what did you do to your locomotive today ?

Put it on the track and ran it. Added some more smoke fluid and ran it some more.

Well, the slow going On30 project is an on again/off again thing...should have her buttoned up by the time Bachmann finally comes out with there centercab verson....these two lil guys are slow- but good.

 

What did I do to my locomotive today?

 

Well, since I have more than one locomotive, and am currently changing over to New York Central steam locomotive operations, from SP & UP, I'm not sure I can answer your question. So far, I have simply run a few Hudsons and a Mohawk. 

I just put them on the layout and let them run all afternoon whilte I worked on the layout.  Three loops, three locos, three trains.  Legacy Berkshire, Legacy Mallet, and a Lionel conventional 0-4-0.

Tired from watching the paint dry on a layout frame work I picked up my Lionel R.I.&P. chrome General and set it on the coffee table in the tv area so I can just look at it for awhile...so pretty. 

hello guys and gals...........

 

Surely there are other forum members here that do work on their engines even dusting it or changing a traction tire.

 

the woman who loves the S.F.5011,623

Tiffany

I haven't run my PW 736 for a couple of months, so I lubed it up, put some modern 027 NYC streamlined passenger cars behind it, filled the smoke unit and let it chug around the layout.

 

I tried to work on why my tenders coupler keeps opening about every seven seconds load or no load

i did the same as what lee did....ran my post war steamers while installing a loop of lionel tubular track and switches.

 

great fun running the steamers and smelling that great lionel smoke fluid!just running the trains does wonders for me.

 

terry.........

Dusting and oiling happens almost every time I pick up a train to run it.....well, I at least dust the pretty ones anyhow.

Have a Lionel Berkshire Jr that I love, but it has always stalled on 072 Fastrack switches. Watched it with flashlights, took movies running through the switch, tried running it with the lights out, and everything I could think of to no avail.

 

This past Monday 7/22 one of the traction tires fell off, it was dried up and old. Decided how to see how it would pull without the other one, so I cut off the remaining traction tire. 

 

Success! Now the engine performs well on all of my switches, no stalling! It does slip sometimes starting up, but I can pull the max number of cars that my reverse loops allow without any problem

 

-bruce

I made sure that none of them had run off by itself (a la CSX or was it Canadian?)

 

Got to change some curves from 42 to 54 inches.

 

Al

Hello PRR Bruce.....

 

Are you saying that your lionel JR. Berkshire runs better without the traction tires when going through the switches ?

 

the woman who loves the S.F.5011,623

Tiffany

Having installed a working coupler on the pilot of a Lionel 561 0-8-0, I disassembled

the tender to see how difficult it might be to convert it to a Vanderbilt, using, possibly. a 2 inch length of PVC.  I'd like to add a pilot truck but that looks like a tight fit, without major metal cutting.   I think engine will have to be disassembled, too, to get at screw holding smokebox front on, as it appears to be screwed in place from bottom.  I found several sets of b rass pumps and an Elesco tank for the mounting, as well as O scale cast headlights if I need to move the headlight (probably).  I did drill another hole in the tender drawbar to make possible the closer coupling of tender to loco.

       
       

When you remove the screws that hold the front coupler on, the entire pilot assembly should drop off also, giving you access to the screw that holds the smokebox front on.

The one thing I have to do with my newest/old stock locomotive (K-Line Shay) today is take it out of its box and put it on the track for a bit of running time.  Of course, there are some household chores to attend to first.

I just replaced the traction tires on my RK Mikado

Modifications to the Williams B&O 44 ton Diesel.

 

I have started modifications to 2 of my Williams B&O 44 ton Diesels.

 

 

This is a major project to totally rework these two Williams models. When completed the engines will represent more closely a GE 80 ton diesel as shown in the prototype photo.

 

The first major "mod" is to trim the body similar to the attached prototype photo.

 

See also my Williams model with the body trimmed and the window "inserts" removed. Notice I have also removed the plastic "bell" casting which will be replaced with a brass bell.

