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@bluelinec4 posted:

Hi Guys   I haven't posted in awhile because I am so busy   Just wanted to post a picture of what I am working on

 

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LOL! Same here! Our local craft brewery burned down the day after Memorial Day. They are still brewing and selling their beers at a weekly farmer’s market. Saturday morning I wake up and go to market to support they’re rebuilding efforts. This gets repeated every Saturday!

Last edited by NYC Z-MAN

Finally got around to repairing some stuff I've had for a loooooong time. Many years ago I drove a box truck for Goodwill thru the city streets of Madison, WI, to pick up donations on house calls. Much to my pleasure, folks would often donate a box full of Lionel trains! So I loaded them in to the truck, then when back at the plant, I made my way with an armload of trains to the pricing dep't and took home some more goodies!

So that's my way of saying I just unpacked a box with two 2046W tenders, a 234W tender, a 2026, 671, 229 and a 2020 steamer, plus a couple of tank cars that look especially nice. These were the pick o' the crop in this box - got quite a few more boxes that I'm looking forward to going through! I'm in heaven!

Ran into the first time I couldn't fit my Chuff-Generator on the motor in the standard mounting.  The clearance around the motor in this Williams brass Pacific is just too close to allow it to fit.  Fortunately, last year I was thinking about a situation like this and made a little board that just has the flywheel sensor to make things smaller.  I could fit my mini-sensor board under the driveshaft and just mount the Chuff-Generator remotely.  First time I've had occasion to use the little board, but now I'm glad I thought of it back then.

Chuff-Generator Remotely Mounted

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John, that is just amazing. One thing my late uncle used to say before started some jobs, "Let me think about this one for a bit before I start tearing stuff apart." He would see stuff coming a mile a way most times(unless someone mistakenly did something to mess up what he was going to work on).

Lots of good stuff in here, Alex did up my Niagara a while ago, good to see more of the bits that go into it.

Really like the dimples you're putting in the rods Pete.

Can't wait to more of what's in the works.

@UKE KAT posted:

 

Lionchief Plus Mikado...smoke unit issues...the fan works, but no smoke, so guessing the heating element is the problem. Think I’ll be ordering a new replacement smoke unit? Anything I should be checking before I do? Ideas are appreciated.

0946A3DB-FEF8-4B59-BD78-828667101422

No need to buy a complete unit. Its either the resistor or the circuit driving the resistor. Do as Rod suggested and check the resistor. Also turn the sound off and see if you can hear the fan running.

Pete

Last edited by Norton

I have several undecorated cars: harriman baggage, 50' cushion underframe boxcars, a tank car, and a wood single sheathed boxcar to paint and letter.  I will not be able to get to any of these projects until November, but here is some of the art work that is still in progress.  

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  I have made progress on my work bench area and thought I would share my progress.

 Power cords from all the different tools were a constant problem, so I picked up a couple of electrical boxes from Home Depot and built a useful power bar that was compact and out of the way to compliment the new shelf, which will hold a hair dryer, Dremel tool, soldering gun and cordless 3/8” drill.

    I had some 1/2” MDF board in the garage and made a shelf for screwdrivers/power tools  and 2 stands for a drill bits.
   Still lots of parts sorting to do with all the misc bits from projects of the past.

  Hopefully, I will soon get back to my GP7 conversions to Kadees/fixed pilot and started on my recently acquired Atlas GP9 s

Al

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 This probably does not deserve to be in this thread as what's going on in my makeshift workspace is just a glorified tire change. But the set of which this unit is part has no fewer than 12 traction tires and getting them all off and on as a practical matter requires removing the body shells:

IMG_0643

This is an MTH UP coal turbine 3 unit set (ALCO lead control unit, turbine B unit and tender). In fact this was a conversion of the first conventional Protosound version to PS2, which was done for me by Mike R. and Phil when they were still with TAS. In fact as you might be able to tell from the photo, this conversion put a second sound system in the B unit, which is so much better than the latest and almost certainly last MTH PS3 version that only has sound in the lead unit. I remember it was Phil who suggested installing the extra sound after he took it apart. 

4 motors, 10 powered axles and 3 smoke units call for occasional heavy duty maintenance although this engine, known to my family as "Ol' Smoky" for obvious reasons, is generally only run on ceremonial occasions:

Ol_Smoky_2018

In all the years I have had this, I think I have only had both the powered units apart 3 times and the first of these was right after I got it back from the conversion, when the B unit simply would not start up at all. That turned out to be shipping damage as the front mount of the B unit PS2 board had cracked and the main wiring connector was dislodged. My Heath Robinson repair got it running and it has been reliable ever since.

It does rumble around the track like a giant dinosaur and I have no problem with the fact that the prototype was a failure, largely because trying to burn pulverized coal damaged the turbine. 

(P.S. All evidence of recreational beverages, bottle(s), glassware etc. was removed from the vicinity before the photo was taken!)

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New victim, a TMCC JLC Challenger getting an upgrade.  Super-Chuffer, Chuff-Generator, and also the Cruise Commander M.  Of course, a smoke unit tune-up to give it decent smoke is also part of the upgrade. 

Almost done, just have to get the chip LED into the headlight and then solder all the wires to the Super-Chuffer and we're ready to hit the rails.

JLC Challenger S-C Upgrade

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Last edited by gunrunnerjohn

My JLC Allegheny does not seem to have this issue, but I have no access to my pictures of the engine at the moment, to see what it's funnel actually looks like.

One solution is a fabricated brass collector-distributor like the one I made recently for the Lionmaster Challenger. It works great, but it is crazy time consuming to make. There is no way you could charge a customer enough to make it worthwhile IMO.

Another option is a 3d printed version like the one Bruk did for an LM Bigboy I think it was. But I dont know if he is prepared to do custom designs for sale to other people. And he would need some key dimensions off the current funnel to do the design.

just some thoughts,

Rod

Well, the smoke output is actually dependent on the tuning and/or type of smoke unit.  The Super-Chuffer is controlling the fan and doing some lighting enhancements, but it's not determining the volume of smoke.

Here's an upgrade that is using the MTH smoke unit and the Super-Chuffer.  This is what is possible.

Really nice work John - Love that smoke!

Hi Alex,

I didn’t realize Lionel used Buhler motors; they are well engineered German products. Depending upon the model of motor, average life expectancy can be from 600 to 4000 hours.

Can you tell if this just wore out near it’s expected lifespan or if it was shorted or otherwise mis-used?

Mack

John and Mack, 

They're very reliable motors, this engine has something funny going on. The DCDS motor driver is shot, and the  Buhler is burnt up inside. It even had parts floating around inside, so i will definitely have to replace it. 

John, thanks for the offer on the Pittman, customer 100 percent wants all original parts, the way it came from the factory.

