# Happy birthday to me!!!



## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Last week was my birthday so I ordered some presents for myself. I bought 3 old AF steam locomotives and 7 cars and
some other goodies. Track, track clips, track terminals, and
other little things. Here are some pics of the locos and cars.
I will show the best first. I really like the first pic. Its a 336
northern.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

*More*

I also got a 290 and a 283. Both are nice. I have not run any of the engines. Maybe tomorrow.
290 has some paint problems, nice tender. 283 has some paint problems on tender.
290 looks like it was hardly run. All the flanges look brand new.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

*More*

Here are some new to me cars.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

*more*

Well now it wont let me load the last pic of cars. I can only load 2 pics to a post. Not sure what is up. I will post the pic of the other cars later. Here are the last cars. LOL. I think.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Sorry about the pic of my sick wife. Not sure how it got in there. That was about a week before she died. That cancer got her. Sorry.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

*More*

Here is last pic. Maybe LOL.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

I thought you mentioned last week about your birthday, I think I said but Happy Birthday again! Very sorry about your wife, lost my younger brother to cancer. Terrible way for anybody to go. The Northern looks to be in great shape. Re-paint the 290, flyernut did one and it came out great. You can pick up a tender body cheep, most 283 tenders were Chicago and Northwestern. Your 904 caboose is a one year(1956) only. The 928 C&NW log car looks to be a pressed-wood chassis from 53-54. Neat stuff, all that should keep you busy for a while.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Thanks cramden. The 336 looks in nice shape for sure. The other 2 locomotives are nice also. Hate to repaint the 290 but it looks better in the picture than it is. The seller told me
it had paint problems. He had the whole set. I got the instruction books, envelope of wood screws still sealed. The cars are almost perfect. The 290 was not handled rough,
the paint job just is flaking off. The metal is very shiny and not holding paint. Might flake
after I paint it. I have painted a couple locomotives in other scales and they came out nice. Wonder if I should use primer on that 290 before I put final coat on. It really does look new. It was not run hardly any. I have seen some repainted AF steamers and they
look good. The 283 has a very nice boiler. Lets call it gently used. They are all in better shape than my old 282. Bet they won't outrun it. My 282 probably has less than 2 hour run time since 1955. If you remember it was running at half speed and motor was getting hot, very hot. I bought a powered chassis for parts. First thing I did was put the parts armature in the 282. I suspected a bad armature. It now runs very fast and you can run it hard and motor does not even get warm.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Cramden, 2 months before my wife died my best dog died of cancer. I am glad
he went first, he adored my wife. He was her shadow. Then 2 months after the wife died my youngest brother, like you, died of cancer. 2015 was a bad year. Cancer does suck.


You are right. That is not correct tender for 283. The body of tender at least is from an atlantic. Seller told me
that also. Suppose to be a great runner. Needs a red tube in smokestack. I have a few on order. One
of my 302s needs a red tube.

I do have enough stuff on these to keep me busy for awhile. Nothing big.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

That's the problem with the die-cast steamers, no primer was used by Gilbert during production. Some engines aren't affected and others seem to chip or peel. Any impurities on the surface during painting could affect the results. If it doesn't bother you then just run them, I always looked at scuffs and scratches as a toy that got used as intended.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I just noticed my 336 has lost its green jewels on the front. I see them on ebay like 6 of them for a dollar something. Will get some.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

All nice... I think Cramden is right, the log car appears to be a "pressed wood" flat car. These are rare, don't get rid of it...On your 290, the front tender trucks appear to be off the rail at the rear position. Maybe the photo magnifies it??. Anyways, check it out.. The 336 is NICE. I know the seller is usually high in his prices, but you get what you pay for, and if you're happy, so be it...It appears you have set #4904T,headed by the 290. The 290 looks great.... So very, very sorry about your bride... Cancer SUCKS, but it's with us to stay... Dad had skin cancer, prostate cancer, and finally bladder cancer.. Mom had breast cancer, and then colo-rectal cancer..Dad passed in 2003, and Mom passed this past April..And sorry about the dog. I've had a dog in my life since I was 4 years old, and I'm now 66. I had 5 dogs, but now down to just 3 chihuahuas....enough......Nice purchases, but you need a LAYOUT!!!!!...:laugh:


