Large Scale Central

Barry's Big Trains Bachmann Drive Conversions/How's Yours Doing?

I have a Big Hauler converted to Barry’s Big Trains that I took out of moth balls this morning. It hasn’t been run in probably 5 years. It is running a little jerky and I’m guessing needs to be lubed?

Question: Is there anything special about oiling and lubing one of his conversions? If I take off the bottom plate are things gonna fall out?

I seem to remember something about opening it up you need to be careful as you re-assemble.

Again, TOC is your man.

Greg

Thanks Greg. I’ve emailed TOC again but yet to hear from him.

Hi Timmy… When Barry built his conversions, he used Super Lupe for the gears and a light oil for the bearings and linkage… (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)Super Lube

Hi Timmy… When Barry built his conversions, he used Super Lupe for the gears and a light oil for the bearings and linkage… (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)Super Lube

Hi Timmy… When Barry built his conversions, he used Super Lupe for the gears and a light oil for the bearings and linkage… (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)Super Lube

Hi Timmy… When Barry built his conversions, he used Super Lupe for the gears and a light oil for the bearings and linkage… (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)

Tim,

You really don’t need to do too much. Barry’s drives have sealed ball bearings, so what I do, according to what he used to tell me, is after the locomotive has sat idle for quite a while, just take the bottom plastic plug out that should be centered over the rear axle and put a small amount of grease on the gears inside. After you do that, put a couple of SMALL drops of lubricating oil on each axle near each bearing, including the front truck axle/s. Also, make sure that you put one drop of lubricating oil on all the crank pins, rod posts and any other moving parts. Don’t forget to oil the axles on your tender. Make sure all the dirt and grime is cleaned off the wheels for good electrical pickup. One other point; Barry’s electrical pickups make contact with the back of the wheels, so check behind each wheel to make sure that the surface is clean and oil-free. Then run at a slow speed on startup.

Slowly increase the speed to medium with a few stops and starts and also in reverse a few times around your track before adding rolling stock. Also, of course, make sure your track is clean. You shouldn’t have to disassemble the locomotive at all and this simple procedure should get it running beautifully. Remember not to use excessive lubricant because it will eventually run down on to the electrical pickups or onto the wheel surfacing and will combine with dirt causing slippage, jerky operation and dirty track.

Barry built everything as bulletproof as he could which also meant that his stuff was built with the user in mind and the easiest maintenance possible.

I don’t know if these instructions are very helpful or not but it’s what I do, learning from him and his instructions over the years.

Like I mentioned before, there’s no need take the engine apart unless something is broken or non-operational.

Let us all know if this works!

For those of you out there still concerned about what has happened with Barry, unfortunately I cannot give you any further information because I don’t know. The reason for this is quite simple; the family has cut everybody off from knowing his condition or whereabouts, so we do not know what has happened to him, unless someone else has learned anything new that we don’t know. I do know he’s been moved around a few times in the past. I have made many repeated attempts to gain information from the family about his condition, and his location but they refuse (due to their views and rights of privacy) to give anyone anything further.

My sincere apologies about this to everyone and if I ever learn anything new, I’ll be sure to post it here.

Stan, you are very correct about Barry using Super Lube for the gears. Thanks for reminding us of that. It’s a great gear grease. I think it’s the best because it stays on any type of surface and doesn’t get thrown off. Not only that but it lasts a long, long time and doesn’t get all gummed up or sludgy over time.

Ken

Thanks Stan and Ken.

Is this the Super Lube you are mentioning?

https://www.amazon.com/Super-Lube-21030-Synthetic-Grease/dp/B000XBH9HI/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=78065378562897&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=super+lube&qid=1580052637&sr=8-1

That’s the stuff.

This is the grease I’ve been using since I can’t find the LGB grease any longer.

Yes, that is the correct Super Lube, only I have the small tubes (21010). Never tried Pikos grease. Always used Super Lube myself, so I can’t say how it compares. May give it a try sometime.

Thanks Tim!

Ken

I remember reading about Barry’s illness and I thought I remember someone was considering buying out his drives, etc and producing them. What ever happened?

go back 5 posts

Greg Elmassian said:

go back 5 posts

The question was " I thought I remember someone was considering buying out his drives, etc and producing them." I think the poster was asking about if somebody took over the production and not the state of Barry’s health.

My interpretation.

All items were sold in bulk sales or disposed of by a family member for a profit to either a train store in Texas or private parties and there was no intention of trying to find someone to carry his business on. It’s anybody’s guess where all the Bachmann parts, his custom drives or parts, tools and equipment or any of his personal property ended up. Our program got donations of some of his completed and uncompleted locomotives (which are now completed) which will be kept, used and shown in honor of his accomplishments. We sure miss him. All equipment will be placed in a railroad museum someday.

GAP said:

Greg Elmassian said:

go back 5 posts

The question was " I thought I remember someone was considering buying out his drives, etc and producing them." I think the poster was asking about if somebody took over the production and not the state of Barry’s health.

My interpretation.

Correct.

I thought the disposition and future was clear in Ken’s post, but it should be crystal clear now. It’s a shame. Also, MANY people had stated they were considering doing this or that, but all that was noise, since the family decided what to do or in this case, not do. Also, none of these people were able to communicate with Barry, even if they stated that some arrangement was underway.

There are people who really knew the manufacturing process almost as intimately as Barry, and the only key, other than hand machining is the custom extrusion Barry used for the frame/chassis. At this point, a good machinist could duplicate the drive, but I doubt that it would be cost effective enough to be even a break-even situation.

It’s a shame that the remaining stock of extrusions and the BOM (bill of materials) could not have been passed on.

Perhaps I might collaborate with these people and at least write up the “secrets” of the drive, meaning the things that made it work well, so that others could duplicate it in the future.

I have a page on my site with a lot of info, but so far is more documenting the basic products and variants. My plan is to expand it to a technical description of the design and the reasons for various facets of the design.

https://elmassian.com/index.php/large-scale-train-main-page/motive-power-mods-aamp-tips/bachmann-motive-power/big-hauler/barry-s-big-trains-drives

Greg

Also, I have a number of the manuals with the great help of TOC/Dave Goodson, so trying to put them somewhere people can download them.

If nothing else, Barry won’t be forgotten.

Greg

Greg,

Thank you for your beautiful honor of Barry and his work. I do want to say this if I can; millions children have had the opportunity to operate Barry’s locomotives over the yearsi and his last request to me to take in to this program a number of locomotives was a VERY big honor and I am hoping that over the coming years millions of additional children and families will be able to continue to view, enjoy and operate first hand, Barry’s fine equipment. This way Barry will always be in our hearts and will always be a significant part of our program indefinitely. He will also have his part in the lives of every child and child at heart, who runs his trains at every event we go to. When you get this site done, I would really like a copy of it that could be posted on some type of paper or laminated hard copy, so we can put it on our train layouts at each event so people can read the history of Barry and the trains they are running but that’s only if it’s permissible with you. I was intending to write something up anyway but you have formatted it in a way that is understandable and depicts Barry’s history in a way that the public can understand. I also wish to thank Dave Goodson who has been a big blessing to our program also.

Thanks Greg and Dave.

Nice job!

All honors and thank you again!

I know Barry would be proud!

Kenneth Mathews c/o

Imagination Station Kids On Track Model Railroad And Train Safety Program Program

E. Helena, Montana