Well, ok, I have a solution in case anyone was wondering . . . I will try to post a pic, but I don't think it's working ...

Essentially, just remove the three screws in the center and at the two couplers.  Remove the lower section of the car.  The center crossmember can then be removed; it slides out one end at a time.  This allows the sideframes to flex sufficiently to release the axles.  Be careful not to lose the bearings from the axle ends.

Matthew (OV)

Anyone know the trick to getting the newer ones with the metal sideframes apart to change the axles?

Matthew (OV)

Has anyone got a top-down photo of a Lil Big Hauler hopper, any flavor, that they can post?  Would also love to see a bottom up photo of the body removed from the car if anyone has one.

Thanks ...

Matthew (OV)
(The rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated....)

There were actually a couple more variations.  Loco Bill may have these in his files.

Original Ely Thomas version with 8 screws on the motor cover.  As JD pointed out, these had air brakes, oil headlights, and the rear headlight on the tender.  Headlights had incandescent light bulbs.

Pardee Curtin version with steam brakes, electric (style) headlights, with LED's.  Tool boxes on the running board, back up headlight on the cab, and the six visible screws on the trucks (there are two more inside.)

Both of these versions were eligible for a "truck swap" through service for a third version truck that was swapped into a lot of unsold/unshipped units -- these had improved pickups, and "washer kits" on the axles.  (I had one each ET and PC version, and swapped all four trucks.)  

Up to this point, there was no factory sound, and while there was a board in the tender ostensibly designed for sound hookup, it had diodes that made most commercially available sound systems have trouble determining whether the locomotive was moving forward or backward.  

At that point, the production stopped for awhile, and when it returned, there were MORE versions that had DCC capabilities, notably that there was wiring for deocder hookup, and METAL trucks that had been isolated electrically so that power went from the wheels up into the locomotive, and back down to the motors.... several new road names were also available at that point.  There was no sound standard in these models either ... but the hookup board from the first editions was gone, and the locomotive weas wired to be "DCC ready."  

Later came the three truck model, some of which came with factory installed DCC and DCC sound.

Matthew (OV)

Hi, Bach-Man.

I have just ordered my Davenport, which I'm told is IN STOCK and shipping on Monday.  It will become Slate Creek #2.

I have also just pre-ordered my 2-6-6-2 from the same major dealer.   I hope to have good things to report next month, as I have a very sharp saw awaiting its arrival!  (Think:  Frankenstein, a month late.)  The result will most likely become Slate Creek #6.

Here's anticipating! (hopefully no major problems, delays or issues ... )

Matthew (OV)

The headlights, both front and rear, have rectangular places on each side for the number.  I am making up very thin pieces of plastic...  more like plastic film.... in black with the number decal for these places, and will install them when the locomotive arrives.  TOC is temporarily painting out the last "5" on the front headlight in the meantime.

When it arrives, the locomotive will also get a new whistle, a round number plate, and a graphite treatment on the smokebox, as well as new rope for the bell, cable for the whistle, and a crew ....

Now that the news is out about spare detail parts, I'm probably going to have to have a road pilot on hand for this locomotive as well, though it won't be something that's changed in and out a lot!

Matthew (OV)

This is too good not to share... regardless.

The Slate Creek is about to take delivery of some new motive power .... much larger than anything found on our rails to date.  Here's a photo of #45 on test runs on the Colorado Consolidated after a complete rebuild and refit by Chief Mechanical Officer Dave Goodson.



This locomotive features Radio Control/Onboard Battery Power by RCS, Phoenix 2K2 sound, and a completely custom electrical system including a magnetic chuff timer, incandescent headlights and class lamps, and a reworked suspension.

For the full size picture see:

http://www.lscdata.com/users/slatecreek/DSCN2565.JPG

The "K-Rex" is HUGELY anticipated in North Carolina!  We'll have more photos, and video after it arrives and the local shop crew puts the finishing touches on.

Matthew (OV)
Slate Creek Railway

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is proof that it's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt.

Go ahead.  Post everything you find out.  Be sure to call what you post "Fixes" so you can be accused of bashing the manufacturer.  Let folks accuse you of trying to make money by inventing problems that they don't believe exist.  Watch what you carefully work out picked to pieces, ridiculed, and modified by people who suddenly "have a better idea."  And, when it's all over have the folks you tried to help so firmly entrenched in the idea that you're out to get them personally that it's nearly impossible to make a positive contribution.  Have fun.

As for me, I think I'm about done.  I'm not gonna lose any more friends or sleep over this; enough damage has been done in both departments already.

