I recieved this locomotive as a kid in the 90s. We weren't wealthy and my previous trains were all well-used 60s and 70s Tycos and Bachmanns. When I got this Mehano SD-40 I thought I was big time, it was so much nicer than my other worn out trains. I still have it, and it runs well.
Right on! My first trains were all flea market purchases. I had no idea what I was running. This Mehano set is really put together well for a introductory set. Glad to hear your is still running
There were actually two versions of that. Back in the 70s when AHM first offered this SD40, it had a full pilot face, with body mounted couplers on each end. So at some point in the 80s and 90s, they reintroduced this as an IHC offering, only the couplers were talgo mounted onto the trucks.
I am from Croatia (once part of ex-Yu),mehanotehnika was largest toy producer in ex-Yu. I had many of their trains back in '80s,alongside other manufacturers,but during the war,we lost everything, including trains. 7 years after occupaction of our village,we went back,and i found 2 destroyed trains,few tracks,and manage to bring both to life. i have many nice memories from time before the war,when we started to build our railway model. I had also the same train like yours.
Greetings from Montana, USA Bare36. I am very sorry to hear your story about the war and occupation. The part about finding some models in the damaged buildings and getting them running is awesome! Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
Another way to tell a 40 from a 40-2 is the truck designs. The 40 uses the Flexicoil 3 axle truck while the 40-2 uses the HTC truck. The main difference is the protruding cross member closest to the fuel tank on the HTCs under the 40-2s.
Thank you for covering Mehano. They are a good model locomotive source for entry level enthusiast and one of my all time favorites. Mehano provided Bachman with a GP 18 all wheel drive models sold in the early 90s. I found these to be extremely smooth runners. Your tune up of the SD40 of course makes me want to drag out the SD40s in the collection here and work to increase their efficiency. It would not take much to increase electric wheel pick up by adding additional wipers since the wheel sets are already isolated and plastic holder brackets are included in the tower construction on the non pick up side. I like that Mehano offered a six axle locomotive in a train set. Once again thank you for all that you have covered thus far. Looking forward to future projects.
Thanks for your kind words on my Vid's. A few fellers have mentioned digging out there old Mehano's and letting them stretch there legs again. They really are great starter models :-)
Excellent video. Mehano was also a subcontractor for Rivarossi in the 70s. Their main competitor back then was the Italian giant Lima who are now owned by the British company Hornby. Love your channel man.
I tell ya Ron, some of the older stuff is good. All of our locomotives will work well with a little patience and know-how. Glad to see I'm not the only one that loves these old runners!
I am so glad your channel is growing. Every one of your videos is thoroughly researched and you provide accurate and detailed information. It is reassuring to know there are still bigger/on the rise TH-camrs who are competent and caring enough to dedicate more than two seconds of time to a video. Your repairs are excellent. Your layout is wonderful. Your commentary is engaging and I love your display. Keep up the fantastic work because the hobby needs more TH-camrs like you!
Great job Ron! Not only an interesting work, but also very informative! It is really good to see you working on a Mehano: cheap, basic, nice enter level locomotive. I have a bunch of them. Mehano also made the Alcos RS-2, RS-11 and C-628 for Model Power, using the same basic mechanism and motor. Your video is now a good tutorial to whom that want to deal with these locos. Kudos on your 2.2k followers! Keep working my friend!
hello guys !!! fyi... i have a mehano sd 39 ( or something pretty close !!!) that i bought up in buffalo and it weighs a ton. just like your santa fe unit, i gave her a full overhaul and she runs great !!! it is also a fantastic puller as a friend replaced the motor with a good micro mark can motor... it is consisted with a big bowser mlw alco and together they run really well !!! i painted her black and added very basic buffalo & pittsburgh decals and what a great little project it was !!! thanks for all your work....
Well I guess with video I can put sets all back together. Have so many engines that didn't know which was part of a set and what wasn't. But I'm learning how with each video you do. With the research you present with each loco. Thanks keep up the great work. Wish I wasn't so nervous. Would do 1 myself with everything I do. From snowmobiles RC cars nitro and battery, rockets and trains since I have too many to mention. Thanks again!.
Luckily this one came as a set so I knew they all went together. Ive spent many hours trying to pair up all my stuff into sets so I know what your mean :-)
Super. This is one of the few locomotive models that I never took a chance on buying. The drive is better than I thought it would be, but I still wonder why only eight wheel drive? I understand profit margin, but I have operated two locomotives in my life, one a B-B, and one a C-C trucked unit, that only had one axle driven from the motor. They both ran fine, but it made me wonder how much more expensive would the SD-40 have been if it had been equipped with all wheel drive and pickup. Changing to all wheel pickup on this would be fairly easy, and flywheels & DCC look easy also, but that frame would probably need reinforcing before I assigned it to snowplow duty. Almost makes me wish that I had bought one to see if it would last through the the years of hard operation, both inside and outside, that most of my surviving locomotives have endured. Hello again from the Tracy Mountain Railway in Colorado. 💙 T.E.N. Edit: If it has no window on the right side of the locomotive body, about 3/4 of the way back, then it is an SD-40, if it has a window there, it is an SD-40-2. 🙂
I'm glad to see you used me, "just a little bit less than too much." I had a great time with you while I was in town. Thanks, Ron. Oh yeah, nice work too...
Last I saw Derek and his Main Squeeze and his small fellas he is responsible for, were down here in my neck of the swamp. Doing a burn out competition. Those Mahano locos have a 3pole motor. They can go fast but not really slow. They tend to be glitchy at slow speed. I rewound one, awhile back, they are fairly simple to rewind. That particular motor does a little bit better on the torque end, and creeper speed improved a bit, but not to bragging rights. Lost a considerable amount of speed, but it is better for pulling at slower speed. Great Video Glad you’re feeling better!
I enjoy watching you examine the guts of these various models. It gives me the confidence to try working on some of my own. Back when I first started getting serious with the models I’ll admit I was quite ham-fisted and damaged some beyond repair and didn’t really learn what I needed to know to fix them and make them work again. I just destroyed them, darn it. Good video!
I bought that set when it came out new. I ended up taking it back because of the open pilots on the engine. I was really getting into blue box around that time. It did run pretty good for a toy.
Always liked these ,but the Ahm version had the full pilot body mounted couplers and flywheels . Add pickups and handrails when the stock break when the wind blows hard and you have a good looking and running model .Found a brass handrail kit made for the Ahm that came with a drill jig to drill out the holes for the stantons .Forget the name of the company ,but I wish I could .I would do another if available. Great video !
