Opening MRC 2-8-8-2 Tender

[ChristianJDavis1]

As the title says, I'm having trouble opening the tender of one of the old, German-made 2-8-8-2's. It seems the floor is held on by tabs in the front and back of the tender walls (three in total). Is that line of thinking correct? I ask before I destroy it trying to pry it apart.

[VonRyan]

As the title says, I'm having trouble opening the tender of one of the old, German-made 2-8-8-2's. It seems the floor is held on by tabs in the front and back of the tender walls (three in total). Is that line of thinking correct? I ask before I destroy it trying to pry it apart.

What happened to a hammer being the perfect tool in all applications?

[ChristianJDavis1]

What happened to a hammer being the perfect tool in all applications?

I left the hammer in the storage locker. All I have here is a meat tenderizer, but model trains are not often made of meat.

[nkalanaga]

If I remember right, that's correct.  In any case, I do remember that it's not a hard model to take apart, as long as you don't want to change the trucks or drawbar. 

On the other hand, I never did figure out how to put a different tender on the thing.  I wanted a cylindrical tender, for the GN, but the drawbar on mine is best described as unique.

[ChristianJDavis1]

If I remember right, that's correct.  In any case, I do remember that it's not a hard model to take apart, as long as you don't want to change the trucks or drawbar. 

On the other hand, I never did figure out how to put a different tender on the thing.  I wanted a cylindrical tender, for the GN, but the drawbar on mine is best described as unique.

That's the only reason I need to get into the tender at the moment; the drawbar on one was snapped, and when I removed the truck, the remainder of the drawbar fell into the tender. I would like to get it out and repair it.

[ChristianJDavis1]

Okay, so I got into the tender. Everything I've read says to try and disengage the rear tab, then pull the floor out. Well, that tab wasn't budging, so I used a small drill bit to remove some of the material until it would give enough to drop the floor; sure, there is less material and it looks worse from the back, now, but it should make future entry easier. I retrieved the broken drawbar piece and am waiting for it to finish setting, currently. This is one of three, with the other two being brand new in the box (I just broke the seal on one and basked in that factory air). Being the only representation of the N&W Y6b, I'm wondering if they are worth "sprucing up" to use, or just having them around as novelties.

[nkalanaga]

I have one of those.  It's still the best running N scale steam I have.  Slower, and smoother, than any of the Kato engines.  Modelling the BN, I don't run steam much, but that one runs beautifully.

The one problem, common to many engines of the time, is the tender pickup.  The wheels have to be kept clean for good running.  If you plan to run it often, you might also want to run a (very flexible) wire from the axle wipers to the drawbar, inside the tender, to eliminate as many sliding contact points as possible.