UPGRADED MY LIONEL HUDSON// PHOTOS & VIDEO

Very nice Alex!!! 

Let me know if you want to sell the removed items.

What fun Alex. Thanks for posting this. I would love to upgrade my scale K-line steamers with better smoke but have lots of other project, like building a new railroad and finishing the new kitchen. Don

Nice work!

 

i did have a few questions if you would be so kind as to answer.

 

1.  for the smoke stack coming out of the fan driven unit, what is the white plastic piece? 2.  And how did you mount that white piece to the unit?

3.  Did you use JB weld to hold the new smoke unit in place on the engine?

Man, you have some talent brother!

Your welcome Alex!!! 

Alex

Wow total makeover. Very Impressive.

Enjoy the engine

Steve

Alex, I think there is a sneak peak next issue of OGR. Don

Another great job.

Alex,

Great job on the conversion. It runs so much better than it did at the Greenberg Show.
Looks like a very clean installation.
Now your gonna have to do mine. Lol.

Mike R

Ps...The smoke is terrific as usual.

Great job really nice Hudson.

 

Tin 

Hi Alex,  With so much discussion on the problems with new engines gone bad and hard to fix, it looks like you have given us some hope that these machines can have several lives!  Those are some great skills you have, you are the Dr. Christiaan Barnard of Lionel trains....

Hi Alex

Thanks for posting all the upgrades

Enjoyed our talk about this same engine at the NJ high-railers open house last week---and you're right---it sounds awesome also

 

I did find one---I'll catch up with you at York

Thx again

Joe S  

 

Alex - Your talents never cease to amaze me!!

 

Have you thought about organizing a class to share your knowledge!!

 Originally Posted by Alex M:

How did you set up the reed switch on this one Alex? On mine I installed it on the larger trailing truck wheel in order to retain the wireless tether. Being that wheel is free rolling, I assumed one would just have to live with the chuffs not being synced with the running gear (barely noticeable anyway).

Awesome work as usual Alex! I love the tender on that engine!

Nice job Alex, it looks and runs great. 

Great job Alex.  Love that whistle.

 

Alex,  Nice. I was going to ask what you were doing when I saw the motor parts for sale.

 

Does the flywheel stick out much?  Reason I ask, is the Pulmore didn't use one, and I located a Pittman motor that is half the length as the standard versions.  Looks like it would be a nice fit for these horizontal Lionel Pulmore motor engines.   G

Length is only part of the problem. The shaft on the Pulmores are off center. You still might be able to use the short Pulmore with a new mount and pair of gears though to correct the driveline centers.

 

Pete

Alex,

 

Another fine job!  Say, there was no mention of replacing the original speaker with a Fat Boy one.  Is that due to the tender being a Vanderbilt one?  Does Lionel fit a Fat Boy speaker/speakers into one of their engines that has a Vanderbilt tender?

 

Steve

Oh lighten up Ben. You have to expect a least a little razz when you post in a Lionel Hudson upgrade thread that it's easier to buy MTH 

Thanks, Steve, Don, Spence, Mike R, Tin, Ben, Dave B, Joe S, Jeff T, Nick, Chris, Dave, Johnny, GGG, Norton, and Steve, for the very nice comments info and input.

 

Don, looking forward too the preview in OGR!!!!!, Don I was just curious in Hawaii do they use all 2x6 construction, because I noticed your kitchen island area seems to be

2x6 construction.

 

Mike R, I'll gladly upgrade your engine for you !!!!!

 

Joe S, see you at York

 

Jeff T, I enjoy sharing what I know with everyone, but a lot of my learning came from this great forum and many fellow forum members.

 

Nick, I set up the reed switch the same way you did. On the larger trailing truck wheel, I don't think I can get the chuffs any closer to 4 than it is now.

 

GGG, the flywheel just makes it by 3/16 of an inch, it's real close. But doesn't hit a thing.

 

Steve, I still might add a FatBoy speaker, I will have to test it out first and see what kind of sound I get. I will do this soon, and report my findings.

 

I thank you all again for the great input, info, and comments,

Alex

 

 

 

Did you use 1 or 2 magnets? On mine I originally had 2 and I think it was producing 8 chuffs per rev, which didn't sound good at all. Now with 1 I'm getting 4 chuffs but they're not as spaced out as evenly as yours.