My favorite HO gauge engine is a Mehano (branded as Mehano) 2-8-2 Mikado with the Southern Crescent livery. It's the famous #4501, the very last of the MS class Mikados. There's even a photo of Johnny Cash sitting in the cab waving out the engineer's window. It has been repainted to black (ugh) from the green livery. I like the green version better. I've got another Mehano Mikado in the Louisville & Nashville and they both are smokers. Really love them. Cheers from eastern TN
I got 2 really nice CN steam engines from president choice grocery store set of Mehano, I love them as even the tender on them both have a working light when they go in reverse. Great video as always Ron :)
Mehano President Choice grocery store sets are the best source for bulletproof Canadian steam locomotives. Its where my CN6060 from. Ya can tell Brad I'm still watching😋
@@classicmodeltrains Ya Ron. I believe there was 10 sets in total. Lots for grabs that are new. People bought them,didn't open them. Great way to gather up Canadian steam&reliable. Rolling stock junk but fixable. I know guys who have DCC'd them.🙋
If your after a Mehano trainset, Loblaws grocery stores in Canada imported Mehano made Trainsets labelled for there instore brand Presidents Choice for christmas in the 90's to early 2000's.
similar drive for several names such as LifeLike , Model Power,AHM and maybe more. The Mehano 3 pole motor isn't really a good low speed High torque design, But it is a common size and many good 5 pole motors are available to replace them . Actually Mehano even sells a 5 pole replacement . These are actually pretty easy to add power pickups to both side of the trucks for all wheel power pickup, Those 2 mods actually makes these decent runners
Mehano was the manufacturer and import supplier for AHM, model power etc....I figured it would be easy enough to add more pickups but its great to learn there is better 5 poles out there also. Thanks for sharing this great info!!
Another great video. Definitely fun to get together with old friends. I'm almost caught up on all your videos. Iwas glad to see at the end of the video that you have connected your wye track arrangement again. I was wondering if that spur connected to your yard. It would be cool if you showed a steam engine turn around using the wye in a future video.
Thanks Nathan for all the support your showing my channel. I see your quite aware of my track. I took the original switches out because they performed poorly. Put the ones in you see now and they are just as bad. Getting ready to install some Piko's. My Wye was just an accidental design. I need to wire in a reversing block control to be able to "run" the loco thru it. Currently I just push the loco thru the isolated track connectors, switch the direction on the controller and motor on!
Thanks for the update. Just curious, if you meant Peco's? I know Piko makes track as well, but I don't think it is as popular. Looking forward to the new switches.
Under the hood that definitely has a lot of the earmarks of the old AHM GP18’s meaning motor, gear tower a d truck sideframe style and shape. Easy to see that lineage you spoke of. Cool history discussion
First off, thanks to Brad for getting Ron started. Most of my HO locos are AHM by Mehano, one old GP18 diesel and four newer steamers (including two Consolidations). The GP is from the late 50's or early 60's, it's noisy but it still runs good.
Another amazing video. It looks like a great runner. Always learn something with your videos. Nice to see old friends laughing it up too. Maybe a new series spin off? Lol Thank you for sharing.
hi ron !!! yes, even alone as an old yard goat it pulls amazingly well, at least as good as my athearn sd 38 which is a much newer model !!! mehano added a ton of weight to the chassis and the new can motor runs very smoothly... getting ready for ice fishing season later today , mostly getting walleye lures organized in all the tackle boxes and maybe some re-spooling later after a few cold brewskis !! my bills are off his weekend, but kc-cinci/miami-sf/ jets-vikes are all good games.. can you tell i am an afc guy ? keep up the good work, ron !!!
Good job with that SD-40, Ron. From an European point of view Mehano was never considered to be at the same quality level of Märklin, Trix, Roco , or Fleischmann. It was considered a second class branch with cheap models not too well detailed. Their motors, although not the best tuned were considered robust. Entry level. However Mehano's production experimented a great improvement in quality during the last years, and locos like RENFE's 333 PRIMA and Aceralia's G1700 are really very fine models, well detailed and built with better plastics and metals and featuring reliable motors. Great runners.
Thank you for your kind words and some good information from a "Local" to the Mehano brand. For over here (America) they are better than life-like and Bachmann from the 80's and 90's. Ive always heard ROCO makes great stuff. I have yet to hold a Marklin, Trix, or Fleishmann in my hand. I cant wait to be able to open them up and see how they work!!
@@classicmodeltrains It's my pleasure, Ron. I can confirm that ROCO makes great rolling stock and locomotives, being the RENFE's 319 its peak for the Spanish market. Great runners, silent motors, very well detailed....When you buy ROCO you know you are buying something that is going to perform very well. Some time ago they were partners for Atlas. I've got also some material from Fleischmann and I would say that it is even better than ROCO's although some locomotives are hard to convert to DCC because you will need isolated shields for the motors and not all references are available. A few years ago Fleischmann was purchased by ROCO and now Fleischmann only produces N-gauge locos and rolling stock. i don't own locomotives from Märklin because I don't work on AC but I own some material from TRIX (you know that TRIX is really Märklin for DC) and they make really impressive items mostly on metal. I love the industrial rolling stock from TRIX and I own 4 of their huge (and heavy) 18-axle torpedo cars, as well as many slag cars. I like them! And another brand you should be aware of is Liliput. They make fine stuff including some Third Reich related material that other brands do not dare to touch... I think it was adquired by Bachmann... And don't forget ESU, the builders of Loksound decoders. They make some of the best locomotives you can find around here. I mean that they do everything you can imagine : sparks when braking , squeels on curves, all kind of inboard lights, smoke, pantographs raising or lowering,...whatever) . Finally in Spain we have some fine brands like Electrotren, now sadly part of Hornby Group, and Mabar. To me Mabar is like Bachmann (fine looks, not so reliable mechanisms).
I'm hearing there's a lot of people out there with supermarket branded sets. Hy-Vee is one I've never heard of. I need to get into the Mid, Mid-west more!
@@classicmodeltrains I really want to thank you both. You make incredible videos, and Brad told you your first videos were good. So if it wasn’t for him you might not have continued.
You do know what the meaning of a DASH 2 is right? The DASH 2 means the improvement electronics over the older circuit breaker designs. The spotting features for the SD40-2 are the flexicoil trucks (longer which created those famous porches at each end), the sight seeing glass on the rear of the engineering side, the support bars across the blower housing near the conducts side, the battery box hings instead of bolted, and finally the louver overhang on the cab. These are some of the spotting features. Hope this helps.
I appreciate your input, I know the -2 had improved electronics. Not every model railroader is an accomplished 30 year veteran railroad engineer or conductor, or a rail-fanner that reads and knows everything. Many fellers have typed what you just typed in this comment. Many more fellers do not know where to look for the sight glass, where the blower housing is, or the battery box. Thats why I mentioned the way to spot one from 2 miles off.....the longer trucks sticking out the front and the back of the hoods, and the giant porches. I studied up on the SD's during the making of this video and to keep it somewhat easy to follow I just mentioned the longer trucks. I do thank you for watching and commenting, I hope I'm not coming off wrong, Just (hopefully) visiting with a fellow Model Railroader :-)
@@classicmodeltrains Your fine. I believe the best way to teach somebody about trains, it not to treat them like 5 year olds. Just tell them upfront what you know. It's the best way to understand this hobby and if they think its too much, then they can always ask to explain it simplier. I think this way respects their intelligence. I enjoy watching several of you videos so far and I sub to you!
