lankyphil Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Anyone successfully removed the metal weight from the boiler of a bachy dub dee? If so, how???? Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZ Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Why do you need to remove it ? If it's for a decoder, I have fitted a TCS MC2 into mine without removing the weight. It will also take a Hornby R8249. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Must be near ten years ago I did this.With the chassis out, you then need the boiler, smoke box and cab off the cast metal footplate, think that is just clips, the smokebox saddle in particular is securely clipped into the casting, has to be delicately eased free, also the outside steam pipes terminate in pegs which plug into the casting and can be quite tight. Then you can get at and undo the two screws on the underside of the boiler that secure the weight. Now here's the fun bit, it's tapered and will only come out forward. The smoke box is a push fiit moulding fitting in the boiler, pull that off, and then the weight slides out. I will be interested in your reaction to the elaborate form of the casting in the smokebox. Mounting for a smoke unit? Why take it out, when a decoder the size of a Lenz silver can fit atop the motor if the original circuit board is removed? Weight, you can get circa 250g of lead in the vacated boiler alone, for a very useful traction improvement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lankyphil Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 Why do you need to remove it ? Weight, you can get circa 250g of lead in the vacated boiler alone, for a very useful traction improvement. B) (Already got a 36-553 sitting above the motor, just want more weight Oh, and to drill the chimmney out, annoys me when they're blanked off level with the top of the smokebox. Is the whole smokebox separate to the boiler Mr 34C? I'd seen the join between the smokebox and the smokebox door, but I'm struggling to get it off... If the smokebox itself is separate though... :-D Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Whole smokebox, with the saddle and steam pipes is a separate unit. (Have never tried removing the smokebox door.) You have to unplug the brake ejector pipe from the smoke box side, and the handrails will either come out carried in the smoke box stanchions or be retained on the boiler stanchions, got a mixture there. That was what happened with mine (all purchased in the first couple of years after the initial release) but your mention of the chimney being blanked off rings a small alarm bell; on all mine the chimney was open into the smokebox interior, so Bachmann have altered the moulding at least slightly... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lankyphil Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 Ta daa! Now to fill with lead. Ironically, for an 8F sized loco, most of the smokebox is actually empty... The cylindrical part of the weight finishes at the beginning of the smokebox... Cheers for the help Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Good work. Now, the chassis. This has the excellent feature of sprung driving axles either side of the gear driven axle. On all the Bachmann steamers that offer this feature I cut a small recess in the keeper plate sides and centre rib under the axle and plunger to permit a little more downward travel for that bit more positive action which assists pick up reliability. On this and other locos that have extra weight, I substitute a stiffer spring; on this loco I aimed to support much of the final weight on the second coupled axle to protect the fixed bearings. One thing to watch out for if you do this, make sure the axles and plungers cannot contact the wiper strips inside the keeper plate. I covered them with strips of insulating tape to make sure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Sidelines Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Lankyphil / Mr 34C All very interesting. I have long been disappointed with the haulage capacity of the WD. I wonder what your thoughts are on drilling through the blanked up chimney and pouring in lead shot? This would get over all the concerns regards dismantling. Thanks in advance Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lankyphil Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 Lankyphil / Mr 34C All very interesting. I have long been disappointed with the haulage capacity of the WD. I wonder what your thoughts are on drilling through the blanked up chimney and pouring in lead shot? This would get over all the concerns regards dismantling. Thanks in advance Ray Ray, Intriguing thought. Yes, it would save a lot of hassle. Not sure how much you would fit in there and what the net gain in weight would be? IMHO, overall the loco is too light, so I intend to fill as much as I can, but I only have pieces of old lead pipe to use, not lead shot... As I'm also repainting to LMR livery, I'm using the fact that I've got the smokebox and the boiler seperated to my advantage, in that the smokebox stays black but the boiler will be blue. Cheers Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Sidelines Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Ray, Intriguing thought. Yes, it would save a lot of hassle. Not sure how much you would fit in there and what the net gain in weight would be? IMHO, overall the loco is too light, so I intend to fill as much as I can, but I only have pieces of old lead pipe to use, not lead shot... As I'm also repainting to LMR livery, I'm using the fact that I've got the smokebox and the boiler seperated to my advantage, in that the smokebox stays black but the boiler will be blue. Cheers Phil Phil Thanks for your thoughts, I should have said I was impressed with the pictures. As well as lead shot I have some lead pipe (big pipe) as well: I am 'into' adding lead and my last but one blog was all about adding 100gm of lead to the new Hornby Castle. Regards Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZ Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 The best thing to fill it with would be liquid lead, available from many good model shops. If you use it though, do not pour on PVA to hold it in place as it reacts with the lead and expands over time. Just to add though. My WD will haul about 42 RTR wagons without adding weight. A bit down on Hornby's 8F(50) and about half what my Bachmann 9F will take. But more than adequate for my layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Small cautionary note on use of liquid lead or similar into the smokebox of the WD, it is not a sealed space. If you look at the picture of the ballast weight posted above you will see a fair size rectangular cross section channel in the top of the weight, and also channels down the side to clear the handrail knob shafts. I can see the pellets shuffling their way along these, the top channel especially, as the loco runs. Probably a good idea to block these channels off where they open into the motor void. While the traction on the level is close to adequate, my operation requires reliable starts with a full size train for the rated power capacity of the loco, from a stand on a 1 in 80 gradient. The only larger steam models currently on the market that I have tried that are good for this are Bachmann's 9F and Hornby's Britannia. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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