How about switching to an IV or surgical rubber tube for that driveline? It would be flexible enough to transmit across that gap but not too springy like the lifelike spring drive locos....
I've tried something similar and unfortunately it does not work. Instead of the rotating, the tubing tries to whip around which causes way more jolting than originally present. Instead, I've been reading up on pager motors which I may try to insert straight into the loco cab.
I did some more work on the Ultimate 4-4-0 American last night. Back when adding my upgrades like the metal boiler cap, pistons, and smoke stack, I unintentionally moved the center of gravity way too forward. Last night I decided to cut it back some, so I removed the entire front portion of the frame. The center of gravity is now back over the drivers as it should be and that fix alone boosted performance 1000 times over. Check out my Ultimate 4-4-0 American's flawless performance! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc4LrAZ3F74 Enjoy.
Mark looks like it runs smooth. But on the video it sounded like it was grinding. Is that the ballast or is it the motor? Regards, Nick
The grinding sound is the metal worm gears on the metal driver gears. The integrity of the gears on this piece are far from pristine (second hand damage). I've attempted to re-shape the worm gears by filing the groves as smooth as possible, but I'm sure you can imagine the difficulty of such a task on a worm gear. Hmm, maybe if I lube it..
Unfortunately, they dont offer the drive shaft with worm gears, at least they dont show them on their website. I'm researching the idea of putting a pager motor in the cab anyways which will require the worm for the rear driver to be removed. That should automatically reduce any grinding by half, then I can choose the better worm for the other side.
Just curious -- did you ever re-motor it? Got some very nice motors from The Motorman but can't really get them to fit in the tender.
I just read this thread since it came back up to the top. Nice runner - but I'm going to have to make a rivet counter grumble about it: extended smoke boxes weren't used in conjunction with spark arresting chimneys. If you have seen photos of a locomotive so equipped, it is almost always an engine that has been "backdated" by fitting a balloon stack or similar stack. The extended smoke box itself was supposed to function as a spark arrestor, so there was no need to fit a spark arresting stack in conjunction with it.
Good catch. The Bachmann 4-4-0 UP 119 has the smokebox extension and straight stack. The CP Jupiter has the diamond stack. (I'm kind of a rivet counter, too.) I had a question about stripping the paint off this loco in the Steamers Group. How did you strip the paint? I tried Chameleon and it melted the plastic. (Probably because I left it on all night.) Mark Watson's reply: All I did was use a jewelers flat-head to scrape around the areas where the layers of factory paint had glopped over the details. I just sprayed over everything else. My last attempt at stripping paint failed horribly. Since then, many people here have suggested using pine-sol to strip paint. I have not tried it though. I've had good results with Chameleon. (Apparently when used properly.) Is this locomotive a different plastic?
Nice work on your Bachmann loc. I have opted to pass on any of the Bachmann 4-4-0's as they are too small for the cars, even with the cars lowered, it is only my opinion that this is a bad match by the same company. I would only opt for the Model Power or Athearn Mogul types as their size is more in line with the Bachmann cars. The little Roundhouse old time cars might be more fitting to the Bachmann 4-4-0's. No matter what, just enjoy it as Mark the modeler did modifying his 4-4-0 ! fatalxsunrider43
After watching the You Tube segment, Mark, may I ask about the noise, is that coming from the locomotive ? and if so, what do you think is causing it. I was kind of expecting a bit quieter operation although it does seem to run smooth. fatalxsunrider43
Hi sharriso, No I didnt. This one runs well enough that I decided it was done. Instead I've drawn up plans for a completely scratch built 4-4-0 (using just the drivers only from Bman's version). I expect I wont get to starting that project for at least 2 more years though.
Yeah, but when being rebuilt by the Mark Watson Locomotive Company, they only thing they had laying around was that flared stack, so they just used it. I couldn't answer that one, I have no idea.
A small brass bristle wire brush, the hand held type, might help smooth those gears out some. Just a thought. fatalxsunrider43
With the cars lowered it is a pretty good match. The cab of early American locomotives sits pretty low. While it might not look right, it's prototypical:
Thanks fatal. And actually, the Bachmann 4-4-0 is LARGER than the prototype. This was proved by someone in one of the discussions here. I'll have to find the reference when I get home later on.
Did a little measuring and found some data in the Model Railroader Cyclopedia. Hope my measurements are close. (Has anyone else measured this guy?)
Well, Mark runs his 4-4-0 on a layout with CB&Q mikados. I think it's safe to say it is likely a "backdated engine" within the context of his layout & era. Also, I've seen logging engines with large stacks and extended smokeboxes. I say leave the Ultimate 4-4-0 the way it is. "Even rivet counting modelers can't be 100.3% perfect. They have to round to the one's place." :tb-biggrin: Ooooh, another dumb quote I pulled out of nowhere! But are you gonna letter it, Mark?
