Tyco steam engines?

[cjcrescent]

Nigel;

Your eyes must be better than mine! I can't see the motor windings you're talking about. I do see a connection that TYCO used to connect the pickups to the tender since TYCO's steamers at this point had pickup from the drivers. The only 2-8-0 of this era, (1970's) other than brass and MDC, with a motor in the boiler I can remember, is Mantua had a short lived 2-8-0 with the drive in the loco and a setup as you described. These were not sold under the TYCO name. TYCO and Mantua had ended their association by this point. The "drive" at the second driver axle looks like the "puffing" smoke drive that worked via a cam on that axle. The one thing that set this off as a tender drive for me is the "extra thick" flexible connection between the tender and engine. Why else would you need a connection that thick unless it had two wires and was for supplying the pickup to the motor.

But you could be right. I guess Ken will tell us.

[Darth Santa Fe]

Hum, some say it is a tender drive, some say it is not? If it is not a tender drive, does it have a pancake drive in the engine? When I saw worm gear drive I was thinking can drive.

What about the cheaper Bachmans, Train World has the 2-8-4 Nigeria or War Baby for around $60.00. I know they are hit or miss on what they run like.

If it isn't a tender drive, it should have a medium size open-frame motor, which should be clearly visible between the boiler and frame.

I have one of the 4-8-4 Niagaras, which is a smooth and quiet runner. My only suggestion if you get one is, replace the truck springs with stronger ones, or you'll have constant derailments.

Here's a review of the Niagara: http://www.trains.com/trccs/forums/560805/ShowPost.aspx
The actual speed at 12 volts is about 111 scale MPH.

[Anonymous]

If you want good running inexpensive steamers, look at IHC. They aren't that detailed (more so than Tyco, tho) but they run really good. IHC makes a 0-4-0, 0-8-0, 2-6-0, 2-8-0, 2-8-2, 2-10-2, 4-4-0 old time and a "newer" version, 4-6-2, 4-8-2.

[cudaken]

Just to make sure we are all on the same wave length this is the the engine I have bought.

I blew up the the Pic some what so may be a little graine. I have yet to get PIC from the seller.

So the Nigeria is a Big Thumbs up for the money Darth Santa Fe?  Where did you buy yours, LHS or on line.What did you pay for it?

 IHC, being new I don't know the name. Where do you get them I have not seen that name at my LHS. Or is it the short verson name like PK's and Athearn BB's?

 All so thanks for the Tyco link.

         Thank's to all the people that have taken time to answer.

                        Cuda Ken, getting steamed! 

[One Track Mind]

Hey Ken...IHC stands for International Hobby Corporation. If you have a Walthers dealer near you he/she/they should be able to order one for you. Some shops may not stock IHC locomotives due to a shorter discount (if I remember correctly) than other brands. But they are pretty good for the money. I'll get shot for mentioning this, but I think IHC also runs a big mail-order ad in Model Railroader with some good deals straight to the public. And that's another reason why a local shop might not be carrying the line. Go to www.walthers.com and see what's listed, I think the manufacturer ID # is 348.

[Anonymous]

You can also order from their website, www.ihc-hobby.com shipping is a bit slow, but its one place where you can find most of their offerings.

[TomDiehl]

Ken, that Chatanooga you're showing pictures of is the one with the tender drive. In the early to mid seventies sometime, Consolidated Foods bought out the Tyco name from Mantua Metal Products and started having the items produced overseas. This is when the quality of the Tyco branded items took a severe nose dive. Anything from the sixties, Tyco and Mantua are the same thing. My favorites of their locos are the Mikado (I have 4 of them, one since the sixties) and the 4 and 6 wheel side tank switchers, called the Booster and Little Six respecively. Since all of these use a die cast metal boiler and have a good drive and 5 pole open frame motor to them, they run and pull great, considering that they were about half the price of the Penn Line/Bowser locos of the same time period. They're easy to work on and were available as kits (these show up on Ebay regularly). After they went to Hong Kong for the production (if the box says "Tyco Industries, Morrestown, NJ," they were made overseas) they became cheap trainset or the "40 hour model trains." The same can be said for the cars, the older ones had a cast metal underframe giving them good weight and a low center of gravity.

