation with it there could damage the locomtive. Remember Miranda's Maxim as explicated by ke: The poor performance of many N scale steam locomotives is often directly attributable to poor electrical conduct. You might even consider buying the recent issue of the 2-6-0. That is one superb locomotive. The 0-6-0 is pretty good with the tender upgrade.
