Dis-assembling a Life-Like P2K Berkshire

[ericboone]

Has anyone had any experience disassembling the driving rods and wheels on a Life-Like Proto 2000 Berkshire (HO scale)? I am interested building a Proto87 layout but I must be able to swap out the drivers for this locomotive (and this particular one has a hitch in its get-a-long anyway). (I have access to a lathe to turn down the existing drivers or make new drivers.)

[orsonroy]

Unmfortunately, if you're interested in building proto87, you shouldn't even be looking at the P2K Berkshire. The drivers are a scale 4" too small, and most of the detailing is undersized and lacking in detail. Oh, and the roof hatches are wholly wrong for a first-generation AMC Berkshire. Remember: there's a lot more to a proto87 layout than just the track and wheel standards; the rest of your detailing has to be finescale too.

That said, they're better than any stock brass Berkshire made, with the exception of the brand-new Division Point engines (but who wants to fork over $1500 a pop for a fleet of 'em?). I'm quite happy with my stable of seven of the P2K Berks, and will eventually upgrade their detailing to come closer to the prototype. I'm patiently waiting for P2K to come out with replacement driver sets, so I can get rid of the horrible drivers of the first release. I also need to crawl on top of the C&O Berk (Kanawah, whatever...)at IRM to measure the roof hatches.

[ericboone]

In my opinion, those detail errors you've mentioned are disappointing, but the model is a darn good one. I can overlook those detail errors.
It is nice to have the details correct. However, for me, eliminating oversized details that make model photographs look "not quite right" is more important than an incorrect detail that 99% of all people will never notice. Oversized drivers, wheel flanges, and flangeways are one of those things that will give away a model in a photo even to the non-model railroader. The wrong type of valve gear on a locomotive never would. I'm not saying the non-model railroader would say, "Hey, those wheels are too wide." They just will see that something is not quite right. That is why Proto87 is appealing to me.
If I decide to go Proto87, I will be turning my own drivers, I'll be able to make them what ever diameter I choose. The drivers on my model are measuring as 67" drivers while the PM locomotive originally came with 69" drivers. They were changed to 70" drivers in 1946. I suspect Like-Like comprimised on the driver size to allow for the oversized wheel flanges of a standard HO scale wheel. (This paragraph edited after measuring my model and looking up the prototype info.)