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Re: NPP Pioneer Zephyr.

To: BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: NPP Pioneer Zephyr.
From: Denny Anspach <danspach@m...>
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2001 14:50:56 -0700
In-reply-to: <997614385.658.43802.l10@yahoogroups.com>
References: <997614385.658.43802.l10@yahoogroups.com>
The recent thread on availability of the Pioneer Zephyr in HO attracted my attention. Prices for these over the years have been low to reasonable generally, the prices kept low by better engineered models being produced in the interim by Challenger. I believe that the price has gone up in the interim, but will probably recede once the long-promised new models from Challenger are actually in the country.
I have one of the original NPP sets, with fourth car added, made by 
KMT in ?early '70's. As a model it can look pretty good, but 
operate pretty bad (never mind the grammar). The basic problem is 
that all of the single-power-truck articulated models (Pioneer 
Zephyr, General Pershing, etc.) lack sufficient weight/power to drag 
a bunch of poorly-rolling brass cars around the layout, unless track 
is flat, or slightly downgrade.
The NP PZ is additionally hampered by a very poor drive truck, with a 
plastic gear drive train and worm gear, driven by a 
vertically-mounted three pole open frame motor. The plastic gear 
train almost always fails with cracked gears, the worm gear 
similarly, but much less often.
I have at least partially corrected and or alleviated some of these 
issues, as follows:
1) I replaced all of the spur gears with NWSL gears. To remove the 
idlers, I ground off the lips of the rivets holding them in place to 
the internal truck frame. Each new idler gear required being 
ground/milled down to the same relatively-thin thickness of the 
original NPP gears. I then fastened each gear idler back in place by 
drilling and tapping each hort axle, replacing the riveted lip with a 
screw (0-80?) fastened from the back.
2) A Sagami can motor replaced the KMT motor. It bolted right in 
place with the same screws. The original worm was kept (steel). Some 
of the original worms are reportedly brass, and if so should probably 
be replaced with a NWSL equivalent.
3) The drive truck frame simply rides on axle extensions and does no 
real work. Unfortunately, it also constitutes a nest of various and 
episodic electrical shorts. I solved it by widening the truck bolster 
very slightly, and then epoxy-gluing insulated washers over the 
truck frame axle holes to hold the frames away from touching the 
insulated wheels.
4) I loaded up virtually all available space in the front end of the 
car body with lead- in fact every single nook and cranny. I shaped 
the lead to form fit inside the sloping nose, but left a "slot" 
across the windows into which I fitted suitable sawed-off crew 
figures. The slot is painted flat black so that no one notices this 
subterfuge.
I even wrapped and fastened sheet lead around the motor.

5) The articulated truck to the rear of the motored car is also a nest of shorts, handled with a variety of pieces of insulating styrene sheeting, etc.
Does it all work? For the most part yes. It will take the three car 
train up a 2% grade without difficulty, but struggles with the fourth 
car. The final solution is going to arrive by finding some way to 
improve dramatically the rolling characteristics of the car trucks ( 
as usual with so many brass cars, the PZ's truck wheels roll like 
casters in deep sand). The solution is probably going to come by 
insertion of conical bearing inserts into the truck bearing holes, 
and then fitting in NWSL 30" nickel silver wheel sets with the 
appropriate-length axles.
There are other things that can be done to improve this train as 
well, such as adding class lights, windshield wipers, proper horns, 
and ventilating windows in the windshield assembly. I have done all 
of this, and it really "looks good". I have yet to create the 
interiors, or the proper glazing treatments in the trailing cars.
Anyway, this old model can be made both presentable and reliable.

I have done similar to the Hallmark 9902 General Pershing, and it runs like a fine Swiss watch, hauling not only all of its cars, but also the extra Pullman behind the power car that the train commonly hauled KC to St. Louis from Billings, MT. I just recently converted the power car to Soundtraxx, and both it and its train are real Stars.
Denny

Denny





Denny S. Anspach, MD
Sacramento, California

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