Bachmann Plus F7 parts

kelticsylk Jun 17, 2010

  1. kelticsylk

    kelticsylk New Member

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    Trying to get some info on replacement gears/wheelset for the Bachmann Plus F7 Going by the photo on their parts site, the gears on the replacement wheels are the same material as the original gears that develop cracks. Is this the actual case or are the replacement gears made of better plastic? The Bachmann board has been little help so far. I know about the NWSL wheelsets, but they cost more than the locomotives.

    Hoping I can find out before I spend the money to replace 8 wheel sets.
     
  2. Flash Blackman

    Flash Blackman TrainBoard Member

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    I may find some replacement parts for you from my old Bachmann motors as I made them into dummies or converted the shells to Life Like GP20 mechanisms. I can't do it for about 10 days until the N scale convention is over.

    But...all my parts are originals and will certainly crack again if they have not already done so.
     
  3. Caddy58

    Caddy58 TrainBoard Member

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    Hello Frank,

    I faced the same situation some time ago: I had a fleet of 11 custom-painted Bachman Plus F7s but the gears started to crack. I "cannibalized" some units for parts, but eventually I faced the decision to buy replacement parts or to retire them.

    The Bachman spare parts are the same as the original, so they will eventually crack (I assume the plastic shrinks ever so slightly and the axle forcing it to crack). NWSL parts are typically very good, but pricy. So I decided to retire the full fleet (1 Passenger ABA, two freight ABBA, all in NP colors) and to replace them with latest offering from Intermountain.

    Now that was even more costly than the NWSL parts, but I am glad I did: The IM units perform much better than the Bachman units ever did....

    So a short term fix could be Bachman parts (if you are prepared to keep on changing them when they fail).
    Choose NWSL parts for a medium cost solution that lasts.
    Contemplate a fleet "high-grade" if you are looking for engines with superior appearance and running characteristics (IM or Kato)

    I hope this helps, and welcome to the Trainboard!

    Cheers
    Dirk
     
  4. JoeW

    JoeW TrainBoard Supporter

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    Is cracked geaqrs covered with the lifetime warranty offered by Bachmann?

    Hi Frank
    I have never had good results with the Bachmann F units. My first one was purchased in 1971. A complete failure but cheap. In 1996 I purchased an A-B set of the spectrum F units. They were fairly attractive and looked as if they had been improved over my first Bachmann F unit. I sent them back 3 times during the period I owned them and they sent new replacements each time. In the movie Forrest Gump there is a line that goes like this " Life is like a box of chocolates you never know what your going to get" It sort of fits the Bachmann expereince some are good and some you just have to politely spit out. What I have learned is never say never with Bachmann you may miss out on something good. Test before you buy. When it comes to F units buy Kato or IM.
     
  5. David Leonard

    David Leonard TrainBoard Member

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    My understanding is that because of these issues with the Plus F7's, Bachmann changed the type of plastic used in the gears, which are now available for the Spectrum F7's. It had to do with how the original plastic aged. Part of the problem was that the holes in the gears were too small for the axles, and the resulting stress added to the cracking. I bought about eight of the Plus units. I redrilled the holes for the gear axles, glued the axles back into the gears and so far six of the units are still OK. But all this was done before the plastic had aged. You might want to consider sending the Plus units back to Bachmann ($15 each) for replacement by the Spectrum models. (You can keep the same shells, I believe.)
     
  6. oldrk

    oldrk TrainBoard Supporter

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    Bachmann F7 parts

    I would contact Bachmann parts department by email and let them know what you have and what their warranty situation is. They might replace them with new F7 spectrums. You would need to pay $15/unit plus shipping them in. Good luck!!
     
  7. Kurt Moose

    Kurt Moose TrainBoard Member

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    I have two of these, un-decorated, never ran, if anyone wants them for parts or what not.
     
  8. kelticsylk

    kelticsylk New Member

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    Thanks for the advice!

    I contacted Bachmann and was told they would swap them with Spectrum F-7 units for $25 each. I think they assumed they were DCC. Non-DCC should be $15. The tech also said they had never heard of the cracked gear problem, go figure.

    Anyway, I'm gonna go with the Spectrum replacements. Intermountain and Kato are outside the budget at this time (unless I stumble across them on E-Bay).

    I appreciate the help.
     

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