Chuck

Brian, Yes I am glad that yours is in fine shape! I do know what you're saying about it being a crap shoot whether get a good one or bad. My USAT Big Boy arrived in perfect shape years ago when they first came out. Ray's first one had one side of smokebox paint touched up with an airbrush and the paint didn't match! So that one went back. His second one made it about half way around layout and went up in smoke as electronics fried. That one went back. His third one is excellent! I've had a couple of Hudson's thru here over the years that were excellent runners! For me a very big part of the hobby is working on this stuff so this FEF is a interesting project albeit an expensive one!

Nick, That's what I had initially thought was some kind of suspension but then after taking a good look seen was loose screws. Personally I think that this was a returned engine that Ro's "service" department went thru and put back in stock but USA Trains Customer Service told me that NONE have been returned...yeah whatever a-holes!! Oh longer screws up front worked out just fine. If they didn't hold then would have drilled and tapped for M3.5mm screws as plenty of material in there. All 3 mount screws now have lockwashers on front and start washer on rear with blue threadlocker.

Here I'm checking out the new and improved electrical power pickup system on the USAT FEF-3. This all started because my FEF was flooded with smoke fluid when I received it. Infact so much fluid floating around in it that it soaked the speaker and the cone and surround started shriveling up and sounded terrible but that's another story and I'm going around with USAT Customer Service about it. I replaced it with another. Here's the original speaker. The USA Big Boy is a friggin' nightmare "downstairs" in the power pickup wiring spring loaded brushes rubbing against drivers die-cast metal brake shoes and rigging rubbing wheels and shorting out department. They did learn from that fiasco as the new FEF-3 is virtually bullet proof "downstairs"!! This shows that the FEF uses a split driver axle design that is joined together with a black plastic insulator. Bearing housings are plastic. Power is picked from drivers at the bearings hopefully from the inner bearing races. I didn't tear it down any further to investigate. Also the crankpin screw inserts are insulated from the drivers so valve gear isn't "hot". Also all brake shoes and brake rigging on trucks are made out of plastic. Virtually "bullet proof" in this department with excellent fit and finish! Here's another pic showing typical USAT design bronze drive gear. Not really any "grease" on it...more like gear oil. I coated it with Hobby Lube Molybdenum grease before buttoning up. When rolling this whole beast back upright I noticed that the chassis is loose on the boiler sub-frame?? WTF? No wonder why it seemed to be a bit wobbly on the rails. So roll upright and start checking for the screws that hold all this together. Here's the front 2 located under the smoke unit. Easiest is to remove the front boiler support tower 2 screws, then speaker 2 screws them smoke unit 3 screws. Here's with the 2 screws removed as threads are stripped out. Holes are the upper right and lower left. Here's the screws. The ones the manufacturer used measure M3 x 6mm long. Why they used such short screws as die-cast metal is thick? I'll replace them with M3 x 10mm long along with a lockwasher as the longer length bottoms out before it tightens but I can work around that. Ideal length would be say like 9mm but good luck finding those. The rear single screw was just loose but it's buried under electrics. First remove the 2 switch board screws and the rear boiler mount 2 screws and kinda fold over out of the way. Next is some power boards. Again remove the 2 mount screws and fold over out of the way. Under that board is the Phoenix sound board. Remove the 2 mount screws and pull out of the way. Behind the start "delay" board which is nothing more than a board with 5 diodes is the rear boiler sub-frame to chassis screw. Can see thru hole as I have the screw removed. To the right of that can see another speaker and enclosure that I added. They have provisions for it so why not? Why didn't they install 2 at the factory?? So to sum it all up is it USA Trains fault for all this with smoke fluid ruined speaker and stripped/ loose chassis to boiler sub-frame screws?? I say yes and no. Shipping vibrations can loosen screws. There's industries devoted entirely to the subject. Then again USAT is not new to building trains. Sometimes a .02 cent lockwasher and or a dab of Blue Loctite Threadlocker eliminates many headaches. Far as smoke fluid oil soaked speaker? Well these things are tested before shipping. USAT told me so in an email. Whoever tested it should have drained the smoke unit and then burned it out of smoke fluid before packing. I do with all engines I work on or sell. Then again the shippers didn't follow the upright arrows on outer brown shipping box as the only way for smoke fluid to run out and drench everything is to have box upside down, or on it's end whatever. What worries me and should worry Charles Ro Jr. is how many of these are in this condition out there with owners not having a clue as how to get them right? Am I happy to have a FEF-3?? You Betcha!

