How do I remove the boiler/shell on BLI 2-10-4

[Mattchu60]

Hello All,

I have a Broadway Limited 2-10-4 (Paragon 2) which I would like to remove the boiler / shell from so I can service the drive. The loco runs "funny" - instead of smooth operation is seems to have a small surging motion when at a medium speed. I took the drive wheels loose so I could spin them freely from the gears and nothing binds. Any idea?

 

[Selector]

You should have to remove the front truck, and there should be a screw up under there. Rearward, under the rear truck, there will be one more, perhaps two (?), so it must come off as well (drawbar first, though). Lift the cab very carefully, rotate it up to about 15 degrees or more forward, and then slide the smoke box free toward the front. The light will probably prevent the smoke box to be lifted up as the cab rises, so you must slide the front forward AFTER you raise the cab enough to clear the motor.

Note that the site HO seeker often has images of the exploded diagrammes for most modern HO locos and many more dated ones.

Note, also, that I have only ever removed the boiler shell from my BLI Hudson, but that is how it came off. I don't see why BLI would change that system substantially from engine to engine, so there's a possibility.

 

[dinwitty]

it might not have anything to do with the drive mechanisms, more to do with the side rods, potentially a driver could be out of quarter, a very minor out of quarter. The other issue is lube all the siderods. Then also just -run- the engine a while to let it run in, this wears down any abherations in the mechanics. Aside from that maybe a gear damage. Some shells are tricky, one engine I have to slide the boiler shell forward to pop it off while releasing railings from pop in hole supports. My BLI 4-4-4-4 had an issue in the tender and I found there were NO screws to release, the tender shell popped right out, just a tight fit.

 

[bnsf971]

Before you take it apart, try setting cv 10 to 0. If the engine smooths out (it will run slower), the issue is not mechanical.
Depending on how old your J1 is, you may be able to seand it back to get the decoder reprogrammed, or they can sell you a replacement decoder with the updated firmware.

 

[Selector]

I would have demanded some form of explanation if they singled out a Digitrax system. I have a DB150 running my trains. Some are jerky, some silky smooth. One of the worst offenders was a "Stealth" J Class 4-8-4 from BLI that they offered the market in 2004/5. I purchased it on line maybe five years ago now. Being a Stealth model, it was DC only, not even a sound-only decoder like the BlueLine version BLI used to offer. I had a Tsunami installed, and it was still jerky. Then I learned from a post I saw how to set the higher CVs in the 208-214 range, if I recall offhand, to smooth the drive mechanism. Worked like a hot damn, amazingly so.

The Paragon decoders are really quite good, and probably made by one of the other three or four major suppliers...who knows? In any event, they should be set up, even painstakingly if necessary, to get the most out of any one drivetrain assembly. It's worth the ten minutes it will take you. Record your steps and keep the record in a sheet in the box for that loco. If you ever have to do a hard reset, reach into the box and do the set-up again, except it will only be four or five quick steps following a recipe, and not the 20 minutes it took you the first trial.

To this day, that J with Tsunami runs as smooth as silk.

 

[Mattchu60]

I just tried setting CV10 to 0 and it got a lot worse, not better. When i got over speed 40 on my digitrax controller you can really see it surging, over 60 its really bad. I set CV10 back to 1 and it got better, but I can still see some surging. Wonder if its something in drivetrain.

 

[bnsf971]

I had to send back a surging GS4 a few weeks ago, and it turned out the retaining clip holding the worm gear in place had popped off.
I've had the shell off my J1 a couple of times, most recently ro replace the chuff sensor. It involved a screw in the front, two under the cab, and making sure the handrails were no caught when removing the shell.

 

[dinwitty]

if its just a decoder issue, perhaps a reset, but there are settings for the speed mapping, I don't have data in front of me tho to do it, check your manual.