Can anyone recommend a reputable vendor who provides these services? I have an old brass (Alco models brass diesel) engine that is shorting out, and would like to install DCC.
Another engine has a tender without a coupler, which Id like to install a Kadee coupler on.
I don't want to mess up a brass piece so I'm looking for someone that knows that they are doing. Thanks in advance.
Chris,
You might try brasstrains.com. Most of the brass repair people I know have waiting lists that are measured in years...
If you want some of this stuff done quickly, it might be a good idea to learn to do it yourself. For example, installing a coupler on the tender is a fairly simple project with a low probability of messing it up.
Another option is to contact your local NMRA and see who is known to be a "brass" person in your area. Contact that person for advice or a local repair person who might be able to do the work.
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
Isolating the motor [brushes] is not really that complicated. All you need is an inexpenseive multimeter with probes and some Kapton tape.
Adding a coupler to a brass locomotive only requires a Kadee gear box and the coupler you want to use.
If you're still squimish about both, Derrell Poole @ 7th Street Shops did some repair/tune-up work for me recently on a brass Alco Models 0-6-0 switcher. I sent him the locomotive and had it back in ~3 weeks. I highly recommend Derrell and his work. You can contact him through his website.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
... and the Kadee box can be glued in place if the tender does not have the appropriate slot for it. I use epoxy for these jobs. CA would not be strong enough.
Simon
True. CA does not have very good sheer strength, which is exactly what is needed for a coupler gear box. If the locomotive were a static model, however - it would fine.
tstage,The term, "isolate the motor from the frame" is inaccurate. The real term should be, "isolate the brush from the frame". Isolating the motor is sometimes required in some oddball units where a brush cannot be isolated, but it is exceedingly rare.I actually had a guy build a custom styrene mounting bracket for an HOn3 steamer and use plastic screws and washers, etc. to fully isolate an open-frame motor from the chassis...and all he really had to do was cut the wire from the brush to the frame.
Thanks, Paul. I usually say motor brushes but neglected to do that this time around.
There is a group dedicated to brass repair with good advice:
https://groups.io/g/RepowerAndRegear
These may be helpful,
Clark Gregoey