# Damaged Loco...is it time to say GOODBYE!



## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

Hi Guys,
I am in a quandry over what to do with my 4-6-2 Heavy Pacific Rock Island loco. We have had this engine for over 10 yrs and its run like a charm(we actually have a maintence schedule for our Diesel and steam locos)! Well...old butter fingers,thats me, decided to tighten the boiler to the chasis and...ooops there it went. It looked like a diver at Acapolyco as it flipped and landed BANG on the garage floor. I immediately picked it up and it didn't look bad except the boiler was loose. She went back on the track and did her thing like she always does. Okay...so now I see the problem with the boiler its cracked and the saddle/cylinders are split in two....but it still runs! Not anymore because I tried to put Humpty Dumpty together again. She still gets power but pops the breaker on my transformer. This engine cosmetically looks great, gets power,but doesn't run. Do I take her in for what could be an expensive repair job, replace her with a new loco....as we say in Wisconsin...What Would Brett Do!:thumbsup:


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Is this the one you got fixed from the train show?
Do you know the manufacturer?
To answer the question I would say you have three options.
You fix it
Someone else fixes it.
Sell it as parts with a good discription on ebay, use the money to buy a new one.

I tend to go with option one, the disadvantage is that I stay with one brand and buy older engines. In some cases I use a few of them to get one working.


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## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

*"it Is Alive!!!"*

Thanks T-Man for the advice!,
I tried some radical/inovative prefabrication with a major in plastics 101:thumbsup:! Yeah, I found a thin piece of black plastic from one of my sons old car models(a door actually,cut it to size, drilled a pilot hole in it then superglued the whole shoot'n match together.......there is life in the old girl. The glue set without reacting to the plastic and she is running like a top. The engine is an old RSO AHM model from the 70's early 80's. Picked it up at an estate sale. I actually have another 4-6-2 AT&SF but its a Rivarossi and is prime condition. No it wasn't the President Washington( Thats my pride & joy!!). We try to work on our own except for those really hard jobs. We are in the process of getting a new computer, and I will post some pictures of our collection.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## ntrainlover (Nov 19, 2007)

Im glad you got it figured out, Is there a crack still showing?


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

If it works. That's what counts. On plastic and structural repairs I will sometimes use super glue just to get the pieces together.With that done I back it up with two part expoxy.To get some depth in the expoxy I will rely on duct tape to make a crude mold. When harden over a day I used a dremel sanding drum attachment to shape.
It is sweet to have a successful repair. Good Job:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Boston&Maine (Dec 19, 2007)

That is great news that you were able to save her from the scrap yard


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## Chessie 3545 (Jan 23, 2009)

If the repairs in unsuccesful you could make the loco a dummy unit!


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