3F questions

[muggins]

I have just acquired a new 3F (31-627B) of 2015 build with which I am well impressed, but I have a couple of questions about it. First off, what on earth is this thing which comes with it in the detailing pack but is not mentioned in the destructions?

And the tender coupling has me mystified. As I understand it, the idea is that the loco-tender separation can be set at the desired distance by tightening the screw which retains the slotted tender "drawbar" in order to fix it in position. On this one, the "drawbar" is free to slide back and forth with the screw already tight (or seemingly so) as supplied.

I don't particularly want to glue it in the right position, so am I missing something obvious here or do I try making a suitably small washer to take up the slack under the head of the screw?

[Bigmet]

Your random black lump of plastic is a frame to secure a speaker in the tender for those wanting sound effects.

As for the screw secured slide to adjust loco to tender spacing, you are correct in apprehending how it should work. But now you mention it I recall some trouble with mine, bought when this was a new to the market release. This was only the third model I had bought with this most welcome feature, following the O4 and G2A, on both of which my recollection is that it worked perfectly.

Now, the securing screw had a washer under it as supplied on mine, and clamped the slide satisfactorily. But the slot in the slide was too short to permit to permit the loco to tender distance to be closed up enough for the fall plate to rest on the tender step. Releasing the securing screw in order to modify the slot resulted in the not-captive nut inside the tender falling out of its location. So I had to open the tender which meant the detail on the tender front pinged off. Bachmann rarely go back and correct small glitches of this sort, so you are probably on the same journey. (The subsequent 0-6-0 release, the J11, was trouble free...)

[muggins]

Cheers Bigmet. I'd never have guessed what the speaker thingy was!

Hmmm ... at least I know now to exercise caution when messing with the screw. I really don't want to get into taking the ender body off just to rescue a nut. Methinks some modification to the drawbar is certainly called for, but I'll put tack onto the Round Tuit list for the time being ...