Interestingly, the original AHM SD40 had a few "advanced" features namely enclosed pilots with body-mountrd couples and flywheel on the driveshafts. Regarding the external differences between the SD40 and the SD40-2,: the Dash 2 frame is 3 feet longer than the 40-seeies. It's the same frame used on the SD45. The extra length was due to new truck design that actually improved traction. Older SD40's that were rebuilt to Dash 2 electrical specs still look like regular SD40's. Mostly because I model the Chessie System, I was well aware of these differences because Chessie only had 20 Dash 2's vs. 70+ of the "straight" SD40's......(also back in the day, if you wanted a good SD40, you either had to do a major kitbash, or buy brass, until the Kato model came out. It was about 3 x the cost of an Athearn SD40-2, but still much more affordable than a brass model).
The company that you described actually made brass ho scale locomotives I actually had a few of them on my roster that I could not run on my layout because of the way that my train setup was designed but they were very nice looking locomotives and the engine that you're working on is one of the most easiest service I get a small fleet of the sd40s few of them in a couple of New Haven and the rest all in Penn Central and Conrail
Mehano made brass? I didnt find any info on that while doing my research. I have to admit I only researched for an hour or so. That would be pretty cool to run into one! Thanks for commenting!!
Hey Ron. Great video. Enjoyed the tear down of that SD40/2 loco. I dont have that set, but I do have the Wonder/Hostess set, still sealed. Would like to track down all the promo versions of this set. In addition to those you listed there is one with a Champion car and another with a Genuardis 75th anniversary car. Oh, and there is also a Thunderbolt Limited Pillsbury Express train set, but its drastically different. In place of the SD40 it has a 2-6-0 mogul steam locomotive. Keep up the good work my friend.
Thanks for your kind words once again Stan. You sure seem to have a KILLER collection of old complete sets.....in packaging as well!! I'm thinking your budget is bigger than mine :-) Thanks for sharing some great information!
@@classicmodeltrains Hey Ron. For 20 years I collected Transformers, so collecting is in my blood. Lol I like to do regular model railroading, but a big part of the hobby for me is collecting those old train sets. As for the budget, I have help. My kids always buying me trains. 🙂
Keep up th egreat work. I look forward to watching your videos. Mehano HO mechanics are very similar to their N scale offerrings.. I dabble in N, HO & O scale.
Video liked! Great job and thank you for being appreciative of Mehano models. I have a lot of them (check out my videos) and the SD40 is my favourite US diesel. Mehano's models surely aren't the most detailed ones, but are really reliable and easy to service. I know a lot about their nuts and bolts. Your SD40 does have only one wiper pickup per truck, but if you can find spare ones from a donor Mehano SD40 or C628, you can easily add them on the other side of the truck, solder the wires and your loco will have twice as better pickup and drive. 🙂
Ive done some Marx video's. The cars were in pretty good shape for their age. I don't upgrade couplers on Marx. Not even sure if they make upgraded Marx couplers.
Great video. Glad you did a video on a Mehano locomotive. I have a few of their GP18s, Alco C-630s, and a few of their steam 2-8-0 and 0-8-0 s (a Chattanooga). Great steam locos but for smoke units which melt their smoke stacks. Had to fabricate a new one out of a 1/144 gundam Zaku bazooka. Turned out pretty good. Take care and as usual all the best. Now I need to find a Mehano sd40 or is it a dash 2??
You left out Life-Like (now walthers) which also imported some of those locomotives from Mehano namely the RS11 also sold under the AHM/IHC/MODEL POWER banners.
@@classicmodeltrains It's True, That was standard practice in the industry at that time even AC Gilbert's 'HO' scale trains were in reality rebranded Mantua/Tyco, Varney, You will be shocked, Marx, And as always thank you very much for answering my comments.
I would like to know if you have any ideas on what modern couplers I could use on my marx postwar rolling stock and my 1666 steam locomotive I have tab and slot couplers on some train cars and scissors couplers I would like to have all my couplers to hook my complete rolling stock together one type of couplers for all my locomotives and rolling stock
Hello Richard, I'm sorry but I do not know of any upgrades for Marx couplers. try Kadee.com and see if they offer them. Ive always just used the original ones, and if a set is tab and slot, I just run that one all together. I'm sure the couplers can be re-worked and updated.
An easy way to tell a SD40 model vs a SD40-2 is there is a sight glass on one of the doors on the engineer side under the 3 back fans on an sd40-2. The SD40 does not have the sight glass.
I had that info recorded, but it ended up on the cutting room floor. I figured some manufacturers might not put that kind of detail on the body mold, so I went with the larger example of the trucks sticking out past the hood. Another good example though :-)
I would like to have all my marx trains able to use one standard couplers any ideas I've asked my train hobby shop no luck I would like to use Lionel or Bachman ogauge couplers if I could use them for replacement equipment
I have 2 bachmans with that paint. One is a sd35, the other is sd40. Now I need to know if it's A - 2 or not. I have a similar loco to that. It's a Virginian. Thought it was Tyco But I suppose it to mohno . Nice brother!
The only thing I never liked about those, is the way the handrails were part of the side sills/deck. The first thing I see when I find those on eBay, are some or all of the handrails broken off. While the ATSF version looked a bit goofy, and had the wrong road number, the Southern Pacific version was almost spot on.
ron where do you live as i detected an accent from the minnesota, western michigan, eastern dakotas area !!! i used to fish the professional walleye trail many moons ago and fished winnebegoshish, upper and lower red lake, lake of the woods, both rainy and leech lakes back in my tournament days plus quite a few more.... my boat is put to sleep until may but i still fish the niagara river at its headwaters which is the very north eastern tip of lake erie at broderick park in buffalo, ny. there is a walking path that goes for about 2.5 miles and fishing is generally pretty good almost anywhere along it... we use bombers, rapalas, bucktail jigs with skull-hooked chubs for the eyes' that generally range from 16" up to 26"-27" and anywhere in between. once in awhile a 30 incher is caught, too. am looking forward to ice season and some nice perch/walleye/crappie dinners !!! blessings to you, ron !!! denny
I hail from eastern Nor Da-Ko-Ta but am in Billings, Mt. Had good fishing in ND in the James river valley. Fishing here in Billings is poor. Have to drive 2-6 hours to find good fishing. Unless I'm just bad at fishing the Yellowstone river here in Billings :-)
@@classicmodeltrains hi ron.... sorry to hear about the poor walleye fishing and that you have to travel so far to fish !!! well, as i am sure you know, eyes' are about the most cantankerish fish to try and catch. i have actually filleted them and there has been absolutely no bulge of any sort from throat to ass which means they have not eaten in quite some time.... we fish out of dunkirk ny and barcelona ny and generally do quite well but there are days the bastards just do not bite, probably females !!! have a blessed christmas ron and keep up the great videos !!! denny armes ps... i have an 'eye on my wall that weighed in at 13.2 pounds and was weighed at the local butcher shop on a new york state certified scale.... just a monster caught in 2004 but mostly we get 2-6 pounders now with a shitload of 15" to 20" eaters.
