# Sticky  Show us what you added to your roster lately?



## MOVL

Show us your newest locomotive or rolling stock purchase.
Scale...Traditional...Tinplate...whatever.

My newest locomotive purchase was this Lionel Legacy Toledo, Peoria & Western GP30 #700 in bicentennial paint...


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## 86TA355SR

I really like it!


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## Guest

This is about a month to soon, Keith. Wait till the 3rd Rail F7's come in next month.


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## gunrunnerjohn

My latest was the the LC+ Camelback, my first LC+ locomotive.









Previous to that, I picked up the Legacy B6sb.


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## Guest

Really like your GP 30, Keith. :appl:


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## bill937ca

I picked up a second hand RMT PRR Beep. An O gauge layout is awaiting more space.


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## rboatertoo

It was of those weeks here, I found 3 passenger car sets that I have been looking for. Not a normal week or even month.[/ATTACH][/ATTACH] 
Northern Pacific 21" K-line








Lionel Santa Fee Superliner with U28CG







K-line C&NW 21" cars, I recieved 8 but only put 6 on track.

When it rains it pours!!!


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## MOVL

Thanks guys!
Nice stuff. I love those SuperLiners.

Brian, I can't wait to see your F7s.


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## gunrunnerjohn

bill937ca said:


> I picked up a second hand RMT PRR Beep. An O gauge layout is awaiting more space.


That BEEP clearly needs a TMCC upgrade.


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## kstrains

I posted this on the other forum a couple months ago. It took me a few months to find all the passenger cars, but I glad to have the Hiawatha as part of my collection...


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## WestinghouseEMDdemoguy

-/-........


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## BobS

And, along came a spider.


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## MOVL

Ken, the Hiawatha is gorgeous. I love how shiny the cars are.


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## Guest

You have been aggressive on the acquisition front, Jim. Beautiful purchases. You have got the passenger car bug for sure!

That North Coast Limited set is very rare and beautiful.


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## Guest

Ken, love your video!


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## Yellowstone Special

These photos were taken with my Iphone, so they're not up to the standards most of you are used to. But here's a double headed Illinois Central SD40 with Pullmor motors and 12-wheel drive that I acquired over the summer, then found an inoperable one a year older. So, I took out the motors and MUed the two of them and they make a good team pulling one my freights circa late 1960s.

Then a couple of Atlas reefers, my first Atlas freight cars.

Then a K-Line reefer with a load of green banana bunches handing from the ceiling, my first K-Line freight car.


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## Yellowstone Special

Well whadaya know? It worked. First time I've tried posting photos into the text of the post, and it worked.

This makes my day! Many thanks to GunrunnerJohn for his instructions and to teledoc's post on how to do this.


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## BobS

Great photos Vern. The size offers great definition. But I wish there was a way to downsize them just a bit. I use an Apple computer, and even though I upload them as small, they always come out so big here.


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## MOVL

Vern, the IC units are tough. Love the banana load in the K-Line reefer.


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## gunrunnerjohn

The bananas in the PFE reefer is great, I'll have to consider that or something similar.


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## Yellowstone Special

Thank you, Bob. Fortunately, when I download the photos they come out at just the right size when they're uploaded to the posts. It took me awhile to figure this out, as I'm a little slower than most members on this forum. 

Keith and John: the K-Line wood sided reefer came with the banana bunches and tiny hooks used to hang them. The roof snaps out, then you place the hooks though small holes in the tops of the bunches and hang them from the inside ceiling of the snap-out roof. Then when they're all hung (there's 12 of them), you just snap the roof back on and you have a loaded reefer. This was a pleasant surprise to me, as this is my first K-Line car.

Evidently, K-Line made other loads for these reefers as well. I think that the detailing on the K-Line cars are every bit as good as the Atlas reefers.


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## Boilermaker

*TP&W GP 30*







I too have this Lionel legacy engine on my layout.


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## Yellowstone Special

Boilermaker: She's a beauty!


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## MOVL

Boilermaker,
Welcome to the forum!
I'm glad you posted that pic...it shows how sharp this engine really is. My photo was taken in some weird lighting.


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## rboatertoo

Passenger Train Collector said:


> You have been aggressive on the acquisition front, Jim. Beautiful purchases. You have got the passenger car bug for sure!
> 
> That North Coast Limited set is very rare and beautiful.


Thanks Brian, now to find the up 21" cars.....


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## J. S. Bach

MOVL said:


> Show us your newest locomotive or rolling stock purchase. ...snip...


Your post made me look at my ebay purchases this year: seventy-seven items in seventy-two auctions; groups of trucks, couplers each count as one. That does not count train shows, stores, etc. Here is a sampling:

This first in line to be two-railed and (maybe) internally lit with randomly flashing leds:


This has some possibilities for two-railing, note that I have a pair:


Non-powered and I am not sure why I got it as it is still three-rail:


A ten-dollar cabin? Even with the proper trucks! How could I resist?


These are from ebay. The two gray Lionels are converted to two-rail; one with Commonweath and one with Buckeye four-axle trucks:


Another two-railed Lionel:


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## Guest

New MTH flatcar that should be arriving in tomorrow's mail:


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## gunrunnerjohn

I looked at those a couple of times Gene, that looks pretty cool.


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## Guest

Thanks GRJ... Just happened to see them on the OGR buy/sale forum and jumped at the chance to get it a very reasonable price.


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## cchancey

Great photos and equipment. All of you have fun with your new additions.


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## MOVL

Gene the fire trucks on flatcar is a nice piece of rolling stock.



J. S. Bach said:


> This first in line to be two-railed and (maybe) internally lit with randomly flashing leds:


I have two of these for my alien recovery train that I'm working on. I too plan on adding LEDs to it to make to ooze glow. Shining lit LEDs at the ooze gave it a nice look.


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## MOVL

*A couple new Atlas O cars arrived*

These arrived yesterday.

An Atlas O Wisconic & Southern "we support our troops". It goes with the two I already had which read "God bless America" and "a day America will never forget". Also got an Atlas O cylindrical hopper for a simple re-lettering job.


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## Guest

Thanks Keith!


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## Lehigh74

Picked this up a few weeks ago.









These aren’t really new to the roster, but they’re recently returned from the back shop (Henning’s) where GRJ added smoke to the dummy (installed a tether and repaired the dummy smoke unit which I had managed to fry with 22VAC). They smoke pretty well, but it doesn’t show well in pictures.


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## 86TA355SR




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## gunrunnerjohn

I recognize those!  Glad they're all working. 

Important safety tip, don't use track voltage on MTH PS/2 smoke units!


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## PatKn




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## CDNJ

Bought some nice K-line passengers cars.
Not pictured is the Lackawanna 18 inch set I found at a train festival.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Love the army stuff, I'd like to do a full army train at some point.


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## Laidoffsick

Although I still have several locomotives in "the build" phase, the last one delivered to the shops was a joint purchase:


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## Yellowstone Special

Laidoffsick: All I can say is Wow! Impressive. :thumbsup:


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## PatKn

LOS,
*AWSOME Pictures*
The engine is really cool. Did I tell you how much I like that engine facility yet.


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## MOVL

Great purchases everyone.
I like seeing what others have purchased...new or used.

Pat, I like those Weaver cars. I've been thinking about looking for some of those troop cars. Had some on order from Weaver, but they cancelled them. If Atlas does issue these as they say, I will order some.


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## Yellowstone Special

Forgot about my first Menard's box car with the free Mack truck.


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## bluecomet400

Laidoffsick, that's a gorgeous loco--very nice!!
Here's my soon-to-be-latest acquisition, Lionel set # 235W freight set from the 1937 catalog. I have this set's "twin," the un-catalogued version: same 249E loco, but with the small 800-series 4-wheel cars. Same bodies, but the cars only have 4 wheels instead of 4-wheel trucks. This isn't a set I'd go out of my way to buy, but a friend of ours led me to it and I can't pass up a good deal on well-cared-for tinplate. It's not mine yet, but it will be in the coming days.


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## MOVL

*Wonder Bread*

Just added this Lionel hopper. It was made around 2001. I've always wanted one and finally got it.


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## Tucgary

Keith, I like that a lot. I have been looking for a red/white/blue,car for a while and I enjoy the nice clean looks of this one. Putting it on my want list. Enjoy yours. Tucgary


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## MOVL

Tucgary said:


> Keith, I like that a lot. I have been looking for a red/white/blue,car for a while and I enjoy the nice clean looks of this one. Putting it on my want list. Enjoy yours. Tucgary


Thanks! I like the grphics design too. There actually was a prototype, though it was a 4-bay hopper. MTH also did this car as a 3-bay hopper too. They are out there, it just took me a while to purchase one.


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## santafe158

Just purchased my third Williams locomotive off of another forum. My Williams N&W J class has been my main runner for my Redford Theatre layout and after 4 years has hardly shown any signs of wear. I figured it couldn't hurt to have another berkshire around for some running. Should be here this week. I'm also interested in this one since it's the only williams locomotive that I have the postwar Lionel counterpart to compare to.


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## gunrunnerjohn

It should give you long service, most of the Williams stuff is practically bulletproof!


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## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> It should give you long service, most of the Williams stuff is practically bulletproof!


So I've noticed! My N&W J has hardly any signs of wear after about 3 or 4 seasons of running, but the Lionel Polar Express berkshire I put on the layout for one season already shows signs of flange and pickup roller wear. I like my Lionel stuff, but I think Williams wins in this type of functionality :laugh:


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## MOVL

santafe158 said:


> Just purchased my third Williams locomotive off of another forum. My Williams N&W J class has been my main runner for my Redford Theatre layout and after 4 years has hardly shown any signs of wear. I figured it couldn't hurt to have another berkshire around for some running. Should be here this week. I'm also interested in this one since it's the only williams locomotive that I have the postwar Lionel counterpart to compare to.


Nice purchase. I like the look of that. Enjoy!


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## Lee Willis

*Lionel Union Pacific Caboose*

This UP caboose arrived today. I don't have that many cabooses, about ten in total maybe, so this will be used frequently, since I run Union Pacific a lot. It's been discussed previously, so I will only add that it is top quality, befitting its price, with good lights, detail, including enough of the interior to see through the windows, and two figures, and smoke, which is this case seems to mostly cause a slight smoke odor, little more (okay by me, smoking cabooses are not a bit thing with me. 









I have this same basic caboose, also UP, but in all brown. I was not expecting to be surprising, but in the lighter color I could see the crack around the doors anddisscovered that they open. I never noticed that on the dark brown one. Nice, although what good it is, is beyond me. Still, it is fun.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Nice caboose Lee, I picked up the same one the other day. I had it on pre-order with the VL-BB, it was the last piece to come in.


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## 86TA355SR

Lee,
The first picture looks like Weber Canyon on the UP line!

Add me to the list of UP caboose owners. 

I'm really excited to see the BB Commerative caboose arrive in DEC. Should be a very nice piece.


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## MOVL

Lee, good looking caboose. I wish I could say that I only have about ten cabooses. Truth is, I may have more cabooses than locomotives. They are just so interesting to me. Every time I get a new locomotive, I want a new caboose just for it.


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## santafe158

MOVL said:


> Nice purchase. I like the look of that. Enjoy!



I'd say I'll try, but I don't think it'll take much to make me enjoy it. Williams makes some nice stuff for the price. I'm more interested in comparing it side by side with my Lionel 736 Berkshire.


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## bill937ca

*Latest Stuff*

I've added a couple of additional pieces lately. One is a basic Lionel caboose, lettered Pulling For You Since 1900`.

The other is a Rugged Rails O27 Pennsylvania observation car.


Bill


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## MOVL

^ Bill, I like your purchases. The "Pulling For You Since 1900" is one I've never seen before. That's right up my alley...I'll have to look for one.


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## bluecomet400

I've never seen that "Pulling for You" caboose--I might just have to get one of those. I finally picked up this set that I found a few weeks ago, a Lionel 235W freight set from the 1936 catalog. The loco was recently professionally cleaned, lubed and re-wired, so it's ready for service. At York, if I can find a good deal on replacements for the flat car and tank car, I'll probably upgrade those. Otherwise, a little cleaning and this set is ready to go. 

I don't know who was happier at the end of the deal: me for adding another set to the collection, or the man I bought it from, for knowing the set went to a good home.


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## MOVL

^very nice set! With your collection, it definitely went to a good home. Enjoy it! Thanks for posting the pic.


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## Ricky Tanner

I'm always adding to the roster.Here are two MTH items that I scored the past couple of weeks. The US Army troop train w/PRR G5 and the NYC J1e Hudson with Scullin disc drivers and pedestal tender.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Ricky, where are they?


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## Ricky Tanner

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Ricky, where are they?


They're attached now!


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## 86TA355SR

I really enjoy this thread. 

A vast variety in interest. Great stuff.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Ricky, I still don't see them.


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## Ricky Tanner

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Ricky, I still don't see them.


I see them fine. I wonder if they are still too large. I have a 5K monitor on my MacPro. Anyone else not seeing them?


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## Mark Boyce

I see them on an iPad. Very nice!


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## Mark Boyce

So here is mine. PS3 Imperial N&W J


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## davidone

Nice engine Mark.


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## MOVL

Ricky, that is a great score. I particularly like the troop train.

Mark, your J is tough. I actually was never a huge fan of the N&W J, until I saw the MTH Imperial version. That made me a fan of them. I still keep holding off, but I really want an Imperial J Class.


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## Mark Boyce

David, Keith,
Thank you! 
I have liked the J since I first saw it at the museum in Roanoke in the late '80s.

It is my first PS3. I had some issues with it, and even sent it back to MTH under warranty, but they couldn't reproduce it. Some folks here may recall my lengthy topic on OGRF. Gunrunnerjohn is one. As it turned out, the PS3 didn't like me powering the Fixed Input with a Z500 brick. My PS2 had no trouble. I bought an old ZW, and it all works fine now. And yes, I have TVS diodes and breakers on the ZW.


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## Ricky Tanner

MOVL said:


> Ricky, that is a great score. I particularly like the troop train.
> 
> Mark, your J is tough. I actually was never a huge fan of the N&W J, until I saw the MTH Imperial version. That made me a fan of them. I still keep holding off, but I really want an Imperial J Class.


Thanks,I had been looking for the MTH US Army troop train for years and they never seemed to come up for sale. Scotty Griggs (Trainz)put this one up for auction and I was the high (only) bidder! I also have been looking for the MTH 5344 J!e with the Scullins and the PT tender. It's a tough one to fine too. I've only see one other come up for sale/auction the past several years. This one makes twelve NYC scale Hudson's on my roster. I'm always looking for scale steam that I don't already have.


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## L0stS0ul

I won this MTH PS2 20-80004B Milwaukee Road GP-7 Diesel Locomotive over the weekend in a Trainz auction. The listing said used but when I put it on the track it had less than 5 minutes of run time and less than .7 miles. Must have just been from testing it at the factory. I got a great price for it I think. Of course it needed a new battery and a lube job but it's really nice for my first non steam engine. Plus I was born in Milwaukee so that made it even better


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## Lee Willis

Not that its a loco or rolling stock, but this White Box model of a '63 Maserati Quattroporte will go on the layout when I set it up for the '60s. In 1963 the Quattroporte (four-door) was just slightly larger than a Ford Falcon of that era, very luxuriously fitted out, and the fastest production sedan in the world in 1963, with a top speed of 145 mph. I was never that big a fan of Maserati, but I thought they got it right with this one.
It is a very good model. White Box models seem to vary a lot if detail and quality and this is the best I have seen.








The interior is very detailed and well done.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Nice GP7, I always liked the Milwaukee Road colors. 

And then there's Lee, buying the expensive sports cars again!


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## MOVL

I'm a fan of Milwaukee Road diesels so that Geep is good looking in my book.

Lee your Maserati looks like a beauty.


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## J. S. Bach

This just arrived today around 1330 and was two-railed by 1400. I saw one on a friend's layout and wanted one. This one appeared on ebay. Apparently it is not popular as I got on the third listing. The first was at $40.00 with no sale, re-listed at $38.00 with no sale (I was going to bid but forgot the ending time and missed it), re-listed again at 35.00 and I remembered this time.


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## Mark Boyce

I got the photos to work John. Thanks!

This MTH Premier PS1 F3 set just arrived yesterday. It looks like new, has very little wear. Now I just have to get it out of Reset mode. I got it for a great price because the seller told me it was on the shelf for years and was stuck in Reset.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Mark Boyce said:


> I got the photos to work John. Thanks!
> 
> This MTH Premier PS1 F3 set just arrived yesterday. It looks like new, has very little wear. Now I just have to get it out of Reset mode. I got it for a great price because the seller told me it was on the shelf for years and was stuck in Reset.


First step is to replace the battery. That may do the trick. If not, drop me a line, you can ship me the boards and I can do a reset on them with my reset kit. Worst case is you need a top board, still fairly cheap.

Just to confirm, it starts up and gives you the two dings, and then won't do anything, is that the situation?


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## Mark Boyce

gunrunnerjohn said:


> First step is to replace the battery. That may do the trick. If not, drop me a line, you can ship me the boards and I can do a reset on them with my reset kit. Worst case is you need a top board, still fairly cheap.
> 
> Just to confirm, it starts up and gives you the two dings, and then won't do anything, is that the situation?


John,
Yes I was planning on replacing the battery when I made the deal. Yes, two dings and then it sits there. The lights come on and both headlights blink. Thanks for the offer about resetting the boards. I will let you know.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I just had one with two dings and no motion. Putting a new battery in was all it required. It had the old white battery, which was long past it's usable life. That may be all yours requires.

FWIW, a general tip with PS/1 is to check the batteries after a long storage time before you ever power them up. The older sound chips have a tendency to scramble the memory and require the reset.


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## Mark Boyce

John,
Lets hope that is the case with this one, but if not when I decided to buy it I was prepared to even replace a board if need be.

I just saw the PS3 version at a local hardware store/train store this morning; Great Northern A-B-A for $699, list price $799. While I realize it has PS3, and mine is PS1, I don't think it looks any nicer than mine. In fact, I like the color scheme better on the one I have.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Some of the older Premier PS/1 locomotives were really nicely done. I have a Reading A-B-A F3 set that looks as good as any of the new stuff I see. I'll be upgrading those to command at some point...


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## Bob Phillips

GRJ I have a PS1 Santa Fe RMD set I'd like to legacy. Building around wall shelf layout over my S scale layout in the one rec room.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, no chance of upgrading to Legacy, unless you cannibalize a Legacy locomotive. There are no Legacy upgrade parts available. You can buy some of the boards, but specifically the sound stuff is tightly controlled.

You can, of course, upgrade it to TMCC or PS2 ( PS3 now, no more PS2 kits ).


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## Bob Phillips

Ok. TMCC and use the sound from PS1?


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## gunrunnerjohn

You can't really keep the sound from PS/1. There was a board in the way back history called the Equalizer that did that, but DD went out of business. TAS also had a product that melded the two, but they're also out of business.

The only game in town nowadays for TMCC upgrades is The Electric Railroad (ERR). They have a limited number of sound boards with canned sounds. You can listen to the sounds if you visit the site, click on the Purchase link, and then the RailSounds products link. There is a link to the sound clips for each audio board.


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## Bob Phillips

Thanks I will check it out.


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## Bob Phillips

Sounds like F3 F7 is the closest sound. TMCC & that sound? Will you do it?


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## njrailer93

got this off the bay for 20 dollars its an ertl diamond reo truck with piggyback trailer


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## gunrunnerjohn

Bob Phillips said:


> Sounds like F3 F7 is the closest sound. TMCC & that sound? Will you do it?


I can certainly do it, it'll be most likely after Christmas at this point. I'm soon going "under the knife" for cataract surgery in early November, and I suspect for a spell my vision will be suspect, they do the second eye a month later. I'm thinking I may have trouble doing fine bench until it's all done and I get my final set of glasses for close work. I don't want to make commitments I can't meet.


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## Bob Phillips

Hope all goes well and I can wait no rush. I mite try to pick up lion chief plus steamer at York. would be great to get that for remote train.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I picked up my first LC+ locomotive, the Camelback. It's actually a nice little locomotive, and one of the first that was actually scale sized. The sound isn't up to Legacy quality, they appear not to have multiple channel sound for the LC+ stuff, but it's certainly not bad.


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## PatKn

John,
Good luck with your cataract surgery. I had mine done last year. Amazing what they can do now. They installed lenses that corrected my astigmatism and I was able to take the patch off after one day. I now only need glasses for reading after 38 years of wearing glasses all the time. I hope your surgery goes as well as mine did.


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## bill937ca

njoffroader said:


> got this off the bay for 20 dollars its an ertl diamond reo truck with piggyback trailer


Nifty truck!


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## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks Pat. My wife had it last year, hers went well, so I'm hoping for the same treatment.


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## Mark Boyce

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Some of the older Premier PS/1 locomotives were really nicely done. I have a Reading A-B-A F3 set that looks as good as any of the new stuff I see. I'll be upgrading those to command at some point...


Don't ever say you have seen it all, a wise man once said.
The guy I bought the Premier F3 A-B-A set from, said he took it off the shelf after 8 years. It wouldn't run, so he put a new battery in and couldn't get it to run. So he offered it at a really nice price. While waiting for my BCR to arrive in the mail, I took the shell off to try a different battery. Guess what's? He never told me he took the battery out again to ship it, and there wasn't a battery in the box. So I plugged a battery in and within a minute, I had the F3 cruising around the outer loop!! Works for me!! I'm leaving the shell off until I get the BCR, a couple of the standoffs broke off when I took the screws off the B unit. That's what I get for looking to see if there was anything inside.


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## callmeIshmael2

Cool thread; keep 'em coming. Love John's B6. Always wanted the K-line B6, but wow on the Legacy version - the lights, the funnel in flight; yeah! Love the F units, too...


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## PatKn

Good news Mark. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: Enjoy your engine. She's a beauty.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Mark Boyce said:


> I'm leaving the shell off until I get the BCR, a couple of the standoffs broke off when I took the screws off the B unit. That's what I get for looking to see if there was anything inside.


Mark, I repair the standoffs using brass tubing and JB-Weld. If they're just cracked, I just slip a small length of tubing on them and fill them with JB-Weld, then drill the hole again. If they're really busted, I put the tubing over the break and glue the pieces together with JB-Weld. In some cases, I've just used the tubing and filled it with JB-Weld to recreate the post.


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## T-Man

Brass tubing is handy. For epoxy I have used plastic straws and they peel off when done. Just a reason to go get a shake!


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## gunrunnerjohn

Why bother to take the straw off?


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## MOVL

njoffroader said:


> got this off the bay for 20 dollars its an ertl diamond reo truck with piggyback trailer


Good deal and it's a nice truck.


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## T-Man

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Why bother to take the straw off?


It leaves a good mold.


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## HarborBelt1970

*Jekyll and Hyde ??*

I fear that my contribution to this thread will reveal a dreadful split personality disorder:









which is that I like fantasy engines and rolling stock every bit as much as rivet-by-rivet scale accuracy.

_Example of the first_: In my never-ending search for the best aluminum passenger cars made by Lionel, I eventually came across the Superliners they issued some 10 years ago. The Alaska and Santa Fe versions are superb but the fantasy New York Central cars appealed to me more. Is it sad that's because (1) they're mostly coal black and so (2) I thought of making a fantasy excursion train of them behind a double-header of steamers but (3) neither steam engine is NYC because I have none of that RR's locos?! 

However, these certainly pass my essential test for passenger cars, which is that they draw ooohs and aaahs from my visitors when seen running around my crappy carpet layout at night with their interiors glowing away. So possibly I should have taken this photo in the dark with the cars powered up on the track:









I actually have three of these extremely well-lit lounge cars and the story of how I got them is either an example of dumb luck or Murphy's Law. Of course they all have the same car name and road number and I'm wondering whether Harry Heike would re-name and number them for me??

_But suddenly I feel an irresistible urge to count rivets_, and especially on auxiliary water tenders. 

Both Lionel and MTH have recently issued UP "flag" version AWTs and I think also had the nerve to letter them "Jim Adams" to mimic the UP flag tender dedicated to him. But these are anything but prototypical; they are a re-hash of tenders issued before with the flag painted on while the real things are completely redesigned/rebuilt and highly distinctive rolling stock.

Enter 3D printing technology. I found a UK-based modeler who has made accurate N and HO scale models of the UP AWTs that are used with the present day UP excursion steam power. I asked him if these could be scaled up to O, he did so and here's the result:

















And here's one of the maker's own photos showing a comparison of all three scales:









Of course it's "O" or no for me.

The maker is James Norris: https://jamestrainparts.wordpress.com/shop/steam-tenders/up-water-tender-2007-present-o-scale-148/

Conventional 3D printing (actually 2D layering) produces some surprising results. For example, these large tender shells weigh exactly 3.25 ounces. On the rails you can't tell that, however, only when you handle them and it's clear they are extreme featherweights.


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## MOVL

Wow those tenders are beautifully done. Excellent addition to the UP excursion train.
I always liked the look of the Lionel SuperLiners too. Great stuff!


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## 86TA355SR

I have the feeling when the new UP Excursion train arrives, those UP tenders will sell a record number! The only way to get an accurate model of the late versions...

I bought a new toy today but won't be here until at least next week. Can't wait either!


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## HarborBelt1970

86TA355SR said:


> I have the feeling when the new UP Excursion train arrives, those UP tenders will sell a record number! The only way to get an accurate model of the late versions...
> 
> I bought a new toy today but won't be here until at least next week. Can't wait either!


That will be good to see (your new toy). 

Regarding the tenders, the 3D printing is only of the shells, not the frame and trucks/couplers, which I sourced from Lionel replacement parts. Since mine were done the maker has added some strengthening to the top of the shell and they are also available in a finer printing material. I've bought one of these to finish myself and I'll post some shots of the unfinished parts another time. 

There's a lot of work involved in finishing these so it's a long-term project for me. But since there seems to be no prospect whatsoever of anyone making these in brass (the ideal material) or die cast the printed versions are the only option if you want these particular AWTs. I'd love to be wrong about that but believe me I looked everywhere for these.


----------



## njrailer93

just picked up this nice o scale sanding tower today from MTH


----------



## MOVL

njoffroader, your layout looks very nice.
MTH makes a good sanding tower.


----------



## Mark Boyce

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Mark, I repair the standoffs using brass tubing and JB-Weld. If they're just cracked, I just slip a small length of tubing on them and fill them with JB-Weld, then drill the hole again. If they're really busted, I put the tubing over the break and glue the pieces together with JB-Weld. In some cases, I've just used the tubing and filled it with JB-Weld to recreate the post.


John,
Thank you for the ideas. Both snapped off right where the standoff joins the shell. I think I'll have to find the best glue to reattach them. I like the tubing idea if the break is farther up, but I can see where a whole new post with tubing and JB weld would work too.


----------



## Mark Boyce

All great items my friends!!
Well I hit a bonanza this month. In addition to the F3 A-B-A set, I purchased a ProtoSound 1 B&O E-8 A-B-A set plus 7 streamline passenger cars all new in box that a fellow had from a large estate sale. He lubed, put in a BCR, and checked out the E8s before putting up for sale. Super price! I may upgrade to PS3, but they run great conventionally.

The only trouble is, now I need a larger layout!! :smilie_daumenpos: :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## MOVL

Mark those are beautiful. Yeah E7/E8 ABAs are layout shrinkers for sure. What a set that is.
I always love the B&O paint scheme on E and F units.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Thank you Keith! I grew up a half mile from the B&O. They stopped the passenger service in the mid '60s on that like In the 'late 60s they ran mostly freight on that line pulled by the solid dark blue F units. These are much sharper looking!


----------



## njrailer93

MOVL said:


> njoffroader, your layout looks very nice.
> MTH makes a good sanding tower.


thank you very much!


----------



## PatKn

Mark,
Those E8s are georgeous. :thumbsup: I have always liked the B&O scheme and I'm partial to E8s. It does look like you are chasing your tail in the picture. We never seem to have enough room. Enjoy them.


----------



## J. S. Bach

No pictures yet, but an MTH Burlington Zephyr suddenly showed up in the incoming service track. I will (probably) have it two-railed, but for the time being I will enjoy it as the Greenfloor Flyer on my Carpet Central.  If the horn is the same as the one in the Flying Yankee, I am in for a treat. I ran the Yankee on a friend's layout and just could not keep my hand off of the air horn!   :laugh:


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Nice B & O train, Mark. Although I'm not a long engine type of guy, those E8s look nice. Now all you need to do is triple or quadruple the size of your layout, so the new train will have some room to operate.


----------



## Guest

Here are our York Meet treasurers we brought home to the layout.

View attachment 92713


----------



## PatKn

Brian, Nice Haul. :smilie_daumenpos: I see you are adding helicopters to your layout. Do you plan on motorizing them?


----------



## ErnestHouse

Keeping my retro childhood collection prewar, post war O-27 tubular, I just added eBay purchased #260 model A bumpers in original paint for an elevated 3% grade bump and go track for another eBay purchased #60 Blue letter Lionelville Trolley.


----------



## ErnestHouse

Coming off a somewhat hodgepodge collection, I wanted a coherent train for my 1666 steamer and single modified 2440 pullman (coil couplers). From eBay, a 2644W tender with metal chassis blower, 6440 pullman and 6441 observation car.


----------



## Mark Boyce

PatKn said:


> Mark,
> Those E8s are georgeous. :thumbsup: I have always liked the B&O scheme and I'm partial to E8s. It does look like you are chasing your tail in the picture. We never seem to have enough room. Enjoy them.


Pat, Thank you! Chasing it's tail? Yes it is. Take a look at the video


----------



## Mark Boyce

Yellowstone Special said:


> Nice B & O train, Mark. Although I'm not a long engine type of guy, those E8s look nice. Now all you need to do is triple or quadruple the size of your layout, so the new train will have some room to operate.


Vern,
Thank you. Yes, I hate to say it, but once the novelty is off, the E8 set is going to go in a storage box until I have a layout to visit and take them along, or get a larger layout built. Once our last daughter moves out (she's 24) I will make her 12x12 room into all layout. Now if I can just get that nice young fellow she has been dating the last few years to pop the question!!:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Guest

"Do you plan on motorizing them?"

Yes Pat, one is already motorized and I will do the other. They light as well.

I have one helicopter installed on the layout now, and it is a real attention getter. I ordered the Maryland State Police copter from Jack Pearce last April. We found the other at a great price at another vendor's display.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Awesome video, Mark and thanks for the link. Hopefully, he will pop the question soon so she'll get out of there and you can start on your new layout.


----------



## MOVL

I purchased this one and am waiting for it to arrive.
This boxcar was made by Weaver Models to commemorate the 2005 Liberty Limited. The 2005 Liberty Limited consisted of several private rail car owners that got Amtrak to pull their cars loaded with military vets and take them to the annual Army Navy game.


----------



## PatKn

Mark Boyce said:


> Vern,
> Once our last daughter moves out (she's 24) I will make her 12x12 room into all layout. Now if I can just get that nice young fellow she has been dating the last few years to pop the question!!:smilie_daumenpos:


I know how you feel Mark. My daughter just celebrated her first anniversary and my son is getting married this Sunday. I'm a recent empty nester and enjoying it.


----------



## PatKn

I just purchased this beauty from a fellow Forum member.  This is the catalog picture.









It's an MTH Premium Proto 2 Scale GG1. It gave me a bit of a scare. When it arrived.  I installed a BCR and powered it up in conventional. After a charge period for the BCR, I cycled it into forward and all sound stopped and the engine wouldn't move. I tried it in DCS mode and it ran OK but no shutdown sounds. I switched out the BCR for a known good one from another engine and everything ran as it should. One of the wires had come off the connector of the BCR I purchased. The engine is in great shape. Everything works good as advertised. I guess nothing goes as smoothly as it should. :dunno: It has a minor problem now that I think I should be able to fix. When the automatic pantographs cycle one latches when it goes down and then won't go up when it should. I need to adjust the pantograph so it doesn't snap shut when the motor pulls it down.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Pat,
Very nice GG1. I'm glad you are only having minor problems with it.


----------



## Mark Boyce

If you didn't see my post from a few days ago, here is the GN F3 A-B-A set that the seller said had been sitting on the shelf for 8 years and wouldn't run. All it needed was a new battery. I put a BCR in it and charged it up 2 nights ago. I finally got a chance to try it out this evening. I have it pulling my 7-car B&O streamline set just because they were on the track. I have a selection of heavyweights I plan to have it pull as an excursion train, until I can get some Great Northern stream-liners. 

