Here is a picture of Bachmann/AMS box cars coupled.

I used this picture, along with a selection of others for a review when the Bachmann cars first became available.  The review was published by LSOL.



I should also note that the AMS car's couplers did not exactly match up with a Kadee height gauge.  The AMS car's couplers were slightly higher.

The Bachmann/AMS cars coupled without a problem and the amount of misalignment did not effect operation.



This picture shows the alignment of the body mount Bachmann coupler with the Kadee gauge. Good height alignment.

Compare the first photograph with this one.  Since the AMS coupler sets higher when coupled to the Bachmann then it will also be over height when checked with the Kadee gauge.  The AMS couplers can be brought into correct alignment with Kadee by shimming the coupler box.



JD

Karl,

Probably best that you contact me off-net. Send me an e-mail and we can discuss.  Or you can wait for TOC since he'll have all the answers!

JD

Karl,
It's possible it may be some time before TOC gets around to answering your question.  He is deeply involved in more urgent matters on another site. 

Till he gets around to answering your question in more detail, the small PCB inside each Heisler truck is for motor noise suppression.


JD

The "new" side tank Porter:

Is not die-cast.  Plastic, just like the "old" side tank and more recent saddle tank Porters.

It does not have sound.  There is a sound drum on the front drivers. Provision for a speaker.

Has same wheel base as the old 1:22.5 side tank version and the 1:20.3 saddle tank Porter.  Matter of fact, the bottom motor block cover will interchange between the three Porters.

Length is 13 inches, coupler face to coupler face.
 
Width is 4 1/16" and this measurement is the same at the rear end beam, cab, cylinders, and front pilot beam.

Weight is 4 lbs, 4 oz.  Compared to the Saddle tank that weights 3 lbs. 12 oz.

Height is 5 3/4" from railhead to top of whistle.  Saddle tank is 6" from top of railhead to top of whistle.

A very nice little shifter. I've had mine in operation since just after Christmas. It's a smooth runner.  The Porter has been converted to battery, but wired so that it will run either battery or track power.



JD

Skip,
I think you'll find the 38 ton Shay a great runner.  I have one Shay of each version and they all give great service.

Didn't realize that folks would need directions on how to take a locomotive, to include the Shay, out of its foam tray. 

The stacks are a tight fit. That's what keeps them from falling out!  Never found installing or changing stacks to be a problem. 

The black long u-channel plastic with the key hole in the end has nothing to do with the Shay.  It's actually the draw bar that was/is used on the hand car with trailer.  Guess the factory has an over supply so they just throw one in each bag of detail parts.

I think the black triangular blocks you refer to are the re-railers.  These are rather lacking in detail, but since most folks don't know what they represent anyway, the level of detail is a non issue.  Give them a coat of light rust paint and place one or both someplace on the Shay.  One of the side running boards or on top of the tank might be a good place.  Or you can make a set of hangers for them and they can hang down from the floor edge under the tank.  Look at some prototype pictures and you will see re-railers hanging from tenders and usually from a caboose.

Enjoy your Shay.

JD

JD

I'm not sure if this will help your situation.  But it's worth checking.

Just in front of the lead driver, on each side you will find a "pipe" that represents a sander line.  In some instances one or both of these sander lines will touch the driver (s) causing a short.

This usually happened when weight was taken off the locomotive allowing the springs to push the drivers down into contact with the sander line.  It's also possible that a sander pipe could be making contact with weight on the drivers.

Check your Connie to make sure one or both of the sander lines are not making contact with the lead driver.  If so, slightly bend the sander line (s) away from the driver so there is no possibility of contact.

Since you are dealing with a metal frame, any contact between the side frames, such as a sander line,  and the driver (s) will cause a short circuit. You will also notice there are brake shoes and brake beams that support the brake shoes.  It's also possible for one, or more, of the brake shoes to be slightly bent and touching a driver.

Check it out. At no place should any part of the metal side frame, or its components, come in contact with any of the drivers.

Look at your exploded components diagrams.  These should give you an idea of how the locomotive is assembled.  Note the screws that attach the brake system.  All of these screws should be tight.

