Big Boy Tender Drawbar Rubbing

Is the BB suppose to go on O36 turns?  What's the model number?

Assuming it's the Lionmaster version the part # is 6-11208. That engine is supposed to be good for 031.

 

Gilly

Yes, its a 6-11208. It is supposed to be able to handle O31. I just didnt know if there was some adjustment that could be made?

Okay, so I contacted Lionel and was told that this is "normal" since the engine is so large. I'd agree with that except that I don't have this problem with my Big Boy #4006.

 

Is there anyone else out there that has a #4011 that can try and test this on O36 or O31 for me to see if they experience the same issue? Or, even better, that has had this problem and come up with a solution other than removing the pull bar and clipping the corners.

 

Thanks in advance for any help ya'll can provide.

If thats the case, I'd examine both of these locos closely to see what ( if any) the difference is. There really shouldn't be any because they are essentially the exact same loco with the exception of the whistle steam.

 

Maybe the other loco is rubbing too, but not squeaking. The tender drawbar usually has some shrink wrap holding the wires in place. If the wheel makes comtact with the shrink wrap as opposed to the metal it will no squeak.

 

What  happens if you turn the loco around and run it the opposite direction?

I'll definitely take a close look at the drawbars on both when I get home and see if the #4006 is rubbing as well. As for the shrinkwrap rubbing, you can see in the photo I've attached where it's rubbing, so not the shrinkwrap area. It's where the drawbar gets wider just before attaching to the truck under the front of the tender. The other concern regarding this issue is that, if it's impeding the ability of the truck to turn, then what would happen if I found myself needing to use O31? I'll also try flipping the engine around and see if it does the same thing on the other side. 

Okay, so I compared the two drawbars on the two tenders and RickO you were correct. Both of them rub but the heatshrink on the #4006 tender goes all the way back so that where it rubs is wrapped in heatshrink. This does beg the bigger question, however; if the drawbar rubs on O36 turn, hindering the travel of the truck for the tender, then how bad is it with O32/31?

 

Any folks planning a new layout may want to keep the limited travel in mind if they plan on using the LionMaster Big Boys. I imagine it'd wreck havoc on inclines with tigher turns.

I don't think the drawbar will be of issue on inclined tight curves.  I have a K-Line Big Boy which is even smaller than the LionMaster.  I had Lionel's FasTrack over and under set up in the typical figure 8 all with O38 curves.  It couldn't do it.  Due to the length of the boiler, the front engine kept coming off of the rails.  At the start of the incline the cattle guard would hit the center rail and at the top the front truck would come up off of the rails.  Otherwise it could do the 5+% grade just fine, if it was straight.

Odd. I used O-36 with the Lionel graduated trestles on a loop around and the cattle gaurd didn't hit until I went up to a 7% grade on the decline. It came off the rails a few times on the incline but mostly it was the tender that jumped or the traction bands would come off. The big boys defintely prefer straight or wide sweeping turns for inclines.

So, just for anyone else having this issue, I fixed it. On the underside of the tender are two large flat-head screws that hold the truck, drawbar, bracket, washer, and a conical spring. In my case, the washer was located between the conical spring and drawbar. I moved it to between the bracket and drawbar. No more scraping.