Con-Cor 4-8-4's: Adventures in Cleaning & Improving Performance

[Moose2013]

Moose has a pair Con-Cor 4-8-4 S-2's that need work to improve their running...

Question: Advice on cleaning wheels and improving performance?

Moose very concerned about damaging the running gear!


Moose noticed that the locomotive runs erratically as-is, but if Moose lightly pushes down over the tender front truck then the locomotive runs much smoother. Seems like it needs a better electrical path between the trucks' contact plates & tender AND the tender & locomotive, and possibly more weight in the tender.

The wheels of both locomotive and tender are unusually dull - not the typical shiny surfaces of other brand locomotives... Very odd...

Note that the locomotive currently has a function-only DCC decoder that will eventually be replaced with a DCC sound decoder.

Moose tested the locomotive and it ran erratically:
2022 12 15 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 1.jpg

Then did a quick clean of the drivers on isopropyl alcohol-soaked cloth:
2022 12 15 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 2.jpg

Disassembled the tender front truck and cleaned its wheels & contact plates with CDC QD Contact Cleaner:
2022 12 15 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 3.jpg

Lightly abraded the contact bars from locomotive to tender front truck:
2022 12 15 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 4.jpg

Test ran without the heavy locomotive shell. Noticed that applying pressure over the tender front truck makes the locomotive run much more smoothly. Very smoothly!
2022 12 15 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 5.jpg

[Tdjr]

See if you can 1/4 oz of weight over that front truck of the tender. This may help.

[mg_thomastx]

I agree, I have 2 of these and did add the weight to the underside of the oil bunker. Between that and applying some Atlas conductalube to the grooves in the tender wheels made for a dramatic improvement
in the running qualities of these locomotives. Very reliable now,

Mark

[Moose2013]

Moose continued work on the first S-2...

Disassembled the tender and trucks:
2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 1.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 2.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 3.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 4.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 5.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 6.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 7.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 8.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 9.jpg

[Moose2013]

Abraded contact strips and contact plates:
2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 11.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 12.jpg

Then cleaned contact strips, contact plates, wheels and drivers:
2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 13.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 14.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 15.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 16.jpg

[Moose2013]

Replaced the tender's Rapido coupler with a short FVM #51000 coupler:
2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 21.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 22.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 23.jpg

Kapton taped a small Pine Car Derby weight to the forward end of the tender shell:
2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 24.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 25.jpg

Applied a small amount of grease, test ran 'er and reinstalled the shells:
2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 26.jpg 2022 12 16 CC S2 3782 CleanLoco 27.jpg

[mg_thomastx]

Wow, I never had to take the tender that far apart. At least you have supplied picture for when I may have too. I have put a piece of electrical tape over
the added weights on mine in case the weight came loose and dropped on the circuit board.

[Moose2013]

I have put a piece of electrical tape over the added weights on mine in case the weight came loose and dropped on the circuit board.

Moose did. Just a wee snafu in taking photos, kinda missed taking one with the weight taped in.

[Jugtown Modeler]

...and...?
...and...?
...and...?

The suspense will keep me up tonight...!!

[Moose2013]

...and...?
...and...?
...and...?

The suspense will keep me up tonight...!!

Ummm, and she runs fairly smooth now ... for a locomotive with one of its two traction tires missing (hardly notice)...

[Moose2013]

Moose did a "Quicky Lube & Coupler Change" on the other Con-Cor S-2. This is the partially stream-lined version with just the skyline casing. This will eventually receive a conversion to reflect a Baldwin-built S-1 as delivered to the MT&P Railway in 1930.

This model is in fairly new condition. Moose purchased her from a local LHS vendor at a train show in November, 2012 -- more than ten years ago!!! The vendor stated that it was new at the time, except for a replacement boiler front.

The Moose Works maintenance facility only tore down the tender trucks, cleaned the contact surfaces of the contact strips & plates and all of the wheels, replaced the original Rapido tender coupler with a medium length FVM #51010 coupler and cleaned the wheels. Everything done to her was similar to the first Con-Cor S-2 herein.

One issue: The front coupler needs to be weighted down or something, in order for it to not climb the turnout points, frogs, etc.

The beastie on the test track, before the maintenance job:
2022 12 16 CC S-2 Streamlined LocoClean 1.jpg

And her on the layout, pulling low and slow...
2022 12 16 CC S-2 Streamlined LocoClean 2.jpg

[mg_thomastx]

Kind of curious. Spookshow.net reported that version had bearing blocks on the drivers making the wheelbase more rigid, unlike the S2 version. Did yours have that arrangement? The reported difference always
made me hesitant about buying the GS variant.

Mark

[Moose2013]

@mg_thomastx

Mark, Moose hasn't gathered up the gumption to open the bottom plates under the drivers yet. Almost did yesterday; since the locomotive runs well, decided not to risk accidentally disturbing anything.

[mapitts66]

If it is not broken, work on it until it is.

[Army-Gandydancer]

If it is not broken, work on it until it is.

And if you don't have spare parts and/or extra screws, the job was not done correctly.

[nicki6]

Your drawbar isn't putting pressure on the front tender truck keeping it from good contact with the rail? I have heard of some bending of the drawbar can help with truck contact..

[mg_thomastx]

Moose, Understand, you got it running, best not to tempt the fates.

Mark

[Moose2013]

@nicki6

You could be right ... However, it seemed like neither of the locomotives' draw-bars were applying upward loading on the front of their tenders. Moose put away these two Con-Cor 4-8-4's, so cannot be certain at the moment.

The Vanderbilt tender was oddly light weighted on the front truck, despite the large metal weight inside the tender. The larger tender of the other 4-8-4 locomotive seemed to be heavy enough to not warrant additional weight.

[jhn_plsn]

I commend your conviction to get them running smoothly. I gave up and sold mine.