Once i replace the motor and motor driver, I'm sure something else will be wrong. Seems someone had their hands inside this engine in the past . 

Alex

I see your beverage, Ben (bluelinc4) and raise you something that is German!  Whats on my workbench?  A bunch of RR signs that I removed

( and will reinstall) from my lil' barn so I could powerwash it yesterday in 100 degree heat!

Also....waiting on cooler temps...my dads old cash register that I'll finish renovating. Then some train mucking about type o' repair...

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Last edited by redjimmy1955

Have an older weaver rs3 I'm trying to get running without much luck so far. Have to give it 10 volts just to move, runs very rough, and the drive shaft keeps coming off the pittman motor. It appears to have a Dallee board. Anybody have any tips? Would the shell fit on a lionel chassis? I have tried oiling rotating points and use some light grease on the gear tower with no improvement.

 

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Not offered in diecast that I know of, on the bench is a Lehigh & Hudson River R1 4-8-2 ....this was made from a Lionel Mohawk, lots of leftover MTH parts, some scratch built parts, and some PSC parts....Tender WAS a MTH UP tender that was clearly too tall,..so first order of business was to split it length wise, and graft the two halves back together to get the correct tender height...then had to ditch all the Mohawks crosshead and guides in favor of laird cross heads, and better looking valve linkages courtesy of some spare MTH chassis I have laying around,...next a custom smoke box cover with correct lights, and a much better looking headlight/reflector/lens arrangement....and of course, a big ol’ fat Pittman....😁............Pat0C2E015E-D891-4D94-B3B3-810F716655800DA61516-C466-40D5-BF19-B79160D3ADD93111F55C-480C-49FD-AFE3-12C8F220F21FFE863A45-8001-482D-8444-001AC9EFE9398422CDE1-C756-4EC5-8EC7-B5B80E07704F5B05E773-3F8B-4EAA-9238-550C2BAA33622D41D438-2592-43C9-B276-E84245D3BEA07EF28A5E-9F07-4F60-97E5-DA7168AD6A9018BBE763-D706-45FA-AB27-3ABF6DE1481E2EC2F58D-0F49-40CD-AF75-0B4BD1AF37DC38D52581-25B3-412A-9AD4-EE3F58CDD74513399E18-1E6A-4E19-8163-9C0D4AEE48778FB74BED-8FB2-4DE7-BF78-F3B96DFA29047AB468B2-5CE5-4371-B0C6-6B4F091F4BE023B19443-B1DF-4EEC-86DB-95310B4F90902E45EC9B-630E-4F28-9B7F-F898D63E4CAE29C6F10E-6832-4B05-900F-05C1E57ADBBB910A6E49-E1E7-4031-9710-02B9809EC8E029C4E14E-65C2-41A3-9967-F40A490A26671DC3F34B-8BE6-47D8-814F-48127D8B8736580E5509-08E4-4612-9B89-84CEDE32F06BD983F74A-E641-42AD-AB95-D54DAC00A936D3AD61AF-63CD-4BF9-8134-F76E730E7EF4D3C4661B-83DC-4B46-946B-CC6451B969D6AA9A33C4-FDFD-4306-835E-5F2C0EFA143F

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@Darrell the nylon that Weaver used in the drivetrains of those locos was not fully "cured," and it tended to shrink over time, usually splitting on the metal shaft.  You may have one or more of the following problems:

(1) The universal joint collar (sometimes called a "helmet") is split, and no longer has a good grip on the motor shaft.

(2) One or both of your chain sprockets is split, so the spacing between the teeth is no longer constant.  The motor is straining to overcome the increased resistance, and this causes the main drive shaft collar to spin on the motor shaft.

(3) One or more of your axle gears is split, which may cause increased or uneven friction down in the truck.  This causes inordinate resistance in the drivetrain, leading to slipping of the motor shaft.

All of the parts for this drivetrain are probably still available from P&D hobby shop.  Even Weaver brought out an improved version of this drivetrain before they were done with it.  The updated version had a flywheel on the motor, and white nylon sprockets that were less prone to cracking.  The flywheel makes a huge difference, and is a really worthwhile upgrade no matter what.  It can be a little tricky to press one on yourself.

Your options are to order a bunch of new parts from P&D, or find a slightly newer Weaver (the black box mk2 version of this drivetrain) as a parts donor.  These remain the best-looking RS3's in 3-rail, and will run very smoothly if you have the patience to tweak them and sort them out.  But they're not durable or great pullers, not a lot of room to add sound, etc.  Since this was made, MTH, Atlas, and Lionel have also offered the Alco RS with speed control, sound, operating couplers, etc.  Unless this loco has a ton of sentimental value, I might just save my money for a newer model.  My $.02.

Last edited by Ted S

You guys are way above my pay grade.

I am just removing my Lionel Southern Pacific  AC-12 from its box. 6-38071.  After last years taxes were done, it was an expensive purchase and has sat in its box for over a year. Purchased used with very little run time on it, the first operating session revealed why it had so little run time. It runs like cra... um... poorly - jerking and herking, loping along.

Hope I can figure it out.

Last edited by RoyBoy

Thanks @Ted S, gives me things to check. No chain in this loco, the tower has 3 gears leading to the truck gear. I think I will disconnect the drive shaft to the rear truck and see if that narrows down the problem area.

 Well just found the problem, the drive tower is cracked almost all the way through. So it either binds the gears or makes them not mesh at all depending on which way you are driving them.

Last edited by Darrell

@Darrell  wow your original photo wasn't super-clear, I see it now.  If yours has gears instead of a chain then it was either modded by a prior owner, or it's a rare early variant (and not too successful.)

If the gear tower is the only thing that's cracked, you're lucky.  Check out this link: https://www.finescale360.com/p...?variant=43786730894

This aftermarket gear tower should be a "drop in" replacement for your existing one.  The large lower sprocket also increases the gear ratio for excellent slow-speed performance.  I would still add a flywheel.  You can get one from Northwest Short Line (NWSL), from MTH parts, etc.  If you can't find a flywheel with a bored recess that accommodates the U-joint collar, then substitute a dual-shaft motor and put the flywheel on the opposite shaft.  It will work just as well.  You might need to file a little flat spot(s) onto the motor shaft for the set screw to grip.

 EDIT: After looking more closely, I don't think the replacement tower kit includes the upper shaft.  You may or may not be able to fit the upper sprocket on yours in place of the gear.  If it doesn't fit on yours, you'll have to order a new upper shaft from P&D.  You'll have to order some chain from P&D, or directly from the company that makes it, Serv-o-link.  You can also get dual-shaft Pittman motors from P&D.  Good luck!

