I am pondering buying what I consider to be a classic locomotive.
One of the members of the local MRR club was given a brass locomotive. Unfortunately he has no use for steam so the locomotive is of no interest to him.
The locomotive is a PFM United Sierra #38. I am told that the engine was one of the later runs, circa 1973, as it has brake shoes for the drivers and the earlier runs did not.
This engine has never been run, I has been in the box in storage. It was wrapped properly so there has been no deterioration of the foam in contact with the brass over all these years.
I have always admired this engine and knowing that one is available in pristine condition is too hard to ignore.
Does anyone have on of these engines?
How hard would it be to convert to DCC?
I have one. It is in line for DCC. I did a sister 2-6-6-2 with sound a while back. I was my first one and it worked. It took a long time because I did not know what I was doing, but I got it figured out. I may get to the Seirra this fall. We can compare notes. It is one of my favorite engines so I look forward to the task.
I have one, its a great locomotive! It was re-motored, and given an O ring drive, and is very quiet and smooth. Decent detail. Mine is painted as Rayonier 38.
Sorry, no DCC here, so I have no idea of how hard it is to convert. Lots of room in the tender of course.
From what I understand, PFM made the better of the brass steam locomotives and they were higher priced. Of course, PFM came out with their own sound system too. Did Model Railroader have an article not long ago about installing DCC and sound in a brass steam locomotive or was that Railroad Model Craftsman?
These beauties run around $400.00 to $700.00 and up, some lucky stiff got one on ebay a while back for $79.00, they are a classic loco and are perfect for a logging setup------ are you thinking of buying it from him, or as a gift???
Lucky--lucky...
tatans These beauties run around $400.00 to $700.00 and up, some lucky stiff got one on ebay a while back for $79.00, they are a classic loco and are perfect for a logging setup------ are you thinking of buying it from him, or as a gift??? Lucky--lucky...
I had planned on using it for a road locomotive. I do have a section on my layout for a mine or logging area and I plan on using Shay and Climax engines for that portion of the layout.
Remember the #38 started life as a road engine and ran freight for many years. It was only after the Sierra Railroad switched to diesel did this engine become a logging engine.
I have first option on the engine, will not be a gift. Will have to search the web and document what these are selling for, and pay the average price. That was the plan.
Don:
Just a note: #38 was originally owned by the Weyerhauser Timber Corp, and sold to the Sierra Railway second-hand. I could be wrong, but I think #38 only ran on the Sierra for a few years--until 1955 or so.
There was a PFM model of the loco at my LHS for a week or two--I believe the asking price was about $350. I almost bit for it, but by the time I decided, it was gone. Like most PFM imports, it's a really sweet locomotive, well worth the price.
Enjoy it!
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
No. 38 history in 30 words or less
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38 was built by Baldwin in September 1934, #61781, as Weyerhauser Timber Co. 4. It later became Sierra RR 38 in 1952 and was sold as Rayonier 38 in 1955. It was retired in 1967 and displayed until 1984. It is in parts at McCloud, CA. http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr592.htm
More detail here: http://loggingmallets.railfan.net/list/wt4/weyer4.htm
The above site make the following note: 1958 – 1975: Pacific Fast Mail of Edmonds, WA imported several thousand HO scale brass models of this locomotive. The model represents the locomotive as built for Weyerhaeuser.
I have one...Still awaiting re-motoring, painting and a new drive train install...Never seem to find the time.
As it came to my hands it ran pretty well for an older, open frame motor. very noisy drive train and poor slow speed control.
Doing the DCC mods appear to be nothing out of the ordinary for typical brass conversion. Going price on Ebay (I follow these) is around $300-400 for unpainted, undecoderized. There are always a couple for sale at any given time.
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
I forgot to ask, what size of radius will the 2-6-6-2 best handle at speed. All drivers are flanged. On my layout I have one sharp corner.
don7 I forgot to ask, what size of radius will the 2-6-6-2 best handle at speed. All drivers are flanged. On my layout I have one sharp corner.
You should be okay with 24" and up. It's a relatively small articulated. Just remember that it's brass and 'prototypically' articulated--only the front set of drivers swings, so you'll probably have considerable boiler overhang on tighter curves. Though I don't have the Sierra, I do have the PFM 'Moffat' 2-6-6-0, which is about the same size, and it went through a friends 22" radii without derailing. Those small Mallets have a lot more 'play' than, say, a comparable 4-8-2.
Thanks to someone posting the link to HOseeker I found a copy of the PFM advertisement for the
Sierra 2-6-6-2. It will actually take a 18" curve.
http://www.hoseeker.net/pacificfastmailinformation/pfm101967linfopage18.jpg
I am quite surprised at that. Sure makes life easier though. I had a sudden thought I might have to change a few curves on my layout.
Well, the PFM United Sierra 2-6-6-2 came home with me yesterday.
The engine is in pristine condition. I was surprised at how heavy this engine is. After oiling and lubrication I tested the engine out on my layout. This engine I do not think was ever on track or run.
After running the engine for about an hour and a half I checked the low and high speed running characteristics. I was surprised at how well the engine performed at low speed and can only imagine what it will be like after I have replaced the motor with a new efficient can motor.
It does indeed run loud, so I will be checking soon with NWSL for new replacement gearing. Surprisingly the noise is not that bad.
The gears will quiet down considerably with enough run-in time. Replacing the motor with a good can motor (Faulhaber, Canon, etc.) will take care of most of your noise. Check the drive transmission tubing. It tends to get dried out and brittle with age. - replace it with some new neoprene tubing. Those two things along with a good lube job should eliminate most of the noise. If possible, avoid the new gears route. Very easy to screw that job up if you don't have the experience or tools to do the job...
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Gary M. Collins gmcrailgNOSPAM@gmail.com
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"Common Sense, Ain't!" -- G. M. Collins
http://fhn.site90.net
Thank you very much for that bit of advice I would not want to ruin any components of the drive train by attempting to change any item I am not totally familiar with.
Well, I got a sound decoder in my Seirra yesterday. I did not remotor and it is a little loud. There were lots of little problems. Issolating the motor was easy and I just connected the decoder to the tender and the engine for pickup. That seems to work. I had to replace the brass draw bar on the tender and I had to lenthen it to clear the connecting plug. I also had to adjust the couplers so they did not short out. It ran today, but there is need for some refinement. It was easy but VERY putsy. It did not seem very fragil