# Bachmann 4-84 Northern



## voltron (Dec 1, 2015)

Hi. I am a newbie that just purchased the Bachmann Empire Builder set with a 4-8-4. I have been reading about all of the problems with "jerky" performance with this engine. I too went through all of the track and wheel cleaning process with no improved performance. Then I added a weight to the top of the front truck and WOW, it's like a different engine!! It's smooth and steady and runs great. No jerking at all. Hope this info might help some of you with a similar problem.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Better contact*



voltron said:


> Hi. I am a newbie that just purchased the Bachmann Empire Builder set with a 4-8-4. I have been reading about all of the problems with "jerky" performance with this engine. I too went through all of the track and wheel cleaning process with no improved performance. Then I added a weight to the top of the front truck and WOW, it's like a different engine!! It's smooth and steady and runs great. No jerking at all. Hope this info might help some of you with a similar problem.


 voltron;

Thanks for the good info. Putting more weight on the front truck may have improved the electrical contact between the front truck's wheels and the track. I won't argue with success,
but that locomotive and its tender should be picking up electricity from a lot of wheels, not just the four in the pilot(front) truck. So I'm wondering why something that can only affect
those few wheels made such a dramatic difference? It makes me wonder what other pick up
problems may be in there?

In any case, I'm glad it's running better!

Traction Fan


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Better contact*



voltron said:


> Hi. I am a newbie that just purchased the Bachmann Empire Builder set with a 4-8-4. I have been reading about all of the problems with "jerky" performance with this engine. I too went through all of the track and wheel cleaning process with no improved performance. Then I added a weight to the top of the front truck and WOW, it's like a different engine!! It's smooth and steady and runs great. No jerking at all. Hope this info might help some of you with a similar problem.


 voltron;

Thanks for the good info. Putting more weight on the front truck may have improved the electrical contact between the front truck's wheels and the track. I won't argue with success, but that locomotive, and its tender, should be picking up electricity from a lot of wheels, not just the four in the pilot(front) truck. So I'm wondering why something that can only affect those few wheels made such a dramatic difference? It makes me wonder what other electrical pick up problems may be lurking in there?

In any case, I'm glad it's running better!

Traction Fan


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## voltron (Dec 1, 2015)

*Bachmann 4-8-4 frt truck*

I am not sure that the jerking problem is electrical. I think that it could possibly be related to the design of the front truck and that there might be a binding problem with the wheels. I don't believe that the front truck is an electrical contact. My theory is that either the extra weight stabilized the front truck or that due to lack of clearance, the weight itself has lifted the front of the engine slightly and therefore put more weight on the rear of the unit which may have improved the contact of the rear wheels. The bottom line is that the engine is now very smooth and steady. At any rate, I intend to follow this through because I think it is ridiculous for Bachmann to put out a product that obviously has such a big quality control problem.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Front truck problem*



voltron said:


> I am not sure that the jerking problem is electrical. I think that it could possibly be related to the design of the front truck and that there might be a binding problem with the wheels. I don't believe that the front truck is an electrical contact. My theory is that either the extra weight stabilized the front truck or that due to lack of clearance, the weight itself has lifted the front of the engine slightly and therefore put more weight on the rear of the unit which may have improved the contact of the rear wheels. The bottom line is that the engine is now very smooth and steady. At any rate, I intend to follow this through because I think it is ridiculous for Bachmann to put out a product that obviously has such a big quality control problem.


 Since you, "want to follow this up " You can do a simple test to verify weather the front truck is wired to pick up electricity, or not. Turn the loco and tender upside down, and brace it from the sides so it stays wheels up, and steady.(a loco cradle is ideal for this). Apply one wire from your power source/throttle; to the wheels on one side of the front truck. Hold the other wire against the driver wheels on the opposite side of the loco. If the front truck is meant to collect power, the loco will run, or you may get a spark at the wire end. The latter result won't hurt anything if you don't leave the wires connected a long time. You can then try moving the second wire to the opposite set of drivers it may run that way. Model steam locos typically get power from one(sometimes both) rail(s) via the tender wheels. Try different combinations to see if the front truck, and some other wheel, will make it run.
You may be right that the front truck's problem is mechanical, not electrical. Have you checked the gauge of those front wheels? If it's off, it might cause binding, or derailing.
As for Bachman's quality, it has definitely had its ups and downs. In years past, Bachman N scale locos were notorious dogs that didn't run well. In recent times however, they have improved their products quite a bit.

Good luck on your investigation;

Traction Fan


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