Last edited by Ted S

Thanks for all the links @Ted S ! This is turning out to be some project! The loco was a custom run for the Gadsden Pacific Division toy train museum in Arizona and it did come in a black box. I'm thinking the drive tower was modified at some point to enhance  low speed operation. I have been slowly collecting the yearly museum cars which are mostly lionel custom run ore cars so wanted the matching loco to pull them with.

 

Thanks WinstonB, ....I stumbled across the L&HR looking for a road name to use a for a Decapod I’m putting together....( only to find out they didn’t have any ).........got totally immersed in the L&HR......and had to make an R1 ...figured a Mohawk would be a good candidate for the job....my buddy Lou (Lou1985) looked at the prototype with me, and said it looked like a squashed down big boy tender behind that locomotive....that’s why I had to section that tender shell.....everything else was fairly simple.....I think I wound up taking 11/32” out of the center ....or close to it......Pat

Last edited by harmonyards

Pat

You are a master craftsman; good to see your recent work.

Just sort of messing around today.

1: Like most of us, my hearing isn't what it used to be: age and been in too many rock n roll bands, I guess. Anyway, I find that the "bell" and "whistle" sounds are at just the right/wrong frequency to be harsh and annoying. I have turned them down as low as I can and still have them work, but it's not pleasant. I wanted to dampen the sound, so I got out some of these:

72657266

...just the right size. I simply removed the body, loosened the speaker, tucked one up under said speaker and re-assembled. Still works, but is much more pleasing to these ears. 

2: The very small (I would think S scale) couplers on the front of my TMCC steamers has always troubled me. I just got some Max Gray couplers so I took one and modified it (original on right):

7261

... to more or less match the Lionel (on left):

7262

Before:

7263

After:

7264

Even though it looks large, the Max Gray is (obviously) "correct" O scale. Now to correct my other locos...

Not much I know, but these little projects were fun and easy...and they worked!  

Mark in Oregon

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@harmonyards posted:

Oops ...missed the one of it all together ...here’s the R1 sitting on the rails....this will get a full ERR compliment soon enough...here’s the link to the prototype.....https://www.railarchive.net/randomsteam/lhr10.htm             Pat89D2C420-539D-460A-BE7C-D7354DC62104

Wow Pat, and I thought I did something special shoving a smoke unit inside my SS Niagara. Lots of good work here.

I'm still trying to figure out if these two brass looking prods are where I would hook up coil couplers on this Liontech system. I was sent a diagram of a later version of TMCC. this Is like a year before that. this engine is 1995 and the diagram I got matches my 1996 NYC 18563. I do not see 

Okay, I have found B it is next to the blue box. But nothing I can read is beyond that going towards the right. Now the two red wires from the board are front light and rear light. So I'm guessing the two metal posts/pins pointing up that kinda brass color in the middle between the headlights and that blue box. does anybody know for sure. I can't see  d,c,e,f, 

IMG_0582

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Bill, I'm pretty sure yours has an LCRU in it, the original TMCC board. The newer version LCRU2 has a 6 pin molex connector on the end of the board with the heat sinks, just to make the distinction. The wires to your motor, pickup rollers and ground are all hard-wired to the board. The Front/Rear couplers, the headlight, strobe, and the prog/run switch all connect to the pins as shown below

LCRU1_wiring_w_pin_names_DIESEL

I think you said yours had a strobe, so it would be this one:

LCRU1_wiring_w_pin_names_DIESEL_W-MARS

George

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@Strummer......thanks Mark, ,....I wasn’t sure what you were up to with the cotton pads....for a second I thought you were going to pack your ears with them!..😆😆😆😆....thanks for the comments!.

@Engineer-Joe.....thanks buddy, ....your work is beautiful too...I’m always in awe of you guys....namely, you, Pete, John, Alex ( who started this thread) Bob2,.. and a whole host of others.......I’m small potatoes...😉

Pat

@GeoPeg posted:

Bill, I'm pretty sure yours has an LCRU in it, the original TMCC board. The newer version LCRU2 has a 6 pin molex connector on the end of the board with the heat sinks, just to make the distinction. The wires to your motor, pickup rollers and ground are all hard-wired to the board. The Front/Rear couplers, the headlight, strobe, and the prog/run switch all connect to the pins as shown below

LCRU1_wiring_w_pin_names_DIESEL

I think you said yours had a strobe, so it would be this one:

LCRU1_wiring_w_pin_names_DIESEL_W-MARS

George

thanks once talking to you on phone it confirmed what I thought

@harmonyards posted:

my buddy Lou (Lou1985) looked at the prototype with me, and said it looked like a squashed down big boy tender behind that locomotive....that’s why I had to section that tender shell.....everything else was fairly simple.....I think I wound up taking 11/32” out of the center ....or close to it......Pat

I mean it also helps when someone has a Big Boy tender shell and chassis sitting around to experiment with .  

I just finished my Premier ATSF 2900 class Northern and already have another project. I already have a massive Premier ATSF 5011 class Texas with PS2 3V. 

20200727_22191720200727_221935

A friend (where I get my projects from) found an earlier PS2 5V 5011 class that had been around the shop a bit. Banged up from kicking around the MTH parts departments as a donor or warranty return it looked worse for wear, missing all electronics, motor, flywheel, and worm shaft. Friend was able to add a worm, flywheel, and a nice big 9234 roller bearing Pittman motor. Also threw in a ATSF Blue Goose tender chassis, and I sourced a Lionel ATSF 20K gallon tender shell. Ended up with this pile of parts.

20200727_213715

Now if you're an ATSF guy you might know where this is going. I already have a 5011 class Texas. I don't like to own duplicate models of the same locomotive (ok except the 3 Premier ATSF 3460 class Hudsons I own) so this Texas needed to be different. I got inspiration from this article: https://oscalekings.org/WP/gar...f-2-10-4-class-5001/

No one has made a ATSF 5001 class Texas in 3 rail O, so I'm going to make my own. I've already sourced the major components and an outside bearing pilot truck. The model is sitting like this now.

20200727_21375520200727_213847

I'm going for accuracy, but some things won't be perfect, such is 3 rail. The 5011 class Boxpok drivers will remain as there are no equivalent size 3 rail Baldwin disc drivers like the 5001 class used. There will be other changes to match the prototype. The number boards will be relocated to the sand dome like on a 5001 class. The stack is going to be changed to the proper flip stack. No one makes the correct ATSF hand operated flip stack so my friend Pat, @harmonyards, is going to machine the proper stack out of brass, once I get him the correct measurements. I have to knock the incorrect stack out of the boiler first and take measurements. Locomotive will be numbered 5009 and it'll have PS3, so I can double head it with my 5011 class Texas if I want. It will be one of one when it's done. Only 3 rail 5001 class Texas. 

