OK, so I'll bite. I'm about to load my cab up with lead, or something, to see if that helps the pickup and balance a bit. Putting some lead weights on top of the cab made a huge difference. I have no intention of going DCC, so that's not an issue. It's not a PROBLEM, its certainly an improvement if you don't mind the looks of a solid cab. Question is whether I just hammer something up, or go more formal - make a styrene master, a two-part mold, and make Type160 metal poured weights for everybody. Anybody else interested in this but me? I figure $5 each ought to cover it. I'd need about 10 people interested before I'd do it. Pretty much the same deal as I did on the U30CG tanks. email me via the board link if you're interested.
Just got my Disney loco. I was so happy, till I ran it.....It is derailing and sputtering along in some spots!!! I wonder if I should just take it back. It is a long drive to the Disney store.
Randy, since you would be going through the trouble why not make a spot at the window for customers to glue in a 1/2 engineer figure? Add a rear wall with an opening depression (with an obvious driveshaft clearance) and it might make a solid cab less objectionable.
I bought the NYNH&H version, as well. The cab has the rakish cant. Further, the tender deck sits funny: it is not seated properly on one side of the back. It does run well, though. It seems that the rakish cant of the cab is a not uncommon problem with this, but it is not necessarily tied to any other problems. It seems that the common problems with this one are: overly fragile detail parts, rakish cant of the cab and nalformed crosshead guides. There has been reported one case of inverted crosshead guides, one poorly seated tender deck(mine-NYNH&H) and one case of the mechanism's seizing (mine-PRR). I suspect that the locking mechanism is simply a case of my purchasing a lemon. This happens. The vendor who sold it to me is going to try to get another one for exchange. Failing that, I will try Atlas, which I expect will make it good, as it did do so the one time that I did have a problem with something. The other problems seem to be minor QC matters, which I suspect that Atlas will have rectified in subsequent runs. Overall, I like these things. I have bought three, so far, and two of them have run well. And now, a question: Does anyone here know if Roundhouse, before Athearn acquired it, that is, ever sold any passenger cars, freight cars or cabooses lettered for the NYNH&H? I do like my New Haven eight wheeler, there simply is not anything lettered for it to pull, at least of which I am aware. Funny thing about the old Roundhouse, though, I learn frequently of road names that it sold of which I was unaware. I acquired, as part of a trade, some thirty four foot passenger cars lettered for the ACL. Admittedly, they are foobalicious, as the scheme is modern, Funny, though, if Roundhouse ever sold either of its 1880s locomotives in ACL, I never saw one. Still, there was an obscure subsidiary of the ACL that had a look-alike 2-8-0. Micro-Scale sells an alphabiet set that is close to the font of that subsidiary. TA-DA!! I acquird the B-mann eight wheeler in a trade lettered for the Q. I found a pair of Roundhouse Q thirty four foot passenger cars for it on FeePay. Has anyone ever senn any Roundhouse New Haven equipment? So, it does not seem unreasonable to wonder if Roundhouse ever did any New Havens. If they did not, I suppose that I could look for some photographs of ninettenth century NYNH&H equipment and see if Microscale sells any alphabet sets with similar font.
Randgust I would be interested in weights. Anything to get this loco right. I was really excited when Atlas announced this loco and wanted at least 6 different ones. But now with the probs I'm having I'm having second thoughts. Its such a good looking loco though!!
Here is the unpainted version. Not sure if I can get the drive rod back where it belongs. The gap between the smokebox and boiler can probably be fixed with a little electrical tape inside. Looks like the whistle is bent, too. These guys are pretty delicate for FFMs (Fat-Fingered Modelers). Needs sand pipes and water injectors. And for our layout it needs wood, not coal.
Thanks for the pic showing the clear headlight. I guess dimension-wise the 4-4-0 is not too far of from a B&O #25 or #26. The crosshead guides on your unpainted version look exactly like on mine (not straight). Check whether the crossheads aren't inverted. The drive rod should clip right back in place, there's a dimple or so to hold it. Too bad all these details are solidly glued in - for a new paint job, all you can do is break them off, drill out the hole and add replacement parts. I wonder whether they're also glued in in your undec version? - Andreas
It took a couple tries but I got it back where it belongs. Never did see the dimple. Two very very small things came off. One looks like a pilot stanchion. The other is still a mystery. (They look like the debris that is on my workbench. I almost swept them away.) Has anyone counted the parts? Maybe that would help me identify them. At first I thought just a very small drop of glue would hold it. But brain cells went into alert mode and I realized it would not allow the drive rod to "rotate" in the crosshead. There does not appear to me (retired aerospace engineer) any law of physics that governs the motion of this guy. Second: you cannot make a glue drop small enough to attach any of the parts.
