Mainline 03 shunter.....
 

Hi everyone,
can anyone help me please?
i have an old mainline 03 that i converted to air pipes etc and now the motor has packed up! :(
i got in touch with Bachmann and they were no help.
where on earth can i get a spare motor for please?
i dont want to buy a brand new bachmann 04 shunter just for its motor as its nearly £40 quid !
any help please would be greatly appreciated.

Hi KB,

I reckon your best bet would be to check on the second hand traders who you will find at exhibitions and heritage railways. OO gauge isn't my sphere of interest, but I did notice that a lot of Mainline stuff was for sale at Barrow Hill last year. It's just a case of looking and hoping!

Does the Bachmann 04 motor fit your Mainline 03 or do you need to replace the chassis as well?
If you only require the motor, surely Bachmann or one of their dealers would sell you one?

not sure swiss. if the motor does not fit then i would have to keep the 04 chassis and remove the wheels and pu the 03's on it.
as i said in my message above, bachmann were no help at all.
one dealer wanted £28 just for the 04 chassis ! yeah right. i was in 2 minds as to get that. NOT !
thanks swiss

Have you tried contacting:

Bill Mossop
MB Models
32 Conery Gardens
Whatton in the Vale
Notts
NG13 9FD
01949 850063

I have no experience of them but their name keeps popping up in 00 forums whenever people are looking for obscure spares.

nope, never heard of this one.
i will give them a call tomorrow and see what happens.
thanks

Don't buy any replacements from the Bachmann chassis as it differs size-wise & mechanically from the Mainline original. As i see it, you have two options:

1) Unscrew the chassis from the body, then unscrew the plastic keeper plate from the bottom of the chassis. The usual cause is that the metal halves of the chassis are very brittle, some of it has broken off & is jamming the geartrain. This metal normally fractures around the jackshaft, if this has happened, that's the end of your 03. If not, apply power direct to the terminals on the motor to check if the motor is u/s or not. If either the motor or the chassis frames are knacked, then -

2) Look out for a 2nd hand Bachmann example as a complete replacement, you should be able to get one for £25ish.

Dave.

To add to this, the replica railways version has a common chassis to the Mainline original.

Dave