brianel027 wrote:Glad to see this one come back to the front burner on the CTT "stove." Jim H, I'd be interested in a little more detail as to what you did to your 027 switches.
Glad to see this one come back to the front burner on the CTT "stove." Jim H, I'd be interested in a little more detail as to what you did to your 027 switches.
from a previous post
My Beeps sometimes balked on 027 switches (new K-line but worse on old Lionel). I realized something (the roller?) was shorting on the black metal piece that moves back and forth. I looked at the top of it and I saw pits from arching. I put a piece of tape just on the top of the metal piece and it cured that problem. I also taped the SIDES of the big metal piece in the center that does not move. I did not want the wheels to accidently brush against it.
Finally I noticed that sometimes my Beep would not trigger the non-derail feature. It turns out the switch was not perfectly level and one of the wheels was off the track. If I pushed down on the beep the problem was corrected so I made my switch mounting and approaching track flatter.
When my track curves are not good and level my beeps sometimes derail the following car if it is very light (think K-line 027 plastic cars from sets). I think the Beep spring that keeps the coupler in the middle is a tad too strong. I fix this problem by adding a little weight over the truck next to the Beep or removing the Beep spring.....
And another Post
....With help from others on this forum, I corrected the Beep stall problem by using a soldering iron to melt a solid wire into the frog of the switch from the entering center rail. Now my beeps never stall. ...
Jim H
dadurling wrote:I have a B&M Beep that both me and my kids love. I like it because the kids can run it full throttle (with a CW-80) and I won't worry that it'll race off the track. The loco runs fine on our Fastrack, through switches, forward and backward,m and even up a slight grade. I had to add a station light to the track circuit to make sure the reverse worked OK. Plus, it fits in well with my mostly traditional stuff. And it'll just creep along at what I guess is a scale 5 mph, absolutely with no effort at all. I'd buy more!
We have a B&M Beep as well (I wish they came in the maroon and gold minuteman scheme). Absolutely no chance of it going off the tracks due to high speeds!
Jim
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
"Has anyone seen the RMT BANG yet? I'm wondering what it looks like?"
Coalcracker, RMT is certainly behind schedule on this one. Pictures or artwork were to have been posted by now. But the BEEF is also behind schedule too. But from what is already known, the BANG will basically be a revamped model of the pre-existing K-Line 027 MARX origins S-2 switcher, as is also currently being cataloged (but not yet available) by Lionel.
RMT has promised enhancements and improvements to the previous S-2. Directional lighting has already been mentioned: an improvement since the K-Line S-2 had one light in the cab with a lucite tube running to the front of the shell to provide "illumination" for the headlight.
If I can take an educated stab at this, here's some other potential improvements. I have no inside info from RMT, but just my thoughts:
1) K-Line said the S-2 was more expensive to make than the MP-15. This was due to the multiple folds in the sheet metal frame of the S-2. So I'm guessing we could see a molded plastic piece with steps for the front and back ends of the switcher. This might attach to the frame, or directly to the trucks as with the MP-15.
2) A modification to the tooling to make an actual back door window in the cab instead of the molded indentation, which suggests a window, but isn't.
3) Same goes for the front end of the cab above the hood. K-Line orignally had shown an early version with the windows here, but the loco came out with again, molded indentations to suggest windows as with the MARX version.
4) K-Line had altered the tooling to the S-2 on later issues to fill in the deep indentations between the access doors of the hood. This made for much easier painting and decoration. If RMT got an older version of this shell tooling, I would imagine this change would be made again.
5) Another possibility of a lower cost improvement would be removal of the molded steps and grab rails on the shell casting of the S-2, with the addition of actual steps and grab rails as RMT did with the BUDDY, and as K-Line did with improvements to the Alco FA shell dies.
6) Die-cast couplers and metal coupler arm over the previous plastic ones that came with the original K-Line S-2's.
Anyways, jsut some of my thoughts. But take a look at the current K-Lionel catalogs and see the S-2 pictures, and you'll have a general idea of what the BANG will be.
brianel, Agent 027
"Praise the Lord. I may not have everything I desire, but the Lord has come through for what I need."
I have four BEEPs which run well over fastrack switches as long as they keep some speed through the switch. They do occasionally loose power over a fastrack 90 degree crossover. Also, the first one I bought would not reverse with my CW-80 unless a lighted car was on the track with it. All four run good with a Z-1000. They are fun to double head but to be honest, paying for two puts you in the range of a Lionel docksider which is a far better engine. What sells me on BEEPs is the variety of road and industrial names. They have nice paint and detail also. It would be great if they offered just the shells as an option. Has anyone seen the RMT BANG yet? I'm wondering what it looks like.
So far it seems, most run their BEEPS as per my earlier assessment. They're great runners for just a loop or over track without switches. They're also great locos for a kid's first layout as they won't go flying off the track. I agree, the BEEP is a fabulous looking little locomotive that is so right at home on a smaller layout.
