Rivarossi UP Big Boy exploded parts diagram

Does anyone have one? If so, could you please scan and email it to me? I need to open mine and oil it really badly; it runs at about 1/4 speed at 100% power...:confused:
 

shaygetz

Active Member
I have one I'll scan for you...meanwhile, to open it up there are three screws. One just behind the bell, one under the small steam dome---it's a cap that CAREFULLY:D prys up---between the two larger rectangular sand domes. The last one is under the cab, behind the trailing truck.
 
Hmm...are you absolutely sure you have the right VERSION of the diagram? I have the OLD style engine, with the motor showing in the cab.

Unfortunately, that's all I have to distinguish between the new and old versions and I'm not even sure I know which is which...

Don't get me wrong here. I REALLY appreciate this! I just want to save you the trouble if it's the wrong diagram.
 

shaygetz

Active Member
You'll need to make it so I can email it to you, your box is locked. It'll be three files of about 150 kb each labeled bigboy1,2,and 3

Oh it's the right one alright...:thumb:

A2bigboy.jpg
 
Oh you freaking realist.

I'm going to have mine running side-by-side with an S-gauge American Flyer model 295 XD

Realism be...umm...farked. lol

Hey, can I see some pics of your entire layout?
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
The old Rivarossi motors tended to run hot. The drive from the motor to the gear box is plastic and on my one Rivarossi engine, the plastic drive shafts were melted down by the motor heat.
 
Oh shtuff. That's just great.

Heh. Thanks for pointing that out to me! I'll have to get some metal shafts and have my fav mechanic put them in for me (I can't do mechanics to save me life sign1)

Shaygetz, could you please do me a HUGE favor and maybe post a video (or a link to a video) of your Big Boy pulling a big train?

If it's strong enough; the people at my local train shop said that though the 1:1 Big Boy is powerful beyond belief, the model may be seriously weaker...That's just what THEY said. I personally don't believe them, but it doesn't hurt to know the limits of the train.

I did get my engine open and found that it is indeed the older style with the motor in back.
 
The old one IS weaker and slower. I havea newer one with the motor in the middle. It has pulled 75 cars on an oval 7 X 24 track. The challenger is more powerful, 103 cars.

Lynn
 

shaygetz

Active Member
Spawn of Chaos said:
Shaygetz, could you please do me a HUGE favor and maybe post a video (or a link to a video) of your Big Boy pulling a big train?

If it's strong enough; the people at my local train shop said that though the 1:1 Big Boy is powerful beyond belief, the model may be seriously weaker...That's just what THEY said. I personally don't believe them, but it doesn't hurt to know the limits of the train.

They win....:D on its best day with added weight I can get it to do 25 cars up a 1.75% grade. I'm sorry I don't have any video. The layout you see in most of my videos is the club I used to belong to.
 

nkp174

Active Member
If you're concerned about pulling power, invest in replacement rubber traction tires. I replaced them on my old Rivarossi hudson, and it's pulling power on a 7% grade jumped from 1-2 passenger cars up to 5-7. I was absolutely shocked.

Further, if you're considering having the drive shaft replaced, consider replacing the motor too with a Sagami from NWSL. The combination of that and some additional weight will help it pull like crazy. I'd also recommend looking up some of Shaygetz's masterpieces...they're awesome!

The actual Big Boys weren't really unbelievably powerful. Sure they were big, but they'd lose to DM&IR yellowstones and C&O Alleghanies in a pulling contest. Heck, the challengers had less tractive effort than the C&O 2-10-4s! The thing that really makes them cool is the fact that they had so many wheels...just like the awesomeness factor of the UP 4-12-2s. UP probably added the extra wheels in order to keep the axle loadings down...less track restrictions. I wouldn't really worry about pulling power, because it is very rare to be able to put more than 20 cars behind a locomotive...unless you have access to a large layout.

Be sure to check that the flanges work well with Code 83 track before you do too much with it. My AHM hudson doesn't like the frogs on atlas custom line code 83 turnouts. At some point in the distant future, I'll be grinding them down to Proto:87 standards.
 
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