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Last edited by Lou1985
@harmonyards posted:

Not as awful as one would think,....an evening to figure it all out, half a day to make it all fit....the evening was just to say to myself, “ am I really going to do this??” ....😁

Pat

Hmmm ... some would agree with you, others like me are fraught with indecision, brought on by years of making wrong ones, plus a lack of experience in soooo many train repairs/upgrades/modifications which quickly leads to the "make every mistake you can" syndrome. The only redeeming factor is that I do enjoy it so!

Totally awesome that you can keep track of so many projects at once! Given my propensity for losing and mixing parts, I have learned to keep each one of my projects in just-right-sized plastic containers, which I stole from my grandson - he mixes his Legos with his Lincoln Logs, and a plethora of Minecraft figures, etc., so his are all now in a very large tote!

To regain the topic, I just wrapped up a 224 repair, a 261 repair, in the middle of a 671 repair, and have a very clean 2020 running around the test track, needing just minor touch-up! Steamer Days!

Just wrapped up a TMCC upgrade of this little jewel.  This is the SMR General Haupt, an actual scale model of a General locomotive.  The electronics are in the trailing boxcar, no way it fits in either of these pieces!

SMR General Haupt

As an interesting contrast, here's how much larger the MTH RK General is when compared to a true scale model.  The General locomotives were really small!

MTH General vs. SMR General Haupt

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Last edited by gunrunnerjohn

Today it was raining too much to haul my table materials to the house, so I decided to give the old 211 Texas Special another shot. I just cleaned the brushes and everything with rubbing alcohol and connected the rebuilt ZW transformer to the track. Either the cleaning or the high power got it going pretty well. Could have been a combination of the two. Once I had it running, I got to work on making a new horn for the top, from scratch. It turned out pretty well for a rush job. I then ran to the auto parts store and grabbed a couple of bulbs and cleaned and rewired the socket. It has a light again! I also added a lens to the front to make it look more like an actual headlight. Now I've got to come up with a plan for fixing that front apron and hope that will brace the front coupler up enough to keep the truck from derailing in reverse. My other project is to add some semi transparent plastic to the windows to hide the "hollow" look.

I also rewired and cleaned one of my two whistle tenders, bringing it back to life, for the second time in a week.

I also added a new headlight lens to my old 1666. 

The last thing I did was add new truck springs to my 2020 Turbine. The front truck was jumping off the track way to often today. The only other thing it needs is a switch to turn the new smoker on and off. It runs you out of the room in just a few minutes as it stands. 

I'm really hoping to get the table materials in the house tommorow and get started putting it together.

To think this journey started back in 2015.... It's taken five years just to get to the point where I can start a layout. I don't know how much more time will pass before I can get scenery on the table. I have some goodies coming, Thanks to Tom, which should give me a good start.

Since the San Diego Model RR Museum is closed until further notice, I have had the opportunity to work on my own engines (instead of the club engines).  My workbench projects for the last few weeks have been:

1) Finished the TMCC ERR upgrade to the MTH Amtrak Genesis PS1 engine with excellent results.

2) Fixed two of my engines that were "jerky" runners by pressing the wheels (with gears) closer together.  Don't know if anyone has had this problem, but somehow the wheels with gears developed too much play and ran erratically.

3) Did some TMCC antenna upgrades on engines that were marginal at the SD3R layout.  I was doing one of these upgrades on a Century Club 2 TM-1 Trainmaster when I noticed two traction tires were gone.  I had to remove the truck in order to replace the tires and it was a PITA to get the wheels back into the right position.

 

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@Roger L. posted:
I was doing one of these upgrades on a Century Club 2 TM-1 Trainmaster when I noticed two traction tires were gone.  I had to remove the truck in order to replace the tires and it was a PITA to get the wheels back into the right position.

That's the Lionel truck design that I detest!  What in the world were they thinking when they did those?

@Ted S posted:

@speed3 what did you use to darken the driver rims, and how did you do it?  That's something that really bothers me about pre-2003 MTH.  NOT looking for a full weathering job but if this mod isn't too difficult I would consider it.  Thanks!

I used Abaddon Black acrylic paint from Games Workshop to darken the rims and handrails.  It’s marketed as a “base” layer so you should only need a couple of coats.  I put the engine on its side and powered it with a spare transformer so the wheels could turn while I applied the paint to the rims.  You can use the paint straight from the bottle, but I found that dipping the brush in some water before loading up with paint helped achieve a better consistency.  The rims alone took about 15 minutes to paint.  I feel the same way about shiny rims and handrails on older MTH, so most of my PS1 steam engines get this treatment.  It’s super easy and elevates the overall appearance, in my opinion.

@Ted S posted:

What size brush?  And how did you avoid getting excess paint on the wheel "treads" (surfaces that contact the rail)?  Sorry for all the questions but I don't want to screw up locos that I paid several hundred dollars for, even though they aren't worth anywhere near that now.

I used a size 0 angular flat brush.  The paint is water based, so any that ended up on the treads or wheel faces was wiped off with a damp cotton swab.  Since the paint cleans up so easily, you shouldn’t come close to permanently messing up your locos.

I'm back to working on the 211 Texas Special. I'm trying to make a "frame box" part no. 202-54  (if I remember correctly.) I had been so busy with everything else that I hadn't even noticed it was missing. It would be so much easier to order one than to make one from scratch, but without a credit card or PayPal, you have to work with what you've got.

@Ted S posted:

What size brush?  And how did you avoid getting excess paint on the wheel "treads" (surfaces that contact the rail)?  Sorry for all the questions but I don't want to screw up locos that I paid several hundred dollars for, even though they aren't worth anywhere near that now.

Another option is gun blue/chemical blackener. Thats what I use. Same technique. Place the engine upside down in a cradle. Attach clip leads and hold a swab next to the rims. Takes about twenty seconds. You can use paint too. Pretty hard the do damage either way. Have some thinner handy if the paint doesn't go where you want.

Pete

@Norton posted:

Another option is gun blue/chemical blackener. Thats what I use. Same technique. Place the engine upside down in a cradle. Attach clip leads and hold a swab next to the rims. Takes about twenty seconds. You can use paint too. Pretty hard the do damage either way. Have some thinner handy if the paint doesn't go where you want.

Pete

I’m with Pete on this one....much more permanent to chemically alter the metal than to paint....too many good reliable products on the market today not to take advantage of....in the long run, this is a better end product, permanent, and probably equal to or even cheaper than painting....both of these chassis are PS1 ESE’s with silver painted drivers and chrome tires....yuk!....bottom chassis has the silver paint stripped off with aircraft stripper, then dunked in Caswell Black oxide solution.....simply following their instructions......

