Repairing the UP 4-6-6-4 challenger imported in 1999 (cont).
I took some 'time' from watching college football to work on this engine.
Tender.
A good size dent on the left side of the tender.
My initial 'instinct' was to 'beat' on it with a hammer from the inside but that 'thought' disappeared quickly.
I needed a lot of pressure so I used a C clamp and some wood to prevent leaving 'marks' on the brass surface.
I applied some heat from my 'heat shrink' gun and let it 'set' for a few hours.
The head caused the wood to stick to the paint and remove some of it but the tender is going to be 'stripped' anyway.
I couldn't see the dent anymore but I could feel a very small bump inside the tender wall...
I decided to use metal with the C clamp as it wouldn't 'give' like wood does.
That worked well as no 'bump' is felt inside the tender wall.
The front ladders were 'bent in' slightly but easy to straighten via the 'fingers'.
The back of the tender is going to be a problem.
There is access to the inside but it is limited as another piece of brass supports that area.
It would be nice to remove the back of the tender but I wouldn't be able to re-solder it from the inside and the 'soldering from the outside' would be messy.
I may have to 'bondo' the back and reapply rivets.
I have 2-part bondo that I, normally, use when I build my RC airplanes.
---------------
Boiler.
The bottom of the front of the smoke box was bent 'in' but an easy 'fix' with some needle nose pliers.
Boiler front fits nicely.
With this 'number plate' will have to decal this engine as '3985'.
==========
The 'elephant in the room'!
The 'overhang' on the cab is badly bent.
First, I used a piece of wood to push down on the 'bend'.
This didn't move it very far but it allowed me to use other tools on it.
Like the tender I figured a C clamp would give me plenty of 'power' to straighten the cab roof.
I used a piece of wood to keep from damaging the brass as the C clamp has a hole in the middle of the 'pad'.
After getting the roof 'kinda' straight, I used the resistance soldering iron to remove the metal strip along the back of the roof that helps divert smoke from the cab.
A brass wire brush in a Dremel was used to 'clean up' the area so I can better evaluate my progress.
There was a small 'bump' in the center that needed 'work'.
I thought my small hammer with a brass end would work but 'changed my mind' as the C clamp worked much better, again.
Also, I used the 'stain glass' pliers with the curved jaws to help form the roof.
I need to get the 'overhang' to be parallel to the rest of the roof.
Tools of the 'trade'.
One of my old body tools and the modeling hammer was used to curve the outside area of the roof figuring it would raise the center of the roof.
It didn't 'work'.
One of my other 'body tools' may work but that's for another 'day'.
============
Gettin' lazy in my old age.
Usually, I install marker lights on all my cabeese so my signaling system knows when the train has left it's respective block.
I thought I'd try this 30 second method and just add a 1000 OHM resister to a truck and turn one wheel 180 degrees to make 'contact' with both rails (assuming your truck is plastic and not metal).
I had to add another resister for my 'signaling system' would 'notice it'.
Needed a cabeese for my NH electrics that Rapido 'brought out' this year.
==========
Bob stopped by with his friend, Jim from Detroit, to visit the layout.