 

I also had to slightly magnetize the wheel so it wouldn't lift off on certain curves and cut the chuffs out. It didn't affect the reed switch.

I set up the reed switch the same way you did. On the larger trailing truck wheel, I don't think I can get the chuffs any closer to 4 than it is now.

 

I always glue 4 magnets to the back of a driver so that I get exactly 4 evenly-spaced chuffs.  Any reason you guys don't do that?

IIRC on mine there simply wasn't any room left to get a reed switch near the drivers. I also did mine a little differently than Alex, the full Cruise Commander with a Puff N' Chuff board, so I ate up nearly every bit of space available in these very tight boilers.

Alex - I wished you lived a tad closer. I learn much better by watching than reading!!

You are the master, Alex. Now that is what I call an upgrade. 

IIRC on mine there simply wasn't any room left to get a reed switch near the drivers. I also did mine a little differently than Alex, the full Cruise Commander with a Puff N' Chuff board, so I ate up nearly every bit of space available in these very tight boilers.

I generally mount the reed switch to the underside of the locomotive, not inside the boiler.  Either Goo or gap-filling CA is used to hold the reed switch.  I glue a tiny rare earth magnet to a styrene shim, and then the shim to the back of the wheel so that the magnet passes very close to the reed switch.  Four magnets on the wheel means 4 chuffs per revolution.

 

Here is a photo of a Miniatronics reed switch (available from them in a package of 4 or 5 with some magnets that are useless) on a Weaver brass 2-8-2.  This one is held on with Goo.

 

 

 

 

This one is a reed switch from an Electric RR Railsounds kit on a K-Line 0-6-0.

 

 

 

Nick, I used two magnets on the trailing truck wheel, it's pretty close but not perfect.

 

Bob I really like the way you did it much better, that's how you get 4 chuffs per revolution. I think I'm going to start doing it that way, Bob thanks for the great pictures

Bob to answer your question why I don't do it that way, the answer is I'm too lazy too do it that way. LOL LOL

 

Don, I would guess that's the standard in Hawaii. I wish that was the standard here, in my area they can build an entire home in a month. So you can imagine the corner's they cut.

 

Brian, thanks for the kind words

 

Jeff T, if you ever need any assistance just email me.

 

Thanks,

Alex

Drivers that are held on with screws lend themselves to magnets because you can take one off easily and drill the backs to accept the magnets. Press fits would be more difficult.

Bob I am surprised you could surface mount magnets on the K-Line B6. There doesn't appear to be much clearance between the wheel and frame.

 

Pete

The trick is to glue the magnets to the backside of the spokes or counterweight inside of the wheel rim.  This area is typically recessed from the rim.  The plastic shim brings the surface of the magnet up so that it is even with the wheel rim.

 

When installing them, I put a dab of CA on the back of the plastic shim/magnet sandwich and stick the magnet to a small flat-blade screwdriver.  I use the screwdriver to place and hold the magnet while I use a toothpick to add a drop of accelerator to the wheel.  It does take a little practice and I still need a couple of tries to get it right sometimes.

 

If you right-click on my photos and then click "open link in new tab" you can get a full-screen photo.  There is a magnet right next to the reed switch on the 2-8-2 and a magnet is near the pickup roller on the 0-6-0.

 

Hi,

 

What is a good source for those small magnets?

 

Thanks in advance,

Steve

The two sizes I use most often are 1/8" diameter by 1/16" thick and 1/8" diameter by 1/32" thick.  The links below are what I have.

 

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/mfm/mfm566.htm

 

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/mfm/mfm592.htm

 

I actually found the 1/16" thick ones in a hobby shop (America's Best Trains in Chicago).  At about $10 for 100 to 150 magnets, I can do 25 to 37 locos for 10 bucks.  Not bad at all.

Alex...you have the "golden touch"!!  Another fine job my Friend...

 

Alan

Thanks Bob,

 

Steve

Great work Alex,

 

HopefullyI can send up my Lionel NYC Mikado to you next month so you cna give it a few upgrades.

 

I rrelly admire you work.

 

Richard

Thanks Alan, and Richard for the kind words

 

Richard, send the engine anytime !!!!!!

 

Thanks,

Alex