Watch this before buying a used Bachmann N Scale Locomotive! Trains with Shane Ep9
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2021
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Want to pick up a Bachmann N scale locomotive on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, at a train show, etc? Watch this video first. I go over a few key spotting features and things to look for and to avoid. Bachmann has been making N scale locomotives for over 40 years and there's been plenty of changes. Some for the better, some... well not so much.
An EXCELLENT resource can be found at this website. Not just for Bachmann but for pretty much most of the N scale manufacturers and importers out there.
www.spookshow.net/
Ok I finally set up a Patreon. Here it is. If you'd like to help offset some of the channel's expenses and maybe one day help us grow then we would be humbled if you'd consider helping out.
/ i_saw_it_online
Wow almost 100 views in the first 24 hours! I've never had a video do this well before. You guys are AWESOME!
I have been N Scale since 1969 While My Father was Stationed in Germany . Products get Better as time Goes on . All of My old Engines are Put away .
I mainly ran Bachmann (through my dad and grandfather) because they're local. if something goes wrong the factory isnt that far away. I can remember plenty of times sitting in the showroom at the factory while my dad was getting a locomotive repaired
Years ago I belonged to an N-Trak club. Nobody ran Barfman stuff because,.. it was horrible.
The oldest stuff was better than what came after. Once they went to the split frame, which SHOULD have made it better, the made it worse with that white gear plastic and tiny motor. Things are much better now. But yah at any point in the 80's, 90's, and some of the last 2 decades I wouldn't have recommended them. If you're buying now, buy something fairly new.
All metal gear driven locos may have been noisy, but they were robust, and in those machines, the motors were likely better than in the immediately following plastic geared ones in the seventies and eigthies :)
Always find it funny how Atlas gets an automatic pass by all the N Scale snobs when it comes to the crap they used to produce. But Bachmann never gets the same treatment. Even old Kato locomotives can be quite iffy to trust your money with. Not every Kato is a great locomotive.
You'll love my "Watch this before buying an Atlas locomotive" video :)
ALL the old and new Bachmann that I have run very well. Iam a collector and original one's in original box are harder too find then you think :)
Oh i'll bet! And the thing is that finding stuff new, even if it's ancient New old stock, is very likely going to run well. Most of the time though buying something used off of ebay is going to be well used. That Spectrum SD40-2 in the video here and it's sister locomotive, both of which I have videos on, were VERY worn and poorly taken care of. And came from a collection of somebody who was apparently a heavy smoker. You should see the crap I blew out of the trucks! lol. Glad you found this video! I have found that people either really like bachmann or really hate it. with far more of them being the later. Glad to find a Bachmann fan :) They're certainly one of my favorite brands to tinker with. Mostly due to the low buy in cost.
That most recent one - the packaging has very similar look to some Arnold (Hornsby) locos I picked up a few years back. Case, insert, wrapping of the loco, and the way the instructions are folded up all look identical. I wouldn’t be surprised if the factory was the same.
A lot of stuff is being made in China, wouldn't surprise me at all if they were being pumped out of the same factory.
I like Bachmann's "upgraded" GP40. Better details, and a more standardized drive system. Although the first one of these I bought used on eBay, and found the tiny closed "can" motor had overheated and was frozen inside. It had ran so hot that it melted the drive linkage on one end. I fixed it be replacing the motor, and reconnecting it. I'm hoping this was a rare "fluke" as I like the new design and body lines better. The Bachmann GP40 you have there, is their first one, which was a revival of Model Power's design.
May have been user damage and they just dumped it on eBay to get rid of it because they knew Bachmann wouldn't repair it. The closed can motors are a lot better than the old open sided ones. Much smoother. I'll bet the previous owner had something caught in the driveline and kept pouring the throttle to it and melted everything. Guess they've not watched any of my repair videos. lol.
I have the exact Yellow one Wow thanks for hte info ill have to think about buying a newer engine....
Very helpful. Thank you.
