If I wanted to transplant drive rods on an engine....

A lot depends on the time era you are trying to model. Note that the rods on UP 844 in your photo above have been highly polished for modern day excursion service. Steam locomotives, "back in the day", were rarely that highly polished, even on passenger assignments, when in regular service.

Hot Water posted:

A lot depends on the time era you are trying to model. Note that the rods on UP 844 in your photo above have been highly polished for modern day excursion service. Steam locomotives, "back in the day", were rarely that highly polished, even on passenger assignments, when in regular service.

I'm trying to model my locomotive off of 844 in modern day excursion service.  I'll also be showing you some before and after pictures of it.

Would taking them off and polishing the rods you have be possible?

E-UNIT-79 posted:

Would taking them off and polishing the rods you have be possible?

There's been a thread about that, so you can check it out here: https://ogrforum.com/t...86#60698708024730086

I think the best way to do it is by getting the older version's replacement parts (if reproduction).  Although I could paint them if the case is a new tooling, like the Reading T1s for example.  The thing is that I'm just used to the previous color of the rods.

You could remove the blackening and just replate them with tin. This is how I restore post war engines. Caswell Plating offers inexpensive brush plating kits that are easy to used and very effective.

Before at the bottom, after replating on top.

Pete

The Lionel FEF rods, from the current issue and older issue, are not accurate compared to the prototype. I have a set from MTH, which are "close" but haven't installed them yet. Unsure if they'll work but wanted to try it. I bring this up because you may want to address this issue while you have them off for polishing.

I scratch built a set of rods for an FEF. Also, Stevenson's has the raw castings. Be forewarned-drilling the holes accurately in the rods to prevent binding is an exercise in patience, which I don't have after doing a set (s), hence the MTH trial...

Certainly if you like your rods shiny, you like them shiny - but from a prototypical point of view "spit and polish" was - and is - rare in railroading, and in many/most(?) situations the "passenger" locos were as filthy as the freight units. Personally this is the way I like them, but this isn't about me.

It seems to me that I would recommend polishing what you have (covered above - but re-plating? Needed? Dunno - polish the backsides to a faretheewell - they won't show anyway - see what happens).

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Now here's a passenger locomotive after my own heart - busy, much? I wonder if they got any phone calls from Henry Dreyfuss?

I know I'll need:

• 1 - 6101116318 CROSSHEAD GUIDE / LH / FEF-3
• 1 - 6101116322 CROSSHEAD GUIDE / RH / FEF-3
• 1 - 6101116240 ECCENTRIC CRANK ASSEMBLY / LEFT / FEF-3
• 1 - 6101116140 ECCENTRIC CRANK ASSEMBLY / RIGHT / FEF-3
• 2 - 6101116320 SIDE ROD / FEF-3
• 1 - 6101116034 MAIN ROD ASSEMBLY / LH / FEF-3
• 1 - 6101116036 MAIN ROD ASSEMBLY / RH / FEF-3
• 2 - 6101116152 ECCENTRIC SLEEVE / .220"ID x .258"OD x .234"LTH
• 2 - 6101116153 MAIN ROD SPACER / .270"ID x .355"OD x .083"THK

Please let me know if I missed any parts.

Peter seems intent on buying new. As for replating that would depend if they were chemically blackened or painted. Paint could be stripped without affecting the base metal. Removing Blackening would likely require removing some metal that was oxidized. If the rods are brass that was first plated then oxidized some or all of the brass would surface and require replating. 

It took longer to type this then it would take to replate the rods.

Pete

ps D500 I think that is the first picture of a PT tender I have seen painted to match the Dreyfuss. Thank you.

I did not realize Lionel is offering properly tapered rods.  That is a truly good thing - I was going to use some less than satisfactory lost-wax rods I had cast up a couple decades ago.

Sometimes (not very often) I want bright silver rods.  When I cast my own, they are in nickel silver, which does not stay shiny forever.  But when I use brass, I just paint them silver.

I have used the solder trick - get the rod well coated, then wipe with a piece of steel wool. - or even a rag - before the solder sets.  But paint is almost as good from two feet away.

After typing that, I looked again at the photos in the first post.  It looks like the prototype has proper taper and the model may still be missing the mark. The rods on my Legacy FEF are very shiny.  If you get desperate, I will trade you even - you get to pay postage.  My current plan is new side rods and scale driver tires.  The rest of the locomotive is already converted.

Great engine.  Here it is at Railfair99 crossing the Amtrak main line.  

Boy did this thread disappear in a hurry.  I got to thinking about my FEF, so I dug it out.  Never run, but the rods show discolor and the traction tires have disintegrated.  I long ago pulled the Legacy, and 2- railed most of it.

Tonight, in two hours flat, I removed the mechanism, pulled the cylinders and main rods/valve gear, and all the front end stuff, and mounted a Lobaugh frame with USH scale drivers.  All that remains are the brake shoes, air pumps, and gearbox, and I will have a running 2-rail FEF.

You may see an FEF frame and drivers set appearing on eBay soon!  Side rods included.

I do have to attach the boiler belly and fill all those holes in it, but I am good at that.  Won't take long.  A photo will appear on another forum sometime soon.

If I try a different method, will the drive rods match the color like on this model?

This is a photo of my Lionel LEGACY Santa Fe Northern.

Peter Araujo posted:

If I try a different method, will the drive rods match the color like on this model?

This is a photo of my Lionel LEGACY Santa Fe Northern.

They might be the same, as the driver diameter of the real Santa Fe 2900 class Northerns and the UP FEF-3 class Northers were the same, i.e. 80" did.. One would think that Lionel would use the same running gear for both models of 3-Rail 4-8-4s.