Pat411BF110-2C20-4F75-8D76-621602240366

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Last edited by harmonyards

Working on 3 different 675 Lionel locomotives I picked up last year for next to nothing at our TTOS Southern Pacific Division meet auction. One tender whistle was not working and got that going. All 3 675 engines are not smoking so that is next. Broken trailing truck and missing smoke unit installed but not yet wired. I have some details and trim parts to finish. I need to find a stamp to re number one of them since someone removed the cab numbers previously. They will not be perfect but they will be great runners.

Fried the motor in this guy last Friday at the club...19183D5D-6AC7-42B5-AA2F-8A72C889F09499097157-11AB-4C18-A06F-AAA2110718EA

It had been running for a while, and at some point I realized it had been too long since it had gone around... found it barely crawling along, and it was pretty hot... was hoping it would be fine after it cooled off, but nope... you can see the windings on one pole are black... Atlas’ website says they actually have the motor in stock for this!

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                                                           SBD  16384

                                       They won't make one so I'll have to.

scl fm cab

sbd16384bgd

                           MTH offers an SCL MP-15 and no caboose to go with it  

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@Alex M posted:

Hello all, 

Haven’t posted in a while , just wanted to say hello and figured I’d show you what’s currently being worked on. 

LET'S SEE WHAT'S ON YOUR'S !

Thanks, Alex 

Too funny, I saw this post and the video and knew it was a CC II Niagara.

 

I have two to do on my workbench as well.

What do you use to trim the new drive shafts?

@Alex M posted:

I use to file them down with a 6 inch sanding wheel. Now I send a bunch of them to Pete (Norton) and he cuts them down to size with his Metal lathe. 

Alex

 

Good to know I wasn't the only one filing them down by hand.

My lathe may arrive before I do the other Niagara.

This post inspired me to fix the one sitting on my workbench last night.

It was much easier than I thought; the second will be a breeze.

The gears were really chewed up:

Gearbox with broken plastic gears

I used the brass gears from Lionel but I also have the delrin gears from NWSL.

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Niagara all fixed

I didn’t like the universal joint coupling system in those CC Niagara’s for one second....this locomotive is just such a **** poorly engineered toilet, I took a whole different approach, I divorced the motor from the gear box altogether, then modded the gear box to be self standing with a floating spring design, this way, I could use a dog bone and coupler set up....took all the stress out of the driveline, and allowed the gearbox to float around and do it’s thing....this is just my solution, Alex & Pete have their own fixes as well.....Pat6AA83319-32DF-468A-B080-07421286E00D6F93E037-8959-4E5B-AE39-2060D75EDA2FAE2BCC4F-4708-48B4-AB18-7528FD5D06B2

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I have 2 projects in process. The first is my scratch-built, free-lanced Union station.

0326201549

The second is my custom painted and decaled Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines coaches for 0-31 curves.

0821201627

Both projects are on temporary hold while I care for my elderly uncle, a train enthusiast also, who is preparing for his 3rd major cancer removal surgery in two years to take place this coming Thursday.

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I have 2 projects in process. The first is my scratch-built, free-lanced Union station.

0326201549

The second is my custom painted and decaled Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines coaches for 0-31 curves.

0821201627

Both projects are on temporary hold while I care for my elderly uncle, a train enthusiast also, who is preparing for his 3rd major cancer removal surgery in two years to take place this coming Thursday.

Very nice, Randy, particularly your Union Station.

@harmonyards posted:

I didn’t like the universal joint coupling system in those CC Niagara’s for one second....this locomotive is just such a **** poorly engineered toilet, I took a whole different approach, I divorced the motor from the gear box altogether, then modded the gear box to be self standing with a floating spring design, this way, I could use a dog bone and coupler set up....took all the stress out of the driveline, and allowed the gearbox to float around and do it’s thing....this is just my solution, Alex & Pete have their own fixes as well.....Pat6AA83319-32DF-468A-B080-07421286E00D6F93E037-8959-4E5B-AE39-2060D75EDA2FAE2BCC4F-4708-48B4-AB18-7528FD5D06B2

I knew that Niagara was going to the right guy!

@harmonyards posted:

I didn’t like the universal joint coupling system in those CC Niagara’s for one second....this locomotive is just such a **** poorly engineered toilet, I took a whole different approach, I divorced the motor from the gear box altogether, then modded the gear box to be self standing with a floating spring design, this way, I could use a dog bone and coupler set up....took all the stress out of the driveline, and allowed the gearbox to float around and do it’s thing....this is just my solution, Alex & Pete have their own fixes as well.....Pat6AA83319-32DF-468A-B080-07421286E00D6F93E037-8959-4E5B-AE39-2060D75EDA2FAE2BCC4F-4708-48B4-AB18-7528FD5D06B2

Just swap a MTH Niagara chassis under it and be done. You know that's the best option. It's a better chassis from the start. I think you can do it .

Fried the motor in this guy last Friday at the club...19183D5D-6AC7-42B5-AA2F-8A72C889F09499097157-11AB-4C18-A06F-AAA2110718EA

It had been running for a while, and at some point I realized it had been too long since it had gone around... found it barely crawling along, and it was pretty hot... was hoping it would be fine after it cooled off, but nope... you can see the windings on one pole are black... Atlas’ website says they actually have the motor in stock for this!

Got this one back on the rails! Hardest part was swapping the worm gear on to the new motor...

In the first part of this video is a Lionel 6-18071 S.P. Daylight. It is my first and only Timko motor conversion. It along with ERR Cruise Commander runs like a dream. On my workbench in the end of the video is a Lionel 6-18045 Commodore Vanderbilt. I sent off the motor to Timko and now awaiting for another ERR Cruise Commander to arrive. 

@harmonyards posted:

How’d you do it??.....please share!..

Pat

Ok, let’s see if I can put it into words... motor removal requires removing the boiler shell from the chassis, then removing the lower cover from the frame followed by removing the drivers. The motor bracket is then unscrewed from the frame (the screws are behind the rear drivers). The motor then unscrews from the bracket, and the hole is big enough that the worm gear fits thru...

The worm gear is very securely pressed on to the motor shaft. There’s probably an appropriate puller, but I don’t have one... I used some pliers, a hammer, and a tiny screwdriver to drive the shaft out of the gear. Not pretty, but it worked... I used a c-clamp to press the gear onto the new motor. I made extra sure the other end of the c-clamp was only touching the other end of the motor shaft to avoid damage, and I carefully pressed the gear on a tiny bit at a time...

Reassembly is basically the reverse of disassembly. I found it easier to remove the side rods before reinstalling the drivers because it’s a bit fiddly to get the drivers in sync with each other due to the idler gear between the drivers...

Hope that helps!