As my electronics professor in my final semester 40 years ago used to always say, "The proof of the pudding is the eating thereof."
Thank you for watching!!


----------



## Lee Willis

Nice set of locos Mark. The proof is entirely in the eating thereof!


----------



## Guest

Nice set of GN locos, Mark. One of my favorite road names.


----------



## L0stS0ul

Over the weekend I picked up a nice set of MTH 30-6240 Southern Crescent Madison 4-Car Passenger cars. I had been wanting to find a nice set for a decent price ever since I got the Imperial P47. That engine is currently down with a bad tach reader (hopefully that's all) but will be fronting this passenger set soon one way or another.


----------



## Larry Sr.

Brian

In your picture from York up in the top right corner there is a set of yellow tanks , red pipes ect. Can you please advise what company those are made by?

Thanks

Larry

PS Sure looks like we both chase Shell products and you are ahead in the hunt


----------



## Jeff T

Nice set Mark!! My favorite.


----------



## RonthePirate

Thanks to our For Sale or Trade (member-to-member) section here, I picked up three oldies:
A 2642 and 2643 observation car and Pullman, plus a 1668 Loco and tender in near mint condition:



























PLUS, from Ebay, a nice 3251. Needs paint, but runs like new:









And L0stS0ul, those passenger cars are gorgeous! Refreshing to see the Monitor roof! And the greens are just striking!


----------



## Lee Willis

It seems like a lean time for new locomotives and rolloing stock now. Only new thing that is really cool this past week is this 1:43 model by Bizarre of the 1929 Land Speed Record Car, The Golden Arrow. It bumped the record up to 231.44 mph. It is a cool model and the real car was interestingly innovative - the radiators where mounted on the sides, each a big slab ten feet long, and air blew down their sides, not through them, for streamlining. This brings my collection of land speed record cars to twenty.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Jeff T said:


> Nice set Mark!! My favorite.


Thank you! Yes, I think they have a classy look.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I really like the Southern Crescent, nice looking set. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

*Brian

In your picture from York up in the top right corner there is a set of yellow tanks , red pipes ect. Can you please advise what company those are made by?*

Larry, Alex Mallaie did these additions.


----------



## Larry Sr.

Thanks for the reply.
I figured it looked to nice to be out of a factory box. He always does nice work.

Larry


----------



## Guest

Larry, also Stan the Tank Man has some very nice refinery accessories in the names of different petroleum producers.

View attachment 94041


----------



## MOVL

Came home from an acupuncture appointment taoday to find a package from Charles Ro.
It had two of these in it...


----------



## Guest

Great stuff, Keith. I saw this offering on the Charles Ro e-mail blast and thought of you. Nothing like Lionel Lines to make a boy/man happy. :thumbsup:

I would have these if I was into freight service.


----------



## MOVL

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Great stuff, Keith. I saw this offering on the Charles Ro e-mail blast and thought of you. Nothing like Lionel Lines to make a boy/man happy. :thumbsup:
> 
> I would have these if I was into freight service.


Thanks. They were a must buy for me. Scale sized Lionel Lines offerings are few. At the same time, Lionel catalogued the PS-4 flat cars with these trailers on them. I ordered five to make a nice train...they arrived but I have not opened them yet. I say it is time for a Legacy GP7/9 to go with them.


----------



## Larry Sr.

Brian, 

fancy and nice

Where do I get to see his offerings on the e-net? {Stan the Tank Man}

Or, is he just York?

Larry


----------



## njrailer93

Larry Sr. said:


> Brian,
> 
> fancy and nice
> 
> Where do I get to see his offerings on the e-net? {Stan the Tank Man}
> 
> Or, is he just York?
> 
> Larry


i second that!!


----------



## CDNJ

Added some K-line.
Pullman- Sleepers/Lounge/Diner
Lackawanna- 6 Car Set.


----------



## Railfan 8

The latest I picked up is a postwar 2032 that was repainted as Rock Island. It runs great now. It will be rebuilt and carry the ETC colors as I get my layout started and rolling stock painted. ETC:Erie & Traverse City It will be set in the 50's timeframe, run from SW Michigan/Northern Indiana where it connects with the Erie and NYC up toTraverse City and Mackinaw. Perhaps the Mackinaw Bridge will be in the background as a freight pulls into Mackinaw. I have a thought that is starting to blossom into a layout. 

Steve


----------



## Guest

CDNJ, wow, Lackawanna passenger cars. Great! :appl::appl::appl::appl:


----------



## Larry Sr.

Hi Brian
I think you missed this on the previous page. Two of us would like to know a way of contacting him if possible.
Thanks Much

Larry




fancy and nice

Where do I get to see his offerings on the e-net? {Stan the Tank Man}

Or, is he just York?


----------



## Guest

I will get the info and post it, Larry.


----------



## JDaddy

Guys I just opened up both elevated main lines and laid the Golden Spike. 
I bought a set of Lionel F-3 A-B-A 's for my California Zephyr set.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks great, both the motive power and the elevated line.


----------



## Ricky Tanner

Those WestPac's look great! The CZ is one of my favorite trains! I like the look of your elevated line. Can you provide a bit more info on it's construction? Thanks for sharing!


----------



## PatKn

Those WP F3s look real nice. Enjoy them. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Lehigh74

I'm with John and Ricky. The elevated line looks great. I think I'll copy it on part of my upper level. Oh yeah. The F3's look pretty nice too.


----------



## Laidoffsick

That is SWEET JDaddy!


----------



## Larry Sr.

J Daddy
It sure ended up nice!!

Larry

I just received this 4141 the other day. It's a seldom run engine but I have a few issues with it. I think it's going to be my first real learning engine. I mean I'm going to take this thing into a million parts just to learn if I have to.

Probably never run ever again if I do, hwell:but I'll learn something and have fun with it.. Hopefully.


----------



## JDaddy

Thanks guys!
I remember when I was a kid I had an over an' under cardboard trestle set in American Flyer.
I used the slot method for this construction but out of wood.

The cross supports are 1/16 artist plywood, the bridge is a 1x3 ripped down to 1 inch and sanded. And the supports are 1/4 x 1/4 inch bass wood....

I even did a curved elevated cross over switch on one of of the turns...


----------



## PatKn

Jdaddy, Really nice. :appl::appl:


----------



## Guest

Larry, I really like the Bush engine. Good luck with getting it to run correctly.

John, thanks for the photos.


----------



## MOVL

Wow JDaddy, nice F-unit set. The Western Pacific F paint scheme is one of my favorites. I don't have a set, but they are real lookers. Enjoy them!


----------



## rboatertoo

Jdaddy: Did you build the structure for the elevated lines? If so can you give us some insight, please? That's next on my list.


----------



## MOVL

Larry Sr. said:


> I just received this 4141 the other day. It's a seldom run engine but I have a few issues with it. I think it's going to be my first real learning engine. I mean I'm going to take this thing into a million parts just to learn if I have to.
> 
> Probably never run ever again if I do, hwell:but I'll learn something and have fun with it.. Hopefully.


Larry, I know that's a well liked locomotive in O scale...I hope you get it running well. They sure picked a pleasant paint color combination for it. Good luck.


----------



## Larry Sr.

Hay Guys

I always got Gunner in the back ground . He loves getting a box of parts to bring alive.......

Just kidding John.:laugh:

Larry


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have one hourly rate for repairs, and a totally different (and much higher) rate for stuff you tried to fix before I got it!


----------



## Larry Sr.

Gunner

I think I have seen that posted in many a tech shops before .:SELLIT:

Can't say I blame them.

Don't worry John, it won't be me this time. 

I'm pretty sure it's nothing but if nothing else it will make a good parts box for all the other SD-70 ACE Legacy engines I have.

Larry


----------



## gunrunnerjohn




----------



## Guest

John, I bet you do more of the "just watch" rate. Nice work if you can get it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I try to do the cheap rate. I find that sometimes the upgrades are like watching sausage being made, you love the result, but it pains you to see the process!


----------



## Laidoffsick

as Mario likes to say to me...... JUST ANOTHER WARNONNET


----------



## Mark Boyce

Doug,
Jus another super nice War Bonnet.


----------



## JDaddy

rboatertoo said:


> Jdaddy: Did you build the structure for the elevated lines? If so can you give us some insight, please? That's next on my list.


I did. I made a master for the cross supports and cut a ton of them at one time. I will see if I have any pics. But other wise they glued together as I went along. I would build them in 3 to 4 foot sections.

I also looked at elevated High lines on the Net too... The goal was to get trains running, than add any lattice detail later


----------



## Guest

LOS Doug, this is the big winner for 2015.


----------



## mroe21877

CDNJ said:


> Added some K-line.
> Pullman- Sleepers/Lounge/Diner
> Lackawanna- 6 Car Set.
> View attachment 94441


HOLY COW! i was just thinking about pre-ordering the MTH Lackawanna F3 but I was bummed about not having passenger cars. Ill have to look for these.


----------



## njrailer93

i dont know if this counts as something as a roster item but its an addition to the layout. i got my scenic backdrops in today. these are from scenic express


----------



## Mark Boyce

NJOffroader,
The backdrop enhances your already nice layout. Works for me as an addition to your roster.


----------



## MOVL

NJO, really nice backdrop!


----------



## Guest

Nice scene, njoffroader.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

As there would be no roster without track and accessories (unless you never take trains out of their boxes) I agree that this layout addition fits the description.

Also, very nice photo of the Mark Twain Zephyr en route into St Louis!


----------



## milehighxr

Not as cool as a loco, or rolling stock(and I won't bother with pics since everyone knows what it looks like anyhow), but I acquired my first Legacy #990 command set off E-bay. Got it for under $300.00 shipped. Not bad considering I almost never see them for less than $350.00 or more.


----------



## Robbie

Keith, your Lionel TPW GP30 looks terrifc. I like the vibrant paint design. To follow your lead, I just wanted to share some images of the Milwaukee Road GP30 also from Lionel 2014 C2. I first got 344 toward the end of summer. I liked it so much I decided to get 350. They ride on Alco trucks, and to my suprise they came with plow blades on the pilots.


----------



## 86TA355SR

Robbie, those are really nice!

My newest additions:


----------



## Lehigh74

Robbie – I never really liked the looks of the GP30s, but in the Milwaukee Road colors, they look pretty good.

Trans Am – The UP mountains look very cool. I like the effect of the mirror image.


----------



## Robbie

Lehigh thank you, 86TA355SR is that and FEF3? Super detail, which company offered it? Already a super thread, and I enjoyed reading everyone's contributions.


----------



## 86TA355SR

Robbie said:


> ....86TA355SR is that and FEF3? Super detail, which company offered it?


It's a FEF-1 from Overland Models. The detail is outstanding, the best I've seen on an FEF.

I posted other pictures in a recent thread.


----------



## RonthePirate

Robbie said:


> Keith, your Lionel TPW GP30 looks terrifc. I like the vibrant paint design. To follow your lead, I just wanted to share some images of the Milwaukee Road GP30 also from Lionel 2014 C2. I first got 344 toward the end of summer. I liked it so much I decided to get 350. They ride on Alco trucks, and to my suprise they came with plow blades on the pilots.
> 
> View attachment 99162
> 
> 
> View attachment 99170
> 
> 
> View attachment 99178
> 
> 
> View attachment 99186


Love those engines, Robbie! The Milwaukee Road colors do good things for them.
My dad was a switchman on the Milwaukee for 25 years.
I'm originally from Chicago, so I'm familiar with that line.

P.S. What part of Wisconsin? My dad's whole herd was from the Green Bay area, right in Wausaukee.


----------



## Robbie

> It's a FEF-1 from Overland Models. The detail is outstanding, the best I've seen on an FEF.


Ah, ...OK, I was thinking something like 3rd rail. I guess the one posted before it is Overland Models as well? Simply fantastic.



> Love those engines, Robbie! The Milwaukee Road colors do good things for them.
> My dad was a switchman on the Milwaukee for 25 years.
> I'm originally from Chicago, so I'm familiar with that line.
> P.S. What part of Wisconsin? My dad's whole herd was from the Green Bay area, right in Wausaukee.


Hi Ron, I'm originally from Chicago as well. I am located Appleton, Its right between Oshkosh and Green Bay. My father is a PGA member, and always worked in golf instruction. His career brought him here when I was much younger. Wausaukee is north of Green Bay. Thanks for asking. 

Also nice to hear about you dad, I bet its a great story about his life in the railroad. I'm no expert, just a fanatic about the Milwaukee Road history. 

Thanks for the comments about my GP 30's, I actually did not preorder them. They arrived to the market place and I took the plunge for one. Then grabbed the other one later on. I have few preorders with my dealer so these Geep's will it for a little while.


----------



## MOVL

Robbie said:


> Keith, your Lionel TPW GP30 looks terrifc. I like the vibrant paint design.


Thanks Robbie! GP30 is one of my favorite diesels. Many good paint designs were offered in this run, but the TPW 700 was a must have for me. I always like Milwaukee Road items and your Geeps look sharp.

86TA', wow those are amazing. Excellent photos too.


----------



## davidone

Aaron,

Stop posting picture of that FEF-1 , now you got me looking for one lol.


----------



## cshabino

Robbie,

Is there a train store in the Appleton area? Have been to GB Train Shop in Green Bay

Thanks

Chuck


----------



## 86TA355SR

davidone said:


> Aaron,
> 
> Stop posting picture of that FEF-1 , now you got me looking for one lol.


HAHA! You would love'em Dave, really great models.


----------



## Robbie

> Robbie,
> 
> Is there a train store in the Appleton area? Have been to GB Train Shop in Green Bay
> 
> Thanks


Hey, Chuck thanks for asking, unfortunately the Appleton area does not offer much, for those who prefer the 0/027 and S scales. Two years ago, I discovered a real good dealer down in Milwaukee ...Sommerfeld's.

Currently, Sommerfeld's holds all my preorders, and I enjoy the drive on the freeway. They are just a few blocks off the highway 894. Just an incredible place packed with O, a real gem of a brick and morter business. I really enjoy visiting them. I never tried anyone Green Bay so I don't know.

Keith, I also like how the TPW GP30 has silver painted underside with the trucks ect. All the details down by the wheels pop out and it looks real sharp. Came out nice.


----------



## CDNJ

Found a 2-pack of Atlas NJ Transit Coaches.
And bought my dad a FM LIRR C Liner for Christmas!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, I sprung for the MTH Coors Silver Bullet Train, what fun! I added an extra operating reefer, just need a tail car now. 

When it stops and all the doors pop open and fog rolls out, it's really very cool! Interesting sound effects as well.

I can't leave well enough alone, I think I'm going to try to add some LED's to the big turbine disks in the back to add some interest to the rig.


----------



## CDNJ

Gunrunnerjohn-I really like the Coors set. Nice.


----------



## Traindiesel

gunrunnerjohn said:


> …...I can't leave well enough alone, I think I'm going to try to add some LED's to the big turbine disks in the back to add some interest to the rig.


John! Tsk, is that prototypical??!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It's prototypical for my RR.  When it gets some neat colored LED's, it'll fit right in.


----------



## PatKn

CDNJ,
Nice looking trains. :thumbsup: One of the guys in my club has the C-Liner on order. Can't wait to see it in person.

John,
I always liked the Coors Silver Bullet Train. One day, if I see it for the right price, I'll pick one up. 

Enjoy the new toys guys.


----------



## JDaddy

John =Great Coors light train. Just makes me thirsty.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The thirst really peaks when all the doors open to unload the cold beer!


----------



## Guest

CDNJ, nice pick up. (in more ways than one )

WOW John, I would not have picked you for this train. You must have in the back of your mind to convert this like Keith did. Hmmm, more aliens.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It might get a few modifications, we'll see...  I'm actually a fan of the fantasy stuff, and this fits right in.


----------



## Mark Boyce

CDNJ,
Yes nice acquisitions! I like the C Liner a lot.

John,
I've seen the Silver Bullet before, but I had no idea the doors open like that. Adding the LEDs would enhance it more.


----------



## MOVL

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I can't leave well enough alone, I think I'm going to try to add some LED's to the big turbine disks in the back to add some interest to the rig.


Great purchase! It is a fun train...gotta love that chrome.
I added a red chip LED in that opening just below the red headlight.looks cool. It might look neat to have some frosty air(smoke) in there. I'm thinking of changing the headlight to cool white. At that point the opening would look better with blue LED.

Like you, I though about backlighting the turbine wheels. I'll follow your LED upgrade with interest.

The song gets old after a while. If I ever get DCS, I want to try and change that song file.

Here is a fun Coors Silver Bullet video...


----------



## MOVL

CDNJ said:


> Found a 2-pack of Atlas NJ Transit Coaches.
> And bought my dad a FM LIRR C Liner for Christmas!
> View attachment 100138


Nice! The C-Liner came out great...real sharp. I hope your dad enjoys it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Great video Keith, I'm going to save that link! 

I figure that changing the headlight and adding blue to the turbine scoop would be cool, perhaps I'll add flickering blue and orange in the scoop.

I did pop the top off to see how to add LED's to the spinning rear wheels, the channel in the middle looks to be of the size that I could mount a couple of LED's in there. I'm thinking maybe flickering LED's there as well to add to the randomness of the pattern...

I have a little module that sensing when the motor is running, I'll probably add that so the wheel LED's only come on when the train is moving, that would really add to the effect. The bumps on the wheel should reflect the light from the LED's in an interesting way.


----------



## CDNJ

Movl- Thanks,My dad will love it. Former NYPD..Rode the LIRR most of his life.
Mark Boyce- Thanks. Waited a long time for this C-liner.
Passenger Train Collector- I think I made some Wise choices.
PATKN-I won't be running mine(My Dad's) until christmas..Post some pics/video if you see one!


----------



## MOVL

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I have a little module that sensing when the motor is running, I'll probably add that so the wheel LED's only come on when the train is moving, that would really add to the effect. The bumps on the wheel should reflect the light from the LED's in an interesting way.


That's a neat idea. Should look great.


----------



## JDaddy

I installed a new Atlas double track Truss Bridge on the Highline! 
Sorry for the blurry photos but I could not wait to run my NYC Mohawk with heavyweights over it at speed...


----------



## JDaddy

here are a couple shots of the new Highline bridge fresh off of the weathering mill...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice bridge.  We took two of those and made an extended bridge for the club modular layout. They're great looking bridges.


----------



## Guest

Really nice bridge, John.


----------



## PatKn

Super looking bridge. The Mohawk looks good running through it.


----------



## MOVL

Atlas made a great bridge there. Your Mohawk looks right at home on it.


----------



## Larry Sr.

John 

Like the Coors set.

I received that set way back for my B day from wife. Run the engine by its self one time around the track. Been a shelf queen since. Like to never have found the end car.

She was a stewardess when we got married in 68 flying for National out of Miami. Always use to bring back a 6 pack from Ca flights. Couldn't get Coors on the east coast back then.

It's more a memory set for me.

Of course it's still my beverage of choice as the sign in the train room testifies to .









Still trying to figure out out to save that video


Larry


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Larry, time to get the Silver Bullet out and run it again!  If it's just going to set on the shelf, how about selling me the tail car?


----------



## Mark Boyce

J Daddy,
The high line bridge looks great!!


----------



## Laidoffsick

Atlas Master Series 4 pack.

































Off to the rips for Kadees.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Excellent Doug! I love Atlas cars! I have several of the Steam Era Classics series!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice cars Doug, Atlas has some very nice rolling stock.


----------



## Laidoffsick

Cut levers even... I was impressed


----------



## Guest

Not surprised with your choice of road names, Doug. Very nice.


----------



## 86TA355SR

The Atlas rolling stock is nice stuff!


----------



## MOVL

Wow I really dig nose El Capitan lettered boxcars.


----------



## Laidoffsick

There's 4 different names in the set. El Capitan, The Grand Canyon, Chief, and Super Chief


----------



## DMASSO

Just received my MTH New Haven C liner


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice Don, now you just need a bunch of passenger cars.


----------



## Guest

Really nice, Don. Why am I not surprised it is the NH.


----------



## DMASSO

Thank you. I have the K-line 21 inch cars.


----------



## Mark Boyce

I picked up my PS3 USRA Alaska RR 0-6-0 at Mercer Junction today. We tested it on Dave's layout, and he made a minor adjustment, and it works like a charm. I can't believe how well it responds at 1mph! Hooray!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Scored the tail car for my recently acquired Coors Silver Bullet Train at Allentown. Works great, the only oddity is that MTH apparently changed the color of the LED's when they made these, the interior lighting is white LED's and not blue! I'll have to fix that, I'd like it to match the other cars when all the doors open.


----------



## Guest

Alaska Railroad, that is a must for Terry.  Nice purchase, Mark.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Alaska Railroad, that is a must for Terry.  Nice purchase, Mark.


Thank you very much Brian! I would have picked the PRR, but it was to bright a green shown in the catalog and online for a realistic Brunswick green, so I opted for the Alaska RR. Alaska is the place my wife and I would like to go second to Scotland after I retire, so why not!


----------



## Guest

Nice score at the train show, John. Sure was worth going.


----------



## PatKn

That C-Liner looks really nice with those 21" cars, Don. :thumbsup:
Mark, I love 0-6-0s my favorite is the B2 with the sloping tender. The USRA looks cool though with that extra height on the coal bunker. I was looking at that myself when I saw it in the catalog. I managed to control myself. One 0-6-0 is enough for now. 
John, Glad to see you got to finish your set.  I agree. The cars should look the same when the doors open. 

Enjoy your new toys everyone. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Mark Boyce

PatKn said:


> That C-Liner looks really nice with those 21" cars, Don. :thumbsup:
> Mark, I love 0-6-0s my favorite is the B2 with the sloping tender. The USRA looks cool though with that extra height on the coal bunker. I was looking at that myself when I saw it in the catalog. I managed to control myself. One 0-6-0 is enough for now.
> John, Glad to see you got to finish your set.  I agree. The cars should look the same when the doors open.
> 
> Enjoy your new toys everyone. :smilie_daumenpos:


Thank you. Yes, I agree one 0-6-0 is enough. Now I have that one covered.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Bought Lioncheif Plus Phila & Reading Camelback from Nicholis Smith. S scale flatcar with backhoe. Just didn't take enough cash. My wife said that's good. Really enjoyed that show.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have the LC+ P&R Camelback, it's a neat little locomotive.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Only thing is it hits my atlas bridges entering from curve. I really want it for my new shelf layout in rec room. I know you have one why do you think I got one looked really nice in your pictures from the other side. Ya I peek over there to see what you're doing.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

On the club layout we staggered the sides of an expanded atlas bridge so articulated locomotives like the Big Boy and Allegheny wouldn't hit it coming off the curve.  When that corner gets finished, I'll post some pictures.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Well the Camelback did not like my trolley line, curves are 027 Atlas. Hope to see you on December 5th at Hennings or fire house. Do you know times for Module layout viewing?


----------



## MOVL

Don, nice pics! The C-Liner looks great in New Haven paint.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Bob Phillips said:


> Well the Camelback did not like my trolley line, curves are 027 Atlas. Hope to see you on December 5th at Hennings or fire house. Do you know times for Module layout viewing?


The display is going to be open from late morning I believe, not sure we have exact times yet.

No surprise on the Camelback, from the Lionel site: _*Min Curve: O31*_


----------



## Bob Phillips

Ya the Mikado is 027 go figure. I'm getting the Pennsy Mikado soon. We have a Ronald Mc Donald House Christmas thing that day also in Exton at County Corvetts. Will be one traveling day for sure.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I suspect the Mikado has blind drivers for the center wheels, that's probably where the Camelback gets hung up.


----------



## Bob Phillips

No the drivers are to far back and really pushes the front of engine out.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Probably the reason that happens is the three flanged wheels in each side have no "give" on that tight a curve and hold it where the pilot can't turn enough. I don't happen to have any O27 to put it on and see...


----------



## Bob Phillips

That's OK my shelf layout will be 072 curves O gauge track. Hope it runs good on that. Don't like the rounded tops of rails but my friend said it will be fine. If note I'll get Atlas track.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have Fastrack, also with rounded tops of the rails. The Camelback runs fine on it, and I can't imagine it not running the same on tubular track.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Oh I thought fastrack had flat tops. well then no problem for me with O track. Like to find some O-72 switches. Off topic here but how are the sound boards coming?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I've been a bit busy with other stuff and the holidays coming, so progress on the "final" version of the sound board has been slow.


----------



## CDNJ

Just bought myself a UP switcher.
These pictures are from the sale ad.The Layout is beautiful.


----------



## MOVL

CDNJ, tough switcher. That layout in the photos does look very nice.
Enjoy!


----------



## Guest

CDNJ, just love your UP switcher. Besides it is yellow and those who know me have a good idea how much I like that color.


----------



## Lehigh74

At York, I passed on a couple of PS2 LVRR snowbirds since I already had a D&H C628. Then near the end of the day, I picked up my Peter Lerro Snowbird / Beth Steel print and on the way home I was kind of wishing I had gotten one of those MTH snowbirds. Well I just got a PS3 version from Ye Olde Train Shop in Boyertown, PA. I ordered by phone on Monday and didn’t even ask the price as I assumed it would be full retail. I got it the next day and was pleasantly surprised to see they gave me 10% off. They might just have a new customer.

However, when I ran it today for the first time, I was disappointed to see it has a terrible gear stutter especially in reverse. I had the same problem a few months ago with an SW1 switcher. If this is what can be expected from MTH these days, I may stop buying new MTH engines.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Before giving up the ship, try tightening the motor mounting screws on the bottom of the trucks. A loose motor can cause these issues, and it's easy to fix.


----------



## Guest

Really nice looking locomotive.


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Before giving up the ship, try tightening the motor mounting screws on the bottom of the trucks. A loose motor can cause these issues, and it's easy to fix.


Motor screws are tight. I also tried the bread clip trick on the front truck as the axles have about 1/8" play...no joy. On my SW1 with the same problem earlier in the year, Charlie ended up replacing the trucks and I suspect that will be the fix this time also. I wish I could take it to Henning's, but I obviously didn't buy it there so it looks like I'll be making the 1 hour trip(s) to Boyertown for repairs.


----------



## Lehigh74

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Really nice looking locomotive.


Thanks Brian. Yeah. It looks great, but right now it runs like........


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

One remaining thing to check, though it requires removing the shell. The actual motor mount to motor screws are hidden inside the truck with the motor mounted. Those can also be loose and cause the same issue. I just fixed one with that problem.


----------



## MOVL

Lehigh74, I hope you get it running smoothly. It's a real looker.


----------



## Pingman

Received today 10 pieces of mint GG Phantom rail, tinplate flex track for an updated Christmas layout; last year's was a first in more than a decade away from trains--thanks to the WTB forum on OGR and a motivated seller there. The quantity was more than I needed, but I'm sure all will find a use.


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> One remaining thing to check, though it requires removing the shell. The actual motor mount to motor screws are hidden inside the truck with the motor mounted. Those can also be loose and cause the same issue. I just fixed one with that problem.


Thanks John. I'm going to wait to hear back from the Boyertown shop. I'll ask him if trying this repair will void the warranty. I wouldn't mind avoiding two 2 hour round trips to his shop.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Good point, you do have to take the truck motor mount screw out and then pull the motor out. The two screws that secure the motor mount to the motor are buried until the motor is out of the truck. I'm sort of a damn the torpedoes kind of guy. 

If you have the shell off, you can usually just attempt to wiggle the motor, it should be solidly mounted on the truck, any movement between the motor and the truck is bad.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I decided that the Coors train needed some bulk storage for when the reefers were emptied.


----------



## PatKn

The Snowbird looks great. I hope you get it running to your satisfaction.

John, is that tank for the engineer's private stock?


----------



## Guest

Looks great, John.


----------



## Todd Lopes

John, That Coors train is awesome. Looks fantastic.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys, and yes, the pipe from the tank goes right up to the locomotive cab.


----------



## Larry Sr.

Hay John

You are turning into a Coors train guy . Here is a few more you need to chase down for the fun of it. I think I have 9 other ones 

It's the only weird train name I do chase after. Just for the looks.

Larry


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I still have a search on eBay for Coors to see what else shows up.


----------



## Guest

WOW, Larry, I did know these cars existed.


----------



## Larry Sr.

hay PTC

I have never posted any of my Coors cars before. I haven't seen any others post them either.

These are the 3 left that go with the chrome ones that I have.

Larry


----------



## Larry Sr.

PTC

In addition I have this Yellow Diesel with it's calf and 7 matching cars with the caboose trailing. Neat looking set by itself. 

In case ya didn't notice I'm taking advantage of showing these off.


Larry


----------



## Guest

Larry, I would too if I were you. I love the switcher and calf, but yellow is my favorite color anyways.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Cool Larry, I saw the billboard on eBay at an outrageous price.


----------



## Larry Sr.

I hear ya, People really think these things are gold.

I fool around sometimes and search da bay "toy train Coors" just for fun.

WOW, freak out on the price of the Coors products.

It reminds my of the Harley Davidson Stuff.

Larry


----------



## MOVL

Nice Coors collection, Larry.


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> One remaining thing to check, though it requires removing the shell. The actual motor mount to motor screws are hidden inside the truck with the motor mounted. Those can also be loose and cause the same issue. I just fixed one with that problem.


The shoppe owner said that trying the repair *might* void the warranty, but to try it anyway. So I did. I removed the shell and checked the motors to see if they were loose. There was zero play between the motors and the trucks. On the rear truck, I loosened and then retightened the motor to motor mount screws and the truck to motor mount screws. On the front truck, I loosened and then retightened and the motor mount to truck screws only. I didn’t remove the motor from the front truck since there are too many wires to potentially pinch. That did the trick. Now it looks great AND runs great.

Thanks, John. You saved me four hours travel time and probably weeks waiting for the repair


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then, sometimes I get lucky.  Usually they're loose, but it may have gotten somehow slightly misaligned and caused the binding.

All's well that ends well.


----------



## L0stS0ul

Last week I picked up a MTH 30-1363-1 Southern 4-6-4 Hudson engine from DASH to replace a MTH 30-1554-1 Southern 4-6-2 Imperial P47 that died a horrible, painful death. I had just completed acquiring a crescent limited 6 car passenger set for it and only got one run on the track with it. One of the boards in the P47 engine died taking out the tach and lighting and who knows what else. I've now got a nice shelf queen with that engine. Anyway, on to the new one 









I received the new engine last Thursday and tried it out. It ran great with the passenger set and looked and smoked the best of any engine I have. Ran into an issue though. When the engine is in reverse the front headlight and the smoke elements shut off ( the smoke fan motor still pulses). I even had a few instances were, when in reverse, the engine shot off down the track like the tach was not being seen. Something is up clearly. Luckily, I purchased the DASH tuneup certificate as well with this engine and it's on it's way back for repair. Hope they can fix it quick!. Everyone at Trainz has been very nice about this so far.

For now I have to run the crescent cars with a PRR engine...


----------



## Guest

Nice replacement, LOstSOul. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Larry Sr.

I picked this up today for the Christmas tree. I need a new small tree train and seeing the pros and cons thought this would be nice.

After Thursday I get to start playing with Christmas stuff. Looking forward to it.

I don't really care about the hoopla surrounding the Hallmark/ Lionel stuff. It's just a plain down beautiful RED Christmas train. I like RED. Candy Apple Red

It's the first one of the remote chief sets so we will see.

I would not get them for my barn layout but this fit seem perfect for all types of holiday sets. Simple set up and fast.:thumbsup:

Larry


----------



## Guest

Should be fun to have around the Christmas Tree, Larry.


----------



## MOVL

Larry, that is a beautiful Christmas train. I'd love to have one and would, if I didn't already have so many Christmas trains. I'm a huge fan of red locomotives so I envy you guys that own this great set. Enjoy it and please post a pic of it around the tree this season.


----------



## MOVL

Lost soul, that is a nice Southern locomotive. Sorry to hear of your issues with its predecessor. Hopefully this one will last longer. Enjoy!


----------



## MOVL

*MTH GATX tank car*

This GATX tank car arrived last week. Just opened it. It will become part of my CSX Safety Train...when those ship. This is my first MTH Premier tank and I like it


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice tank car Keith, MTH has some good looking tank cars.


