FEF Crankpin Recovered!

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

Hello all, I assume this is the right place for this. As many of you may recall, in August of '25 my Rivarossi FEF-3 lost a crankpin somewhere on the layout, and I just about tore my hair out trying to find it with no luck. One of the forum members (blackz28, thank you for trying!) was even kind enough to send me a couple of replacements, but the first one was too big, and the post office lost the other. Yesterday, after running a couple of my magnetic pickup cars and finding a mystery screw, (can't figure out what it came from) I was inspired/encouraged to try looking for the pin again. I was thinking that it might have stuck in the foam inside tunnel wall in the area where it most likely came off, so I got a mirror and started looking. The tunnel roof is removable, so no damage was done. I didn't find it in the tunnel wall, but I rediscovered a void below the track and behind the sidewall of the tunnel that passes underneath it, so I got out my flashlight and looked inside and sure enough, there it was! After all this time and aggravation, it was right under my nose the entire time, so I rigged up a slim magnetic tool to get it out. I'm happy to say that it's now back on the engine, and I now have two FEF-3s to alternate between.
This is tunnel 1, tunnel 7, where the pin was lost, passes above it on a bridge deck that acts as the roof to tunnel 1. Tunnel 7 has the removable roof.

Here are two views looking into tunnel 7 with the roof off. As you can see by the arrows, the crankpin is in a void between what would normally be a bridge buttress (right side) and the wall to the lower level tunnel 1. (left side)

And here it is in my hand. I never thought that it would ever be found, but it would seem that I found one of the train room wormholes!

Here's the newly returned to service 843 (left) with her brass sibling and intended replacement, 838. (right)

Thanks for bearing with me through my novel of a post. And thank you to all those who tried to help me find a replacement pin, I greatly appreciate your efforts!

 

[migalyto]

Glad you found it!

Did you happen to find any Kadee coupler springs in your search?

 

[Kusojiji]

That's awesome! Glad you found it. All of these old models are made of unobtainium now.

 

[TheXModelRailroader]

Yesterday, after running a couple of my magnetic pickup cars and finding a mystery screw, (can't figure out what it came from)

I'm so glad you found it! After all tis time too!

Hopefully one of your models doesn't explode...Its always that spare part...

 

[Espeefan]

I'm so glad you found it! After all tis time too!

Hopefully one of your models doesn't explode...Its always that spare part...

Back in the day these older Max Gray, Westside, PFM, and so forth always came with a little baggie of spare parts. Crankpins, drawbar insulating bushings, valve gear screws, driver springs. They knew! Unfortunately after passing through enough owners they either get pilfered or used. I once bought some stuff out of an estate. In one of the parts boxes were about 9 or 10 of these little baggies of spares. I guess the owner had removed them from the boxes and put them all in one place. That stuff is gold now. I bought a Westside Models GS-4 from a dealer at Mad City one year. The thing had never turned a wheel. It was probably 40 years old. Straight into the closet it must have gone. No couplers installed, original decal sheet, boiler weight still wrapped in plastic and old yellow scotch tape, a bag of screws and coupler boxes, and a bag of spare parts. they knew how to do it in those days!

Glad the missing part got found. I once spent a couple of hours on the office floor pawing through the carpet pile with the wife looking for a special valve gear screw, no spare in the bag, and nothing in inventory. Its loss would have made a shelf queen out of the model. She finally found it.

 

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

Glad you found it!

Did you happen to find any Kadee coupler springs in your search?

Nope , none of those, just the screw and the crankpin.

That's awesome! Glad you found it. All of these old models are made of unobtainium now.

It sure seems that way anymore.

I'm so glad you found it! After all tis time too!

Hopefully one of your models doesn't explode...Its always that spare part...

Hopefully not! So far, everything that I've inspected checks out, so I have know idea where that came from. I have a few things that I suspect it could have come from, but haven't inspected yet.

Back in the day these older Max Gray, Westside, PFM, and so forth always came with a little baggie of spare parts. Crankpins, drawbar insulating bushings, valve gear screws, driver springs. They knew! Unfortunately after passing through enough owners they either get pilfered or used. I once bought some stuff out of an estate. In one of the parts boxes were about 9 or 10 of these little baggies of spares. I guess the owner had removed them from the boxes and put them all in one place. That stuff is gold now. I bought a Westside Models GS-4 from a dealer at Mad City one year. The thing had never turned a wheel. It was probably 40 years old. Straight into the closet it must have gone. No couplers installed, original decal sheet, boiler weight still wrapped in plastic and old yellow scotch tape, a bag of screws and coupler boxes, and a bag of spare parts. they knew how to do it in those days!

I love the models that come with the spare parts bags, every so often, I'm lucky enough to come across one.

I once spent a couple of hours on the office floor pawing through the carpet pile with the wife looking for a special valve gear screw, no spare in the bag, and nothing in inventory. Its loss would have made a shelf queen out of the model. She finally found it.

Mine actually did end up as a shelf queen for a spell, but fortunately it's serviceable again after finding the crankpin. I'm glad your wife has good eyes and found your valve gear screw for you, that probably would have been an almost impossible part to replace.