I just could not resist some November sales and bought a Kato P42 set with 3 cars for $119, a P42 in dark blue 50th dress for $69, and another one in Phase-1 50th dress for $54 bucks. BRAND NEW! Used stuff costs way more nowadays, even compared to normal non-sale street prices, and you play Russian Roulette with your wallet.
I have been in N-scale for 45 years, way before eBay and before coming to USA, and quit counting the collection at 150 trains, with more bought since. This country is NUTS with old used junk prices. I once went to a few flea markets in Germany and bought maybe 2 or 3 old locos for under 5 bucks, that lasted five laps, without parts for repairs available, and as a kid I did not have the skills and tools to modify parts yet. So that was that, no wasting money on old trains, period!
Then I saw junkers here in "antique" stores for new equipment prices, and my jaw dropped while walking out backwards FAST!
So, my experiences, buying NEW models of European and USA types, going back up to 45 years in both Germany and USA:
Old Bachmann was bad for sure. Nobody in Germany even carried it through the seventies and eighties, period! Imagine my surprise at how bad they were, once I bought a couple in the eighties. YUCK!
Roco is now just dandy. Pre 2000 Rocos were often very rough around the edges, definitely many with toy grade looks, and there were many motors that simply died early! I have a German E44 (electric Bo Bo) by Roco that looks very plasticky, and its gears inside have sprue-spikes I had to file off, to get it running continuously. Once I did that, it was a bargain and kinda OK, but its wired pickup from the bogies causes occasional derailments, when the wires keep the bogies from turning.
BTW: This particular one was an "NOS" that had "fallen behind a shelf for several years" from a web-store in Chicago-land (initials REI, not mentioning the full name, so they cannot sue!) I would never buy from again! Last time I talked to them maybe 5 years ago, they had "reinvented the stock system" and supposedly had access to all inventories from all other North American dealers. This guy never answered "yes" or "no", and instead talked around my question, if the locomotive I wanted was in stock or not! So they can grab stock from Micro Macro Mundo in Florida, a place I LOVE and trust, and sell it from under them, or Walthers, or TrainWorld, or really great Lombard Hobbies not that far from them? (I love all these dealers, great so far!) How? Secret visit at night in black cat-suits and masks? I do NOT think so! Their lies kept getting bigger, and their practice of charging a card without calling first, when an item comes in after a year, is infuriating. A year later, you forgot the order was made, but you suddenly cannot pay another bill, because your card was unexpectedly charged!
DO check their rating on YELP, and you will find many evil stories!
Anyway, back to different makers:
Old Minitrix was sketchy as to many of them being poor creepers and running like jack-rabbits under higher throttle, but robust and pretty! Mine all still run and stood the test of time exceedingly well. They gradually improved their behaviour in the eighties and later, but even in the early 2000s, there were still seventies designs in the catalogue with only cosmetic upgrades. Genuine new Minitrix designs are awesome!
Almost forgot LifeLike - nice when new, but now, the plastic has aged badly, and they fall apart, and the motors are dead in the box after 20 years in a box (had no layout for many years). I just threw 5 in the garbage, and that was it for LifeLike!
Fleischmann Piccolo (N-scale) is made totally by Roco now, and the cheaper models were also by Roco before 2000, so see above. New Fleischmann is very fine gear!
Broadway Limited I refuse to buy. Why? Take a 100 dollar loco, likely made by Kato, Tomix, MicroAce, or a Chinese contractor, that a Kato dealer would sell for 80, drop in a 30 dollar chip and 10 dollar speaker module (now a total of 140), and sell it for 300. OY, that's a game I don't play ;)
Best of the old lot was original made in Germany Arnold Rapido (do not confuse with Canada's Rapido Trains!), which went through bakruptcy, buyouts, and finally just became a name in the Hornby family, but now also with excellent quality! Considered a bit rough in the looks by too many, its trains sold MSRP at 2/3 of what the others (70s and 80s, the three quality makers for N were Trix, Fleischmann, and Arnold) were charging, and they were very fine and reliable in the mechanics, best of the lot! They were built as fine scale TOYS for actually using them on the tracks, instead of being in a locked glass cabinet! Love mine, and they all still run!