 

Sounds like a great project.

 

Working on a set of E units. Body mounted the pilot and Kadee couplers. Added the folding diaphragms for close coupling on 072 curves. Replaced the shortie steps with correct length steps. The B unit is going to get some primer paint this morning. 

  

 

 

A quickie research of the Locomotive Cyclopedia revealed locomotives of at least two roads, the B&O, and the R,F&P as having Vanderbilt tenders with skirts on the coal bunkers that reached to the frame of the tender.  This will allow an easier, with no molesting of electronic tender components, modification of this tender to a Vanderbilt.

Widening the coal bunker should provide more room than is now there.

I wired my Williams FP45 Santa Fe (Pat's Trains) with the motors in series with a single thermistor.   After testing I then wired the loco to start up in reverse.  This will be my trialing unit, I have a second FP45 coming which will be the lead unit.

 

Still to go:  add LED headlights.

I will be putting a BCR in my Weaver Chessie U25B engine in a few days and do some maintance on it. I bought from forum member.  

Attached a string of heavyweights to her, cranked the throttle, and got whistle happy! Yeah baby!

 

Started making a "swinging bell" templet for my Canadian Pacific ES44 that will head my version of the CP Holiday train.  The templet will make it easier to drill the holes(for fiber optics) in the locomotive's sides.

i ordered a new pressure gauge from American Model Engineering Supply, the old one finally failing after a mere 45 years in operation.  featuring superb products, it's a no-brainer to support this Mom & Pop business which is literally just that.

 

 

 

I ordered some repair parts online that I been forgetting to do for weeks.

I replaced the LED headlight in my AtlasO CNJ ALCo RS-1 diesel this evening. I ordered the parts from AtlasO earlier this week and they arrived yesterday. All I can say is that these engines are a PITA to take apart...and put back together!! The good news is that I successfully finished the job.

Tiffany, the answer would be: Yes! The engine now runs smoothly without hesitation or stalling through the 072 Fastrack switches

 

Bruce

A face a mother could love!  I now have the pump mounted on the smokebox, and found

brass rod for piping,  and stock so I COULD extend the pilot if decided.  While big box

home store did not have the brass stock, a local hardware did AND they have something

I have never before found locally...all the tiny screws for 0(zero) up, that are used in modeling.  Try'n'find those in a big box!

 

Spend all you can at that store! If you buy "big box"" home improvement", the real hardware stores die. Then you get what they give you, not what you need. I for one prefer real screws to big box pot metal ones.  

 

Not to mention the product is more likely to me made closer to you. You may keep a neighbor employed.

Powered up the wrong block and sent a conventional engine into the rear of a passenger train on a curve derailing five cars. Looked a lot like the newscasts of lower speed accidents.

For the kitbashed Lionel #561 I have piping bent and shaped and ready to attach, and

have done irreparable damage to the tender, making serious inroads into converting it

to a Vanderbilt..without touching the interior electronics!  If I can do it, their engineers

can't, for a factory Vanderbilt??

I test-ran my 2nd of two Williams FP-45 this morning.  This evening I will wire it in series with a single thermistor.  It will be the lead unit of my pair, the second unit is already wired to start in reverse so it can face backward.

After reading all the posts on this topic...I think I won't cut grass(again&again&again)

and go work on my railroad!! It's hot over there(95+) but I will turn on some a/c and

by the time I decide what to work on...it's cool=er

 

Still considering the MTH vs Lionel Santa Fe sets on another post. So can think about that

while I w-o-r-k !

Vanderbilt tender for the #561 kitbashed Lionel engine is shaping up.  I am putting

walkway and ladder on it, with the doghouse and water fill in place.  After looking at

the well executed handrails on a shorty tankcar posted on here, I may have to redo

those I installed.  May paint to see how it looks, and then?

I'd love to see some progress pics of your 561.

I installed the new drawbar on my 3rd Rail N&W 2300! Thank you Scott for an excellent job resolving this issue!

 

Gilly