I purchased five Tyco tenders and will be working
on all five of them, so the photos may show different
chassis.
The brass wheels are dirty and some have corrosion on the
screw heads.
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Shown is a Kadee #143 coupler (short underset shank) and Kadee #208 .010 gray washers.
Once the trucks are set on the chassis, the washers are placed over the truck bolster posts, then
the screws are tightened down. The washers prevent the tender from wobbling on the trucks.
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The Bachmann Conductive Contact Lube
is used to lubricate the areas where metal touches metal and electrical conductivity is required. The 1200 grit
sanding pad is from NAPA and is used to clean the tires.
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Disassemble the chassis. Lightly rub the truck mounting posts
across the sanding pad until the ends shine. Use a pointed knife
blade and gently scrape the truck mounting areas and the end of the
drawbar post. Point the top of the blade toward the direction the scrape.
All five areas shown by the yellow arrows need to be cleaned as these are
electrical conducting points. Go easy on the scraping so these areas are
not scratched. The scrapings on the centersill were done by a former owner
and are not necessary.
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Assemble the coupler and attach with the Tyco screw. The coupler
pocket is a tight fit so it will not spin.
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Hold the gray washers and enlarge the hole with a round needle file.
They fit properly when they slide over the truck mounting post and
clear the screw head.
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Clean both sides of the truck bolsters. One truck is shown right side up
and the other upside down.
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I put the truck in a table vice and used the sanding pad to clean the tires.
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Hold the truck as shown and put one drop of the Bachmann oil
onto the ends of the axles where they run in trucks. Do both ends
of each axle on both trucks.
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Remove the gray washers from the chassis. Set the trucks in place as shown:
the metal wheels are on the opposite side of the chassis from the brake cylinder.
Put a drop of oil down the truck mounting post.
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Place the gray washers on the screw and put these into the mounting
post. Wipe off any excess oil. The washers
fit over post.The screws should tighen down completely and the trucks should
have a bit of play. If the truck doesn't swivel, loosen the screws until it does.
Put a drop of oil in the drawbar post and
thread the screw in.
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Completed chassis.
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Copyright © Jack Hess 2026
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