That said, these old reliable robust "toy" Arnolds are now at least 30 years plus, even 50 and older, and old toys are always a crap shoot! With eBay hucksters selling old crap, that they know is broken, for more than new stuff, I stick to new only, after several heart breaking experiments.
Hello, I just found this channel and already subscribed and watched a few videos. Thank you for doing these vids. Look forward to more from you. Also i think that from your Trinity Rail video that you are a fellow texan. I'm also into N scale and other scales and live near Dallas area... :)
Glad to have you here, WIlliam. Yes sir. Born and raised in the Dallas area.
Thank you for putting together this video. I have a few Bachmann engines including some steam, all DC. I did have a problem with a Northern Steamer and an Amtrack electric engine all in N. I sent them to Bachmann in Philadelphia. They serviced the Amtrak and gave me a new steam engine. So I can’t complain, if you have an invoice from a legitimate source they stand behind their lifetime warranty.
I haven't had to have any warranty work done on any of my new purchases yet.
@@Trains-With-Shane They were repairing anything sent in but cut that off because people were buying at yard sales and eBay and sending them in for repair. So now you need proof of purchase.
This is a great video! I was curious how the Bachmann engines changes through the years. I also appreciate the tip about the clicking gear (I don't have a layout yet, but have been buying stuff off Ebay and other places for the last year or so) as I had an engine make a click noise I couldn't pinpoint on a table top loop. I'll have to go back to see if the gear was split (I don't recall if it was a Bachmann or a different brand). Thanks again. Subbed! :)
Thanks for subscribing! If you've got clicking it's almost certainly the axle gears. If they're white plastic they're the ones that are most prone to cracking. The black plastic gears are less susceptible to it. Depending on the locomotive you MAY be able to retrofit newer black plastic gears/trucks on your existing unit. I was able to do that to a GP50 I have.
If you turn loco upside down you can almost always hook up power let wheels spin and feel with your finger which one is clicking. Once you figure what axle is clicking. Pull side plates and the wheels slide out. When you slide both left and right wheels out gear will fall out. Put new gear and slide wheels back in.
Sorry 'Texas', forgot to thank you for your video; too worried about misleading someone starting out. I remember starting out so very well. Looking forward to your servicing of the U 36 B.
Peter
I had two of those SD40-2 spectrum locomotives in Santa Fe. Both ran and sounded like coffee grinders, and the paint schemes look like they were painted with a squirt pistol. Nasty. Then, the packaging stuck to the paint when it was sent out. Hopefully they will upgrade these if they re release them.
All of the recent-ish models that i've got from them are pretty decent and quiet. but the old stuff was noisy as heck.
One thing I discovered the other day when I was rebuilding a spectrum Dash 8 using parts from a second donor Dash 8 from my junk yard is that the plastic posts that go through the split frame to connect the two sides (they act as the nuts for the bolts) can become very brittle and I'm not sure how readily available you'd find replacements. I was lucky in that two broke and I had two from the donor locomotive to use.
I did buy a new bachmann locomotive recently because I wanted an Amtrak Cascades locomotive for my collection. I haven't cracked that one open yet. Normally I tend to prefer Kato for new ones though. I am collecting and repairing/rebuilding all brands from ebay auctions so have been getting pretty familiar with them. I am exclusively N scale.
I've got a bunch of videos repairing various makers' locomotives. Hoping at least a few will come in handy for you. I have some stuff coming from a friend of mine that should make for a cool video here in the not too distant future.
Beware zinc pest disease on the earlier diesel. Rare but it is out there
I know that is a problem for old HO scale units like Athearn, Spectrum, Proto, etc. I have been lucky to not have had the chassis rot issue.
I have a bachmann n scale and it runs so smooth.
The newest ones I have run great.
@Trains with Shane i think mine is the vq since it has the white nylon gears but they dont seem to be split.