The evolution of the brand name needs to be considered. You can easily say that Tyco was "great" or "junk" depending on the time period they were made.

[Darth Santa Fe]

So the Nigeria is a Big Thumbs up for the money Darth Santa Fe?  Where did you buy yours, LHS or on line.What did you pay for it?

I'd say mine's a big thumbs up (it's actually "Niagara", like Niagara Falls in Canada). It runs smooth and quiet, has a pretty good amount of weight, and is nicely detailed and painted. It was another Christmas present, but I do know it was on sale at my LHS when it was purchased, so maybe $60. $60 is almost half off of the retail price, so it's a pretty good deal. I did unfortunately have to send it to Bachmann due to split axles, loose eccentrics for the valve gear, and a cracked frame. They sent me a new one (which I reviewed) that's in good condition with no defects, and it's a very nice engine, especially for being from the Standard line before Bachmann was increasing their quality to what it is now.

Trainworld.com sells them for $60, but you can most likely get one on eBay for the same price, and see pictures of what you're getting.

[3railguy]

I look at it this way. A $25.00 steam engine runs like a $25.00 steam engine which is in most cases, not very well at all. I've chanced it a few times on bargain engines because they were good looking (such as your chatanooga) thinking it will make a good shelf piece if it runs like crap.

Several of my "mistakes" sit on display on my cubical ledge at work. Being surrounded by them gives my cubical a homey feeling and I feel more comfortable being at work.

[Anonymous]

I hope it runs.

I had that engine as a child only mine was a 0-8-0 and it proved to be a dismal performer. Back in those days AHM and Riverossi and Brass with Can motors were the top engines and way out of reach. I closed the book on that engine long ago.

It is due to that engines' dismal performance that I seek out rather expensive top shelf engines such as Broadway Limited. I dont get very many a year but the ones I do get are keepers.

Looking at the photos, it seems the engine is in very good condition. If I remember correctly the boiler is going to be a bit light and derail at the first flaw in your track. Track today isnt the hand me down brass horrorshow of long ago, but I would want to encourage you to get the most you can out of the engine.

You might find that the tender side frames is rather "Floppy" I think it was designed that way for some reason.

Let us know if it did run for you.

[cudaken]

It likes to derail! GREAT I NEED 15 MORE OF THEM! THEY WILL FIT RIGHT WITH THE OTHER 156 POS ENGINES AND FALL OFF THE RAIL STOCK!

 Having a very, very, very bad MRR night.

 Well off the subject but I don't get it. Last night ever thing was running like a dream, hauling 42 cars with doubled headed E-6's on the second line and 15 cars with a F-7A on the main line. Finaly a coupler came undone on the E-6 train, no derails just dropped half the cars and keep on rolling. Well it was late and time to go to sleep so I left it a lone.

 Today before I got home the Gremlins must have got on the board with there little pick axes. No matter what I ran, as soon as I turned off the lights something would derail. Cars that have ran 30 hours would derail. Pull them and start again, same thing, a driffrent car would derail. What kills me it is both main lines, no matter what engine was pulling.

 I was to the point I was ready to throw a PK E-6 across the room. Some how I keept my self from doing it and shut the board down. Time to back up and relax and let them sit before they be came Air Born, like I was, 118th Air Born, they would not have a chute would become bouncers.

 Before anyone try to help with this problem, save your finguer tips. I will find what the problem is, just will not be tonight.

 Thank for all the answers.

                 Cuda Ken

 PS, funny thing when I started this hobby I was looking for a cheap, easy and relaxing hobby? Hum, maybe I should get back in to HO slot cars

[Anonymous]

Ken, this happens to me every once in a while- Cars that wont derail at the head of a 30 car train will FLY off the track if I even set the direction to reverse, let alone open the throttle. And something always comes uncoupled if I back up and then go forward (aka. picking up / setting out cars)

Welcome to the dirty little secret of our hobby.