I haven't even started on that ATSF Texas project and picked this up, a Premier UP FEF. My first non ATSF or SP locomotive, but it's a western road so it's ok. Little paint work, a PS3 kit, and a motor and it should be a runner. So now I've got 2 locomotives to work on when the weather cools off. That should keep me busy/out of trouble.

20200910_21405820200910_214152

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Two projects going on.  The first is applying new K4 decals to a Legacy GP7.  *Mucho striping*.   Of the 2 variations SL-SF had for black and yellow geeps, this one is the more difficult...I have another GP7 to strip and redo later, but it will not be this scheme.  I find one to be sufficient.

IMG_3686IMG_3687

Next is a reproduction of an actual QA&P tank car (unlike the 2 fantasy tank cars I did last year).  I am working from two poor quality photos scanned from two different QA&P books.  Among the duties this car performed were providing water for the bridge gang cars, and hauling fresh water to the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Paducah, TX.

IMG_3690qap_tank 310_1qap_tank 310_2

I have not yet printed the decals for this project as I am still monkeying around with some cushion car graphics (another 2 car fantasy project).  The artwork for the tank car is finished as seen at the bottom of this photo:

HYDRA-CUSHION

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My workbench is overloaded and cluttered.

Model boat slow build process.

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This is a spinoff of a previously posted buildup in this forum,  using Plasticville Hospital parts. It is in crude shape needing a good weathering coat to cover lots of blemishes. Also need to add light system.20200915_052154

 

This is my first attempt to motorize a dual blade helicopter. The first installed motor/blades works. The second blade got destroyed in the process and waiting parts from Atlantis-models. Helicopter is an Army Mule 1/48 scale model from Atlantis-models.20200915_051712

My attempt at “Move the crane not the train”. Having difficulty mating motor shaft to ¼” rod. Still working on solution20200915_052248_HDR

Sinclair Gas station and truck. Need to finish interior windows of building.  Old Plasticville gas station repainted. Atlantic-models 1/48 scale Sinclair gas truck model.20200915_051918

20200915_052010040 Switcher engine #1615 needs front headlight added and a few other minor parts. Engine runs great.

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These two Scale-Craft  K4 chassis were tested just this morning after looking over several locos.  Early version with center axle drive and a later one with the rear axle drive.  Turns out the later one is rough due to lack of stack up on the motor install. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42iGFNvshK8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzkFM-Pjv2Q

Also one of my Scale craft Mikado from a few years back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX00w9e81FI

Neither of the K4's was insulated for two rail and I think they will stay that way.

 

Last edited by Dennis Holler
@Ted S posted:

Wow Dennis, pretty amazing!!  What's the gear ratio on these, have you ever measured it?  I noticed the middle driver is blind (unflanged).  Will they run on 3-rail track?

 

The k4 and I think Hudson could have come with blind drivers but you find them both ways. They could run on Gargraves pretty easy but the smallish flanges would make it hard on tubular radius aside. Not sure on the gear ratio, the catalog states 16:1 but not sure if sll mine reflect that.

Did some engine maintenance today. Put a battery in my Lionel D&H RS-11, wired a WbB GP-9 in series to slow it down. I was going to do my WbB Center cab but when I opened it I found that it only has one motor.  Need to build a diode string for that one. 

Freshened up the lubrication on all three too.

20200828_1943152018-07-07 08.17.502018-08-17 14.48.29

Bob

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I recently bought an Atlas SD-35 on that auction site. Good price and I expected some problems. First problem was the gearbox in one truck was bone dry and the worm wheel on the idle shaft as well as the worm was totaled.  Luck would have it that I had an identical chassis with motors also from that auction site which I purchased with several other such chassis for parts about five years ago.  So I had all the mechanical parts to repair the new SD-35.  Another problem that I intended to address was something I have had to repair on several other locos which had plugs on each end of the motherboard where the chassis ground and the center rail connected. When these locos jump the track you can get a short running through the traces on the motherboard which quickly burns through the trace. This can burn either center rail or outside rail traces. The outside rail traces are not as likely to short out as the center rail however on many locos the trucks are electrically isolated from the metal chassis/frame so the short runs through the motherboard rather than the chassis.  I have added PTC polyfuses to these locos to protect the traces on the motherboard. The photo was made after adding a center rail buss between the pickup rollers and the PTC polyfuse on that buss but before adding the buss for the outer rail conductors.  The wire is superflex silicone and can get very hot without melting the insulation. The connections to each end of the motherboard connect to the same place on the buss so the potential to each connection on the MB stays the same should one of the trucks derail and it's pickup roller gets grounded. I did the same mod to the connections to the truck frames also.  I do have a question about why the trucks are insulated from the loco chassis/frame.  Does this improve the signal to the R2LC ?   On some of my early pullmor TMCC conversions I made a ground strap from the trucks to the frame trying to suppress any arcing between the trucks and the frame. I am guessing that is the purpose here but seems it is much more complicated way to accomplish the same thing while making the trace on the MB more likely to get fried.    j

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@necrails posted:

Transplanted a lionchief board from a small switcher into a single motor RS3.  Added a 9.6 volt battery to make this a deadrail loco.  Results not as planned.  It works but barely.  Now to troubleshoot, bad motor, bad lionchief board, insufficient power.

I don't own any Lionchief locos but don't they run off 18vac track power ?  I would guess 9.6vdc will not get the job done.          j

