Bachmann 4F (Deeley tender)

[Ray H]

I've just purchased a new Bachmann 4F with Deeley tender and seem to be fighting a losing battle in trying to remove the tender body to enable me to fit the DCC decoder.

 

I've removed the three fixing screws indicated in the exploded diagram that came with the loco. I've even removed the screw that holds the drawbar and, lest I do it any damage I've also removed the connector between loco and tender so that the tender is now completely divorced from the loco.

 

I can lift the rear of the tender body off the frame at an angle but the front of the body refuses to budge.

 

Are there any (additional) lugs securing the body to the frame or should the frame simply drop from the body when the screws are removed?

[buffalo]

There are a couple of plastic lugs near the front. With the screws out, lift the rear of the body away from the chassis, rotating the body about its front end. They may be tight, but the rotation should free them.

 

Nick

 

ps. see also this post.

[Ray H]

Thanks Nick.

 

I have managed to release the body from the frame but then had problems with re-assembly until I worked out what was wrong.

 

The two pillars at the front of the body that house the (minute) securing screws seemed to have spread very slightly probably from the pressure exerted when the screws were tightened. It seemed just enough to put a slight burr on the top of the pillars

 

I did as you said to separate the body and frame and having done so I twisted a round file in the holes in the chassis from the top side enough to ease the hole enough for the lugs to pass through them again. I've since fitted and separated both a couple of times and all is fine. In fact the loco is now chugging slowly around the layout in the room next door as it does the running in turn!

 

The fact that it seems happy to complete x circuits - where x is at least ten - and then derails on circuit x +1 is another of life's mysteries!

[Stevelewis]

For  info  I  have  fitted  decoders  to  5  or  6  of  these  and  had  no  problems  with  removing  the  tender  body  & refitting,  in  fact I  can't  recall ever  having  a  tender  body/decoder fitting  problem  with  any  Bachmann locos!

 

Re  the  derailing,  check  the  tender  draw bar  position  hasn't  moved  slightly

[Ray H]

I bought a 4F with the fowler tender and their 3F some while ago and didn't have problems so this may just have been a minor thing that has now been resolved.

 

I did adjust the draw bar slightly but it still kept derailing from time to time (always at the same point - on leaving a curve and heading across a double slip). It just seemed strange that it could traverse that stretch of track for ten or fifteen times and then take a dive.

 

Never mind, it's now running the other way round now and after nearly 30 minutes hasn't misbehaved!

[Combe Martin]

I've had exactly the same removal and re-fitting problem with the Bachmann 4F with Fowler tender, and also all 4 S&D 7Fs, so I would disagree and say this is a common problem.  I agree the problem is that the ends of the vertical posts on the inside front of the tender body tend to be widened a bit so that they don't want to go back into their respective holes in the tender base frame.  I got round this by just filing a slight taper onto the ends of the posts so that they locate into their holes much more easily.

[MikeHunter]

Having just started with DCC, I converted my 3F a couple of weeks ago, took less than 10 minutes. I foolishly thought since they have the same tender, the 4F would be as easy. Not a bit of it, had a fight to open the tender, struggled to fit the decoder and managed to bend two of the pins, took ages straightening em with a pair of tweezers. Tested it once fitted and couldn't get it to work. Convinced I'd damaged either the loco or the decoder. Tried programming it again the next day, and it worked straight away! Great loco, pain to open the tender.