My Paragon Y6b arrived today
Right off one of the connectors was out of the tender plug
I was able to reseat it but it wasn't easy
Then when running ( DC mode ) the engine was in the smoke mode and smoking away
I don't think that it should have the fluid in it right out of the box --Did yours do the same thing ?
The instructions say the smoke feature can be turned off with a switch behind the smoke box door
Darn if I can find a smoke box door and I can't see one on the exploded drawing
Can anyone direct me to the switch/door ?
The exploded drawing doesn't show any switch and the smoke is driving me goofy
51% share holder in the ME&O ( Wife owns the other 49% )
ME&O
The smoke box door is the entire front of the boiler. It should be on a hinge and the smoke generator on/off switch is behind it.
I don't know this for a fact, but it may be that a knife blade, a sharp one, placed carefully along the gap running around the circumference of the smoke box cover can be used to gently pry the cover away from its seat. Again, this is merely a guess. If you are uneasy about this, go to BLI's website, find the forum, and ask your question there.
-Crandell
cacoleThe smoke box door is the entire front of the boiler. It should be on a hinge and the smoke generator on/off switch is behind it.
It ain't hinged on mine
You have seen one on a Y6B ?
INSTRUCTIONS ARE INCORRECT. There is a technical bulletin on BLI's website. BLI apologized for the manual being out of date.
The ON/OFF toggle switch is in front of the cab, underneath the engine, on the engineer's side. (This makes it much easier to turn ON/OFF by tipping the engine on the track.)
Also, with smoke equipped engines it is typical to have smoke fluid in them from the factory--this is for 2 reasons:
1. So that someone in a store can see what it will do.
2. So that someone test running one in a store does not burn out the smoke unit inadvertantly.
MTH engines ALL come with a certain amount of smoke fluid in them from the factory; I'm sure all the BLI ones with smoke units will as well.
I love my Y-6B; its booming exhaust is most impressive. I prefer it over my MTH 4-6-6-4 and my Genesis Big Boy--and I'm a western road fan!
John
Agree with reading the tech bulletin. The big one I learned the hard way is there is a large piece of foam under the front wedged between the front truck and boiler. If you don't remove it you will derail every other turn.
Also they put a small amount of oil in to remind you and so it doesn't burn out the smoke generator.
If you have dcc you can turn up the smoke even more.
I too love my Y6B. It got me back into steam.
Edit: Here's a link to the technical bulletin:
http://www.broadway-limited.com/support/Paragon2%20Y6b%20Technical%20Bulletin.pdf
Springfield PA
UP 4-12-2INSTRUCTIONS ARE INCORRECT. There is a technical bulletin on BLI's website. BLI apologized for the manual being out of date. The ON/OFF toggle switch is in front of the cab, underneath the engine, on the engineer's side. (This makes it much easier to turn ON/OFF by tipping the engine on the track.) Also, with smoke equipped engines it is typical to have smoke fluid in them from the factory--this is for 2 reasons: 1. So that someone in a store can see what it will do. 2. So that someone test running one in a store does not burn out the smoke unit inadvertantly. MTH engines ALL come with a certain amount of smoke fluid in them from the factory; I'm sure all the BLI ones with smoke units will as well. I love my Y-6B; its booming exhaust is most impressive. I prefer it over my MTH 4-6-6-4 and my Genesis Big Boy--and I'm a western road fan! John
Many Thanks I found it
Hamltnblue Agree with reading the tech bulletin. The big one I learned the hard way is there is a large piece of foam under the front wedged between the front truck and boiler. If you don't remove it you will derail every other turn. Also they put a small amount of oil in to remind you and so it doesn't burn out the smoke generator. If you have dcc you can turn up the smoke even more. I too love my Y6B. It got me back into steam.
Yeah I learned the hard way about the piece of hard rubber
It is ridiculous that they don't tell you to remove it
It is very hard to see and I could not get it to go around curves until I found it even though I had looked for problems
The other thing that I was surprised at was that it is Smaller than my Class A 2-6-6-4
Another small problem
This part was laying in the box
It is about 1/4 "
Anybody know where it goes
My I1sa has a smoke switch underneath the engine, which I really like. I actually had to shut mine off today because the smoke volume was so massive it smelled up the room really bad! Still, a very impressive mechanism, it puffs out extremely high, thick columns of white mist, if it didn't stink, I would keep it on all the time.
You can also use F7 on the paragon 2's to turn smoke off. The smell of the smoke does get to some people so I picked up scented smoke fluid and problem solved. I got one that smells like pipe tobacco. I usually leave it turned off with F7 though. You have to do it each time you power up.
UncBob The other thing that I was surprised at was that it is Smaller than my Class A 2-6-6-4 Another small problem This part was laying in the box It is about 1/4 " Anybody know where it goes
It doesn't look familiar but you might cross check it with the parts guide that came with it.
