The BIG SIX: Can I Fix It???

was a very good video

When sellers don't pack stuff properly, it is very bad quality and customer service in my opinion.    I have been burned that way by an auction site too.   

It is just sad that they cannot hire some people with common sense to properly handle and pack stuff.     If something in a package moves at all, it is going to damaged in shipement.   It has to be packed securely and carefully to avoid damage.   

I prefer buying stuff at train shows and personally hauling it home to avoid shipping damage.

Nice engine, Sid. I'm glad it didn't take you that long to get her up and running again. Man, those 3rd Rail brass models have some pretty impressive details.

Watch some of this last evening.  Looks like it will be interesting.  The thumbnail looks like you are going to bite it.  LOL!

Nice save Sid.  I can't say I haven't seen a bunch of these i similar condition.   I think the boiler front on about 90% of the ones I get in has popped off.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Nice save Sid.  I can't say I haven't seen a bunch of these i similar condition.   I think the boiler front on about 90% of the ones I get in has popped off.

Yeah this one I got lucky on. More of a reassembly than a full on restoration, but hey someone elses loss was my gain 😁. The boiler fronts falling off is something I find comedic at times since people put them back on upsidedown 🙃 or they leave them off.

I did get one with no boiler front to "repair", the guy just wanted me to put one on!   He was genuinely annoyed when I said I couldn't really do that!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I did get one with no boiler front to "repair", the guy just wanted me to put one on!   He was genuinely annoyed when I said I couldn't really do that!

😂😂 Might as well have asked for a new engine while he was at it.

Its not impossible , to replace  the front of the smoke box ( with or with out a working door ) , with the castings and component's that are out there, and maybe a little fabrication.

I got to get my eyes on this tonight. Always seems like I am playing catch up with videos and other things, lol. I'll get it in tonight for sure.

Sid, great job repairing this B&O engine.  I have this same engine and I love it.

@Dave Koehler posted:

Its not impossible , to replace  the front of the smoke box ( with or with out a working door ) , with the castings and component's that are out there, and maybe a little fabrication.

Well, I know it's not impossible Dave, but spending hours on the job would be cost prohibitive for most customers.  It's one thing when I'm doing something like this for myself, I don't pay myself all that well.  However, it's another doing it for a stranger and getting $10/hr to do it!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, I know it's not impossible Dave, but spending hours on the job would be cost prohibitive for most customers.  It's one thing when I'm doing something like this for myself, I don't pay myself all that well.  However, it's another doing it for a stranger and getting $10/hr to do it!

The time consuming part is locating one that fits. Not easy to modify one to make it fit.

If you are lucky or have a few on hand to check the size then adding the details would not take that much more time.
When I was building a MTH UP FEF from parts I would have preferred to use a Lionel front but it was about a tenth of an inch larger and no easy way to machine it to fit.

Back to topic, Nice work Sid. 👍

Pete

@Norton posted:

The time consuming part is locating one that fits. Not easy to modify one to make it fit.

If you are lucky or have a few on hand to check the size then adding the details would not take that much more time.

I don't do nearly that much body work, so I don't have any extra 3rd Rail boiler fronts laying around.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I don't do nearly that much body work, so I don't have any extra 3rd Rail boiler fronts laying around.

No one does, not even Scott but there are Lionel, MTH, Precision Scale, Stevenson Preservation that likely have a part that would work.

Pete

Last night I crapped out before getting to watch the video Sid, my apologies. I guess I was just too dang tired last night after dinner. I nodded off, and there was no coming back after that. I just finished watching it now, and that is some dang fine work, sniffing out the problem and such. I know if I sneezed, the model would be broken in two somehow, don't know how, just know that would happen.

Got to love how this just came back together despite having a few issues of getting it back into itself. I do remember seeing Norm's video on his Big Six a bit ago(think maybe I watched that two months ago). I believe he had some sort of similar issues with something being disconnected or such. Great to see all of you guys who know what they are doing, restore life is engines others have problems with. I can't wait to see more. What are some of the other projects you got working? Will we see that Crusader coming to the rails soon?

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, I know it's not impossible Dave, but spending hours on the job would be cost prohibitive for most customers.  It's one thing when I'm doing something like this for myself, I don't pay myself all that well.  However, it's another doing it for a stranger and getting $10/hr to do it!

Well every thing has a price, There is a huge deference between a hobbyist, and highly skilled labor.  The  10 years I had my train shop we sold and repaired every thing  Z to standard gauge  .  Restoration, custom painting ,Detailing, Finishing , Fabricating ,Casting , Mold  making. and Custom train layouts.  So yes  replacing a boiler front, is not that difficult especially on a brass engine.  FYI my going rate from 1990 to 20 to 30 dollars per hour plus parts

@Dave Koehler posted:

FYI my going rate from 1990 to 20 to 30 dollars per hour plus parts

It's 2023 now, prices have gone up.   That $20-$30 is now $46-$70 today.

Heck, I'm just happy Sid got this working relatively quickly compared to some repairs have been absolute torture to those working on it. Sort of like Alex M's repair on the VL Big Boy from years ago with wires everywhere.

@Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

Last night I crapped out before getting to watch the video Sid, my apologies. I guess I was just too dang tired last night after dinner. I nodded off, and there was no coming back after that. I just finished watching it now, and that is some dang fine work, sniffing out the problem and such. I know if I sneezed, the model would be broken in two somehow, don't know how, just know that would happen.

Got to love how this just came back together despite having a few issues of getting it back into itself. I do remember seeing Norm's video on his Big Six a bit ago(think maybe I watched that two months ago). I believe he had some sort of similar issues with something being disconnected or such. Great to see all of you guys who know what they are doing, restore life is engines others have problems with. I can't wait to see more. What are some of the other projects you got working? Will we see that Crusader coming to the rails soon?

Haha glad you enjoyed it Dave. I have some more projects in line to be filmed. Those Crusaders are customer locomotives. I don't usually film most of my customers locomotives. However I have some other projects that I think people will really like.