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Fitting Wheelsets
Four 2mm diameter plain-ended axles are required. Pin-pointed ends should be
removed. If you are using ready-assembled wheelsets it will be necessary to remove
one of the wheels from the axle.
For discussion on the possible choices of wheels, see the
section of the
Technical Description page on the website.
Dismantle the four Bachmann wheelsets. Recover the four final drive gears and the
eight axle bearings. Discard the wheels and axles.
The eight Bachmann axle bearings need to be opened out to accommodate
differential movements of the axles in the suspension whilst at the same time
holding the drive gears in mesh and transmitting the tractive forces from the drive unit to
the axles.
Open out the internal diameters of each of the eight Bachmann axle bearings from 2.0
to about 2.1mm.
Hold each bearing in a chuck and drill through with a 2.1mm drill. Lubricating the drill,
e.g. with paraffin, will help.
The following operations check the differential movement between the drive train
and the bogie subframe. Repeat them for each bogie in turn.
Find the brass bogie subframe and bearing carriers for the bogie.
Taking the new axles one at a time, and with regard to the identification marks on the
bearing carriers and subframes, slide on to each axle a bearing carrier, two Bachmann
axle bearings and the second bearing carrier. Note that the ears at the tops of the
bearing carriers face outwards towards the ends of the axle.
Orientate the brass bogie subframe and the Bachmann drive unit. The socket for the
cardan shaft should face towards the inner end of the bogie.
Take the axles and clip them in to the drive unit using the Bachmann bearings. Fit the
drive unit into the subframe, engaging the four bearing carriers into the slots in the
subframe. Holding the drive unit with one hand and the subframe with the other, check
that the drive unit can move freely up and down relative to the subframe with the carriers
sliding in their slots. At rest the tops of the carriers will be level with the tops of the
subframes. The suspension is designed to deflect ±0.5mm, so the free movement needs to
be maintained both when the base of the drive unit is parallel with the base of the
subframe, and when one axle is raised up to 1mm with respect to the other. If there is
any binding when the units are parallel, check the movement of individual carriers in their
slots and correct as necessary. If there is binding when one axle is raised, open out the
Bachmann axle bearings just a fraction more, up to a maximum of 2.3mm.
Four-axle Bachmann Wheelsets
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27/09/2021
Summary of Contents for BACHMANN CLASS 24
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