Hamltnblue You can also use F7 on the paragon 2's to turn smoke off. The smell of the smoke does get to some people so I picked up scented smoke fluid and problem solved. I got one that smells like pipe tobacco. I usually leave it turned off with F7 though. You have to do it each time you power up.
I didn't know that MTH's fluid would be ok to use in a a Broadway engine, I guess its all the same stuff right? Does Broadway also make scented fluids? I would like to get the coal scented one if they do.
Bob, could you post a few pictures of your Y6 b and your Class A side by side?
I love my PCM Y6 b and have been looking for another articulated engine. Only I was disappointed with when I got the Y6 b was how much smaller it was compared to my PCM Big Boy.
One of the reasons I have held off on the Class A was because I thought it was a downsized Y6 b. I m guessing your Class A is a BLI version, do you by any chances have a 18 inch turn? I am still stuck with one and it not going any where for some time.
Ken
I hate Rust
Ken--
The Y-6B and Big Boy are very different animals, designed for two very different purposes.
The Y-6B grew out of the USRA Heavy Mallet design of WWI, and being used in the East, horizontal and vertical clearances were much more limited than what UP had. So N&W stayed pretty much within those clearances and designed that engine for maximum low speed power, and peak horsepower of about 5500 dbhp at about 25 mph.
The Big Boy was designed to run fast with heavy freight, and although UP had clearance limitations, they were much more generous than N&W's, so it was able to "grow large".
The A Class 2-6-6-4, being a "later" design than the heavily upgraded Heavy Mallet, also is a longer engine.
I do not have an A, but the rear cab overhang may be a horizontal curve clearance limitation for some layouts, just as the rear of the cab on the MTH 4-6-6-4 and the Genesis Big Boy may be the limiting issue.
cudaken Bob, could you post a few pictures of your Y6 b and your Class A side by side? I love my PCM Y6 b and have been looking for another articulated engine. Only I was disappointed with when I got the Y6 b was how much smaller it was compared to my PCM Big Boy. One of the reasons I have held off on the Class A was because I thought it was a downsized Y6 b. I m guessing your Class A is a BLI version, do you by any chances have a 18 inch turn? I am still stuck with one and it not going any where for some time. Ken
I am running a 22/24 radius now
Previous was 18/22
2-6-6-4 made it around the 22 OK
It has a smaller wheel base ( each engine ) but bigger diameter wheels than the 2-8-8-2 so If your 2-8-8-2 is ok than the 2-6-6-4 should be except it will be longer
Anyway here is the pic so you can get an idea of sizes
In addition here is a video of it running with a 4-4-0 on a fanfare setup
Here is a pic comparing all 3
OK
I pieced together some of my code 100 --18" radius
It will not work
As you can see because of that 4 wheel training truck the overhang is too much and it hits the tender even on the last drawbar hole
Which of the loco's is the overhead of?
Overhead pic is the 2-6-6-4
Steamers all look the same to me from above.
Correction:
The overhang is not simply the result of the 4-wheel trailing truck. Rather, the cab overhang is the result of the manufacturer's choice of pivot location--which would have some "adjustment" in it.
It appears that the manufacturers have been designing the articulated steam model so that the pilot overhang in a front view is not so bad at all. In doing so, they place the pivot point such that the pilot stays close to the track, but the rear edge of cab roof overhangs more. This is obvious in the above photo of the Class A.
It is similar for the MTH (formerly Lionel) 4-6-6-4 and the Athearn Genesis 4-8-8-4. The cab roof overhangs the most, and the pilot looks pretty darn good on a curve.
If someone has tight curves and/or restricted horizontal clearances on the outside of a curve, the BLI Y-6B might be the best choice because it is shorter in total length, with less overhang.
Respectfully submitted--
That is a remarkable photograph of the three engines. The Big Boy is obviously the Big Guy on the Block, but look how small the Y is compared to the A!! And yet the Y could tow an A Class and a couple of small 2-8-0's around with some sweat.
Bob, first thanks for going out of your way to find the answer to my question! Boy that is a good looking engine! I know the Y6 b was not a big engine, but it looks small now! But she will pull.
Did the over hang derail the tender?
This is the 18 inch turn I am worried about. It is toward the top of the picture.
Guess I need to do some thinking on that section.
Sorry I sort of took over your post Bob.
cudaken Bob, first thanks for going out of your way to find the answer to my question! Boy that is a good looking engine! I know the Y6 b was not a big engine, but it looks small now! But she will pull. Did the over hang derail the tender? This is the 18 inch turn I am worried about. It is toward the top of the picture. Guess I need to do some thinking on that section. Sorry I sort of took over your post Bob. Ken
I didn't run it--Have no way to do it--I just put the 18 " radius together with enough arc to hold the train and set the Class A on it
If you read the review in the product review section you will see they say 22 " minimum per BLI
Do you have to run it over that section