Innards and repairs of an MTH Premier SF 4-8-4

Hello BigBoy4014...

I loved late Santa Fe steam locomotives as i have Sunset 3rd S.F.5011 class 2-10-4 and

wished it had a fan driven smoke unit.  This engine is my strongest puller almost 4 pounds of pull. The key is to balance the driver sets. I had H.O. Scale brass United (PFM) 2-10-4

in the 1980's. I could put the fan driven smoke unit in but not sure which model to use.

Tiffany

Sam,

    Front Marker light harness, lights are dead!, how to replace, buy new complete harness from MTH or replace bulbs?

Before replacing any lights, you should first verify that the board isn't the problem. If the marker FETs on the board have failed, they are sending track voltage straight to the markers, and will also blow any replacements.

Using a limiting resistor of about 150-300 ohms test the marker LEDs with a 9V battery.  Red to positive.  If they are dead, you need to get a MTH replacement harness, though yellow seems to be a tough fill for MTH.

They are LEDs not bulbs.  Since this has a mux board, there could be other issues causing harness not to light.  Mux issue, wire issue, PS-2 board issue.  So lets find out if they are dead first.  G

Thx Barry, I'll check the marker output coming from the board with a DC meter.

Thx George. I did know MTH was using LEDS but I did not know when they started using them and certainly did not know my model has LEDs. I can use any LEDs that will fit as long as they are not Red . I can use the stock harness...the rear red marker lights work and respond to DCS on/off..

Ahem; just to put in a bit on "marker lights":

- on the front they are called "classification"or "class" lights - never "marker" 

- on the rear (tender) they are "marker" lights, and are red, or off (these are "taillights",

and are only on if the tender is the last car in a train, as in, for example, a pusher situation)

- the class lights may be white (running extra), green (second section is coming) or red

(when loco is backing up, essentially), or Off

- most of the time on most RR's these lights, both ends, were Off. 

- I actually disconnect mine, often, as I don't like the "decorated" look.

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No one cares about all this, but it just bugs me, and it comes up sometimes, but in most situations your loco's marker (rear) and class (front) lights should simply be Off, and in the steam era, during daylight, except at the very end, on some roads, that steamer's headlight should be Off, too.  

How are markers light when the train is lashed up!  Actually, it is good to be reminded of the proper terminology, but marker is quicker to type than classification.

It is weird, MTH has been using yellow in some models too.   G

Depending on the RR and location, yellow can mean "in the clear", like there are stopped on a siding, in the clear for a passing train. Why MTH would use that...who knows as that would mean the train is stopped.

No hijacking here...LOL

IT is a beauty...

I suspect the boiler has room inside for any small MTH unit. IF you can take the boiler off, and take some shots, some one will recommend something. May be the smoke unit you see in my MTH loco will fit...Give it a try. It deserves a synch smoke unit!!!!

Thank you for posting these.  Your photos are quite interesting. The ATSF 2900 class and the very similar 3765 and 3776 classes are my favorite locos. I have a 3rd-Rail 2929 and then this MTH locomotive shown in the photo below, which I prefer.  

I bought mine about seven or eight years ago, and it very well used at the time but I got a good price.  I was told it was a scale model, very early PS1, but made before the Premier name was used for MTH's largest, most detailed locos.  I don't really know if that is true.  Regardless it was the only scale 2900 I could find at the time, being new in O gauge and wanting a 2900 as one of my first locos, I didn't care.  It ran and smoked but not well, and finally died (three clanks of death).  Rather than convert it to PS2 or PS3, I converted it to Legacy by transplanting the entire chassis from a Lionel 3751 into the boiler shell (the later 3751 class had the same drivers, wheelbases, etc., as the 2900s) and moving all the electronics and speaker from the Legacy tender into the MTH.  There was plenty of room for all the Lionel equipment and the result is a splendid model that runs very well and looks spectacular.  Still, I hope MTH updates this casting to PS3 soon: I will be first in line for one or two. Incidentally, if your loco uses the same casting as mine (looks to be the same) it is actually not scale, but 3/8 inch too long: apparently MTH used the same casting on my 2900 class as for their model of the 5012 class (mine are identical), which was very similar but 18 inches longer, mostly in the firebox area.  As a result it looks just a tad handsomer than the 3rd Rail model, I think!

Lee, that is a great collection of SF...Thx for the pix.