Full Repair of a Damaged Tetsudo Brass 4-6-4 

As soon as I had the motor out I'd replace those magnets or that magnet with rare earth magnets. I've done almost all my open frame motors and it really lessens current draw and will allow the motor to "creep" around the track. I wish I had a brass HO scale model. I've always wanted one but could never afford brass. When you solder, especially brass, flux is your friend. Rosin core flux is what I use and it makes a great big difference. Cheers from eastern TN

Another great rescue! So glad to see these vintage locos given a new lease on life. To your comment in the description; definitely get yourself a bottle of flux, it will make your life easier if you use it well. I recently discovered "tip tinner" to restore tired and worn-out soldering iron tips - a miracle product if there ever was one - and I've been soldering for years. Another useful "tool" you might appreciate is a loco cradle. The foam ones are fine, but you can make your own with fabric and scrap wood. Alternatively, a silicone soldering mat designed for electronics could be really useful for what you're doing. Some even come with little trays built in for sorting parts. A stack of post-it notes for labeling what goes where and you're set! Thanks again for sharing what you do.

My dad was what we called a model railroad craftsman and he also built wood kits. He has told me many of his tricks in the hobby.

That is such a "like new" locomotive, I am sure it will be smoother and a tad quieter once it's broken in although it'll never be quiet by today's standards. I really enjoyed watching your soldering technique. Great video!

You can immerse the shell in a tall vase and add denture cleaning tablets with warm water to clean every nook and cranny. About a dozen should do it and let it soak for a while until the fizz stops and color of the water changes.

After having stumbled onto this video and watching I feel like the flux would be your best friend here watching you struggled a smidge with the solder (And yes I read the description and I agree). I have done copper and bronze piping for swamp coolers for a short while and because of it I not only had the cleanest assembly, but that solder went everywhere the flux would flow turning it into an art form. Admittedly, I used the paste rather than the straight liquid form. Regardless, this has turned out very well and has caused me to consider a collection of brass model trains.

Another great installment, thank you very much for sharing. I would really enjoy a video about the cab forward (I did not see one in your library and am a fan of the engine). Keep up the great work, looking forward to the next one already!

Great job! I have not attempted working on brass locomotives, yet. I enjoyed your video very much.

Put the last screw in….no test…now it’s delivered with a bind. That would be my outcome. (Just being a devil!) some of my brass ran so badly. I needed you back in the past.

Enjoyed this video. I think the missing detail on the engine front near the cow catcher may have been a poling pocket casting. It represents a depression in the engine frame at which a long wooden pole was used to shove a car around on an adjacent track. Freight cars had a corresponding pocket on their ends to receive the same pole.

Thank you for sharing. Another great repair enjoyed.👍

WOW!!! Great video and once again Thank you for sharing your amazing talents!!!

I enjoy you repair vids. Learned quite s few how too's....

My only slightly negative comment is that once you found the buggered screw on the valve gear hanger, you should have removed or drilled out the screw and replaced it. Everything else you did added durability and reliability to the chassis but leaving that loose hanger will probably end up binding the front driver flange again over time. And the “extra” screw hole under the pitman motor was meant to hold a spring under the motor so the drive shaft could be aligned during assembly or changed over time. Wasn’t always the best idea back in the day but…. Thanks for sharing!

Hey! great video! This model is made by (TMS) Tetsudo (not tenshodo), a very early version of the ATSF 3460 class 4-6-4s! Man, I thought my Tenshodo 4-6-4 was poorly detailed...this thing is "crude" to say the least haha. A cool bit of history though! Im sure it was considered detailed for its time.

27:40 somewhere a brass collector is screaming at his screen NOOOOOOO!!!!😜

It s 5:00 AM , just discovered your channel and I can say : Your earned +1 subscriber

I'm enjoying this Video. I'm about 1/2 through. I think you have the tender on backwards. However you're doing a great job and I'm learning a lot from your videos. Bob

Hi Darth. The ladder might go over the valve gear on one of the sides of the engine. It seemed to be a common ATSF practice.

For testing of any binds I would recommend to let the chassis roll down an inclined section of track. Any binds should show then by hesitations in the roll.

Took a minute to deduce the tender is backwards as you have it configured.

That looks so much like my Akane Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-6. The motor is the same too, not perfectly balanced but runs great. I can run 25 cars on it with no drag. I did have to clean it really good when I got it, someone over-oiled the parts and gummed them up. But a beautiful little engine. cost me $300, but really is worth it

My dad used sewing machine oil and Vaseline for gears on all is brass locomotives from the fifty and sixty.

purple or blue loctite would be a better choice than super glue for screws.

He also put oil on the valve gears to lubricant the joints too.

Gosto muito de seus vídeos, são muito emocionantes e muito lindos.

You caught it!

The unknown ladder attaches to the valve gear hanger on top and to a bar at the bottom. I didn't see the bar on this model. One ladder on each side.

This is a very interesting youtube channel!

I wonder if an ultrasonic cleaner would help?

Very good lokomotiv 👍 🤝

Hemostats work great for soldering the metal

I’ve seen so many bare brass models that I can’t help but wonder, how common was it for people to buy brass locomotives and run or just display them unpainted back in the day?

Nice ATSF 3460 Hudson....

You should invest in a blowtorch pen. A very handy and small blowtorch perfect for these kind of jobs, cheap to :)

The driver center castings need to be cleaned out between the individual "spokes" of the Boxpok drivers. As it is, some are clear but most aren't.

Plus steam cylinders too

Was the tender on backwards during testing? Ladder next to motor.

Do we have a prototype for this? It looks like a JNR boiler with a an ATSF cab.

@Darth Santa Fe Can you provide some NSWL part numbers for the Rivarossi 0-4-0 regear? I'd like to give that project a try. Thanks

I'm inspired by your repair video to ask if I can send you an Atlas HO switcher so you can replace the motor in it. The model is brand new but Atlas is now using cheap motors that make a lot of noise. Do you have another address or some way I can write to you about this issue. Many thanks.

what brand/wattage soldering iron were you using?

Why not use super glue or CA instead of soldering in visible areas? Or am I missing something? A novice here!

When we going to see the rest of the Bowser M1 build?

Ladder: on the tender?

What kind of grease did you use to lubricate the gears?

After looking at it.... The tender is backwards on the tender chassis.

Awesome ♐ ♐♐♐♐♐♐♐♐♐

Do you have any tips for improving a Mantua mikado's performance? I am getting a new motor but I am wondering if there are other things I can do to make it perform better. E.g. how could I tune the valve gear to make it operate better?

Hi there I have a atsf 4-6-2 Pacific and was wondering if you could try and fix it?

tender ladder

ah-ka-nay? No. Ah-kah-nee!

How can you leave a crappie damaged screw in and not replace it and apply a tiny amount of thread lock your repairing a bodged job with a bodged repair I have seen a few of your videos you seem to enjoy doing this but to be honest you are not very good at it you never seem to go all out just bare minimum get it going job done some of the locomotives deserve a lot more care and attention please try harder and do it right.

Stop using a Soldering Iron and use a Butane Pen Torch instead.