BLI E6/E7 - Removing the Truck Cover Plate

[richhotrain]

Does someone know how to remove the cover plate from the truck on a BLI original Paragon series E6 or E7?  

Rich

[richhotrain]

richhotrain

Does someone know how to remove the cover plate from the truck on a BLI original Paragon series E6 or E7?  

Rich 

How self-serving can one get?  I need to bump my own thread.  

I want to clean and lube the truck gears on a BLI Paragon E6 and a BLI Paragon E7, but I have no idea how to remove the cover plate on the truck. The usual way to do it is to free the sideframes in order to release the cover plate, but I cannot figure out how to do it on these locos. I am afraid that I will break the sideframe without expert help. 

Anyone know how to do this?  Thanks in advance.

Rich

[Overmod]

Rich, BLI says when lubricating these gears to "follow the instructions in your manual" or to contact their service department:

[phone]

[e-mail]

I do not have one of these, so any detail advice I could give would come second-hand from the same sources.

 

[richhotrain]

Overmod

Rich, BLI says when lubricating these gears to "follow the instructions in your manual" or to contact their service department:

Thanks for the reply, Overmod. Unfortunately, there are no instructions in the manual that came with the locomotive. And, to make matters worse, BLI seems to have abandoned any form of support for the original Paragon series on its website.

As a last lesort, I will call BLI, but I am hoping that someone on the forum has removed the cover plate and will share his experience. From my past experience with BLI Tech Support, this issue is not one that they will be conversant on.

The Paragon is the original diesel series and a distant memory in Tech Support. I bought these locos new years ago, and the time has come to lubricate the gears. But, first, I have to figure out how to remove the cover plate to get at those gears.

I really wish that manufacturers would include an instruction sheet on how to reach those gears, but no one seems to mention in their Owner's Manuals.

Rich

[Overmod]

I don't know if this is relevant to your series, but he notes in it that 'all of our large diesels are similar':

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X0fRZ5uZy7E

I decided to check the BLI 'service portal' at bliservice.com and it looks to me as though BLI has done what Ford, crApple, Jaguar and many others have done: outsourced all support for 'older' products to third parties.  In this case, trainservicedepot.com:

http://trainservicedepot.com/contact.html

There are probably other ways to contact them; I have no idea how well they give 'free' advice on the fobbed off lines of product.

[Overmod]

SURELY there are people here who have actually done maintenance on the earlier BLI diesel drivetrains.

Rich, as you do this, take pictures and make careful documentation.  We can at least make our own maintenance manual going forward.

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Rich ..... I have two BLI E7's which I have been operating for many years. I have never removed the cover plates. ..... So, I just looked at mine.

It appears the cover plates and side frames are together in one assembly for each truck. I looks like four tabs on each truck hold them in place. The tabs are between the axles against the gear case sides. It looks like the tabs could be gently pried away from the gear case sides. Is suspect the whole aseembly (cover plate with side frames) can then be removed. I do not know for sure, however. 

My E7's are BLI Blue Line, and I do not know if it is made the same as yours. 

[richhotrain]

Heartland Division CB&Q

Rich ..... I have two BLI E7's which I have been operating for many years. I have never removed the cover plates. ..... So, I just looked at mine.

It appears the cover plates and side frames are together in one assembly for each truck. I looks like four tabs on each truck hold them in place. The tabs are between the axles against the gear case sides. It looks like the tabs could be gently pried away from the gear case sides. Is suspect the whole aseembly (cover plate with side frames) can then be removed. I do not know for sure, however. 

My E7's are BLI Blue Line, and I do not know if it is made the same as yours.  

Thanks for your reply, Garry.

I understand what you are saying, and I have wondered that myself. On my BLI Paragon E6, it does appear that the cover plate and sideframes are one assembly. If that is so, it would explain my difficulty in trying to release the sideframes first in order to free the cover plate for removal.

Here is a photo of the BLI Paragon E6 truck assembly.

You can see the square tabs between the axles on the side of the cover plate. Those tabs appear to snap over protrusions on the side of the truck. So, I wonder if those tabs lift off the protrusions with a bit of prying with a screwdriver.

The other thing that I notice is the opening in the cover plate near the end of the cover plate. A pair of black posts protrude through the opening in the cover plate. There are another pair of black posts protruding through the opening on the other end of the cover plate. I am not sure what those posts are and what purpose they serve.

Rich

[Overmod]

richhotrain

A pair of black posts protrude through the opening in the cover plate.

I have to wonder if these 'locate' a plastic gear-tower assembly in the metal sideframe/cover, and the visible square black tabs between the axles are what hold the gear-tower down.

[PC101]

Those black post (orange arrow) are to the gear tower. They stick up/down though the gray bottom gear cover/side frame to keep the black gear towers sides aligned when it is all together. That picture would have helped sooner. 

The BLI's is some what like a LifeLike gear cover (but with the LL you go in at the ends of the gear cover). Yes pry with a tiny screw driver between those side latches (yellow arrows) on each side of the cover between the wheels. Yellow arrow is where the screwdriver goes, orange arrow is the black alignment tabs sticking though the gray bottom cover.

Pry the latchs on one side first until the latchs slip over the nubs, then move to the other side and pry outward until those latchs slip over the nubs. (some times the latch will slip back over the nub as you work on the other latch, flat tooth picks may help you keep the latch and nub apart). 

When putting it back together, listen for the latchs to slip over the nubs with a"click" or verify the latchs are over the nubs. I see I was just behind Overmod a tad in posting.

 

 

[richhotrain]

PC101

Those black post (orange arrow) are to the gear tower. They stick up/down though the gray bottom gear cover/side frame to keep the black gear towers sides aligned when it is all together. That picture would have helped sooner. It is some what like an LifeLike gear cover.

