Large Scale Central

Bachman Connie - Pulling Power?

Modeling Rolling stock
#1

I bought a Bachman Connie at ECLSTS at an unbelievable price. Other than a quick test run on Ric’s timesaver, it’s been in the box since then, waiting for the dust to clear from my indoor re-build.

The Roadbed work was completed last weekend, so I decided to open the Connie this weekend. It’s maiden run pointed out a number of clearance problems on my pike. I snapped off a foot board from the tender by hitting an Aristo switch control box. Outdoors on the elevated roadbed, some of the vinyl edging I’m using to hold ballast in place is too high, and the rods hit causing the engine to jump around a bit. These are all problems I can easily fix.

The biggest disappointment was the Connie’s pulling power. I could not get my sound car + two box cars and a caboose up my 4% grade which includes a 90 degree of about 10 Ft. Radius. Once helped around the curve, it was able to handle the grade on straight track.

I haven’t gone looking yet, but I assume this problem has been addressed by adding weight.

Any horror stories / advice ?

Thanks,

JR

#2

I pull probably 10 or more up 4% with no wheel slip.

Hopefully this wasn’t one somebody messed with, removing the factory weight and axle springs.

Be advised, the shiny plating used by several manufacturers is like grease on the rails.

Once it wears down or away, things will get better.

On the tender steps…
On all the ones that run here I whack the footboards off outboard of the outer vertical support and cut 99% of footboard breakage out.

Does your smokebox bounce?

If it doesn’t, something is wrong in the suspension.

I do add weight in the bottom of the smokebox to get it to not “bounce” when you stop is all.

TOC

#3

SCRY #7 is a Bachmann Connie that is mechanically as-built except for TOC’s motor tighten/loctite/trash the filter mod …

On a level track, and something on the order of a 5 or 5.5 foot radius, on a test run, she pulled close to 40 cars.

On my current layout with a minor grade or two, she’ll pull 10 AMS cars (including the caboose) … assuming the AMS bearings have all been lubed. Otherwise about 4. She’ll move … well… a LOT of Bachmann cars.

When yours won’t pull, is it breaking loose and slipping the drivers, or stalling out? The latter could indicate the motor-screw problem hasn’t been corrected …

Matthew (OV)

#4

Or the suppression board is still in place on the motor…

#5

Can someone tell me where to find the modification/removal of the supression board?? Thank You Nick Jr

#6

Posted on the Bachmann Forum on January 09, 2002 at 12:15:10:

While doing some conversion work on one of the new Bachmann 1:20 scale 2-8-0’s, I found the motor to be loose on the gearbox.
This is a new design gearbox mount from Bachmann, and bugs may have inadvertently crept in to the assembly process.
The following is the procedure I used to adjust this and subsequent units. First is the boiler removal, which is about the easiest Bachmann Large-Scale to disassemble to date.

Disassembly procedure:

  1. Roll engine over on fireman’s side, locate forward end of reverse
    actuating rod under running board where it attaches to the valve gear.
    Remove slot-head screw. NOT MAGNETIC! Don’t lose it!
  2. Roll engine onto its wheels. Remove all 4 screws and both smokebox
    supports (if you try to flex them out of the way, it will scratch the
    paint).
  3. Roll engine over on it’s back.
  4. Remove ashpan (4 small screws).
  5. Remove 4 screws about in the corners of inside of firebox under ashpan.
  6. Remove one screw between cylinders under front truck.
  7. Separate boiler from chassis. Pull motor wires down from boiler to reveal
    in-line plug. You may unplug for complete separation of boiler from chassis.

Check motor for tightness to gearbox as outlined below:

Pull the lower gear cover, 4 screws, and front support bracket on top of frame to gearbox, 2 screws, lift the motor/gearbox off, removed 4 screws on one side and 2 on the other of the gearbox, separate the gearbox halves. The motor screws are located inside the gearbox. I removed the screws, locktited (222) and lubed before re-assembly.

When re-assembling, make sure the sander pipes from the sandbox on top of boiler fit into holes provided in frame just forward of valve gear support bracket. They may spring backwards and rub on lead driver.

TOC

#7

Been busy and hadn’t checked this thread.

Thanks for the replies. I’ll look at the suspension and for bounce, etc. If this was a repacked unit, they must have sent it back to China to be repackaged as none of the Styrofoam packing was out of place!

The problem happens when pulling my fully loaded Cheesy Sound Car which is very heavy. The sound car has Aristo ball bearing wheels, the other three cars have Aristo steel wheels. These are 4 HEAVY cars.

The wheels slip on the grade while pulling through the curve. If I help it around the curve, it will pull the weight up the hill. I removed one of the two Mini 3.5 speakers, and it will then pull the load up the hill.

