Trix K4 N Scale Upgrade

Overhaul of the Trix N Scale K4 4-6-2 Pacific including new motor, new gears, new tender truck pickups, LED headlight, and ground-down wheel flanges to run on code 55 track. Turns the K4 from a fussy, stall-prone engine that runs way too fast into a nice smooth-running engine.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Trix
• Minitrix
• K4
• Scale
• steam
• model
• railroading
• remotor
• upgrade

[ketchy9]

I have one more question, i would like to hard wire one truck or both trucks on the tenders of model power 2-6-0's and 4-4-0's using bachmann trucks like you have with this engine, did you run the wires down through the tender floor and solder them to the contacts or did you keep the contacts long and drill clearence holes in the tender floor for them?

[mmagliaro]

@ketchy9 I did exactly what you describe on a Model Power 4-4-0 (which also is very stall-prone due to the terrible wiper system). I drilled and filed out clearance holes to let the truck tangs protrude up inside the tender body. In there, I solder super-flexible wire to those tangs, and then route them out through the front of the tender through two tiny holes.

[mmagliaro]

@ketchy9

The decapod mechanism is completely different. The motor and gear upgrade I did on this K4 wouldn't fit in a decapod. It could definitely be done, but would require a different motor. I have done remotor/regear projects on lots of engines, but never a decapod (although I have a few in a box). The rebuilds I do on the K4's cost anywhere from $125 to $250 depending on how much the customer wants done.

[trackspike64]

How do you grind down the wheel flanges ....Please show me that nice trick can you also mill down one of the drivers for a traction tire or is the new bull frog snot a better way to go

[Lemosteam]

Nice Job Max!  Like the video too! Seems to be a rash of these videos' going around! Still have to get up the nerve to grind the flanges on my K4....

[dabippo]

Nicely done.

[ketchy9]

I have a minitrix decapod that could use a new motor. how difficult is it to do the swap and how much did it cost?