Tyco 244 Alco 430 Restoration


Bruette

Bruette

Well-Known Member
The truck mounted coupler brackets are missing. Has any one encountered this problem before? I have several Tyco Alco 430 locomotives in different stages of restoration, but this one in particular is troubling me. These were the first train I ever had. My Mother gave me the Tyco "spirit of 76" set to set up under our Christmas tree in 1974. Alas I don't have the original, but I have been able to piece it back together from memory. I will never forget those cars and that engine. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading this.
 
I just sold three of those exact Tycos. I do have about half a dozen other 430s in various conditions if anyone is interested in them. (Drop me a PM) Either way, Stokers offer seems very fair to me.

The Silver Streak was part of my first train set. While I'm not into diesels, I really like the look of the 430.
 
thank you!

Hank4014 said:
If the loco was converted to modern couplers, the brackets would be removed.
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Ok, very good! Now my questions is how do I attach the modern couplers? Forgive me, that may be a silly question, but I have very little experience with modifications. Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience with me, I greatly appreciate it!
 
That is a very generous offer, thank you! I would be happy to buy that from you! You are not making any profit at that price. To be fair I have to tell you, if you sold that on eBay I am sure you could make a true profit depending on how nice the shell looks. I am new to this forum so if you are still interested in selling let me know what to do next. Thank you again!
 
You are correct sir! In my opinion Stokers offer is more then fair! I think it is a kind and generous thing to do! I would be interested in your Tyco Alco 430's. I am trying to gather up as many spare parts as I can because my plan is to run these on my layout and to pass them on to my grandsons. I don't know how to send you a PM. Maybe if you send me one I would be able to reply.

I like the silver streak too, but I am focusing on the spirit of 76 and the Santa Fe. When I got into this full time my daughter reminded me that for one Christmas we had a red and silver Santa Fe and she really loved it. I had forgotten about it, but she has fond memories of it. Fortunately Tyco made a 430 Santa Fe and that will do nicely with my parts inventory.

thank you very much!
 
If I remember right, the motor is part of one of the truck assemblies. Never had much luck trying to do anything with the power truck/motor. Tyco trains were inexpensive to begin with/usually not worth repairing. Have you tried contacting Model Power regarding a repair option? Model Power bought a few of the former models made under the Tyco/Mantua name. Might also contact Bruce Z at Northlandz near Flemington, NJ. Northlandz uses a lot of Model Power locomotives. Regarding the couplers, you might check the Kadee Coupler page, to see what they suggest. Another idea is to wait until the Atlas C430 comes out, and plop your shell on top of that mechanism-Atlas mechanisms run better than just about any Tyco stuff from the 70's. Good luck.
 
Thank you!!! That is a lot of information that I did not know! Thank you!!! That would be great to just put my shells on a new chassis. So far I have been able to take the motors apart, clean them, reassemble them and they all are still running good, but this coupler was a bear! This locomotive did not have coupler brackets. Another member sold me an engine, well I should say gave it to me because the price was only $10 with shipping! It does not run, but it has couplers. My only concern is Tyco used more then 1 power truck and maybe they won't fit. From the pictures he sent me it looks like it will, but I will let you know.



otiscnj said:
If I remember right, the motor is part of one of the truck assemblies. Never had much luck trying to do anything with the power truck/motor. Tyco trains were inexpensive to begin with/usually not worth repairing. Have you tried contacting Model Power regarding a repair option? Model Power bought a few of the former models made under the Tyco/Mantua name. Might also contact Bruce Z at Northlandz near Flemington, NJ. Northlandz uses a lot of Model Power locomotives. Regarding the couplers, you might check the Kadee Coupler page, to see what they suggest. Another idea is to wait until the Atlas C430 comes out, and plop your shell on top of that mechanism-Atlas mechanisms run better than just about any Tyco stuff from the 70's. Good luck.
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mine has had a little bit of work done to it. It's cobbled together from a few locos I had laying around to fit on a Bachmann GP40 frame.
 

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That looks great! Is that a custom paint job? What did you have to do to make it fit the Bachman chassis?
Thank you for sharing that with me! I love it!

GPwrangler said:
mine has had a little bit of work done to it. It's cobbled together from a few locos I had laying around to fit on a Bachmann GP40 frame.
Click to expand...
 
Bruette said:
That would be great to just put my shells on a new chassis.
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That would be the best thing to do. Before Atlas announced that they would be doing a C430, I cobbled this one together. A stretched MDC RS3 chassis, Sagami can motor, scratchbuilt fuel tanks, body mounted couplers, and a bucket full of detail parts. Or you can get a C430 chassis and modify it to fit. All depends on how you want it. :D
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That is an amazing piece of work! That is far beyond my capabilities. I was a mechanic not an artist or even a body man. I think I will try the Atlas 430 when it comes out. All the ones with good looking shells running now, but I'd like to try at least one with a modern frame and motor. Maybe I would even consider DCC if it works out. I would also want to do the same for a Life-Like GP 38.

I have to ask, how did you stretch the body? I can't see any evidence of it, great work!

Thanks for the picture and information.
 
Bruette said:
T
I have to ask, how did you stretch the body? I can't see any evidence of it, great work!
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Thanks for the compliment, but the body wasn't stretched, the frame was. literally,,it was sawed in half and brass stock attached to make it the correct length. The seams are hidden under the fuel tanks! :rolleyes:
 
Finally I got around to finishing my Spirit of 76 Alco 430.

Thanks to Stoker's generous offer I was able to get the parts I needed and now it runs great pulling the cars that came with the set 39 years ago. Makes me happy just to watch it circle the track.

Thank you everyone for all of your input!
 
Bruette said:
That looks great! Is that a custom paint job? What did you have to do to make it fit the Bachman chassis?
Thank you for sharing that with me! I love it!
Click to expand...
Thanks. I had to shorten the body slightly to get it to fit on the frame, and I notched the front and rear of the frame to allow the coupler boxes to be mounted more inward. The nose is from a different Alco model- although I'm not really sure which one. I had some extra SP decals so I painted it that way, and I made sure to use a number that SP didn't use.
 
I am amazed at the cosmetic work GRwrangler & kbkchooh have accomplished. I could never do any cosmetic work that good. I am happy with my accomplishments on the mechanical side of the shop. Just like the real railroads, they have specialists as well.

I am sure we all share the same sense of pride we feel when these old locomotives hit the rails and run again.

Louis
 
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