Back in August we had a thread "What should be the relationship between a worm and a worm gear ? "  As is common the original post, about gear lash and depth of tooth engagement, started to wander and ended up about ratios.  It prompted me to dig out four Williams Samhongsa built locos a  PRR L1s Mikado, PRR B6 0-6-0, N&W "J" and a Jersey Central 4-6-0 Camelback.  Also built by Sam.  a Weaver PRR M1a Mountain. I found some things which some may find interesting.  All the Locos have basically the same gearbox but the final drive ratios were either 21:1 or 42:1.  The difference between the two was that the 21:1 box uses a double helix worm and the 42:1 uses a single helix.  The worm as well as the worm wheel with skewed teeth were the only differences between the two gearboxes. One thing I found ironic was that the two locos which one would consider mainline high speed passenger or fast freight locos, N&W J and PRR M1a had the 42:1 gearbox and the locos which would be considered plodders for freight and commuter passenger service had the 21:1 gearbox which would give them a much higher top speed.  It is one of those things which make you scratch your head.  One can imagine the guys in MD. and PA.  on the phone requesting a "HIGH SPEED " gearbox in the J and the M1a and the guys in Korea listening through a translator hear " HIGH RATIO"  I think the same problem exist when oval track racers talk to dragster guys.  Well thankfully the two gearboxes are easily swapped. So I pulled the 42:1 boxes out of the J and the M1a and swapped them for the 21:1 boxes on the PRR  B6 and  L1s Mikado.  So while off the locos I decided to open the clam-shells and take a took inside and found one more surprise.  I had bought all five of these locos from different sellers over several years. However the worm wheels in the J and the L1s were the wrong worm wheel.  The worm wheel from the 42:1 gearbox out of the N&W  J  should have been in the 21:1 out of the PRR L1s and the worm wheel from the L1s should have been in the gearbox from the N&W J.  I had been very careful  when disassembling to keep parts from the two locos on two separate tables while removing them from the loco pulling apart and cleaning.  I used a red and green marker to mark all the parts before I made the photos. It was not till I was setting up the first photo that I noticed the problem with the worm wheels.  The Skew angle on the teeth of the worm wheel was wrong for the worm in their respective gearbox.  However it did not seem to affect performance in any meaningful way.  They may have run louder than the locos which had the correct worm wheels but with the loud Mabuchi 550 motors who could tell. Never mind that the Samhongsa gearbox is no where near a precision device.  When I got to swapping the boxes in the Weaver M1a Mountain and the Williams PRR B6 both locos had all the correct parts.  Well, they did have that 550 Mabuchi.  After test running all four locos involved in the swap I was happy with all but the L1s Mikado.  Remember it was one of the locos which ended up with the 42:1 gearing and the Mabuchi 545 which I installed in place of the 550 just did not turn fast enough to achieve the 40smph I was hoping for. I had two likely candidates for motors a Maxon coreless and a Mabuchi.  I was hoping to use the Maxon but could not install a flywheel on it but may at some point try again. I want to use a tach reader for cruise and I did not have a drill bit that matched the shaft diameter to drill a brass rod for a step-up spacer to mount the flywheel. I was able to make a spacer for the 385 Mabuchi shaft to allow mounting a MTH flywheel off a Pittman. It took four tries to make a spacer that is concentric but the flywheel is on and running true. it is much heavier than a typical flywheel for a 385 motor and will coast over three feet when cutting power at 12v  The 385 Mabuchi I used is good for 12,500 rpm about 55smph at 12v and is faster than I actually wanted it has a static resistance of 2 ohms so stall current at 12v will be 6A ,just fine for most TMCC motor driver boards. If you look at the photos you will see that I mounted the 385 in a magnetic shield from a Mabuchi 550 motor I lined the shield with 1/8" thick foam tape so that the motor floats in the foam not touching any metal and I lined the firebox with more of this foam tape. When the body is on you cannot hear the motor but you can hear the gearbox.  I had been planning on selling this loco but was so happy after installing the 385 that I decided to keep it and set about dressing it up with a few details.  These Williams brass locos left the factory rather naked and I always hated the big gap between the rear truck and the frame and all the detail they left out.  I almost forgot in my attempt to isolate the frame and boiler from any motor vibration I used thick wall silicone tubing between the flywheel and the gearbox which worked well at low to medium speeds but when running flat out the tubing would stretch in the middle and cause a low frequency vibration that the foam suspension could not filter out.  I inserted a piece of 1/8" brass tube inside the tubing and the problem went away.  So far I have about a third of the plumbing that I plan to install and nearing start to the right side of the loco.  I just added the photos and I'm sorry if I got some out of order. I got tired of writing and did not give an explanation of everything though  I think that most are self explanatory but I don't mind answering questions.                                       j

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Last edited by JohnActon
@JohnActon posted:

For those who had read my screed on gearboxes and the mods to my Williams PRR L1s I have added photos of the process.          j

John, ....I like what I see!...love the added details!...great work!,......I do believe that’s the first I’ve seen of your work.....at some point in time, I’d like to see some of your diecast repowers you’ve done like that Hudson you mentioned that I think you said resides at your brother’s house???.....love to do some head to head comparisons on a level playing field, ......however, a Williams chassis just ain’t it...but you did do a great job taming the beast, and the external upgrades, I really like!...

BTW, have you heard from TedS lately?....I haven’t seen him reply lately.....some of us would like to know that at least he’s ok!...

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

John, ....I like what I see!...love the added details!...great work!,......I do believe that’s the first I’ve seen of your work.....at some point in time, I’d like to see some of your diecast repowers you’ve done like that Hudson you mentioned that I think you said resides at your brother’s house???.....love to do some head to head comparisons on a level playing field, ......however, a Williams chassis just ain’t it...but you did do a great job taming the beast, and the external upgrades, I really like!...

BTW, have you heard from TedS lately?....I haven’t seen him reply lately.....some of us would like to know that at least he’s ok!...

Pat

Pat,  you mention Ted I was thinking about him last night when I went back to read what had transpired on that first discussion on the 42:1 Samhongsa gearbox.  Just looked and his last post to the forum was 9/28.  Hay Ted, how you doing ?

I've already spent more time on that L1s than it is worth so I guess it's too late to sell it. When I finish the plumbing It may end up over at my brothers house.  Funny I can't remember him ever buying a train and he has a pretty impressive collection.  After a divorce in 85 I stored my layout in his basement and eventually we pulled it apart and built an around the wall layout.  Seems like I go over there and end up repairing things rather than running trains.  I bought a MTH  UP Veranda loco on eBay last week that just arrived.  It suffered some damage in shipping.  I have to make pix and contact the seller.          j

Well that Premier FEF I got a couple months ago is fully functional. It came to me with no worm shaft, motor mount, motor, flywheel, or wiring. I added all the missing parts, upgraded the motor to a ball bearing 9234 Pittman, and added a PS3 steam kit. I modified the sound file with the whistle from the just released Premier Big Boy. Came out pretty nice.

Last edited by Lou1985
@Lou1985 posted:

Well that Premier FEF I got a couple months ago is fully functional. It came to me with no worm shaft, motor mount, motor, flywheel, or wiring. I added all the missing parts, upgraded the motor to a ball bearing 9234 Pittman, and added a PS3 steam kit. I modified the sound file with the whistle from the just released Premier Big Boy. Came out pretty nice.

Love it!!!

George

@Ron H posted:

John,

Never ever thought about adding the sound deadening to the loco. Great idea!

Ron H

Ron the most effective sound deadening change was getting rid of the 550 motor Though the foam tape certainly does not hurt.  With that 42:1 gearbox you really don't need the torque of the larger motor the 385 is more than enough.  There is a 395 Mabuchi that turns at 12k and though I don't need it they are cheap enough and easy to swap I may buy a couple just to give it a try.           j

Got this thing running. Came with no boards, minimal wiring, no motor, and no driveshaft. The only wiring in the locomotive were the 10 pin connectors on each end of the wireless drawbar. I ended up combining a spare PS2 3V harness from a Railking 2-8-0 with what was left of the Yellowstone harness. It was a bit of a PITA, and took awhile, but it works. I installed a ball bearing 9434 Pittman in the locomotive and a PS32 board in the tender. It runs well and is massive. It's larger than my Premier AC6 Cab Forward and has less than 1/4" clearance in several spots around my layout. So no more articulateds for me....

