A tiny screw and bushing have been lost, leaving a drive drive rod flopping loose on my 3rd Rail CP 4-8-4 #3101. A thorough search, including vaccuum cleaner bin has not turned them up. 
What can be done to replace such small fittings? Contacted 3rd Rail a week ago. No reply.
So a $1200 engine is sidelined for such a trivial reason.
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A tiny screw and bushing have been lost, leaving a drive drive rod flopping loose on my 3rd Rail CP 4-8-4 #3101. A thorough search, including vaccuum cleaner bin has not turned them up.
What can be done to replace such small fittings? Contacted 3rd Rail a week ago. No reply.
How did you contact them? By phone or by eMail?
So a $1200 engine is sidelined for such a trivial reason.
No spare parts?
PSC Catalog (No 3.1) shows a assortment of Crank pin Screws, page 77. I could not find them in the on line catalog.
I would definitely wait till I could speak with 3rd rail. However is there a matching screw and bushing on the other side of the engine? A well stocked hardware store may have screws small enough to make repair, they are most likely metric threads. Good luck, Scott.
The same thing happened to me with my SP MT-4. I called them on the phone and they mailed me the screw I needed. Funny thing was when I looked in the box later on there was a spare eccentric rod screw in the box! Check your engine box too.
This is not going well at all! I have refrained from adding to the thread while trying to contact 3rdRail.
Emails to sdmann (Sep. 4) and to support (Sep 14) have gone completely unanswered. I have not been able to reach a human being this past Monday nor today, Wednesday, during their office hours. Just left a message on the secretary's line.
This is disappointing.
hello Terry Danks
I might have some extra screws for your engine as I have Sunset 3rd S.F. 5011 class
2-10-4 Texan. I strongly believe Sunset uses the same size screw/bolts for siderods
for many of its "O" scale brass engines. Can you take a few pictures of the missing
siderod screw and bushing of the driver that's missing and another picture of the driver
that has the screw/bushing in place ? On my S.F.5011's screw, there is a washer in the
siderod. Is the "bushing" a washer perhaps ? I have some of those too. I would like to
help you if I can. Don't give up and send some pictures and we can go from there.
Tiffany
Hi Terry, I thought I fowarded your request to Christopher a while ago. So I resent your request to him to get you the part. I copied you as well.
Scott - 38,000 above the pacific.
Going to inspect the F7s, they are done.
Hi Terry, I thought I fowarded your request to Christopher a while ago. So I resent your request to him to get you the part. I copied you as well.
Scott - 38,000 above the pacific.
Going to inspect the F7s, they are done.
Scott, you set the standard for customer service!!!
Thanks to those who replied to the thread.
I have now heard from 3rdRail and remitted payment for a replacement screw.
Still frustrated that I could not find the little critter! But, it is so tiny!
Thanks to those who replied to the thread.
I have now heard from 3rdRail and remitted payment for a replacement screw.
Still frustrated that I could not find the little critter! But, it is so tiny!
For what it's worth, I use a VERY strong, plastic covered magnet, and go over every inch of the tracks on the layout. You would be surprised what falls down into the ballast.
It's interesting to note that rod motion on the right side of a locomotive, engineer's side, tends to tighten the screws. Rod motion of the left side, fireman's side, tends to loosen the screws. Forward, assuming most motion is in forward. Reverse applies in Reverse. IMO. At one time Chrysler Corp did counter clockwise lug nuts on the left side/driver side of cars. Some of the mild lock-tite products may be in order.
Mike CT
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