I went ahead and mounted the Kadees. Lionel certainly deserves kudos for the Kadee mounts. I also fixed up the broken front cut lever. I did find both truck mounts to be loose while I was inside the engine chasing out the electrocoupler leads. Good luck to anyone opening these up, they are very tight inside. I’d suggest taking your time putting it back together. I may fill the pilots in at some point but I may weather just weather it later and run it as is for awhile.
J Daddy posted:Norm -
As always great video. That switcher could not find a better home.... can you do the same video as you weather it and place it back on the layout?
Hey quick question- this stone building / kit - who makes it and where did you find it... very nice.
That’s a Stone Mill Models resin kit.
Finished up the UP, still the SF to go. As Norm mentioned these are very tight, especially once you pull the cab and the wires coming from the speaker have a chance to shift. Cab removal requires pulling the handrail out of both sides and removing two screws on the frame. This is required to get to the back truck screw. I stand by this is nothing but loose screws from the factory. No broken parts. Had a similar issue with my SD40's although not as severe.
Attached a few photos for anyone interested.
Surefire posted:
"I stand by this is nothing but loose screws from the factory."
Since you went through the work to do this do you recommend to add a bit of Loctite (Blue, not Red) to the screw or is there enough bite for the screw to hold onto?
Thanks.
Charlie
Charlie posted:Surefire posted:
"I stand by this is nothing but loose screws from the factory."
Since you went through the work to do this do you recommend to add a bit of Loctite (Blue, not Red) to the screw or is there enough bite for the screw to hold onto?
Thanks.
Charlie
I considered it but once tightened down they have plenty of bite. No reason they should have backed out as far as they did if they were tight in the first place. Were talking 8 or so turns.
I would bet money loose screws are the cause of most of the issues people are encountering.
Finished the ATSF. Be very cautious with the handrails if you attempt this yourself. Had one snap on me. Was able to repair and touch up with black paint, but just added frustration.
So, alls well that ends well I guess. Silly that something so simple can completely burn a production run, especially since it's so easily avoidable.
If your trucks are loose or disconnected:
(Does not require any disconnecting of wires)
-Remove cab (2 screws and 2 handrail tops. Tilt rails slightly backwards to avoid pinching cab) then remove shell (4 screws)
-Undo large screw on front most board and lift up and away
-Tighten truck mount screw underneath, replace board
-Remove 4 screws holding speak enclosure, lift up and towards side with black wires, speaker is free underneath.
-Tighten rear truck mount screw, replace speaker/enclosure.
-Replace shell then cab
(Work slowly and check for wires being pinched!)
-Turn over tighten screws for body/cab
-Reconnect driveshafts if disconnected
-Tighten larger of two screws on bottom of truck securing to the previously tightened mount.
You might want to check this one first -
I just had the rear truck drop upon my return to the bench after a post-Kadee test run. Turned out the lower truck mount screw was loose too. Easy fix, front was fine for some reason.
Anyway, decided to fill in the pilots and mount a brake hose:
Just down at the Train Shack in Burbank, CA. Owner Mindy said that she put four of them on display. One had a disconnected truck which she fixed as discused here, and one had a bad electronic board. The others seem OK.
Not a great quality level, obviously.
Charlie, since "equivalent" can mean "identical", you are right. I was thinking the Lionel NW2 and the SW1200 and SW9 MTH offerings are almost the same. If I was choosing between the three I would base my decision on value, reliability and road name - not the specific model - but Lionel it is if you must have an NW2.
SF NW2
I too had loose truck and one truck detached coming out of box. I was able to tighten screw on one truck and reinstall and tighten the other truck. All was done with screw on bottom of each truck.
A great engine, Thanks Lionel & Dave Olsen, great work
I'm hoping the SP&S NW2s will be in soon.......
Bruk posted:I'm hoping the SP&S NW2s will be in soon.......
Odd that they came in late. My dealer told me today that their distributor has just shipped out the missing SP&S units so they should be in to dealers this week or next.
Maybe they’ll have their trucks attached properly!
I have the Santa Fe version and it was just fine out of the box. 
My CSXT NW2 is do in next week, my dealer says he will give it a thorough inspection before I drive over 100 miles to pick it up. I am sure if there is The S2 TinPlate style Set is already there waiting...I am happy...
I just received my Lionel Milwaukee Road NW2. Unfortunately, it arrived with a different issue than the above. The rear coupler arrived dangling from the wires. It looks like a screw backed out and all the parts are still in the box - luckily. Can someone verify how the part with the spring is supposed to be positioned?
Attached is a picture of the switcher. I have not tried to run it yet.
Here's the order of how the electrocoupler parts attach to the frame.
We're seeing loose truck screws and loose coupler screws. Not sure what happened, we're discussing it with the factory.
Wow! Thank you for the quick response Dave. I'll try to fix this myself and test run it tonight.
Thanks again!
I got my UP NW2 last week... it was perfect, and runs perfect. I liked it so much i just picked up the Santa Fe today... that also runs great. No issues on my two NW2s.
They really run great. I pulled a 30car train on level ground. My only question was how to put smoke fluid cleanly in the ATSF stacks with the filters.
Dave... i did have an issue, and same one as the new hybrid... those stickers you put under frame are falling off. It fell off my hybrid, and also my Up NW2. They dont seem to be too stickey for stickers... just wanted to watch out for stickers on tracks.
