Peter,
I think it’s great you have had the insight and gumption to bring this locomotive back from the dead. I find it interesting that Bachman has started producing some beautiful looking items but not put the same effort inside to make them last.
After reading this thread, and watching you take apart and repair the how much do you think Bachman would have had to invest to make a robust product?
Interesting question. No doubt this thing is seriously over-engineered, with fancy valve gear operated from the cab lever, etc.
This is the first time I’ve seen a bad motor. The gearbox is the usual problem, as it seems Bachmann nylon gears last about 20 years and then split [I read somewhere they dry out and shrink?]
They started including brass gears 10+ years ago. I think the 2-8-0 Connie got one, and the 2017 update of the 2-6-0 to version 2 got the brass gear and a PNP socket in the tender, probably some other stuff too.
So the simple answer is - how much did the price go up when they produced version 2?