----------



## PatKn

Nice car Keith. It will look good on the safety train. Enjoy.


----------



## Guest

Really nice tank car Keith. MTH does a beautiful job with their Premier Line freight cars.


----------



## Dano

I turned this Berkshire special into a CNR ersatz Mikado. Still have to give her a number and shorten up the draw-bar and deactivate the smoke unit (switch does not work). She turns the area grey in no time!


----------



## Guest

Very nice, Dano!


----------



## MOVL

Thanks guys!

The real CSX Safety Train...



The forth tank car is what my above posted GTAX tank will be a stand in for. The real car has the same yellow stripes just not all the lettering.

The MTH catalogued set...



Pretty good set and a nice size for any layout. I did order an extra blue and yellow tank car which MTH also had in the catalog.

The only car I need to make is this one which is called dome car 1...



Not a problem as I have a very long TTX flat by Atlas. TTX donated a flat to the Firefighters Education and Training Foundation to be used for this train. To replicate it in O, I have several dome parts from Lionel, a K-Line ISO tank, and some scratch building should do it.


----------



## MOVL

Good paint job, Dano.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Dano,
The Berkshire looks great!


----------



## Dano

Thanks for the comps guys. Barely replicates an actual loco but I had to change the baseball scheme. Keith, I agree, some of the Premier stuff looks really good.


----------



## MOVL

Been wanting this Lionel PS-1 boxcar for a while, but didn't like the prices they were going for. Just got one for. $32 so I'm happy.


----------



## PatKn

After a long search, I found the K-Line seated army people I need for my Weaver Troop Sleepers. I lost a bid on E-Bay for a set for $24. I found the sets at Patrick's Trains with the group of RMT Trains (O-Line Reproductions) now being offered to dealers. At $9 a set, I bought 5 sets.


----------



## Laidoffsick

This is a brick smoke stack from Altoona Model Works, well it was brick when I bought. Lot's of spackle, sanding, primer, more spackle, primer, paint, and custom decals.

When 1st beginning the project, I dropped the plaster extension piece, yes on the concrete, and it shattered. Made a new extension from a 2" closet rod, and actually made it a little longer.

Yesterday while attempting to weather it, I knocked it off the bench, yes again to the concrete floor, and it broke into about 12 pieces. Yes I cried! Luckily all that spackle, primer, and paint held it into big chuncks, and I was able to glue it back together. I have about $160 into this thing, so I didn't want to trash it...yet.

Yes, the figure at the top was me yesterday climbing to the top...to jump! 
















I used a Locomotive Hauler to get it over to the layout before I broke it again, and it's glued down, but it can be popped off if I decided to build a new one. I didn't really want it that dirty, but after being in 12 pieces, 24 hours ago, I'm just glad it's there.... finally! hwell:


----------



## Laidoffsick

Not sure why that 1st pic went sideways??


----------



## Lehigh74

Don't jump! The smokestack looks great. Can't tell from the pics that it was ever broken.


----------



## PatKn

The smokestack looks great! Your roundhouse and yard are a favorite of mine whenever you post a picture I would not be able to tell it wasn't real if I didn't look for the third rail. Great job! :appl::appl::appl:


----------



## Guest

Very impressive, Doug.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks great Doug, and news flash, smokestacks get dirty, leave it alone!


----------



## PW Trains

I picked this Lionel Operating Box Car (19816) from 1992 on the auction site.

Always liked the way Lionel decorated this one.

The little box of trains that gets tossed out the door is a nice touch.

Paul


----------



## njrailer93

i got this 33k gallon tank car today


----------



## CDNJ

Bought a K-line Plymouth Strasburg Switcher and a Santa Caboose for Christmas.
Also waiting for my Mth Premier NS OCS set to arrive for christmas


----------



## MOVL

^Cool! I just love the K-Line Plymouth switchers. The little locos really draw interest.


----------



## Jeff T

I added a Lionel Alaska GP7 to the lineup as the Polar Express Berk needed a break! I've always liked the Alaska color scheme, so good enough for me!

As is my luck, all it took was a couple new motors to get this baby rolling!


----------



## cole226

just picked this k-line b6 0-6-0. better pics when it gets here.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Those are nice little locomotives. I have the K-Line A-5, and the Legacy B-6. The detailing on the K-Line is excellent, at least the equal of the Legacy model. :thumbsup:


----------



## Dano

Beauty! I love that complicated rod assembly. Be a treat to watch that rolling along.


----------



## MOVL

Nice pick Randy. I love K-Line stuff.


----------



## cole226

yeah, i'm anxious to see it myself. be nice to have command switcher in the yard. conv. now
i'm on a job in Savannah, Ga right now, but it should be home when I get there for holiday break. 9 days off.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It's a tight fit to get the Cruise Commander and RailSounds Commander in one of those, but it's probably a candidate for the Cruise Commander Lite, that should fit.

I want to give my A5 fan driven smoke, that will be a tight fit!


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Found a nice conventional Union Pacific steam locomotive with smoke and great tender sounds. It's a Lionel 4-6-4 "Hudson Jr.," although the UP never had any Hudsons. But I don't care. Also found an MTH woodside CA-1 caboose to go with it, both MIB at very reasonable pricing.

Not a very good photo, since it's presently atop my desk in the man cave. But after the holidays when the Polar Express is taken out of service, this will make a nice set for the layout freight train.

With an early Christmas present like this, I'm happy.


----------



## MOVL

Nice locomotive and caboose Vern.


----------



## MOVL

This item will be an ongoing thing with me. I can't help myself when I find one for sale at a good price. Here is just arrived #13 of my smoke fluid tank cars...


----------



## Guest

Keith, very nice job with the smoke tank car.


----------



## Jeff T

Only my second MTH product, D&RG Alco PA1's.



BTW - How do I lose the verbiage attached to the pic. I've always loaded photo's direct from Photobucket, but this forum doesn't seem to like them.


----------



## cole226

gunny john, wife said the b6 showed up today. it is tmcc and railsounds out of the box.

I thought it was, although it was not listed so in sale.:smilie_daumenpos:

she says it looks little dusty, but unrun, i'll see it this weekend.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

MOVL said:


> Nice locomotive and caboose Vern.[/QUOTE
> 
> Thank you, Keith. Is that tank car really filled with Lionel smoke fluid?


----------



## MOVL

Yellowstone Special said:


> MOVL said:
> 
> 
> 
> Nice locomotive and caboose Vern.[/QUOTE
> 
> Thank you, Keith. Is that tank car really filled with Lionel smoke fluid?
> 
> 
> 
> Ha! If they were, I would never need to purchase smoke fluid again
Click to expand...


----------



## MOVL

Jeff T said:


> Only my second MTH product, D&RG Alco PA1's.


NICE!! A set of PAs is on my want list. That paint scheme is perfect on the PA. Enjoy!


----------



## Jeff T

MOVL said:


> NICE!! A set of PAs is on my want list. That paint scheme is perfect on the PA. Enjoy!



Thanks Keith, it was a win-win for me! Always wanted a set of PA's and one of my favorite color schemes!


----------



## Guest

My first Tinplate. The Lionel Corporation 400E.

Emile

View attachment 117913


----------



## Tallaman

That looks great Emile. I'd like to get into tin plate some day when I have room. Some day...


----------



## MOVL

Emile, that is beautiful.
To me, there is nothing quite like a Tinplate set going 'round the Christmas tree. It is mesmerizing watching the lights reflect off the shiny paint. When I finally got a Tinplate train, it had to be a 262E...then a Christmas set...then I got a third. All O gauge. So far I have resisted the temptation of Standard gauge.


----------



## Guest

Absolutely love the colors, Emile. Perfect set for under the Christmas tree.


----------



## Jeff T

I found an old Marx 666 for $25. Never had a Marx set before so this should be fun.


----------



## MOVL

Any train related goodies for Christmas?

I got some flat cars with Piggyback trailers. Will post pics of them tomorrow.


----------



## njrailer93

heres my Christmas score. mth nw-2 csx road number 5065. i also attached its real life counterpart


----------



## Dano

So I bought a whack of Super O and decided to try it out at Christmas before building a new display with it. I bought a set of six Williams CP passenger cars and they travel fine around the 36" curves. I have another set of longer MTH CP Madison cars yet to try on this track. They will not run on my present 31" curves. I was surprized to find out how well this track works because the joining system does seem a little weak but seems fine even with the rudimentary cleaning that I gave it.


----------



## Dano

I will be adding this Alco ABA set once the re-painting is finished. I banged it together from some units that were not in the best of condition shell wise. Too cheap to actually buy a B unit when the fixings were at hand!


----------



## Dano

That Cumberland switcher is an interesting subject to model. The slogan is interesting as well, I am pretty sure that the saying is Go Hand in Hand! You students of the vernacular can correct me if I am wrong.


----------



## Todd Lopes

Emile, Thanks for the pic of that 400E Stunning!


----------



## MOVL

Wonderful stuff all!

I finally got to open my five Lionel Lines scale flats with Piggyback Trailers...


----------



## MOVL

...and a Pere Marquette scale tank car...


----------



## MOVL

A closer look at one of the Piggyback flats...


----------



## Guest

Really nice, Keith.


----------



## Kmac

I picked up an MTH Conrail tank car, and a gold Lionel prewar 224e right before Christmas. 

Keaton.


----------



## santafe158

Just won an auction on Ebay for a K-Line NH EP5 electric. I missed out on the NYC S2 electric I was bidding on, but got another one for my collection of electric locomotives.  It'll be fun to run with my Lionel JLC GG1 and BB1 electrics.


----------



## BFI66

A Christmas present from my Bride ......she tracked down the Visionline Hudson 700E for me and left it under the tree! (Hey, that sorta rhymes!)







-Pete.


----------



## Guest

Pete, your wife has super taste. What a nice Christmas gift, one to be remembered.


----------



## MOVL

Pete that is a fantastic gift. She did a great job!

Jake, nice K-Line EP-5. The NYC S2 is something I want to eventually add as well.


----------



## MOVL

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Really nice, Keith.


Thank you Brian!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Pete, can you have your wife call my wife? She needs some suggestions, and clearly your wife has the right idea!


----------



## Todd Lopes

Pete-Congrats on your 700E. Lionel did a great job on that one, no doubt.


----------



## Mark Boyce

BFI66 said:


> A Christmas present from my Bride ......she tracked down the Visionline Hudson 700E for me and left it under the tree! (Hey, that sorta rhymes!)
> 
> -Pete.


Pete,
A very nice gift from your wife! You're a poet and don't know it.


----------



## BFI66

Thanks, guys! It is a great addition! And, after 32 years, she still surprises me!

-Pete


----------



## Guest

Having a wife that cares about you and your hobby is pretty special. You have it good, Pete.


----------



## BFI66

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Having a wife that cares about you and your hobby is pretty special. You have it good, Pete.


Brian, I know you speak from experience!

-Pete


----------



## santafe158

MOVL said:


> Jake, nice K-Line EP-5. The NYC S2 is something I want to eventually add as well.


I've had the EP-5 and S2 in my sights for awhile. A fellow club member ran the S2 awhile back and I just thought it was a neat little engine. I just couldn't justify the cost of either but I got a great deal on the EP-5. The Lionel Caboose I preordered to go with it cost almost as much as I paid for the locomotive.


----------



## bill937ca

Just received a couple of police cars listed as uncatalogued items on the MTH web site.

30-50095 is a 1950 Ford 2-door coupe - Chicago Police Dept

30-50094 is a 1950 Ford 4-door sedan - San Francisco Police Dept

I picked these up from Trainworld December 23rd. At that point I could only find them on Trainworld and MTH direct, but they are now appearing at other dealers too.

What caught my eye was the pre-light bar and pre-beacon ray lights on these cars and the radio antenna


----------



## Guest

Sure like the police cars, Bill.


----------



## MOVL

The details on those police cars are very nice. Love the billboard.


----------



## RonthePirate

My new train room is not connected to the air ducts of the house.
Consequently, there is no heat.
And it's been getting cold! Got down to 39 a few times.
My wife, Georgeann bought me a ceramic oscillating heater!
It sure does make a difference in there.
It's not a train,but it sure was thoughtful of her.


----------



## cole226

Bill, really nice looking police cars:smilie_daumenpos:
and Ron, is she keeping you warm, OR THE TRAINS


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I like those cars, they're perfect for the steam era. 

Warmth is good Ron!


----------



## bill937ca

MOVL said:


> The details on those police cars are very nice. Love the billboard.


Thank you. The billboards are by Town and Country Hobbies and they have built in wiring for illumination.


----------



## MOVL

RonthePirate, I have two of those upright heaters...just a different brand (Bionaire from Costco). They are impressive for their size.


----------



## RonthePirate

MOVL said:


> RonthePirate, I have two of those upright heaters...just a different brand (Bionaire from Costco). They are impressive for their size.


Yes they are! And yes it is, John. One gets spoiled in the desert. Anything under 80 is cold.
And cole226.....hmmm, I'll ask her.


----------



## rrbill

Ron, stay warm but watch that 'lectric bill.


----------



## MOVL

A few things arrived from Charles Ro yesterday...

...another Lionel Lines truck and trailer...and a Lionel Lines N5B caboose...



The caboose is the heaviest I own. It has a diecast cupola. Another pic of the N5B...



My MOW boom car also arrived...


----------



## Guest

Keith, your Christmas presents did not make it for Christmas morning. but they are very nice. I really like the caboose. Knowing how much you like Lionel Lines, this has to be a real winner for you. :appl::appl::appl::appl:


----------



## suzukovich

Lot of cool stuff. been doing a lot of reading of posts but issues with my wife's tablet has been preventing me to log in. (still having issues). So here it is and Happy new year. 

2 x Lionel CB&Q GP30s one needs to be renumbered.



















2 x MTH CB&Q GP 9s. Both are none powered but have donor engine for one. 










Weaver CB&Q U25B #100 none powered. I have 103 that was upgraded to PS2









Rolling stock that I have been looking for a while. 




























Finally I am incorporating my sons new slot car track into the layout at his request.


----------



## Guest

Thanks for the photos. What a nice haul. The Burlington paint scheme is one of my favorites. Santa was very good to you.


----------



## Tucgary

Suzukovich, NICE haul indeed. I have some pictures of our layout in progress that incoporates slot cars and 027 trains. Here's the link if it doesn't work it is page 2 of My Layout thread. 
It will be a fun project for you and your son. Tucgary
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=45090


----------



## Mark Boyce

Here are a couple of items.
MTH PS3 Western Maryland 0-8-0
























A set of Williams by Williams Texas Special cars. Now my Texas Special 211 PA A-A engines look shabby next to them. :laugh:


----------



## suzukovich

Mark that's great saw them posted some where else but never got a chance to comment. The Texas Special cars stand out nicely against the winter background ( snow) .


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Odd that you combine the Texas Special with snow, they don't get much of that in Texas! 

OTOH, I agree that they look great against the snow, so maybe they should get a little snow down there.


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful trains Mark. Enjoy them.


----------



## MOVL

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Keith, your Christmas presents did not make it for Christmas morning. but they are very nice. I really like the caboose. Knowing how much you like Lionel Lines, this has to be a real winner for you. :appl::appl::appl::appl:


Yep, it's a winner for me. I now have four scale Lionel Lines cabooses.
Several Lionel Lines items shipped recently. There was a big drought previously. The LCCA issue 1 Lionelville vehicles arrived yesterday. I'll post pics of those later today.


----------



## Lehigh74

My cousin dropped these off the other day out of the blue. K-Line box cars and Boraxo hopper NIB from the late 80s/early 90s. Also an ARR coal dump car. He had bought them because he liked the way they looked and because he thought he might build an O gauge setup some day. Nice surprise. I was also surprised to see “6400 series” embossed on the end of the boxcars, but I’m gathering that the die made its way around from Lionel to K-Line to RMT.


----------



## Guest

I'd say your cousin did you very well. Nice additions to your layout, Lehigh.


----------



## Big Ed

MOVL said:


> A few things arrived from Charles Ro yesterday...
> 
> ...another Lionel Lines truck and trailer...and a Lionel Lines N5B caboose...
> 
> 
> 
> The caboose is the heaviest I own. It has a diecast cupola. Another pic of the N5B...
> 
> [/U





I like the caboose. :smilie_daumenpos:
I like the truck too.:thumbsup:

You say it has a diecast cupola? 
Is the rest of the body plastic?


----------



## Big Ed

I was building a Blue and orange train when I painted this old Lionel # 2065 up blue and orange, I still need a blue and orange caboose.


----------



## Guest

Big Ed, you did a super job painting the engine. Professional quality.


----------



## MOVL

big ed said:


> I like the caboose. :smilie_daumenpos:
> I like the truck too.:thumbsup:
> 
> You say it has a diecast cupola?
> Is the rest of the body plastic?


Thanks!
Yes, the cupola is diecast, but the body is plastic. Not sure why they did the cupola in metal.

Your locomotive looks great. Very nice paint job.


----------



## MOVL

*LCCA Lionelville Vehicles Release 1*

Comes with a taxi, police car, and a bakery Divco. Not seen in photos...the Divco does come with side mirrors, I just didn't put them on.



Taxi...



Police...



Divco...


----------



## CDNJ

Bought for my Dad Former NYPD- LIRR Rider...


----------



## Guest

The LCCA did a super job with this set, Keith. Fits right into your theme.


----------



## Guest

CDNJ, your Dad will really like this engine. That's being a terrific son.


----------



## joker34




----------



## MOVL

That's a gorgeous ES44. I like the FEC paint scheme.


----------



## Big Ed

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Big Ed, you did a super job painting the engine. Professional quality.


Thanks, I don't know about being professional quality, that was all done with a rattle spray paint cans and masking tape. 

That was a save from the dump, my Bro in law ran the Payloader there and was always finding all kinds of stuff people tossed. He collected so much stuff he had to rent a big storage garage to hold it all.
In that picture, it is not done.

As found,









It is still not done, it needs some lettering and I did not like the way the letters came out on the tender. It also is too shiny, I am afraid to shoot it with a flat matte to dull the paint a little. I don't know if it is compatible with the brand of paint I painted it with. Sometimes you get a bad reaction.
As with most of my projects it sits on a shelf awaiting me to finish it. 










I wonder why they made the cupola die cast? Unless there is a light in there? 
Maybe to take the heat?

I like those Lionelville Vehicles too!::smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Mark Boyce

Super transformation!!!


----------



## santafe158

The die cast cupola was probably just a good way to add a little weight to these cars. I have the Lionel Line's one on order as well, so I'll have to check it out when it gets here


----------



## Big Ed

Phooey.........you got to be a member to buy the LCCA Lionelville Vehicles Release 1! 

I don't want to be a member I just want to buy the product.


----------



## Fabforrest

inspired by AndyH's photos from Kennywood, i added and ECTO-1 to the layout. the boyz are on a run right now.


----------



## Guest

Now that's an impressive addition to the layout, Forrest. Those ghosts will be on the run now for sure.


----------



## Fabforrest

Need to find a ghostbusters ghost to put in a window. Suggestions welcome.


----------



## joker34

Forrest what did you use to make the roads in that picture


----------



## Fabforrest

A peel and stick product I got at scenic express. Just did a quick look and it may be discontinued.


----------



## Guest

Forrest is correct, it came from Scenic Express and the last time I checked, it was not offered. Came in 40" rolls, parking lots, intersections, etc.

Here it is installed on our layout.

View attachment 128185


----------



## Fabforrest

Curves, too. 

You really had to be careful putting it down. Once it made contact, it was stuck.


----------



## MOVL

Forrest, gotta love the ECTO-1. Very cool!


----------



## joker34




----------



## Mark Boyce

Very sharp Joker34!
Here is what I added.


----------



## joker34

Very nice. I am waiting to hear how this work out before I get one.


----------



## Guest

Nice addition, Joker.


----------



## joker34

Thanks Passenger Train. I really like it.


----------



## joker34

Just got this Big Boy caboose. I really like the LED lighting in this.


----------



## Guest

Joker, Lionel has done a nice job with their UP Bib Boy related equipment. Nice purchase. :thumbsup:


----------



## MOVL

The UP survivors caboose is a neat addition to any roster, joker34. Nice!


----------



## 86TA355SR

Lionel certainly delivered on the BB caboose-looks fantastic.


----------



## Larry Sr.

My 5th Legacy Heritage ACe SD-70 Diesel yesterday. 
Larry


----------



## Guest

Very nice Larry. Should make a very good addition to your layout.


----------



## Todd Lopes

Larry, that is very sharp. Nice purchase. Mark, congrats on the MTH WiFi. Let us know how the install goes.


----------



## MOVL

Larry, that is one sweet locomotive. Enjoy!


----------



## 86TA355SR

Larry,
If I was into late diesel power, the SD70 would be a must have item!

Love the retro look also!


----------



## HarborBelt1970

86TA355SR said:


> Larry,
> If I was into late diesel power, the SD70 would be a must have item!
> 
> Love the retro look also!


Wow, I second the above - that is one nice engine. :smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## PatKn

That is a thing of beauty. Larry. :smilie_daumenpos: Makes me want to start to model modern equipment. :la:


----------



## Panther

My three newest additions are restored, and re-purposed with another theme, items from parts from my junk box. 

First, Marx, "The Mercury", and Tender. Handmade decals also.

Second, Marx based SP Daylight Special, Custom built.

Third, Marx Re-Purposed CP Marlines, into an Army Supply Train Locomotive.

All decals are my homemade versions of original Marx artwork. That is on time consuming endeavor.

Enjoy;
Dan


----------



## Panther

What a great Hiawatha video. I loved the adjoining music also. My Marx low-end trains don't compare to your guys realism, but I sure have fun working on them all the same.

Dan


----------



## Guest

Good work, Panther. The SP engine is wonderful.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Those look great, just like they rolled out of the factory! How do you do the decals?


----------



## MOVL

Dan, BRAVO!!!
You did a wonderful job on these locomotives. Thank you for sharing.


----------



## Panther

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Those look great, just like they rolled out of the factory! How do you do the decals?


I use Papilio.com Wet Transfer waterslide decal paper. I do the graphics on a photo graphics program, which is very time consuming to duplicate existing graphics. Then I print them out on my Ink Jet Printer. Let them dry for about an hour. Then spray a few light coats of Deft Gloss Clear finish from a spray can. After applying and they dry, I coat the finished train with Clear coat to seal it all in. Or use Semi gloss for a more natural look.
I've never tried scanning but that might work as well. 
Paper comes in all types for even laser printers. White background, Clear background. They apply just like regular decals, but not as dramatic if you goof one up. When I come up with a design I usually print an entire sheet of them.
The sheets come in as little as 10 packs for about $1.75 a sheet. which is many decals.

Dan


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'll have to keep them in mind, the decals you used look great.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, technically these are new stock, this are the eight new Menard's Reading boxcars I mentioned in the Menard's Customer Support link. I've assembled all the trucks that pop open for all the other cars on these and then just glued all the couplers closed with Loctite 380. They mad many loops without decoupling, as well they should.

If I put these with the 25 I already had, I have a pretty decent unit train!


----------



## Bob Phillips

GRJ those look really good. I'll have to get some after my wife gets over last Saturday at LHS. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have 33 of them now, all unique numbers. I'm considering dragging them all up to the NJ-HR for Trainstock this Saturday to run on a big layout. 

The paint on the Menard's cars has been excellent so far, I'm impressed with the overall appearance.


----------



## Tallaman

joker34 said:


> View attachment 127922


Just ran across this. Sweet!


----------



## Bob Phillips

Hope to see you and your trains at NJ-HR Saturday. Bringing Coors train & a lot of smoke fluid?


----------



## BWA

Surprised most of the added stuff is new/modern.

I'm about to fix that.....

Here's my latest purchase from one of my favorite Ebay sellers (JPLTD). always lots of stuff, and, reasonable prices.:thumbsup:

All Prewar, mostly Lionel, a couple of Marx large Tank cars.......

All six coaches are lighted.

And, LOTs and LOTs of packaging..........


----------



## Guest

Blue Comet John will like this purchase.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Those all look to be in really nice shape!


----------



## BWA

The two Loco's and Tenders are quite nice, as are the bridges. The coaches and tank cars, not so much, but, they are all complete, and, will make great as is runners.

I'll start a new thread with better pics and descriptions of each piece.........

The 261 is my first Tinplate Prewar Loco. I'm thinking, it won't be my last..... 

It's also much larger than I thought it would be........


----------



## Laidoffsick

Who says ya can't get great deals on EBay? I couldn't resist for the price I paid, and even after upgrading this thing, I'll still be ahead of the game for this beast.


----------



## PatKn

What a beautiful engine, LOS. Enjoy it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's a great looking locomotive! Good luck with it!


----------



## Mark Boyce

Doug never misses. When he buys a locomotive, he buys a dandy!!


----------



## Guest

Great looking engine, Doug.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Yes indeed a very nice engine.


----------



## Panther

Ok Doug, how did you get areal locomotive into your kitchen ?

Dan


----------



## Robbie

Beautiful Locomotive Doug. Great additions everyone.


----------



## Railrunnin

Doug, that's a real stunner. Nice purchase.

Paul


----------



## Laidoffsick

Panther said:


> Ok Doug, how did you get areal locomotive into your kitchen ?
> 
> Dan


tried to use the drone, but it crashed into the pot rack above


----------



## Panther

Doug;
I hate when that. Drones aren't cheap to fix.
Dan


----------



## Jeff T

Just home from the WGHOT Show in Chicago. It was absolutely packed!!!! Short story, my 95 year old father-in-law worked for Twin Oaks Dairy in Chicago when he came home from WWII til he retired. My wife found this NIB!!! It was a dairy in Chicago til it was sold in 1966. My first Milk Car!


----------



## MOVL

Wow, Doug, that's some locomotive...beautiful!

Jeff, nice milk car.
I'm a big fan of milk cars, especially the Lionel scale car with tanks inside.


----------



## Guest

Nice acquisition, Jeff. Got Milk?????????


----------



## PennsyFan

I received my first Atlas reefer. I'm really not a fan of fantasy scemes, but I grew up near Altoona and spent a lot of time at Horseshoe Curve - so I had to have it!


----------



## Guest

That's a nice reefer, PennsyFan.


----------



## Bill Webb

*Arrived Friday. No time to do more than this then.*









Paula liked the look. A with the BBA still in the box.


----------



## Bill Webb

Nice engine Doug. And the Christmas decorations are down! Or is that your Mom's house only?


----------



## Guest

Bill, that is one of the nicest engines MTH has done. The tuxedo paint scheme is a beauty. :thumbsup:


----------



## bluecomet400

BWA, that's a nice batch of tin!! The 261 has always been a favorite of mine. The tender you have is actually a 260T, which was paired with the 260E, the 261's slightly larger cousin. I don't think the 261 & 260T were ever paired for sale, but anything's possible; I'm going to check my Lionel catalogs. If you've caught the tinplate bug, you're now well on your way; all you need to do now is find a single 261T and a single 260E, and you'll have 2 great prewar steamers. Warning: tinplate can be habit-forming!!


----------



## santafe158

Picked up a couple unanticipated things this week. I ended up having to return the K-Line EP5 I bought a few weeks back because it wasn't as described. I had preordered a Lionel N5B caboose to go with it, but ended up not needing it based on the circumstances. I had the vendor change my order and my new Lionel Lines N5B caboose came a couple days ago. What a nice model! By far one of my new favorite train cars.




A friend of mine (who assists with the Redford Theatre display) also talked me into buying a Lionel Legacy PRR Mikado off of him at a very reasonable price. He's been focusing more on western road names and some of the higher end legacy engines, so this one hasn't seen much runtime. I was happy to give it a new home as my first legacy steam locomotive (normally I just run his stuff at shows anyway )


----------



## RonthePirate

Now that is a caboose I'd be proud to own. I love the colors on it.
Who would have thunk orange and dark blue??

I like the Mikado, but that beautiful streetcar above it caught my eye.
Reminds me of the old Green Hornets in Chicago.
(My dad was a motorman on them)


----------



## Guest

Can't beat the Lionel Lines. Nice caboose.


----------



## MOVL

Nice stuff guys.
Love the Lionel Lines caboose.

Bill, your NS F7 is sharp.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Good eye Ron, I like that streetcar too.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys. The street car is a Corgi Detroit street car. I bought it to run on my theater display if I can ever track down a Bowser power chassis. It currently has failed GHB international power trucks under it. Unfortunately they didn't stand up to running at the theater as often as it did.

My grandparents actually gave me a second one for Christmas this year without realizing I had one already. They're consecutive production numbers. Kind of funny considering they were purchased from different vendors several months apart  Definitely nice (although a bit too small for O scale) models.


----------



## Jeff T

RonthePirate said:


> Who would have thunk orange and dark blue??


Interesting combination!


----------



## santafe158

Jeff T said:


> Interesting combination!



Beats purple


----------



## TGP

Thought I would flip, this out!!!!!!!!! This actually is York ,2015, but got hidden
by moved furniture, during the Christmas set up. and Yes that is the last piece
of foam board, and a few more D56 lights to pack up and put up !!!!! So........
I got two of them, ( all he had), as this is the set cars of the Alaska ,F40PH.


----------



## Fabforrest

My Lionmaster Challenger and Weaver F7 Hiawatha pause for portraits.


----------



## MOVL

Terry, nice passenger car! I enjoy seeing your Alaska RR items.

Forrest, the LionMaster line is awesome and I love that Challenger. I have to add one to my LionMaster lineup eventually. The Hiawatha by Weaver Models is beautiful. Nice photo...they look good together.


----------



## Guest

Forrest, beautiful photo!!!!


----------



## Guest

I've added 2 sets of these, totaling 12 cars with 12 different road numbers.

View attachment 136050


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You thinking of moving south?


----------



## MOVL

Nice car Emile! I enjoy running a juice train. Have several RailKing Tropicana cars and custom trailers on home-made road raiders. It's a fun train to run.
Lots of juice train action went through Cincinnati, OH.


----------



## Guest

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You thinking of moving south?


Crab Cakes and Orange Juice. What could be better?


----------



## Guest

MOVL said:


> Nice car Emile! I enjoy running a juice train. Have several RailKing Tropicana cars and custom trailers on home-made road raiders. It's a fun train to run.
> Lots of juice train action went through Cincinnati, OH.


Keith, Thought you might like these from Atlas, Railing/MTH. I'm not really sure of the origin of the Graffiti/ScoobyDoo car, but it's a fun addition.

View attachment 136194


View attachment 136202


View attachment 136210


----------



## MOVL

The scooby doo artwork is awesome. Pretty cool.


----------



## PatKn

Forrest,
Nice pictures. Love that steam! 

Emile,
Really like that Scooby Doo Car.


----------



## Fabforrest

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Forrest, beautiful photo!!!!


Thanks. Shot it with my iPhone 6s using the same lighting and tripod arrangement I did for that challenger video.


----------



## Dano

I have put this old Lionel geep to work. Bought it the other day off the bay. Bit of repair work and cleaning and she runs like a top!


----------



## Bob Phillips

Nice collection of Tropicana cars. Thought you forgot about us Crab Cake.:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Guest

Nice photo, Dano.


----------



## Guest

Bob Phillips said:


> Nice collection of Tropicana cars. Thought you forgot about us Crab Cake.:smilie_daumenpos:



I've been following from afar(I-Phone). I got sidetracked by my Father's illness. Spent last few weeks at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Now we're home. He's stable and I'm catching up. Good to be back!

Emile


----------



## Bill Webb

Welcome back Emile. Glad that your father is stable. Will keep all of you in our prayers. Now relax and enjoy some trains as the snow comes down.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Glad to hear your dad is better, you must slipped in before the 30" of snow you're getting.


----------



## Dano

I live in the Great White North(west coast), all green here!


----------



## Koltrains

My wife surprised me with this Lionel ES44AC Diesel!!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Interesting perspective, it looks like it's about ten feet long!


----------



## Bob Phillips

Sorry to hear about your Dad. Hope everything is well with whole family.


----------



## Koltrains

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Interesting perspective, it looks like it's about ten feet long!


Or i have a very small stove and cabinets


----------



## Guest

Your wife is special. Koltrains. Beautiful engine!


----------



## Tucgary

Koltrains: WOOHOO what a nice gift. Great Lady!