Sorry about that. I should have thought to include a photo on Friday when I started the thread.

PC101

Yes pry with a tiny screw driver between those side latches (yellow arrows) on each side of the cover between the wheels. Yellow arrow is where the screwdriver goes, orange arrow is the black alignment tabs sticking though the gray bottom cover. Pry the latchs on one side first until the latchs slip over the nubs, then move to the other side and pry outward until those latchs slip over the nubs. When putting it back together, listen for the latchs to slip over the nubs with a"click" or verify the latchs are over the nubs.

Thanks so much for your reply and for your assistance. I will try what you suggest tomorrow morning and report back.

I sure hope it works. My one remaining question is whether the sideframes are part of one truck assembly or whether I need to remove the sideframes to free the cover plate for removal. As it is, I see no way to remove those sideframes first.

[Overmod]

PC101

I see I was just behind Overmod a tad in posting.

I was speculating.  You knew, in detail, and provided guiding documents too.

[PC101]

No problem about the picture. Since I do not have that  E6/E7 in hand it took me longer to figure out. Here's a thought...I am not sure if the gear covers/truck side frames can be reversed (coupler end to fuel tank center) when reassembled,  but you may want to put a "mark" on the coupler ends of the gear cover.  

[richhotrain]

PC101

No problem about the picture. Since I do not have that  E6/E7 in hand it took me longer to figure out. Here's a thought...I am not sure if the gear covers/truck side frames can be reversed (coupler end to fuel tank center) when reassembled,  but you may want to put a "mark" on the coupler ends of the gear cover.   

Good idea, will do.

Rich

[PC101]

richhotrain QUOTE [I sure hope it works. My one remaining question is whether the sideframes are part of one truck assembly or whether I need to remove the sideframes to free the cover plate for removal. As it is, I see no way to remove those sideframes first.]QUOTE

The side frames part #58 & 57 look to be seperate from the gear cover #73. Look at picture #1 part #73 (that is your gear cover) on diagram. In picture #2 see the white arrows, these ends are part of the gear cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richhotrain]

PC101

richhotrain QUOTE [I sure hope it works. My one remaining question is whether the sideframes are part of one truck assembly or whether I need to remove the sideframes to free the cover plate for removal. As it is, I see no way to remove those sideframes first.]QUOTE

The side frames part #58 & 57 look to be seperate from the gear cover #73. Look at picture #1 part #73 on diagram. In picture #2 See the white arrows, look for the seams between gear cover and side frame.

What I meant was whether the entire cover plate and sideframes will lift off the truck as one unit so that I can separate the sideframes on the work bench as opposed to trying to separate the sideframes from the cover plate while still attached to the truck on the chassis. But I guess that I will find that out when I try to remove the cover plate with the sideframes still attached.

Rich

[PC101]

I see a picture of the gear cover w/brake shoes, side frames and wheels as one complete assembly, just separate parts. Separated from the gear towers.  

 

 

[richhotrain]

Success!

I spent a good part of the morning gathering up the courage to take this on, and I finally got the truck covers off in just a few minutes.

You can see from the photos that the sideframes remain in place while the cover plate and wheel brakes come off as one piece. I pried the cover plate open at each end and exposed the wheelsets and gears. Turns out, those two black posts at each end are not part of the tower but rather just guides on the gear box.

Once I got the cover plate off, I was able to clean lint off the axles and remove some excess grease. I bought this loco new in 2005 and, needless to say, never removed the cover plate. So, all of that grease was put on the gears by the manufacturer. 

Thanks to all, especially PC101.

Rich

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Rich ... I'm glad you were successful. .... Thanks for starting this thread. I may refer to it if I want to do similar work on my BLI E7's. 

[richhotrain]

Heartland Division CB&Q

Rich ... I'm glad you were successful. .... Thanks for starting this thread. I may refer to it if I want to do similar work on my BLI E7's.  

Thanks, Garry. I have to say, I was surprised with how the cover plate had to be removed. On most of my diesels, you have to "release" the sideframes in order to free up the cover plate.  The BLI arrangement is new to me.

Rich

[PC101]

Watch those cross bar pins (red arrow), looks like one of the side frame is moving away from the gear tower. Make sure to squeeze with your fingers, the side frames in to the gear tower and those pins are in the hole before you snap on the gear cover.

If you look at the gear cover (second picture), it has four posts (yellow arrows) that go in to a socket (first picture)(green arrows). You may find those posts lock in the side frames or make it so you can not put the covers on backwards.

 

 

[richhotrain]

Thanks, PC101. I took that photo when I first got the cover plate off the truck. I was fooling with the wheelsets to see what it would take to remove them.

I recognize the truck in question in your photo by the cover plate that was placed between the two couplers. That is the front truck.

When I re-installed the cover plate, I made sure that the wheelsets were correctly in place - see photo. The cover plate snapped on quite nicely.

I ran the loco around the entire mainline several times and all is well.

Rich

[PC101]

Looking good.

[richhotrain]

PC101

Watch those cross bar pins (red arrow), looks like one of the side frame is moving away from the gear tower. Make sure to squeeze with your fingers, the side frames in to the gear tower and those pins are in the hole before you snap on the gear cover.

If you look at the gear cover (second picture), it has four posts (yellow arrows) that go in to a socket (first picture)(green arrows). You may find those posts lock in the side frames or make it so you can not put the covers on backwards.

 

Just re-read your post and realized that I had not replied to one of your points. I had to release those cross bar pins to make it easier to pop up the cover plate. You are right in that there is only one way that those cross bars fit into place. I did make sure to replace them when I was finished cleaning the gears.

Thanks again.

Rich