Does anyone know of a good video or instructions on opening up a Visionline Big Boy to change an Engine speaker. I have searched but honestly using this search engine is hit and miss for me. I am pretty handy and have repaired many engines. This is my first attempt at a visionline. Thanks in advance.
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@LT1Poncho posted:Does anyone know of a good video or instructions on opening up a Visionline Big Boy to change an Engine speaker. I have searched but honestly using this search engine is hit and miss for me. I am pretty handy and have repaired many engines. This is my first attempt at a visionline. Thanks in advance.
I haven't done it yet but I have a speaker in hand as mine is starting to sound like rice jumping in it. I don't think it's very hard. I've had the shell off before to re-wick and don't recall any major hurdles. See below. It doesn't seem like it's too hard.
Thaks to @Alex M you can look inside before you attempt it. Lots of pictures on this thread.
@LT1Poncho posted:Does anyone know of a good video or instructions on opening up a Visionline Big Boy to change an Engine speaker. I have searched but honestly using this search engine is hit and miss for me. I am pretty handy and have repaired many engines. This is my first attempt at a visionline. Thanks in advance.
How did you make out with this?
@MartyE I can’t figure out how to get the engine open. I’ve been scouring the internet. On such an expensive engine, I’m not going to attempt until I’m sure how to open it up.
Hi Alex M has a you tube video about repairing a vision line legacy and it comes apart very easily! If i remember cor4ectly there are 4 screws on the engine and the cover comes off legacy have 3 speakers which one are you trying to replace! Alan what is your Lionel item number 6-121334 ?
Alan
@Alan Mancus posted:Hi Alex M has a you tube video about repairing a vision line legacy and it comes apart very easily! If i remember cor4ectly there are 4 screws on the engine and the cover comes off legacy have 3 speakers which one are you trying to replace! Alan what is your Lionel item number 6-121334 ?
Alan
I provided the thread where Alex has disassembled the Big Boy in my original response. It's been a while but yes I believe it's 6 screws. 2 near the rear, 2 center, and 2 near the pilot. There were no "gotchas" like disassembling running gear or anything. Obviously be careful of the wiring going to the shell for lights, etc.
When in doubt, consult the manual.
@MartyE posted:I provided the thread where Alex has disassembled the Big Boy in my original response. It's been a while but yes I believe it's 6 screws. 2 near the rear, 2 center, and 2 near the pilot. There were no "gotchas" like disassembling running gear or anything. Obviously be careful of the wiring going to the shell for lights, etc.
When in doubt, consult the manual.
Found the screw locations in the manual @LT1Poncho.
@MartyE yes I have seen the link you provided. Only shows the engine after disassembly. I am replacing the engine speaker as it is crackling. The two tender speakers are fine. Thanks for the manual photo. I had that printed out, was just trying to find a video specific to the Visionline big boy so I could be aware of wiring etc. And I believe it’s still a chore to get to the actual speaker once the kid is off. Thanks for your help. I may delve into it this evening. I’ll keep you posted.
Hi here Marty Fitzhenry describes how you take 4 screws and the top comes off!
Alan
@Alan Mancus posted:Hi here Marty Fitzhenry describes how you take 4 screws and the top comes off!
Alan
Well, this may be true for opening the tender and repairing the coal feature, but the engine has at least 6 screws and ton of wiring.
@LT1Poncho posted:Well, this may be true for opening the tender and repairing the coal feature, but the engine has at least 6 screws and ton of wiring.
Actually, taking the boiler top of the Vision Line Big Boy is not difficult. There are a couple of wires to the boiler top, but nothing that's that challenging. As I recall, taking the boiler top off is just four screws on the corners. The wiring is all dressed well in there and on the ones I've worked on presented no problem in disassembly/assembly.
Here's a thread by @Alex M that shows the interior of the VL-BB in many pictures.
@gunrunnerjohn Thanks, I'm gonna dive in tonight and see!
What's wrong with the speaker in the locomotive?
The speaker is not clear and makes a crackling sound that’s especially noticeable when blowing the whistle.
Could be as simple as a loose wire, and there might be something magnetic that has been picked up by the speaker magnet and is sitting on the cone, a common issue. Having something magnetically attached to the cone will make the speaker really sound bad.
Got a few minutes this evening to dive into the VL Big Boy. @gunrunnerjohn and @Alan Mancus were correct in suggesting that only 4 screws need to be removed to get the boiler off. The manual diagram was incorrect, I could not find the other two body screws. I tried to show the 5 wire connectors that need to be disconnected to completely separate the boiler from the frame. Once fully opened up I checked the speaker wires and magnet. Everything was fine until I inspected the speaker. As the photo shows, the speaker was cracked. I soldered in the new speaker. The VL big boy sounds great again.
Glad you got it sounding good again. 4 screws is what I remembered but the manual made me go in the 6 screw direction as it's been years since I opened mine.
Thanks for the pictures. Helpful to all.
@LT1Poncho posted:
From the sounds of it, it seems my speaker has suffered the same fate. Time to open it up this weekend I guess.
Must have been a run of bad speakers, they shouldn't be cracking like that.