@@classicmodeltrains well dang it, guess we'll have to do something about this. There's been a delay in sending you a care package. Wife had a stroke, so life has been put on hold. But she's starting to recover and after the first of the year hopefully things well get back on track.
Hi Ron , Like you I had trains when I was kid and I'm just getting back in the hobby I like watching all your video but do you have one on how you built layout I'm like to know how you built that grade on layout. I seen your video when you rebuilt a engine but it didn't pull up grade what do you do to fix that problem I have one that won't pull up grade with rolling stock 5 cars hooked up. clean motor, oil just a kiss clean trucks oiled just kiss locomotive runs good on flat don't pull up grade at half power just full power any thoughts.
Hello, my video studio and layout tour, th-cam.com/video/GSh66eLl7wA/w-d-xo.html touched a bit on how the layout was made. If your locomotive that won't pull grades has "traction tires" (o-rings around the driver (s)) they might need replaced. Also my grade has a rise / fall of 1/4" in 12". That comes out to a tiny bit over 2% grade. If you have huge grades it's hard for entry level loco's to pull them. Thanks for your kind words on my video's :-)
@@classicmodeltrains I thought about traction tires but there was never any on this locomotive and the metal wheels don't have a groove for them like some of the tyco that came with them. Can you put tires on a locomotive that didn't come with them ?
I hate to bust your bubble - those Mehano Chattanooga steam engines were actually Mikado 2-8-2 models. They 'tried' to cheat us by simply removing the lead and trailing truck and calling it the 0-8-0. If you know anything about steam engines...well the larger size is a dead give away something's off with it.
All I really know is what Ive read, or seen. Ive never had the opportunity to see a mehano replacement for the Tyco Consolidation. What your telling me sounds about right for what corporate Merica did to us back then :-)
Woodland scenics Medium ballast. Gray blend. I keep changing my track plan, I don't dare do more ballast until Im happy. I can certainly use some more ballast laying practice :-)
@@classicmodeltrains I use cat litter I used a roof shingle on my warehouse which I built using a box aluminum foil and clear plastic for the windows. Have you seen a Ny and Atlantic locomotive that is what I am truly looking for for my layout
@@NYandAtlantic I model of scale three-rail and the guy in the train show tried to get me to buy a New York and Atlantic diesel locomotive. They took over the freight service from the Long Island Railroad they had 8,000 car loads a year at the beginning and because they give good service they're up to $37,000 car loads a year Metro thought they would just be dealing with little trains here and there like on the LI Double R and now they're like holy crap these guys have freight trains all over. I told him it was too late at time. For my layout hope you find one in the HO scale
@@frankmarkovcijr5459 The Ny and Atlantic may get more business or bigger once the brookhven land fill close garbage will get off Long Island by rail. NY and Atlantic stops at Brookhaven Rail Terminal off Sills road in yapank
There is room. I added two Atlas (Roco) silver ones on mines and connected them to the trucks using the original Mehano males (I had to short them a little).
The first edition of Mehano's SD40 actually featured two flywheels. The factory was called Mehanotehnika back then. All AHM SD40 locos (and Canadian ones under the Model Power brand) were from that era. Also, the pilots weren't open and the truck covers looked different. However, the chasis still has all the grooves necessary for inserting the original motor with original flywheels. I have a couple of those old ones with flywheels, added additional pair of wipers and they run great even after 40 years or so.
I recieved this locomotive as a kid in the 90s. We weren't wealthy and my previous trains were all well-used 60s and 70s Tycos and Bachmanns. When I got this Mehano SD-40 I thought I was big time, it was so much nicer than my other worn out trains.
I still have it, and it runs well.
Right on! My first trains were all flea market purchases. I had no idea what I was running. This Mehano set is really put together well for a introductory set. Glad to hear your is still running
There were actually two versions of that. Back in the 70s when AHM first offered this SD40, it had a full pilot face, with body mounted couplers on each end. So at some point in the 80s and 90s, they reintroduced this as an IHC offering, only the couplers were talgo mounted onto the trucks.
Thanks for the info Michael!
@@classicmodeltrains Glad to help.
I am from Croatia (once part of ex-Yu),mehanotehnika was largest toy producer in ex-Yu. I had many of their trains back in '80s,alongside other manufacturers,but during the war,we lost everything, including trains. 7 years after occupaction of our village,we went back,and i found 2 destroyed trains,few tracks,and manage to bring both to life. i have many nice memories from time before the war,when we started to build our railway model. I had also the same train like yours.
Greetings from Montana, USA Bare36. I am very sorry to hear your story about the war and occupation. The part about finding some models in the damaged buildings and getting them running is awesome! Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
Mehano made a great looking entry level set with what one could say came with a decent drive.
I agree with you on that Norm!!
Another way to tell a 40 from a 40-2 is the truck designs. The 40 uses the Flexicoil 3 axle truck while the 40-2 uses the HTC truck. The main difference is the protruding cross member closest to the fuel tank on the HTCs under the 40-2s.
Thanks for the great information!
Thank you for covering Mehano. They are a good model locomotive source for entry level enthusiast and one of my all time favorites. Mehano provided Bachman with a GP 18 all wheel drive models sold in the early 90s. I found these to be extremely smooth runners. Your tune up of the SD40 of course makes me want to drag out the SD40s in the collection here and work to increase their efficiency. It would not take much to increase electric wheel pick up by adding additional wipers since the wheel sets are already isolated and plastic holder brackets are included in the tower construction on the non pick up side. I like that Mehano offered a six axle locomotive in a train set. Once again thank you for all that you have covered thus far. Looking forward to future projects.
Thanks for your kind words on my Vid's. A few fellers have mentioned digging out there old Mehano's and letting them stretch there legs again. They really are great starter models :-)
@@classicmodeltrains I have about 50 of them here. Prolific collector of retro vintage trains. :-)
As a longtime follower of Vice Grip Garage I loved the tribute shoutout to Derek!!!!
I always wonder if one day he will hear about this or a friend shares it to him and I get a shout out back. A Feller can dream :-)
I have a few of the locomotives you have. My kids love them. (My daughter is 9, and my son is 5.) We’ve rescued 3 locomotives. Love your channel.
Thanks for your kind words Peter! Glad your running trains with your little ones and rescuing some classics :-)
It is sooo amazin’ what a tiny bit of love does for these tiny machines.
And people bitch about them being junk when all they need is maintenance
Excellent video. Mehano was also a subcontractor for Rivarossi in the 70s. Their main competitor back then was the Italian giant Lima who are now owned by the British company Hornby. Love your channel man.
Thanks for the kind words and some great information!!
I tell ya Ron, some of the older stuff is good. All of our locomotives will work well with a little patience and know-how. Glad to see I'm not the only one that loves these old runners!
