Doug Cannon said:
Read the first page of this thread …olde porters had skates !!!
And then posts seemed to go awry ? So I quit reading the ‘pulp fiction’ 
dougc
“Pulp Fiction”
So true Doug and thank you Dave Maynard, all I was trying to do was get other people’s advice on repairing/tweaking an early Bachmann porter.
This whole thread is a perfect f’in’ illustration of what’s wrong with these forums and I guess my patience finally ran out.
RECAP; I go to “Problem Solving” NOT general discussion to ask if someone else has experience with skate pickups on an old Bachmann Porter. [If you really have NOTHING better to do with your time but to review all 4 pages of my OP and I am QUITE positive many of you have ABSOLUTELY nothing better to do with your time than to do just that], but anyway, if you care to review all 4 pages subsequent my OP you find a total of 2, yes only 2 responses that even remotely address the problem I hope to solve. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY my post is hijacked and a useless discussion of whether Bachmann Porters were ever made with skates or not ensues and that leads to what’s wrong with manufacturer’s websites and then after 2 pages of that crap I finally decide to post one or two last updates to try and steer my thread back towards the original topic and share that in spite of receiving NO real useful info I took it apart myself and tweaked it and it runs great other than some wobble in the wheels which I will try and fix.
Then, Curmudgeon wades in to berate me or anyone else who may have paid more than 5 or 10 dollars for a Bachmann Porter and add that it’s just a matter of time before the cluster gear fails and I will feel abject shame amongst my peers and complete and total buyer’s remorse and I guess last evening after a long day of work I snapped back that to me 30 bucks was a worthwhile price for the project and anyone who thinks that’s crazy money might want to pursue a less expensive form of model railroading. Don’t misconstrue my last sentence as any type of apology but I agree with Curmudgeon that it is fun. And Greg, don’t chastise me. You can kiss my a-- as a matter of fact. Your Know It All weighing in on every single Gosh Darn thread that comes down the pike is what drove me and a hundred other modelers away from My Large Scale over to Large Scale Central in the last year and it was only a matter of time before you came over here to do the same.
Is this all a lot of you do all day long? Do you live on a desert island or maybe you’re shut-ins with limited mobility and no social life? If I am p-ssing any of you off by saying this…I don’t give a flip. I HAVE a life outside toy trains. I LOVE THEM and have been modeling trains for decades, but they are just a facet of my world not the whole freakin’ enchilada. I still work part-time, take continuing education classes, date/socialize, belong to outside organizations, bike, hike…
Therefore, you can jump down my throat and I’m sure some of you will and as Robin Williams Father told him, always let the A–hole have the last word, but know before you do…I don’t care. You tell ME to get some manners? Well here’s some advice back at you; If you read the subject line and original post of a thread and have NOTHING useful, positive, and/or relevant to add or contribute TO that thread, why don’t you just have a nice cup of shut the f— up and move on to the next thread.
Nobody on this side is jumping down throats. I keep saying I’m glad you’re happy with it and don’t overload it. The cluster gear is the one on a shaft with a worm gear on one side and a spur on the other. Currently manufactured of un-obtainium.
I have a life outside trains, and outside forums. If you read…I only come visit anymore after three phone calls and two e-mails alerting me to some thread.
I’ve just been into more of them than you’ll probably ever see in your lifetime. Not bragging, just a fact.
I learned long ago you cannot depend on Bachmann for parts. Sometimes you will get surprised. Sometimes Bachmann is surprised. I used to get calls from one of the service guys…“I have Shay cabs”. Nice. He repeated, “I have Shay cabs”. Oh. Send me a dozen.
They never knew when Kader was going to throw some obscure part in the box. I ended up with enough plastic parts to rebuild about a hundred Shay trucks.
To have a old Bachmann loco that you can’t get parts for may just bite you on the hindquarters in the future, near or far. All I tried to do was warn you. And let you know this old carp is NOT rare, vintage, or collectible. Maybe you will remember that next time evilbait lists one.
I can only hope.
I do not know if I have any full plastic rod Porters left. I know I have the remains of one chassis I split up for parts.
You just don’t know how bad the evilbait seller mindset is. I still get calls from folks who bought a RARE, VINTAGE, COLLECTIBLE Battery Big Hauler…need a bell, plastic handrail, oh, and a transmitter. They are convinced the hundred bucks they paid (with no transmitter) is a deal, as the seller told him it was.
They won’t listen when I tell them to test it before we go looking for a transmitter…oh, no, seller says it works fine.
They find a transmitter for another hundred bucks, and guess what?
I have a big box of chassis, receiver boards, mostly because we swapped in a later track powered chassis to make them run.
Since you seem to like buying older Bachmann engines on evilbait, be aware of the various versions of 4-6-0’s. Just so you know before you buy one.
I can’t wait until you buy a handcar.
I have 15-20 of them all over the layout on handcar tracks. None of them have solid gears or intact motors. Yes, they were all free…they didn’t run.
Why do you think Barry’s Big Trains started making 4-6-0 chassis? Heck, we’ve killed Version 5 chassis.
It seems from your ranting that you do not have a chip on your shoulder. Almost seems like an 8-foot 4X4.
I’ve tried to tell you what to watch for, tried to instill some sense of value, but I’m an SOB for doing so. You ain’t the first person to think that, and that’s okay. I’ll just keep fixing them.
You USED to be able to buy chassis from Bachmann for the 0-4-0’s. I still have a brand new one for when one of mine finally quits. But, geez, the cost anymore.
The metal Shay trucks, what were they, $89 a pair at first?
Now they are $200 on sale. It’s ridiculous. You can buy used Shays (old style) for that around here. I refuse as I have more Shays here than early Fords.
You can go to the Bachmann store and buy a Porter chassis (they will all bolt in, if I recall, early, mid, and the big one) for only $216. For a freaking chassis.
http://estore.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66_69_626&products_id=8440
Yet at TrainWorld, you can buy the latest for a hundred bucks. Where is the sense in that? Bachmann’s Store wants $350 or so for a new, big Porter…buy one at TW and swap the chassis.
At least you can get 4-6-0 chassis fairly cheap.
Anticipate!..oh…wait…Have Fun!
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