Lionel 773 comes in for a Pittman swap ....Tales from Harmon shops

@Alex M posted:

Pat, WOW Beautiful work going on here. Larry is going to be one happy customer !

I'm actually building two older Hudson's that were originally Pullmor motors and old electronics. They were already fitted with Timko can motor's and i took over from there. They will eventually have newer electronics with fan driven smoke units, super chuffer's, and chuff generator's.

Thanks, Alex

Thanks to you too Alex!...you, Pete & John, ( I’m sure there’s others) have pushed me to do better & cleaner work.....not trying to one up anybody buddy, but I want my work to be as clean & neat as y’all do....some day, I hope to be as good as Pete ( Norton) that guy can fabricate stuff that still blows my mind.....you guys are not just fabricators or installers, y’all are true artisans...and that’s the level I want to be at....

Pat

@leapinlarry posted:

One thing evident in the picture above showing the motor install, the motor is well positioned. Great workmanship, looks like this 773 will be a great pulling performer. Although I’ve always been a fan of Lionels 773, (having owned a 1950 version) I’ve been blown away with the TMCC K-Line Hudson body and the add on detailing. These Hudson’s, revamped with quality installed Pittman motors are sure to be excellent pullers and with the new smoke units, sound boards, Chuffer units, ERR sound and 4 chuffs per revolution, simply awesome locomotives. Instead of shelf queens, they will be layout kings.  Thank You Harmonyards, wonderful craftsmanship. Larry Mullen, we are very blessed to see our steamers ready for duty. Please place some pictures of your layout on this thread so we can see where your Hudson’s going to run. Happy Railroading Everyone.

As mentioned, Larry, guys like Pat, Alex, Gunrunner John, Pete (and others) - we are so fortunate to have them!  I grew up running my dad's postwar trains around the Christmas tree and I was into that and MPC until about 2004/2005 when the scale engines started to catch my eye.  My dad was very fond of the Hudson (PW 773s) when I was growing up and I remember seeing my first one in 1982.  His reaction was similar to mine!  Anyway, when Lionel came out with this postwar celebration series version, I really wanted it, but I was a bit disappointed as to how it ran.  I love can motors!  I'm into classic cars but I'm not a huge fan of restomods but I get why they do it.  In this case, I wanted a restomod...keep the charm of yesteryear but have all of the bells and whistles under the hood.

Pat's work looks factory...better than factory.  Customer service leaves a lot to be desired these days unless Pat, Alex or GRJ is doing this work.  I was even asking Pat about some wiring issues I have on my MG that I  got back from the garage recently...it worked going in but not coming out.  The guy is a walking encyclopedia on things!

If I get it back before the Christmas train running season, I will most certainly take a video or two of it going around the Christmas tree. 

Here’s some small progress Larry’s 773 this evening.....got the gear box mesh how I want it, installed the couplers, and custom made the driveshaft....I polish the brass parts because I want to...😁....makes the job look that much cleaner.....

Pat

I think you should cut a window in the side of the boiler so we could see the shiny driveshaft!

Hey Pat,

About 1 1/2 months ago, your L&HRRR 4-8-2 Mountain R1 caught my eye. I believe that you used a NYC Mohawk steamer. If that's the case, I( saw a mohawk on e-bay really inexpensive. Could you advise me on what you used to build yours? The Mohawk that I saw was an L3 Class. I already have a centipede tender that I picked up at York some time ago.

Steam Forever

        John

@N&WY6b posted:

Hey Pat,

About 1 1/2 months ago, your L&HRRR 4-8-2 Mountain R1 caught my eye. I believe that you used a NYC Mohawk steamer. If that's the case, I( saw a mohawk on e-bay really inexpensive. Could you advise me on what you used to build yours? The Mohawk that I saw was an L3 Class. I already have a centipede tender that I picked up at York some time ago.