The older it is, the faster I reach for my wallet!! Thanks for commenting Ray :-)
I am so glad your channel is growing. Every one of your videos is thoroughly researched and you provide accurate and detailed information. It is reassuring to know there are still bigger/on the rise TH-camrs who are competent and caring enough to dedicate more than two seconds of time to a video. Your repairs are excellent. Your layout is wonderful. Your commentary is engaging and I love your display. Keep up the fantastic work because the hobby needs more TH-camrs like you!
Blaxland, THANK YOU for your very kind words about my video's and supporting my channel.
Ron the KING! Thank you my friend!
You bet Mister!
Thanks Brad for giving us your bud Ron to gaze and ponder what is in his mind He is a great dude Nice info on Mehano too
:-)
Great job Ron! Not only an interesting work, but also very informative!
It is really good to see you working on a Mehano: cheap, basic, nice enter level locomotive. I have a bunch of them. Mehano also made the Alcos RS-2, RS-11 and C-628 for Model Power, using the same basic mechanism and motor. Your video is now a good tutorial to whom that want to deal with these locos.
Kudos on your 2.2k followers! Keep working my friend!
Thank you Regis! It really is a nice starter set loco. Most comments from people who have them speak very positive about them. 2.2K sou abençoado!
hello guys !!!
fyi... i have a mehano sd 39 ( or something pretty close !!!) that i bought up in buffalo and it weighs a ton. just like your santa fe unit, i gave her a full overhaul and she runs great !!! it is also a fantastic puller as a friend replaced the motor with a good micro mark can motor... it is consisted with a big bowser mlw alco and together they run really well !!! i painted her black and added very basic buffalo & pittsburgh decals and what a great little project it was !!! thanks for all your work....
Greetings Dennis, Sounds like you got a couple of great pullers!!
Well I guess with video I can put sets all back together. Have so many engines that didn't know which was part of a set and what wasn't. But I'm learning how with each video you do. With the research you present with each loco. Thanks keep up the great work. Wish I wasn't so nervous. Would do 1 myself with everything I do. From snowmobiles RC cars nitro and battery, rockets and trains since I have too many to mention. Thanks again!.
Luckily this one came as a set so I knew they all went together. Ive spent many hours trying to pair up all my stuff into sets so I know what your mean :-)
I have Mehano, you are making me crazy with all this info! Thanks.
Crazy? I was hoping for enthusiastic :-)
Super. This is one of the few locomotive models that I never took a chance on buying. The drive is better than I thought it would be, but I still wonder why only eight wheel drive? I understand profit margin, but I have operated two locomotives in my life, one a B-B, and one a C-C trucked unit, that only had one axle driven from the motor. They both ran fine, but it made me wonder how much more expensive would the SD-40 have been if it had been equipped with all wheel drive and pickup. Changing to all wheel pickup on this would be fairly easy, and flywheels & DCC look easy also, but that frame would probably need reinforcing before I assigned it to snowplow duty. Almost makes me wish that I had bought one to see if it would last through the the years of hard operation, both inside and outside, that most of my surviving locomotives have endured. Hello again from the Tracy Mountain Railway in Colorado. 💙 T.E.N. Edit: If it has no window on the right side of the locomotive body, about 3/4 of the way back, then it is an SD-40, if it has a window there, it is an SD-40-2. 🙂
Yes, this drive was a lot better than I thought it would be. Thanks for the ID information on the different loco models
I'm glad to see you used me, "just a little bit less than too much." I had a great time with you while I was in town. Thanks, Ron.
Oh yeah, nice work too...
Greetings SUPERSTAR! You watch the out takes? Had a lot of fun with you to Ol Friend!
love mehano have lots of those different types of locomotives they run great
Right on!
Great video and funny too! Sharp looking SD40 too that runs quite nicely after you serviced it ! Keep at it Ron !!!🚂
Thanks Frank :-)
Last I saw Derek and his Main Squeeze and his small fellas he is responsible for, were down here in my neck of the swamp.
Doing a burn out competition.
Those Mahano locos have a 3pole motor.
They can go fast but not really slow. They tend to be glitchy at slow speed.
I rewound one, awhile back, they are fairly simple to rewind. That particular motor does a little bit better on the torque end, and creeper speed improved a bit, but not to bragging rights.
Lost a considerable amount of speed, but it is better for pulling at slower speed.
Great Video
Glad you’re feeling better!
Thanks Jeb! Sounds like your a fan of VGG also. Thanks for sharing your good information on these motors :-)
I enjoy watching you examine the guts of these various models. It gives me the confidence to try working on some of my own. Back when I first started getting serious with the models I’ll admit I was quite ham-fisted and damaged some beyond repair and didn’t really learn what I needed to know to fix them and make them work again. I just destroyed them, darn it. Good video!
Thanks for your kind words 13th. You more gentler on working on them nowadays?
@@classicmodeltrains Yes, definitely!
Thanks to Brad for reinforcing your idea to start your TH-cam channel. This was another entertaining and informative video.
Glad you liked it!
I bought that set when it came out new. I ended up taking it back because of the open pilots on the engine. I was really getting into blue box around that time. It did run pretty good for a toy.
Mehano makes good stuff
Always liked these ,but the Ahm version had the full pilot body mounted couplers and flywheels . Add pickups and handrails when the stock break when the wind blows hard and you have a good looking and running model .Found a brass handrail kit made for the Ahm that came with a drill jig to drill out the holes for the stantons .Forget the name of the company ,but I wish I could .I would do another if available. Great video !
Thanks for the info
Great video buddy. Love that train set.
Thank you :-)
nice build,,great tunes
Thanks 👍
This is my favorite channel, thanks, Brad!
I did laugh a lot when you wondered what Derek from VGG was up to today 🤣
Thank you! I just figured maybe nobody has wondered what he was up to. It would be really weird if he somehow gets a chance to see that clip :-)
@@classicmodeltrains, I howled at that comment too! LOL!!!
My favorite HO gauge engine is a Mehano (branded as Mehano) 2-8-2 Mikado with the Southern Crescent livery. It's the famous #4501, the very last of the MS class Mikados. There's even a photo of Johnny Cash sitting in the cab waving out the engineer's window. It has been repainted to black (ugh) from the green livery. I like the green version better. I've got another Mehano Mikado in the Louisville & Nashville and they both are smokers. Really love them. Cheers from eastern TN
I have a Mehano Mikado in Great Northern Railroad / green boiler that's coming up for a video
I got 2 really nice CN steam engines from president choice grocery store set of Mehano, I love them as even the tender on them both have a working light when they go in reverse. Great video as always Ron :)
Your the second Feller to reference them Presidents choice steamers. Now I'm thinking I need to find one! :-)
Mehano President Choice grocery store sets are the best source for bulletproof Canadian steam locomotives. Its where my CN6060 from. Ya can tell Brad I'm still watching😋
I hear those sets were pretty big deal up in Canada. I have a 2-6-0 Mehano also, repainted so it has no number. I'm hoping its a good one :-)
@@classicmodeltrains Ya Ron. I believe there was 10 sets in total. Lots for grabs that are new. People bought them,didn't open them. Great way to gather up Canadian steam&reliable. Rolling stock junk but fixable. I know guys who have DCC'd them.🙋
If your after a Mehano trainset, Loblaws grocery stores in Canada imported Mehano made Trainsets labelled for there instore brand Presidents Choice for christmas in the 90's to early 2000's.
