Try removing one hook then, if that doesnt fix it then you may have to switch to knuckles or other coupler.

LGB shipped their cars with the hook on one side only for the same reason, with a double hook coupling the hooks can interfer with each other going thru tight R1 curves. 

Double post by the OP, please see my (and others) reply on the Large Scale forum

Are these running on any reverse S curves? that was an issue another user reported, adding short 6" straights between the change in curve direction fixed it, also these have hooks on the hook/loop couplers on both ends, taking one of the hooks off the coupler so that only one hook is coupled to the other cars loop also has helped this issue.

Thanks, it was a bit of a headache to install due to the way the screw holddowns are cast into the body. Prototypicaly the backhead should be right up against the cab front wall, but the motor sits too far back and the holddowns are right in that corner so I had to leave the blue plastic part of the back head in place and then build this so that it slipped horizontally into place without disturbing the holddowns spurs. It ends up with a narrower cab than it should be but I'm OK with it.

Progress:

New backhead in place


Crew added, tight quarters


side opening cut out, side grabbars added



Added additional panels under the footplate to fill it out and make it less toylike



I do beleive its finished


All thats left is new nameplates, and maybe a new coat of paint, but till it warms up a bit and is easier to paint here, I'll keep the color as is.

Pics dont show how much has been changed, cut of the front splashers, added a sheet styrene cover over the remaining gap where it was cut, added a pair of airtanks (ex-MDC Big Hustler mufflers) onto the footplate:





Does a fair bit to further change the appearance away from the kiddy show ...working on the backhead now, very tight space, its been more a bit a pain that the red striped catapiller was.

Quote from: Dave on January 29, 2010, 02:42:23 AM
How about a Johnston 16 Wheeler.

...or a Price 16wheeler?

Some have reported switching couplers to Bachmann knuckles, and that helped solve the issue, you could also remove the hook from the coupler on one side of each car so that only one hook couples. Having two hooks trying to work around a curve can sometimes interfer with each other, with only one hook their is alot more freedom of motion. On mine I'm considering an even more radical solution, namely replacing the wheels with trucks, which is actually the way the coaches were originally drawn.

Ya wont get an answer here, B'mann holds their cards close to the chest when it comes to new releases, likely wont get anything official announced till either the NY train show or the NMRA convention.

Personally, I'm going to say something I honestly thought I would never say in my life....

I hope they issue some more Thomas large scale items.

I have successfully De-Thomased the two LS engines back to reasonable British profile engines and am looking forward to actually building a true English style layout running the stuff

NM thanks for the tip, I usually cut and score the styrene, snap it, then patiently file away the sides with a jewelers file. Takes time but so far the results work but its tedious.

Jack, Thanks,  I know how you feel, parents always love their children... no matter how ugly they are....

...and I know you've seen some of my frightneing bash offspring

Painted



Added air compressor to the front of the tank





Next comes adding the footplate



Should add, to replace the face on Thomas, unlike Percy, its necessary to remove the eye moving mechanism as it sticks about a 1/8inch beyond the boiler face, its only 4 screws.

Got Thomas, poor Thomas, he didnt even make it out of the shop without having his face bartered away.

Here he is with new Chief Mechanic Homer



Using the same Face-ectomy technics learned on Percy, a short stand at the workbench ended thus:



This time using a brass Trackside Details smokebox door. took forever to sand the styrene round to fit right, now onto the cab

PS after complaints about Chief Mechanic Jigsaw were investigated he was subsequently discovered to have a rather disturbing past and as such was let go but is now working as an Chief Executive at NBC. 

Besides Homer works for donuts

Quote from: Santa Fe buff on January 21, 2009, 10:24:01 PM
Gauge 1 seems very close to that of Large Scale.

Josh

Gauge 1 IS large scale, one and the same, using 45mm track

Someone asked what guage 3 is, it is 1/22.5 scale (same as LGB stuff) running on 2 1/2" guage track, representing standard gauge in that scale, not common at all here in the US but still has a healthy following in Britain.

...though the Skarloey models, if they are indeed using Gauge 3, are NOT 1/22.5, as they are narrow guage engines  (2' gauge?) they would be much larger scale even bigger than 7/8" = 1'-0" scale which uses guage 1 45mm track to represent 2' guage track. if they are using 2.5" gauge track thats a mighty big scale maybe near 1-1/2" = 1'-0" scale. Thats huge, someone should confirm that's the right scale as thats almost "ride-on" scale

BTW if you want to see some really beautiful British railroad models, just Google "Gauge 3" 

Quote from: doug c on January 18, 2010, 01:28:30 PM
This thread could traumitize some kids !!

You should have stamped it with at least PG-13 rating     

But that unit does look a lot lot better than before  . . . . . to lure in "thomas" faster,  put out a dish (or 2)  of minced  coal and water !

doug c

I've been told this by others but I really dont know why, I've never met a kid who thought there Thomas toys were actualy alive, they are toys to them and as toy mwnt to be played with or in my nephews case ocassionally tossing the Brio Thomas across the room 

but he always pics it up and puts it back. If anyone is seriously traumatized by seeing a plastic model like this kitbashed I think they have bigger issues to worry about. 

BTW Thomas has already been trapped and caged, and is awaiting "treatment" while the smokebox will be as easy as the Percy, the cab is trickier, its smaller, at this scale Thomas is more to the size of "Fenchurch" on the Bluebell Rwy:



More to come, "Annie" is being De-Annie-ized but I'd never show a lady without her makeup 

Quote from: IndianaJones12 on January 17, 2010, 02:05:25 PM
Wow. I love the red side rods. Who makes those?

They are stock, I just repainted them. The red siderods are/were pretty common on English engines