Berkshire front pilot saga

Too bad Gilbert didn't make a Berkshire; they would have gotten it "right".

Mark in Oregon

I hope they're going to send you the pilot truck and not the pilot, as the pilot truck is attached to the frame and not the pilot assembly.

Rusty

@Rusty Traque posted:

They're probably for the O Scale Berkshire.

My thought exactly. In my experience Lionel staff regularly forget about their comparatively small line of S scale products.

can some one tell me if there is a polarity on the front truck, I believe one wheel is metal?

does it matter what side the metal wheel is on?

Had a similar problem on one of my Berk's., with the axle hole having a piece out of it. The front pilot axle fell out when I unboxed the locomotive for the first time. Fortunately I was able to snap the plastic pieces and axle back into place and it is still working fine. Poor design, very delicate cannot take any but the most careful handling!

My heartfelt thanks for not calling it a “cow catcher.”  

Do you guys mind a suggestion for a permanent solution to this?.....and this is only a suggestion, those pesky bearings are a PITA in the 3 rail O from both Lionel & MTH, ....I got sick and tired of tracking them down myself, .....never seemed to get the correct one,.....so if you notice, if you put the bearing pieces back in the pilot truck, they will not go up and through, but they’ll surely fall out the bottom, ....so what I’ve done on some pesky offenders is to fashion a retainer cap from .010 sheet brass, and a couple of 2mmX4mm JIS head Phillips screws,......fashion a nice bearing cap, and use a .059 drill bit to make your holes, ....mark your drill bit with tape to set the depth, ( you don’t need much) if you use the .059 drill bit, they’re will be no need to tap the hole, the material is soft enough the JIS screw will gladly cut the threads itself!....those JIS screws are some tough ombré s...I didn’t bother painting this set up since it just circles the Christmas tree for hours on end, ......I know a lot us don’t like modifying stuff like this, but I’m just tossing this out there, it is a proven repair,....and very simple to execute ,....and no more bearings falling out!...that front AF pilot truck looks like it’s got two nice places of meat to take a small hole like that for those screws,...

Pat

@toy1 posted:

can some one tell me if there is a polarity on the front truck, I believe one wheel is metal?

does it matter what side the metal wheel is on?

Both wheels are metal, one is insulated.  It matters.  The insulated wheel should be opposite the insulated tender wheels.

Rusty

Thanks Rusty the wheel set was loose in the box do to the bearing failure, did not want to take things apart  yet !

This design is not new.  I looked at my Flyonel Northern from the first reissue of the engine by Lionel.  It used the same method for the pilot truck to hold the axles in place.  Maybe the design is fine but the tolerances on the new ones aren't perfect.

I had originally planned to put my AF 765 in storage until I had time to set up some track, but after reading all of the issues listed here, I thought it prudent to open up the box and check my front leading truck.  Well, the truck all seems to be intact and fine, but the front coupler was loose in the box along with a screw.  It seems to be a pretty long screw, but I'm assuming that it is the screw used to hold the coupler in the pilot.  I'm also assuming that it's screwed in from the top and not the bottom.  Before I start fooling around with it (and potentially messing something up), I would really appreciate if someone could check their loco and tell me how their front coupler is attached and if this screw looks right?

The other issue I noticed is that one of the trailing truck electrical contacts is bent away from the axle and not making contact.  That looks like a simple fix of removing the screw holding the contact wipers and bending slightly to make contact.  I posted the picture since others may want to check theirs to make sure their contacts are correctly positioned.  It is nice to see that the wipers are on both sides and have pickups for all four wheels on the truck.

Thanks, Mike A.

Mine is screwed in from the top. The only difficulty is that the coupler bar might be in the way.

Rich

Hey Rich,  Thanks for checking.  That was very helpful.  I was worried about that coupler bar.  I guess I'll have to coax the screw around it.

Mike A.

@Mikeaa posted:

Hey Rich,  Thanks for checking.  That was very helpful.  I was worried about that coupler bar.  I guess I'll have to coax the screw around it.

Mike A.

The uncoupling lever is held on in the bracket slots by friction.  The two outside slots face forward, the two inside slots face the locomotive.  The uncoupling lever can be removed by very carefully sliding the lever ends out of their slots, then moving the bar back to free it from the inside brackets.

It's a little tricky and comes off easier than it goes back on, but it can be done.

Rusty

@Rusty Traque posted:

The uncoupling lever is held on in the bracket slots by friction.  The two outside slots face forward, the two inside slots face the locomotive.  The uncoupling lever can be removed by very carefully sliding the lever ends out of their slots, then moving the bar back to free it from the inside brackets.

