I have a bunch of almost done projects…so I decided to open another one. Mostly, I just wasn’t in the mood for them, and, as you may recall, I hate non-functioning motive power. Beautiful models sitting on the shelf grate at me. It was time to relieve the source of the irritation and restore one to service. Naturally, it would be a B’mann 10-wheeler, a singular teaching source for modeling skills unparalleled in any hobby that I have tried.
Kid-zilla has a pair of B’mann circus-themed 10-wheelers. One works fine. The other, I believe from @David_Marconi_FOGCH , decided to start smoking from points other than the stack last winter. We’ve assembled quite a collection of bits for these locomotives, so I felt confident that I could get this working. First, I relieved Kid-zilla from duties opening the old loco up and compared it to a derelict we had on hand:
These seemed to be compatible gear boxes, so I proceeded to strip the donor chassis of all salvageable parts. Both have direct drive gears, and both use what has proven to be that unreliable spring-loaded piston to take power from the wheels to the motor. Though not the same chassis, this is what I mean:
I really hoped that the smoke was coming from a circuit board, so I hooked power to the motor tabs and energized it. The motor smoked beautifully. Kid-zilla, who had returned, agreed that this was proof that the motor was, in fact, bad.
We pounded out the pin that holds the gear box in place, cut the wires, removed the gear box, and we were in business. Note that the old gear box had the classic splitting that makes older B’mann renowned throughout the modeling world.
Kid-zilla realized that we were about to start soldering, so he told me to go take the dogs for a jog. I am not sure why it took him an hour to get to the soldering, but he was underway when I returned.
He forgot to get his safety goggles. Yes, I corrected him. Yes, we were barefoot.
I know we tested his solder joints. I remember we watched the light come on and the motor spin. I just cannot remember if it was before or after reassembly, and, if before, if we tested them by applying power to the motor tabs or the wheels. Regardless, after we reassembled Smoked Emmett, he wouldn’t start on the test tracks. I suspect the little piston cylinders may be jammed, so Kid-zilla will try to tap them free tomorrow.
And now I have four projects on the table…
Eric