A long while back I acquired a surgical steel dental pick. It has fine and sharp enough points at each end to do some serious damage to errant fingers, or toes if dropped. I also salvaged a glass clock face off of a old alarm clock. I now simply put a small drop of whatever glue I am using on the glass clock face and then use the dental pick to pick-up a small drop for use. I can keep my glue, especailly ACC
Sharriso, At the bottom of my 4-4-0 box is a sheet with an illustrated breakdown showing all of the parts with a number for each part. The highest number seems to be 95, the large screw holding a part above the drive shaft. If you could post a picture of the mystery part, maybe we could help identify it. Best wishes, Grant
The 6 tiniest detail parts I can see are the two sticky-uppies on the pilot, the two sticky-uppies on the boxes on top of the cylinders, the whistle on the rear dome, and the one stanchion holding the lower steam line on the right side. -Mark
I bought one! I was at Greenberg in Edison today and bought 1 from a seller I like for Unitrak. Earlier in the thread, it was noted that this thing should run well on tight radii. For me the front truck keeps derailing on what looks like reasonably flat 9 3/4 curves (It's just a loop on board) Any advice? I can't see anything on the flimsy wire that holds the front truck, or any flaws in the truck. What can I look for? Thanks
Check the gauge for both axles first. The pony truck frame should swivel freely at the point where it mounts on the arm in the center coming from under the boiler and have some very slight side to side motion. The same arm that the pony truck mounts and swivels on should also swing freely. Check the front of the chassis halves that is above where that arm mounts for any possible flash on the metal. Next to last the truck should set absolutely level on a flat surface or the track and it should also have a bit of play up and down from front to rear. Last check the wheels themselves for any imperfections in the chrome plating on those tiny wheels. And a quick edit. I forgot to mention to check the gauge on the track where the derailments occur. Those narrow wheels won't be as forgiving as some of the locos with a wider wheel tread.
Looks like mine is destined for use on one side of the equator. Clockwise, no issues. Counter clockwise, it derails. I should have stuck with plan A and bought on, from a dealer that was going to install DCC, for me. Ahhh, the impulse purchase!
Check the pilot and the cylindar crossarm pieces for any unevenness (relative to the ground). I had a 4-4-0 where these were bent such that were tilted at funny angles (ultimately causing the pilot truck to derail). Also check the plastic driver bottom plate (to which the pilot truck hooks) for loose screws or unevenness. -Mark
Thanks for the ideas. I backed off and tightened stuff. No improvement. Noticed it also has no headlight. Even darkening the room and gunning the throttle. I don't need much headlight, but I'd like at least a dim one. I will email Atlas. If they are like other vendors, phone contact helps. I can't find a number on the site. if anyone knows one, that would help. Thanks
Indeed, there is a parts list in the box. One of the little parts is the right pilot whatchamcallit, #65. The other one is so small I cannot get my camera to focus on it. It may well be dirt -- matches nothing on the parts list. Can't bring myself to throw it away just yet.
Well, I'm starting in on the project to upgrade mine. First, here's my inspiration. This particular 4-4-0 ended up on a local logging railroad, the Sheffield & Tionesta, in 1904 as a secondhand locomotive. Still had the Russia Iron jacket and the same dents in the air compressor. It ran a 3-car passenger train up and down the Tionesta Creek until it was replaced with a 'new' Baldwin 4-4-0 in 1915. http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_4a04052a_0.jpg So there are three weaknesses I've discovered that I'm working on: 1) Tender to loco drawbar; standard design, which means that the wire-to-post-to-wire contact is miniscule and irregular. I'm hot-wiring the tender to the locomotive for better pickup 2) Loco is heavy to the first drive axle; I'm going to fill the cab with a removable cast weight to balance it out better and improve pickup; 3) Tender is light and has erratic pickup. Note on the C&NW locomotive how the coal bunker is elevated above the deck. That's key. That's high enough to put a lead weight in there and that's the plan. We'll see what else I discover along the way. So far all I've done is hotwire the tender to the locomotive and test it. Haven't wrecked it yet.