It's a little tricky and comes off easier than it goes back on, but it can be done.

Rusty

Hey Rusty, Thanks for letting me know.  I was worried about getting around that bar.  I do like the look of the dummy coupler on the front and I don't think I will need a working coupler there, but it occurred to me that this may be an opportunity to explore replacing the dummy with a ProtoMax or Kadee coupler on the front pilot.  I do plan to also change out the rear coupler at some point, but that's another project down the road.

Thanks, Mike A.

can someone tell me why there is a electrical contact on the front truck axel , I have disconnected the contact and the engine runs fine I noticed the wire that connects to the wiper on the axel that running thru the chassis had insulation rubbed off and was shorting out. The engine runs better  without the connection I noticed when running true  fast track switches it runs much better no sparks?

it would be nice if Lionel produced schematics on these engines I hate to start taking it apart after the first few weeks of ownership.

Wire failure on the pilot truck and axle retainer failure on them is almost a GIVEN! and they make no effort to revamp the design.The quality control at Lionel is long gone. I recommend you call and get a RA.

Gunny

Well, it's 2021 now, I still can't run it. I hope Lionel customer service improves, glad I didn't hold my breath waiting for the two new pilot clips.

@DL&W Pete posted:

Well, it's 2021 now, I still can't run it.

Sure, it is a new year, but it's only been 12 days since you started this thread. I guess if you buy new stuff, patience must become part of your m.o., for better or worse...

Mark in Oregon

It's been 34 days since I received the Berkshire from Charles Ro, I still can't run it. Charles Ro has gone above and beyond to correct the problem. But Lionel customer service is horrible, this is my last purchase of any Lionel product. They got my money, they don't care if I can run the engine or not. Overpriced, poor quality control, inferior design problem and no one cares to even pick up the phone.

GOODBYE LIONEL

@Rusty Traque posted:

They're probably for the O Scale Berkshire.

I hope they're going to send you the pilot truck and not the pilot, as the pilot truck is attached to the frame and not the pilot assembly.

Rusty

Look what came in the mail from lionel today.....

@DL&W Pete posted:

Look what came in the mail from lionel today.....

Cool, now you can model a trackside steam loco repair shop!

Sorry, just some levity offered in your time of frustration.

latest update on my NPR Berkshire  did get a Return number, waited on the phone for 1:16 minutes before being serviced. the individual I talked to was very pleasant, I am woundering how long this is going to take to get it back.

I really think Lionel should have more people on support no-one should have to wait that long to speak to someone!

I have only One of my six flyerchief Berkshires left disposed of the other five and when this one dies it will be the last new flyonel steamer I buy.

Pete  I wish you luck!

Gunny

@gunny posted:

I have only One of my six flyerchief Berkshires left disposed of the other five and when this one dies it will be the last new flyonel steamer I buy.

Pete  I wish you luck!

Gunny

54 days later, THANK YOU Charles Ro.

My Berkshire finally has a front pilot truck wheels.....

@DL&W Pete posted:

Look what came in the mail from lionel today.....

Hey Pete, is there a part number for that pilot?

@FlyerRich posted:

Hey Pete, is there a part number for that pilot?

No idea, you need one....

Mine met with a slight accident via my wife's foot. One of the ladders broke off (but I have it) and one of the finials on the same side broke and the broken piece appears to be gone forever. That's the bad news. The good news is she didn't mean to do it. I thought perhaps your replacement had a part number. Lionel does not have the Berks listed yet on their parts website. I'll be calling Charles Ro tomorrow.

@DL&W Pete posted:

No idea, you need one....

...???

Is this a response or a question?

Mark in Oregon

@FlyerRich posted:

Mine met with a slight accident via my wife's foot. One of the ladders broke off (but I have it) and one of the finials on the same side broke and the broken piece appears to be gone forever. That's the bad news. The good news is she didn't mean to do it. I thought perhaps your replacement had a part number. Lionel does not have the Berks listed yet on their parts website. I'll be calling Charles Ro tomorrow.

I still have the one they sent me, let me know because I don't need this one.

@FlyerRich posted:

Mine met with a slight accident via my wife's foot..... The good news is she didn't mean to do it.

I suggest that she no longer be allowed to walk around on your layout.

@Chuck K posted:

I suggest that she no longer be allowed to walk around on your layout.

@DL&W Pete posted:

I still have the one they sent me, let me know because I don't need this one.

Pete if that's an offer to send it to me, I'm certainly in your debt and will pay the freight. I don't see your email in your profile but mine is there in my profile. If you email me I can reply with address info. Thanks!