Need to remove boiler from orig 400e to fix firebox glow lamp socket... question:

I would remove the motor block, then take out the screws that hold the cab&boiler to the frame.

There maybe a screw in the chimney to the reflector behind the headlight bulb.

I only have a lionel classics / mth version to go by.

You can leave the motor block in if you wish ...take out the screws for the following locations...

2 at the back of the cab

2 underside of the cab up through the frame (near the firebox light) 

One down through the chimney.

Release the boiler front... you squeeze the front while lifting so as to prevent scratching the smoke box area by the cylinders. Should come right off.

Thanks. Got it. Fixed the firebox/ashpan light. (Original bulb!)  It was wired to the chugger. Mostly original wires in place inside this bugger, with the exception of the newer spliced lead onto the old ashcan light wire. The chugger is not working, so I wired it to the same lead as the front headlight. Anyone ever fix a chugger? Any common problem(s) that I can look for?

(I do know that a decent repairman tried to fix the chugger for the previous owner, and was stumped.)

Why bother.  They sound horrible, and they all get turned off after 2 seconds anyway.

Rob English posted:

Why bother.  They sound horrible, and they all get turned off after 2 seconds anyway.

Cuz its part of the charm... 

Love it or hate it, you have to respect it for 1930's technology.

I think the ash pan glow is a gas. Looks awesome with the room lights out.

Ives1122 posted:

Rob English posted:

Why bother.  They sound horrible, and they all get turned off after 2 seconds anyway.

Cuz its part of the charm... 

Love it or hate it, you have to respect it for 1930's technology.

True, at least they gave it a shot. But it still sounds like a belly dancer getting run over by a steam roller.

....But it still sounds like a belly dancer getting run over by a steam roller.

 

^This wins the internet.^

I am probably going to fix the chugger in time. Just to say 'it works.'

Dreyfuss Hudson posted:

....But it still sounds like a belly dancer getting run over by a steam roller.

 

^This wins the internet.^

I am probably going to fix the chugger in time. Just to say 'it works.'

LOL,

I'm probably the only person ever who thinks the chugger is neat and actually uses it sometimes...

Ash pan glow is definitely one of the best features ever put on prewar trains!  The American Flyer wide gauge steam locos actually have a bunch of little holes cast into the firebox sides, so the red light shines out the sides.

 

I'm probably the only person ever who thinks the chugger is neat and actually uses it sometimes...

Makes sense coming from a guy who likes chipped paint.  

Say what you like about the chugger - it's better than The Mighty Sound of Steam!

To fix one, I'd start by looking for corroded contacts in the on-off switch and the cam unit that triggers the sound. If it's the chugger itself that's bad, maybe a broken wire inside? I've only fixed chugger problems once or twice and it was always contacts or external wiring. 

Southwest Hiawatha posted:

Say what you like about the chugger - it's better than The Mighty Sound of Steam!

LOL, That is the TRUTH!

The sound can be best described as a rattlely buzz.