I have a Broadway Limited Hudson from around 2010 (Paragon 2 decoder vintage). I just noticed the draw bar was not connected to the tender and it and the rest of the train was being pulled just by the decoder wires connecting the tender to the engine. My question is, should there be any sort of retaining nut or plug or something else that keeps the draw bar attached to the tender other than some tension between the engine and the tender? And if so, would you expect BLI to still stock it? Does anyone have a work around? Much thanks.
I looked for a decent photo showing the Hudson drawbar and so far this is as close as I got. Some steam drawbars incorporate a small wire to give a little friction to the pin but it seems like most BLIās do not. You can carefully give a slight upward bend to the soft metal drawbar to allow it to engage the tender pin, without adding any lifting force to the front of the tender.
I occasionally have the same problem you are mentioning but Iāve never actually had to replace the drawbar. Some BLI drawbars are āengineeringā plastic and rely on a half-round clip action to engage the tender.
Those drawbars tend to uncouple whenever you handle the locomotive for any reason. I would like to see manufactures use a long box that would hold the engine and tender coupled together. Then they could keep the drawbar and wires connected more securely.
I use a 2-56 thread cutting die on the drawbar pin and use a 2-56 nut to keep the drawbar connected.
Is there a better solution, Rich? I have maybe 50 Broadway Limited steam engines and most, but not all, use the same drawbar mechanism. Thereās a shoulder screw with a spring on the locomotive end and usually a choice of two holes for the tender pin. I find a slight upward bend gives a bit of bias against the spring and this holds the drawbar to the pin pretty well.
Any handling of the engine on or off the layout may eventually cause the drawbar to sag again requiring an occasional ātweakā.
Some of my brass engines have an additional wire to add some friction to the tender pin but this isnāt all that perfect, either. You still need to have a bit of an upward āsetā to the drawbar.
There is apparently not a better solution, Ed, at least none that I have found. But it is one of many reasons why I have sold off most of my steamers as well as my turntable. Steamers are beautiful but way too finicky.
The BLI posts on their tenders are the right size to be threaded with a 2/56 die. This creates threads on the post which allows a 2/56 nut to be used to hold the drawbar in place. I have done many of these.
The posts are not large enough to be drilled and tapped for a screw.
Mark Vinski
I think pretty much all HO steam engines made since maybe the 1990s or so have that style drawbar. Itās a bit of a nuisance, but really not that big of a deal. I just assume every time I pick up an engine, the drawbar will become disconnected. When I set it down on the track, I reconnect the drawbar.
If it has one of the fold-down aprons between the tender and engine, be sure to put that all the way up first. Once the engine is on the track and the drawbar is connected, reach in with a small screwdriver or pencil and lower the apron. Otherwise, it can get caught under the ālipā at the front of the tender and cause problems.
So, as the OP, I tried the ābend it a littleā solution with success. I donāt run this often, even less as time goes on. But for now it seems to work, forward and in reverse. Thanks all for your comments, much appreciated.
I have only ever imparted a slight bend, a flat S curve if you will, using needle-nosed pliers. It works reliably for me. Yes, when you lift the two for some reason, theyāre likely to come apart, but when you go to restore the two to the rails, just take some care and place them on the rails under tensionā¦pulling them apart. From there, though, I never get any further uncoupling. The bending is a simple fix, and if done well, lasts pretty much indefinitely. At least, thatās my experience with BLI steamers equipped with a metal tab-style drawbar.
