The one detail I have not been happy with on my Bachmann EM-1 is the tender water hatch. It just looks flat and undetailed. I do not know what the prototype hatch looks like, but it does not matter. I can't have something I am not happy with on the railroad.
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So I ordered a new tender hatch made by Cal-Scale for the tender, much better. It is just slightly larger than the original, and fits neatly on the tender deck.
My problem is that I cannot get the tender shell off. It is VERY stuck. I might have painted it together when I sprayed the model. Oops. Plan "B" is to drill a series of 1/16" holes around the edge of the existing water hatch and then clip away the rest of it. Then I can easily clean up the edges with a #17 blade.
Part 2 of the problem is that I do not know exactly what is inside ther tender. How far can I drill into the shell safely? I do not want to hit the decoder board if it is right there under the top of the tender shell.
Does anyone know?
Thank you for your help.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
It's my guess that the Bachmann version of the water hatch was probably reasonably accurate. Its width, almost completely across the deck of the cistern, would have required the fireman to step over it, hence the low profile. As nice as the Cal-Scale hatch might be, it looks to me like a tripping accident waiting to happen.
Here's a diagram showing an exploded view of that Bachmann tender. Looks like there are four screws holding the floor in place.
You could easily dress-up the cast-in-place hatch by carving off the cast-on handles and replacing them with wire ones...
If you want to use the Cal-Scale hatch, but can't get the tender body apart from the floor, you could remove the existing hatch using an X-Acto #17 chisel-type blade. Make the intial cuts vertically, near the edges of the hatch: press down firmly to the level of the deck, then, with the bevelled edge facing down, and on the deck, slice-off the small pieces. Repeat, sharpening the blade as needed. This is tedious work, but by taking only small pieces at a time, can be done quite neatly and without fear of the blade slipping as it might do if you were to attempt removal using only horizontal passes with the blade.
Wayne
Wayne,
Thank you for the link to the instructions. The drawing clearly showed there was an open space under the water hatch.
I drilled out the old hatch:
Then I opened up the hole all the way:
Then I removed what was left with the #17 blade:
I simply glued the hatch in place to finish up.
Unfiortunately, what looks good to me sometimes creates a safety hazard for my crews. Sorry Mr. Fireman, please watch your step!
I appreciate your help.
Nicely-done, Kevin, and you certainly didn't waste any time getting it accomplished, either!
If it is a DCC sound model, you may wish to make sure you seal around that hatch, otherwise the speaker will likely cancel itself out. The locomotive will have somewhat lower max volume than before.
BMMECNYCIf it is a DCC sound model, you may wish to make sure you seal around that hatch
Thank you for the concern. It is not a sound model, but it does have a speaker! It just lacks the sound decoder.
I run good old straight DC, so I am OK. I blast music when I am railroading, I prefer the trains to be quiet. However, I do love the sound of metal wheels rolling down the tracks.
Cheers!