I see that now that you pointed it out!

Nick, Yes that is amazing! All due to MTH ProtoSounds 3 decoders. I just weighed engine and it's a hefty 33 pounds. Tender is another 14.5 pounds.

My FEF is getting ready to be updated with MTH ProtoSounds 3 and emerge as this beast! Courtesy of Ray's Electric Trainworks!

Brian, The 2-tone grey with yellow stripe was my second choice as it's gorgeous!! Production numbers. I have no idea but do remember when the USAT Big Boy was first cataloged they showed the numbers and was like 100 of 2 versions and the other 2 something like 150 each. But those numbers don't mean much as they had a 2nd production run. So much for Lewis Polk's declaration that there is no market in g gauge for large heavy steamers that need gigantic layouts to operate on.

A local showed up to check out the new power! Even Santa showed up!

Looking great! First one reminds me of Petticoat Junction's Christmas Cannonball!

Well my Christmas present to myself showed up a few hours ago! UP 844 in graphite & black!

Yep, Nice scene! Are those puppy treats under the tree??

Nick, Yes the USA couplers are mounted way low. Then again the Kadee gauge is set "high" for the "automatic" uncoupling over a track magnet. "Air hoses/ trip ins" are metal and will pull away from each other in theory. I like them because they look like air hoses but other folks cut them off so they don't jam on junk between the rails. Haha...Yes, PRR will become grey and yellow! Jan, yes nice job!

This is something that I've been thinking about doing for years and that is converting the USA Trains streamliner passenger cars over to Kadee couplers. I've had all these cars apart over the years fixing interiors that come loose in shipping, adding people, upgrading lighting, repairing wiring and power switches etc. Always looked at upgrading couplers and though ugh! I like Kadee Couplers as nice looking with that feather touch coupling action and well the USAT style knuckle couplers are more of a slam bang affair...and my passengers deserve better! And the USAT stock couplers are mounted way too low for me. I started in converting my great aluminum fleet the other day and it turned out to be a rather simple affair! Here's stock coupler compared to a Kadee height gauge which isn't a "set in stone" standard as I use it as more of a reference. I use the oversized "G" couplers and not the small 1:32 couplers. The 1:32 are so small that they'll slide apart vertically when a long car goes thru a dip in the track. My test car will be this PRR RPO as it'll be repainted next Spring. Stock USA coupler install. Remove center screw and pop the cover off. I use 2 small jewelers screwdrivers to disengage cover at rear. If you use a bigger screwdriver it'll break the thin plastic where slot is. After cover removed then removing spring and coupler reveals coupler body to mount screws. Remove those screws and coupler body. I reassemble couplers then stow away in the cars box. What's left is the die-cast metal coupler mount. I'm sure this is the same design as what's used on the heavyweights. Remove the 4 mount screws and mount comes off leaving a very nice spot to mount Kadee's! I start with a piece of 1-1/2" wide x 1/8" thick aluminum flat stock that I buy at Menards. A 3' long piece is like $10. Sure it's the same that can be bought about anywhere like Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Farm & Fleet etc. as it's all provided by Hillman. I cut a piece 1-5/8"+ long with hacksaw then square up to size with bench sander. I then mark piece with a line 1/8" up from one end. If you rough the aluminum up first with say a 220 grit sanding block then a line drawn with a mechanical pencil will be a bit easier to see. Could use blue layout ink and scribe the line but then may as well use a milling machine to perfectly drill the holes but hey, this ain't rocket science. After drawing line then I use the coupler mounting bracket to locate mount screw holes. Align the back edge at the line you just drew and fix with clamp while drawing holes with mechanical pencil. I left out that I also drew a centerline for where the Kadee mounting holes will be. I forgot to snap a pic of that layout. I use #907 Kadee's on these cars as they're bigger and beefier where it counts. Others may use the #906's. I plan on this train being at least 12 cars long with a Express boxcar or two at frontend so it's be a heavy hard pulling train. In drill press, the 4 adapter to car body holes are drilled 1/8" and the 2 Kadee mount holes are drilled #33. Here had to notch out the 2 ribs to make room for the 4-40 screw heads that I use to mount coupler to adapter. All mounted. I used 4-40 machine screws to mount coupler to adapter plate. I had originally planned to thread the adapter for 4-40 screws but decided on thru-hole mounting using nuts. Gave adapter plates a quick shot of flat black paint as have plenty around here. I changed the 4 x 3mm diameter adapter plate mounting screws from like 6.6mm long to 8mm as I buy those by the 100 count in various lengths up to 16mm long. Black thread cutter/ thread rolling screws as they're VERY hand to have in stock. Opposite end Good shape when checked with height gauge Few closing thoughts. It actually took me longer to writeup this posting than to make those 2 adapter mounting plates. Material price maybe $2 per car esp. when buy the hardware by the 100's. None of the above is "set in stone" as I may re-mount couplers further "under" the car. If you wanted would be just as easy to use the stock USA couplers as they'd be raised and they will work with the G Kadee's. Would have to drill and tap the for the original USA coupler box flat top screws.