----------



## Koltrains

THX guys for the kind words, she sure is!!!


----------



## Jeff T

Wow, I left hints for my bride!


----------



## Guest

Due to arrive this week:


----------



## MOVL

TheBigCrabCake said:


> I've been following from afar(I-Phone). I got sidetracked by my Father's illness. Spent last few weeks at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Now we're home. He's stable and I'm catching up. Good to be back!
> 
> Emile


Emile, best wishes for your father.

Koltrains, nice ES44! I love the new Lionel ES44s...especially the way they did the pilot.


----------



## njrailer93

picked up this pennsy gondola with junk load


----------



## suzukovich

CrabCake

Definitely like the Scoobydoo car :thumbsup:


----------



## CDNJ

Finally found/bought the K-Line Lackawanna Porter i've been looking for!


----------



## seayakbill

A pair of Spokane Portland & Seattle trailer flats with Oak Harbor Freight trailers from Andy Petersen.


----------



## Fabforrest

Nice seayakbill!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I did a little shopping over at OGR, picked up this MTH Premier Challenger with the ERR Cruise Commander and RailSounds Commander for $400. The downside is it has Seuthe smoke units, so it's in line for a Super-Chuffer and MTH smoke unit upgrade, but I still think it was a pretty good buy. It sure is one heavy sucker! It's just about the same length as my Vision Line Big Boy, maybe I'll call it BB2.


----------



## Mark Boyce

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I did a little shopping over at OGR, picked up this MTH Premier Challenger with the ERR Cruise Commander and RailSounds Commander for $400. The downside is it has Seuthe smoke units, so it's in line for a Super-Chuffer and MTH smoke unit upgrade, but I still think it was a pretty good buy. It sure is one heavy sucker! It's just about the same length as my Vision Line Big Boy, maybe I'll call it BB2.
> 
> View attachment 138450


John,
I saw that one and even asked him about it. I decided it would sit on the shelf too long until I got enough room to run it. I'm glad you got it!! It is a beauty!! :thumbsup:


----------



## cole226

picked these yesterday.


----------



## Pine Creek RailRoad

*765 Camel Back*

Guns,

Where did you find the 675 Phily/Reading Camel back set, I am unable to find one in Western Pa. Definitely A way cool LC+ Set.


Cole226,
Very nice old 259E with the 2600 Passenger Cars, real nice set to pick up!


PCRR/Dave


----------



## MOVL

Great stuff guys!

Cole, love them red passenger cars.

Gunrunner, wow, nice score.


----------



## MOVL

PCRR/Dave,
Welcome to the forum!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Pine Creek RailRoad said:


> Guns,
> 
> Where did you find the 675 Phily/Reading Camel back set, I am unable to find one in Western Pa. Definitely A way cool LC+ Set.


I got it at Henning's Trains.


----------



## Guest

The Challenger is a beautiful model, John.


----------



## Kmac

This set of Williams by Bachmann Great Northern Passenger cars arrived today. They were brand new in the box and the box was still sealed. I have bee wanting a set of GN passenger cars for awhile now and missed out on few on eBay, but finally I got these. Now I have me eye on a set of F units to pull them.

Keaton.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Passenger Train Collector said:


> The Challenger is a beautiful model, John.


Thanks, I like the "big" iron.


----------



## Pine Creek RailRoad

*Thanks*

MOVL,

Keith thanks much happy to be here, hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

PCRR/Dave


----------



## Guest

Keaton, Great Northern one of the most beautiful passenger trains in that paint scheme.

Photo of one of my GN cars.

View attachment 139146


----------



## Mark Boyce

Keaton and Brian,
Yes, the GN Empire Builder is a great color scheme. Both of yours are Beautiful!!

BTW Keaton; Check the MTF personal message I just sent you.


----------



## Kmac

Thanks Mark and Brian. That is really a pretty car Brian. This paint scheme has quickly become one of my favorite of what passenger cars I have.

Keaton.

P.S. Mark I sent you a message back, Thank you for the message.


----------



## 86TA355SR

Here's an early 80's Sunset Union Pacific "Early Challenger:" Never opened! Amazing to think it's been wrapped up since leaving the factory back in the 80's!


----------



## HarborBelt1970

More SP color added to my roster recently. First, here's the Lionel Legacy SP boom car, currently orphaned until the matching crane arrives in May:









Next is the MTH full length dome car:









For comparison here is the MTH car with the 21" aluminum K-Line version. Quite a difference but I like both. Neither is prototypical I believe because the SP made their own dome cars and they were 3/4 length. Very interesting cars but I don't think anyone has made them in an O scale 3rail version:


----------



## Guest

Andy, you know which one I like best.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have the MTH dome car, but I like them both.


----------



## seayakbill

The first two Northwest Fruit Growers reefers by Lowell Smith.

Bill


----------



## Guest

That is a really beautiful Reefer Bill!:smilie_daumenpos:

My roster addition from this past weekend is the Lionel Route 66 series car carrier and 4 Indian motorcycles.

Emile

View attachment 141506


View attachment 141514


View attachment 141522


----------



## njrailer93

added this nice reefer


----------



## Demifate

This is seriously my favorite thread so far. How on earth do you all find these AMAZING trains? Even the box cars are often fantastic looking!


----------



## Guest

New additions ordered this week from Andre!


----------



## WITZ 41

An oldie but a goodie.....


----------



## 86TA355SR

W.,
Awesome man, awesome. A UP 2-10-2 with a lot of extra details.


----------



## Guest

Emile, really nice additions to your layout.


----------



## davidone

Nice 2-10-2, if it is UP you know it's for me.


----------



## Guest

I picked this Lionchief Plus camelback up at the Amherst show in W. Springfield, MA Saturday from Charles Ro. They had a really good show price and I couldn't pass it up.


----------



## Mark Boyce

The camelback looks good on your layout, Joe!!


----------



## MOVL

Camelbacks are so neat. I still don't have one though. Cool purchase.


----------



## Guest

Thanks Mark, thanks Keith. I'm really enjoying this loco.


----------



## Kmac

The camelback is really nice! I love those white walls. Do all the Lionel camelbacks have those white walls? Either way nice engine!

Keaton.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have one of the LC+ Camelbacks as well, my first LC+ purchase. They are very nice, and they're even scale sized, so they play well on any layout.

Good purchase! :thumbsup:


----------



## Bob Phillips

Really nice engine you should love it. 
John, is scale 1:43 or 1:48? I'm confused on this O gauge stuff. S scale is easy at 1:64 but my new collection of O gauge is confusing. Love my Camelback & Mikado.


----------



## Guest

Nice purchase Country Joe. Charlie and the boys are a terrific dealer.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Bob Phillips said:


> Really nice engine you should love it.
> John, is scale 1:43 or 1:48? I'm confused on this O gauge stuff. S scale is easy at 1:64 but my new collection of O gauge is confusing. Love my Camelback & Mikado.


Bob, in the US O-gauge is really 1:48 for the most part. If you go across the pond, most of the O-gauge in Europe tends to be 1:43, though they have the smaller stuff as well. I looked up the specifications of the Camelback and the LC+ (and the MTH RailKing) are very close to 1:48. I have one of each, and they are pretty much identical in size.


----------



## Bob Phillips

John, are RTR sets 1:48?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I don't know about most of the RTR stuff, I was talking about the LC+ products. Some of the smaller switchers are scale sized, but most of the "larger" models are semi-scale.

I suspect if it's a model of something small in the RTR set, it might be close to 1:48 scale.


----------



## Guest

Kmac said:


> The camelback is really nice! I love those white walls. Do all the Lionel camelbacks have those white walls? Either way nice engine!
> 
> Keaton.


Thanks Keaton. I'm not 100% sure but I think the Erie is the only one with while walls.



gunrunnerjohn said:


> I have one of the LC+ Camelbacks as well, my first LC+ purchase. They are very nice, and they're even scale sized, so they play well on any layout.
> 
> Good purchase! :thumbs:


Thanks John. I really like this loco and it's nice that it's a scale size steamer that will run on my curves. It also looks good on the same layout with my semi scale locos and cars or pulling scale freight cars.



Passenger Train Collector said:


> Nice purchase Country Joe. Charlie and the boys are a terrific dealer.


Thanks Brian. Charlie had some very good deals at the show.


----------



## rdeal

today I added two Christmas freight cars from RMT - an ore and a hopper - looking for others 

rdeal


----------



## J. S. Bach

Another tanker gets added to the fleet; the AEC Glow-in-the-Dark car (it really does not; not unless it sits in the sunlight for quite a while ) :


I thought that it would go well with the Area 51 car:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I like tankers, I think you might be able to to put some lights in that glowing one to "enhance" it.


----------



## santafe158

If that's the older Lionel one, I think the AEC one's glow in the dark


----------



## PatKn

I just picked up this Looney Tunes car. It will look nice on my Warner Brothers Train set next open house.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Cool Pat, I'd like to assemble a train with stuff like that for the kids at our modular shows.


----------



## suzukovich

Not so much as rolling stock but bought more Kurt Adler Old Victorian street lights for the layout.


----------



## seayakbill

MTH PS-3 Aero Train from Pats Trains in Wheeling. Will have to load it up with a bunch of little people.

Bill


----------



## HarborBelt1970

That GM Aerotrain is a real beauty - wish I had room left for one . . .


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice Aerotrain.  I upgraded mine to eleven cars, it looks like the prototype now.


----------



## seayakbill

Ever since I saw the real deal at the Transportation Museum in St Louis I wanted one. Always missed out on the earlier MTH versions so I made sure that I pre-ordered the UP City of Las Vegas from Pats Trains.

Bill


----------



## TGP

just bringing the Menards offering for show

Lionel 2012 on the bottom and on the left- have had awhile

Menards 2016 top, and right ( 2nd pic) - RECENT 

The most better known manufactures, had better start looking at the bottom 
line before the information sneaks up on them, or gives them a rude awakening
not sure which will happen.


----------



## Koltrains

Picked up Lionel Legacy ES44AC #802 to go with #804

Thanks Howard


----------



## Guest

Alaska Railroad cars, I would have never guessed you would buy this road name Terry.


----------



## Guest

Terry, forgot to mention, congratulations on completing your Lionel Alaska 18" Hi-Level Denali set with the addition of the Station Sounds car. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Pine Creek RailRoad

*80"s Conventional Coca Cola Train*

Gentlemen,

The latest addition to the PCRR is a retro-purchase. We added the 1980's K-Line Cocoa Cola Train that was made for the Coca Cola Company HQ, the Conventional Train runs well with the 2224 Switcher engine and looks great also. Purchased this beautiful set to a add to my Christmas layout, and I am looking to acquire the CoCa Cola Santa Decals for the Train, if anybody on the form has a sheet of them, or knows of a place to purchase the Decals, please let me know.

PCRR/Dave


----------



## teledoc

The Aerotrain was such a futuristic looking train for the time that it came out. When I was very young, I loved that train, and was actually fortunate enough to get a quick tour inside the cab. My mother worked for P.R.R., and I just wish I had photos from back then. It was one fantastic experience for a kid back in 1955-56.

If I knew then, what I know now, and to have a camera to capture long lost opportunities!!!!


----------



## TGP

BE Right be hind ya , Brian next Friday, as the 2nd post for 
F. F. Foto, week 3, or that's the plan


----------



## MOVL

Bill, enjoy that Aerotrain. One of the best values in O gauge. I have the PRR version and really enjoy it.


----------



## seayakbill

PCRR/Dave, the Menards military train is very nice. Menards is releasing some excellent rolling stock with military loads.

Bill


----------



## PatKn

I just purchased this K-Line Porter. It came with 3 reefers. Not crazy about the reefers but I love the Porter.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The Porter is a neat little locomotive. It's hopelessly large to be scale, but cool in it's own way.  I converted mine to TMCC and added chuffing smoke. I couldn't fit sound into it, that would have been really cool.


----------



## PatKn

I remember seeing a video of yours John. One of the things that made it a "Gotta have it" engine for me.


----------



## Guest

The Porter is a really nice addition, Pat.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It's a bit of a PITA to work on the Porter, they really crammed stuff in there. I had to put the electronics in the little coal car, no way it fit in the locomotive.


----------



## CDNJ

I like the porters. I have the Lackawanna.
They smoke a lot more then I expected.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

They actually have a fan driven smoke unit, it takes up a lot of space in the engine. It's the primary reason I couldn't put the TMCC board in there.


----------



## suzukovich

Lot of cool stuff. here is mine

Pick up two K Line ATSF Waycars( one wood and one steel) today at the train show in Bradenton Fl along with some books on Florida history for my daughter. 

As a note The ATSF Wood Waycar will be reconfigured to a CB&Q wood Waycar. 






























Atlas/Roco PS1 NYC Systems
Atlas GN steel Reefer
Atlas Alco RSD 7/15. to be used for kitbash projects ( High nose N&W C630 and CB&Q U28C)





























Added to my German Truck collection.

1956 Henschel 3-180 TAS 
Mercedes Ateco
1991 Man
1955 Mercedes TLF














































Old Timer truck Magazine from Germany


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Lots of nice stuff, I like the trucks.


----------



## josef

My 2nd K Line scale Berkshire, (first one I sold). Just finished installing ERR TMC boards with sound. Runs great, sounds great, pulls a load of cars. Had to make some adjustments to install a larger female plug in loco to accept the male plug from tender with more wires for the board. These are magnificent engines. But I usually like smaller engines, so this might show up on E-Bay after several months. Like to tinker, just forgot how big these are. My Big Boy is a shelf Queen.


----------



## Lehigh74

I picked up a Lionel Suzie Q box car (NIB) at the Black Diamond open house in Bethlehem, PA a few weeks ago. I wanted to compare it to the Menards version. Suzie is more colorful on the Menards car…I also just noticed that there is no road number decal on the Menards Suzie Q.

I also got a Reading TOFC a week or so ago. Looks great, but it’s taller than my Weaver TOFCs (which clear an overpass by a few thousandths). I will have to raise the over pass before I can run the Reading car on the first level.

I posted about the AS616 in another thread.


----------



## MOVL

Great purchases all!

suzukovich, the red fire truck is tough.


----------



## TGP

Just another tanker in the desired colors, did do a comparison with
the same tanker from Lionel. With the Menards, I do like the weight of the car
and also the more distinctive, or LARGER, logo lettering
























and EDIT: THE DUST , is mine on the Lionel, 
and I just now see the Seam issue on the Menards. But kinda like a black spot on a diamond, Unseen, by the naked eye.


----------



## Guest

Alaska equipment, I would have never guessed, Terry.


----------



## Laidoffsick

Whoa... this is huge!


----------



## Guest

You got that right, Doug.


----------



## 86TA355SR

Wow, what a beast!

:thumbsup:


----------



## Laidoffsick

Layout SHRINKERS for sure!


----------



## Dano

I have finished turning these Alcos into something resembling FPA-4, FPB-4. I know, the number boards, but I decided they were too much of a hassle to change. Now , some day, to repaint a batch of 2400 series cars in the black striped scheme to match and get busy on repainting some Rio Grande F units to haul the green cars.


----------



## WildcatRR

*alcos*

Super nice job on the alcos ! You have talent.


----------



## suzukovich

Laidoffsick said:


> Whoa... this is huge!
> 
> View attachment 153882


That had to hurt. . Who made it and how long?


----------



## suzukovich

Dano : Nice job on the Alcos. :thumbsup: Here my contribution. Its been a good week.

1st up. Atlas GN Steel reefer and a NP Waycar.



















From the rebuild shop Atlas ATSF Reefer. The Bolsters had zinc rote when I bought it awhile back. Finally got around to repairing it with new bolsters and now returned to service










Two more European trucks for my collection

Scania LB 140 Super Road with Curtain side trailer and a Scania L110S FINA Tanker


----------



## Dano

WildcatRR said:


> Super nice job on the alcos ! You have talent.


Thank you. That is the beauty of photography, you only see what you are allowed to see!


----------



## Laidoffsick

suzukovich said:


> That had to hurt. . Who made it and how long?



Its a new Lionel release. I bought the 3 Santa Fe 4 door cars last year, but this has been on order for awhile. 22" inches longs and accepts Kadees.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I scored this, just arrived today. It's the Lionel 6-18149 UP Veranda Turbine & tender, what a beast!  

It is one impressive unit cruising around the rails. It has very nice detailing and the smoke units certainly don't need any help! The main smoke unit pours out the smoke, it switches on after the engine gets moving at a certain speed. Before that, the rear smoke unit is running. The MARS light turns white when it's moving and then starts it's normal pulsating. The tender is a separate TMCC unit with it's own ID, you have to program these in a lashup to properly use the electrocouplers. I'm thinking it might makes sense to do a little mod there so I could just use them as a single TMCC ID...


----------



## Lehigh74

That's a nice looking engine John. Seems strange that they gave the tender a separate ID.

Actually, now that I think about it, I guess that's one way to avoid having a tether.


----------



## Fabforrest

"scored this, just arrived today. It's the Lionel 6-18149 UP Veranda Turbine & tender, what a beast!"

Dang! I want to run mine!!!


----------



## Bob Phillips

Really nice engine John. Guess you bought with unspent moneys from Allentown.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's it, unspent money from Allentown. Actually, I bought it with the money I was going to spend at York. 

I was surprised the tender had electrocouplers and a light, but no tether. Then I noticed it had couplers on both ends, and the penny dropped. 

We should get them all together and really have power. Doesn't Lee have one of these as well?


----------



## Lee Willis

gunrunnerjohn said:


> That's it, unspent money from Allentown. Actually, I bought it with the money I was going to spend at York.
> 
> I was surprised the tender had electrocouplers and a light, but no tether. Then I noticed it had couplers on both ends, and the penny dropped.
> 
> We should get them all together and really have power. Doesn't Lee have one of these as well?


Yes, I love mine.


----------



## santafe158

Does the locomotive not have switches to disable the electrocoupler? I have the PRR BB1 electric pair and the lead unit has switches to shut off the electrocoupler so you can run them as a single ID'd unit since the trailing non power unit has the sound system in it.

Although if that's not the case, I suppose it could be added


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You can disable the electrocoupler on the trailing unit by not programming it as the same TMCC ID.  The manual gives you the whole process of setting them in a lashup to properly control the couplers and the reverse light on the tender.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You can disable the electrocoupler on the trailing unit by not programming it as the same TMCC ID.  The manual gives you the whole process of setting them in a lashup to properly control the couplers and the reverse light on the tender.


Understood. You mentioned doing a modification, so I figured it couldn't hurt to ask if it was already equipped with such a setup


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You can get that operation, you just have to configure it as a TR lash-up. This one was like new, and the TMCC ID's are still #1 and #2, the factory defaults for the two pieces. Since I got it shipped for less than half the MSRP, I figure it was a pretty good deal.


----------



## RonthePirate

That U.P. Turbine is a tough act to follow! Whew, what a machine!

I scored me a set of six Lionel Passenger cars, numbers 16042, 43, 44, 45, 46, and 47.
All in boxes, all mint condition.
Might be a bit high at $160.00, but it was free 2 day express shipping.
Anyway, I'm happy with the purchase.


----------



## josef

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I scored this, just arrived today. It's the Lionel 6-18149 UP Veranda Turbine & tender, what a beast!
> 
> It is one impressive unit cruising around the rails. It has very nice detailing and the smoke units certainly don't need any help! The main smoke unit pours out the smoke, it switches on after the engine gets moving at a certain speed. Before that, the rear smoke unit is running. The MARS light turns white when it's moving and then starts it's normal pulsating. The tender is a separate TMCC unit with it's own ID, you have to program these in a lashup to properly use the electrocouplers. I'm thinking it might makes sense to do a little mod there so I could just use them as a single TMCC ID...
> 
> View attachment 154226
> 
> 
> View attachment 154234


That is awesome Gunruner. Had a UP Veranda in "N" scale back when I was into "N", and it was my #1 engine to run. Haven't acquired an "O", but you got my mouth watering for one. Just need to think about what engines to remove from layout to make room. 
Forget the watering, now drooling for one.


----------



## Guest

Wondering if the Illinois Central will be done in the 21" sized cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

There was a nice looking one on eBay recently, don't know if it sold or not. It was listed at $650, and since it was only about ten miles from me I figured I could dispense with shipping. I got mine for $625 shipped, so I can't complain. They're around, and they do have a significant cool factor. 

Ron, we need to see those passenger cars in use.


----------



## MOVL

John that turbine has serious cool factor. Enjoy!


----------



## 86TA355SR

Some day Lionel will produce a _Legacy_ UP Veranda and I'm afraid I'll bite!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks Keith, I do like the look, and it certainly is a very smooth running beast. I'm eager to see it pulling a nice load now, we're almost done with the redo of the club tracks and we can get back to running trains!


----------



## MOVL

Pat's Trains just shipped this MTH 8,000 gallon tank car. It has the Firefighters Education and CSX logos. This will be added to the CSX safety train, once MTH ships the set.


----------



## MOVL

Another view...


----------



## Pebo

I have been pretty controlled since October York. I did pick up these cars to add to my Army train....

Peter


----------



## PatKn

With RMT finding items in their warehouse and cleaning out inventory, I picked up two Beeps. The first one is a second number (#7006) to go with my Pennsy Beep (#7009). The second was the long lost Army Beep. RMT has had these on order for 3 years. I have a Navy, Air Force and USMC Beep but was missing the Army. I saw this pop up as a one only found warehouse item and jumped on it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice BEEPs Pat, I was going to try to get another one, but I am a cheapskate and didn't want to pay the $99 for it.


----------



## seayakbill

I came across this guy, new in the box, very early Lionel TMCC & RS. AT&SF 3462 steamer, the price was bargain basement so its now on the S&Y RR roster.

Bill


----------



## Mark Boyce

Bill, that is one sharp looking locomotive! I have a couple TMCC and Railsounds locos, and they are great!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## MOVL

Good looking locomotive, Bill.


----------



## Pine Creek RailRoad

*TMCC Engine*

Bill,
Looks great, real nice TMCC Engine & Tender, I just picked up a Scale JLC GG1 TMCC/Oddessey myself, it operates well with my Legacy Cab2. Unfortunately this big GG1 needs 072 min curves, so I will need to redesign part of my Christmas layout next year. 
PCRR/Dave


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Very nice Bill, looks like it stepped out of the showroom! 


Dave, I have the JLC GG1, and I never understood why it required such large curves. I also have the Williams scale GG-1 that I upgraded to TMCC, and it runs on O42! Go figure...


----------



## Pine Creek RailRoad

*JLC GG1*

Guns,
I had no idea it ran on 072 and above, was disappointed that it would not run on at least on my 054 Loop. Now I will need some more 1st or 2nd generation 072 FasTrack to construct a complete 072 loop on either my 1st or 2nd level. Definitely going to take some re-engineering next Christmas season. The JLC GG1 operates smoothly and sounds great however. 

PCRR/Dave


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Try it on the O54, I confess I didn't have that size to try running mine.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking engine Bill. It will make a fine addition to the S&Y Roster. 

Dave, You can't go wrong with a GG1. One of my very favorite engines. Enjoy it.  John, I know what you mean. I have a scale Williams GG1. Great engine and it runs on O42. It's a shame they are not made anymore. IMO one of the best engines made by Williams and no one wants to make it.


----------



## seayakbill

My first tanker from Menards Trains. Would like to see them do some black single domes from the 1940's era.

Bill


----------



## Big Ed

Man the wheels are shiny!
What, are they chromed?
Stainless?


----------



## Lehigh74

All Menards wheels are like that.


----------



## suzukovich

New Additions to my Roster

MTH CB&Q GP9 #273
Lionel NP Steelside Reefer
Atlas CB&Q Steel Side Reefer
MTH Burlington and Great Northern Plug Door Reefers
Lionel CB&Q SteelSide Reefer
Atlas Northern Pacific Standard Copula WayCar

Cool For Me


----------



## Fabforrest

Dude, change the battery in your smoke alarm.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Here are some items that showed up on the same day. An MTH B&O wood side caboose.









A Menards Quaker State tank car next to my MTH Quaker State tank car I got at Christmas. I had to get the Quaker State cars since I worked in Oil City, Pennsylvania back when Quaker State still had their headquarters there.









Also, I my wife picked up a MisterRogers trolley. She said it was a must have since we watched MisterRogers and even took the kids to the MisterRogers park at Idlewild in Ligonier when they were little and rode the trolley there.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Cool Mark, that trolley screams to be motorized and upgraded to command!


----------



## Mark Boyce

Thanks John! I'll tell my wife. I'll have to take some measurements and figure out what scale it is.


----------



## suzukovich

Fabforrest said:


> Dude, change the battery in your smoke alarm.


Actually I did. Twice. For some reason its still chirps. Of course its spring time and it is mating season. :laugh: Time to buy a new one I think. :dunno:


----------



## Guest

Nice additions, Mark.


----------



## santafe158

That trolley is very cool. I may have to get one to motorize for my Redford Theatre display as I grew up watching that show.

Dimensions for ones that at least look similar for sale online are 11"x3.5"x6.5". Probably big for O scale, but it was a fictional trolley anyway. Seems like a power truck from a K-Line handcar or similar (something that can be mounted flat to the bottom of the frame of the trolley) would work perfectly with little modification.

That being said, I ordered both the trolley toy and an RMT (O Line Reproductions) Speeder to try out my theory. If it doesn't work as I planned, then I'll have a speeder to run


----------



## Laidoffsick

Look ma, 4 more orange PFE reefers to convert to Kadee. New Atlas cars ordered last year.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice looking reefers, I may have to look for more this York.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Mark Boyce said:


> Here are some items that showed up on the same day. An MTH B&O wood side caboose.
> 
> View attachment 162890
> 
> 
> A Menards Quaker State tank car next to my MTH Quaker State tank car I got at Christmas. I had to get the Quaker State cars since I worked in Oil City, Pennsylvania back when Quaker State still had their headquarters there.
> 
> View attachment 162898
> 
> 
> Also, I my wife picked up a MisterRogers trolley. She said it was a must have since we watched MisterRogers and even took the kids to the MisterRogers park at Idlewild in Ligonier when they were little and rode the trolley there.
> 
> View attachment 162906


I like your MTH woodside caboose. I have the same model in Union Pacific bringing up the rear of a steam-engined freight train. I love the illuminated lanterns on the rear platform and wish more manufactures had them on their cabeese.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Vern,
Thank you! I like the lanterns too.


----------



## PatKn

Mark,
I love the woodside caboose.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Thank you, Pat!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Lehigh74

I picked up a couple of NOS U-boats to pull my Reading Box cars. These were cataloged in 2007, but an MTH press release indicates they were delivered in 2009. The battery tests OK after a 15 minute charge, but I’ll replace it with a BCR when I get some time and ambition. I like the looks, but I’m not crazy about the GE sounds. It’s a bit shrill on startup and when running there is too much turbo and not enough diesel sound. I also don’t like the smoke fluid fill. I wish MTH had made the exhaust grill removable like the radiator grill. I haven’t filled it yet, but when I do, I’ll probably get more fluid on the hood than in the reservoir.


----------



## seayakbill

Two more Menards boxcars for the S&Y RR roster

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I scored this little gem in the OGR sale forum. It's the Lionel 6-11154 Vision Line PRR CC2S. This is the one with the whistle steam, blowdown steam, swinging bell, etc. For $650, it was irresistible.


----------



## PatKn

Congratulations John. Nice looking Loco at a great price. And Pennsy too.  Enjoy.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I was a bit surprised he listed it at that price. I figured it might be a basket case, but nope, looks and runs great.


----------



## MOVL

Leghigh, U-boats are tough and look great in pairs. Yours have a very nice paint scheme.

John, WOW what a deal on that beauty.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Sometimes, you're just sitting at the computer when a good deal gets posted.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

*New/Old Lionel 21" cars*

Here is a comparison shot of the aluminum and ABS Lionel TX Special observation cars, the ABS version in the foreground being part of the six car sets recently added to my passenger car roster.

The difference in the finishes is actually a lot more than the photo illustrates. But both cars and the sets of which they are part are keepers as far as I am concerned.


----------



## MOVL

HarborBelt, both are beautiful cars. Nice comparison.


----------



## Lehigh74

HarborBelt – I agree, they are both nice looking cars and they are very different. What piqued my interest is the differences in light locations, antenna, door, roof fluting. Did the prototype Stephan F. Austin have different configurations (maybe a modernization) or did Lionel use poetic license on one or both?


----------



## Mark Boyce

John,
I saw it listed as well. It is certainly a beauty with all the features!

Harborbelt,
I agree, both are really nice cars!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks Mark, I was surprised I came away with it, it sat there for 15-20 minutes, normally more than enough time for someone to pull the trigger.

HarborBelt, I can see why people are talking about the differences, both are nice cars, but I think the aluminum one is more true to the prototype.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

Lehigh74 said:


> HarborBelt – I agree, they are both nice looking cars and they are very different. What piqued my interest is the differences in light locations, antenna, door, roof fluting. Did the prototype Stephan F. Austin have different configurations (maybe a modernization) or did Lionel use poetic license on one or both?


I've looked into the history of the MKT cars that Lionel brands these as being models of and the answer with the ABS car is a lot more than poetic license - more like this being a "generic" car based on the Empire State Express model Lionel issued earlier this year with a different paint scheme. All of the points you mention about the ABS cars - lights, antenna, doors (or lack of) and roof fluting - are wrong for the MKT Stephen Austin observation car. Neither the old K-Line-based nor the new ABS version is fully true to prototype but the aluminum-body cars are a lot closer.

That said, I think that the ABS cars are a nice addition to anyone's collection and I'm keeping mine. :smilie_daumenpos:

I am hoping for great things with the Lionel UP excursion cars set . . .


----------



## cole226

*TEXAS SPECIAL*

nice looking cars:thumbsup:

the proto for comparison










what do you do at 4:30 in the morning?


----------



## Shawn91481

I bought this used Armour reefer and converted it to a Colorado & Southern. Probably not prototypical as much of the C&S was narrow gauge. I guess you could say it is a fantasy paint scheme? Either way it's now one of my favorite pieces of rolling stock.










Also I got the Lionmaster D&RGW Challenger. As much as I would love the Visionline locomotives I don't have room for 072 curves so I have to scale back a bit.


----------



## cole226

Shawn91481 said:


> I bought this used Armour reefer and converted it to a Colorado & Southern. Probably not prototypical as much of the C&S was narrow gauge.
> 
> proto or not, it is a good looking car. :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice Challenger. The Lionmaster stuff looks impressive on smaller layouts, gives you the massive look without the limitations.


----------



## MOVL

Shawn91481 said:


> Also I got the Lionmaster D&RGW Challenger. As much as I would love the Visionline locomotives I don't have room for 072 curves so I have to scale back a bit.


Nice!! The D&RG Challenger was trying to draw me in, when catalogued. I'll be watching the secondary market for one as it is sharp in green and I do not yet own a Challenger. I am a fan of the LionMaster line of big steam in a smaller package. I do have O72 curves and know that a Vision loco would still look very large on them. The LionMasters look perfect on O72 though. Glad to see Lionel continue this line.


----------



## Shawn91481

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice Challenger. The Lionmaster stuff looks impressive on smaller layouts, gives you the massive look without the limitations.


Thanks! It's decently detailed too. It even has the whistle steam effect, and the sound is amazing. It doesn't have all the cool separately applied pipes and hand painted valves and what not, but still considering it's over half the price you can't expect the same level of detail. They have come a long way since my 80's plastic molded 2-4-0 Pennsylvania Flyer set.

@Cole226. Yup. Besides it's a model railroad. It's supposed to be about fun. For me, I don't need every detail to be perfectly replicated for a specific era to have fun. I know there are those who do, and I admire their attention to detail, but that isn't for me. And the way I see it there's more than enough room in the hobby for both.


----------



## Shawn91481

MOVL said:


> Nice!! The D&RG Challenger was trying to draw me in, when catalogued. I'll be watching the secondary market for one as it is sharp in green and I do not yet own a Challenger. I am a fan of the LionMaster line of big steam in a smaller package. I do have O72 curves and know that a Vision loco would still look very large on them. The LionMasters look perfect on O72 though. Glad to see Lionel continue this line.


It takes 031 and looks goofy on 036. I'm planning to run it on o54, but haven't got that layout started.

