So my son was running his trains this weekend and said, "Hey dad, this engine is broken." I took a look and it looks like the screw/pin for one of the drive train connecting rods has gone missing and the rod was flopping around in the breeze.
The model is an old Model Power 4-6-2 ATSF as seen below (not our model).
One one level, it doesn's seem like that tough of a fix. How do I need to go about proceeding to get this back in running order? (and yes, it's a old model and likely not worth fixing on it's own. That really isn't the point. He likes it and now that he's older (7) he's having to buy his own trains. So he doesn't have the budget to buy something new. Plus there's the lesson that it's sometimes better not to scrap old things just because they are old if we can fix them...)Thanks in advance for any advice/help.
is it a main rod or connecting rod screw ?
j. c.is it a main rod or connecting rod screw ?
JC,
I'll be 100% honest, I didn't really look close enough to know. If I recall correctly, I think it's a connecting rod where it comes out of the upper piston (where the 1st driver is located).
I'll double check when I get home tonight. I figure worst case here is I hold on to it until the November train show and see if I can find someone there that can help.
Lonnie Utah So my son was running his trains this weekend and said, "Hey dad, this engine is broken." I took a look and it looks like the screw/pin for one of the drive train connecting rods has gone missing and the rod was flopping around in the breeze. The model is an old Model Power 4-6-2 ATSF as seen below (not our model). One one level, it doesn's seem like that tough of a fix. How do I need to go about proceeding to get this back in running order? (and yes, it's a old model and likely not worth fixing on it's own. That really isn't the point. He likes it and now that he's older (7) he's having to buy his own trains. So he doesn't have the budget to buy something new. Plus there's the lesson that it's sometimes better not to scrap old things just because they are old if we can fix them...)Thanks in advance for any advice/help.
N scale or HO?
Gary
Maybe as simple as a small 4-40 screw and nut to do the job. Have to know the exact place it is missing
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
garya N scale or HO?
You might start by taking a good look for the screw on the layout where it has been running. It has to be somewhere. Often the screws that fall out are on the right side of the locomotive where the rods are turning against the screw counterclockwise.
Using a magnet in the search will only work if the screws are steel. They're usually brass, but you can check the ones still on the engine. Dan
McMaster's Carr has a vast selection of all sorts of hardware. They are on the web, and they publish a huge thick catalog. Heavy Duty hardware stores may have a copy. Such a hardware store may be able to tell you the industry standard name of the missing screw, which makes it easier to google for it.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
I'm sure you are going to need a metric shoulder screw. You "might" be able to find something from one of the large hardware supply chains but something like a crankpin screw or siderod screw would be a pretty tough call.
You might try one of the more specialized suppliers such as Greenway Products.
http://greenway-products.com/greenway-products/screws-nuts-bolts-washers/
You can carefully remove the screw from the "good" side of the locomotive and use calipers or a micrometer to get accurate measurements of the thread diameter, shoulder diameter and length.
Good Luck, Ed
If you can find the screw on a part list you may be able to get more help identifying it.
Go to this website: http://hoseeker.org/modelpower.html
Open the steam locomotive tab.
Then scroll down and open the 4-6-2 Pacific tab.
So I went home last night and took a closer look at things. The part that's missing is a "pin" (for lack of a better term) that connects the small armature from the radius bar to the eccentric rod. It can be seen on the above photo below the sand dome and between the first two drivers. If you look closely in the photo you can see the screw that holds that small armature to the radius bar. That is in place. I'm sure someone here knows how, but I could not see an easy way to replace the missing part. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply.
maxman If you can find the screw on a part list you may be able to get more help identifying it. Go to this website: http://hoseeker.org/modelpower.html Open the steam locomotive tab. Then scroll down and open the 4-6-2 Pacific tab.
If the fastener is in the valve gear, it's very likely to be a rivet, rather than a screw. You may be able to get suitable rivets from Bowser, and my Precision Scale catalogue shows that they have a selection of various lengths and diameters.
You could also make your own from suitably-sized brass wire. Simply drill into the end of the wire, as close to centred as possible, with a small bit (#79, for starters), then use successively larger bits until only a thin wall of the brass is left around the hole. Cut the hollowed piece from the wire, file the cut-end flat, and solder-on a punched-out disc of sheet brass, filed to shape and size, if necessary, to create a "head" for the rivet.If you have the valve gear which requires the repair removed from the locomotive, you can use a small punch (any pointy tool, such as the metal tip on dividers or a draughting compass) to slightly expand the hollowed end, after it's in place and through the holes in the parts to be joined, then gently crush the expanded end, to keep the rivet in place.
You could use a regular centre-punch, or even the tip of a suitably-sized nail for that step, or even a squeeze using pliers - the objective is to expand that end enough so that the rivet can't work its way back out, but to do it in a manner that still allows the joined parts to move freely.
Wayne
Hi there. It is either a rivet or a screw. A rivet can be made as explained by Wayne. A screw (hex?) might be harder to find if you don't have a well-equipped spare parts box. Do you have a local hobby shop? Maybe someone there can help you. It sounds like a 10 minute repair to me for someone with the right tool and the right screw.
Simon