Super O Bob posted:I got my UP NW2 last week... it was perfect, and runs perfect. I liked it so much i just picked up the Santa Fe today... that also runs great. No issues on my two NW2s.
They really run great. I pulled a 30car train on level ground. My only question was how to put smoke fluid cleanly in the ATSF stacks with the filters.
You're a lucky fella.
As far as the sparkarestors, just pull them and press back when done.
We got the SF and CSX today. Both run great.
Pull them? They are solidly mounted to the stacks.
Super O Bob posted:Pull them? They are solidly mounted to the stacks.
They might be a little snug, but they're designed to be removable to fill the fluid. Just be gentle, they're 3-piece brass.
Thanks dave. I noticed the instructions had a pic of the alco s2 stack. I didnt want to force it. I will be careful...
Super O Bob posted:Thanks dave. I noticed the instructions had a pic of the alco s2 stack.
There have been some errors in manuals lately. Going forward, Dean and I will both be reviewing manuals before they're approved.
My Milwaukee is perfect,
Dave Olson posted:Super O Bob posted:Thanks dave. I noticed the instructions had a pic of the alco s2 stack.
There have been some errors in manuals lately. Going forward, Dean and I will both be reviewing manuals before they're approved.
My new LC+ CP Rail GP-38 has the manual for a GP-7, not that it really matters, I guess.
wb47 posted:My Milwaukee is perfect,
Can u post a pic? Id love to see that milwaukee
I have had my NW2 since Saturday and have been running it every day. It has no problems, and runs like a dream. the best running switcher I have ever had by far, good smoke, and great sounds. I am extremely happy with it.
Thats a sweet looking milwaukee! Thanks so much for posting!
Norm,
Very nice video, I am tempted to get a Pennsy version now.
@Dave Olson Can Lionel please look into a new Bell sound effect? The same one is in literally every engine, and isn't very realistic to most engines. An NW-2's bell shouldn't sound like an ES44's bell. Thanks.
Super O Bob posted:Pull them? They are solidly mounted to the stacks.
Pull straight up. They are removable.
My Santa Fe NW2 arrived tonight. No truck problems. No coupler problems. All functions worked perfectly out of the box.
I did notice that the unit was run previously. There were run marks on the metal wheels and there was definitely wear on the tires.
Here are a couple of comparison pictures with the 623. The 623 is a little heavier due to the cast metal chassis vs. the plastic chassis on the new unit.
Mine had wear marks on the wheels as well. Like it had been run for a while, but not on the Pick up rollers. Like the pick-up rollers were replace before it was sent out.
Even with the sound all the way up, the motor seems to be loud. Am I the only one that thinks this?
Tom 4 posted:Mine had wear marks on the wheels as well. Like it had been run for a while, but not on the Pick up rollers. Like the pick-up rollers were replace before it was sent out.
Even with the sound all the way up, the motor seems to be loud. Am I the only one that thinks this?
Same here, no marks on the pick up rollers, just the wheels.
The motor is very quiet in the unit I received below and up to the "we have reached maximum track speed" message. Above the the track speed message the motor has a very present whine. At the fast as it will go speed (which is not very fast) the motor whine is very loud. Also, the motor gets quite warm pulling a 20 car train for 30 minutes.
WBC posted:Same here, no marks on the pick up rollers, just the wheels.
The motor is very quiet in the unit I received below and up to the "we have reached maximum track speed" message. Above the the track speed message the motor has a very present whine. At the fast as it will go speed (which is not very fast) the motor whine is very loud. Also, the motor gets quite warm pulling a 20 car train for 30 minutes.
Its a Switcher, not a mainline engine. Its geared for slow speeds in the yard. The motor is smaller than what you would see in most Lionel engines. Pulling a 20 car train for a constant 30 minutes at speed is putting a lot of work on that little motor hence the heat.
A few questions... what kind of motor is in this thing? The photo by Surefire shows a LOT of electronics, but no motor. Is it the ubiquitous Mabuchi RS-385? Flywheels? What's the gear ratio??
Also WBC: is the chassis PLASTIC or stamped metal? I can't believe Lionel would build a Legacy loco with a plastic chassis. Thanks!
Ted Sowirka posted:A few questions... what kind of motor is in this thing? The photo by Surefire shows a LOT of electronics, but no motor. Is it the ubiquitous Mabuchi RS-385? Flywheels? What's the gear ratio??
Also WBC: is the chassis PLASTIC or stamped metal? I can't believe Lionel would build a Legacy loco with a plastic chassis. Thanks!
Yes, the 385 is in the fuel tank and has a flywheel. Gear ratio is in the mid 30's. High as it needs to be for a switcher. And the frame is die-cast.
So Dave,
How do I get a replacement coupler cut bar being that the end of one of mine has been cut off short at the factory?
It bugs the hell out of me. I know Norm made his own replacement for his PRR, but I don't think I am that talented.
Mine is expected to arrive this week. Is the body more scale in width than the postwar model? Can anyone compare the body width of the new NW2 to the Atlas O sw8/9 loco?
Tom 4 posted:So Dave,
How do I get a replacement coupler cut bar being that the end of one of mine has been cut off short at the factory?
It bugs the hell out of me. I know Norm made his own replacement for his PRR, but I don't think I am that talented.
Just give Service a call. We can get you one.
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