You may remember the trouble I’ve had with my C&O Berk. Well, I sent it back to the dealer, and got it back yesterday. They confirmed that it was faulty, found that a part had worked loose on the flywheel and put it back together. I put it on the track, and it ran! For about 45 seconds. Then it did the exact same thing again. I called the dealer and they kept asking what kind of power source I was using. For some reason, they didn’t like that I was using a Gilbert 30B transformer. Now, all you high tech guys out there, tell me. What difference does it make on a locomotive that is supposed to be able to accept AC or DC power? My Polar Express runs just fine with the 30B, and I told them so. They’re sending me a return label. However, after I hung up, I gently shook the engine to hear anything loose. Nothing. I placed it upside down in a cradle to power it up with a small Gilbert transformer on my work bench, and lo and behold, it ran perfectly! I placed it back on the track (again using the 30B) and now it’s running great. I tried a smaller Gilbert transformer, an American Models transformer [with sound buttons, which by the way activate the bell and whistle, and even a MRC HO Power pack (DC)]. All operate the locomotive just fine. What’s wrong? Gremlins? Now, do I send it back, or keep it? I think I’ll keep it until something else goes wrong.
The second Berk is my Polar Express locomotive. It’s a good runner, in spite of the problems I’ve had with the rest of the set (cracked car shells, wrong steps, and light issues). But the locomotive runs great. The only thing amiss was the dim headlight. I could live with that. But I felt brave (or foolish enough to “void the warranty") and decided to remove the boiler front to see what was wrong with the LED. (BTW, thank you Carl for the great photos of the guts of the locomotive). The LED was not in the small hole that it’s supposed to be in. It looks like it’s held in place with a large dab of hot glue, which does NOT stick well to the inside of the boiler front. I tried re gluing it, and the stuff wouldn’t stick at all. Once it hardened, any slight movement broke it free. So I roughened up the inside paint with some sandpaper and tried it again being very careful in installing it. This time, it worked, and I now have a VERY bright headlight in my PE. Nice.
Now, the plus. This week, I also resurrected a Gilbert Northern that someone GAVE to me after it was discovered in an Illinois basement where it had been stored and knocked about for over 40 years. It’s a 332, but has a DC motor. After a thorough cleaning of the motor, replacing the brushes and re-facing the commutator, along with a de-rusting of the screws and piping, and replacing the broken coupler, it runs great! By the way, does anybody notice anything wrong with the lettering on the engineer’s side? It shows no signs of tampering, and the lettering on the fireman’s side is perfect. A “rare” factory error?
Now, of these three locomotives, which one gave me the most satisfaction? Which one would please YOU more? I know that it’s like comparing apples and oranges, but there’s room for all of them in my world.