What got me to buy this new is the Challengers on eBay were selling for over $100 more than this retail version, and they were the previous black models. I am glad I checked and noticed a lot of the time you are better off paying $20-$50 more on something new from a reputable dealer than taking a gamble on ebay as it doesn't seem like the prices go down much.

With that said you can find some steals. Picked up a DRGW GP7 with legacy for $200. And of course there are thr out of production models that is your only choice.


----------



## santafe158

santafe158 said:


> That trolley is very cool. I may have to get one to motorize for my Redford Theatre display as I grew up watching that show.
> 
> Dimensions for ones that at least look similar for sale online are 11"x3.5"x6.5". Probably big for O scale, but it was a fictional trolley anyway. Seems like a power truck from a K-Line handcar or similar (something that can be mounted flat to the bottom of the frame of the trolley) would work perfectly with little modification.
> 
> That being said, I ordered both the trolley toy and an RMT (O Line Reproductions) Speeder to try out my theory. If it doesn't work as I planned, then I'll have a speeder to run











Just a quick update on this, the trolley and speeder I ordered came in today. As you can see, the trolley is much closer to G scale in size than I expected. The speeder itself is already much too big to be even close to O scale, so I don't think this motorization project is going to happen. It is a fantasy item, so scale isn't really that important, but I think this one is just too big. I may try to find a G scale chassis to mount it on though


----------



## CDNJ

Got a CSX SD40-2 for Easter.


----------



## Shawn91481

CDNJ said:


> Got a CSX SD40-2 for Easter.
> View attachment 164881



MTH? love the paint scheme. I haven't seen any CSX on UP lines though. I have seen some Norfolk Southern and KCS however. So, I might add that to my DRGW/UP line.


----------



## CDNJ

Shawn91481 said:


> MTH? love the paint scheme. I haven't seen any CSX on UP lines though. I have seen some Norfolk Southern and KCS however. So, I might add that to my DRGW/UP line.


yea it's MTH.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks like a Lionel 153IR controlling something, so this is a "mixed" layout.


----------



## MOVL

Awesome SD40!


----------



## MOVL

Lionel Smoke Fluid Loader arrived...


----------



## Shawn91481

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Looks like a Lionel 153IR controlling something, so this is a "mixed" layout.




I am curious how well that works having two remotes (if legacy). It seems that if you did you would never use the legacy remote.


----------



## Shawn91481

MOVL said:


> Lionel Smoke Fluid Loader arrived...
> 
> View attachment 164937


That's awesome. Little bit expensive eyedropper though! Lol.


----------



## MOVL

New MTH 20,000 gallon 4-compartment tank car. This one has Safety Train logos.


----------



## MOVL

Another tank car. This one is the GATX TankTrainer car. The prototype has a full sized door on the side of the tank car, for viewing interior. Might be a neat project, if I can match the paint.


----------



## MOVL

For reference, the real TankTrainer tank car next to the classroom car. I hope MTH offers the classroom car soon.


----------



## Shawn91481

Those tanks are neat


----------



## SDIV Tim

Got my Lionmaster Challenger, right when I powered it up I was so impressed with everything and anything, I took a picture of my Big Boy next to it and it is lionmaster as well, so I got 2 of UPs monsters in my fleet


----------



## Shawn91481

SDIV Tim said:


> Got my Lionmaster Challenger, right when I powered it up I was so impressed with everything and anything, I took a picture of my Big Boy next to it and it is lionmaster as well, so I got 2 of UPs monsters in my fleet


Very nice Tim. They are fantastic engines


----------



## RonthePirate

*FINALLY!!* After waiting four months, I have the 115th Anniversary Boxcar in my stables.
It's a nice car, beautifully done. The painting is perfect.

And i have nothing but kind words for Martin and Janet, owners of _The Train Engineer_ in Las Vegas.
I had a tinplate observation car I bought from Stauff months ago. The rear wheels started wobbling, looked like a clown car rolling along.
I showed it to Martin. He came out with a matching truck. 
Said, "Here, put these wheels on, they're not wobbly.
He gave it to me free. A small gift, but so important.

I also bought a set of three yard lights.

But after four months, a long trip to Las Vegas to pick it up, Spending $90.00 (inc. tax) and getting to bed at 2AM, to wake up at 6AM.
When I look at that boxcar, a song comes to mind....."The Thrill is Gone"...........


----------



## PatKn

I just received these two GG1s I bought on line.

















The black one may not be prototypical (I think the prototype was brunswick green, which looked black in some light, with gold stripes.) but I think it is striking and I love it. 4829 was the only GG1 to get that type of stripping. I bought the green 5 stripe because I don't have a green 5 stripe and the price was right. Here is a picture of my 4 scale MTH GG1s (I also have a scale Williams GG1)


----------



## SDIV Tim

Nice Pat, I don't care if the Black isn't prototypical... It looks cool!


----------



## Guest

Ron & Pat, nice additions to the layout.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Wasn't there one black one at least? I know PRR 4935 is called Blackjack, but it's not black today.


----------



## PatKn

According to http://www.spikesys.com/GG1/paint.html Only Conrail, Pen Central, Amtrak and NJT had black GG1s not Pennsy.


----------



## MOVL

Ron, nice boxcar. The graphics are wonderful.

Pat, the striping on 4829 is unique. Your model looks great in black.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, I couldn't find any reference to a black one either. I know that Williams had a black PRR one, I believe it was #4925, perhaps artistic license?


----------



## Yellowstone Special

I wish all cabeese came with end marker lights like the lanterns on this MTH woodside CA-1.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Pat, I will take a wild guess that you like GG1s. ;-) Very good looking additions to an impressive roster!


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## Mark Boyce

Yellowstone Special, I agree! That one looks great! I really like the one I just got. B&O 


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## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Wasn't there one black one at least? I know PRR 4935 is called Blackjack, but it's not black today.


The PRR had a color known as dark locomotive green enamel. I think the mix was along the lines of 1 part green to 9 parts black, so to many people it just looked black, but in certain lights you could see the green tint.


----------



## Shawn91481

Yellowstone Special said:


> I wish all cabeese came with end marker lights like the lanterns on this MTH woodside CA-1.
> 
> View attachment 167794


My Lionel LCCA Caboose has those. Nothing as good as that. The caboose is lighted by incandescents so the marker lights are just a suggestion in this case.

But, I agree. These examples seem to the the exception rather the rule.


----------



## PatKn

santafe158 said:


> The PRR had a color known as dark locomotive green enamel. I think the mix was along the lines of 1 part green to 9 parts black, so to many people it just looked black, but in certain lights you could see the green tint.


Yes, "DLGE". That's the color we refer to as Brunswick Green. It looks black with a green tint when the light hits it. I don't think anyone models it correctly.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The model green should probably be darker. I still wonder why they called #4935 "Blackjack".


----------



## Lehigh74

There are a few posts here that say it's because 4+9+3+5=21.

http://prrthsdiscussionweb30239.yuku.com/reply/8309/Re-GG1-name#.VwahrjF_RuA


----------



## Shawn91481

Lehigh74 said:


> There are a few posts here that say it's because 4+9+3+5=21.
> 
> http://prrthsdiscussionweb30239.yuku.com/reply/8309/Re-GG1-name#.VwahrjF_RuA


Took me a second. Lol add the road number and you get 21 and in cards is blackjack.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, that sort of makes sense.


----------



## Kmac

Pat, I really like the GG1's, very sharp!
I picked up a set of Alaska passenger cars and an Alaska extended vision caboose. I have been on an Alaska kick lately.

Keaton.


----------



## Shawn91481

Kmac said:


> Pat, I really like the GG1's, very sharp!
> I picked up a set of Alaska passenger cars and an Alaska extended vision caboose. I have been on an Alaska kick lately.
> 
> Keaton.
> View attachment 167850
> 
> 
> View attachment 167858


Love the detail of that caboose. Must be MTH or Atlas. I don't think Lionel even attempts that level on rolling stock. Of course I could be wrong. They have put out some nice stuff lately.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That caboose is very nicely detailed, looks like Atlas to me.


----------



## Kmac

Thanks guys. The caboose is MTH. Sorry I forgot to mention that. It is really nicely detailed. I counted 22 separately applied grab irons. The figure in the to cupola is even holding a coffee mug it is really neat.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The windows are well done, that's what surprised me. I'll have to look at one of my Premier cabooses again.


----------



## MOVL

Kmac, that is THE sharpest Alaska caboose I've seen in O. The passenger cars are nice too. Enjoy them!


----------



## PatKn

MOVL said:


> Kmac, that is THE sharpest Alaska caboose I've seen in O. The passenger cars are nice too. Enjoy them!


Ditto. I especially love that caboose too.


----------



## dicgolfer72

guess ill start my hello to the o gauge guys here 
long story short I came home from a train show last month with a Lionel Thomas the train set from a raffle 
(s gauge flyer guy normally)
and now I have a full o setup at the house lol

here is what I've picked up since we got the Thomas set
early Thomas set (not lion chief )


after figuring out that the Thomas set had poop sound I went out and picked up the lion chief little steamer set for my 12 month old to have fun


then picked up 
the lion chief frosty set , and little pet shop set so my 12 yr old son and 9 yr old daughter didn't feel left out 




then daddy got himself some toys lol




here is a vid of the layout 
nothing fancy but plenty of button activated gear to keep the 12 month old happy


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It's only right you get some toys.  Nice collection.


----------



## Shawn91481

The smoking caboose is a nice addition


----------



## dicgolfer72

Shawn91481 said:


> The smoking caboose is a nice addition




thanks 
I'm glad I snagged it
paid 120$ for it and the Alaska Williams engine at the toy and train show we had here last weekend

the smoking caboose works awesome with the lion chief stuff
cause I can crank the xformer voltage all the way up and then use the remote to control the train 
otherwise with the 2 non lion chief engines it will only smoke when the train is idle


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Just be careful with the smoking caboose. Most of them will melt the side of the shell if you put too much heat in there!


----------



## Railrunnin

Yes indeed - Listen to John. I have on of those melted roof cabeese


----------



## dicgolfer72

Railrunnin said:


> Yes indeed - Listen to John. I have on of those melted roof cabeese


yup only use 3-4 drops of smoke fluid 
and I don't let it sit idle smoking 
(why I like running it alongside the lion chief engines full speed ahead and still smoke coming out )


got 2 more cars in the mail today 
working on a Disney boxcar setup to match my flyer one

but man crap these 2 new boxcars are huge 
I know there is O and O27 
but these are way bigger than any of the new lionel O stuff I have 
and make the O27 lion chief stuff look like s scale lol 
the blue boxcar behind them was supposed to be O 

they are sized more like the Williams Alaska diesel which is huge 

being new to Lionel O gauge I know there are some differences in size but I didn't think that was the case with lionel O to O 
I guess these are so much bigger because they are high cube boxcars


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I've put MTH HO fan driven smoke units in a couple of these for people. They don't get nearly as hot, and they smoke a lot better than the static smoke unit that is stock. I put in a little adjustable power module so you can tune the smoke to your liking. I have a nice K-Line smoking caboose that I mean to do that to at some point.


----------



## Shawn91481

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I've put MTH HO fan driven smoke units in a couple of these for people. They don't get nearly as hot, and they smoke a lot better than the static smoke unit that is stock. I put in a little adjustable power module so you can tune the smoke to your liking. I have a nice K-Line smoking caboose that I mean to do that to at some point.


Where does one go about getting the unit?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I order them from MTH parts, #AA-1600000.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I've put MTH HO fan driven smoke units in a couple of these for people. I put in a little adjustable power module so you can tune the smoke to your liking. I have a nice K-Line smoking caboose that I mean to do that to at some point.


GRJ, don't want to hijack this thread but can you remind me (a) where you get the power module you mention and (b) what power the MTH HO smoke units require to function. I seem to remember the power spec is a little odd and more to the point that you can't run these off of an ERR dummy or Mini-Commander board as a result.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I use about 5-6 volts on the heater and no more than about 3V on the fan. I use a few diodes to drop the voltage to the fan, it's a really tiny motor. I buy the DC-DC switching power modules on eBay and add a bridge rectifier and a 470uf 35V capacitor to supply the input unregulated DC from track power.


The smoke unit on the bottom is the HO model.


----------



## Hudson J1e

I got this Weaver hopper at the last Edison, NJ show. It was $20 and the guy who sold it to me also threw in a Kadee coupler height gauge for free. I figured the realistic coal load was worth at least $8.


----------



## Shawn91481

Hudson J1e said:


> I got this Weaver hopper at the last Edison, NJ show. It was $20 and the guy who sold it to me also threw in a Kadee coupler height gauge for free. I figured the realistic coal load was worth at least $8.
> View attachment 169706


That is a great deal. I'm never that lucky. I think dealers see me and charge me extra. 

The coal load looks fantastic.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Good lookin' hopper, I miss Weaver as well as K-Line.


----------



## MOVL

Good deal Hudson!


----------



## Hudson J1e

Thanks. Sometimes you get lucky at what is typically a 3 rail show.


----------



## seayakbill

Freebe from Menards, C&NW flatcar with Kubato tractor.

Bill


----------



## rudy's railroad

Nice work on the video. Beautiful train.


----------



## dicgolfer72

more new goodies 

last of the rolling stock to finish up the Disney express lol (close enough to match my flyer Disney box cars)





and some new locos
mth southern crescent limited 
paid 175$ and not to happy sold as like new
the fan for the smoke unit is dead and the thing is squeaky as all get out 


mth Wabash p1 streamlined 
love this engine runs great and looks sweet 


lionel circus general 
not bad for 30$ but the rubber traction tires are dry rotted and its to light to pull all the cars I want


----------



## CDNJ

Got my New SD40-2 Reading and Northern. 
Can't wait to Lashup with my CSX SD40-2


----------



## josef

Nothing exciting, but picked this Weaver NYC RPO car up at a steal for my roster.


----------



## Lehigh74

CDNJ said:


> Got my New SD40-2 Reading and Northern.
> Can't wait to Lashup with my CSX SD40-2


Nice looking SD40. I ordered the other cab number. Guess it can't be too far behind yours.


----------



## Guest

Picked up this Wagon Top Box Car by Sunset/3rd Rail. It's very heavy (Brass I guess) and the weight gives it a solid smooth ride. 

Emile

View attachment 172946


----------



## Mark Boyce

Very nice, Emile! I always liked the wagon tops!


----------



## suzukovich

Been awhile, Some cool stuff added since I last looked at this thread. A few new additions but I will start with this one. OK cool for me. 

I just finished My CB&Q U30B kitbash project. 

This was a good learning curve for my next project. There are some errors, but are fixable. Components for the project were a Weaver U25B chassis and trucks, MTH PS2 upgrade, and a damaged Lionel CB&Q U30C shell. I have a few lose ends to do. Trim the railings by the cab, and need decals made for the number boards and road number. So here is a short video of the engine arriving in Winterton for the first time.


----------



## Dano

I modded these two up so that they chase each other around the track. I do have a cross-over which causes the odd crash but that does not seem to detract from the fun!


----------



## Guest

A new Classic: The Lionel No. 50 Jurassic Gang Car! I Love it!

Emile


----------



## PatKn

What happened to his tail?  That musta hurt.


----------



## Shawn91481

PatKn said:


> What happened to his tail?  That musta hurt.


It was a tragic railroading accident involving a woman, booze, and the 07:15 freight out of De Moines.


----------



## Dano

Sorry to ruin the speculation!


----------



## emmetd

an 810 crane car


----------



## Shawn91481

Tinplate or vintage post war?


----------



## suzukovich

Dano said:


> Sorry to ruin the speculation!
> View attachment 173786


Tail or no tail still cool!!!!


----------



## suzukovich

Been a busy and crazy month. Bought earlier this month ATSF Zebra Striped Atlas GP9s Ok cool for me.


----------



## Guest

Always liked the zebra stripped Sante Fe.


----------



## suzukovich

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Always liked the zebra stripped Sante Fe.


Brian

Not my main roads, but they popped up on E Bay and didn't think twice about it. Now for something completely different.

Picked this up from a member at the other place. S Gauge PE with the two add on cars. I would not buy the O gauge RTR set as I run scale and it was too toyish for my taste, also don't have the super deep pockets for the scale version. But this works and I defiantly not disappointed.


----------



## MOVL

Very nice! The S-gauge Polar Ex is super sharp. Enjoy it!


----------



## Guest

Lionel did a fantastic job with the AF PE set. Good purchase!


----------



## Guest

Nice, nice, very nice suzkovitch! I think the AF Polar Express is much nicer than the Lionel O gauge version.


----------



## Shawn91481

My son has been bugging my wife and I for a Polar Express set. Since he has a hard time taking care of things he has to buy it. Me thinks it's going to take him a while!


----------



## PatKn

I just bought this L1 Mikado. Brought it to the club last night to run it in front of a string of coal cars.


----------



## Guest

She's a fabulous locomotive, Pat, and a really cool train as well.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I've seen that one before.  Nice looking rig.


----------



## seayakbill

Super steamer and neat video of the Pennsy coal drag.

Bill


----------



## Mark Boyce

Pat, that is really nice!


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----------



## Guest

Very nice, Pat.


----------



## Mark Boyce

MTH B&O woodside caboose


----------



## Shawn91481

Mark Boyce said:


> MTH B&O woodside caboose
> 
> View attachment 176297


That is fantastic. LED lighting?


----------



## Mark Boyce

Thank you, Shawn. Yes it does. Very nice indeed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## cole226

nice boose Mark. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Mark Boyce

Thank you!


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----------



## Kmac

Great looking caboose Mark! Looks like it has a lot of detail.

Keaton.


----------



## Guest

Sweet caboose, Mark. Is that a Railking or Premier model?


----------



## Mark Boyce

Thank you Keaton and Joe! It is a Premier. Yes it is very nicely detailed and the lights are great!


----------



## Craignor

I got a email from Mario's trains this week, they were having a good sale on Williams by Bachmann locos this week, so I bought both the locos you see below. I had been admiring them both, but the price was a little too high, until now. 

Both have the new Trueblast Plus sound system which adds engine sounds and a better horn and bell, it sounds good. The Seaboard RS-3 is very well detailed, it comes set up for long hood forward running, has LED headlights, lit number boards, directional lighting, and crew figures. The model closely resembled the prototype, and shares the same number 

I added crew figures to the Amtrak Genesis loco.

Both are very smooth runners, with nice paint jobs, and were perfect right out of the box.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking caboose Mark. I'm partial to woodside cabooses.
Craig, nice engines! WbB has done a nice job on them and the sound system is nice too.


----------



## bouke57

*Hiawatha #3 video*

Thanks ganglabourer for the informative and beautiful show. What a beautiful addition to your collection.


----------



## MOVL

Craignor, good looking Alco. I became a fan of the RS-3 and really like yours. The TrueBlast Plus sounds good too.


----------



## Mark Boyce

PatKn said:


> Nice looking caboose Mark. I'm partial to woodside cabooses.
> too.




Thanks Pat! I am too.


----------



## Craignor

Thanks Pat and Keith.


----------



## suzukovich

Its been a pretty good start for the month.

Rumors of a pending merger are now fuel by the assignment of 2 Lionel NP GP9s ( My first Legacy engines). In addition a MTH GN GP35 has also been assigned. Ok Cool for me.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice, you'll be spoiled by the great sounds and speed control of Legacy.


----------



## Laidoffsick

Man you guys are making me want to go buy something this weekend... too much cool stuff


----------



## suzukovich

Laidoffsick said:


> Man you guys are making me want to go buy something this weekend... too much cool stuff


You better hurry up. Just got a line on a RSD7/15 zebra and just bought a legacy GN GP 35 to go with the nonpowered MTH unit. 

John, I am pretty impressed with the legacy Geep. Like the Atlas Geeps, these popped up and didn't think twice. Was initially worried because I run TMCC thru DCS. I don't get all the bells and whistles but I like how it runs. So no merger at this time, but have most of the pieces for BN ( CB&Q/C&S, GN, NP) and yes ATSF which would be down the road. Now I need to figure out how to pull the shells on the Atlas GPs so I can install Kadees.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Atlas stuff is frequently fun to take apart... NOT!


----------



## suzukovich

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Atlas stuff is frequently fun to take apart... NOT!


I agree but it didn't take me long to figure out how to remove the shell of my SDP 35. Unfortunately it is a necessary evil for maintenance and to pull the pilots for the Kadee Conversion. Found several threads at the other place but none actually pointed out the screws needed to pull the shell.


----------



## njrailer93

picked up this today a nice new york central hopper


----------



## suzukovich

njoffroader said:


> picked up this today a nice new york central hopper
> View attachment 178577


Cool!!!


----------



## Guest

Beautiful NYC hopper.


----------



## MOVL

njoffroader, great purchase! I often thought about collecting a string of the MTH map hopper. They are interesting.


----------



## Mark Boyce

I got the Bessemer & Lake Erie recently because the B&LE is at the bottom of the hill from my home 










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----------



## njrailer93

I was originally going to get that one until I saw the New York central version


----------



## Mark Boyce

The NYC car is sharp! I don't particularly like orange, but when the local road uses it, I'll overlook the color. 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## bluecomet400

Here's my latest purchase, a Lionel 651 lumber car. This completes a prewar freight set I bought last fall. The rest of the set was in great condition, but I really "needed" to upgrade the lumber car as it was pretty beat-up.


----------



## Guest

Very nice freight cars on this page! Great acquisitions.

Mark, I really like the Orange.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Joe, Thank you. It is a bit striking.


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----------



## Craignor

I am on a roll, been looking for one of these for years, found one on EBay at a good price.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice catch, boy do I remember riding on those things!


----------



## Craignor

Thanks John,

Yeah, that's gotta be one of the coolest looking buses ever. I remember riding on them a few times myself. This model is extra special due to its destination board.


----------



## Tucgary

I have been wanting one of these Lionel MPC era 8111 switcher's for a while now. This one called to me on E-bay.
Complete and nice, but was a dreaded NOT TESTED item.
So when it arrived the wheels turned and I said what the heck and set it right on the track.
GRRRRR and off she went!  Forward,reverse, and the headlight all work fine.
Is off for clean and lube now but it's first dispatch will be to take this box car back to Chesterfield Mi. Tucgary


----------



## RonthePirate

Love the glow-in-the-dark orange! 

Nice. Curious: do the red lights on the sides light also?
They're pretty big, they look like real bulbs.

And the Lionel boxcar is nice too. I like the shades of green that it is.


----------



## Tucgary

Ron, Yeah those MPC era colors really jump out at you. 
No, those marker lights are only dummy. I had not seen this model with the top center one on it. Was a surprise. Thanks Gary


----------



## Guest

Also got one of those at the recent York Meet. Very impressive Craig.


----------



## Kmac

Great additions everyone, I love those map hoppers. Mark the Bessemer Hopper is great since it is so close to our neck of the woods. The MPC era DTI switcher is great I I have one my self and love it.
For me a long awaited pre-order came in this week. The MTH Rail King Bigboy passenger set finally arrived. The separate sale engines and freight set arrived back in April or before but the passenger set took awhile and it came in this past week. I ordered this set from Mercer Junction back in November 2016 and have been waiting since for it. Well Dave at Mercer Junction called me me this past Thursday and told me it was in. I couldn't be happier with the set, it is great and well worth the wait. It has a lot of details for a Rail King and it runs great and puts out a lot of smoke, it has a lot of detail for a Railking engine.

Keaton.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Keaton,
Thank you.
The Big Boy and passenger car looks great! How many cars are in the set?

Speaking of local, I picked up a K-Line Pennsylvania Tank Lines, Sharon, Penna tank car from 1999 still new sealed in the box. Photo to come later.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Kmac

Mark Boyce said:


> Keaton,
> Thank you.
> The Big Boy and passenger car looks great! How many cars are in the set?
> 
> Speaking of local, I picked up a K-Line Pennsylvania Tank Lines, Sharon, Penna tank car from 1999 still new sealed in the box. Photo to come later.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


 Thank you Mark ! There are 4 cars in the set. I would like to add more cars in the future. 

Keaton.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice looking BB, that's the Imperial, right?


----------



## Kmac

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice looking BB, that's the Imperial, right?


Thanks John, yes it is an imperial BB.

Keaton


----------



## Richard E

I got a good deal on the cars from Gardner The Train Doctor (GarGraves) last summer, but they didn’t have the locomotive. I finally found a loco this winter. It has to be the nicest looking train of all time.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful locomotive, Richard.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Kmac said:


> Thank you Mark ! There are 4 cars in the set. I would like to add more cars in the future.
> 
> Keaton.


That sounds great! I started with a Lionel 2-car set for the N&W J and just added 2 more.


----------



## suzukovich

Keaton like the BB. Richard nice find with the Hiawatha. 

This arrived late Friday, Lionel Legacy GN GP35. I replaced the claws with Kadees today.


----------



## PatKn

Great finds guys! :thumbsup: The hoppers are real cool. I love the Big Boy. GN Green and Orange are one of my favorite color combinations.


----------



## Lee Willis

Finally, I have a Vision line UP Genset switcher. My friend Don Jones found me one - it took a while but I wanted one new and in the box if possible. It took a while but I am so glad to have it. 

I just screwed up badly by not buying a Vision Line Genset Switcher when they were initially available. The engines waaay out of the 1950s time period I model on my layout, and I just didn't recognize how absolutely you-must-have-it the loco is until I saw one run. With its variable motors running or not, and those cool little exhaust pipe lids that only lift when the exhaust from a running motor is pushing them up, it is just too cool for words.

Unfortunately, it will stay in the box for a while since the layout is temporarily powered down while some heavy construction is going on upstairs. I can't wait to take it out and run it, but it's comforting to know I finally have one of locos that was on my "must have it" list.


----------



## Guest

Congratulations Lee. That's a beautiful engine and one that has had a much lower profile than it deserves. When people begin to see videos of your UP Genset Switcher working the Yard there's going to be surge of demand for that Bad Boy! :smilie_daumenpos:

Emile


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Lee, that's why I had to have mine. I saw one with the cool multi-engine features all working and knew I had to add that one to the stable.  I love to sit it on a siding and watch it periodically power up for a spell, then shut back down.  

My only complaint is the detailing is somewhat fragile, and the cab windows pop out if you look at them. I think I have them all glued in properly now, but you never know.


----------



## Lee Willis

It is fragile, with all that detail. I'll keep it somewhere special and teat it special, too.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'm sure there's a shelf with it's name on it somewhere.


----------



## Bob Phillips

I didn't see any padded shelves in the train room. :laugh:
Personally I like Diesels.


----------



## Shawn91481

Posted the locomotive a while back. Here is the Lionmaster D&RGW 4-6-6-4 Challenger with a k-line tool car (new to me) and a string of new MTH Union Pacific passenger cars. I also recently got a D&RGW UP heritage SD70 to go with this excursion train, but the curves on the current track are too tight.


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## Lee Willis

Oh wow! Nice loco!!! I love it going behind the sofa. That is seriously cool.


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## Shawn91481

Lol thanks Lee! I just noticed the front marker lights aren't working. I guess I'm getting it serviced.... 

The sofa canyon is just temporary until I can get something set up long-term


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## PatKn

Lee, Congratulations on the Genset. It's a beautiful engine and the features sound really cool.

Shawn, Love the Challenger. Enjoy it.


----------



## Lee Willis

Shawn91481 said:


> Lol thanks Lee! I just noticed the front marker lights aren't working. I guess I'm getting it serviced....
> 
> The sofa canyon is just temporary until I can get something set up long-term


Frankly, for front marker lights along, I wouldn't risk someone opening it up. Bad things happen when you open up a loco - not ever time, but often enough. I have a MTH Hudson like that. runs great, smokes great. I can live with it. 

The sofa canyon is cool, temporary or not. I love it


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## gunrunnerjohn

Good thing I don't share your reluctance to open them up Lee, I'd be out of business.


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## Guest

Shawn, that Challenger is fabulous. It looks and runs great.


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## MOVL

Awesome LionMaster Shawn!


----------



## HarborBelt1970

Shawn91481 said:


> Lol thanks Lee! I just noticed the front marker lights aren't working. I guess I'm getting it serviced....


Is this a Legacy engine? If so I wonder if there's a control for switching on and off the marker lights. I thought that this was one control accessed by pressing and holding AUX2 to get at the additional lighting features. It's possible for lighting features to be turned on and off by accident so it might be worth checking this.


----------



## MOVL

*MTH does it again!*

They produced a real winner in this CSX Firefighters Safety Train. I thank them for bringing us an O version of the real train.

A few pics below. The passenger car is gorgeous in deep blue with pin stripes and it has figures inside.

Would have been cool to have it all in a special set box, but not really necessary. Everything is packaged separately and placed in one large standard shipping carton.


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## seayakbill

Very nice CSX safety train. CSX has a major yard in Columbus with a lot of activity but have not seen their safety train pass through.

Bill


----------



## Shawn91481

HarborBelt1970 said:


> Is this a Legacy engine? If so I wonder if there's a control for switching on and off the marker lights. I thought that this was one control accessed by pressing and holding AUX2 to get at the additional lighting features. It's possible for tlighting features to be turned on and off by accident so it might be worth checking this.



Haha maybe. It is a Legacy. They came back on.... There is a button on the remote that turns off the red markers on back.


----------



## Shawn91481

MOVL said:


> They produced a real winner in this CSX Firefighters Safety Train. I thank them for bringing us an O version of the real train.
> 
> A few pics below. The passenger car is gorgeous in deep blue with pin stripes and it has figures inside.
> 
> Would have been cool to have it all in a special set box, but not really necessary. Everything is packaged separately and placed in one large standard shipping carton.


I love that locomotive. It has so much detail


----------



## SDIV Tim

Bought this Santa Fe GP35 for 200 brand new and is my first Atlas Loco motive.


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine Tim. Enjoy!


----------



## Shawn91481

This is a new in box Rio Grande UP heritage diesel pulling brand new MTH tank cars, and new to me lionel intermodel. 

The diesel needs at least o36 curves so I had to bust out my minimum fast track and it still derails. 

The rear truck had come lose in shipping and caused some cosmetic damage to the rear pilot. The cut bar had broken free and one of the MU hoses was broken off. A little super glue fixed that. I found three of the four screws and reassembled the truck. Unfortunately the missing screw is one of two screws that mount the motor. I don't know, but this missing hardware might be why it derails. I guess I'm going up to Denver for repairs. hwell: I have two other locomotives that need attention anyway.


----------



## Shawn91481

SDIV Tim said:


> Bought this Santa Fe GP35 for 200 brand new and is my first Atlas Loco motive.


I have heard a lot of good things about Atlas. Does it use TMCC or the MTH version? DCS?


----------



## Guest

Shawn, the new loco looks, sounds and runs great.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Atlas and 3rd Rail use TMCC, only MTH offers DCS with factory production. If you want DCS in anything but an MTH locomotive, you have to do an upgrade install.


----------



## Shawn91481

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Atlas and 3rd Rail use TMCC, only MTH offers DCS with factory production. If you want DCS in anything but an MTH locomotive, you have to do an upgrade install.


Nope. I only have legacy. Good to know i can add Atlas and Weaver


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You can add MTH too, I do really nice TMCC conversions.


----------



## Guest

Nice additions to your inventory, Keith. Thew CSX train is special.


----------



## Fabforrest

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You can add MTH too, I do really nice TMCC conversions.


Yes, he does.


----------



## MOVL

Thanks guys.

Tonight I'll be running some trains then watching the Cavs and drinking this local Cavs beer that I just found. Made a town away in Strongsville, OH.


----------



## Don F

I've been looking for a Weaver war emergency gondola for quite some time. I picked one up recently, and was checking to see if any loads I've made for similar cars fit, but none do. I'll be making some type of load, just not sure yet. I've made various MOW loads, scrap metal loads, ballast, crushed glass and tie loads Anyone have a suggestion? 
Don


----------



## Guest

Nice cars, Don.


