K-LINE PORTER CONVERSION TO TMCC

[dwiemer]

John and Bobby,
Be carefull with your selection of Locktite, some require heat to release for screw removal. I like to use Blue Locktite for such purposes, it can be removed with a good hard turn.
Dennis

[BobbyDing]

I run conventional, so I know little about TMCC. I have had the porter half apart, and found little room inside it. I've heard that this loco is a littIe big, scale wise. That may be why. They may have taken some license to fit it all in there. I think there was a bit of space left in the boiler, but not very much. I added a small slopeback tender to mine originally for an extra center rail pickup to get across the big Atlas switches. Since there was still plenty of room in the tender I added a whistle/chuff unit from Electric RR. That all works real nice. A tender might be a way to add TMCC to it. I found the porter to be not very disassembly friendly. I wasn't able to get it far enough apart to get to the wiring. All the sections came apart, but the short wires in it would not allow any real seperation of the sections. It's all a very tight fit. I just eeked out enough room to solder a wire to one of the roller pickups. I would like to get it a bit further apart to do the thing properly. There must be a way that I missed. I may make another attempt this weekend. You'll have to let me know how successful you are at getting it apart. Take note that the screw on the bottom front of the boiler has, or should have, some type of locktite on it (from the factory). You'll need to put some back on at re assembly, else it may jiggle loose later. That was the only screw I found with locktite on it (so far).

Bobby

[jefelectric]

Has anyone ever done this? Is it possible? I haven't even taken mine apart yet, but I thought I would ask the question first. Rather not re-invent the wheel if it has been done.