Someone call me when the next large scale release comes out.  Provided it'll actually run on 45 mm track, and is somewhat compatible electrically with similar large scale equpment it might find itself running with.  Otherwise not.

Thank you, and good night!

Matthew (OV)

Bachmann's large scale models are of narrow gauge trains.  The prototype (or "real") locomotives and cars of narrow gauge trains are much smaller than their standard gauge cousins.  They run on track that's only 3 feet between the rails (or sometimes even less) instead of the four feet eight and one half inches of the standard gauge trains that you see today.  Originally folks thought if you made the trains smaller, you could build and run a railroad more cheaply.  That wasn't exactly true, and most of the narrow gauge in this country was out of regular service by the middle of the 1900's, so depending on where you live you may have never seen one.

While your 4-6-0 may seem like a large locomotive when you hold it in your hands... a model of a standard gauge locomotive like the Pere Marquette 1225 would  be MUCH larger ... and would require a  whole lot of space just to turn around.  Look at this photo of a narrow gauge 4-4-0 with a standard gauge locomotive, and you'll see the difference:

http://www.ghostdepot.com/rg/images/rolling/locomotive/locomotive%20size%20comparison%20d2-4.jpg

Bachmann made the Polar Express version of their narrow gauge train so folks could have a "Polar Express" to run on their large scale layouts, and often, under their Christmas trees ...  a model of a locomotive like the 1225 would be so enormous that it would require a Christmas tree the size of the one in Rockefeller Center or even bigger for a circle of track (and that's WITH the modifications made to these models to allow them to take even sharper curves than their "real life" counterparts.)

Bachmann's new K-27 is a whole lot bigger than the 4-6-0 in the polar express set ... here's a link that has photos of the K-27 next to a model  standard gauge locomotive along the lines of the 1225 ... you can see how much larger it would be!

http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/forumid/8/tpage/1/view/Topic/postid/3680/Default.aspx

Matthew (OV)

Well, heck.

I was being careful, because, when Dave Goodson told me that he'd done EXACTLY what you're talking about three weeks ago, and then submitted to the folks at Bachmann,  I was thrilled that my engine would be fixed, and not have the problem.  The difficulty was, because he had sent the information to Bachmann, he didn't want to go "public" with it before someone there approved his doing so, or decided how they were going to proceed with releasing and publishing the "fix," and while I wanted to make sure that Tommygunner got the information he needed to fix his locomotive ASAP, I wanted to be respectful of Dave's wishes to not broadcast what he'd figured out before it was OK with Bachmann to do so. 

Another consideration was, that if Bachmann was going to come up with their own solution, like replacement cranks, or something, I didn't want to muddy the water with folks spending the time and effort to cut shims, or pay someone to do the job for them, when the "official" fix was going to be something a lot different, and accessible to all.

If I'd have known that someone would coincidentally come up with the identical procedure to the one I'd signed up for, and put it up on Bachmann's own board, I wouldn't have worried about it, and have just told you what I'd learned, and to call Dave directly -- mine's one of a big pile of K-27's delivered to him over the last couple of weeks for just this kind of improvement, and you could have had what you needed immediately.

Sorry for all the unnecessary cloak and dagger!

Matthew (OV)

Not complicatedly:

http://www.philsnarrowgauge.com/   

Matthew (OV)

Hartford and Phil's Narrow Gauge both have them available, angle cock, hose, and "glad hand" connector, in pairs. 

Matthew (OV)

There is. 

Underneath the locomotive, you'll see there are two fingers that contact a rotating drum with two metal bars on it, 180 degrees apart.  These provide your two chuffs per wheel revolution. 

To obtain the four chuffs you want, you need to add two more metal bars, so there's one every 90 degrees.

Be certain when you do this that they're not capable of touching the sides of the frame or the axle, as you'll short everything out!  All you have to do is make it wide enough to hit both of the contact fingers as it goes by.... they don't have to wrap around the sides like the factory ones do.

Matthew (OV)

You're welcome... glad I could help!

One of the best things about the large scale community here, and places like www.mylargescale.com  and www.largescalecentral.com is that everone is generally willing to help each other out, and share the "how we did it" parts of our railroads.

Now, let's see some photos of your Shay at work!

Matthew (OV)

Silly.  Nobody can fix something that's not broken.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a good source of aftermarket consumer modifications, Cale has a lot of good information in that link.

Oh, and your e-mail doesn't show up in your profile.

Matthew (OV)