QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Tune up a Bachmann Alco
Q.
I just purchased a Bachmann RS-3 [1] Sound Value last week
and it is a very smooth runner and the sound is really nice.
After a brief test, I repainted it for my road, then programmed
it and put it into service.
I am having a problem with the trucks. They seem to “hunt”
for the rails and eventually derail, especially at turnouts.
I took the truck side frames off to clean out the gears and
remove the excess goo/lubricant that was in there, and that
seemed to help quite a bit. I also cleaned the wheels with alco-
hol. However, I still have a random derailment here and there,
usually on the leading truck on the long hood end. I don’t have
any problems when going in reverse.
Has anyone else had a similar problem with their Bachmann
RS-3? I am wondering if this problem stems from the fact that
the Bachmann wheelsets essentially snap into place and don’t
have much room to move around.
– Eric M.
A.
Jeff Shultz recommended checking the wheelsets with an
NMRA gauge, and inspecting the wheels to see if one of them is
loose or tight, or the wheel isn’t on the axle quite square.
Prof Klyzlr added another possibility. Are both wheelsets gauged
such that they are equal on centerline? It is possible that the
wheels can be correctly gauged in terms of how far apart the
wheels are, but one wheel can be closer to or farther from the
track center line.
His quick extreme example [2] shows a freight car truck with off-
set wheels. The red line is the track center line. Due to the offset
gauging, both wheelsets are spaced the correct distance apart
Questions, Answers & Tips - 1
1
1. Eric M’s Bachmann RS-3 Sound Value looked great
but had a derailment problem.
MRH-Jun 2014