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Thanks flyernut. If they run I will be happy. Not sure what you guys mean by "pressed wood" flat car. The car it self is metal. The deck also. Its all one piece. Or do you mean
the logs. I ordered some green jewels this morning. Cheapest place was Marty's trains.
I guess they didn't notice the jewels were missing. They had them right there. I do not notice anything else missing. I am happy with the condition of the 336. You never know until you receive it. I also noticed the front tender truck in the pic. I will have to check
for a problem or if I just didn't have it on the rails right. I might try to live with the 290 paint. The cab numbers are nice. If they weren't it would be a no brainer to repaint. So
far I am happy with the 3 new to me locomotives. There was no surprises so that was good. Happy with the cars also. They are all in usable condition. I was looking at the log car and the couplers were not locking closed. The more I played with them they started working. I guess they have just not been used for awhile. What is best to lubricate the couplers with? Oil or dry graphite? I have both.


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

Nice birthday gifts. I'm very sorry to hear about your wife. My deepest sympathies.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Thanks Spence. I miss her. She could aggravate me like nobody else. But I guess that
is their job. She made it till our 40th wedding anniversary and a couple days later she
was gone. I am fine I think but no more wifes or dogs. and when all the plants are gone,
no more plants. Nothing living.


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

The lettering on the 290 appears perfect. When I repainted one of my 290's I carefully put Vaseline over the numbers. At the time Krylon made a semi flat black that was an exact match for the original 290 paint. After painting I carefully wiped off the Vaseline and it is almost impossible to tell the engine shell was repainted. 
Very nice birthday gifts. I am very, very sorry about your losses.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Did some reading about the log car this a.m. In 1953 some 628,928 log cars , some 649 circus flats, and some 636 reel cars were made with other materials because of shortages due to the Korean war. In the case of the log cars chances are that they were made of black Bakelite, not pressed wood. This according to Greenberg's volume 2 on page 53. It further states that some were made from a similar "brown-colored thermosetting plastic such as wood-flour sawdust/filled Durex or Plaskon". The lack of steps on your flat car is usually a good indication of this type of car. That and the paint doesn't adhere well. As you have found working the coupler manually usually frees it up. I use CRC QD(quick drying) spray to clean the couplers and then a drop of Labelle thin oil to keep them working properly. QD states its safe on plastic and I've used it to clean motors and such but I cover exposed areas with a dish towel or such just in case. Nothing wrong with graphite but I found it easier to put a drop of oil on the pin and the "J" hook that holds the weight.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Cramden, I thought my log car was metal but after you mention black bakelite, I think that is what it is. Its definitely black under the paint. What color should paint be for the log car. I am going to say gray. It does need a paint job. I can make out is was C&NW.

Thanks AmFlyer, Did you remove the old paint on the 290? Maybe some oven cleaner. Did you use any primer?


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

mopac said:


> Here is last pic. Maybe LOL.
> 
> View attachment 353497


Anyone else notice something odd about the Wabash hopper? I wonder if the trucks were changed or is it a real variation? Mopac,check the hopper and maybe you can tell if the trucks look original or not. The 640 shouldn't have sintered iron trucks, should be sheet metal with link couplers.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

mopac said:


> Cramden, I thought my log car was metal but after you mention black bakelite, I think that is what it is. Its definitely black under the paint. What color should paint be for the log car. I am going to say gray. It does need a paint job. I can make out is was C&NW.
> 
> Thanks AmFlyer,


Yes, gray is correct for the Bakelite frame. The die-cast frame came in gray or black.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Cramden, I can not tell if trucks on the Wabash hopper are original or not. They are riveted on. The Wabash is 640. I have 2 other gray 640 hoppers and their trucks are
screw on. The Wabash has tunnels inside for rivets. The gray ones have no tunnels inside.
They are different. I thought 600 cars had link and 900 cars had knuckles. Wabash has a fiber washer between body and trucks.