JD

I've had a Connie since they first became available.  The tender floor is flat. Others that I've worked on did not have the bow you mention.

If the bow is 1/16" or less I would not be concerned.

A possible solution to flaten the tender floor would be to mount two rectangular brass tubes, front to back, on top and at both sides of the floor.  Attach these brass tubes with small screws up through the bottom of the tender floor.  Place one tube on each side of the tender floor just slightly inboard from the floor edge.

Drawing the floor up against the brass tubes should flaten the floor. 

JD

The saddle tank Porter weights 3 pounds, 12 ounces.

The side tank Porter weights 4 pounds, 4 ounces.

Both could use some weight if you plan to pull more cars than the 1:1 versions of these models normally were expected to pull. 

JD

Paint them.

JD

Better yet, if you want to change the clerestory windows, either the light rose or amber to green use Testors Transparent Green Spray Enamel.
It comes in a small spray can (3 oz.) part number 1256.

I've changed the clerestory windows on over 20 J&S coaches to green using this translucent enamel. Give both sides a light spary of the paint. You can make it darker green by using additional coats.  With this paint, light will still show through.  You'd think the windows were green to start with.



This picture isn't too clear, but I think you can make out that the windows are green.  These windows started out the light rose color.

JD

I have just two (box car, hopper) Bachmann 1:20.3 cars. They both couple just fine with Kadee and AMS.  In fact, the 3 AMS car's couplers are a little to high when checked with a Kadee height gauge.  Yet that slight difference does not matter when coupling to Bachmann or Kadee.

JD

Screws you need are 3/8" X 5/16"

JD

Vinc.
Driver diameter is 1 3/8" and wheel base is 2 3/16".  These measurements match those of the Saddle Tank Porter.  The wheel base is exactly the same as that of both the Saddle Tank Porter (1:20.3) and the Side Tank Porter (1:22.5).

Having posted these measurements, I will say that the measurements were not made with a caliper that reads out to .0000. 

If you want, contact me off net and I'll send you a detailed review of the Porter that also contains 27 photos that highlight both external and internal details.

JD

The tender shell is held in place with a Phillps head screw located under the water hatch cover.

Pry the hatch cover off.  Use a long shank Phillips screw driver to remove the screw.

The ladder and rear sander tank are attached to the shell and will come off with the tender.

Once Phillips screw is removed, raise the rear of the tender shell slightly. There are two small tabs at the front of the tender shell that engage the floor of the locomotive.  With the shell raised slightly at the rear the two front tabs can be disengaged and the shell lifted off.

Be careful, there is a cast weight at the back of the tender shell.  This weight will, in most cases, slip out just about the time you pick the shell up off the chassis.  The weight is heavy so if it falls out it could cause damage to the locomotive or your foot if it landed on either.

There are two wires going to the backup light.  There will be enough slack in the wires to allow you to make the change to the coal load without disconnecting the wires.  Just be careful and don't pull them loose.

That's it. Reverse the procedure to install the tender tank.

As stated, the Big Hauler sets are nominally 1:22.5.  The passenger coaches are selectively compressed version of Jackson & Sharp equipment.

While you can run the 1:22.5 equipment with 1:20.5 it will look a little odd. The tank car will come the closest to "fitting in" with 1:20.5.  Height and length would look OK to most folks.  It's the width that will call attention to the smaller cars.



You can see the difference in car width.  The car on left is the Bachmann 1:20.3 box car. Car in the middle is a Bachmann 1:22.5 box car.  Car on the right is an Aristo-Craft 1:29 scale that is supposed to represent standard gauge.

You could build or purchase a 1:20.3 flat car and mount the Bachmann 1;22.5 tank on the car.  That would give a 1:20.3 car that would "fit" better with the larger properly scaled 1:20.3 narrow gauge equipment.

I went back and looked at your post again.  Since the V&T coaches are 1:22.5 then a tank car built to 1:22.5 will fit right in with the scale of the rest of the set.  Either custom build the tank car or purchase a Bachmann Big Hauler tank car and you'll be in business with equipment that scale matches.

JD