----------



## Don F

Thanks Brian. The other gon is an Atlas from the 70's. I don't even remember where I got it from. A customer wanted some loads for an Atlas gon, so I had him send me the car, not realizing I had this. It was made in Austria, and I thought it might be MTH. I always make at least one extra load, and one day I saw it on my train shelf and decided to see if the extra Atlas load fit, as it looked close to the same size. sure enough, it did. I asked a friend who has a hobby shop, and he told me it was Atlas. I felt bad that the customer mailed me the car and I had one. He just ordered some more loads, so I'm surprising him with a special load. 
The Weaver gon is really nice, the ends drop inside. Joe Hayter told me these cars didn't sell well, but they command a high price on the bay now. 
Don


----------



## Mark Boyce

That's a neat car Don! I like the loads you have made, so I'm sure you will come up with something. I see a lot of gondolas with steel bars stacked up in Butler waiting to go in to the AK Steel rolling mill.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Here is my first Legacy engine I bought second hand. A Western Maryland F7 AA set. It really looks, runs, and sounds nice. I am running it with a used TMCC I bought from GunrunnerJohn. It took me a while, but I figured it out.


----------



## Don F

Mark,
I do have some flat stock that I cut for a load, but not sure if that's the right fit for this car. It's not like I'm in a rush, so something will come up. 
Don


----------



## Mark Boyce

Don F said:


> Mark,
> I do have some flat stock that I cut for a load, but not sure if that's the right fit for this car. It's not like I'm in a rush, so something will come up.
> Don


The loads I see today need a much heavier car than the war emergency car, that's for sure.


----------



## Guest

The F7s look and run great, Mark. The ceiling layout is looking good too.


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## Mark Boyce

Country Joe said:


> The F7s look and run great, Mark. The ceiling layout is looking good too.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Thank you Joe!


----------



## PatKn

Enjoy the Gon Don.

Mark, Nive F units. Glad to see that you are getting use out of that ceiling layout.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Thank you on both counts, Pat! Since the ceiling layout is in the basement, the dog doesn't hear it usually, so I don't have the barking problem as with the temp layout in the married daughter's old room. Saves my wife from her chronic headach some grief. The other daughter is getting married this summer, and I will get her basement room adjacent to the ceiling central for a layout. That will solve a lot of problems.


----------



## Shawn91481

Mark Boyce said:


> Thank you on both counts, Pat! Since the ceiling layout is in the basement, the dog doesn't hear it usually, so I don't have the barking problem as with the temp layout in the married daughter's old room. Saves my wife from her chronic headach some grief. The other daughter is getting married this summer, and I will get her basement room adjacent to the ceiling central for a layout. That will solve a lot of problems.



How many of us are waiting for daughters to move out for trains? I know I am... sadly I think it will be like ten years. The 18 yo has no desire to move and my son will take the 16yo's when she leaves at 18.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Shawn91481 said:


> How many of us are waiting for daughters to move out for trains? I know I am... sadly I think it will be like ten years. The 18 yo has no desire to move and my son will take the 16yo's when she leaves at 18.


Shawn,
I hope this doesn't make you discouraged, but our daughter is 25. Both she and my wife and I agree it is time. At least she and her fiancé are buying a house with a lot of room for her art stuff and collections, so I don't need to worry about her leaving a lot of stuff behind. After cleaning, they will move all that stuff, then move in themselves after the wedding. Her sister is a minimalist, so she had hardly anything other than clothes and music stuff including a harp to move.


----------



## Tallaman

My oldest daughter moved out last year when she was 19 and my youngest daughter is a 17 yr old junior in HS now and determined to move out after one year of college. So there is a light. But I have to say, the hardest year of fatherhood for me has been since the first moved out and also bought a motorcycle. I cannot rest.


----------



## PatKn

My daughter moved out about 3 years ago. She was married a year ago. She is 32. My son got married and moved out this year. He will be 35 in August. I am finally an empty nester but they never really fully leave.


----------



## seayakbill

Latest acquisition from Menard's Trains. A C&NW hopper and a C&NW flat with tractor. The flat with tractor was a freebe for purchasing the coal hopper.

Bill


----------



## Lee Willis

I received an e-mail last Friday that I had a package coming from Pats Trains: no identification in it of which of the many items I have pre-ordered was in it. It was sort of fun over the weekend wondering what it would be. It was a caboose and three REA round-top reefers.







This little CP caboose is just cute and nicely done. I like it. 







These big green REA reefers are my favorites. 







I had two already so I now have five. 







Here is my new-to-me Vision Genset switcher running for the first time pulling them. This loco is, frankly, almost too much - detail, sound, features. Very fancy. I enjoyed running it this morning -- the first time in nearly two weeks I've been able to make it up to the train room. But I won't run it much. It's way the wrong era - modern rather than the 1950s. But it is a hoot to run, to see the little exhaust vent tops open and all, and the sound is fantastically complex if waaaaay too modern: there's some high-tech modern equipment humming away inside that loco, not an old big slow turning rumbling diesel.


----------



## PatKn

Looks like a nice engine Lee. Enjoy it. Does the smoke cause the exhaust flaps to open or do they open by themselves? I like the Genset but it is too modern to go with my other equipment. 
I love the reefers.


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## Lee Willis

PatKn said:


> Looks like a nice engine Lee. Enjoy it. Does the smoke cause the exhaust flaps to open or do they open by themselves? I like the Genset but it is too modern to go with my other equipment.
> I love the reefers.


The blower effect of the smoke blows them open.


----------



## briangcc

No pics yet but ended up with a K-Line MP15 in UP for $29.99 plus shipping to my door. Was pleasantly surprised when it had the Parallel/Series switch underneath. No sound so that's a little of a bummer but after a good cleaning and lube job it runs fairly well.

I was thinking I wouldn't like the small truck mounted motors but the way its setup it actually works out as my boys like to push it down the track without the power on. Since the gears turn the traction tires won't get ruined.

Only true disappointment is that it's maxed out with my 6 Williams Madison cars. It really struggles with that load. With regular freight cars I have it hauling about 12 which is fine for what I want/need it to do.

Eventually will be repainted into CSX as the Buffalo Yard is only a few miles from our house and we go there often to watch the trains (or diesels as the boys put it).


----------



## Mark Boyce

Brian, For 29.99 it is a steal!! Sound like it doesn't do that bad!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Guest

What's not to like about a "yellow" hopper car, Bill.


----------



## TGP

ahhhah !!! , dang over slept, wonder what my drivers are doing

somebody say something about Yellow hopper, 
awhile ago!!!!!!!!!!









and just kidding about the getting up, 0430 A.m. 1st cup coffee!!


----------



## Mark Boyce

Lee Willis said:


> Here is my new-to-me Vision Genset switcher running for the first time pulling them. This loco is, frankly, almost too much - detail, sound, features. Very fancy. I enjoyed running it this morning -- the first time in nearly two weeks I've been able to make it up to the train room. But I won't run it much. It's way the wrong era - modern rather than the 1950s. But it is a hoot to run, to see the little exhaust vent tops open and all, and the sound is fantastically complex if waaaaay too modern: there's some high-tech modern equipment humming away inside that loco, not an old big slow turning rumbling diesel.
> View attachment 184945


Lee,
The cars look great! I do have a question about the Switcher, since I don't follow modern Western railroads. What does UPY stand for? Union Pacific Yard??


----------



## Lehigh74

Mark/Lee - Hope you don't mind if I chime in. I think I read in Trains magazine that UP ran out of four digit numbers for their road engines so they had to start using UPY. It also looks like you nailed it Mark as UPY is indeed the designation for yard engines.

http://www.thedieselshop.us/UP.HTML


----------



## Mark Boyce

Ran out of four digit numbers! Wow!
Thanks Lehigh74


----------



## MOVL

*How about another yellow hopper...*

MTH 2016 Premier Club Car (NS Pier 6 50th anniversary) just arrived...


----------



## Norton

Just picked up this MTH Alco RS1 with PS3. I think the RS1 is my favorite Alco. This one is pulling a commuter train out of NYC on the West Shore line. I have had the three car set for a while and picked up the add on car at York.










Pete


----------



## Mark Boyce

Pete, the RS1 is good looking!


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## PatKn

Good looking hopper Keith.
Pete, I have the P3 RS-1 in Pennsylvania. Great engine. Enjoy.


----------



## Norton

Here are some close ups. Lionel has much improved the coupling distance on their heavyweights. Used to be you had to be an Olympic broad jumper to move between cars.



















Pete


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful looking trains Pete. If I hadn't decided to specialize in the Pennsylvania RR I might have selected NY Central. NYC and B&O are my next favorite lines and I really like their paint schemes.


----------



## Norton

Pat, about 6 years ago I decided to focus on NYC. In my HO days it was Southern Pacific. My grandfather worked for the NYC and other than my years in Uncle Sams canoe club I have never lived more than 4 miles from the NYC mainline so it was a natural for me.

Pete


----------



## SDIV Tim

I figured to keep this thread alive, I would post my Dad's new Williams by Bauchmann 44 Toner


----------



## Laidoffsick

I still havent pulled the trigger on that 44 ton Zebra. Just have my doubts about the Kadee conversion, and command control. It will most likely end up in the collection anyway.


----------



## seayakbill

Three of the BNSF Heritage grain hoppers from MTH, NP, AT&SF, and SP&S.

Bill


----------



## Guest

Nice looking rolling stock, Bill.


----------



## Shawn91481

Bill, very nice. I like how both the railroads and companies are putting out heritage equipment. Were those from the recent catalog? Were there other road names?


----------



## Mark Boyce

SDIV Tim said:


> I figured to keep this thread alive, I would post my Dad's new Williams by Bauchmann 44 Toner


I was going to ask if that was a Williams by Bachmann on your post elsewhere. Now I don't have to! :thumbsup:


----------



## seayakbill

Shawn91481 said:


> Bill, very nice. I like how both the railroads and companies are putting out heritage equipment. Were those from the recent catalog? Were there other road names?


The NP and AT&SF are from the MTH 2015 vol 1 catalog, the SP&S I believe was out of the MTH 2014 vol 1 catalog. I think there is a Great Northern out there somewhere also. I am not sure how many Heritage hoppers the BNSF put on the rails. I would think a Burlington and a Frisco would have been in the mix.

Bill


----------



## Shawn91481

seayakbill said:


> The NP and AT&SF are from the MTH 2015 vol 1 catalog, the SP&S I believe was out of the MTH 2014 vol 1 catalog. I think there is a Great Northern out there somewhere also. I am not sure how many Heritage hoppers the BNSF put on the rails. I would think a Burlington and a Frisco would have been in the mix.
> 
> Bill


That's cool. I thought it was a 3 car pack. Will have to contact my dealer and see if they have any


----------



## Craignor

My new Lionel Baltimore Orioles Spring Training boxcar...the Orioles Train is growing.


----------



## Guest

Nice looking. Not a good day for the Orioles though. But it is just one game. Overall, good year so far.


----------



## Craignor

Brian,

I am glad Lionel is producing the MLB cars, there was a long stretch of nothing in the sports department. Hopefully they will produce NFL cars soon.

Yes, bad day, but plenty of baseball left!


----------



## PRRronbh

Of the Trio of Contemporary Survivors the E8 #6900 is the news.


----------



## Shawn91481

Craignor said:


> Brian,
> 
> I am glad Lionel is producing the MLB cars, there was a long stretch of nothing in the sports department. Hopefully they will produce NFL cars soon.t
> 
> Yes, bad day, but plenty of baseball left!
> 
> View attachment 187506



Nice! I have a friend who is a huge O's fan


----------



## Shawn91481

PRRronbh said:


> Of the Trio of Contemporary Survivors the E8 #6900 is the news.


Southern has some of the most spectacular colors.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Laidoffsick said:


> I still havent pulled the trigger on that 44 ton Zebra. Just have my doubts about the Kadee conversion, and command control. It will most likely end up in the collection anyway.


Hopefully Matt will be off on the 24th of July, but I plan to be at SD3R to run with you, he will run as well. Will bring the 44 toner to show you the is pics and reviews by Bob Keller CTT and George Brown at OGR. They are not that strong, most I would pull would be 7-10 Cars. BTW are you gonna have your layout featured in an upcoming CTT?


----------



## Lehigh74

An MTH 70’ Reading RPO. This is my first 70’ (19” from coupler to coupler) passenger car and I got it to check for clearance before I get a 5 car set. It requires minimum 42” diameter curves and so will only run on 2 of my loops. Clearance is OK on the 2 loops. In the catalog and on the website the side has “UNITED STATES MAIL - RAILWAY POST OFFICE”, but the car only has the number…bummer.


----------



## Bob Phillips

I just recently picked up 5 car set, RPO, and 2, 2 car sets. Ten of these cars is a very long train. I pull it with Reading Lines GP35 with ERR cruise commander. No sound yet as the board don't work I bought for it. Very nice cars. You will like them.:appl:


----------



## Lehigh74

Bob Phillips said:


> I just recently picked up 5 car set, RPO, and 2, 2 car sets. Ten of these cars is a very long train. I pull it with Reading Lines GP35 with ERR cruise commander. No sound yet as the board don't work I bought for it. Very nice cars. You will like them.:appl:


Yes. Ten 19" cars would be very long. I'm planning to pull mine with an ABBA F7 that I'm expecting in July. I have the RPO and just ordered a 5 car set. That should be long enough for now.

Does your RPO have the US MAIL-RPO lettering or just the number 1730?
_______________________________

Never mind, just noticed you are S gauge.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Just the number. Bought them from Nicholas Smith.


----------



## Guest

Craig, that's a super line-up. Being a big MLB fan, I can appreciate this very much.

My team, the Braves are off to a horrible season, but thank goodness they fired Fredi two weeks ago. Things have gotten much better quickly. Management does make a difference. Go Braves.


----------



## Craignor

Brian,

Thanks, one more O's car ordered and I will be up to four, pretty soon I will need a Orioles loco and caboose to pull this set.

Go Braves! I remember them in the World Series in 95 against the Tribe. The tomahawk chop, Ted Turner and Hanoi Jane in the crowd. What a series. Just think if that were now the PC police would be out in force.

When the Orioles were in a 14 year losing streak, we started following the Mets as a second team. Kept us interested until things turned around with the Orioles.

Enjoy Nick Markakis, he is a very talented ball player, great outfielder, and a great Oriole.


----------



## teledoc

Craignor, Seeing your location, you certainly must have a few "Natty Bo" cars in your roster.

The Braves???? Are we talking about the 'Milwaukee Braves'???? Eddie Matthews, Warren Spahn....and that crew!!!!! OOps!!! Just revealed how old I am. LOL


----------



## PatKn

Craig,
So far the only team specific engines available are the subways and the starter kit berks. I managed to find a MTH MLB Cow/Calf switcher and caboose for my Yankee set. You might want to keep a look out for those.


----------



## Craignor

Pat,

That's cool, love the loco and cabeese, I will keep my eyes peeled for them.

Thanks:thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

*"The Braves???? Are we talking about the 'Milwaukee Braves'???? Eddie Matthews, Warren Spahn....and that crew!!!!! OOps!!! Just revealed how old I am. LOL"*

Let's go back to the beginning, the Boston Braves. "Spahn & Sain and pray for rain". I bet I am one of the few that have seen the Braves play at Braves Field in Boston, Milwaukee County Stadium, Fulton County Stadium and the TED. Not many of us.

When you are a kid and they are your team, they stay with you no matter where. That's team loyalty.


----------



## Norton

The other day I was surfing around looking for tractors and trailers to repaint for my Pacemaker TOFC train. To my surprise I found some already painted made by Ertl. They were listed as 1/43 so I thought they might be a bit larger than the Lionel and MTH pup trailers but found they are actually a bit shorter and lower. Regardless they are close enough and will fit in at the planned freight terminal.

Ertl








Lionel








MTH


















The MTH trailers are by far the nicest but their flatcars are at the bottom compared to Lionel and Weaver. They are slated for upgrades. Flats pictured are all Lionel Ps4s.

Pete


----------



## Mark Boyce

Pete, The look great!


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----------



## Wood

My newest addition is the Lionel Legacy UP EMD GP7. Both the powered unit and the unpowered unit. I originally purchased a single powered new unit in 2007 from Lionel. I found this set used from a TCA member and it arrived in excellent condition.

It is a superb operating unit and fits in well with my F3s that roam my layout. This was widely used through out the US as a freight hauler in the 40s and 50s. With the addition of both a powered GP7 and a non-powered unit I now have the ability to run a great Lash up with the three units and pull a ton of freight.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's serious motive power there Wood, lookin' good!


----------



## PatKn

The Geeps look great triple headed.


----------



## MOVL

Wood the Geeps look great. My GP7 is one of my favorite Legacy diesels. Excellent runner.


----------



## Wood

MOVL said:


> Wood the Geeps look great. My GP7 is one of my favorite Legacy diesels. Excellent runner.


Thanks John, Pat and MOVL. I would only add that this Legacy GP7 is in fact one of Lionel's best runners. It is hard to find and I am glad I found it because my 8 year old original Geep has many hours of usage. I used it as a yard mule and every run I made on the layout the Geep would set up all the consists. Now its going back to freight hauling.. I'll post some pictures down the road.


----------



## Guest

The GP's in UP colors are terrific, Wood. Of course you know I am partial to yellow anyway.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Picked up five Williams freight cars today at Hamburg meet. Three Tropicana box cars and two Flatcars with crates. My first Williams cars.


----------



## seayakbill

Picked up this Weaver Montana Rail Link grain hopper up this past weekend at a garage sale.

Bill


----------



## Wood

Bill, That is a very nice looking unit. A string of those would make an impressive set-up. You've got lots of nice freight in this picture.


----------



## Shawn91481

That's heck of a find


----------



## Guest

The postman brought my MTH Railroaders Club car today. It's the Railking car for this year, a double stack. I was surprised (and pleased) to find it has a FRED.









This is my first contemporary car and now I am seriously thinking of buying a CSX diesel and more double stacks.


----------



## Wood

Joe, That is a beauty. Intermodal transportation would make a great consist.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Country Joe said:


> The postman brought my MTH Railroaders Club car today. It's the Railking car for this year, a double stack. I was surprised (and pleased) to find it has a FRED.
> 
> View attachment 189953
> 
> 
> This is my first contemporary car and now I am seriously thinking of buying a CSX diesel and more double stacks.




Oh no! Is right!!! It's very sharp I must agree, Joe! 

I had some MTH CSX husky stacks, but sold them to a younger friend in my area. That was my stint with stacks. I go for the early piggybacks myself.


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## Mark Boyce

Oh yes, the FRED! I sold him a three pack, one of which had a FRED. A very nice addition, I must agree! Just the thing for contemporary trains. I'll stick with the old caboose myself.


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## seayakbill

Another piece from the garage sale I visited last week. They had a bunch of rolling stock for $10 to $15 all new old stock. Picked up a few Atlas hoppers and double door boxcars.

Bill


----------



## Wood

Bill, Bring that boxcar by my house, I can't keep up with the food for our new puppy.


----------



## Laidoffsick

I've been trying to get my hands of one of these for a long time. Pecos River Brass model from 1998, complete with wig wags. The last steel caboose classes built by ATSF in 1949 with a peaked roof. Found one on EBay and pulled the trigger.... probably paid too much for it, but they just don't come around often.


----------



## Guest

Thanks Wood, thanks Mark, I really like the car. Even though my main interest is the 1950s I have liked modern trains for some time. I think I'll add some contemporary trains for a change of pace every now and then.

Bill, I love that Purina boxcar.

Laidoffsick, that's a really sharp caboose.


----------



## TGP

Lionel GP-30 
ROAD - Of course !!!!!!!!!!

!


----------



## Guest

That's a nice diesel, Terry, very attractive in black and yellow.


----------



## Lehigh74

LOS – I love a good looking caboose…and that ATSF is one good looking caboose.


----------



## seayakbill

Alaska RR, one of my favorites, good looking Geep.

Bill


----------



## Lehigh74

Since my test of the 70’ RPO (post 858) was successful, I got the five car Reading passenger set. These cars are quite nice if I do say so myself. They include painted passengers and some other interior details which I wasn’t expecting. The passengers are the MTH “O scale” (actually S scale to my eye) that you get in the 120 pack plus some others that I haven’t seen before. I’m planning to run them with my Iron Horse Rambles painted T1, my Reading Blue Mountain SD40 and the F7s I’m expecting in July.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Those are nice, I've been keeping an eye out for nice Reading passenger cars, you beat me to those.


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new passenger cars, they are real beauties! :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Lehigh74

Thanks Guys.

John - These are from catalog 2014V2 (20-65242). There are still some of these around...at MTH, Just Trains and Bussingers. MTH has another set in the 2016V1 catalog for a few more bucks (20-65266) scheduled for release 2 months ago.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Lehigh74,
Those are super looking passenger cars! What a nice train they will make for you! That is neat you will be able to pull them with engines from three different eras!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'm hoping to score them for a bit less than the stores are charging.


----------



## CDNJ

Lehigh74- Those cars look great.


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'm hoping to score them for a bit less than the stores are charging.


I haven't found a better price than what Just Trains is asking. Their site says 0 units in stock, but I spoke with Julie and she said they can pick some up at MTH. Note that these are 19" from coupler to coupler (not 21").


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I do the 18" MTH cars for the most part, that doesn't bother me.

I bought the last MTH 18" passenger cars for $125 for the 5 car set and $50 for the two car add-on. That's the kind of prices I'm looking for.


----------



## Lehigh74

Well if I see any for that price, I'll let you know...after I buy them.


----------



## seayakbill

USPS dropped this guy off earlier in the week, got it off one of the auction sites. For some reason I always wanted one of these 44 tonners when I was a kid only took 60 years to pull the trigger. Runs great and in pretty darn good shape for its age.

Bill


----------



## Lehigh74

And it look great in LV colors.


----------



## Craignor

One more O's car arrived this week, now have a nice O's train going.


----------



## Craignor




----------



## Craignor

I didn't realize it had a reverse side. I Like it.


----------



## RonthePirate

My first addition isn't an engine or rolling stock, but I fell in love with it:









LOVE the blue neon ring!

Next in line are these Alcos I got from The Train Engineer in Las Vagas.
One powered, one dummy.









I intend to repaint them in Illinois Central brown and orange to match my passenger cars.

While I was in Las Vegas, I got to meet up with VegasN. Nice guy!
We met at The Train Engineer. I brought a bunch of N scale stuff he said he wanted to look at.
We came to a good deal. He got good stuff, I got green stuff.
Better to have someone use it rather than me just sit on it where it does no one any good.


----------



## PatKn

I just added this K4 to my Pennsy roster. It was never run, displayed only. I added some oil, grease, smoke fluid and a BCR and fired it up. I operates flawlessly. I can't wait for Wednesday, club night, so I can see it pull a passenger set.


----------



## Wood

Nice stuff!!! Love the K4 Pat and that great Lionel clock Ron. I enjoy this thread.


----------



## Guest

Nice addition, Pat.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Very cool, I really like the streamlined steamers.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Super looking, Pat


----------



## suzukovich

Laidoffsick said:


> I've been trying to get my hands of one of these for a long time. Pecos River Brass model from 1998, complete with wig wags. The last steel caboose classes built by ATSF in 1949 with a peaked roof. Found one on EBay and pulled the trigger.... probably paid too much for it, but they just don't come around often.
> 
> View attachment 189985
> 
> 
> View attachment 189993


That's cool.. Picked this up in Early May. Not as nice but anther MTH ATSF that's hard to find. Surprisingly it was an easy win on DASH( I was the only bidder) and paid less then 20 bucks. Now I have both safety slogan Waycars.


----------



## Laidoffsick

I've been watching a couple of those MTH ones with that slogan on EBay. Just haven't pulled the trigger, but I like that caboose. Like you, I have the other MTH safety slogan caboose and was going to strip it and repaint it. I decided against it... at least for now.


----------



## Shawn91481

suzukovich said:


> That's cool.. Picked this up in Early May. Not as nice but anther MTH ATSF that's hard to find. Surprisingly it was an easy win on DASH( I was the only bidder) and paid less then 20 bucks. Now I have both safety slogan Waycars.


Sometimes you have to over pay a little to get what you want especially on rare items. Why do you think Rembrandts and what not sell for millions? 

That is a unique caboose. I like it.


----------



## suzukovich

Laidoffsick said:


> I've been watching a couple of those MTH ones with that slogan on EBay. Just haven't pulled the trigger, but I like that caboose. Like you, I have the other MTH safety slogan caboose and was going to strip it and repaint it. I decided against it... at least for now.


When I install kadees I will change out the trucks on the other slogan Waycar as they are not correct. Interesting history on both. 1579 was eventually rebuilt in the late 60s and 2164 was retired in that scheme and never rebuilt. Both were used in transfer service from the mid 50s until rebuilt or retired in the mid 70s - 80s time frame. 

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191946&stc=1&d=1465921568


----------



## Laidoffsick

I can't stand those goofy looking trucks. Some have them and some don't, but all mine are getting replaced too. 










I have that PDF doc from SFRHMS too, there is a ton of information in there. Very handy when it comes to painting and detailing your own caboose. Just a couple weeks ago I had to track down this book as well... couldn't help myself.









On a side not for the Santa Fe caboose.... *I will be bringing the Style 7 wig wag to the market*, similar to the PRB piece that was imported years ago. Hopefully it will be available in a couple months. It should be an all brass piece that will just need to be painted.


----------



## suzukovich

Ok since the last time I was here. A lot of cool stuff has been added. April/May was a budget buster but was well worth it as I picked up some stuff I had wanted for a long time. When it rains it pours and this time I threw the buckets out and collected what I could. Ok Bad for the wallet but cool for me. 

All engines have been upgraded to Kadees

Lionel Legacy NP GP 9s



















Weaver NP RS11




























MTH and Lionel Legacy GN GP 35s




























The two big scores

MTH Premire GN SD45s #400 and #411




























Lionel Legacy CB&Q GP 35





































KMCC Combination plug door and Standard door Box car( Needs to be repaired but still hard to find.


----------



## Laidoffsick

Did you build your own coupler mount pad or use the ones that Mario designed?


----------



## Laidoffsick

This is the PRB wigwag... good luck finding them these days.

My SAMPLE will be here tomorrow. Once I approve it or send it back for modifications, the mold can be made.


----------



## suzukovich

Laidoffsick said:


> Did you build your own coupler mount pad or use the ones that Mario designed?


I am lazy, Why recreate the wheel when its all ready been done. I just adapted Marios Kadee mounts for MTH and Weaver engines. All heights were correct but needed to modify to fit MTH and Weaver pilots.

I going to post a little later on how I did it. Last night I had finished the CBQ GP35( GP30 mounts ) and Weaver U25B ( modified GP40 mounts ). The only thing I didn't do was fix the pilots. I know sacrilegious for 3RS, but it allows for 081 and 072 without any issues. To tell the truth your a bad influence.  You got me started a long time ago with the Kadees on the engines. It just take time.


----------



## c.midland

Laidoffsick, I gotta have one of those.


----------



## Mark Boyce

C.midland,
He does come up with the neatest things, doesn't he?


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## njrailer93

ive had my eye on one of these for a while. there was a nice Pennsylvania one but once i saw the new york central one i was sold. the ropes were a bit of a pain to get right. this most likely wont be running around the layout due to clearane, most likely ill keep it parked on a siding


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## Guest

That's a sweet acquisition, nj, and it's NYC!


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## Lehigh74

That’s a nice looking crane. Like you, I have one (MTH Lehigh Valley) that can’t traverse my layout. If the boom is lowered, it hits stuff on the side when it goes around curves. With the boom raised so it doesn’t hit stuff on the side, it won’t clear tunnels and overpasses. But they do look nice, don’t they.


----------



## njrailer93

this is my favorite piece i was in awe when i saw it!


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## PatKn

Nice catch jn. I wish I saw the Pennsy version.


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## Guest

Looking good, Pete. The photo is wonderful as well.


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## Norton

I like that crane and its NYC. I have to put one on my list.

Pete


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## njrailer93

Pat look on eBay if I can find the link I'll send you a pm


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## seayakbill

The Menards Goodyear boxcars have arrived on the Seattle & Yakima RR.

Bill


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## gunrunnerjohn

Lookin' good, I do like the graphics on those.


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## Wood

Yea!!! The graphics are excellent


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## Guest

Good Year, wonderful colors.


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## Laidoffsick

Couldn't resist. Another Pecos River Brass caboose from 1998.
It's an ATSF built peaked roof version, wearing an Indian Red paint job as a 1970 rebuild to a CE-5, complete with working draft gear.


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## suzukovich

Laidoffsick said:


> Couldn't resist. Another Pecos River Brass caboose from 1998.
> It's an ATSF built peaked roof version, wearing an Indian Red paint job as a 1970 rebuild to a CE-5, complete with working draft gear.
> 
> View attachment 193114


That's real nice.. Is that HO or O. noticed the 2R tracks.


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## suzukovich

njoffroader : Nice Crain.. The pics came out nice too...

Seayabill: The box cars look nice.. The graphics also are good. reminds me of the sales posters when I was a kid growing up in the 60s and 70s.


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## Laidoffsick

Its 2R O scale. I'm going to buy a pair of 3R trucks so I can swap back and forth. The 2R track is just a 3' diorama I built years ago for photos when I used to sell weathered cars.


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## suzukovich

Laidoffsick said:


> Its 2R O scale. I'm going to buy a pair of 3R trucks so I can swap back and forth. The 2R track is just a 3' diorama I built years ago for photos when I used to sell weathered cars.


That makes sense.. Are you going to weather it or are you going to leave it as fresh from the rebuild shop.


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## Laidoffsick

This thing looks so nice I might have to leave it alone. Fresh rebuild.


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## gunrunnerjohn

It's so bright it's hurting my eyes!


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## Laidoffsick

Thats called California sunshine


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## Guest

Sweet additions!

The boxcars look great.

Same for the ATSF caboose.


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## seayakbill

Super good looking caboose, it is bright red for sure.

Bill


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## 86TA355SR

This Bad Boy arrived from a forum member-


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## gunrunnerjohn

Very nice, I like that one a lot!


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## njrailer93

That weathering job is fantastic nice one!


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## Laidoffsick

Thats is sweet.... weathering and all.


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## Big Ed

86TA355SR said:


> This Bad Boy arrived from a forum member-


Nice Locomotive and tender. Beeeeutifull!
A lot of details on it.

Is that brass?
The manufacturer's name?

Love it.:smilie_daumenpos:

Laidoffsick
I like that red caboose.
Needs a siren and bell on it.:thumbsup:


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## c.midland

Ever wonder why I always pictures taken on our kitchen counter? Because the room my layout is in is cramped and not lit well enough to take pictures. I apologize for the poor picture.

MTH Santa Fe REA express reefer:







I was purchasing MTH trucks and ran across it on the website. For some reason I had to have it, and I'm glad I did. Neat car IMO.


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## SDIV Tim

Picked these up yesterday


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## PatKn

Cool looking engine 86. :thumbsup:


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## santafe158

I recently got a deal on a Williams Peter Witt street car on eBay. It went for about half of what they do new, and this one was sealed in the box. Unfortunately the truck side frames had a bad case of zinc rot and had disintegrated in the box and I had to buy a couple new ones from Bachmann. I still came out about what they go for in the used market price wise, if not a little less so I can't complain too much. I installed the new ones today and it looks and runs great now.










The idea for this is to be used on my Christmas layout at the Redford Theatre in Detroit this year. I've been using a Lionel trolley for the past few years, but wanted an actual street car, which were a bit more common in Detroit in the later years. I have a Corgi Detroit PCC car I motorized last year, but the trucks didn't hold up to the amount of operating it was getting on the display, so now it's a shelf queen.

Eventually I'm considering painting it to look like a Detroit car, even though the model itself isn't quite correct for the ones that ran here.









I also picked up this model of a Detroit Street Railways Bus made by Corgi


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## Craignor

Bought my first station sounds diner, brand new, great price, psyched. 









Below is YouTube video of the car running in a passenger train consist on my layout.


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## HarborBelt1970

Craig,

Very nice indeed. But I don't recognize which particular Lionel model that diner is or when it was made. Looks to be 21" long but I could be wrong about that.

Sorry, strike my last comment; looks like it has a K-Line based interior and that suggests 18" and TMCC StationSounds.


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## Craignor

http://www.lionel.com/products/balt...tationsounds-diner-martha-washington-6-25523/

HB,

Thanks...it's a Lionel 18" station sounds diner from 2008, you can read all about it by clicking on the link above.


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## Mark Boyce

Very nice train, and station sounds car. That is the first I have heard on, I believe.


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## gunrunnerjohn

The Station Sounds cars are great. I buy the parts and put them into MTH passenger sets. I do have one genuine Lionel Station Sounds Diner as well.