Steam Forever

        John

Yep,..I used an 18009 Mohawk as the base model for the L&HR  R1,...either one of the L3’s will do...either 18009 or 18064 will be a suitable platform....it’s not 100% accurate, but it’s darn close to an R1...you will need to swap out the alligator type cross heads for multiple bearing ( Laird) type...and of course, I added valve detail like the stems and guides that aren’t found at all on either L3 ....if you decide to build one, I did write down the recipe...😉

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

Thanks to you too Alex!...you, Pete & John, ( I’m sure there’s others) have pushed me to do better & cleaner work.....not trying to one up anybody buddy, but I want my work to be as clean & neat as y’all do....some day, I hope to be as good as Pete ( Norton) that guy can fabricate stuff that still blows my mind.....you guys are not just fabricators or installers, y’all are true artisans...and that’s the level I want to be at....

Pat

Pat, I love your work and i feel the same way.I learned so much from,

Mike Reagan, Marty Fitzhenry, Pete, GRJ,Bruk, so many more ,and now you! never too old to learn something new. That's what's so great about this forum!!!

Thanks, Alex

Wow, Harmonyards, I found it, page 41 of this forum. Now, his is Larry’s, the other Larry, hudson coming along? I think the J1e Hudsons are beautiful locomotives and Lionel and Kline and MTH made some good ones. However, they work better after they’ve been serviced at the Harmon Shops. Happy Railroading Everyone

So, now that I’ve found this thread, what adds are you giving this 773, like, 4 chuffs per revolution, Gunrunner Johns smoke system, better crew talk/towercom verbage, better speaker in the tender, etc., as with the Pittman motor this hudson will be a good puller and a top performer. Happy Railroading Everyone

@leapinlarry posted:

So, now that I’ve found this thread, what adds are you giving this 773, like, 4 chuffs per revolution, Gunrunner Johns smoke system, better crew talk/towercom verbage, better speaker in the tender, etc., as with the Pittman motor this hudson will be a good puller and a top performer. Happy Railroading Everyone

The “other Larry’s “ Hudson is getting the big Pittman, 4 chuffs, fan smoke, ( it’s already equipped with somewhat fan smoke)  we’re going to retain the factory IR tether, and the stock OE sounds, ....Larry’s plan is to keep it looking like a 773 from the postwar era, ( toy like whimsical charm ) with some subtle upgrades,.....A nice headlight, reflector, & lens ( like yours ) some nice cab details, and more appreciate looking figures in the cab, ...If you look further up the thread, I’ve relieved Guido and Sal of railroad duties, and they’re gamefully employed at the Deli at Croton, ....when I found those two guys in the cab of Larry’s 773, those guys looked like they were getting ready to pull a pizza out of the firebox, rather than running the locomotive 😄

Pat

Harmonyards, Thank You for the great information, I’m sure the other Larry is like myself, very happy. I do not know which model of 773 he has, mine is the Century Club offering. (6-18058, I think) We will upgrade mine when you get caught up and I’m thinking mine needs a better sound system, better smoking system, actually the works. Thank you very much.

How long is the Pittman 9433F686?

The Lionel *Pittman(s)* ~ below... one of these is the Pittman 9433L187 (does the L stand for Lionel)?

6108080100 DC MOTOR / PITTMAN / 15.1V / 61mm (2.401575")

6208066100 DC MOTOR / PITTMAN / 15.1V / 56mm (2.204724")

@Dennis-LaRock posted:

How long is the Pittman 9433F686?

The Lionel *Pittman(s)* ~ below... one of these is the Pittman 9433L187 (does the L stand for Lionel)?

6108080100 DC MOTOR / PITTMAN / 15.1V / 61mm (2.401575")

6208066100 DC MOTOR / PITTMAN / 15.1V / 56mm (2.204724")

9433F686 is a 55X40 mm motor, as are all 9433 family. 9434XXXX family are all 60X40 mm ....The L does not indicate Lionel, these are factory Pittman codes for either on the shelf motors, or customer specific applications. The 55 mm motor is a perfect fit for the Pulmor equipped Hudsons, this allows me to retain the factory mounting points in the rear, and maintain the Hudson’s back head if so equipped,.....please be advised, this is not a a swap for the faint of heart, there is a lot of cutting and machining involved on the chassis and the boiler shell to make it fit.....but the rewards are worth the sweat. With a properly tuned chassis, a large Pittman ( 55mm is fine) these Hudsons can handle 18 Heavyweights on level track for hours and never break a sweat doing it,....try that with a pulmor and you can fry an egg on the field stack,...😉

Pat

Well... I've never ever been accused of being feint of heart ...bull headed, stupid, now that's an entirely different classification.  The only tool I'm lacking is a lathe.  Do you want another project?

