Drawbars and black dust

[tedski]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the suggestions.  It seems the best idea is to put some  type or other of tubing around the post.  For me this is one of those hitting the forehead with heel of hand experiences.  I think this will help a lot.  I have tried lifting both engine and tender simultaneously but sometimes can't keep the tension just right.  Thanks for the help.   Regarding the dust, I guess I'll figure out something that makes sense - in deperation I will look at the manual. 

 

[BroadwayLion]

WHAT PROBLEM

But then you seem to be using those old steamy things. What you need is some nice subway trains! These drawbars came with the sets, but I am replacing them with brass bars that are just a little shade longer. As you can see, the cars bump together in buff operations which can cause derailments. (the holes in the drawbars are too big.)

Train sets are six cars long (4' in 1:1 measure... I built foam cradles that can lift move and turn whole trainsets at once.

See what your issues are, and maybe a static (one piece) drawbar will work for you. Besides 48 wheel pickup works great on railroad of LION.

 

ROAR

[wjstix]

The little bag is loose coal that you can use - if you wish - to scatter around the deck of the tender and perhaps the floor of the cab. You would want to use a little diluted white glue or matte medium to hold it in place. I know Bachmann engines often come with one of these bags, and I believe it mentions it's purpose in the instructions that come with the engine. 

[RR_Mel]

 

Thanks guys, I guess old age is dinking around up stairs.  The simple solutions just seem to slip by.

 

Most of my steam locomotives are Rivarossi and have a spring steel wire that keeps pressure against the tender pin and that works pretty good but for those without the spring it’s heat shrink to the rescue from now on.

 

 

 

Mel

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

["JaBear"]

I have found that with drawbars and especially fiddly wiring and plugs from engine to tender that it is just as easy to use both paws and pick up the whole locomotive in one go.

Cheers, the Bear.

[Paul3]

As bruce22 said, a little bit of heat shrink can work.  I've also seen guys use a small slice (like 1/8") of clear tubing normally used as the flexible drive shaft on brass steamers (normally used on fish tanks).

Assemble the drawbar, then take the small slice of tubing and press it over the end of the tender pin.  It's easily removable and being clear it helps hide it.

[bruce22]

I use a short piece of black heat shrink tubing on the tip of the pin

[selector]

If it is talc-like powder, very fine, it is probably either a rod blackening or a weathering dust.  I don't see why, or how, it would improve the looks of a coal load already in place in the tender.

As for your first question about drawbars, my method is to pull the two apart in tension as I lift both items.  The tension imparted is just enough to keep the tender's pin in place.  It works about 90% of the time.

[tedski]

I have a question about drawbars.  I am finding that it a real pain to deal with repeatedly have to hook up drawbars.  Does anyone have an idea about how to keep them in place - that is, to stay attached when you lift a steamer from one track to another track?

Second, I have small packets of black powder that comes with some steamers.  Is this meant to glue to the top of the steamer's coal load?  Does anyone have a not-to-messy way to do this?

Ted