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## Tallaman

Craig the car looks and sounds great. The train horn sounds like Godzilla however. I've never heard one like that.


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## Mark Boyce

gunrunnerjohn said:


> The Station Sounds cars are great. I buy the parts and put them into MTH passenger sets. I do have one genuine Lionel Station Sounds Diner as well.




Leave it to you John!! If it could be tried, you would do it! Great inspiration!


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## Todd Lopes

*Surfliner is back*

After a lot of searching, I found a C-10 Mint MTH Surfliner Railking set. (PS2/3V)

I had this set, sold it several years ago and regretted it since.

Glad to have it back on the roster.

View attachment 196881


View attachment 196889


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## HarborBelt1970

Great find, Todd. I'm glad it's back on your roster.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I like the style of those Todd, they're a cool looking set.


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## Todd Lopes

Thanks Gents. When I lived in Carlsbad, I would see this train almost every day.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I haven't seen Keith recently, anyone know if everything's all right with him?


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## Dano

I added these today but they are actually 'project locos'!


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## cole226

*another project*

*watcha buildin now Dano? :dunno:*


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## Lehigh74

Here is the sister to the 3050 that CDNJ showed back in post number 706. Reading and Northern is truly a class act in my book and that’s why I pre ordered this one. They came out in April, but due to a mix up at Just Trains, I just got my 3053 a few weeks ago. The turbo howl on this engine is really shrill at speeds above around 35 SMPH. Older diesels sound better to me.


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## njrailer93

old diesels have that clanky tone you just cant pass up! that is a sharp looking loco is that mth?


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## Mark Boyce

Very nice!! I haven't heard these, but the reference to clanky noise reminds me of my Western Maryland FA-2 set I got last fall.


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## Lehigh74

The SD 40 is MTH.

Alcos have a nice sound. I also like most EMDs, but on this SD-40, the turbo whine is just too dominant. It's so bad, I sometimes turn the sound off. I also have a U30C that has too much turbo whine for me. I don't know if they really sound like that or if it is just the MTH sound file.


----------



## Mark Boyce

I know what you mean about the whine. I don't know how accurate any of the MTH sound files are. I have a tin ear for one, then I get echoes in the tiny bedroom I have the layout. I really get echoes on the Ceiling Central with the ceiling 8" above the rails and the wall 3" behind. Most people who are more in tune, say Legacy sound is better than MTH, but they all sound good to me.


----------



## Guest

Very nice new additions all around. Thanks for posting them so we all can see.



Mark Boyce said:


> I know what you mean about the whine. I don't know how accurate any of the MTH sound files are. I have a tin ear for one, then I get echoes in the tiny bedroom I have the layout. I really get echoes on the Ceiling Central with the ceiling 8" above the rails and the wall 3" behind. Most people who are more in tune, say Legacy sound is better than MTH, but they all sound good to me.


I don't know how accurate they are either, Mark. I do know that my Alco RS-1 sounds like an Alco, but whether it's actually an RS-1 or generic, I don't know. My Aerotrain also sounds like a GM but again I don't know if it's actually the Aerotrain. Whatever, they are close enough for me.


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## njrailer93

picked up this absolutely BEAUTIFUL nyc 60 foot madison set from ebay. the whole unit together spans about 70 inches! this is my first set of "scale" passenger cars. PTC i now know what you see in these. mth did such a good job with these. now i need a bigger layout with larger curves to get these on some nice long runs. they look goofy on 036 i have no idea how these run on 031.
i couldnt even get these on one shot


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## Lehigh74

Those are nice passenger cars NJ. I’ve got some in PRR livery. Now you need to fill the seats.


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## PatKn

Great looking cars, CJ. :smilie_daumenpos: I have a couple of sets of MTH passenger cars. MTH makes a nice passenger car. Enjoy them.


----------



## Norton

I agree those are nice looking cars. I passed on them when first offered thinking they were some sort of fantasy paint scheme. Then later found out they ran on the CCC&StL, aka Big Four. Now I am keeping an eye out a set.
MTH has to be applauded for doing paint schemes of little known prototypes. A couple of years ago they did some NYC streamliners in Pacemaker Green. It took some digging but found out these really existed but only for a few years before they were repainted TT Gray.

Pete


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## Laidoffsick

I'm a Santa Fe guy for the most part, but a sucker for UP steam as well. It's not my fault, I swear.


----------



## Norton

Doug, I have been staring at that engine and asking myself if 3rd Rail could make it any better and its hard to see how. Lionel has upped its game with this engine. Very nice!

Pete


----------



## Laidoffsick

My 844 from '08 was my favorite engine until the VL Big Boy came out. Sound alone got me with that. This version of the 844/8444 is just as nice IMO. My Dad bought the new 844, so I'll have to take my new one over to the layout to compare all three.


----------



## Lee Willis

Fantastic 8444, laidoffsick. I have the MTH Premier PS3 FEF. It is an impressive loco. The UP FEF, I'm sure you will agree with me, was almost as good as the big Santa Fe Northerns (in my opinion the the best steam locomotives _ever _made) and that means it was really, really spectacular, doesn't it?

Speaking of new to the roster . . . In addition the the S.N.E.T 141 I review in another thread, my shipment last night from Pat's trains including the new MTH UP boxcar, really nice, and extended vision caboose, also very nice, although it has more rolling friction than anything I've seen from MTH lately, and no smoke. I'm glad to have both.


----------



## Richard E

I found this new in the box 3rd Rail B&O wagon top covered hopper on E-Bay at a vary good price.


----------



## CDNJ

I have been slowly falling in love with the Norfolk & Western 611...Finally Bought One! (SELLER LAYOUT PIC) MTH Premier Proto 3.0 #20-3571-1


----------



## Mark Boyce

CDNJ,
The 611 looks great!! I just got one a couple of months ago.


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## Mark Boyce

I picked up my new Z4000 yesterday from our local hardware store that still sells a lot of trains. That in McCormick's Hardware in Zelienople, Pennsylvania. It is about a half hour away, and near my aunt's senior living facility, so I picked it up instead of paying who knows how much to ship. confused

I have wanted one for some time, but always said later. Last Sunday, I setup an oval of O54 track on the Patio Pacific to run my new-to-me Premier PS3 N&W J 611. I took my ZW, TIU, Z500 for aux power, my breakers and diodes as I have read to protect the MTH electronics outside and hooked it all up. Everything was fine, as I ran the J very slowly. The first curve it lifted a driver off the rail, which I attributed to a slight unevenness to the concrete the Ross track was on. I stopped and put everything back on track. The next curve was level and smooth, and the driver came off the track slightly. Then I saw a spark, and shut everything down. eekWhen I checked, my breakers hadn't tripped as happened once on my O48 indoors with a freight car. confused I put everything away, got on Jeff McCormick's Web site, and ordered the Z4000 and the next larger curve track that evening.

I was concerned I could have fried something in the J or the TIU, but after setting everything back up using the Z4000, everything tested out great!  I'll keep the ZW for now and if I find I don't use it on the new layout, I'll find another home for it. wavey


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## Wood

Interesting story Mark. It certainly can be frightening when you get a wonderful new toy and suddenly badaboom badabang it's a goner. Glad to hear everything is fine. Enjoy your J.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Thank you, Wood!


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## 86TA355SR




----------



## suzukovich

86TA355SR said:


> View attachment 204538
> 
> 
> View attachment 204546




Nice!!


----------



## Norton

I just picked up an Atlas Trainman Combine for my commuter train.
Lionel produced 4 coach cars for commuter service (4 wheel vs 6 wheel trucks) and I wanted a few more cars. A few months ago I got an 18 inch baggage car from a 1990s Lionel set which matches well with the later Lionel car. This new 15" Atlas car also has 4 wheel trucks I thought would work OK. The car comes with interior seating but no figures which I had to add. 
Color is off but I am not going to complain as I wouldn't expect train companies to try and match other companies cars.
The good points are it has two sets of diaphams for close and distant coupling and also LED lighting. The not so good are the fragile details and the fact that the plastic cannot be repaired with styrene cement. Also underbody detail is sparse. I plan to keep this car but don't plan to buy anymore as I don't feel they are a good value. This car actually costs more than the Lionel cars even at the discounted price I paid for it. 
It might be better suited to a Railking set. As I don't have any Railking cars, for those that do how do you think this Atlas car compares to them?




























Pete


----------



## Guest

Aaron, beautiful brass engine & tender. Your photography is top drawer.


----------



## Guest

The new combine looks very good, Pete. Thanks for the review on it. I don't think I'll be buying any Atlas passenger cars. I don't like the fragile details. I'd rather have less details on a car rather than broken details.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Pete, the RailKing cars would doubtless be much more robust. Personally, I like the MTH 18" cars, they are an ideal length for me as they are typically running on O72 track. The MTH cars are also usually considerably cheaper than the Lionel similar models, a bonus.


----------



## Norton

John, I am a big fan of MTH Premier cars. Other than my Post War stuff, all my passenger cars are either 18 or 21". I only asked about the Railking cars to get an idea how they compared with the Trainman cars. 

Pete


----------



## Alexander

Not really additions to the roster, but instead a couple of glass insulators as found by my daughter today. Pictures at a later time.


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## Lehigh74

Norton said:


> John, I am a big fan of MTH Premier cars. Other than my Post War stuff, all my passenger cars are either 18 or 21". I only asked about the Railking cars to get an idea how they compared with the Trainman cars.
> 
> Pete


The Atlas would probably go well with Railking passenger cars. Railking 60’ passenger cars are 15” long (16 ½” from coupler to coupler). The heavyweight / Madison MTH cars have 6 wheel trucks. Like the Atlas, the Railking has interior seating, but no passengers. From looking at your photos, I would say the Railking has the same or maybe a bit more detail, but as John said, it is robust. The grab rails are metal. The only plastic applied detail is the mail hook on the RPO. The underside of the Railking has more details molded in. Lighting on my 2010 and 2011 cars is incandescent. The Railking retails for about 75% of the Atlas. If you want a combine though, you have to get a diner as well since they only come in two car sets. The gray NYC cars that MTH made in 2007 look to be a bit lighter than the Atlas.

http://mthtrains.com/30-69041


----------



## njrailer93

Norton said:


> John, I am a big fan of MTH Premier cars. Other than my Post War stuff, all my passenger cars are either 18 or 21". I only asked about the Railking cars to get an idea how they compared with the Trainman cars.
> 
> Pete


my railking cars are 16 and change in length


----------



## seayakbill

These two joined the Menards rolling stock on the S&Y RR a week or so ago.

Bill


----------



## RonthePirate

It ain't a big guy, but I got this Ives Railway Express car #550.
I'm pretty sure it goes with my 3251, but not 100%.
I don't know if that engine had four wheel or eight wheel cars on it.


----------



## njrailer93

I've always loved the Ives stuff especially the four wheel cars good find


----------



## seayakbill

LOTS banquet table gift. Pennsy flatcar with Liberty Bell and flags.

Bill


----------



## PatKn

:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Alexander

:thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Nice table gift, Bill.


----------



## Todd Lopes

*Santa Fe F3 with Passenger Cars*

Recently, I picked up a Santa Fe F3 AA/MTH Premier PS1 (30-2153-1) and a 5 car Santa Fe passenger car set/MTH Premier. (20-65320)

I'm more of a command control guy, but I have to say the PS1 sounds good and runs great. These were mint C-10, never run.

I'd like to upgrade them to DCS PS2 or PS3 but weighing the cost. 

See pictures and video attached.

View attachment 205962


View attachment 205970


----------



## seayakbill

Very nice set. If you decide to keep it conventional put a BCR in it. I have PS-1 locos from when they were first issued some 20 years ago. Put BCR's in them when they were around 5 years old and have never had any issues.

Bill


----------



## PatKn

seayakbill said:


> Very nice set. If you decide to keep it conventional put a BCR in it. I have PS-1 locos from when they were first issued some 20 years ago. Put BCR's in them when they were around 5 years old and have never had any issues.
> 
> Bill


I concur. I have a number of PS1 engines. I put BCRs in every PS1 and PS2 engine I own. With the danger of board failure due to a bad battery in PS1, a BCR is cheap insurance.


----------



## Mark Boyce

I agree too on the BCR! Oh, I forgot to congratulate you on the super F3 units and the passenger cars!!! Vista domes and observation cars are my favorites.


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## Todd Lopes

Gents. Thanks for the tip. There was a white battery in it and replaced it with a green battery from MTH. If I decide to leave it PS1, I'll get a BCR. 

It does not have a smoke unit in either unit, so if I decide to upgrade to PS2 or PS3, I'll add that to the mix. (probably just in the front powered unit)


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Todd Lopes said:


> Recently, I picked up a Santa Fe F3 AA/MTH Premier PS1 (30-2153-1) and a 5 car Santa Fe passenger car set/MTH Premier. (20-65320)
> 
> I'm more of a command control guy, but I have to say the PS1 sounds good and runs great. These were mint C-10, never run.
> 
> I'd like to upgrade them to DCS PS2 or PS3 but weighing the cost.


Nice set, looks real good. If you can do the work, the PS/3 upgrade will be about $250 for the upgrade kit and any bits and pieces you need.


----------



## walter

Todd Lopes said:


> Recently, I picked up a Santa Fe F3 AA/MTH Premier PS1 (30-2153-1) and a 5 car Santa Fe passenger car set/MTH Premier. (20-65320)
> 
> I'm more of a command control guy, but I have to say the PS1 sounds good and runs great. These were mint C-10, never run.
> 
> I'd like to upgrade them to DCS PS2 or PS3 but weighing the cost.
> 
> See pictures and video attached.
> 
> View attachment 205962
> 
> 
> View attachment 205970
> 
> 
> https://youtu.be/5fiXdkZJhCA


My wife bought the exact engines for me. It took me from "N" to "O" permanently. After I went to command control and later Legacy, I no longer ran conventional, so it sat. But I wanted to keep and run this great looking set as my first "O" on the layout, so up graded it with ERR and added a Mars light, control the cabin light with the smoke connection, added command couplers. I love it and its one that pulls passenger cars at least once a week on my layout. In fact, the wife runs it also and enjoys it.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

Todd those are very nice engines and a fine passenger set. 

I had my one PS1 engine (MTH UP 80 coal turbine) converted to DCS by TAS years ago and never looked back. The risk of the three clanks of death was too much to risk.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Three clanks of death!! I couldn't agree more! I have upgraded one and have two more kits to finish my PS1's off!


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## Todd Lopes

I hear these new PS32 upgrade kits are a sea of very tiny tiny wires.


----------



## Norton

The SF F unit is very nice. As for PS1 I have bought 3 all with the intention of upgrading them to DCS. Two arrived dead as advertised. The third worked so well I decided not upgrade it but if it dies, thats OK too.

Pete


----------



## L0stS0ul

I'm slowly growing my ceiling layout and I picked up this Lionel GP9 B unit for 50 bucks. It doesn't match my MTH GP7 perfectly but it's close enough. Any idea on how to dim the lights inside the b unit a bit? It is really bright. 

I've got all 10 of my Menards coal hoppers up there and a K-Line smoking caboose to match. It's a lot of fun watching it go around the ceiling and the kids love it when they come into the house.


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine. I like your ceiling layout. To dim the light you can either use a higher voltage rated bulb (assuming it is not an LED) or put a diode in series with the bulb to drop the voltage.


----------



## Todd Lopes

Very Cool ceiling layout. Congrats on the GP9!


----------



## Richard E

HarborBelt1970 said:


> Todd those are very nice engines and a fine passenger set.
> 
> I had my one PS1 engine (MTH UP 80 coal turbine) converted to DCS by TAS years ago and never looked back. The risk of the three clanks of death was too much to risk.


For scrambled PS-1 systems MTH offered a reprogramming kit. 50-1023. I don’t know if they are still available but they are reusable and I’m sure you can find one.


----------



## Richard E

The Pennsylvania regularly ran GP-9 B unites into Rochester. I would like to see MTH make some.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Todd Lopes said:


> I hear these new PS32 upgrade kits are a sea of very tiny tiny wires.


You hear correctly!  I did my first and it was "interesting".  I think the next one will go faster, I learned a few tricks with this one. One major trick it to plan out the upgrade and remove ALL the wiring harness wires you won't be using. This makes the tangle a bit more manageable.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Richard E said:


> For scrambled PS-1 systems MTH offered a reprogramming kit. 50-1023. I don’t know if they are still available but they are reusable and I’m sure you can find one.


The kit you mention is only for one specific issue, the _three clanks of death_. There are many other reset issues that can be fixed with the other reset chips that MTH techs have.


----------



## Mark Boyce

L0sts0ul, very nice ceiling layout and new Geep!! Did I get it right you like Milwaukee Road? Looks like a winner to me!


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## Mark Boyce

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You hear correctly!  I did my first and it was "interesting".  I think the next one will go faster, I learned a few tricks with this one. One major trick it to plan out the upgrade and remove ALL the wiring harness wires you won't be using. This makes the tangle a bit more manageable.




That is good advice John!! I have done that from time to time in the last 40 years, on various industrial and consumer devices.


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## L0stS0ul

Thanks for the tips on the diode. I believe this is an older unit so I doubt it's LED. I'll open it up and check.



Mark Boyce said:


> L0sts0ul, very nice ceiling layout and new Geep!! Did I get it right you like Milwaukee Road? Looks like a winner to me!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks, We get a ton of enjoyment from it. I was born in Milwaukee and I have lots of family in the area still so had to have a piece of home here in VA. My main layout is mostly Southern RR and PRR. When it's not a holiday I like to keep the Milwaukee stuff up on the ceiling


----------



## CDNJ

Bought my first Tmcc Lionel steam engine. Need to buy a TMCC base for my MTH setup now. Been looking for a mogul for a while.


----------



## njrailer93

picked up this 1955 Chevy step side today.


----------



## seayakbill

This years MTHRRC Premier NS coal hopper arrived this week. Good looking hopper.

Bill


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## Mark Boyce

CDNJ said:


> Bought my first Tmcc Lionel steam engine. Need to buy a TMCC base for my MTH setup now. Been looking for a mogul for a while.
> 
> View attachment 206322




Looks good!!! I bought a K-Line TMCC 0-4-0 last year. Then bought a TMCC base and remote from GunrunnerJohn. I then bought a Legacy F7 A-B-A. I have had so much fun running the TMCC on the Ceiling Central RR, I haven't tried adding the TMCC base to the DCS yet though I have the DCS-TMCC cables on the tabletop layout.


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## Guest

Lots of good stuff, guys.


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## Todd Lopes

*New RK Surfliner Car*

I picked this up as an addition to my MTH RK Surfliner set.
(30-6509b)
Very happy with it.
View attachment 207041


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Very nice, I love the double-deckers.


----------



## Guest

Todd, I know how much you love the Surfliner. One of my favorites. Nice addiiton.


----------



## Guest

Excellent additions, guys.

NJ, being a NYC fan I especially love that pickup truck.


----------



## PatKn

Just received my new Pennsy Aerotrin from Patrick's Trains. I always like the train but after seeing the posts here I finally pulled the plug and bought them. You guys are a bad influence on me. hwell: I bought the train and three add on cars (so 3 cars have the number 301). The train looks better IMHO pulling 6 cars instead of 3 cars. The real train pulled 9 cars but at $55 per car I had to draw the line somewhere. :dunno: I spent some time gluing in passengers and and engineer and fireman, replacing the diaphragms with the larger ones that come with the cars and oiling the set. I will post pictures after I bring them down to my club on Wednesday night.


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## Guest

Looking forward to the photos, Pat.


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## Guest

I think you'll like the Aerotrain, Pat. I have the NYC version. I bet it looks great with the extra cars.


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## Wood

Pat, Add me in on the photo request. Congrats on going off the deep end and purchasing this unit. It is a very cool train.


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## njrailer93

not a locomotive or piece of rolling but definitely a most needed acquisition. my first full dcs setup..


----------



## PennsyFan

New MTH hopper for me; lately I've been into the "billboard hoppers" from the '60's and '70's.


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## Lehigh74

NJ – Good move on getting the DCS system. I’m betting you will be happy that you did.


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## Guest

Lehigh74 said:


> NJ – Good move on getting the DCS system. I’m betting you will be happy that you did.


I agree 100%. I love my DCS. It makes running trains a lot more fun than conventional plus it unlocks all those great PS3 sounds.

I love that covered hopper Pennsy.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I picked up a couple of K-Line scale cars, I'm adding to my Reading fleet. I figured the Borden's car is at home on most railroads.


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## Guest

Pennsy Fan, Chugman would love that one. He was an executive with their parent company and is modeling the bakery on his layout.


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## PatKn

Nice cars John. I own the Bordens car. I wish I had gotten more when they were readily available. Enjoy.


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## suzukovich

Nice cars. You right the Borden's car would be at home on any layout. I wish I had grabbed it before you.


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## seayakbill

More goodies from Menards NS flat with Continental Trailways bus and another GoodYear boxcar

Bill


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## njrailer93

Lehigh74 said:


> NJ – Good move on getting the DCS system. I’m betting you will be happy that you did.


oh by far the commander was only a tease!


----------



## Bill Webb

*Instead of a picture of the 8 Menards cars we just opened*

Below is a






picture of the Menards catalog that was in the box and which we had not seen before.

Jack the German Shepard is prominently displayed on the catalog so we included Pepe' the Ferocious Standard Poodle.


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## TundraBoy

Bill...love your Rolling Rock box cars.....

Ken


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

PatKn said:


> Nice cars John. I own the Bordens car. I wish I had gotten more when they were readily available. Enjoy.


Pat, for the right price you can have one more.


----------



## seayakbill

TundraBoy said:


> Bill...love your Rolling Rock box cars.....
> 
> Ken


Ken, you will probably really like this guy

Bill


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## gunrunnerjohn

Cool, never saw that one before!


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## seayakbill

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Cool, never saw that one before!


John thats from Weaver, many years ago they did the diesel, reefer, and caboose for the brewery.

Bill


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## Spence

seayakbill said:


> John thats from Weaver, many years ago they did the diesel, reefer, and caboose for the brewery.
> 
> Bill


Love that engine. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## PatKn

Love the Rolling Rock engine and cars. 
Last night I got to run my new Aerotrain on the club's layout. The mainline is down for track repair so I ran it on the upper line. I bought the Aerotrain set and three add-on cars. That gives me an engine and six cars. The engine, which is lighter than the cars, couldn't handle the six cars up hill. The wheels were lifting off the track under load. Through trial and error I found it could handle five cars. I might have to try more weight in the engine. I think the motors can pull the load. I just can't keep the wheels solidly on the track. Here are some pictures of the set.


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## TundraBoy

OK Bill.....now I am really impressed!

Ken


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## gunrunnerjohn

Pat, my Aerotrain is able to pull ten cars, so it can be done. I will tell you, you have to tinker with the back truck a bunch to get it working. Once I got the truck properly adjusted and the small pilot wheels turning freely, it runs quite nicely.

If you want to help it with the cars, you can add tethers to all the passenger cars and remove most of the roller pickups. That really helps with the rolling resistance of the cars. I haven't done that, but I did think about it until I got the locomotive squared away.


----------



## PatKn

Thanks John.


----------



## Guest

The Aero-Train looks good, Pat. Enjoy.


----------



## Wood

Pat, In some was that Aerotrain reminds me of the Lionel Phantom units. They were also terrible pullers and looked totally unrealistic. Your unit looks very cool. I like it a lot. Nice pictures too.


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## Guest

Say Hello to Pennsy and Zephyr, the newest additions to our roster. They came from an Amish breeder near York, PA. Railroad tracks run alongside the farm just a few yards from where these two were born.

Emile

View attachment 209377


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## Bill Webb

You guys have several arms full. Bundles of energy that chew.

They will be a lot of fun and I can tell that they like Christmas trains.


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## Wood

Hi Pennsy and Zephyr. Beautiful looking little Labs. Good luck Emile, you can forget your hobby for a while. My wife and I got a great Lab pup for Christmas which we named Zeke and we had forgotten how much love you have to give them. But, it's worth it all.


----------



## Lehigh74

Probably two of the best finds ever at York.


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## Mark Boyce

Excellent additions, Emile! I love their names as well.


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## Guest

We are blown away this afternoon after seeing the photo of Pennsy and Zephyr along with Mom & Dad, Jennifer and Emile. Wow, wow, wow this is something special. *Congratulations on your newest additions to the family.*

I don't have to tell you that we love dogs.


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## cole226

nice looking pups. best of luck with them.


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## Kmac

Emile, great looking pups! I too have a new furry addition to my roster. My fiance and I just adopted a puppy from a local shelter. My fiance impulse shopped like it was her job. She saw his picture posted on the shelters Facebook page at 8 in the morning and by 10 we had a dog. The shelter gave him the name Hudson. My fiance said we could change his name but I liked it and had to explain the Hudson type locomotive and show her a picture of one. So we kept the name Hudson. I thought it was very fitting to find this dog and him have a train related name.

Keaton.


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## Mark Boyce

Keaton,
Hudson looks like a happy dog and maybe a handful of energy too! How fitting you got a dog named Hudson. Reminds me of a dog at a shelter that came to my brother-in-law years ago. They never knew where he came from. All he had on the collar was the name Moose. Fitting for my brother-in-law, whose nick name is Moose.


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## Guest

Keaton, 
Great story! Congratulations on the new addition! Hudson was meant to be a part of your family.

Emile


----------



## Guest

Keaton, congratulations on your new pup. He is a gem and I like his name. Every time someone rescues a dog from the shelter, we are all better off for it. Good job, both of you.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Cute pups, they're gonna' be a lot bigger soon!


----------



## Mark Boyce

Our present dog of 6 or 7 years was a rescue, but not from a shelter. A man stopped at the house saying he found her on the road wondering if she was ours. His story was a bit suspicious as she was clean but no evidence of any vet visits. We took her to the vet and it appears she was mistreated having 4 breaks in her tail that had started to heal crooked. We took her to the shelter and were told to keep her and if no one called in 2 weeks we could keep her. As expected no one called. The girls were in college at the time and named her Annie, short for Little Orphan Annie. She has been a good pet, but she loves to bark at my trains and tries to lunge at them. It is a trick to run a train around the Christmas tree, so I put a Christmas layout up on a table.


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## Guest

Congratulation on the additions to your families Emile & Jennifer and Keaton. They all have great names and will fill your lives with love.


----------



## Guest

One of the best things about the MTF is we get to take tasteful liberties. Can you image posting of photos of your new puppy/puppies regarding this subject on another forum. Bing-bang-zappo they would be instantly gone. 

*We are the members' Forum, no doubt about it.*


----------



## suzukovich

Emile the labs look great. Nice addition to your family..Just like kids I know they will be a hand full. But both will tire each other out.

Keaton. Hudson is a great name. Also a great thing on adopting him from the shelter. More people need to do it. 
My house we had a different path. Angle our German Shepard was bought wile I was stationed in Germany( Mother was a show dog and father was a working dog) our other additions were adoptions so to speak. Joey a mixed breed was taken in as a puppy because a neighbor did not want him any more( He would get out and somehow wind up at our door) but was a good fit with Angle ( she is large and he is small). Tiger my daughters cat was found as a 9wk kitten in the wheel well of my truck, the weekend they thought Tampa was going to be hit with a hurricane back in 2012. She was supposed to be temporary as no shelters were open. Sometimes I think she thinks she is a dog with the way all three play with each other.


----------



## emmetd

*ives*

just got this ives gondola. has lionel trucks and couplers.


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## Guest

A sweet addition to your roster, Emmet.


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## Guest

"Must" addition for this lifelong O's fan!

Emile

View attachment 210089


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## Guest

Good one, Emile. Just got back from taking the boat out on a beautiful day. Put the MLB Channel on and your Orioles are the featured game. They are on the wrong side of the score right now.

We are big baseball fans and in our case, it is the Braves.


----------



## Guest

I love it Emile. I eventually will have to get some Mets cars for my layout


----------



## Lee Willis

I was out of empty flatcars - I had built/installed loads and had only one empty, available car. So I bought a set of four of the Menards long flatcar. What a bargain!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Now you just need more loads for them Lee.


----------



## Spence

Lee; I'm sure it won't be long before you fill them up.


----------



## Guest

With Menard's in the picture, it is s good time for freight guys to be in the hobby.


----------



## Fabforrest

When i got the email for the Menards coal hoppers, it did not take me long to order. i have three Lionel coal hoppers and saw the opportunity to create a unit train at limited expense. the six Menards cars cost just a little more than one of the Lionel ones. the Menards cars are about 3/8" shorter than the Lionel (not noticeable when hooked up and running) and a much lighter (the L's are die cast and quite heavy).

i think they look great. love the variety of road names. not a huge ban of the Santa Fe, but that car in particular is very handsome.

here they are behind my Milwaukee S3.

https://vimeo.com/176991269


OK, be honest. how many of you noticed i ran a signal and cruised over a closed switch?


----------



## Lehigh74

Nice looking consist Forrest. I also like the Dinky toys on the flat cars. And the layout looks super nice.


----------



## Guest

Sure enjoyed your video, Forrest.


----------



## Fabforrest

thanks, Lehigh. i had those Dinky toys in boxes for over 50 years before i got the idea to make military loads with them.

Thanks, Brian.


have hooked up the Lionel cars and have to comment on the size differences. the Menards cars are a little shorter, a little narrower and not quite as tall. the big difference in appearance comes from the larger load area of the Lionel cars. despite that, i am happy with the total consist

https://vimeo.com/177163298


----------



## Don F

The Lionel 3 bay hoppers are scale, or darn close to it. The Menard's hoppers are almost identical to the Lionel Quad Hoppers, and the Williams reproductions. The size of the last three manufacturers' cars are, with some minor differences, the same car. The inside dimensions are almost the same too. The Williams version has a top to convert the car to a covered hopper. The Lionel car had a spreader bar that could be removed, and dropped inside if a load was added. There are two holes in the center of the Lionel car for the spreader bar.


----------



## Lehigh74

Fabforrest said:


> i had those Dinky toys in boxes for over 50 years before i got the idea to make military loads with them.


I watched the video a few more times just to look them over. I can remember playing with the scout car, the cannon and the eight wheeled tank about 50 years ago. We dreamed about the centurion tank and the carrier, but they were out of reach.


----------



## Fabforrest

I have quite a few of military Dinky Toys. Three centurions with carriers. They were played with hard, including outdoors. None are pristine.


----------



## Lehigh74

My green Daimlers came in today so I tried to duplicate a picture I took in 1968. To my eye, British Racing Green is hands down the best color for English sports cars.


----------



## Richard E

I am a bit of a traditionalist, Italian sports cars should be red, German cars silver and British cars British racing Green. Who would want a yellow Ferrari, yuk.


----------



## PatKn

Nice hoppers Forrest. Thanks for posting.


----------



## balidas

emmetd said:


> just got this ives gondola. has lionel trucks and couplers.


That's pretty sweet!


----------



## Guest

Richard E said:


> I am a bit of a traditionalist, Italian sports cars should be red, German cars silver and British cars British racing Green. Who would want a yellow Ferrari, yuk.


I couldn't agree more! Reminded me of the "From the Land of British Racing Green" Ad campaign from the 70's.

Emile

View attachment 211177


----------



## Lee Willis

I completely agree about BRG for English cars.


----------



## Lee Willis

*Got the Top of My "Most Wanted List"*

A good scale Northern Pacific Z5 Yellowstone has been on my "most wanted list" for years, and for the past year, at the top. My friend Don Jones found a good one at a good price for me. Many thanks to Don. 

The Z5 was the first Yellowstone made and the loco that gave the 2-8-8-4 designation that name, and the largest Yellowstone ever built. According to some sources it had more tractive force that any other steamer ever made, although I know not to ever believe or really get into the "what was the most powerful locomotive?" question. I rank it as second or third in size among all steam locomotives: it was definitely a bit smaller than a Big Boy, but I can't decided on if it was bigger or smaller than an Allegheny: sort of depends on which stats you look at. 

Anyway, NP had 11 of them and they were big, grand, and powerful. This model is an MTH Premier PS2 (No wireless tether!!!) in perfect condition. The front sticks out _very_ far on 72" curves and although it runs perfectly, it will mostly be for display on my powerwall. I have a a DM&IR M-4 and a EM-1 Yellowstones, too, along with the other big boys, and will rearrange everything on the shelves this weekend so it takes its place in the lineup of "Big Boys."


