AsherWhite Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 a couple weeks ago I ordered a Bachmann mayflower, Now when I'm looking at it and trying to run it I've realized the wheels have been misshapen! i tried bending it back with my finger but that did nothing. does anyone know what I should do? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 Send it back....... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PMP Posted February 8, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 8, 2022 (edited) Assuming it’s a B1 named Mayflower it’s an old model with a split chassis. If its model number starts with 31- then it’s from about twelve years ago and is out of warranty, and I’d be very surprised if it’s been on a retailer’s shelf since then, so it’s almost certainly second hand. If second hand and bought mail order from a shop, if they didn’t advise you of the problem you can get a refund. If you bought it online, depending on which site you bought it from you may be able to get a refund, or you could be stuck with it. Repair option Without seeing a picture of the damage it’s impossible to determine if it can be repaired, from your basic description it sounds unlikely. As it’s a split chassis model, (spares aren’t available) the easy option is buying another one and robbing it for a replacement wheelset, and selling the remaining parts as spares. Edited February 8, 2022 by PMP Addition Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 Are you certain the wheels are misshaped, and it's not the central isolator pieces which have deteriorated - replacements are available directly from Bachmann for a quite reasonable fee. Al. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dungrange Posted February 11, 2022 Share Posted February 11, 2022 In what plane is the wheel misshapen? I recently had a Bachmann Class 08 which out of the box didn't like the point work on a club layout (which suggested a back to back issue) and it rocked a bit on straight track. A back to back gauge indicated that whilst the front and rear axles were okay (ie a 14.5mm gauge was a tight fit) the centre axle was wide to gauge (maybe 14.7 mm), but on rotating the axles 180 degrees, the centre axle was even wider to gauge (probably at least 15 mm back to back). That therefore meant that one of the wheels wasn't perpendicular to the axle, which is what was causing the rocking (which could be interpreted as a misshapen wheel being the cause). A fellow club member was able to remove the wheel set from the chassis and just push one of the wheels onto the axle and the problem was solved. Obviously during assembly the wheel wasn't pressed on as far as it should have been. Might you have a similar issue? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PJT Posted February 11, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 11, 2022 (edited) On 07/02/2022 at 22:11, AsherWhite said: a couple weeks ago I ordered a Bachmann mayflower, Now when I'm looking at it and trying to run it I've realized the wheels have been misshapen! i tried bending it back with my finger but that did nothing. does anyone know what I should do? I completely agree with the comments above that you should return the loco for a refund; however if for one reason or another you find yourself stuck with your Bachmann B1 Mayflower, the expanded wheel centres - a common issue on the earlier 'split chassis' B1 models - can be repaired without too much trouble. I've written about repairing the Bachmann B1 wheels once or twice on RMweb (and the same for the earlier 'split chassis' Bachmann 4MT 4-6-0s that suffer the same issue), but in my opinion the best guide is Silver Sidelines' blog, if you follow this link: Hope that helps. Pete T. Edited February 11, 2022 by PJT Added 'split chassis'. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rembrow Posted February 11, 2022 Share Posted February 11, 2022 If it is one of the older, split axle models, there is a fairly common issue that affects the wheel centres. They have a plastic push fit centre, which covers the wheel boss, spokes and a rim, that is a tight fit into the metal wheel casting. These were coloured depending on the loco livery. Over time, these can expand causing the centre of this moulding to move outwards and foul the coupling rod. I don't know if this is the problem, but I've experienced this on a B1 and an Ivatt tank. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tim123 Posted February 11, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 11, 2022 As an alternative to filing down the perimeter of the plastic wheel / spoke inserts I just removed them from my affected locos. Cut the balance weights out and glue them against the metal spokes. Repaint the wheel and the problem won’t come back. Looks ok from normal viewing distance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted February 11, 2022 Share Posted February 11, 2022 I replaced the centres on my Mayflower about 18 months ago, and it's now a pretty decent, slightly noisy, runner, and looks great. Al. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted February 11, 2022 Share Posted February 11, 2022 (edited) Hope you get it resolved quickly and easily. Quartering shouldn't be an issue due to the way the centres are formed. Al. Edited February 11, 2022 by atom3624 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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