# Bachmann Spectrum Santa Fe 8-40CW



## Mikey208 (Dec 24, 2021)

Hello. I just got one of these a few days ago. It's a sharp looking little engine. But when I tested it it seems to run rather slow. I had it cranked up all the way and only cruises. I mean, that's fine but I'm wondering if there's something going on with it. Do these tend to run slower than some engines?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Are you trying to run a DCC locomotive on DC? Sometimes that makes them run slowly.


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## Mikey208 (Dec 24, 2021)

CTValleyRR said:


> Are you trying to run a DCC locomotive on DC? Sometimes that makes them run slowly.



I really don't know. It wasn't advertised as a DCC. How would I know for certain?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Mikey208 said:


> I really don't know. It wasn't advertised as a DCC. How would I know for certain?


So it wasn't new in the box? If not, how old is it? How heavily used? That opens up a ton of possibilities for why it might not be running well.

Do you have any other locos? Are they running normally?

To see if it's DCC, you would have to remove the shell and see if there is a decoder inside. It would most likely be a smaller PCB wired or plugged into the locomotive's main circuit board.


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## Mikey208 (Dec 24, 2021)

CTValleyRR said:


> So it wasn't new in the box? If not, how old is it? How heavily used? That opens up a ton of possibilities for why it might not be running well.
> 
> Do you have any other locos? Are they running normally?
> 
> To see if it's DCC, you would have to remove the shell and see if there is a decoder inside. It would most likely be a smaller PCB wired or plugged into the locomotive's main circuit board.



No, not new but it came in the box with all the paperwork. It doesn't look very used. And, yes, I just realized that I have the paperwork. Duh! Let me look and see what that says.


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## Mikey208 (Dec 24, 2021)

Mikey208 said:


> No, not new but it came in the box with all the paperwork. It doesn't look very used. And, yes, I just realized that I have the paperwork. Duh! Let me look and see what that says.


Well, it is not DCC. Everything looks good. It's really pretty clean


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## Mikey208 (Dec 24, 2021)

Mikey208 said:


> Well, it is not DCC. Everything looks good. It's really pretty clean


I wantd to add that it's like it has only one speed. Once you get going it runs to a certain speed and that's it.


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## pmcgurin (Sep 7, 2010)

When you say it is slow, what are you comparing it to?


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

There is the possibility that the lube in the
gearing has gelled and is causing the
loco to run slow. Locos stored for a while
should have the old lube cleaned out 
and replaced with a plastic friendly 'grease'
such as sold by LaBelle's. They also have
a plastic friendly 'oil' for the bearings.

It is also possible that the drive system is
binding and needs tweaked to free it.

And finally, the brass strip power pickups may
be pressing against the wheels more than
needed. They may need cleaning and
a checkup.

Don


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## Mikey208 (Dec 24, 2021)

pmcgurin said:


> When you say it is slow, what are you comparing it to?


None of the other engines I have run this slow wide open. In fact, you can't really run them wide open or they will derail.


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## Mikey208 (Dec 24, 2021)

DonR said:


> There is the possibility that the lube in the
> gearing has gelled and is causing the
> loco to run slow. Locos stored for a while
> should have the old lube cleaned out
> ...


Thank you.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

So I agree with Don (and as I hinted at in my last post), if this is not a new loco, then a thorough cleaning and relubrication is definitely in order. You can't see a lot of oxidation, and it can be hard to tell from just looking whether the lubricants are in good shape.

Clean all the parts of the drive train, motor bushings, wheels, and electrical wipers with isopropyl alcohol. Relubricate gears with a tiny dab (like toothpick sized -- too much will make your loco run slowly) of grease, and a drop of oil on the other parts of the drive train and motor bushings. While you CAN use other lubricants, those designed especially for hobby use are the best. LaBelle's and Hob-E-Lube are both good and widely available.


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## Mikey208 (Dec 24, 2021)

CTValleyRR said:


> So I agree with Don (and as I hinted at in my last post), if this is not a new loco, then a thorough cleaning and relubrication is definitely in order. You can't see a lot of oxidation, and it can be hard to tell from just looking whether the lubricants are in good shape.
> 
> Clean all the parts of the drive train, motor bushings, wheels, and electrical wipers with isopropyl alcohol. Relubricate gears with a tiny dab (like toothpick sized -- too much will make your loco run slowly) of grease, and a drop of oil on the other parts of the drive train and motor bushings. While you CAN use other lubricants, those designed especially for hobby use are the best. LaBelle's and Hob-E-Lube are both good and widely available.


Thank you. I will do this and see what happens.


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## 498cm3 (Jul 30, 2021)

Mikey208 said:


> None of the other engines I have run this slow wide open. In fact, you can't really run them wide open or they will derail.


How fast will it go? Have you clocked it? 
Another question I have is does it run good, like good control across the throttle range, good power under load, can it crawl?
Because I know what you mean about the speed of many locomotives. I run everything below 25mph. Period. But I have twisted the throttle open once and it's no problem to pull freight at scale speeds North of 170mph.
That being said I do have one diesel and it's geared to "scale speeds", and it runs like a dream (when it picks up power), pulls hard, quiet, but won't run over speed. Fine by me, I run it and never give it a second thought.
IIRC the locomotive is the one Spectrum on my layout, an SD45. It's a good looking model, with fine wire grabs in the pilot area, nice lighting too.
Really wondering what the actual performance you're getting.
Best wishes,
Doc

Sent from my moto e6 using Tapatalk


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## Mikey208 (Dec 24, 2021)

498cm3 said:


> How fast will it go? Have you clocked it?
> Another question I have is does it run good, like good control across the throttle range, good power under load, can it crawl?
> Because I know what you mean about the speed of many locomotives. I run everything below 25mph. Period. But I have twisted the throttle open once and it's no problem to pull freight at scale speeds North of 170mph.
> That being said I do have one diesel and it's geared to "scale speeds", and it runs like a dream (when it picks up power), pulls hard, quiet, but won't run over speed. Fine by me, I run it and never give it a second thought.
> ...


Hi Doc. How would I clock the speed? I'm new to all of this and have no idea. I cleaned it up and oiled it and it seems to run better. It's a really cool little engine. Mike


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Railroad Scale Speed Calculator


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## Oomowmow (10 mo ago)

Mikey208 said:


> Hello. I just got one of these a few days ago. It's a sharp looking little engine. But when I tested it it seems to run rather slow. I had it cranked up all the way and only cruises. I mean, that's fine but I'm wondering if there's something going on with it. Do these tend to run slower than some engines?





Mikey208 said:


> Hello. I just got one of these a few days ago. It's a sharp looking little engine. But when I tested it it seems to run rather slow. I had it cranked up all the way and only cruises. I mean, that's fine but I'm wondering if there's something going on with it. Do these tend to run slower than some engines?


Hi, in my experience, the original Bachman Spectrum series all run slower than other locos. Especially compared to say, Kato. They do seem to top out around 35-40 mph ( scale speed ). Having said that, they are consistent runners , great at those slower speeds.


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