Updating 1st-run Kato Mikado?

[nickelplate759]

I have undecorated 1st run Kato Mikado in my project drawer, and it's time to bring it to life.
I know that the original drawbar was fragile, and the original drivers had some contact issues, and want to address these.

I have a new drawbar (although I plan to change the tender for a Bachmann "USRA long", so it may not matter), but am wondering what to do about the drivers.

Kato sells a complete set of revised drivers - I'm wondering if are they a drop-in replacement for the 1st-run drivers?

Yes, I know that Kato once had a fire sale on the entire mechanism, but I missed out on that.
I know I can buy a new Mikado and swap bodies - but that offends my sense of frugality - I'd still have parts for a leftover Mikado.

George

[Chris333]

Yep the newer drivers drop right in, mine has them.

[CoalPorter]

I think all I have are the first run, and am still impressed by how
good they are! Don't see allot of need to do much (except allot
of people talk about improving traction).

[Chris333]

The first run pretty much won't move without the tender. Changing the drivers lets the locomotive pick-up power as well.

[seusscaboose]

2 questions
1) do the replacement drivers work with the traction tire upgrade for 1st run (I assume the answer is yes)
2) where does one acquire said replacement drivers?

Any assistance is appreciated ...

EP

[CBQ Fan]

2 questions
1) do the replacement drivers work with the traction tire upgrade for 1st run (I assume the answer is yes)
2) where does one acquire said replacement drivers?

Any assistance is appreciated ...

EP

Yes they do fit, I did it on my two first runs.  I got them from Kato direct through their parts dept online.  If they do not have them I would try your local hobby shop or maybe Walthers.

[nickelplate759]

I just ordered a set of drivers from Kato's parts department.  Part #932031

George

[seusscaboose]

Perfect info gentleman

Thank you!

EP

[Bart1701]

Interesting...

How do you tell if you have a first-run Mikado? I am betting that I have one - got it many, many years ago and think it was right when they came out. If it helps, it is a Santa Fe unit with Road Number 4016.

I just recently installed a DCC decoder in it and am able to finally run it on my layout. I do notice that it does stop/stall randomly at times (and not necessarily on a turnout), and just a tap from my finger on the side of the boiler usually gets it moving again. Sounds like the drivers may not be making contact. Would the revised drivers help this situation?

Thanks,
Bart

[UP4-8-8-4]

   The Kato Mikes are the easiest to put on the set of drivers with traction tires.
When putting them in place just be sure that the wheel counter weights are quartered to the rest of the drivers for looks.




Ernie

[Chris333]

This is a driver from the first run:

Those "fingers" reach out and touch the rim of the wheel, except it doesn't really work.

On the new wheels the rim and center are all one piece so they conduct.

The traction tire driver really doesn't matter since it is mostly rubber touching the rail.

[SkipGear]

The original runs are really hit and miss. I have an original run that was given to me in with a lot of un-running loco's I won on Ebay. After I completed the transaction, the seller contacted me and said he found one more loco in the drawer that didn't work and he would throw it in the box. To my surprise it was a beautifully custom painted, decaled and weathered Monon Mikado. It didn't run because it had an old Digitrax decoder that was programmed to not run on analog. The installer removed the pickup wipers in the tender and hardwired it to the truck pickups melting the trucks a bit and making the tender trucks stiff as a board. After replacing the tender floor, trucks, and rewiring the decoder it runs quite nicely and seems to get pickup from the older drivers just fine.

If it decides to give me fits. I have one of the Kato "chassis" from the sale that has been raided for parts that has drivers left over.

[mike_lawyer]

Does the stock drawbar work with the Bachmann Spectrum tenders? 

I found from a rebuild of my GHQ modified L1 that the stock drawbar is really important with smooth tracking of the loco.  My kitbash tried to hardwire the tender to the locomotive using a Bachmann Spectrum tender, but I found that the loco would not track well around curves.  So I went back to the stock Kato tender.

[FlyGuyB]

I have two first run Mikes. I have traction drivers to install, but can anyone point to a tutorial, or give instructions on how to add the newer drivers to the mike, and which position to put them in?

[peteski]

I now have the five sets of drivers I replaced and a bunch of traction tires.   I am wondering if the traction tires can be installed on the original drivers and installed to give two sets per engine.

If you are asking if you can cut a groove in the non-traction tire drivers then install traction tires then the answer is no. TT drivers are manufactured differently (the metal tire is thicker than on non-TT drivers to allow for the depth of the groove).