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.
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.
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.
"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.
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
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.
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
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