I just layed some an oval of track on basement floor. All "birthday" locomotives are runners. The 336 and the 290 took right off. 283 took some fiddle to get going. 283
might need some plug work. Until I fiddled with wires, it did not run. They are all 3 good runners. I think I got lucky. 336 runs as well as I could expect. 290 is very sweet. Once
I got 283 running it was fine. It has more hum from the tender. What is that telling me?
All 3 reverse units worked each and every time. 290 is barely a smoker, the other 2 are
fair to good. Choo choo sounds great in all 3. No whistle from 336 when I blew the horn button on my lionel transformer. Is there a special button?


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

I Just went over the areas where the paint was bad with some 400 grit sandpaper to smooth over the edges. It is not a show piece, but on a layout from 4 feet away it looked new. I did not use primer, the Krylon was supposedly self priming. I am not sure if the semi flat black is still available.
I run all new Legacy engines now, so except for my original Flyer sets most all my Gilbert engines are packed away. I do use a lot of original Gilbert cars on the layout.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

283 might need to be serviced and lubed. When I got 283 running it had a dry gear noise
for first couple laps, then that noise went away. I am starting to use Lucas white lithium grease in a tube, not the spray, on my trains. I read somewhere that lionel is recommending this grease for gears on their trains. All the other grease I have used seemed to melt off the gears and turn to oil. The white grease seems to stick to the gears very well. So far I like it. Anybody else use it?

Thanks AmFlyer. I have used the krylon before. I think I have a can of flat black and a can of black satin. I have painted some HO hoppers with the black satin and they look great. It does have a charcoal look to it. Not sure if it would look right on an AF. Flat might be better.


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

I used semi flat paint, it was a better match than the flat black. Never tried the black satin. 
I have used Hob-E-Lube Lithium grease for over 20 years on the gears of my Gilbert engines. It seems to work fine. My engines get very little run time so I am likely not a good test case.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I am not sure what lithium means or is but so far I like it.


I have not used the lithium on my HO engines cause they have plastic gears
and I do not know how the lithium grease will do with plastic. My tube does
not mention plastic.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Glad to hear all 3 are running. I have heard of using Lithium grease but don't use it on my trains. Lithium is the lightest metal found naturally and its made into a soap and mixed with oil to make grease. It bonds to metal well and has a high melting point. It should be okay on plastic gears. The 640 might have had knuckle coupler trucks installed post factory since the sheet metal trucks were longer(3 spring vs. 2 spring) and caused the wheels to rub the underside of the body. Gilbert did offer complete knuckle coupler truck kits so they might have been changed at some point by a service station or the owner. As an aside, Lithium is used as a medication to treat bipolar disorder.


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## flyguy55 (Apr 20, 2015)

Mopac if you have some CRC2 electrical contact cleaner spray that down the smoke tube of the 290.It wont harm smoke unit it dissolves rust inside and lubricates the smoke thread.The previous owner said it had not been run in lest 15 years and I put little smoke fluid in it and she smoked fine....


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

mopac said:


> Cramden, I can not tell if trucks on the Wabash hopper are original or not. They are riveted on. The Wabash is 640. I have 2 other gray 640 hoppers and their trucks are
> screw on. The Wabash has tunnels inside for rivets. The gray ones have no tunnels inside.
> They are different. I thought 600 cars had link and 900 cars had knuckles. Wabash has a fiber washer between body and trucks.
> 
> ...


Al, you'll need the special air chime whistle controller and "tube" for the whistle to work. Check ebay, there's always a bunch for sale...Here's 1 of my 290's with a new paint job and dry rub transfers.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

290 engine


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

That's the one I was referring to in post#7. That looks great flyernut. For a common engine it might be something to consider.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Here's a pair of engines I restored/repaired for a individual. He was mad as heck when he received them as he said they looked too good. They also ran perfect. I was given these 2 engines in a large box, and I basically just had shells and 2 chassis to work with..And I even delivered them over 150 miles round trip to him...Never again.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Very nice. That's a shame about the outcome, they look real nice. I sometimes wonder if some people know what the H*** they want.


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