JR

#8

TOC. What I meant to ask was about the supression board itself. What does it do??? and why would it inhibit the operation of the locomotive???
Thank You Nick Jr

#9

The noise suppression board is designed so French folks can watch TV with rabbit ears.
Some EU noise deal.
It has bi-polar arranged electrolytics, at least one other cap, and 2 small inductors.

I have seen 2 with one electrolytic backwards, which means in one direction it barrely moved.

These things shunt out PW control, and with back-emf can blow up.

Stories are many.

Runs better and cooler without it in all applications.

These are like the tags on your mattress.
The manufacturer cannot tell you to remove them, or remove them himself.
Consumers can.

TOC

#10

Dave, you mentioned about a tender modification. Will that allow the Connie to run on an R1 curve? I have a brand new Connie I have never been able to run because of the indoor setup I have requiring a couple R1 curves.

#11
Curmudgeon said:
[i][/i] These things shunt out PW control, and with back-emf can blow up.[i][/i] TOC
O I C [sez da blind man] That's why I haven't been happy with slow speed control and light intensity on PWC (Aristo T/E).

So where is this board? Can I get to it through the smoke box, or is a boiler disassembly in my future?

And while we’re talkin’ 'bout 2-8-0’s - What’s all the wires going to the tender? Two for lights, and a couple for sound triggers. Is the tender also wired for power pick-up?

Much Thanks for the help TOC

JR

#12

Jon-
2 for track pickup (tender does have pickups) and 2 for backup light in the 4-wire connector.
The 2-wire is chuff.

Follow the directions to pull it down to do the motor screws (if you have a “late” version, not needed), the board is right on the end of the motor.
The wires go to the terminals they are closest to.

Tim-
No, not R-1.

I have never tried a longer drawbar, but it might do, it will require a longer footplate or remove the plate.

You could wedge it up with blocks at the side, make a short brass drawbar, drill 2 holes to match the existing holes, and bolt it together.
I have a BUNCH of 2-56 nutz and bolts, if you need them.

To do R-2, you need to do the coal pile mod.

TOC

#13

TOC - Thanks for the info. Good stuff that I’ll use.

Tim - I don’t think there is any hope of R1. I tried going through one pilot first and the drivers derailed. Tender first, both the tender wheels and the footplate bind and the tender derails.

Aristo Wide is NP. Whatever Rick has on the Timesaver is NP for engine. I didn’t have the tender attached when I ran it there.

Does an LGB R2 equate to an Aristo Wide (10’) or is it in between that and an R1 ?

JR

#14

<Does an LGB R2 equate to an Aristo Wide (10’) or is it in between that and an R1 ?>

R2 is a little under 6 foot diameter.
j

#15
John Bouck said:
R2 is a little under 6 foot diameter. j
Thanks John. I hat to say it, but LGB might just get some of my money then. I'd like to have at least a few yard tracks this beast will get into pulling some cars.

JR

#16

All the turnouts on the “Timesaver” are LGB 1600’s. What is that about 8 foot diameter on the curve?

#17

1600mm is 63", and 60 is five feet…
1500mm is 59"…

My personal experience is the loco will go through R-1, the problem is the tender binds, flips pilot truck off, drivers off, or tender clean off.

Doesn’t look good, and even shortening the pilot deck 7/16" as I do and drawing the coupler back, R-1 you can’t do a nose switch move.

The LGB is diameter, not radius.
R-2 and above it works with the coal pile mod on long drawbar setting…

#18

Do look out for cab swing on R-2 … as well as cylinder clearance of things trackside. I’m reminded of the story of Tweetsie’s shop laying out the curve from their running track into the new shop building, and then running 190 through it very slowly and carfully to ‘re-line’ the curve to something the engine WOULD fit through … and then applying ballast, pavement, etc. Of course one really interesting thing is that the prototype “Connie” (FCM #12, now Alder Gulch #12) runs on THIS every trip:

so, you may not be too unprototypical, in a sense, on tight curves! Matthew (OV)

#19

LGB part numbers are just that: Part numbers. They are not radii nor diameters.

Here are the LGB radii designations with corresponding radii in millimeters and inches (measured centerpoint to track centerline):

R1: 600mm 23.6" (Part numbers 11xxx & 12xxx)
R2: 780mm 30.7" (Part numbers 15xxx)
R3: 1195mm 47.0" (Part numers 16xxx)
R5: 2320mm 91.3" (Part numbers 18xxx)

There is no R4.

Hope this helps.

Happy RRing,

Jerry Bowers

#20

Thanks Jerry,

I used to have an LGB catalog that had all that data. I think it got tossed a few years ago in a clean-up spree.

Jon