First, I've got the exploded diagram, and yes, I've gone over it carefully.  More than once.  (For the Bach-man: A few more lines on the diagrams would help a LOT. It isn't very obvious how many parts are related to others.)  I've spent at least an hour fiddling around before posting.

I am attempting to kitbash this model into quite different locomotive. In particular, this locomotive has relatively modern piston valves, where as the target has slide valves. I am trying to disassemble the cylinders, and having not too much luck.  The boiler is off, and I've removed the brake cylinders at the rear of the frame - which exposes a screw that simply can't be seen otherwise!  I removed the four obvious screws on the bottom plate (00J01), allowing it to be swiveled away.  I loosened the little circuit board and this leaves the contacts and wiring in tact. With the pony truck and the bottom plate out of the way, I can see the "front plate" of the cylinder saddle (00T02). My problem is that I cannot see how to disengage the cylinders (00C01 and 00C02). It LOOKS like the front plate is being held in place by the cylinder castings, but I don't see how to dislodge the cylinders.  Perhaps they are just a very tight press fit, but it seems more like they're glued in place?  Or are they glued to a projection the lower front of the weight casting? There is a bit of a smear that looks suspiciously like it's a bit of slightly runaway ACC. I guess I could try to just pry then outward from the frame. What is the least damaging way to get the cylinders off of the frame?

As an aside, the air tanks (OOG01) appear to be glued onto (thick) tabs on the frame?

Finally, I've also been unable to get the weight castings apart and removed from the frame. I removed three screws, which is all I can see on the diagram. It still seems pretty much locked in place, as if there's a tab somewhere that has to be released. In fact, it kind of appears from looking at both the diagram and the locomotive that the front plate of the cylinder saddle is captive to the weight castings?  If so perhaps the problem above may be more tractable if I can get the motor/weight/gear assembly disengaged.

Advice?

I'm interested in picking up several of the big Vanderbilt tenders that Bachmann shipped with their C&O Heavy Mountain (J-2). Are there any retailers out there that have these? I know that some of the tenders - like the smaller 8-wheel Vanderbilt shipped with some H-4 2-6-6-2's - are in circulation (for example at thefavoritespot.com) but I haven't noticed the bigger 16VC's. I know Bachmann has them as spare parts, but I'd rather give some retailers first crack if they have what I'm seeking.

What ACTUAL size are the drivers and spacing on a USRA Light 2-10-2 model?  The prototypes are 57" and I'm considering building an unrelated model on top - but the B-1 prototypes used 63".

I know how they're decorated.  Is there a known prototype of these? I'm more interested in the 62" driver version than the one with smaller drivers, but both are interesting.

Is it safe to assume that all current production locomotives are at least DCC-ready? In this case the specific question is about the Alco 2-6-0. Are units equipped with smoke still DCC ready? I presume that there's no major issue with disconnecting the smoke unit in such a model. The web site is anything but illuminating about such details.

In my case the paint scheme doesn't matter (it will have to be repainted entirely anyway), so all I really care about is how much effort goes into making it ready for use on a DCC layout. Obviously I'd get a DCC/sound unit if I can find one, but they're hard to find.

I discovered that my prototype (C&O) had a whopping TWO 2-6-0's that survived into the 1940s, and which served in my territory. I wonder if the 2-6-0 could be used to model one of these E-5's.  A few questions:

• What size drivers are on the model?
• What is the spacing?
• It appears that the model is equipped with Walscherts valve gear?
• I presume that all of the various versions are at least DCC ready now. Presumably even the smoke-equipped versions? (I would likely disconnect the smoke unit.)

First, I know why the rear engines of the articulateds are - unprototypically - swinging.

I don't have small radius curves - I have one 28" on one yard track, and 30" in the helix. Everything else is 36" or more. Is there an interesting, preferably proven way to more or less pin the rear engines (of my samples) in an approximately prototypical orientation? Or would that goof up the way the front engines work? This is primarily about the H-4 and H-5 Spectrum 2-6-6-2 locomotives, but for extra credit the same question applies to Rivarossi H-8 2-6-6-6's and, I suppose, the Spectrum EM-1.

(This is HO, by the way.) My guess is that they are now out of production, but I really cannot tell for sure. I snatched a 4-6-0 with 63" drivers, but it was about the last one I could find.  The Bachmann's web site certainly still shows both the 52" and 63" drivered 4-6-0's as current, but there are essentially none available from any of the usual sources, LHS or otherwise.

By now I thought that the 2-8-0's were transitioning from Spectrum to "regular." But even these are hard to find, although not as hard as the 4-6-0's.

Are these still in production? Is there some way to tell the true status from the Bachmann web site?

I know that the original Spectrum 2-6-6-2's were USRA versions, and Bachmann offers them as such. In C&O paint, they are H-5's. I am pretty sure that the next versions offered were H-4's, which to my eye were the H-5 (USRA) boilers with modified front cylinders, with slide valves instead of the USRA's piston valves.

I now see that several of the vendors have older H4 stock and considerably lower prices than ones labelled "new" - but I have no idea what the change is, if any.  Are the current H4 offerings using different tooling?

I have a Spectrum C&O J-2 (which I assume is based on the USRA Heavy Mountain). Something is wrong with the motor/drive train. I bought it used, and when I got it home, I tested it briefly on straight DC - it was working.  At least, it ran back and forth on my 4' test track.  That was last weekend.

OK, last night, I unplugged the plug and plugged in a known working DCC decoder.  With the decoder, the firebox light comes on, but the engine won't move. If I put it on the DC test track, it doesn't move there either. The decoder had as recently as an hour before been in a different locomotive, so I fried it plugging and unplugging it a couple of times, it should be good.  I think I must have done something to the model, but I can't imagine what. I didn't mess with anything actually in the locomotive itself, which is where the motor and gears are. I just opened up the tender. And since the firebox light (and headlight?) still works, I know that the basic electrical circuits are OK...

I guess I need to break out a voltmeter and be sure that DC voltage is getting to the motor, but assuming that it is, what's the next step?

How big are the drivers and boiler of the ex-Spectrum 2-8-0?

I'm needing some Consolidations to represent both early C&O power on Allegheny Mountain and late-steam era local power. The latter can be had expensively via a couple of brass imports of G-7's, but I am not aware of any models detailed like the 1915-era (or so) earlier road power.  The 2-8-0 model here might be a reasonable base from which to start if the basic dimensions are suitable.

Also, which sound decoder comes installed in the unit?

I picked up a Spectrum Heavy 4-8-2 (C&O). It's 82503, which I understand to be DCC ready. I would like to install the decoder, as well as sound. I don't see a manual or instruction sheet available, and my box didn't come with one.  It's not 100% obvious how to open this up, so I thought I'd ask before jumping in.

I see a screw that seems to go up through the cylinder saddle into presumably the smokebox or boiler. The tender isn't especially obvious either, although it seems likely that there are two screws through the center sill into the coal bunker and water tank.

How is sound usually placed in this model? I'm planning to use a QSI Titan-U decoder that prefers to have two speakers. It would appear that the tender is easily big enough to hold a fairly large speaker (oval?). The six wires going from tender to locomotive suggest that the decoder is usually installed in the tender. Is there room in the boiler shell for a (small) speaker?