I just ordered one of these. In looking at pictures of the set, it appears that the cars are coupled too far apart. Has anyone addressed this issue? Will retrofitting MT couplers help, or has anyone fashioned working diaphragms etc? Thanks, Ajay
Ajay, I have set of Surfliners, but I have them farther apart to run them in tight radius. If you want to suck them in, I dont see a problem. The trucks will not interfere, because they are not close to the couplers, so there is no need to do coupler surgery.
I converted mine to MTL couplers, but I don't think they are close enough together. I will probably live with them this way though.
Wow Robert, that looks awesome! What a gorgous trestle too. I ordered the Amtrak California set because I see it every day from my window at work. BTW are cars available separately? Normally, I count 5 passenger cars in most consists, though have seen 4 car sets in non-commute hours.
I made the mistake of buying 1 set and 1 extra loco, when I should have bought 2 sets, as the 4 car train is too short. The photos of the surfliner I have seen have 5 and 6 cars mostly. I asked, but they will not sell the cars seperately. So I would have 3 locos if I bought another set. I might still do that, and just sell off the loco, or maybe custom paint it for another unique line.
Actually, I did see a 4 car train 2 weeks ago. It was around 2 in the afternoon on a weekday. So a 4 car Amtrak California train is prototypical. Mostly, they are 5 car trains....However, the Amtrak West, as you say, are longer.
My locomotive came with the rear pilot separate and the coupler busted. When I reattached the pilot, it doesn't do so securely and pivots up and down with pressure. Is this normal? I don't want to send it back for the busted coupler, since I was planning on swapping them out with MTs, but the tenuously attached rear pilot may cause problems real soon. BTW, the set is GORGEOUS and the loco runs like a dream. Anyone put lights in the passenger cars yet?
My F59's came with loose rear pilots too. All 4, as I had a Seattle Sounder set and 2 locos, and the San Deigo Surfliner set with 2 locos. After I converted them to MTL couplers I glued on the pilots so they are no longer loose. I want to put lighting in mine, but have not addressed the electrical pickup issue yet. It looks like AZL originally intended for them to have interior lighting, as they have interior seating already, and there are places above the trucks that look like they were designed for electrical pickups to go there. Ajayrav, You are welcome to run your California set on our BAZ Modules when we setup for shows. We usually do September San Jose, November Pleasanton, and January Cow Palace. Also, some of us meet in Fremont or San Jose on random weekends, so if you are interested you are welcome. If you have not already done so, you can join our baz_modules yahoo list to stay informed of bay area happenings.
AJ, my pilot was not glue either. I just add a drop of super glue to the join, and it hasnt wroken loose yet. The second issue with the F59 the shell doesn't seat correctly on the chassis. The engine coupler height is higher then the passenger cars. To corrrect it, pop the top of the engine off. The roof of the engine is a seperate piece. Then cut of round plastic tabs, and the shell will fit correctly.
Ajay, John, Actually, to seat the shell properly, check the gray clip on top of the chassis. There are two holes that are off center. These should be facing the rear of the chassis, not the front. These holes were designed to hold the pins that are inside the shell. If the clip is backwards, it is very easy to pop off. Another item to look for is that some of the F59PHIs have the gray decoder box sitting too high above the chassis. I filed mine down and the shell sits lower. It is a very easy fix and take just a minute. You are absolutely correct about the rear porch and coupler assembly. This is a week spot of the loco. Drop a little super glue on each pin holding the porch. Make sure the porch is level and let dry. If adding MTL couplers, I would do this first before gluing. Let me know if you guys add lights. I think this would be awesome! AZL put all those seat in the cars, but they are hard to see. Ajay, have fun with your new set! Rob Kluz
Rob, I see what you mean. I guess my solution also works, because the fit of shell and the chassis is so tight. I lose most of my coupler box when I cut some of it to fit the decoder. Since we are talking about passenger car, I think AZL needs to come out with a Genesis set. Now that is a set everyone can use.
Thanks, Robert for the invite. I've signed up for joining the BAZ yahoo list and am waiting for confirmation.....
