Large scale Connie

[casey]

Hi can anyone shed some light on this, Last summer I purchased a new outside frame consolidation Locomotive I was impressed by the size and the detail, though a small part was broken in transit so the oilers do not move on one side. first time out I went very cautiously around the mainline confident that all would be OK as everything else did. (even the LGB drovers caboose which generally finds the tight spots)
I found a good 6-7 spots where clearance became an issue and sorted all out except one which entailed widening the bridge over the pond, anyway when I cleaned out the pond this year I widened the bridge as well.
So out comes the Connie, this time all was well so several slow circuits later and the engineer opened the regulator a little all still okay so again the engineer opens the regulator a little more, now we are doing approx 40 mph ( scale) and on the 3rd circuit at that speed it came to dead halt.
After checking power etc the diagnosis is the loco is seized solid, has anyone else had this experience?? has anyone got an exploded view so I can remove the chassis and check it out?
On checking underneath it appears that springing on the drivers is not as it should be. I am not to pleased the loco has actually done only 7 circuits or 5 scale miles.
this has affected my decision upon purchasing a K27.
Any help would be greatly appreciated ( needless to say sending the thing back to the states is not an option as the postage is darn near the cost of a new loco).

[Cascade Northern]

I have not had that problem myself, but here are diagrams:
http://hyaklocoworks.weebly.com/diagrams.html

[Loco Bill]

Casey,  If you got it last summer your warranty may still be valid.  Give some thought to sending it in and letting Bachmann make the repairs.

[Kevin Strong]

Make sure the screws that hold the counterweights in place are tight. They have a tendency to work loose over time, and if they get loose, they hang up on the valve gear. A small phillips head screwdriver into the little hole in the center is all you need to tighten that up. I check mine after every 5 or 6 runs just to make sure. These are mechanical toys, and parts will work loose. It's just part of the game.

Later,

K

[Loco Bill]

Sorry Casey I missed the fact you were not in the U.S.

[casey]

Kevin,
You may have hit the nail on the head, I have checked the loco again  and it looks like the left hand side front driver has the weight moved, problem is all the weights are horizontal and therefore the screws are hidden by the conrods. the front 2 L/h drivers are locked and will not move up and down on their guides so no play there,  any suggestions prior to brute force and ignorance???
BTW thank you!

Casey 

[casey]

Hi,
Update! Kevin was spot on, thank you, I patiently wiggled ( technical term no35) the wheels and finally freed the mechanism and behold after re alinging the rods etc she now moves again, it seems it was the age old problem of the weights moving.
I seem to recall that someone suggested using Loctite, could anyone advise as to which one?
Casey .

[tac]

Loctite Blue is good.

Just in case you need the get the bits off again some day.  We use it when building Aster live steam locos.

tac
www.ovgrs.org

[Barry BBT]

Casey,

Locktite #222 is the only locktite specified for small threads.  Also it is not permanent, but is removable.  Actually it is what we want.  For permanent use a bit of super glue, but not on the bolts in the Connie axle centers.  I stripped one out without locktite or super glue and got it out, but not without a lot of prayers.

Barry - BBT