Model Railroading > #5 still alive

So a little addendum to the Christmas train layout, I thought I'd show off my Tyco Clementine engine and hopefully it's final interation.

The boiler and running gear came from a donor Santa Fe 2-8-0 (also Tyco) and I think that was from my third rebuild at that time it was still a static display on my layout, and then about 10 years ago, the long dead powertorque drive was replaced with a first generation DC Bachmann 44 tonner drive... Which subsequently died about 6 months later 🤣 

After my move to Nevada, the drive was replaced with a DCC 70 tonner drive, and the tender was "converted" to an oil burner. But after I fell in love with sound decoders, I decided to try my hand at putting an XL systems decoder in, I figured I could just solder the wires from the plug to the wires from the old board and boom... sound!

Well....it didn't do a thing!

Undaunted, I found one of my old mabuchi motors and after some grinding on the frame, careful enlarging of the universals to fit on the larger shafts...some grumbling and whatnot, Clementine #5 chugged to life once again! 

I'm super happy this old loco runs again... smoothly and slowly
It may not be a silk purse, but it's not a sow's ear anymore either.

 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/24 00:29 by rgcw5.

---

Now with sound!

 

You must be a registered subscriber to watch videos. Join Today!

Was this a tender drive model that pushed the locomotive down the tracks? The truck spacing looks about right to slap that tender shell on a old Athearn SW7 drive.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

I have seen some of these old Tyco locomotives that have been modified with an sw7 or 1200 frame but the frame had to be heavily modified to fit under it for one, and for another it always seemed to me that the wheelbase was too long for it, the only modifications I ever had to do for the Bachmann drive was just mount a couple of styrene stock lugs inside the tender