Tender separation on #1225 Polar Express Berkshire

Rockershovel posted:

I’m a little surprised by the length of the tender drawbar on the Berkshire. It seems very long for a loco rated for O54 curves, with a big gap. 

I’ve been running this loco on my O31 test loop, paired with a 233 or 234 type tender (with a much shorter drawbar) and it looks better. There are no apparent clearance issues. 

Is there a shorter drawbar available for the original tender, or is it just a case of making one up? 

There is no shorter one available - I am not sure why it was that long - perhaps to access the direction and smoke switches while the tender is connected -

I have not seen anyone modify the drawbar in my years on the forum - this engine got quite a lot of attention over the years on mods - if you make up one or shorten this one, please post the details - you'll add the information base for this popular engine

You don't need another part. Just drill the original one for the length you want and leave the overall length alone.

If you want a shorter drawbar installed, the 2466T-10 will work. The Train Tender has them for $1 used, $2.50 new.

ADCX Rob posted:

You don't need another part. Just drill the original one for the length you want and leave the overall length alone.

Yeah, I did that within the first week of getting my original PE (back in the day). Never thought about posting any pictures. Simple to do (0.125 on a scale of 10). Take a second and center punch it so the drill bit doesn't walk on you.

I only have a handful of steamers (and no Berkshire), but seems like I've shortened the drawbars on all but one.  Either by drilling a new hole where the bar mounts on the tender truck, or fabricating a new tender drawbar from brass strip.  I've also resorted to cutting unused tabs off the tender trucks to gain clearance, and in one case, lowering the die-cast metal tender body on the metal frame to give a tad more vertical clearance (and thus horizontal clearance) between the tender shell and the cab roof.  And the tender shell needed lowering anyway, as it rode too high, in my eyes - looked a little too "toy-like".  Just lowering the tender shell by about 1/8" dramatically improved the looks.  I'd tell you which loco I've done this to, but I don't want to void the warranty on my Lionel C&NW LionChief Plus 4-6-2 Pacific #6-82971. 

The important thing is to check the engine/tender clearance on the tightest curve that it will run on.  Check the clearances with the tender hooked up with the loco, then unhooked.  You should be able to determine how much you can shorten the distance.  In one or two cases, I couldn't get quite as much shortening as I wanted, but what I did get really helped.

The one steamer I haven't been able to shorten is my Lionel Rock Island 4-8-4 #6-18001.  It has way more separation than I like, and I would love to close that gap up.  But the cab roof almost touches the tall tender on my O42 minimum curves.  There's no way I could shorten the combo at this point.  I might be able to if I had room for O72 minimum curves, or larger.  But it just can't happen with my O42 curves.

Come to think of it, I wished every one of my steamer tenders could be even closer yet, but I have them about down to the bare minimum gap for my O42 curves.  Regardless, they do look one heck of a lot better than they did before shortening.  

ADCX Rob posted:

You don't need another part. Just drill the original one for the length you want and leave the overall length alone.

If you want a shorter drawbar installed, the 2466T-10 will work. The Train Tender has them for $1 used, $2.50 new.

Go Rob!

That sounds like the answer I’m looking for. I’ll get the Dremel out, because small parts cost silly money in shipping. 

The 233 tender has a much shorter connection and works fine on O31 curves, and looks better

I’ve drilled another hole in the drawbar, closing the tender up about 6mm - to the same separation as the PW 233W whistle tender I sometimes muster with this loco. This seems to work reliably on O27 curves. I might be able to close it up some more, but given the throw of the very long protruding cab roof, I think that’s enough.