I have had an Overland B-1a for 15 yrs.or so. Original gearbox failed soon
and had to be replaced with a revised version. This was typical for this
model, as others I have heard from experienced the same problem. After
modifying the loco for "Onboard", I ran the engine quite a lot with heavy
varnish on my grades, which are tough, and had another gearbox failure. I
regeared the loco with a NW Shortline gearbox, and removed the "Onboard"
components, and have it running again. The regearing job was a long ordeal
for me, but the result was good.
I've had problems with almost all of my brass. I've had to rebuild almost
every one. At least half of them (I have 12 brass locos) have had to get new
gears or gearboxes (partly due to my 2+% grades and the long trains I run).
So I"m tough on my engines.
I think the B-1a is ok. I'm not one to pay much attention to detail, but I
think this one is pretty good. (It's the only engine I"ve got that has the
bell chord). Find out if the original gearbox is still in there. If not,
expect to replace it. By all means, buy it. The 7000's were great
locomotives!
D.Rale Reeves
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