@@longviewkelsolinesRR644 Not all of them split but a LOT of them do/have
on the fourth generation units the shell can crack but it is easy to replace with the right glue or you can buy a new shell on Ebay or Market Place on Facebook. What not to get is the ones with the gears that are nylon those were made in Hong Kong they are junk and they will crack if you use them the late Gen 4 and early Gen 5 use PVC gears those are the ones you get.
the hong kong units had all metal gears. you are referring to china-made units.
I have a Bachmann RS-3 that has "DCC Onboard" so I think is a fairly recently manufactured model. I bought it used on ebay. It ran good for about a week and then started stuttering intermittently and then stopped running altogether. I paid over $100 for it and am very disappointed that this happened. I love the way that it looks, but it's dead as a doorknob.
If you haven't done any troubleshooting on it yet i've got a video on here somewhere where I resurrect an old Norfolk Southern GE unit that came with an ancient Lenz decoder. Might help you determine if it's the decoder or just an electrical path issue.
I had a dozen of these two decades ago. They all ran fine at the time. It wasn't until moving on to better quality locos like Kate and Atlas that I realised I could never go back to the Bachmanns. I sold most of them on eBay for more than I had paid. Overall a good experience. I have a few HO scale DCC Bachmann locos and again, they do the job ok but can't match the quality of an Athearn Genesis or Atlas Gold series loco. However for the price they are reasonable.
We have the Bachmann Thomas and Friends HO line, basically all of them and I converted them each to DCC myself back in 2010. They run surprisingly well with a good decoder. My daughter loves them.
ua-cam.com/video/nBNrMAco00E/v-deo.html.
The new Bachmann stuff is pretty good for the price. Especially in H.O. scale. In N, however, their new stuff is too close to the price of Kato and Atlas these days. And there's just no comparison in quality.
I don't know if this will help you in the future but Tramfabriek make coreless motors that could bring most of the older models a new lease of life if the original motors are knackered. Hope this helps. I use Farish, Dapol, and Kato models as well as Revolution Trains. I cover mostly UK and European N scale but I am venturing into American N scale in 2023. I want a GE Tier 4 in BNSF livery for my collection.
I don't really have plans to update any of my old Bachmann locomotives unless I find a need for something that only they have produced which is fairly rare, although not implausible. As far as modeling North American locomotives go it's hard to go wrong with Kato or Atlas. If you're looking for something a little more detailed Intermountain, Rapido, and Scaletrains are your best bet although the selection is very limited as they typically work in smaller production runs. I'm not HUGE into foreign power but I would like to find a Class 37 in N scale. Although I haven't looked very hard yet. Also Thank you for subscribing to the channel! You're subscriber #900!
@@Trains-With-Shane If you want a N scale Class 37. I would recommend going for the post-2010 Class 37 models and they sell from £85-£140. The older ones are fine as well but beware of some of them because they suffer from cracked gears which can jam the drive and burn out the motor if not careful. Bachmann owns Farish so spares are available and are compatible with the older Poole made UK models.
Hi, Thanks for the vid's very informative. What size is your loop on the desk?
It's pretty small. it's the real tight ~6.3/4" radius track with the little 2 inch straight pieces stuck in between the curves so I could get a power feeder track piece in. Most of the 6 axle diesels that I have can handle it but some can't. For instance I've got an Atlas SD60 and Kato SDP40F's that don't like it. Curves are too tight.
@@Trains-With-Shane Thanks for the reply, what make of track is it?
I have 4 sd40-2 with the blinking led. These are 30 years old and ran great. With in the last 2 years they started clicking, after inspection I found that 1 gear on each truck was cracked and yes they are white gears. Does anyone know if the black gears are compatible or even available? I really want to get them going again.
I was able to take trucks with later black gears off of a GP and swap them onto an older GP and it worked. Not sure about later SD's
That Bachmann MKT, I bought two of them. I liked them so much, I bought a Norfolk Southern and A B&M. They pair with Kato and my Intermountain MKT so well in DC. Too bad the prices have gone up and the number available have gone down on EBay. Very nice runners.
