Hello and odd Scotsman questions
Hi! I have a Mallard which I've run a few times and a Flying Scotsman Double Tender fresh off ebay. I live near San Francisco in California. Thank you all for having such a dedicated and welcoming community.
Can you help me figuring out a couple things about my "New in Box" Scotsman which appears not quite so? I've attached some pictures to aid in the questions below.
- Here is the original listing https://www.ebay.com/itm/302574946598 Looks good, described as new and unused in box. I paid $907.00
- Part of the rear pony truck broke off, the moulding of the bearing box on the port side, presumedly in transit because the polystyrene top cover for the engine was missing. How much do you think this decreases this collectible's value when I am negotiating with say, shipping insurance?
- The boiler water screw cap is missing. I don't immediately see one in the store; how much is a genuine replacement or a machined replacement. How much might not having the original decrease the value?
- I suspect it may have been run before; what is your opinion or suggestion for investigation? There are some oil drops on the front bumper and where the front of the engine rests against the polystyrene. There's a fair bit of black tread-mark on the polystyrene where the wheels rest. The front of the engine and piston surrounds are very slightly greasy and linty. How much would its condition as 'used' instead of 'new' decrease the value?
- I have not run it yet, although obviously if it runs poorly that would be a significant issue also.
N.B. I'm not hot blooded about this, and I have contacted the seller asking how he would like to handle it. The help I would like from you is to gain some perspective on how these issues affect the item's value, if you think this limited edition item is genuine, and what you think of the situation overall. I am a runner not a storer so I would rather figure something out with the seller than simply return it as misrepresented.
Thanks!
-Adrik
P.S. is there still a registry? This claims to be number 804.
Hi Adrik
Can you rotate the wheels by hand? If not then a clean with an easing or penetrating oil at the axles followed by re-oiling might make an improvement. If you can move the wheels, put the loco on a piece of track and push it in a forward direction. This should put the loco into forward gear.
Before trying anything else you must get the servo sorted and then see if the poor running persists.
To really be able to check-out the loco you will have to remove the body. For the servo motor to run, the relay on the printed circuit board must drop-out when the control box lever is operated. If the motor isn't getting power when the lever is held over, then a jammed relay is the likely cause. A light tap with a small screwdriver might be all that's required to release it.
As you are running the loco with the regulator stuck open, this means that you're not going through the full heating-up sequence and it is possible that the super-heater has insufficient time to fully heat the front end of the loco. This would result in 'wet' running with condensation forming in the cylinders and very poor running.
These locos were made 10 years ago and the lubricant originally used will have dried out or become thick. The rubber 'o' rings on the pistons and the smaller one around the piston rod will be a little hard and will result in a far from smooth action. Go to 'How to change piston rings' in the 'Knowledge Base' and see how the parts fit together. Separating the piston rods from the wheels would show you where the 'binding' is.
Several thoughts on your problem, I hope that they may be of use to you. All the best in your endeavors
Mike