I took it back to the club and ran it with the tender from the Sunset 4-12-2. I couldn’t seem to figure it out. I attracted the attention of several fellow MRR and the told me to let them have a look. I handed it over without an arguement. They noticed that it would short when going around a left hand curve, and run fine going around a right hand. So they took it up to the big yard were they could get a close-up view of it going through a double crossover. They removed the front truck and ran it. If you looked close you could see the front of the boiler move up when the front truck turned. A closer look showed that the last wheel on the left truck was hitting a large steam pipe that looks like it feeds the left back cylinder. it is right in front of it. When it turned hard the wheel flang would rub the bottom of the pipe and left up the boiler. The paint was actually wore there, but not all the way to the brass. Anyhow I enclosed a few more pics. It now runs like a top.
Yay! I’m glad it was something simple like that. And I’m glad you’ve got a “support group” for stuff like this. I love it when problems like this get worked out.
Actually one of the club members took it home with him. He said he would be up at the club all week doing trackwork and would take the engine apart at home and grind down the pipe and touch it up. I told him I would give him something for his time but he refused. He said he was more then happy to do it. I will get him a Sheetz gas card and give it to him on club night. He flatly refused to take it home and wanted me to meet him when he went up to the club. He didn’t want to take home someones elses engine that cost that much. I told him that it was only a train. It’s something that CAN be replaced. I told him I 100% trusted him.
I bet you feel better now eh, lol. I could sence your frustration from the 1st thread you started. There is nothing worse then having your NEW pride and joy turn out to be a lemon, I’m happy yours didn’t turn into one.
