k27 Tender coupling

[Rob Roy]

Attention all K27 owners; last weekend we ran our K27 after being idle for a few years, it ran light engine,fortunately, as the coupling pin FELL out of the tender. We gave up hope of finding it so made a replacement. viz. 34mm (1 3/8th inch )of 5/32 dia. twist drill shank, glued in with Super Glue. This fits perfectly & is a good repair. As luck would have it we found the offending item on the track some days later, it showed no signs of being affixed to the tender. Why were we lucky K27 was running light engine? Because under a load the tender would have pulled all the wire couplings out, major damage. Suggest you all do a quick examination of the tender.

[armorsmith]

Rob,

Are we talking about the same K27?  The two connectors between ending and tender on mine are an absolute night mare to get disconnected after a run.  They are automotive type connectors with a locking latch, combined with 14 (I believe) wires between the two connector, and I think mine will pull anything I put behind it.

That being said, i don't plan on testing the theory.  I will however check both the pine and the draw bar on the tender to assure they are tight and solid.

FYI, I have started to us Loctite 242 thread locker on any fastenings for trucks and other critical locations where i would prefer they not come apart during a running session.

FWIW

Bob C.

[NarrowMinded]

Just A quick note, when I loose small parts I drag a magnet broom I bought at home depot along the area I may have lost it. it picks up a lot of things along the way but usually will also pick up the screw I have lost... so long as it is farrus metal.

I would recommend anybody with an outdoor layout buy one.

NM-Jeff

BTW a magnet broom is a 10" X 2" magnet mounted to a broom handle usually used for picking up nails.

[Kevin Strong]

Cut the little "latches" off of the connectors. Makes life a WHOLE lot easier when dealing with that loco. You don't have to worry about the plugs working loose without them. They're tight enough as it is, and the stiffness of the wires keeps them in place.

Later,

K