Ive heard several Fellers mention that
Nice, I've still got this same set. I got it from my grampa ed in 1991.
Right on!! Sounds like your running some Classic's also :-)
Ron great channel Happy Hollidays
Thank you! Happy holidays to you also.
similar drive for several names such as LifeLike , Model Power,AHM and maybe more. The Mehano 3 pole motor isn't really a good low speed High torque design, But it is a common size and many good 5 pole motors are available to replace them . Actually Mehano even sells a 5 pole replacement . These are actually pretty easy to add power pickups to both side of the trucks for all wheel power pickup, Those 2 mods actually makes these decent runners
Mehano was the manufacturer and import supplier for AHM, model power etc....I figured it would be easy enough to add more pickups but its great to learn there is better 5 poles out there also. Thanks for sharing this great info!!
Another great video. Definitely fun to get together with old friends. I'm almost caught up on all your videos. Iwas glad to see at the end of the video that you have connected your wye track arrangement again. I was wondering if that spur connected to your yard. It would be cool if you showed a steam engine turn around using the wye in a future video.
Thanks Nathan for all the support your showing my channel. I see your quite aware of my track. I took the original switches out because they performed poorly. Put the ones in you see now and they are just as bad. Getting ready to install some Piko's. My Wye was just an accidental design. I need to wire in a reversing block control to be able to "run" the loco thru it. Currently I just push the loco thru the isolated track connectors, switch the direction on the controller and motor on!
Thanks for the update. Just curious, if you meant Peco's? I know Piko makes track as well, but I don't think it is as popular. Looking forward to the new switches.
@@Nathan5Chime Dang it...yes peco's :-)
Under the hood that definitely has a lot of the earmarks of the old AHM GP18’s meaning motor, gear tower a d truck sideframe style and shape. Easy to see that lineage you spoke of. Cool history discussion
Thanks. I wish I had a AHM GP-18 here. I would dig into and and do some comparisons. :-)
First off, thanks to Brad for getting Ron started. Most of my HO locos are AHM by Mehano, one old GP18 diesel and four newer steamers (including two Consolidations). The GP is from the late 50's or early 60's, it's noisy but it still runs good.
I need to get more AHM in my collection. Noisy? that's the engine sound we had back then ;-)
Another amazing video. It looks like a great runner. Always learn something with your videos. Nice to see old friends laughing it up too.
Maybe a new series spin off? Lol Thank you for sharing.
Thank you S.F. Bob! Thanks for commenting :-)
hi ron !!! yes, even alone as an old yard goat it pulls amazingly well, at least as good as my athearn sd 38 which is a much newer model !!! mehano added a ton of weight to the chassis and the new can motor runs very smoothly... getting ready for ice fishing season later today , mostly getting walleye lures organized in all the tackle boxes and maybe some re-spooling later after a few cold brewskis !! my bills are off his weekend, but kc-cinci/miami-sf/ jets-vikes are all good games.. can you tell i am an afc guy ?
keep up the good work, ron !!!
MMMmmmmm......WALLEYE!! Hope your day of fishing went well!
Good job with that SD-40, Ron. From an European point of view Mehano was never considered to be at the same quality level of Märklin, Trix, Roco , or Fleischmann. It was considered a second class branch with cheap models not too well detailed. Their motors, although not the best tuned were considered robust. Entry level. However Mehano's production experimented a great improvement in quality during the last years, and locos like RENFE's 333 PRIMA and Aceralia's G1700 are really very fine models, well detailed and built with better plastics and metals and featuring reliable motors. Great runners.
Thank you for your kind words and some good information from a "Local" to the Mehano brand. For over here (America) they are better than life-like and Bachmann from the 80's and 90's. Ive always heard ROCO makes great stuff. I have yet to hold a Marklin, Trix, or Fleishmann in my hand. I cant wait to be able to open them up and see how they work!!
@@classicmodeltrains It's my pleasure, Ron. I can confirm that ROCO makes great rolling stock and locomotives, being the RENFE's 319 its peak for the Spanish market. Great runners, silent motors, very well detailed....When you buy ROCO you know you are buying something that is going to perform very well. Some time ago they were partners for Atlas.
I've got also some material from Fleischmann and I would say that it is even better than ROCO's although some locomotives are hard to convert to DCC because you will need isolated shields for the motors and not all references are available.
A few years ago Fleischmann was purchased by ROCO and now Fleischmann only produces N-gauge locos and rolling stock.
i don't own locomotives from Märklin because I don't work on AC but I own some material from TRIX (you know that TRIX is really Märklin for DC) and they make really impressive items mostly on metal. I love the industrial rolling stock from TRIX and I own 4 of their huge (and heavy) 18-axle torpedo cars, as well as many slag cars. I like them!
And another brand you should be aware of is Liliput. They make fine stuff including some Third Reich related material that other brands do not dare to touch... I think it was adquired by Bachmann...
And don't forget ESU, the builders of Loksound decoders. They make some of the best locomotives you can find around here. I mean that they do everything you can imagine : sparks when braking , squeels on curves, all kind of inboard lights, smoke, pantographs raising or lowering,...whatever) .
Finally in Spain we have some fine brands like Electrotren, now sadly part of Hornby Group, and Mabar. To me Mabar is like Bachmann (fine looks, not so reliable mechanisms).
I have a Mehano SD 40 painted for Hy-Vee supermarkets. Hy-Vee is based out of Iowa.
I'm hearing there's a lot of people out there with supermarket branded sets. Hy-Vee is one I've never heard of. I need to get into the Mid, Mid-west more!
My dad has one of these that’s never been run still in the box
Right on!
Thank you Brad
Do you mean Ron?
@@classicmodeltrains I really want to thank you both. You make incredible videos, and Brad told you your first videos were good. So if it wasn’t for him you might not have continued.
@@bigwoz78 Oh.... I gotchu now :-). Yes... A thanks to Brad as well
You do know what the meaning of a DASH 2 is right? The DASH 2 means the improvement electronics over the older circuit breaker designs. The spotting features for the SD40-2 are the flexicoil trucks (longer which created those famous porches at each end), the sight seeing glass on the rear of the engineering side, the support bars across the blower housing near the conducts side, the battery box hings instead of bolted, and finally the louver overhang on the cab. These are some of the spotting features. Hope this helps.
I appreciate your input, I know the -2 had improved electronics. Not every model railroader is an accomplished 30 year veteran railroad engineer or conductor, or a rail-fanner that reads and knows everything. Many fellers have typed what you just typed in this comment. Many more fellers do not know where to look for the sight glass, where the blower housing is, or the battery box. Thats why I mentioned the way to spot one from 2 miles off.....the longer trucks sticking out the front and the back of the hoods, and the giant porches. I studied up on the SD's during the making of this video and to keep it somewhat easy to follow I just mentioned the longer trucks. I do thank you for watching and commenting, I hope I'm not coming off wrong, Just (hopefully) visiting with a fellow Model Railroader :-)
@@classicmodeltrains Your fine. I believe the best way to teach somebody about trains, it not to treat them like 5 year olds. Just tell them upfront what you know. It's the best way to understand this hobby and if they think its too much, then they can always ask to explain it simplier. I think this way respects their intelligence. I enjoy watching several of you videos so far and I sub to you!