After I gutted out my first one and installed a K-Line truck chassis into it, my BEEP is still going and running just fine. I added weight, and find my revamped BEEP can pull 8-10 cars lighter comfortably, or 6-8 heavier cars, though I have had it pulling more and it does do it.
I still think it is the long-arm pick-up design of the BEEP that is the major flaw, at least as far as 027 switches go. Even before my layout went to DC operation, I was still running a lot of very short locos, and not a one had the contant stalling and mostly shorting problems the BEEP had for me. My BEEP still shorted out, even with the direction locked into foward only. At some point, I'd like to try another modification to another BEEP and try the Bobby Ding method of installing new vertical sprung pick-ups.
I had problems with one of my postwar Lionel diesels too with the long-arm pick-ups, but I removed just one of the dual arms, and then it worked fine. The BEEP wheelbase is too short to run on just one pick-up, though I did try that one too.
I've been meaning to write Walter to see how much just a chassis frame with couplers and a Norfolk Southern BEEP shell would be? But probably not enough less in cost to really make it worthwhile versus just getting another BEEP at some point and messing around with it.
PS: I've talked with Walter in the past and he's a heck of a decent guy. RMT is a very small operation, and it's my educated guess that if you don't hear back from RMT immediately it's because he's busy, and not because he doesn't care.
God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of the NRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified
I often run my conventional beeps in a A-A format. Turned the shell on one so they are back to back. They really are the only way to have enough room for multiple engine lashups on very small layouts. Plus they run alot better over switches. I think the Beeps make fantastic 027 sized "mainline" power. I modified all my 027 switches with center rail metal into the plastic frog and the Beeps crawl through them. .
I have a couple of UP Beeps and LOVE them, so far the Christmas Tree, Carpet and Western consists of a 4 track main line on the Christmas Tree Sub-Division and a single track mail line on the Carpet Sub-Division, all laid with MTH Real Trax and no grades or turnouts yet. mine run very nicely and will pull about 10-12 modern cars with fast-angle wheel sets.
laz 57, I am Sorry that you have had a bad experience with these little guys, I have had excellent luck with mine, I hope that you give them another chance. I have written Walt a couple of times, the replies were a little slow, but he did reply each time and was very pleasant to communicate with. I am hoping that he takes my request for the BEEFs in UP and Santa Fe warbonnet schemes( how could the warbonnet not sell as fast as they could build them?)
One thing about the Beeps is that they are a good match for the CW-80 transformers, most other transformers don't have a low enough minimum voltage to smoothly start and stop them, the same is true of the K Line Porters and I would imagine the K Line Plymouths also, though I don't have any of those yet.
Some have written about the Beeps slow speed, as if it is a bad thing, the Porters are about the same speed range. I DON"T feel that the slow speed is bad, but rather like it, it is excellent for training new younger ENGINEERS, as they will not go fast enough to commit suicide at the first curve that they encounter, and their economical price also makes them great for training younger engineers.
Doug
May your flanges always stay BETWEEN the rails
baltimoretrainworks wrote:On "short" trips!
On short and slow trips.
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
I run my BEEPs on O-27 (Chessie, Conrail, and Santa Fe).
The Conrail and Santa Fe typically doublehead together. The Chessie is almost always run with a Lionel Chessie Ore car and a red caboose.
I have only run them on track without switches so far. They are a good value for the money, the only issue is that they are slow.
So many scales, so many trains, so little time.....
I have one, run it on TMCC with sound using one of the great Electric Railroad Co. upgrades.
The little lad loves the beep, beep horn sound
Nick
Don
RaleighTrainFan wrote: trestrainfan wrote: I have a few of them, but haven't run any of them yet. I like the look and it is an inexpensive way to get some modern road names.I'm thinking of trying to double-head them in pairs wired together and controlling both BEEPs with one mini-commander, and having an electro coupler on the front of the first unit and another on the back of the second unit. Maybe have the mini-commander in one engine, and the BEEP sound unit in the other engine. This should overcome the switch stalling problem, although double-heading switchers probably isn't very prototypical. Although I could lash up a BNSF and a Sante Fe, and a Union Pacific and a Southern Pacific. Has anyone tried anything like this?No, but I HAVE run the combination of a BEEP followed by a K-Line Plymouth Switcher, which works just fine. The improvement in performance is noticeable. I am not an electronics guy so your option - which sounds interesting - is beyond me.What's a mini-commander, incidentally?
trestrainfan wrote: I have a few of them, but haven't run any of them yet. I like the look and it is an inexpensive way to get some modern road names.I'm thinking of trying to double-head them in pairs wired together and controlling both BEEPs with one mini-commander, and having an electro coupler on the front of the first unit and another on the back of the second unit. Maybe have the mini-commander in one engine, and the BEEP sound unit in the other engine. This should overcome the switch stalling problem, although double-heading switchers probably isn't very prototypical. Although I could lash up a BNSF and a Sante Fe, and a Union Pacific and a Southern Pacific. Has anyone tried anything like this?
I have a few of them, but haven't run any of them yet. I like the look and it is an inexpensive way to get some modern road names.