I've got a large chunk of the N scale MKT locomotives that are commonly available out there and honestly this Bachmann holds up pretty well in terms of DC performance. Yeah the prices have gone way up over the last 2 years. Exactly what this hobby didn't need.
@@Trains-With-Shane
You know what’s amazing? It’s not just trains. I watch a channel where car audio amplifiers are reviewed. They’re hooked up to a dyno to find out if they put out the wattage as advertised on the box and in the instruction manuals. The guy sometimes buys them off eBay and Amazon. When an amplifier does above the rated power in his tests, the price goes up as orders come flooding in. And the trains just seem to be in short supply across the board on eBay. I keep running across seriously old locomotives with rapido couples.
@@MFXdump I don't think the supply is going to get any better in the midst of inflation. Better buy what you want right now. or when you find it. best to not hold off.
In HO scale, they have an ok reputation.Loike you said, they definitely have a customer spot, in the market.Price being their selling point.I doubt very much whether I would ever buy a used Bachman loco, & the ones I have have been bought new.Even then, it can be a bit hit & miss.You get what you pay for,& take the risk.I have a couple of Bachman deisels that are from the early 90 s & although they dont have a lot of the details of todays models, they still run great. Some I have converted to DCC, upgraded lighting & really look the part.In some of the latest releases, they have cheaped out , to save money by not putting on grab irons, that theolder models had, & dont even have flywheels now. Shame really, as they have potential. The DCC ehipped models are crap, because they use the cheapest decoder they can get.Putting a fairly good decoder does work pretty well,tho.Cheers michael
Bachmann's later N scale Spectrum stuff and then their regular lines after that were fairly good. I have found that their Sound Value stuff that is labeled with having Economi decoders in them to be very good. If you look around you'll find my review of a BNSF GP40 with sound. And it was very impressive for the price. Every manufacturer has their highs and lows. Atlas started off with some very questionable units as well until they got together with Kato.
My first N scale set was the Bachman Old Timer 4-4-0 set with the Jupiter locomotive (early 80's?). It was terrible introduction to the hobby. The tender wheels didn't even roll, it just drags them like steel brushes. It did work fine at medium speed or higher if it was perfectly clean, but then it was going too fast for my Bachman turnouts. (They were very sharp, probably the equivalent of a #3). My other Bachman locos ran great, including a Plymouth 3 axle switcher, SD40, U36B, Prairie 2-6-2, and a few others.
I don't have any N scale steam locomotives yet. I focus on Diesel power. I only own one steam locomotive at all and it's a Triang Hornby Flying Scottsman. I forget what they call that scale but it runs on H-O scale track. Maybe OO? Given my lack of space my tracks are pretty tight as far as turns except for the switching layout. I really wish Bachmann would bring out a PRR 4-4-4-4 T1.
@@Trains-With-Shane Nearly ALL older Bachmann locomotives,steam or diesel,have those miserable plastic gears,they all crack..Don't buy them unless you like headaches..I bought tons of them new when they came out,thousands of dollars,all of them fell apart.If you have a good gear,drill it out with a 1/16" drillbit,it will keep it from cracking..I'm lucky that I'm a machinist,I make 3mm collars I press on the gears,that fixes them for good,but takes hours of work.,.Bachmann should be ashamed of themselves..They made millions on these crappy locos for decades,can't even be bothered to offer replacement gears..I'll never buy another thing they make,I must have 40 of these boat anchors..
@@avadegrose4004 I went into pretty extensive detail on the plastic gears and their issues.
@@avadegrose4004 you can get the black gears and appropriate wheelsets thru bachmann. no need for headaches or machinists.....
That is the Engine that Pulled the Presidential Boxcar series .
I have thought about getting some of those presidential boxcars.
@@Trains-With-Shane Am missing Oneof them . InMy data Base . They didnt Make many
@@victorbloom8286 I've been trying to find a Ronald Reagan car but haven't found one yet.
Find some old Aurora " Postage Stamp Trains "
Thats the ones I have. . In the Old Flip up Cases. .