These locos were also sold as Green SNCF engines for some reason or even DB engines, same with the F-units.
great info, Thanks
Interestingly, the original AHM SD40 had a few "advanced" features namely enclosed pilots with body-mountrd couples and flywheel on the driveshafts.
Regarding the external differences between the SD40 and the SD40-2,: the Dash 2 frame is 3 feet longer than the 40-seeies. It's the same frame used on the SD45. The extra length was due to new truck design that actually improved traction. Older SD40's that were rebuilt to Dash 2 electrical specs still look like regular SD40's. Mostly because I model the Chessie System, I was well aware of these differences because Chessie only had 20 Dash 2's vs. 70+ of the "straight" SD40's......(also back in the day, if you wanted a good SD40, you either had to do a major kitbash, or buy brass, until the Kato model came out. It was about 3 x the cost of an Athearn SD40-2, but still much more affordable than a brass model).
Thanks for the good information!!
Totally Enjoy your channel
Thank you!
The company that you described actually made brass ho scale locomotives I actually had a few of them on my roster that I could not run on my layout because of the way that my train setup was designed but they were very nice looking locomotives and the engine that you're working on is one of the most easiest service I get a small fleet of the sd40s few of them in a couple of New Haven and the rest all in Penn Central and Conrail
Mehano made brass? I didnt find any info on that while doing my research. I have to admit I only researched for an hour or so. That would be pretty cool to run into one! Thanks for commenting!!
Hey Ron. Great video. Enjoyed the tear down of that SD40/2 loco. I dont have that set, but I do have the Wonder/Hostess set, still sealed. Would like to track down all the promo versions of this set. In addition to those you listed there is one with a Champion car and another with a Genuardis 75th anniversary car. Oh, and there is also a Thunderbolt Limited Pillsbury Express train set, but its drastically different. In place of the SD40 it has a 2-6-0 mogul steam locomotive. Keep up the good work my friend.
Thanks for your kind words once again Stan. You sure seem to have a KILLER collection of old complete sets.....in packaging as well!! I'm thinking your budget is bigger than mine :-) Thanks for sharing some great information!
@@classicmodeltrains Hey Ron. For 20 years I collected Transformers, so collecting is in my blood. Lol I like to do regular model railroading, but a big part of the hobby for me is collecting those old train sets. As for the budget, I have help. My kids always buying me trains. 🙂
Keep up th egreat work. I look forward to watching your videos. Mehano HO mechanics are very similar to their N scale offerrings.. I dabble in N, HO & O scale.
Thanks for your kind words!
The SD40-2 body appears to have a Conrail cab signal box
I would not know. I'm not that deep into prototypical modeling. Sharp eye you have there :-)
Video liked! Great job and thank you for being appreciative of Mehano models. I have a lot of them (check out my videos) and the SD40 is my favourite US diesel.
Mehano's models surely aren't the most detailed ones, but are really reliable and easy to service.
I know a lot about their nuts and bolts. Your SD40 does have only one wiper pickup per truck, but if you can find spare ones from a donor Mehano SD40 or C628, you can easily add them on the other side of the truck, solder the wires and your loco will have twice as better pickup and drive. 🙂
Thank you! I have read a few comments about Fellers adding extra electrical wipers. or even re-motoring them with flywheels and everything.
For you ever do marx postwar rolling stock repair and couplers upgrade
Ive done some Marx video's. The cars were in pretty good shape for their age. I don't upgrade couplers on Marx. Not even sure if they make upgraded Marx couplers.
Looks good!
Thanks Jason!
TY
:-)
I would like to get one of their new European Diesels and their ICE, which are sold at Eurolokshop.
right on!
I got the 4:47 one as my very first model train set from a relative
Right on!!
Great video. Glad you did a video on a Mehano locomotive. I have a few of their GP18s, Alco C-630s, and a few of their steam 2-8-0 and 0-8-0 s (a Chattanooga). Great steam locos but for smoke units which melt their smoke stacks. Had to fabricate a new one out of a 1/144 gundam Zaku bazooka. Turned out pretty good. Take care and as usual all the best. Now I need to find a Mehano sd40 or is it a dash 2??
Greetings EC! I still don't know if this model is a -2 or not. I figured someone would comment and confirm. My quest continues ;-D
You left out Life-Like (now walthers) which also imported some of those locomotives from Mehano namely the RS11 also sold under the AHM/IHC/MODEL POWER banners.
I did not know life like had re-branded Mehano. sounds like a conflict of interest to me :-)
@@classicmodeltrains It's True, That was standard practice in the industry at that time even AC Gilbert's 'HO' scale trains were in reality rebranded Mantua/Tyco, Varney, You will be shocked, Marx, And as always thank you very much for answering my comments.
I would like to know if you have any ideas on what modern couplers I could use on my marx postwar rolling stock and my 1666 steam locomotive I have tab and slot couplers on some train cars and scissors couplers I would like to have all my couplers to hook my complete rolling stock together one type of couplers for all my locomotives and rolling stock
Hello Richard, I'm sorry but I do not know of any upgrades for Marx couplers. try Kadee.com and see if they offer them. Ive always just used the original ones, and if a set is tab and slot, I just run that one all together. I'm sure the couplers can be re-worked and updated.
An easy way to tell a SD40 model vs a SD40-2 is there is a sight glass on one of the doors on the engineer side under the 3 back fans on an sd40-2. The SD40 does not have the sight glass.
I had that info recorded, but it ended up on the cutting room floor. I figured some manufacturers might not put that kind of detail on the body mold, so I went with the larger example of the trucks sticking out past the hood. Another good example though :-)
They run good I have one I added detail too worth it on a budget:)
Right on!
I would like to have all my marx trains able to use one standard couplers any ideas I've asked my train hobby shop no luck I would like to use Lionel or Bachman ogauge couplers if I could use them for replacement equipment
Perhaps do some web searching. Try googling "Marx coupler upgrades"
I have 2 bachmans with that paint. One is a sd35, the other is sd40. Now I need to know if it's A - 2 or not. I have a similar loco to that. It's a Virginian. Thought it was Tyco But I suppose it to mohno . Nice brother!
Thank you Sir! I'm still unsure if this is a -2 or not :-)
An older ATLAS/ROCO motor with flywheels can be made to fit and it improves the performance.
Oh yeah? Sounds like a great project!!
The only thing I never liked about those, is the way the handrails were part of the side sills/deck. The first thing I see when I find those on eBay, are some or all of the handrails broken off.
While the ATSF version looked a bit goofy, and had the wrong road number, the Southern Pacific version was almost spot on.
