Hello:
Am much relieved that my 682 is again in excellent running condition (though I'm still confounded that the mere act of removing the shell, semi-disassembling and checking the smoke unit that looked to have no blockages or issues to begin with, resulted in it smoking perfectly upon re-assembly). Hopefully my kid's art glue continues to hold the rivets in place...
At any rate, I am still not sure which position--elbow "up" or elbow "down"--is correct for the unique 682 side linkages. The tandem-associates.com page shows the 682 with linkage elbow "up" but the original Lionel illustrated catalog shows the "down" elbow position.
Further confusing the situation: In a dour moment recently when my 682 smoker wasn't working and I couldn't get the linkage rivets to stay in the holes of the shell, I flirted with the idea of buying a 682 from the proclaimed "King of Turbines" on the popular auction site and dumping mine. I noted the 682 he was/is offering for what seems to be a premium price has the linkage elbow "up" on one side, but curiously, "down" on the other--see attached photo. I sent him a message to point out the discrepancy and to ask him which of the two is correct. We got into a back-and-forth which resulted in him telling me that I do not understand the physics of it; that the elbow is supposed to be "up" on one side while it is "down" on the other...
I say that elbow "up" is always going to be elbow "up" and I advised that he observe each side of his 682 in operation to see that he has the two linkages oriented differently, though he says he's the expert and I do not understand "basic physics."
One of us is crazy, though I'm pretty sure it isn't me!
