Legacy Mogul Success Story

So Do you want to sell it now?

Not for $349!

I love a good ending... nice job. I'll have to see if I have any of those MTH traction tires, but mine seems to be running fine since Lionel serviced it after the initial issues.

Now I just need to figure out how to take better pics and movies.

Just sent you email!

The thing that really wowed me about the Mogul was the smoke, it's MTH level smoke!  Boy, that sucker is a SMOKER!  I turned it down to low and it's still filling the room!

It is a nice looking small loco.  A lot of work involved though, and I sort of have .  I love small locos but I think I will pass on doing the same.  

Surely is a GREAT looking loco, though, I must say - just a jewel. 

I am most certainly NOT in the market for one of these (or anything else named Mogul) but I admire your perseverance, explanation and the result! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Lee, for $349 I wanted one, and actually the effort wasn't all that much to get it running.  I admit, it could have been a total loser and I'd be out the money, but that's the risks you take.

Glad they arrived OK John. The bushings were actually undersize but likey the rods were egged out. In cases like than I place the bushing on the screw and use it to spread the rod back round as its screwed in.

It really only takes a few minutes once you have done one. 10 minutes to make the bushings, 5 minutes to put them in, another 5 minutes to remove the front drivers and install the tires. Swapping wheelsets front to back another 5 minutes.

Pete

Pete, I didn't see any deformity in the rods, and this was truly a virgin, it had never been powered up since it was built, I unpacked it from a sealed factory box.  The bushings are clamped by the rod screws, so they had to rotate freely in the rod.  It was no big deal to take my Cratex wheel and polish the outside as it rotated on a rod to take about .1mm off. 

The envelope actually arrived a day later than it should, it showed up in the USPS notification on Monday, but didn't make it until today.

Once I had taken everything apart a time or two, you're right, it's pretty quick to swap things around.  Being able to take the bottom plate off is very handy, it would be a giant PITA to work on the front drivers if you couldn't take them out.

Thanks again for the bushings, my little locomotive is all happy now.

Great story with a happy ending 

Alex 

And I have to thank you Alex, you made it all possible by sucking me in with that good price.

Pete,

How do you make the bushings?

@Tracker John posted:

Pete,

How do you make the bushings?

I have lathes and just use whatever brass I have handy. I would like to tell you there is some off the shelf tubing that would fit but I am not aware of any.

Pete

Awesome job John.

Pete, Do you have any particular lathe that you recommend for work on O Gauge trains.  Pat B.

Pat, for this just job pretty much any lathe will do, even the smallest Unimat.

I did this on my old (ca 1970) 6" Atlas lathe. I have a larger more accurate Rockwell too, also of some vintage. It just involved turning and drilling with checking to make sure I was close.

If I was looking for one to work on trains, the Sherline would do most of what I use my tools for. I got them to make motorcycle parts so needed larger equipment.

This is the part that was made only because Lionel is sold out of them. It was included in every Mogul prior to the Legacy engine.

Pete

I'm still at a loss as to how Lionel left this critical part out!  I'm not seeing all the oddities that were claimed for these, it runs really well.  The bushings and getting rid of the fat Lionel tires made it like a new locomotive.

gunrunnerjohn, have you featured your trains or layout here on the OGR Forum?  Though my built date reads: BLT 7-4-1946 Dallas, Texas, I'm a Fall Guy for the railroads of the Northeast* and New England.  I note that since you're a member of the North Penn O-Gaugers Modular RR Club I assume you model the railroads in this part of the U.S.A.  Please correct me if I'm wrong. 

73

Joe

*The Strasburg Rail Road is at the top of my favorites.  Really enjoy watching the live YouTube presentation when their x-NYC SW Diesel Switcher interchanges freight with the Norfolk Southern at Paradise.  This is where the ghost of the late great PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD still runs!