Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Bachmann Life Like replacement gears

Bachmann Life Like replacement gears

Mystery Solved!!


This isn't new news, and the link is going to expire, but I will post another because these guys never run out of gears and they aren't the only sellers.

Here is a link from Feb 17:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/58-kinds-Plastic-gear-Motor-Gear-Technology-Small-Production-DIY-Accessories-Hot-/261832973793?hash=item3cf6761de1:g:k1QAAOSwm8VUwhC5

58-kinds-Plastic-gear-Motor-Gear-Technology-Small-Production-DIY-Accessories-Hot

Here's the news you guys really want:

Bachmann and Life Like old gears that are broken or cracked are NOT unique or special in any way.  The sizes are standard and the holes are also standard.  The photo about shows a selection of replacement gears that can be used to repair those 1970's and 1980's locomotives.

I've found that using the thickest gear possible provides the best results.  Sometimes you need to use 2 gears together to get the right combination.

8 comments:

  1. I have 3 pancake Bachmann's all with the same broken gears (the ones right after the wheels) I picked up a bag of gears upon your suggestion but I can't figure out which gear combination to use, please advise

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    1. I replied below by accident instead of hitting reply...

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  2. If the baking soda trick failed and you're going to use the robot gears to replace them, first take a sharpe and mark 1 tooth on the broken gear, then count all the teeth and write it down. Find the gears in the gear bag that your suspect are matches and do the same so you know which one has the correct number of teeth. Surprisingly, you should find that the Bachmann gears are not some unique one of kind gear. You have some room in the gear box to deal with thickness so you can actually use thicker or thinner gears. Use a dab of Tacky Glue or white Elmers to keep them in place. The white glue is very important - it let's you change your mind later. DO NOT USE SUPER GLUE. If you find you can replace all the gears in the box with the new ones, that's the best, but most often you just need 1. I find myself using the medium thickness gears most, they seem big at first, but they work great.

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  3. Thank you, I will count the teeth first and go from there

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  4. I too ordered the 58-gear suggested gear sets, and at least the gears on the shafts immediately adjacent to the main wheel ones are not in the set.

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    1. that post below was meant for you, forget to hit reply... check this out and you'll find the gear you need in the set you have - https://youtu.be/8lPQ3Iwdcnc

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    2. Well, I watched your video. Yes, there is a gear in the selection to match (after trimming) the small gear on the shaft of the 8:18 gear. However, there is NO matching gear to map the larger gear. There's only one with exactly the right size, but it differs in number of teeth.

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  5. you have to look a little closer and you'll find it because it's hidden... so I did make a video for this exact situation and you should be good to go again - https://youtu.be/8lPQ3Iwdcnc

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