05-31-2026, 05:25 PM
Speaking of going bigger....
While I had placed an order with Bowser (it pays to get as much stuff at one time to combine shipping), I figured I'd address the missing handrails on my Cornell Red LV C628 - picked up a set and primed them with my airbrush and set them off to dry. I also had this unit apart to troubleshoot a couple of decoders, so I figured.... while I had her apart, and since I saw a couple of 3-axle wipers for the Tri Mount trucks as I was rummaging through my loco parts, I could replace the wipers. Nice easy job, right?
Speaking of easy jobs, the BCR retrofit has encountered a snag.... that one's still on the bench until I do some consulting with Bowser. More on that later.
Back to the LV unit... A few years ago, Bowser had realized that the old Stewart wipers only picked up the voltage on 2 of the three axles in each truck - the wiper just connected the closer two of the three axles. Their new Executive Line of C628, C630 and C626 used wipers that were in contact Bowser put out a kit which included the 3-axle wiper and the plastic sideframes for the Tri-mount trucks if you wanted to upgrade your Stewart. I figured there was no sense in getting the whole kit if I could just pick up the wipers (yeah, sometimes I'm pretty cheap), and I bought (I think) enough to cover 2 locomotives. Those many years ago I opened up one of my locomotives and attempted to install the wipers but ran into fit issues. I must have figured out how to make it work, but I didn't recall what I did today when I went to replace the wipers on the LV unit.
The 3-axle wipers are definitely NOT made for the Stewart plastic sideframes. Without the fix I propose or without using new Bowser sideframes, the 3-axle wipers won't work. There are two major interference points (circled in blue in the picture below) where the plastic has to be removed to allow the wiper to ride correctly against the sideframe and is the only way the whole truck assembly will snap together and be functional. Picture shows the old 2-axle wiper, the new 3-axle version ($3 each), and the inside of the sideframe of the Tri-mount truck.
I did my modifications with a sharp knife, but a file could also certainly work. You just have to remove enough plastic to allow the brass wiper to rest near the inside face of the sideframe. The trucks themselves have to be taken apart carefully to retain the plastic gear arrangement - it's a nightmare if the things open up. Here's a shot of the completed truck with the two new wipers. Good project for a Sunday afternoon after spending the morning with a shovel and edger on my 400-ft road frontage.
While I had placed an order with Bowser (it pays to get as much stuff at one time to combine shipping), I figured I'd address the missing handrails on my Cornell Red LV C628 - picked up a set and primed them with my airbrush and set them off to dry. I also had this unit apart to troubleshoot a couple of decoders, so I figured.... while I had her apart, and since I saw a couple of 3-axle wipers for the Tri Mount trucks as I was rummaging through my loco parts, I could replace the wipers. Nice easy job, right?
Speaking of easy jobs, the BCR retrofit has encountered a snag.... that one's still on the bench until I do some consulting with Bowser. More on that later.
Back to the LV unit... A few years ago, Bowser had realized that the old Stewart wipers only picked up the voltage on 2 of the three axles in each truck - the wiper just connected the closer two of the three axles. Their new Executive Line of C628, C630 and C626 used wipers that were in contact Bowser put out a kit which included the 3-axle wiper and the plastic sideframes for the Tri-mount trucks if you wanted to upgrade your Stewart. I figured there was no sense in getting the whole kit if I could just pick up the wipers (yeah, sometimes I'm pretty cheap), and I bought (I think) enough to cover 2 locomotives. Those many years ago I opened up one of my locomotives and attempted to install the wipers but ran into fit issues. I must have figured out how to make it work, but I didn't recall what I did today when I went to replace the wipers on the LV unit.
The 3-axle wipers are definitely NOT made for the Stewart plastic sideframes. Without the fix I propose or without using new Bowser sideframes, the 3-axle wipers won't work. There are two major interference points (circled in blue in the picture below) where the plastic has to be removed to allow the wiper to ride correctly against the sideframe and is the only way the whole truck assembly will snap together and be functional. Picture shows the old 2-axle wiper, the new 3-axle version ($3 each), and the inside of the sideframe of the Tri-mount truck.
I did my modifications with a sharp knife, but a file could also certainly work. You just have to remove enough plastic to allow the brass wiper to rest near the inside face of the sideframe. The trucks themselves have to be taken apart carefully to retain the plastic gear arrangement - it's a nightmare if the things open up. Here's a shot of the completed truck with the two new wipers. Good project for a Sunday afternoon after spending the morning with a shovel and edger on my 400-ft road frontage.
Check out my "Rainbows in the Gorge" website: http://morristhemoosetm.wixsite.com/rainbows