I need to line the inside of the tender with electrical tape to cut down the vibrations when the whistle sounds off, any ideas how to open it up? I’m used to taking apart Broadway’s, never Bachmanns, and I can’t see any screws other than the one holding the coupler.
Do you think you should mention which Bachmann steamer are you referring to?
The various tenders are manufactured slightly differently as to screws or clips.
Have you been to the Bachmann site?
There is a section ( under the Product Reference tab) with the diagrams of each of the Bachmann engines.
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/board,2.0.html
You’re right, I’m sorry, I thought I wrote K4 in the post.
This is like the diagram you’re looking for,
Thankyou for the links. Unfortunately my spectrum K4 (1920s version) has a very odd connecting bar, that is hard to describe. It wasn’t present on any other version of the K4 postwar or prewar. This made it very hard to take apart the tender correctly. After being ever so careful with unscrewing one of the bottom screws as shown in the diagram, one eventually ended up stripped, so the shell will not reattach fully. The problem is the trucks sets are blocking the screws mostly, so you have to go in at an awkward angle with the screwdriver. And the truck sets can’t be unscrewed after several tries. Very poor design on Bachmann’s part.
Most Broadways, don’t even have a screw, you simply pry open the shell with a flat head screwdriver and then put it back in place when you are done.
Prior to the installation of electrical tape, the Bachmann sounded terrible. The tape has greatly reduced vibrations and sound distortion, this was a very necessary step. The sound was unbearable before.
I"ve found that the express elevator from the workbench to the floor usually works quite well for getting even the most stubborn piece of equipment apart, however I dont recommend it if it is a piece of rolling stock that you want to hang onto. LOL Seriously though there should be some small clips or something along those lines. Neil