N&W Y-3 2-8-8-2, painting, LED's, assembly and decoder install (cont).
After painting a multicolor (green boiler), painting just a black engine, almost, seems too easy!
Smoke box painted as well as cab roof.
Custom brass had Champ makes decals for them and they were in the box. After 40 some years, decals can, sometimes, just fall apart when put into water but these were good.
Left (used), right (new) : good to wear a mask!
Think this is the first engine that I've had that had so many weights included with the engine.
Even the leading and trailing trucks have lead attached to them.
Brass mounting plates were soldered to the tops of the boiler by the builder. Came with a package of screws.
Two provided weights were attached to the sides of the fire box. Builder has brass tabs to hold them in place. I added a dab of clear silicon to them.
Weights screwed in. LED wires inserted into 1/16" diameter heat shrink tubing (HST) to protect them in the boiler.
Marker light LED's get some short HST so front wires are flexible and allow for future PM (preventative maintenance).
More HST on the 4 running board LED's and routed along the top of the boiler (fuzzy picture part of an amateur photographer!).
Drive train assembly.
Used a jeweler's small screwdriver to scrape the paint off the interior sides where the driver journals contact it. Also, oiled axles and journals; easier to do now.
Instead of springs, the builder used wires. Glad I kept them in order as it took a few minutes to remember how they were mounted!
Side rod screws need to, also, be kept in order as the shoulders are, usually, larger when two side rods are connected on a driver. Most brass engines have individual side rods (as the prototype) so the drivers can move independently of each other versus one long piece of side rod.
Manual pushed on the track to insure no binding after each sub-assembly. Easier to find a problem when it 'was just working'!
This took a little more time with the valve gear.
After mounting the piston cylinders that has the guides, the driving main rod was, then, connected and then the eccentric crank was mounted next. The gear connecting rod crank was, then, attached to the valve support (black) with a screw. Another screw attached the valve rod to the combination lever. Finally, the bell crank was secured to the valve support.
Gear and motor attached and tested. Sides of gear and bottom motor mount was painted so no brass showing when assembled.
Front engine, basically, the same as the back engine.
Another view of some of the tiny screws that had to be re-attached.
The dull clear coat, virtually, eliminates any 'shadow lines' of the decals, especially when viewed from our, normal, above position.