There is a need for care here - and it is only one opinion. If you are a beginner, and want smooth starts and stops over the life of your locos, have a look at Kato as an informative experience; they have solved most or perhaps even all problems. Note the power transfer from the trucks to the frame; there is no real prospect of the conductive springs losing tension. When buying anything from any one any when, always look at whether the springs between the frame and bogies and the wheel wipers. Are t hey likely to lose 'springyness'? and if so can they be accesses to reset. On another front, can the motor be re-brushed? In dire straights can the motor magnets be recharged. I think I can maintain three locos before the rest of life swamps my regime. Yes, buy second hand, but unless you have other reasons, as has our video host, spend the same total on geometrically fewer examples. We should not need to resort to the 0-5-0 shunter to get a train moving, and if you jolt the guard to pieces, he will not shout you a coffee at the end of the shift. A loco should be able to couple to a standing wagon without jolting it. If it won't as new, it probably won't when run in. I keep repeating the words of real engineer: ' wearing in is the first stage in wearing out'. Have a look at youtube warbonnet trains (Dave Ramirez (spelling?)) servicing an old Kato steamer. Marklin of Sweden is also worth a look for cleaning track. I'm no expert, but I have been doing this a l-o-n-g time.
Hope this reads tolerably OK and helps at least someone.
Peter
Do You have any od the Presidential Boxcars to go with that Engine
The Microtrains ones? Unfortunately no not yet. Every now and then I search for a Ronald Reagan one on eBay but those tend to not come up for sale often.
@@Trains-With-Shane Bachman made a Set back in the Day .
Bachmann took a step backwards ditching the metal geared Hong Kong models for those crummy white, nylon-geared ones made in China. I was always sending them back. They ran poorly at low speed. Those Hong Kong models ran especially well at standing starts and at low speed with power packs equipped with Pulse Power.
I agree. I've got... I think 3 or 4 old metal geared units in total. They might be a little noisy but they run smooth. And unlike the later white nylon geared examples. they actually still work! lol.
@@Trains-With-Shane Outside of Con-Cor, back in the 70s/early 80s, those Hong Kong Bachmanns might have been the best you could get.
I buy new and used rolling stock. What I would avoid on the engines if you buy them used are the ones with the brass gears. The gears will stick and sometimes they will grind when they get stuck also if they are old you can blow the motor with these. Avoid Gen 1s and 2s unless the modeler who sold them to you has oiled them and replaced the motor before they sold it. Stay away from Gen 3s these were all made in the Warsaw Block and in China and use nylon gears if you put them on your layout they will crack. Don't buy Gen 3s avoid them like the plague.
On the Gen 4s avoid the ones from Spectrum that have the white gears and don't convert them to DCC they don't have light boards. If you are going DC only buy the ones with the black gears and stay away from the ones that have the split frame and the plastic shafts and no flywheels they can break I know because I have three of them one I had to scrap for parts. What to get are the Gen 5s they are DCC ready but finding boards and speakers for these is next to impossible and the online forms for these can destroy your boards.
If you get a Gen 5 get it from a licensed dealer who sells after market DCC boards and speakers and have them install the decoder and help you test it out before you buy your own throttle. If you buy a Gen 5 stay away from the TCS page they are not plug and play and you will destroy your board if you do this find a N Scale board which is compatible with an EMD locomotive and look for after market stuff.
Bachmann uses Soundtraxx and Digitrax boards in their engines and sets they don't use Lenz anymore and they don't use TCS remember these are beginner sets they don't want modelers to mess up after what happened with Lenz when the EZ Command came out and modelers were blowing motors and decoders because they ran them on address 10 and the system overloaded. What should have been done is the EZ command and the Bachmann throttles need to be isolated and the track needs to be isolated so you don't blow up your engines and decoders. Bachmann has isolated track which is what needs to be used with the EZ Command so you don't blow your engines but a pro tip don't run DC engines on DCC track you will blow them up.