20210102_16195020210102_213502

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All the Locos have basically the same gearbox but the final drive ratios were either 21:1 or 42:1.  The difference between the two was that the 21:1 box uses a double helix worm and the 42:1 uses a single helix.                           j

Would it be possible to change out the worm in the Williams Challenger then? Is that why it's so slow and so loud?

anything available like this?

Worm Gear, 0.3mod x 36 Teeth x 11.4mm OD x 3.5mm Bore, Brass, Speed Re – NorthWest Short Line (nwsl.com)

Last edited by Engineer-Joe

Would it be possible to change out the worm in the Williams Challenger then? Is that why it's so slow and so loud?

anything available like this?

Worm Gear, 0.3mod x 36 Teeth x 11.4mm OD x 3.5mm Bore, Brass, Speed Re – NorthWest Short Line (nwsl.com)

Joe yes you can change the worm but the helical idle gear should be changed with it. However I had two locos with a mismatched worm wheel and they ran OK.  A month or two back I posted a message that I had found a former engineer with Samhongsa in Korea who told me he could arrange for a short run of those gearbox parts but I would need to order 25-50 of them and likely mail one of the worms I wanted reproduced to him. I was hoping you would see the post but management at O gauge forum took my message down for what ever reason. Regardless I don't think I could get 25 orders in the first place so I did not pursue the issue. I don't know if the gear set you link to would work. The worm looks like a single helix to me. A double helix is the key to the 21:1 ratio.  Joe you know what would be cool ?  If you could install two 385 or even 395 motors in your loco. A motor for the front and another for the rear set of drivers on your Challenger.  I think another problem you had was an eccentric "out of round" flywheel. Which is all too common on the Samhongsa locos. I have had to struggle with that flywheel problem. I turned to MTH flywheels with a spacer bushing between the flywheel and the motor shaft and their hard to make. I had to make one and it took me three tries to get an acceptable concentric one.  Something I considered was a Mabuchi 385 motor from a  diesel with a flywheel already on it. Just pull the worm off. That's a bit of fun also.   It's a sunny day outside, think I'll go work on the Veranda.      j

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Last edited by JohnActon

My flywheel wasn't perfect. At the suggestion of a post here, I removed it and used a piece of tubing to run the engine without the flywheel. It still sounded horrible at higher speeds. It only sounds good below 20MPH. So I abandoned the engine. It sits on a shelf now without a control board inside. I put that inside an Allegheny that had a blown board set.

Our grandson said it was his favorite engine and he always wanted to see it run. He likes the grey Challengers from UP. I have one in one gauge and he always wants to run it. All this prompts me to get it running again someday. I should buy a MTH version but I decided no more!

I have several engines on the shelf waiting for work and attention. I have more engines than I can run in a decent amount of sessions.

Thank you again and I hope someday to get a worm set to fix it!!!

I wonder if NWSL had any fixes?

If it were possible, I'd buy the balance of the gear to make the order move forward. I don't know how much that would cost?

Last edited by Engineer-Joe

My flywheel wasn't perfect. At the suggestion of a post here, I removed it and used a piece of tubing to run the engine without the flywheel. It still sounded horrible at higher speeds. It only sounds good below 20MPH. So I abandoned the engine. It sits on a shelf now without a control board inside. I put that inside an Allegheny that had a blown board set.

Our grandson said it was his favorite engine and he always wanted to see it run. He likes the grey Challengers from UP. I have one in one gauge and he always wants to run it. All this prompts me to get it running again someday. I should buy a MTH version but I decided no more!

I have several engines on the shelf waiting for work and attention. I have more engines than I can run in a decent amount of sessions.

Thank you again and I hope someday to get a worm set to fix it!!!

I wonder if NWSL had any fixes?

One of these days Joe we’re gonna cure that thing’s ailments and make a fine model out of it....I know we tried the motor route, and failed, so at some point we need to get into those gear boxes,.....does that Williams have captured axles, or can the geared axle sets drop out the bottom?......to be sure there’s got to be some NWSL gear boxes somewheres!.....even if I’ve got to machine the one end of one the worms for a coupler system between the two,......we just need a way to tame the beast,.....

Pat

I don't know much about the guts of it. I glanced but didn't know what to do. Now thinking about it, it would need two gear boxes reworked?

Having dual motors would be great.

That’s not happening Joe, ....but when we can get some real gear ratios, then you can put in a monster motor that’ll do the deed,....and get away from the 10,000 RPM + Cessna motor in there now,....that model needs to be down around 18-20 to 1, and then she’ll play nicely with your grandson,....I’m still curious if that thing has captured axles, or if it’s got bearings and caps ..one tell-tale if it has a spring loaded suspension system, ie; the drivers are free to float about, ....then this becomes a much easier task sans finding the parts,.....drop out axle sets means we can work on setting up the gearboxes while not having to handle the chassis so much,...

Pat

Last edited by harmonyards

I'll go look again!

I’ll reply to this one so I’m not dragging pictures all up and down the thread,....that’s got a bottom plate, that just made the job a whole lot easier,.....those geared axle sets will come out the bottom, and can be serviced on the bench,.....all we need now is a couple gear boxes in a much more reasonable ratio,.....even if they’re singles, no worries, ....to be sure I can figure out how to machine a stub shaft out the end of one of them, then we’ll borrow parts from the RC guys, they have 4mm telescoping universal joint drive shafts in a dizzying array of lengths, ......this is a doable project, ....just got to find gear boxes,......compounds would be best, so you don’t see the drive shaft sitting just above chassis height....

I thought after the motor tobago you’d parked that thing, .....I’m glad you’ve revived it,....I don’t like quitting,....😉

Pat

I looked anyways and here's one cover off for now.

DSC_1230

Yep, ...those axle sets will drop out the bottom once the gear box bottom covers are removed,....I wouldn’t take a thing apart until you source a pair of gear boxes, ....that’s going g to be the hardest part,.....NWSL would have been the answer, buuuuut,.....so they’ll have to be scrounge sourced,.....the good thing about drop out axle sets like I mentioned, now we’ll have way less a chance disturbing delicate parts on those chassis halves since all we need to do is surgically get in there and remove just those two geared axles.....and it’s hard to exactly tell, but it even looks like we wouldn’t disturb any linkage and rods, as the eccentrics aren’t on the geared sets as well,.....I like surgical strikes,....pinpoint work, get out before damage can occur ,.....😉

Pat

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