[Anonymous]

rrebell;

I have some bad news for you there, podna; I have a Varney F3 w/plastic body that is approaching fifty years of age and it runs a h*ll of a lot better than any of your blue box or red box or green box or purple box or whatever box Athearns; I've only run it once in the last 25 years and that was just to see if it would still run - that was seven years ago and it did -  got a little sparking from the wheels - they're brass - which rendered it a little sluggish at first but after the corrosion burned off it performed flawlessly.  It's the only piece of HO motive power I have; when I sold all my Bowser, and Hobbytown, and Cary/Mantua equipment when I went to N-Scale in 1980/81 I couldn't bear to part with it - it had been part of the train set that got me started in Model Railroading way back in 1962.  Offer me a couple of Athearns; I'll tell you where to put'em.

cudaken;

Thirty dollars was probably a might too much - at least ten and maybe even fifteen too much - for this turkey whatever it turns out to be but all may not necessarily be lost.

Not a lot can be done with the power mechanism but there is perhaps some hope for the boiler if you care to expend a little money in the effort.  If my recollection serves me correctly a few years back - probably twenty or so - someone took this particular - or a similiar - Tyco boiler shell and affixed it to a either a Varney "Old Lady" or "Casey Jones", I don't recall just which one, and came away with a very freelanced - and unique - locomotive.  I'm not sure just exactly how he came into the possession of his boiler shell but his power unit had been acquired dirt cheap at a swap meet somewhere and so his major expense had been for lost-wax castings - these two mechanisms are currently being manufactured by Bowser who, by the way, also produces other 2-8-0s and 4-6-0s.  Some elementary lost-wax castings would give you a singularly individualistic locomotive - won't exactly look like a brass masterpiece but you could at least salvage some of your thirty smackers.

I'm not sure I would give a blank check to the premise that one should never purchase a used Tyco, Bachmann, or Life-Like locomotive under any circumstances; it was not too awfully long ago that I saw a very accomplished modeler purchase a used Bachmann at a swap meet for $15.00; he was only interested in the boiler shell for use with a mechanism which, I guess, he already owned.  Some of these guys have been building and rebuilding for so long that they can work miracles from basket cases - I ain't exactly one of them but perhaps you could be at some time in the future.

Just a suggestion.   

[cudaken]

I have requested the seller to send me some PIC, at this point have not heard back from them. If I do get it I don't think I will sink any money into get. After the reviews I read from Darth Santa Fe I think I will try the Bachman they he bought and likes.

 

 Cuda Ken

[cudaken]

  If I knew dirty little secret of our hobby I would have propley stuck with the HO slot cars. Another thing I have yet to figuer out is how a train can run 20 laps then derail. Rerail 20 laps and off they go again.

 Dingoix, if we can figuer that out we could be come rich.

 

                         Cuda Ken

[Anonymous]

Is it possible you are running without secured rail joints?

As a child I used rubber banding under the sectional track joints to keep everything together, only to see the oval "Walk" across the floor for some distance.

Today I prefer pernament roadbed or at least sectional track with automatic joiners like Kato or Bachmann.

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

I tend to agree with what a lot of others are saying about anything from Tyco. I had purchased their "Chatanooga Choo-Choo" in the mid 70's and it was a piece of junk right out of the box. Like a lot of others have indicated, it was tender driven, and I feel there was not enough weight underneath the shell of the engine itself. If you want a nice steamer that will run reliably and is well detailed and easy to service, I might suggest you try IHC.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

[Anonymous]

I tend to agree with what a lot of others are saying about anything from Tyco. I had purchased their "Chatanooga Choo-Choo" in the mid 70's and it was a piece of junk right out of the box. Like a lot of others have indicated, it was tender driven, and I feel there was not enough weight underneath the shell of the engine itself. If you want a nice steamer that will run reliably and is well detailed and easy to service, I might suggest you try IHC.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

My Broadway Limited Steam is easy to service.

UPS truck please =)

[cudaken]

 Here are the PIC!

 

 

 Guess I will be sending of a check for $5.00 soon.

                                 Cuda Ken

[WSOR 3801]

That would be the tender drive style.  IIRC, back in the '70s somebody repowered the tender with an Athearn switcher (SW7) mechanism.  Might be worth a shot.

The IHC 2-8-0 is the same boiler shell, but with the drive in the engine.  I was able to pick a couple up at a swap meet for $30 each.  Run very nicely.