I’ll be the first to say that I stand behind Bachmann’s products. I own a lot of engines ranging from the Spectrum range to starter set level, and they’re all brilliant performers. A large majority of the hate comes from people who had one bad experience and parents who are upset that their kid ran the wheels off of one. A lot of the bigger channels on here also convince a large amount of their fanbases that they are junk and it sticks.
There is a LOT of Bachmann hate out there. I really wanted to put this video together to help people have a better experience with used Bachmann stuff. Because honestly the white axle gear cracks are a HUGE issue from stuff from that era. But the older stuff with the metal gears, and everything made wit the black plastic gears and afterward has been good. And their current stuff is VERY good. I've got two recent (2015 or newer) Bachmann N scale GP40's and they're brilliant. One of them is a DCC Sound Value unit, it's the most expensive N scale unit I own, and it's absolutely wonderful. Their new-ish HO scale stuff is also very good for the price. I really need to put some more review vids up because i've got quite a few Bachmann locomotives that I bought new and they're all great.
Kato and atlas for me
For us We Are Running Bachman - Kato Track combo My N Scale I like Bachman Tracks I Have a Great Track plan. And I Love it.
@@elleryparsons5766 I haven't tried Bachmann's N scale track yet. I've got some of their H.O. scale track and it's what I run for H.O.
How’s The Track for Bachman Ho?I am Running N Scale and I Love it No Problems.
3xBachmanns. All are supper slow. My new DCC has broken pickup wires with less than 20hrs. No more Bachmann for me.
Do they Have Black Metal Gears?
I have only seen silver and brass looking metal gears and white and black plastic gears. But I haven't seen everything that they make so I can't say for sure if black metal gears were ever used or not.
Black plastic gears better than white
Can you Change them out with Metal Gears?
I don't believe so as the entire design changed massively between the metal and plastic gear units. I have taken later black plastic gear trucks and swapped them onto the earlier white plastic gear chassis without issue. Just have to make sure the chassis are similar. Which I always look at the bottom to see what the chassis split looks like.
If Bachmann was worth their salt, they'd repair those nylon gears at no or low cost. Supposedly they have a lifetime warranty.
You're not wrong
Bachmann locomotives ARE crap IMHO! I have four Bachmann locos and three of them have failed in the past year in the exact same way. I believe the decoders crapped out as they are (were) all DCC and the sound on the one so equipped still works and the other two respond to their addresses, but move very slowly and actually slow down with in crease throttle. I suspect the output drive transistors (or FETs) on the decoder cards are the failed components. I know the motors are good since I can power them with DC. As a matter of fact I built a small folded loop layout for around the Christmas tree and I converted a failed Bachmann F7 to DC and it runs fine. Even the one remaining operating Bachmann DCC loco is the poorest running loco on my layout and will likely fail. I have 5 Atlas and 2 Kato DCC locos and no problems although they are all older than all but one Bachmann. Don't buy Bachmann, new or used would be my personal advice.
Have you tried to send them back in for repair? Strange that they seem to be blowing decoders. That's something I'd expect from Broadway Limited. I have had zero issues out of any of my Bachmann DCC locomotives. Either in N or HO scale and all but 1 of them is sound equipped. I don't have a problem recommending new Bachmann stuff either in DC or DCC. The main purpose of this video was to show what you definitely should avoid vs what most likely will be ok if trying to buy real old Bachmann N scale. I think I may have enough stuff to do a video on their HO scale stuff too. Basically that video would end up being pretty short. "Don't buy anything built before ~2005, thanks and please like, comment subscribe" lol.
As far as N scale goes I have far more Kato than Bachmann. Even most of my Atlas stuff is from the Kato made era with only 1 exception. Usually if there is a Kato or Atlas unit i'll buy that. But sometimes you have to go with another brand to get a specific model, railroad, etc. For instance I have two new-ish MKT locomotives in N scale. One is Atlas, and one is Bachmann. Those are the ONLY two I could find. And I don't think the Atlas one is even made anymore as I got mine off of a friend.
But yeah. I'm not preaching Bachmann to be the best. Just trying to keep people informed on what they have a better chance getting a runner vs something almost guaranteed to be non-repairable.