Weaver Baldwin 2-8-0 upgrade

I can't think of any reason why a Weaver Baldwin couldn't be upgraded with PS3.  It has a can motor and flywheel; those are the basic prerequisites.

A couple of things to think about... If it has a mechanical puffing smoke unit, your best strategy would be to discard it, because the brief increase in resistance when the piston rod hits the smoke lever could potentially interfere with smooth operation.  If you really want smoke, there are plenty of fan-driven smoke units and provisions to make them "puff" using electronic means that won't affect performance.  Obviously installing a fan-driven smoke unit in a loco that wasn't designed for it requires some custom engineering.  There are techs on the forum who have done it, and if it's a priority I would reach out to one of them instead of attempting it by trial-and-error yourself.

Second- I'm not sure whether it was the Baldwin Consolidations or the PRR C1 0-8-0.  But I remember reading about a batch of die-cast Weaver locos that weren't great performers because of a mechanical issue.  I also can't remember whether that issue was driving wheel quartering or gear mesh.  What I do know is that add-on speed control ISN'T a solution for mechanical binds, etc.  Fix any mechanical problems FIRST; think of speed control as the icing on the cake.

Good luck with your upgrade, keep us posted on your progress.

Weaver’s Baldwin 2-8-0 is a funky creature,…..I’ve fixed 2 of these for our departed good buddy Radio Roy, …..( he loved those engines ) ….they have an inherit issue of running with a bad lope, ……the two I fixed for Roy exhibited this issue, ….hopefully yours runs good, but make sure the mechanicals are in tip top shape before adding expensive electronics or hoping electronics will mask a mechanical issue……these are sorta built like a Railking locomotive, with a rear mounted RS385, so using those chain files will give you best results ….

Pat

Thank you both for your responses. Just to clarify I haven't purchased one these models just yet, what I want to know is has anyone upgraded these consolidations to PS3 with success?

I know Roy ERRed both of his, and they didn’t run right till after I had to replace the motors, and re-quarter the last axle set on both engines. ….I mean, an upgrade kit is an upgrade kit, …..DCS a lot simpler install than TMCC, …..but as noted above, make sure your house is in order before you start adding new furniture……

Pat

My Weaver 2-8-0 is a horrible runner in TMCC but a pretty good runner in conventional.

My Weaver C1 is a very smooth runner I put a err board in my mine just to have command but no sound or couplers.