4014 Big Boy

I run mine a lot. Despite the oversize issue, the ugly trailing truck and tender sideframes, it has become my "go to" steamer. Carl's modifications  correct the looks but are out of my skill zone. Only recent problem is with a traction tire staying on.

Rich

I had one but sold it to pay for the challengers that were scale in size.  

But...

While I had it it always ran well, and I have heard many say that it is their best consistent runner, and always problem free.

Its my understanding that Lionel only had rights to produce K-Line, but that all the tooling and the company was owned by the Chinese company Sanda Kahn (or whoever), I wonder if the big boy tooling went the way of the S Gauge Mikado.  

Ben

I never heard Lionel didn't own the tooling for the Big Boy.  I heard they owned it when they got K Line.  You never see them for sale much and you don't seem to see many trying to buy one. It's like they disappeared.  That's why I put up this post.

I haven't heard much about the Union Pacific restoration of the 4014.  Is that still going on?

I run mine regularly. I sent it to Carl and he did all his improvements on it, they are worth what it costs to have Carl make it right. It is a great running engine but a bit overscale. Compared to the scale variations in O gauge it is inconsequential.

AmFlyer posted:

I run mine regularly. I sent it to Carl and he did all his improvements on it, they are worth what it costs to have Carl make it right. It is a great running engine but a bit overscale. Compared to the scale variations in O gauge it is inconsequential.

Tom,

What does Carl do to improve them?

Bill

I don’t think Lionel owned K Line, I think they just had license to produce product under the K Line name and use the tooling.  If I recall, when K Line/Lionel went kaput, there was much chatter on the relationship with Lionel and the Chinese company that had all the tooling.  I think it was the holder of the tooling and K Line name in China that backed out on Lionel.  That might not be exactly how it played out, but I’m pretty sure Lionel’s relationship with the K Line brand ended for reasons outside Lionel’s control.  

I don’t know if the threads about that are retrievable, I think the last K Line by Lionel catalog was like 2011ish??? Would have happened around then. 

Ben

I still have, run, and enjoy my 4014 Big Boy.  Carl did his magic on mine as well.  He narrows the trailing truck side frames, the front tender truck side frames, and tucks in the caterpillar side frames on the tender as well.  Results in a nice clean look.  I had some trouble with BB's microswitch in the rear drive truck.  Had to replace it and try different numbers of washers under it, but (knock on wood) it's been working well since.  I've also serviced some with smoke unit troubles, and tender sub-frame wear issues.  The Big Boy and Challengers both rely on the majority of tender axles bearing on nothing but the edge of a sheet metal sub-frame.  If you don't regularly grease (not oil) those they wear down.  On one Big Boy that I replaced the sub-frame on it otherwise looked as though the tender was squatting.  The Mallet on the other hand has its tender axles in side frame bearing housing.  Keep them oiled and they should outlast the Challenger and BB's.  I love the way my Challengers run too.  I'll have to check my notes.  I know I did a bit of minor remedial work on them and some preventative work as well (pinned one portion of the crosshead linkage to prevent its cantilevered design from later resulting in droop, so far working great), and have fixed some issues on others for customers (e.g. solder shoulders on can motor contacts scraping through heat string tubing and shorting out on inside of the boiler shell, etc.), but otherwise I enjoy my gray UP and 3985 units.  They along with the BB and Mallets always get still photo and video cameras going when run on a club layout at a train show or event.   I am grateful Flyonel produced them for uS.  

Dave 

Carl also dimmed the 2 outer red lights on the tender. I looked on the website for the detailed description of the changes but it appears to not be on his website.

BB Review and fixes on theses pages.

http://www.tuveson.com/bigboy/bigboy.htm

Carl 

I still run mine and enjoy it.  The only operating problem I've ever had was a burned out smoke unit element.

Roundhouse Bill posted:

I never heard Lionel didn't own the tooling for the Big Boy.  I heard they owned it when they got K Line.  You never see them for sale much and you don't seem to see many trying to buy one. It's like they disappeared.  That's why I put up this post.

I haven't heard much about the Union Pacific restoration of the 4014.  Is that still going on?

The UP restoration of the 4014 is still going on, and progressing steadily.  They are really going through the locomotive with a fine tooth comb.  There are many videos on youtube that give an idea of the work being done and it is quite extensive.

Here are a few:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...0l6Op2rM&t=4419s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W8N64RVEiA&t=87s

They are working to get the locomotive operational in time for the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike, which will occur in May, 2019.

Thanks for the info on rebuilding the 2014

AmFlyer posted:

I run mine regularly. I sent it to Carl and he did all his improvements on it, they are worth what it costs to have Carl make it right. It is a great running engine but a bit overscale. Compared to the scale variations in O gauge it is inconsequential.

+1.

Bob

My Big Boy was the first Legacy engine I purchased, caused me to upgrade from TMCC to Legacy. Mine has run a lot, last time it ran the cherry switch was not right, it is now on the project list for repair. I also sent mine to Carl for his rework magic because I want to be able to have some operating accessories with actuator attached to the track, with the pilot truck, trailing truck and centipede truck on the tender as manufactured there was a clearance problem. I love mine,

Ray

What is a Cherry Switch Ray"In S"?

Roundhouse Bill posted:

What is a Cherry Switch Ray"In S"?

A small micro on/off switch operated by a four lobe cam from a drivers axle 

Do all Legacy Am Flyer steam engines cuff switches work off each engines drivers ?  Any cuff switch located in the tender?    Thanks, Art

I can't say for sure on the Legacy and TMCC steamers but I would think these all would have the cherry switch on the drivers to keep them in sync.

Ray

There are no chuff switches on the tenders on the Challengers, Y3. Pacific's or Mikado's.

Rusty

The  Big  Boy's chuff switch cam cracks and that is usually why the switch gets out of adjustment.  The cam lobes are hollow and therefore are weak.

I have printed my own chuff cams with deeper lobes that should stay in adjustment. 
Re-Quartering the driver is a pain  though.

Just got my sick B.B. back from Carl.  All better now   Carl does an excellent job on these beautiful engines.  Thanks Carl.  Steve