K27 locomotive to tender drawbar?

[Ricky]

Hi guys. I hope I don't sound too dumbe here...but I have a question that should be so simple and obvious ...that I might just be overlooking something...or have a part missing...
...How do I connect the tender to the locomotive? I see in the exploded view drawing of the parts, an item with the number MT80Z on it...that looks like it should be a bar, steel?, with a hole in each end of it....that looks like it should be the drawbar to connect the locomotive and tender together....However, I cannot find that item anywhere at all!! Is it hidden under the locomotive or tender in a place I haven't discovered yet? I haven't found it in any of the parts bags either. ...and, I KNOW that there needs to be more holding the two together than just the wires!!! I hope that I can get Bachmann to send one to me....until I get this figured out, I can't even run my locomotive at all   Please help!  Thanks!

Rick

[the Bach-man]

Dear Rick,
There should be a drawbar on your loco. If not, please call the service department.
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[Jon D. Miller]

Ricky,
On the K-27 that I have the draw bar came mounted to the locomotive. It's metal.



This picture shows the draw bar between the two sets of wires and plugs that exit the back of the locomotive.

JD

[Ricky]

Hi Bach.man and JD,

Thanks for the replys!...Like I said about not wanting to sound too dumb...whell, here goes....
I hadn't unwrapped the plastic packaging around the wire bundles yet...and wouldn't you know it....there is the drawbar wrapped up along with the wire bundles!  Wheee!...I should have looked first. 

Rick

[Jon D. Miller]

Rick,
Good for you. "All is well that ends well."   Thanks for reporting back.

While we're at it.  Don't forget to remove the small pieces of black foam from inside the cab, if you haven't already done so.

JD

[Ricky]

Hi JD, Yeah, I did get the foam out of the cab. The piece on the Engineer's side was a real bear to get out....I had to carefully pry up on it with something from behind and under it, and pull it out through the cab window. One thing I haven't figured out...yet...is how you are supposed ot be able to get 1:1 scale fingers into the cab to have any hope of moving the 1:20.3 scale Johnson Bar!   Have you succeeded at that yet?
Wouldn't it be cool it there were a servo or mechanical/electrical linkage connected to it, so that when you change direction of the locomotive, it would move on it's own? Of course, if it had a feature like that...you would want it to be something you could select to have on or off.

Rick

[Jon D. Miller]

Rick,
Reference the Johnson Bar.

Since most of the Bachmann Spectrum line has working Johnson Bars I use a 6 inch tweezers to move the bar on all these locomotives.  These tweezers came from Micro-Mark and have a curved end.

Just reach into the cab from the rear, grasp the top portion of the Johnson  Bar with the tweezers, lift up slightly, and set the bar.   

I like to have the Johnson Bar set all the way forward (the company notch) for mazimum valve motion. 

Also used these tweezers to remove that @#&*#@ foam from both sides of the boiler in the cab. Was able to lift the foam right out with no problem.

JD

[glennk28]

I thought that "the company notch" was near center--for most fuel and water economy?

[Jon D. Miller]

Johnson Bar moved toward center of quadrant is known as the Brotherhood notch.  Reason being that less steam is used so the fireman, a member of the Brotherhood, did not to have to work so hard.

Company notch, Johnson Bar far forward, used more steam thus the thought being that freight/passengers moved faster to the benefit of the Company.  The fireman be hanged!

JD