Good day, my name is Burt, I have always love model trains, I'm 70 now and last year after many years having admiration of the Big Boy Engines I aquired a early 70's Tenshodo HO 4884 Steam Engine with Tender.
The real question to me after the purchase was, what have I got myself into? I knew nothing about this engine so my educatin began. Since then with help from some of you and my desire to not give in...last month I finally made a verture to a local Model Train Store in Burien, Washington called the "Electric Train Shop". I took the 4884 with me and got to speak to the owner breifly...he was very familar with what I had and was very knowledgeable due his love for PFM (Pacific Fast Mail products) during his teenage years in the early 70's.
After trying to test track the engine, he made a few comments for me to address and then like out of no where say's yeah I think I have a couple of old controllers for that engine, for a brief moment I didn't have a comeback and then I justy blurted out "are they for sale" and he say's yeah aand I say...well can I see it and he's say's yeah, one is in better shap then the other, $50.00 bucks and I was just stunned!
He say's there they are in the back corner high up on the shelf, let me pull down the best one so you can have a look.
At this point the store is humming with customers (opens at 11, it's now 12:30) and old guy's like me sounding like transformers in mid speed on a model raailroad track.
He opens the original box up flaps folded over, and there it is the original styryne foam surround, all the manuals in their original bags. When he pulled the foam off there it was...a brand new old stock PFM-I. Still had the plastric protector on the alluminum control panel and never been peeled off as shiny as the day it was made. The thing was so old that the rubber bands holding together the 110 power cable had desicated like brittle dry spagetti but the cord was shiny black and very flexable...came with all the new parts to set up sound in an engine, contact paint and all the instructions for installing too.
To say the least I was very happy with myself and thanks so much to the owner for being so kind and understanding.
So I have not yet plugged the PFM-I in yet. I have been working on the 4884. had to correct the placement of three of the axle/wheels on the Tender because I put them on in reverse after having opening it up the to sablize the speake which is installed there, the wheels being in the wrong configuration creates a dead short and the engine won't run, got that complete but now I'v one more thing to repair, somehow either before me or after, broken from it's mount on the right front multi-joint rod is a support that hols the rod up which it has drooped to the point in could hit the rail...got to fix this first, I have a good idea but boy this stuff is small to work with.
I bought tools and a nice engine cradle so all is good...sort of have an idea of the layout I want to build...got the room for it and the need for 36" diameter curves. Time will tell.
Hope y'all have a Merry Model Train Christmas!