You ever get the idea that you should not have something? Well I am starting to think that about me and Big Boys. My PCM is #4022 with no sound. Looks pretty good and is heavy! But I sort of like the lighter sliver of the now gone Athearns.
During break in it wanted to derail on all most ever turn, it was worst on the 18" turns but all so on the bigger turns as well. Till I get a decoder I really did not care and it sat for a few days. I will add it only derailed in the 13 foot tunnel and I did not feel like pulling it apart.
Other night I started the new bench to rid my self of the 18" turns and pulled most of the hill that makes the tunnel. Ran the PCM and found the derailling points. I use rerails after turns outs and before turns some times. What I saw was the tender would rasie up on the rerailers and stay up for some time. After the turns outs there was no problem with straights around 15 feet or so. But when the rerailer was before a turn, derailment!
Cleaned up the draw bar (hooks up just like a Athearn ) and started with a light load of 15 coal cars. Pulled like there was nothing on it! Added a few cars and same thing. Final got to a 40 drag and again like it was running with no load! I think the PCM could do a 100 car drag over sherman hill.
Problems
1 Smoke works when it feels like and not a problem to me. I turned it off when I got it but had to give it a try.
2 All the lights went off at the same time? Something melted down on the board. I hope that the Lok Decoder with sound will fix this. Will be calling Bob at BLI Monday.
3 After 20 minutes or so I started to hear the CLICKING! The clicking I hear with used Brown Box PK 2000's. Same CLICKING I got with my new BLI M1A the clicking that means the center gear is cracked or no lube!
I open the drivers and again no LUBE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My M1a was the same way but I caught it to late and gear was junk. I hope I caught the BB problem be for I junked the center gears. I did lube the rods before I ran it.
I have learned one thing, open all the steam engines up and lube before you run them! Seems the folks in China do not know what lub means.
Cuda Ken with a Big Boy sitting again.
I hate Rust
All this talk about feet, what larger radius are you going to go to?
Worst case 20" but shooting for 22" and with luck 24". Just need to see what fits.
Cuda Ken
After reading this post... I hope the blueline big boy will like my trackwork...
I hope BLI and Blueline lube there engines. Probably should take this to the BLI forum, Cuda.
Greg H. wrote:Please forgive the question, but, I'm not upto date with all products yet, so what scale it is in?
The PCM big Boy is HO scale. 1/87
Cheers
cudaken wrote: I have learned one thing, open all the steam engines up and lube before you run them! Seems the folks in China do not know what lub means. Cuda Ken with a Big Boy sitting again.
I have three of the PCM Big Boy's and now after reading your post, I wonder if they are dry inside the gearboxes. All three run like the best model train ever so far so it probably is wise to check the lubrication to verify if they are lubed correctly.
The lighter silver you mentioned on the Athearn smokebox is actually aluminum and is correct for a new out shopped Union Pacific engine. They used aluminum paint, but it quickly changed color from the soot and heat. I normally weather my engines to make them look more natural. The color on the PCM is nice, but the PCM silver is not the correct color for the smokebox. If you weather it lightly, it will look great. I actually perfer the PCM color since light weathering makes it look good.
I hope your new curves are enlarged a sufficient amount to run the Big Boys without any problems. This is a great model that handles large trains very well and looks good at the same time. I have the Loksound installed and we downloaded the correct whistle, bell and generator sound for the Big Boy instead ot the original Loksound toy train sound.
CAZEPHYR wrote: Greg H. wrote:Please forgive the question, but, I'm not upto date with all products yet, so what scale it is in? The PCM big Boy is HO scale. 1/87Cheers
Thanks.
Personaly, I'm waiting for a Big Boy, in N scale. I suspect that I may be waiting a while.
davidmbedard wrote: You probably wont have to wait toooooo long......Athearn might pop one out soon. I just wish they would dump the crap decoders they are using.David B
You probably wont have to wait toooooo long......Athearn might pop one out soon. I just wish they would dump the crap decoders they are using.
David B
David,
That's interesting, real interesting, what makes you say that?
BTW, I'm to this hobby, why do you say that about Athearn decoders?
Greg H. wrote: davidmbedard wrote: You probably wont have to wait toooooo long......Athearn might pop one out soon. I just wish they would dump the crap decoders they are using.David BDavid,That's interesting, real interesting, what makes you say that?BTW, I'm to this hobby, why do you say that about Athearn decoders?
The N scale Big Boy is on the Caboose Hobbies page as just announced!!!
http://www.caboosehobbies.com/catalog/index.php
davidmbedard wrote: Wow...I called it.David B
Wow...I called it.
David
Good call for sure! I was thinking this might be the case since they had the same procedure for the HO line when they offered the Genesis Challenger and then the Big Boy a year or so later. After they came out with the N scale Challenger, the Big Boy was a natural.
Maybe the N scale FEF-2 and FEF-3 will be offered also in a year or so since they are coming out this year in HO scale. Once the drawings are made, they can be scaled to any scale.
Two fellows in a club I belong to each have a HO Big Boy. One is a PCM with Locksound and one is a Trix with Tsunami. I think I have the decoder assignment correct. I would be hard pressed to know which sounds "better". I am sure a nit picker would have an opinion. Both pulling a fifty car freight were impressive. I would post a video but that is too difficult to do with this forum.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
I know how to do it but still too much trouble. Never mind.
Did you ever!
Yesterday, I managed to get over to the local MR store ( before the migraine slammed me ) and asked about the Tsunami Steam decoder, and they said it wouldn't fit an N scale, since it was to big and the boiler is probably going to be full of lead, to give it traction - does anyone know if this is correct?
Decoder and speakers would go in the tender not the engine it self. I think you may need a new LHS. Sounds like the first one I found.