After doing a bit of research the Juicer(s) are rather interesting but not ready for use in the DCS world. Wired as shown in your drawing will result in severe DCS signal degradation. Installing a 22uH choke/ inductor on each wire between juicer and rail would help but they'd have to be rather large or at same rating or higher than the load the Juicer is carrying. I'd speculate the reason why it doesn't work reliably is because it's designed for use with the DCC AC sine wave as opposed to straight DC. And is to be wired on the DCC Buss which is a steady 24 - 30V in large scale?

Me too! And listening to http://player.internet-radio.com/?server=http://85.25.217.22:8050 Best song I've heard them play this year is this one

Which theme are you using now? I'm on a Christmas Theme and button is right next to the Contact Us button down at very bottom.

Yes as agree the cars do look very nice!

Wow as those look nice! Now got me to thinking about them...

Thanks much! Yes lots of work but in the end it's worth it! Just was a bad year for painting outside either too cold, or too hot & humid...no really "nice" days. Infact I have more enjoyment working on trains than running them.

Done with the E8...for now! Picked up a USAT RPO in Pennsy paint. These things are getting tough to find and Ro says the 3 headend cars will not be made again so I'll strip and paint this one into Union Pacific colors.

Well I'm a little late posting an update as no more got done with the E8 and started 2 more projects!

Okay as have the baggage car completed. Loading up... Okay as here's something I don't really care for. That is Tru-Color's Harbor Mist Grey and UP Yellow are to "light" of hues compared to USAT colors. Next paint I'll try is Scalecoat II armour yellow and harbor mist grey.

Fantastic!! Think I'll buy one in the next few weeks!

Good topic and a bit surprised by no replies??!! I'm sort of a bit like you as have had them all including Accucraft/ AML over the years. Buy sell and keep changing my mind between 1:32 or 1:29 though have settled on 1:29 lately as I really like the USA Trains big passenger cars and Autoracks. Been in large scale since whenever MTH started shipping the first Hudson's, Challengers and Dash-8's. Infact started even earlier as in late '99 MTH announced in the o gauge magazine that they were getting into 1:32 and the ad showed some guy holding a Challenger and some kid holding the tender for less than what I was paying for a o scale equivalent! I was heavily invested into o scale Lionel & MTH and started selling to make way for MTH One-Gauge. The real large scale cincher for me was in the early 2000's at the local monthly train show. A dealer had the newly released USA Trains Intermodal car with containers and that sent me over the top! Next dealer had some engine can't recall if it was a LGB Alco or a USAT GP9 painted black and white like a cow and it was moo'ing!

Yep another that looks good, runs good and sounds great!!