@Dennis-LaRock posted:

Well... I've never ever been accused of being feint of heart ...bull headed, stupid, now that's an entirely different classification.  The only tool I'm lacking is a lathe.  Do you want another project?

Sure, I’ll help you with it, ...there’s a few in front of you, but I should be caught up here soon,....you can get a hold of me, we’ll go from there,....

Pat

I am watching this post with GREAT interest! I also have a Lonel Century Club Hudson that is still N.I.B .  I would love to upgrade it for more pulling power as I run long trains and don't want to abuse it , and I DO have an income tax refund coming so...

Pat,  Have you received my emails?  I'm not in a hurry just curious...

@Dennis-LaRock posted:

Pat,  Have you received my emails?  I'm not in a hurry just curious...

Hey buddy, found your email, you went to spam,....I’ve added you to contacts so you won’t wind up in the trash,...😆😆😆

Pat

My life story...

Happy New Year Harmonyards, Pat, and may “2021” be the best year yet as we get our trains ready for Fun. It’s a true blessing to have folks that can re-make our trains (Locomotives) to be top fun to run performers, because running our trains is relaxing and when they operate flawlessly, it’s most enjoyable. I can see the Hudson pulling many passenger cars to unknown destinations, non stop fun, Wow.  Thank you for making this the best hobby in the world, Model Railroading, the excitement is flowing. Happy Railroading Everyone.

Wow, I found this interesting thread to, wondering how the progress is coming along with the Pittman motor makeover, and other adds? This 773 is a beautiful locomotive and I hope there will be a short video of this in action to. There’s nothing like hudsons. Happy Railroading Everyone.

Wow, this thread made it to page 28, it’s also very interesting abd should be read by all one more time. I would love to hear the outcome of this Lionel 773, how it runs and performs now. I bet it runs fantastically around Larrys layout and hopefully there will be another video of this iconic Lionel locomotive. Harmonyards, the Harmon Shops, are amazing. I’m glad I found this thread as my iPad is dying.... Happy Railroading Everyone.

I am hoping to see this projects finale as I love Lionels 773 locomotives. J1e Hudsons are just fun to watch while running. Thank you for this thread to. Happy Railroading Everyone

@leapinlarry posted:

I am hoping to see this projects finale as I love Lionels 773 locomotives. J1e Hudsons are just fun to watch while running. Thank you for this thread to. Happy Railroading Everyone

The other Larry is next on the chopping block!......I’d say I’m not rushing retirement from my day job, .....but I’m really excited to get in the R.R. shop full time, and build locomotives!.......then I’ll be able to knock out these big jobs a whole lot quicker!......and have a lot less stress too!...

Pat

Wow, Harmonyards, I’m going to watch this thread to as you begin working on the other Larrys 773. It’s so exciting. Tales from the Harmon Shops, always thrilling. Happy Railroading Everyone

All right, I found this great thread once again, and I’m so excited for Larry Mullen as he will be a happy camper like I am. When I first started seeing the ideas and great work Pat was doing on my K-Kine hudson with TMCC, I was so amazed. Seeing the beautifully fitted Pittman motor in the back of this 773 is so cool, the shiny drive shaft, a Wow. I want to see a video of this 773 when Pat gets to that stage. I know from my own experience that Larry #2 will be well pleased, because my hudson runs, smokes, chuffs, sounds, looks, all the adds, is Fantastic, I know Pat, The Harmon Shops, are extremely busy, but it’s going to be neat seeing this Locomotive in action to. Happy Railroading Everyone

I’m reviving this thread because I’m interested to see how the progress is going, I bet it’s going to be a great running hudson. The Harmon Yards are the best. Happy Railroading Everyone

Open heart surgery or, better yet, a heart transplant! Long live the Train Doctor. LOL, Arnold