I had that same style 40mm, 8ohm speaker in my Lionel UP E7s. The speaker cone cracked in the exact same way. I replaced it with a different speaker that has a different style speaker cone (not a Lionel replacement) and it's been fine. It seems like the white part of the speaker cone got brittle and cracked, which I haven't seen before.
@Lou1985 posted:I had that same style 40mm, 8ohm speaker in my Lionel UP E7s. The speaker cone cracked in the exact same way. I replaced it with a different speaker that has a different style speaker cone (not a Lionel replacement) and it's been fine. It seems like the white part of the speaker cone got brittle and cracked, which I haven't seen before.
@Lou1985 can you let us know where you go the new speaker and maybe a part# if possible. I replaced this speaker with a Lionel replacement. I would like to know where I can get an alternative if I have the same problem again! Thanks
Mike
@LT1Poncho posted:@Lou1985 can you let us know where you go the new speaker and maybe a part# if possible. I replaced this speaker with a Lionel replacement. I would like to know where I can get an alternative if I have the same problem again! Thanks
Mike
Honestly I don't remember. I just pulled it out of my speaker bin (I keep several sizes/impedance speakers on hand for projects). A speaker of similar design can be found on everyone's favorite auction sight. Just search "40mm 8ohm speaker" and you should get several useable results.
Well finally tackled this today. Speaker was indeed bad.
but my baffle is cracked so I have super glued it together. Just waiting for it to dry completely.
@MartyE posted:Well finally tackled this today. Speaker was indeed bad.
Marty, I have tons of the Lionel 40mm 8 ohm speakers, if you need one, let me know and I'll drop one in the mail.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Marty, I have tons of the Lionel 40mm 8 ohm speakers, if you need one, let me know and I'll drop one in the mail.
Thanks for the offer. Already have the speaker. The small issue I am having now is getting the wire bundle across the top of the speaker enclosure flattened enough. I'm finding that the boiler is teetering across it. I suspect this is why the enclosure was cracked.
@MartyE posted:Thanks for the offer. Already have the speaker. The small issue I am having now is getting the wire bundle across the top of the speaker enclosure flattened enough. I'm finding that the boiler is teetering across it. I suspect this is why the enclosure was cracked.
Well, another issue is if you chafe through that wire with the boiler, you'll have a whole bigger issue! 
No chance of running the wires around the baffle?
In an extreme case, you can trench through the baffle and use some RTV to stick a flat piece of Styrene sheet on top and also seal up the sides around the wire.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Well, another issue is if you chafe through that wire with the boiler, you'll have a whole bigger issue!
No chance of running the wires around the baffle?
In an extreme case, you can trench through the baffle and use some RTV to stick a flat piece of Styrene sheet on top and also seal up the sides around the wire.
I’ll figure it out. I think some wires can be pushed down the sides. I just have to look at it a bit.
Well as luck would have it a wire busted off the pin for the number boards. Its the female pins for the plug connector. Anyone have a source for these tiny pins? If nit any ideas on getting creative to circumnavigate the missing pin?
They plug into the cs-6101434320-p PCB / LIGHTING DISTRIBUTION / VISION BIG BOY board.
Yep, I have tons of these. If you can't crimp them, I can send you a couple of wires with pre-crimped pins, you can just splice them in. Drop me an email and I'll stick them in an envelope.
Funny enough this thread made me go check my original VL big boy, sure enough same failure 
I have a set of TMCC UP E7s from 2006 with that same 40mm speaker, and it failed the same way. The milky white part of the speaker seems to dry out and crack.
reading the post in this it’s actually quite disappointing that once again Lionel must’ve went the cheap route. I have speakers that were well over 40 years old before they needed to be refoamed. Not a hard process on a large speaker, but there is no excuse for a speaker of this size and of this age to fail like this in such an expensive expensive locomotive. Disgusting to say the least.
Well we're all back up and running. Thanks to GRJ for the pins I was able to repair the connector. I didn't realize this was such an epidemic.
Gee, I have two of the 2014 VL-BB's, I wonder if my speakers are croaking! They sounded fine last month, but that was then and this is now. 
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Gee, I have two of the 2014 VL-BB's, I wonder if my speakers are croaking! They sounded fine last month, but that was then and this is now.
If you blow the whistle and it sounds like rice bouncing in the cone, it's probably bad. That was my symptom.
I take it those baffles are no longer available? @MartyE I wouldn't mind trying to add one to the latest Big Boys. I was going to 3D print it but maybe a stock version would fit.
@BillYo414 posted:I take it those baffles are no longer available? @MartyE I wouldn't mind trying to add one to the latest Big Boys. I was going to 3D print it but maybe a stock version would fit.
They are. At least as of yesterday when I got those PNs.
@BillYo414 posted:I take it those baffles are no longer available? @MartyE I wouldn't mind trying to add one to the latest Big Boys. I was going to 3D print it but maybe a stock version would fit.
Most of the parts for the 2014 VL-BB are still available on the website.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Most of the parts for the 2014 VL-BB are still available on the website.
Sadly I remember one York where there were carcasses, in various state of pickin's, of Big Boys in I believe Nassau's booth. VL and others.
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