Swannee River Special 4 6 0 puffs out .

[Loco Bill Canelos]

Glad to help.

[Chuck N]

T3

Call parts, don't rely on what you see on the web.

Chuck

[trainstrainstrains]

I have just ordered the No 90098.

[trainstrainstrains]

I have just ordered and paid for a No 90098.

[trainstrainstrains]

Thank you all.

[trainstrainstrains]

I have been considering whether perhaps lack of lubrication might have been the  reason or a strong contributing factor for the toothed wheels on my locomotive to get so hot that the teeth disintegrated and melted . I had not considered that plastic locomotives needed lubrication until yesterday when I saw the Bachmann video on youtube about caring for the Spectrum 36 ton Shay. Since I am buying mainly used trains any words of advice on the care of G scale trains is more than welcome.

[trainstrainstrains]

I hope someone reads this, if not I'll post it in a more recent thread. Replacing the chassis is not as straightforward as it looks. Bachmann did not bother to include instructions or the screws, Il use the screws from the old chassis but unfortunately 2 are missing.  Hope one of you can post some brief instructions on the right order and procedure for changing the chassis. Thank  you.

[Loco Bill Canelos]

TTT

Loco Bill's method:

Don't panic!!   This is what we call the fun part of the hobby    Changing the chassis is not as tough as you think.   First check out George's site for instructions using the link below:   Look them over and look at the chassis to get a feel for the tasks needed .

http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips1/big_hauler_tips.html#assembly

Gather the tools you will need and have then ready.

Don't start until you can do the entire job in one sitting, and without interruption.  Doing part of the job and trying to finish even a day later will result in memory loss of what you actually did and make the job more difficult.

As you remove parts take a digital picture of each step as you go. Use those storage or snack baggies to put the screws and parts in as you go labeling each bag. Number each bag as you go.  This process will insure you use the right screws in the right place.  Nothing worse than looking at a pile of screws and realizing that you can't remember which was the right one to use 
Being able to check out a step by reviewing the pictures you took can go a long way to keeping your confidence up.

This method has worked well for me even with more complex locomotives.

Just use the reverse process to get it back together.

Most of all look at it a a great learning experience and have fun doing it.

Bill

[trainstrainstrains]

The deed is done, I've fixed my Swanee River Special and my Spectrum 36 ton Shay this weekend, the Shay with a tiny c shaped plastic bit I cut out of a black plastic top and a screw, I still have to glue a small crack and would like advice as to what glue to use. The Swanee River Special was easy thanks to Loco Bill, I did not panic or lose any screws (not in my head or in the loco) I run it a few times and noticed something unusual in its appearance,  then it dawned,  the air tanks were on top of their covers, I had put them on the wrong sides, fortunately I didn't have to take it apart again just unscrew and screw in the right place. It kept derailing at first, I checked for gaps in the track and it improved, I made it pull 11 cars, no problem, I did notice that the middle wheels don't touch the rails, I checked with the damaged chassis and exactly the same thing, the middle wheels are just a bit high hardly noticeable but they do not touch the rails.
There is a Bridgewerks Magnum SR series 5 amp transformer and controller on ebay, its up to $127 today, I wonder how much one can pay for it, looks like what I need? Tomorrow I'll ring the man Loco Bill recommended. I won an auction for a little train set on ebay today, like with the Suwannee River Special I won it without really trying to, I placed very low maximum bets, this one was absurdly low priced, it's supposed to be almost new, includes a power unit, rails, loco, tender, and three cars, all for $26, The loco and tender are blue and have W&ARR printed on the sides, they look Bachmann but I'm not sure.

[Chuck N]

Congratulations!  Anything is possible with a little help from your friends.

Chuck