Legacy NKP 765 parts in box. Help!

A picture might help.

It's not this is it?  Sorry have to ask.

Any update?

Thanks for the follow-up Marty.  No, I know about the tool for the side rod nuts. I went on line to find a few photos and finally found a rare left side view (photogs like the left to right wedge views).  It appear to be what I assume is the lubricator assembly found above the left side crosshead.  Sure enough I found a stripped out hole under the smokebox to match the too-short Phillips screw that was also floating around in the packaging. The screw only has less than 1/64" of thread showing through the bracket to enter the hole. I just returned from the hardware store with short #4 screws that I will try to install. I measured the depth of the hole and will try to make the repair.  I may have to insert some PC-7 in the hole as it may be stripped all the way to the bottom of the hole. I'm hoping that I can make the longer screw grab the few remaining threads at the bottom. None of this is fatal. This is a great engine. 

When I get a chance next week I will stop by the roundhouse where we keep the NKP 759 and check out the device. Perhaps Rich Melvin can shed some light on this appliance as well.

One of our modular group's open houses is tomorrow and I plan to show off this great model, with or with out the repair.....most of our members aren't rivet counters.

Thanks again for your reply.

Conductor Earl     

Ok. I didn't know how familiar you were with the parts and pieces. I hope I didn't insult you. I hope your engine runs great once you get past this. It is a real wonderful engine. 

Lionel has many of the parts already up for these:

New Legacy 765 Parts

You may want to email them and see if they can send you the proper screw. Its likely metric fine thread. Lionel is very good about responding to emails, you'll likely hear back by Monday A.M.

http://www.lionel.com/ContactUs/

If your able to post photos, that would help narrow things down.

It's a great engine. It shouldn't have parts in the box. I'm not defending that.  But when it doesn't. It's a great engine.

im not going to get into this again. 

Your 100% correct Nick, the problem is, it costs $30-$40 to send it back. If its something minor like this, or the broken bushings.

 In this case,  the extra expense adds" insult to injury" to send it back when Lionel can mail the part out at no cost to you.

Then theres the added risk of further damage in round trip shipping. I've had things come back in worse shape than when they left. Its a tough call, pretty much a lose, lose for the customer. Its choosing the "lesser of two evils" I suppose.

Things may never change with the drawbacks of overseas manufacturing, but I'm sure Lionel is "getting the message." Between this forum, their own email,phone calls, and I'd guess complaints from dealers.

There really aren't any rules for fixing quality control. The best approach I think is that it's important not to hurt yourself when presented with a quality control issue. Sending the engine back when you can fix it with parts from Lionel is minimum loss for the customer. Not accepting any non-factory fixes is also minimum loss. I was really disappointed to read when a Lionel representative suggested gluing the pilot wheel axle bearings giving the reason that you would never want to take the wheels off anyway. I think resisting that kind of sloppy engineering also helps get the message across at minimum cost to the customer.

It is a great engine...when it's running . Probably one of the best I have ever owned.

Rick O et.al.

Thanks for the additional input. I will indeed contact Lionel for the necessary screw as I agree that is probably metric thread.  Of course if all else fails, brass is very forgiving and should accept the US thread. I've done it before with small bolts with no problem. I'm not too worried.

I agree that shipping a delicate scale engine back to the factory is double jeopardy. I have experience this in the past. This is not a perfect world. Just look at the auto industry. I'm sure that the folks at Lionel are quite embarrassed by the problems. Any business can make a sale.  How they address customer concerns is the true test and an opportunity to show the quality of their service. Forty years in business has taught me this truth.

Conductor Earl   

Most of the screws in the list at Lionel Parts are SAE, but the boiler breakdown is not shown yet. It's easy to tell when you start the screw. I did run into one issue on a Niagara where a bracket was secured inside the boiler. I could not find any screw in the pile that was presented to me that fit and the hole looked a little stripped. So I picked a 3mm tap to be the best match and made some nice threads for a Lionel 3 mm screw I had in stock. Sometimes 'ya just gotta do what 'ya gotta do.

http://www.lionel.com/Customer...0e-81ed-48348d708a63

cjack,

Thanks, I did discover that the boiler break down was not shown on the Lionel site. I really appreciate your sharing your solution to a similar problem. I may end up going your route.  On a good note, I found #4 SAE bolts with allen heads that may make the job easier than using a screw driver due to the location of this missing bolt. Thanks again.

Conductor Earl     

Where is the boiler breakdown.

Probably coming when they get to it. I hope.

On my Berk's, I've just placed the axle bushing (bearing) in the proper spot w/ the loco on my engine cradle, added a touch of plastic cement & let it set over night.  I'm pretty sure it'll last longer than me, well I'm hoping for 20 - 30 years anyway.

It looks to me that when you lay the loco's on their back and push down on the pilot truck the wheels come in contact with the housing. When enough pressure is applied the Bearings - Bushings will pop out and or break. This is just my guess here. There needed to be a small short piece of foam in the center against the pivot point of the pilot truck to not allow this to happen during shipping. Also the front spring is a bit compressed too. I've had to stretch the spring to put more pressure on the wheels of the truck so they wouldn't hop while running on a little rougher track. Had to re-solder the Prog.-Run switch on one... no biggie, because the thing wouldn't go into Program mode. Just little stuff. But I don't recommend removing the Headlight when switching to the mars light smoke box. Your better off ordering a new LED light and harness assembly for the headlight in the mars smoke box on the 765. I love the whistle on the 765 and the announcements on the Polar Berk.

Noticed that too about the truck. I had to support the truck well when pressing the bearings to where they snap in...and I can see that they would snap off their tabs if the wheels were pushed out. Good analysis. Thanks.