One hot mess (RK camelback)

That's not a DCS smoke circuit board.

So if indeed the DCS boards were removed, the previous owner installed some non-DCS smoke electronics.  I don't know what this tells you or how it helps.  Just saying...

How does that smoke unit work with the fan separated from the smoke chamber - or am I missing something?

Jim Harrington posted:

How does that smoke unit work with the fan separated from the smoke chamber - or am I missing something?

Well I was wondering the same thing.  On the underside of the board there are is molded u shaped connecting chamber that moves air from the fan discharge through the wick area. I blew through the intake and could feel it coming out of the smoke chamber.

stan2004 posted:

That's not a DCS smoke circuit board.

So if indeed the DCS boards were removed, the previous owner installed some non-DCS smoke electronics.  I don't know what this tells you or how it helps.  Just saying...

That's the early PS/1 smoke unit with the integrated electronics, so I suspect this was a PS/1 locomotive in it's earlier life.  The motor also doesn't have a tach strip on the flywheel, so it's almost surely a former PS/1 unit. 

Looking at the cab number, it's the exact same Railking PS/1 Camelback as I have, I converted mine to TMCC.

Time for a command upgrade, need a Super-Chuffer?

Thanks GRJ.  I don't know how I didn't see there wasn't a tach strip or reader mount. I guess I was too busy chasing bare wires.

Now then, what is that nylon screw in the middle for?  Greasing location maybe?

jhz563 posted:

Thanks GRJ.  I don't know how I didn't see there wasn't a tach strip or reader mount. I guess I was too busy chasing bare wires.

Now then, what is that nylon screw in the middle for?  Greasing location maybe?

I can't 100% confirm it, but I did track down some PS1 docs for a loco another forum member had - it is the grease access for the drive gearbox

It looks like you have one that was set up for display running. Do you observe much wear on the wheels or roller pick-ups?

Mine doesn't have a nylon screw like that, so I don't know exactly what the purpose was.

 

I can't 100% confirm it, but I did track down some PS1 docs for a loco another forum member had - it is the grease access for the drive gearbox

It looks like you have one that was set up for display running. Do you observe much wear on the wheels or roller pick-ups?

No wear at all. The pick ups and drivers look great.  The traction tires are a little aged-looking, but that is to be expected.

Bobby Ogage posted:

Bobby,

where is this from?

JZ

I would look into ERR with GRJ Supachuffa and fan driven smoke unit amd Railsounds OR use Ps3 electronics, no need to go back to ps-1 unless you like that system. Since it's a Railking, I wouldn't sweat the electronic guts inside.

Here's the Railking Camelback locomotive upgraded with a cruise commander and the Super-Chuffer.  Since the smoke unit works great with TMCC, it was left intact.  This was also the PS/1 unit when I got it.

GRJ, that looks amazing!  I have a cab 1 tmcc remote but prefer my dcs remote.  With the system you are describing, would I be able to operate it through dcs?

JZ

(Also how do you keep the smoke unit filled? - Looks like you'd have to pick up more every lap through a tender scoop!)

GUNRUNNER JOHN   back in the beginning MTH made ps-1 and a simple conventional unit that had an entirely different whistle, so my question to you and current owner is it possible thats what he has?

that would explain absence of boards and speaker. I have a CNW 0-8-0 that is strictly conventional no dings dongs or clanks of death to deal with !!

laughing loudly on that one just a fun pun on above is all.

jhz563 posted:

GRJ, that looks amazing!  I have a cab 1 tmcc remote but prefer my dcs remote.  With the system you are describing, would I be able to operate it through dcs?

JZ

(Also how do you keep the smoke unit filled? - Looks like you'd have to pick up more every lap through a tender scoop!)

You can operate TMCC through the DCS system if you have at least an old TMCC command base that is cabled to the TIU.

The PS/1 smoke units are real smokers, that one will run around 10 minutes or so before it needs a recharge.

StPaul posted:

GUNRUNNER JOHN   back in the beginning MTH made ps-1 and a simple conventional unit that had an entirely different whistle, so my question to you and current owner is it possible thats what he has?

that would explain absence of boards and speaker. I have a CNW 0-8-0 that is strictly conventional no dings dongs or clanks of death to deal with !!

The fact that it has that crusty bridge rectifier and scary wiring means it was heavily modified by the previous owner.  There's no telling what it started out with.  I can say it's a RailKing model.  The whistle-only model still has a speaker.

Here are some more pics just for fun. Turns out the drivers are shiny but there is definitely some wear on the pickups and wheels.  Not enough to matter to me.  I will eventually do something with this machine but I am now torn between a dcs upgrade GRJ's super chuff/ tmcc combo. 

Here you can see the connecting plastic piece between the fan and wick chamber on the smoke unit.

The front end of the guide truck mounting will make front coupler installation something of a challenge.

Tender as delivered.  Not even screws holding the shell on the frame.

The crude tape insulation tells me that this had a TMCC upgrade that was removed.  The go-to method of supplying an antenna is to float the tender shell, that appears to be what was done here.

Well, back from vacation and double checked my wire nuts and insulation.  The smoke unit connections looked good spit was time to try it out. It would be much nicer with a chuff feature, but pretty dang impressive I must say!