Yup! and the railings are a bit large too
ron where do you live as i detected an accent from the minnesota, western michigan, eastern dakotas area !!! i used to fish the professional walleye trail many moons ago and fished winnebegoshish, upper and lower red lake, lake of the woods, both rainy and leech lakes back in my tournament days plus quite a few more.... my boat is put to sleep until may but i still fish the niagara river at its headwaters which is the very north eastern tip of lake erie at broderick park in buffalo, ny. there is a walking path that goes for about 2.5 miles and fishing is generally pretty good almost anywhere along it... we use bombers, rapalas, bucktail jigs with skull-hooked chubs for the eyes' that generally range from 16" up to 26"-27" and anywhere in between. once in awhile a 30 incher is caught, too. am looking forward to ice season and some nice perch/walleye/crappie dinners !!! blessings to you, ron !!! denny
I hail from eastern Nor Da-Ko-Ta but am in Billings, Mt. Had good fishing in ND in the James river valley. Fishing here in Billings is poor. Have to drive 2-6 hours to find good fishing. Unless I'm just bad at fishing the Yellowstone river here in Billings :-)
@@classicmodeltrains hi ron.... sorry to hear about the poor walleye fishing and that you have to travel so far to fish !!! well, as i am sure you know, eyes' are about the most cantankerish fish to try and catch. i have actually filleted them and there has been absolutely no bulge of any sort from throat to ass which means they have not eaten in quite some time.... we fish out of dunkirk ny and barcelona ny and generally do quite well but there are days the bastards just do not bite, probably females !!! have a blessed christmas ron and keep up the great videos !!!
denny armes ps... i have an 'eye on my wall that weighed in at 13.2 pounds and was weighed at the local butcher shop on a new york state certified scale.... just a monster caught in 2004 but mostly we get 2-6 pounders now with a shitload of 15" to 20" eaters.
Nice loco!
Thank you very much! Cool username you have there!!
Ron, I could check your older videos. But I'm lazy so asking. Have you looked into any Rivarossi locomotives?
Hello Lynn, I did one Riv video on the Big Boy. I have a Mallet here that's scheduled to be filmed shortly. Those are my only 2 Riv Loco's.
@@classicmodeltrains well dang it, guess we'll have to do something about this. There's been a delay in sending you a care package. Wife had a stroke, so life has been put on hold. But she's starting to recover and after the first of the year hopefully things well get back on track.
@@lynnmccurdythehdmmrc2561 sorry to hear about the Missus. Hope the recovery goes swiftly.
Hi Ron , Like you I had trains when I was kid and I'm just getting back in the hobby I like watching all your video but do you have one on how you built layout I'm like to know how you built that grade on layout. I seen your video when you rebuilt a engine but it didn't pull up grade what do you do to fix that problem I have one that won't pull up grade with rolling stock 5 cars hooked up. clean motor, oil just a kiss clean trucks oiled just kiss locomotive runs good on flat don't pull up grade at half power just full power any thoughts.
Hello, my video studio and layout tour, th-cam.com/video/GSh66eLl7wA/w-d-xo.html touched a bit on how the layout was made. If your locomotive that won't pull grades has "traction tires" (o-rings around the driver (s)) they might need replaced. Also my grade has a rise / fall of 1/4" in 12". That comes out to a tiny bit over 2% grade. If you have huge grades it's hard for entry level loco's to pull them. Thanks for your kind words on my video's :-)
@@classicmodeltrains I thought about traction tires but there was never any on this locomotive and the metal wheels don't have a groove for them like some of the tyco that came with them. Can you put tires on a locomotive that didn't come with them ?
@@thespaz3832 no. It needs the groove.
@@classicmodeltrains Thanks Ron
Good one
Thank you :-)
do you have a wireing diagram for your volt and amp meters
Yes. I made a video th-cam.com/video/pHHfx6OZr2M/w-d-xo.html
I hate to bust your bubble - those Mehano Chattanooga steam engines were actually Mikado 2-8-2 models. They 'tried' to cheat us by simply removing the lead and trailing truck and calling it the 0-8-0. If you know anything about steam engines...well the larger size is a dead give away something's off with it.
All I really know is what Ive read, or seen. Ive never had the opportunity to see a mehano replacement for the Tyco Consolidation. What your telling me sounds about right for what corporate Merica did to us back then :-)
What did you use as ballast on your layout
Woodland scenics Medium ballast. Gray blend. I keep changing my track plan, I don't dare do more ballast until Im happy. I can certainly use some more ballast laying practice :-)
@@classicmodeltrains I use cat litter I used a roof shingle on my warehouse which I built using a box aluminum foil and clear plastic for the windows. Have you seen a Ny and Atlantic locomotive that is what I am truly looking for for my layout
@@NYandAtlantic I model of scale three-rail and the guy in the train show tried to get me to buy a New York and Atlantic diesel locomotive. They took over the freight service from the Long Island Railroad they had 8,000 car loads a year at the beginning and because they give good service they're up to $37,000 car loads a year Metro thought they would just be dealing with little trains here and there like on the LI Double R and now they're like holy crap these guys have freight trains all over. I told him it was too late at time. For my layout hope you find one in the HO scale
@@frankmarkovcijr5459
The Ny and Atlantic may get more business or bigger once the brookhven land fill close garbage will get off Long Island by rail. NY and Atlantic stops at Brookhaven Rail Terminal off Sills road in yapank
@@frankmarkovcijr5459
Atlas will be doing a run of then sometime this year hopefully I can snag one
If those had atleast 1 small fly wheel it would have made a world of differance!!!
I agree
Are you related to Derek Bieri? You look and sound just like him!
Not that I'm aware of But were both from the North Dakota area so......
Har is a nother name to look into it's Aurora.thay made trans too.....
I did not know Aurora did trains. I played with there race tracks a lot back in the day. I will expand the search for some :-)
@@classicmodeltrains Aurora made N scale trains if I remember right.
Too bad that wasn't room or flywheels.....
Yup. they were not adopted by all back then.
There is room. I added two Atlas (Roco) silver ones on mines and connected them to the trucks using the original Mehano males (I had to short them a little).
The first edition of Mehano's SD40 actually featured two flywheels. The factory was called Mehanotehnika back then. All AHM SD40 locos (and Canadian ones under the Model Power brand) were from that era. Also, the pilots weren't open and the truck covers looked different.
However, the chasis still has all the grooves necessary for inserting the original motor with original flywheels. I have a couple of those old ones with flywheels, added additional pair of wipers and they run great even after 40 years or so.
sould have said SD-40-1.5
:-)
It's too bad it can't be aqupte with fly wheel drive ....
Yup, I agree
Vicegrip Engineshed? Yup. Mmmmhmmmmmmm.
:-)
On my rare NRA version (Northern Alberta Railway) I added some motorcycle weights to give it better pulling power as well.
Cool!
I think the end platforms on that protector lickemolteov.thay can hold a square dance....
They are rather large. Hold a picnic for the guy's