I'm thinking of trying to double-head them in pairs wired together and controlling both BEEPs with one mini-commander, and having an electro coupler on the front of the first unit and another on the back of the second unit. Maybe have the mini-commander in one engine, and the BEEP sound unit in the other engine. This should overcome the switch stalling problem, although double-heading switchers probably isn't very prototypical. Although I could lash up a BNSF and a Sante Fe, and a Union Pacific and a Southern Pacific.
Has anyone tried anything like this?
No, but I HAVE run the combination of a BEEP followed by a K-Line Plymouth Switcher, which works just fine. The improvement in performance is noticeable. I am not an electronics guy so your option - which sounds interesting - is beyond me.
What's a mini-commander, incidentally?
I mispoke on the mini-commander. It is actually for accessories and operating cars.
Electric Railroad Co.
http://www.electricrr.com/index.htm
makes the mini-commander, but they also make a product called a BEEP commander. It is specifically designed to convert a BEEP for TMCC control. I haven't used anuy of the prodicts they make yet, but hope to in the future. They get good comments on the board.
I've got four of these incredible little Beeps. I swap them out periodically during the day, as they run off a "push button" control, and weave about the 3rd level 25 foot loop (no switches). The e-unit is locked into forward, and the Beep usually drags around 4 small coal cars and a Bobber caboose at the end. With a little maintenance on the wheels & rollers, I find the Beeps are very reliable.
Regards in trains ...., Dave
Got the first ones out at YORK and they were JUNK, couplers were too stiff and kept on derailing.. Sold mine to a guy who wanted it for display. Called company and sent emails and they didn't return call or emails, so the heck with them. Never again from that Co.
laz57
I am not going to be a lot of help here. I own two of them, one has never been out of the box, the other has made a few laps around the layout on Realtrax. I had three but sold one of them recently as it was a roadname I decided I was not going to collect. I have a kit to convert one of them to TMCC so will find out it's faults after I do that.
BTW, I love the buddy, have two & one has been converted to TMCC. They run great & have four pickup rollers, two on each truck.
Blueberryhill RR wrote: Here's something that I noticed about my NYC Beep, that I do not quite understand. I will share this with you guys...............There are 2 motors in it. One on each truck. BUT, there is only one traction tire on the engine. On one of the trucks. The other has no traction tire. My Beep will pull about 3 or 4 cars without slipping. That is all it will pull. After cleaning the wheels, thoroughly, I find no difference in it's pulling traction. Is this common??Chuck
Here's something that I noticed about my NYC Beep, that I do not quite understand. I will share this with you guys...............
There are 2 motors in it. One on each truck. BUT, there is only one traction tire on the engine. On one of the trucks. The other has no traction tire. My Beep will pull about 3 or 4 cars without slipping. That is all it will pull. After cleaning the wheels, thoroughly, I find no difference in it's pulling traction. Is this common??
Chuck
There are a few factors to think about when making a train with a beep loco......
1. How easy do the cars wheel sets roll(plastic versues metal)
2. weight of rolling stock(diecast, plastic and weighted plastic)
3 what speed are you running the beep at.....I find when it slips sometimes it will "grab" the rails if you bump up the voltage a bit asuming track and wheels are clean and dry.
I have pulled 5 post war cars with little effort on a level grade(2 tankers a gondola, horse transport car,and caboose.)
hope this helps and not start a knockdown dragout fight
That's okay Chief. I've never forgotten your act of kindness during what was an absolutely horrible time for me and certainly a test of the extreme. And now that I have some form of prosperity (not man's definition!) I inturn have taken that gesture and given to total strangers in need.
And besides Chief, all that southern-style cookin' has warped your sensibility on trains!!! So you run scale ... oh well... guess I have to cut you some slack. Maybe one day you'll come back around!
Folks, I appreciate all the replies here. I will at some point forward a link to Walter at RMT with the results here along with my original post. Maybe Walter comes over here too, but just doesn't post the way he does on the OGR forum. But in light of Lionel's good job on the Docksider (witnessed by the other current on-going thread), it's too bad the BEEP for all it's otherwise good qualities, is such a comporomised runner on 027 switches.
Small locomotives do have a operational liability due to their short wheelbases. On the otherhand, I have had no such problems with other small locomotives that I did with the BEEP. I truly believe it is the design of the pickups that is the major problem. The wheelbase of my current revised BEEP is shorter now than it was as is, and I do not have the problems now I originally had.
I run my beeps on both a 027 loop (Atlas O track) and on my main line through swithchs (Fastrack). No problem with the switch unless I slow it down to a real crawl...then it will stop on the switch when going through the straigh. Never any problems on the curve. I've also run them over Ross switchs at my club with almost the same results. No stalling problems at all if I lash 2 or more together.
Mods...I'm thinking about adding a sound board and a becon to one.
I am the monster in your head...And I thought you'd learn by now, It seems you haven't yet.I am the venom in your skin --- Breaking Benjamin
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month