----------



## Guest

Beautiful locomotive, Lee. Nice to have it off your wish list. What's next???????????


----------



## Spence

That engine is a big boy. It looks like your gonna need a larger radius for those engines.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Reay nice loco Lee. Enjoy it. How hard is it to decide which loco is the most prized in your collection. Seems everyday I have a new favorite.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Wow, Lee! That is really nice!! I have something to share, but I need to get some photos first! Another trade that netted a classic in my opinion!


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## Wood

That looks so good and it is BIG!!! Your layout looks great and I see you finished the Fire Station and Terminal..


----------



## Lehigh74

I have to agree. That's one nice locomotive. I wouldn't mind adding a Yellowstone or a Chesapeake to my roster.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks great Lee, larger than life for sure!


----------



## PatKn

The is one impressive looking locomotive. Enjoy it Lee.


----------



## balidas

Lee Willis said:


> A good scale Northern Pacific Z5 Yellowstone has been on my "most wanted list" for years, and for the past year, at the top. My friend Don Jones found a good one at a good price for me. Many thanks to Don.
> 
> The Z5 was the first Yellowstone made and the loco that gave the 2-8-8-4 designation that name, and the largest Yellowstone ever built. According to some sources it had more tractive force that any other steamer ever made, although I know not to ever believe or really get into the "what was the most powerful locomotive?" question. I rank it as second or third in size among all steam locomotives: it was definitely a bit smaller than a Big Boy, but I can't decided on if it was bigger or smaller than an Allegheny: sort of depends on which stats you look at.
> 
> Anyway, NP had 11 of them and they were big, grand, and powerful. This model is an MTH Premier PS2 (No wireless tether!!!) in perfect condition. The front sticks out _very_ far on 72" curves and although it runs perfectly, it will mostly be for display on my powerwall. I have a a DM&IR M-4 and a EM-1 Yellowstones, too, along with the other big boys, and will rearrange everything on the shelves this weekend so it takes its place in the lineup of "Big Boys."
> 
> View attachment 213897
> 
> 
> View attachment 213905
> 
> 
> View attachment 213913
> 
> 
> View attachment 213921


That is one beautiful steamer!


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Glad you finally found a Z5 Yellowstone, Lee. But my, those are L O N G locomotives! It's good you have the wide curvatures on your layout to accommodate such beasts.


----------



## JimL

Love seeing the new puppy photos, guys! One of life's great pleasures!

The years with our furry friends go by quickly. Remembering the day we brought "Storm" home .....


----------



## Guest

JimL said:


> Love seeing the new puppy photos, guys! One of life's great pleasures!
> 
> The years with our furry friends go by quickly. Remembering the day we brought "Storm" home .....


Thanks Jim. "SHOCKING" photo of Storm. I'm sure that was a great Christmas.

Emile

View attachment 214321


----------



## Spence

While not as grand as Lee's new engine this EZ street taxi caught my eye.


----------



## seayakbill

Super nice steamer Lee, I have the Spokane Portland & Seattle Z-6 and they are gigantic steamers.

Bill


----------



## Guest

Love the dog photo. In another place, that would be BANNED IN BOSTON, so to speak. I guess they don't like dogs either.  Thank goodness for the MTF. 

Nice addition of the new Super Streets cab, Spence.


----------



## Craignor

Not too big of a deal, but I did place and electrify 6 Lionel lit telephone poles that I bought at York a year ago. I am happy with the results.

The 100 degree weather is a good time for working on the basement layout.:thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Good project for a hot day, Craig.


----------



## Lehigh74

My daughter works in center city Philly. She stopped at the SEPTA gift store the other day and got this BEEP for me. That was a nice surprise. Interesting little beasty. I was expecting it to go faster at full throttle. The ON-OFF switch doesn’t seem to work. When the switch is in the ON position, it’s supposed to reverse like a conventional engine. But it goes in only one direction no matter where the switch is positioned.


----------



## santafe158

Those beeps are nice rugged little engines. I only had issues with the screws backing out of the couplers on mine when it was running on long term display on my Christmas display at the local movie theater. I'm sure I could easily fix that problem with some loctite. If you pop the shell off of yours I bet one of the wires to the switch might not be connected well. They're very basic engines so it shouldn't be too hard to track down the problem. Heck, you don't even need any tools to get it open, just pull the sides out a little to clear the two nubs that hold it to the frame near the fuel tank and it should come right off.


----------



## Shawn91481

Lee Willis said:


> A good scale Northern Pacific Z5 Yellowstone has been on my "most wanted list" for years, and for the past year, at the top. My friend Don Jones found a good one at a good price for me. Many thanks to Don.
> 
> The Z5 was the first Yellowstone made and the loco that gave the 2-8-8-4 designation that name, and the largest Yellowstone ever built. According to some sources it had more tractive force that any other steamer ever made, although I know not to ever believe or really get into the "what was the most powerful locomotive?" question. I rank it as second or third in size among all steam locomotives: it was definitely a bit smaller than a Big Boy, but I can't decided on if it was bigger or smaller than an Allegheny: sort of depends on which stats you look at.
> 
> Anyway, NP had 11 of them and they were big, grand, and powerful. This model is an MTH Premier PS2 (No wireless tether!!!) in perfect condition. The front sticks out _very_ far on 72" curves and although it runs perfectly, it will mostly be for display on my powerwall. I have a a DM&IR M-4 and a EM-1 Yellowstones, too, along with the other big boys, and will rearrange everything on the shelves this weekend so it takes its place in the lineup of "Big Boys."
> 
> View attachment 213897
> 
> 
> View attachment 213905
> 
> 
> View attachment 213913
> 
> 
> View attachment 213921


That is a beautiful locomotive. You make me want one.


----------



## Kmac

I got my first MTH Premier steam engine. It is a Pennsy E6 Atlantic number 460. It was part of the Lindbergh passenger set offered in the 2016 column 1 catalog. The set comes with 4 heavy weight passenger cars. I only unpacked 2 of the cars as they are a little big for my layout but the engine has a minimum curve of O-31 and looks great on my layout. The passenger freight announcements is really cool and I believe unique to the 460. Overall I am thrilled with the set, however the engine is making a strange grinding sound so I think I will take it back to Mercer Junction and see what Dave can do for me.

Keaton.


----------



## Mark Boyce

That's really nice Keaton!! I'm sure Dave will get to the bottom of it, the grinding noise.


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## Lehigh74

Keaton,

Is it a staccato gear noise? I had that with an MTH diesel. GRJ told me to check the motor mount to motor screws to make sure they were tight (post # 264 and 283 of this thread) and that did the trick. Maybe the same issue with your steamer.

Oh yeah. The Atlantic looks fantastic. An MTH Atlantic has been on my wish list for some time.


----------



## JimL

Very sharp looking, Keaton!


----------



## Mark Boyce

I purchased a used PS2 premier B&O Atlantic a year ago last spring. I lubed it, but noticed a distinct squeak. When it ran. I took it to the North Penn O Gaugers open house. GunrunnerJohn set it up for me to run on the club layout. I mentioned the squeak, but we couldn't hear it. Back at home, it squeaked. There was too many other sounds to hear it at the club. Then I turned off the sound, and the squeak went away. It is part of the sound set. Could it be the same with yours Keaton??


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## walter

My latest addition to my roster is a long awaited REXALL PS2 Hopper car. Long story short: My first job as a Chemical Engineer was with Rexall Chemical Co. Channahon, Il off I-55. The company made basically Plastic, with batch rather then continuous processing. Crystal, Impact, OPS, (Oriented Polystyrene, which was sheet plastic or film), They also tried a "Bead Impregnation unit which was a disaster I was involved in. Its were a new method of impregnating under pressure and heat, crystal beads were impregnated with Butane, rather then Propane a Licensed Patented method for making foam plastic. I was in the last day of a so far successful pilot run, when it blew up and collapsed around me and 2 operators who successfully exited the unit. I received 2 and 3rd degree burns and 16 months recovery.
All Rexall end products were shipped in these Hopper cars, later when they merged with El Paso Plastic the name was changed to EL REXENE and larger Hopper cars purchased. These cars were later sold to Farm CO-OPs to handle grain.
Weaver made a limited run of these cars, assembled and kit. Been trying to find one without success. Gunrunner made a suggestion to build my own. So I took an Atlas Rio Grande Hopper car removed the lettering, painted a lighter gray and added lettering. Hope this wasn't boring, but the car hold many memories for me, and wanted to share why it did so.


----------



## Guest

Nice looking passenger train set, Keaton. :thumbsup:


----------



## Kmac

Thanks Mark, Lehigh, Jim, and Brian!

The grinding noise I mentioned is not in the sound set as that was one of the first things I thought to check. The noise reminds me of when you wind a pocket watch and you get the springs too tight. When the engine is in motion if you put your hand on the cab you can feel a vibration like that of a cell phone going off although not as pronounced. I believe it us something with the motor so I'll take it back to the shop and go from there. I'm sure it can be fixed and all will be good. Thanks again!

Keaton.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Keaton, I actually didn't think it was the sound set, but one never knows. GunrunnerJohn asked me how I got the barking dog sound inserted in the sound set on one video.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I'd suspect a wire rubbing on the flywheel, that's happened to me a couple of times.


----------



## WITZ 41

Just arrived today....

OMI 0125.1 Heavy Pacific. Not entirely accurate for #2897. I'll renumber it to #2888 soon.


----------



## Spence

WITZ 41 said:


> Just arrived today....
> 
> OMI 0125.1 Heavy Pacific. Not entirely accurate for #2897. I'll renumber it to #2888 soon.
> 
> Very nice purchase. Enjoy. :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice detailing on that one, good catch.


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## Guest

Nice looking engine.


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## WITZ 41

Thanks guys. I was happy to score it. I fear that I've slowly been turning into a rivet counter. Following all of your posts on these forums can be a bad influence!


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## suzukovich

WITZ 41 said:


> Thanks guys. I was happy to score it. I fear that I've slowly been turning into a rivet counter. Following all of your posts on these forums can be a bad influence!


Real nice.. Rivet counting can be good when needed. Fortunately Brian and company use commonsense in that approach unlike some others who worry that the rivet is not exactly in the right place..


----------



## JimL

WITZ 41 said:


> ..... I fear that I've slowly been turning into a rivet counter. Following all of your posts on these forums can be a bad influence!


Whatever makes this hobby fun for you! 

That's a really nice engine!


----------



## Guest

Just in, a new helicopter to be used to deliver passengers to our summer resort. 

Thanks to Jack Pearce, it lights and the rotor turns. Should be a nice addition to the new layout.

View attachment 217594


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## Craignor

That's cool, Brian.


----------



## Don F

At some point, I plan to build a diorama of the CNJ Ashley yard, including the Huber Breaker, Andre's shanty model, the Yard tower, and other buildings in the former complex. I began acquiring 2 bay die cast hoppers representative of the 5 class one roads that served Ashley. Technically, these are not additions to my roster, as they will become part of an exhibit for the society. An Atlas CNJ hopper was donated by a friend and former area native and fan of the CNJ. I picked up a K Line PARR hopper, and here they are. Still in the hunt for Erie Lackawanna, Lehigh Valley, D&H, and CRP, (Central RR of PA), CNJ's attempt to skirt taxes.


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## PatKn

Brian, That helicopter will look good on your layout.
Don, The Ashley Yard project sounds like an great project. Please post your progress.


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## Lehigh74

Don F said:


> Still in the hunt for Erie Lackawanna, Lehigh Valley, D&H, and CRP, (Central RR of PA), CNJ's attempt to skirt taxes.


If you are looking for new, MTH has all of these roads and it looks like all are available. If you are looking for used, shouldn’t be too hard to find a trainload of Lionel 6456 LV hoppers.


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## Don F

​


PatKn said:


> Brian, That helicopter will look good on your layout.
> Don, The Ashley Yard project sounds like an great project. Please post your progress.


I will post updates on progress. I have to find out how much room I can use, as we are using the Earth Conservancy office building for our meetings. At some point, EC will no longer exist, and the entire two story building will be turned over to the preservation society, but I don't see that happening in my life time.


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## Guest

Great additions Brian and Don.


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## MacDaddy55

*Land of Lost Trains!!*

Came home last Friday from a heck of a day at the restauraunt and was bone tired...got to our back porch and saw the most beat up box I'd ever seen. Looked inside and almost croaked on the spot. Inside this abused hunk of cardboard were what looked like Lionel Freight Cars...and the were at that. Operating Cars #3472 Automatic Milk Car, #3656 Stock Car, #X3464 NYC Box Car, #6457 Illuminated Caboose, and a #6466W Tender. They looked really beat up until I gently washed the shells and checked for cosmetic damage. The Auto Milk Reefer has some cracks but all the working parts are there as with the other cars. These lost treasures haven't seen the light of day in years like 20. Best part is they were produced between 1947-1949..Thanks T-man for the links to Olson & Lionel post war history. Going to have to rewire all of them as the original wiring is cracked and frayed but wow I can't believe that these fell into my lap. The gentleman who owned these had two kids but they never really did anything with these...the Locomotive is long gone as I went back to the House Sale...he is re-marrying and selling his old house. The squirrels had more fun with these...the Auto Milk had wood chips and pine needles inside of it as did the others. These will be running under the Christmas tree and when I go to the Great Roundhose in the sky my kids will have Lionel trains under their Christmas trees...a Great Tradition!! :thumbsup:


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## Guest

Excellent Mac! Your Christmas layout will be lots of fun this year.


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## Spence

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Just in, a new helicopter to be used to deliver passengers to our summer resort.
> 
> Thanks to Jack Pearce, it lights and the rotor turns. Should be a nice addition to the new layout.
> 
> Nice addition Brian. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## highvoltage

*Should be here next week*

On order. Couldn't pass up something with my name on it!


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## Guest

Good choice, High Voltage.


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## Mark Boyce

LOL High Voltage!!


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## Guest

You should be able to get a charge out of that one, High Voltage.


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## highvoltage

Thanks. I just hope it's not the same charge that gave me my nickname.


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## PW Trains

After a long search, I was able to find a new in the box - Trackman 2000! 

I was very lucky to find it, just happened to be searching the TCA Exchange website and there is was for a very reasonable $50.

These track cleaning cars are not being made any more and the reviews I have seen on them have been good.

May have to add some custom lettering.

Paul


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## gunrunnerjohn

Anyone seen Keith lately? He started this thread, but he hadn't been on for several months, just hoping all is well with him.


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## njrailer93

hmmm that is a good question john


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## Guest

Keith suffers from severe migraine headaches. Summers seen to adversely effect him the most.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I hope he's alright and will be back soon. I wonder why summer is bad?


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## JimL

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Keith suffers from severe migraine headaches. Summers seen to adversely effect him the most.


If you do correspond with Keith, please give him our best wishes.

Keith is such a nice guy. In addition .... to being a great asset to our hobby.

Jim


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## Mark Boyce

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Keith suffers from severe migraine headaches. Summers seen to adversely effect him the most.




I'm so sorry to learn this. Thank you Brian!


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## WITZ 41

Just arrived today.....


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## Mark Boyce

Neat angle, WITZ 41! Looks great! Please show us more so everyone can drool! lol


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## Guest

Wonderful photo of your new purchase.


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## WITZ 41

Thanks. I've been searching for a while for a Scale UP Mountain in good condition for the right price. I've had to pass on a few that were overpriced or in terrible shape. I'm pretty happy with this one. UP 7011 was converted to an oil burner in the 40s, was modified with a large stack during the war and like all mountains, had the Young to Walschaerts valve gear modifications, beginning in 1936 on. 

Based on history and details I'll consider this example of 7011 loosely at 1939-1940. Still coal fired, after the valve gear changed, but before the original small stack was replaced. It's earlier than the era I model (1945-1955) so I'm considering renumbering to 7036 (1954-1955 black) and modifying the stack. We'll see if I have the guts to do it......






































Maybe someday I'll get a TTG (1946-1953) one.


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## Mark Boyce

WOW! Now those are great photos! Well worth the wait!


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## Norton

This arrived yesterday from Stevenson Preservation. Not yet on the roster but hope to get it in the shop after York. I had reserved it 4 years ago. Patience finally paid off. This will be my first full blown kit build. Previously I had only stripped off details and replaced and added details to already built models. It is a model of one of the last 4, to my knowledge, NYC steam locomotives still remaining. The prototype is in Utica, NY in front of the Utica station next to the mainline. When it was announced I knew I had to get one. It will probably remain a 2 rail conventional DC engine gracing the front of my future station.




























Pete


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## Guest

Good luck on the build, Pete. I don't think I would take on such a project.


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## Guest

Our forum members are really getting into some great projects.


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## Wood

Norton, That will certainly be a cool build. I remember posts of your earlier upgrades and they were fantastic. Please post your progress. There is almost an unlimited number of directions we can take in our hobby, from a 4X8 sheet of plywood to a kit building a brass steamer. Someday I will be happy with my layout and look forward to moving in a new direction like what you are doing.


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## Norton

I appreciate the encouragement guys. It was little daunting when I opened the box. I realize I will have to tune up my homemade resistance soldering iron and maybe made a few more tips for my big 200 watt iron.
The hobby for me always been more about building trains than running them. Reading Model Railroader back in the '50s and '60s I was always blown away by the winning models from the NMRA conventions. The winners were almost always scratchbuilt. I think of this kit as just a step towards that.

Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

Pete, that looks to be a daunting task, I look forward to how that one comes together.


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## Mark Boyce

Pete, looks like a great project! As Wood said there are so many ways to enjoy the hobby! 


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## L0stS0ul

I just added my first Lionchief Plus engine to my roster. Got it from Amazon for a steal at $145 shipped Prime. Now it's up to $245 on the site which is still a great price but wow. I can't believe I got it and it turned out to be what I thought it was. Glad I jumped on it fast


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## Bob Phillips

That's a steel. Mine cost $379.00. Great loco.:appl:


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## Mark Boyce

Can't go wrong with a deal like that!! 


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## Lehigh74

You got me wondering if an LC+ would work on my DCS layout. But its now up to $589 so I'm not going for that.


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## gunrunnerjohn

That's a ridiculous price, that locomotive goes for a bit over half that every day.

http://www.trainworld.com/manufactu...a-reading-lionchief-plus-4-6-0-camelback-675/


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## Bob Phillips

I run Legacy DCS and LC+ all the time together. Three loops and three different systems. No problems.


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## L0stS0ul

The listing was very vague but the product number was right, it matched the picture, and was sold by Amazon not a 3rd party. Thought I would take the chance on the price and see what I got. Really lucked out 

Still showing as $250 which is still an awesome price
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NUAFA4S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## seayakbill

Menards burning engine house fits perfectly in a corner of the engine yard.

Bill


----------



## Guest

That is an outstanding buy.


----------



## Guest

Great additions Lost Soul and Bill. You got a great price on that loco.



Lehigh74 said:


> You got me wondering if an LC+ would work on my DCS layout. But its now up to $589 so I'm not going for that.


Yes, I run LC+ and DCS on the same track at the same time. Works perfectly.


----------



## Spence

seayakbill said:


> Menards burning engine house fits perfectly in a corner of the engine yard.
> 
> Bill
> 
> Looks good in that location.


----------



## Lehigh74

L0stS0ul said:


> The listing was very vague but the product number was right, it matched the picture, and was sold by Amazon not a 3rd party. Thought I would take the chance on the price and see what I got. Really lucked out
> 
> Still showing as $250 which is still an awesome price
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NUAFA4S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I did a search on Amazon for *Lionel LionChief plus* and came up with the same thing for the $589. Now I have to think about it again for the $250.


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## Lehigh74

I didn't have to think about it too long. Picked up one of the last two...and gave a little smile to the TCA at the same time.


----------



## L0stS0ul

Lehigh74 said:


> I didn't have to think about it too long. Picked up one of the last two...and gave a little smile to the TCA at the same time.


:smilie_daumenpos: :appl: :sold:

I just ran it around my layout. Nothing changed in my setup just dropped it on the track and powered up. It ran fine and looks good along side my PS2 engines. It's quite different from the PS2 loco's I'm used to feature wise but you can't beat the price.


----------



## Guest

I bought my LC+ Erie camelback from Charles Ro at the Amherst show in January for the show special price of $340. The regular discounted price is around $375. The Amazon price is ridiculous since the list price is $429.


----------



## Lehigh74

Thanks LostSoul, John, Bob, Brian and Joe. I’m kind of psyched now to try the LC+ camelback. Hope I don’t like it TOO much. I’ll have to start building racks for controllers.


----------



## Bill Webb

*Laidoffsick was glad to be rid of this acquisition that*

Paula and I received today... His well-used Ballastking.

We also acquired a bottle of champagne to be opened when we sell it to someone else. That will be awhile!


----------



## Lehigh74

L0stS0ul said:


> The listing was very vague but the product number was right, it matched the picture, and was sold by Amazon not a 3rd party. Thought I would take the chance on the price and see what I got. Really lucked out
> 
> Still showing as $250 which is still an awesome price
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NUAFA4S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I just clicked on this link again. Now that there is only one left, the price is $437. That's $2 shy of Lionel's MSRP.


----------



## MOVL

JimL said:


> If you do correspond with Keith, please give him our best wishes.
> 
> Keith is such a nice guy. In addition .... to being a great asset to our hobby.
> 
> Jim


Thanks for the well wishes, guys.
Brian is correct, warm weather months are a killer for my head. Stormy weather being THE worst of all. My condition is "complicated migraines", meaning that I get every symptom of a migraines and very frequently. Temporary blindness is one of the worst symptoms that I get, but it doesn't last long and was only very scary the first time it happened. Lately the migraines evolved to include Hemiplegic Migraines. That is where you experience temporary paralysis of the limbs. Usually on one side of the body, but for me it has been both legs followed by extreme pins and needles sensation.

A couple days ago, I started briefly peeking on the forums after being off for a few months. I'll be around as I can. Hope you are all having a great Summer. I'm enjoying the pics of what you've all purchased. My MTH Demonstrator FTs (ABBA) came recently and they are sharp.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Keith, great to see you back, sure sorry to hear about your issues. That certainly doesn't sound like fun, makes my puny torn meniscus seem pretty pedestrian. I hope you get some cooler weather and are "back in the pink" soon. I'm guessing you've already explored any possible treatment avenues.


----------



## Lehigh74

MOVL - I recall you discussing the migraines in previous posts. Sounds pretty nasty. You have been missed here. Hope you are feeling better soon.


----------



## Guest

Keith, if you see this post, please send me an e-mail to the address listed in my MTF profile. I lost your e-mail address.

I have also sent you a PM.


----------



## cole226

*outside 3rd rail, wonder what its old layout might have looked like?*

picked this 726 up off ebay, arrived yesterday.
got it with a best offer price i was very happy with.:smokin:



it had been converted for outside 3rd rail, which probably is why it appears to have been so well maintained. obviously it was not a shelf queen, but i would imagine it was owned by a pretty serious model railroader.

i borrowed a collector from my 2020 turbine and put her back to center rail. _runs like a champ. lights, smokes and e-unit cycles like new.:smilie_daumenpos:_

































































to bad no tender. now the hunts on for a 2426. or maybe i'll go back over dano's projects and build me a vandy for it.:dunno:

anyway, now i need a collector if anybody has one laying around. 47 and later 726 or 2020, 671, 681 turbine.


----------



## njrailer93

very nice i have a few brass models with outside third rail!


----------



## Guest

Sweet loco Randy. I've always liked the 726/736.


----------



## Fabforrest

new to the layout, but not yet where they will be on the layout. still thinking about that.

the front and back covers of the latest diecast direct catalog.





















gonna put some luggage on that rack!


----------



## Guest

Very nice vehicles, Forrest. I really like the bus a lot.


----------



## PatKn

Really cool vehicles Forrest.


----------



## Norton

Those are cool Fab. The bus looks like a candidate to be repainted for the B&O New York City passenger service.

Pete


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Forrest: That awesome bus reminds me of the 1934 screwball comedy, "It Happened One Night," with Clarke Gable and Claudette Colbert. Except the one in that movie was Atlantic Greyhound.


----------



## Wood

Forrest, those are nicely detailed vehicles. Where did you get them?


----------



## Spence

Very nice vehicles. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

I sure like your choice of vehicles, Forrest. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Fabforrest

Wood. Diecast Direct. They were on the front and back covers of the just released summer catalog. There is an all white version of the ambulance.


----------



## Fabforrest

Norton. I thought of that, but (a) they are considerably longer than those busses and (2) beyond my meager skills to do. 

I look to Lee Willis to do this and build a working turntable for the bus.


----------



## Fabforrest

Ok, have some luggage on this puppy. there sure is a lot of good detail on this vehicle.


----------



## MOVL

Wow Forrest, that is the best bus I've seen in a while. Great purchase!


----------



## rboatertoo

Just got two new Monon trains to add to the fleet


----------



## Guest

I know you like the Monon RR, so this really fits your inventory.

Are you water logged?


----------



## Dano

That is a nice looking 726 Randy, a big V tender would look good behind it.


----------



## rboatertoo

Passenger Train Collector said:


> I know you like the Monon RR, so this really fits your inventory.
> 
> Are you water logged?


No, It's been a hot summer and I have been doing a lot of fishing off the pier. Not much time for trains......

Our house is on a former Monon siding for an ice house, so we do have the Monon Ghost spirit.


----------



## Guest

Jim, just the opposite for us, we have logged more time this summer on the boat than in all of the previous years combined. The weather has been fabulous for boating, a much larger lake for it to stretch it's legs, so we sure have made good use of our time on the water.


----------



## MOVL

Jim,
I love the Monon paint schemes. That's a sharp passenger train.

Shortly after I reentered the hobby, Lionel catalogued the beautiful Monon F3 freight diesels. I preordered them, but was crushed when they were canceled. I do see that Atlas O is now offering them. Sure they will be nice...I would just rather wait for a Lionel or MTH set.


----------



## rboatertoo

MOVL said:


> Jim,
> I love the Monon paint schemes. That's a sharp passenger train.
> 
> Shortly after I reentered the hobby, Lionel catalogued the beautiful Monon F3 freight diesels. I preordered them, but was crushed when they were canceled. I do see that Atlas O is now offering them. Sure they will be nice...I would just rather wait for a Lionel or MTH set.


I do have the atlas F3 preordered. I am kind of turning anti-lionel, I just can't see why I should pay more just because it's Lionel. I have had no problems with MTh products, while Lionel I have had to send a few items back for warranty.


----------



## Lehigh74

My LC+ Camelback came in today (same as the one LostSoul got in post 1173). I ordered something else at the same time so Amazon packed them both in a bigger box. The packing slip (Lionel to Amazon) was still attached to the Lionel box and it had some interesting info. Amazon bought it from Lionel last November for $290. So they lost $45 when I bought mine and $145 on the one that LostSoul bought. Amazon pricing software gone haywire?

Looking forward to running this, but it’s my first LC+ so I may just read the instructions first.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Lehigh74 said:


> My LC+ Camelback came in today (same as the one LostSoul got in post 1173). I ordered something else at the same time so Amazon packed them both in a bigger box. The packing slip (Lionel to Amazon) was still attached to the Lionel box and it had some interesting info. Amazon bought it from Lionel last November for $290. So they lost $45 when I bought mine and $145 on the one that LostSoul bought. Amazon pricing software gone haywire?
> 
> Looking forward to running this, but it’s my first LC+ so I may just read the instructions first.




I have never bought any trains on Amazon. That isn't a very common experience is it?


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## seayakbill

a couple more additions from Menards. A weathered Main Central boxcar and the freebe Army flatcar with Army van. Will be removing the van and replace with a couple jeeps.

Bill


----------



## Guest

Maine Central, this seems like old home week. What with Norm's O-Scale being featured as the York Meet Vendor of the Week.


----------



## Lehigh74

Mark Boyce said:


> I have never bought any trains on Amazon. That isn't a very common experience is it?


First time for me Mark. And the first time I have bought a new Lionel since the MPC days. I just got a few new engines so I wasn’t even remotely thinking about getting anything else before late October. But when I saw the price Amazon was asking, I couldn’t resist.


----------



## njrailer93

added this nice little puppy today. i love these ore cars up to 6 now and counting


----------



## Guest

Sweet Ore Car! You're building a nice Ore Train.


----------



## MOVL

NJ, good looking ore car...I like that they colored the truck sides too. Ore cars are addicting. Very fun to watch a train of them snake around the layout.


----------



## Wood

NJ, is that a K-Line ore car that came with those Plymouth Switchers?


----------



## Don F

Wood said:


> NJ, is that a K-Line ore car that came with those Plymouth Switchers?


Looks like MTH.








Don


----------



## njrailer93

yes that one is mth. i also have 2 rmt ore cars that look just as good


----------



## Don F

I'm a bit of an ore car guy myself. My favorites are the K Line. They began life as Kits from Atlas way back in the 70's, and somewhere along the line K Line got the molds, and when they folded, RMT ended up producing them. At one time, I think RMT was offering them at a blowout price of $15 or $20 each. The Lionel cars are OK too, but a little small, and quite pricey. When I see them in sets on the bay, I pick them up, as they make great birthday and Christmas gifts for family and friends. I always include a custom load, along with the plastic load, (just to keep it original). 
The plastic loads sit low enough in the car, that they can be modified to look more realistic. 
Don


----------



## njrailer93

Don, i think that will be the next step with these is making custom coal loads. i think i picked up the rmt ones for 20 bucks. i wish i picked up 8 more at the time!


----------



## Don F

njrailer93 said:


> Don, i think that will be the next step with these is making custom coal loads. i think i picked up the rmt ones for 20 bucks. i wish i picked up 8 more at the time!


I posted a tutorial and video on making coal loads on the general discussion forum on page 11. The only difference with the luan bases I use for the ore cars is that the ends need to be beveled for the slope. I set the miter saw for as sharp an angle as it will go. 
Don


----------



## Bill Webb

*Received this today from Charles Ro*









Not a new catalog item but Charlie had a couple GP30s and we didn't find much that we liked in Volume II and they are in the correct name and Paula likes blue and she has a birthday soon (yeah, that didn't work for me either).

Received two; may try to change the number or may just live with it.


----------



## Mark Boyce

His and hers, Bill. Good deal!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Bill Webb

Mark I will go try that line. Maybe it will go over better than, "Happy birthday."


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## Guest

Norfolk & Western, why doesn't that surprise me Bill. Nice purchase.


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## Mark Boyce

Bill Webb said:


> Mark I will go try that line. Maybe it will go over better than, "Happy birthday."




I think so!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## seayakbill

I have been collecting Kusan / Kris electric trains for 30 plus years. One boxcar that I have been looking for what seems forever is the ACE Equipment boxcar out of New Holland, PA. Lo and behold a case of brand new old stock came up on a well known auction site. Well I have been looking for 1 now I have 10. Will make for a neat unit train.

Bill


----------



## Don F

Nice boxcar. My wife and I stay in New Holland when we do our trips to Amish country. In fact, we're planning a trip in the near future.
Don


----------



## Guest

Sweet boxcar, Bill. The 10 are a great addition to your roster.


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## Bill Webb

*N and W received from Malcolm today*

Paula and I are sitting in the dark admiring a N and W caboose received today from Malcolm. He really builds some amazing stuff.

We were putting it behind a Y6B when the neighborhood went dark. Hopefully the moon will be up soon.

Not sure how to do more than one photo at a time. There are a couple that we wanted to retake but with no lights, gotta go with what we have.


----------



## Bill Webb

*Next picture... gee it is dark*


----------



## Bill Webb

*One more*

PTC please send me an e-mail and tell us how to post more than one picture at a time on the I-pad.


----------



## PRRronbh

Malcolm makes the best handcrafted masterpieces.








I gave him the road number of a CF that I knew made it into the mid-1960s with a brake staff. Also made it convertible between 3 and 2 rail.

A malcolm bookend.









And with a N&W 2-bay hopper to use with the 2300/Jahn Henry.


----------



## Bill Webb

Looks nice. Examined ours more thoroughly this AM in the light. We are even more impressed.

Where is Piedmont, NC? On the way to Fuquay this AM.


----------



## Guest

Bill, I don't have an IPad, so you are out of luck with me.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

I was in need of another tank car, so found this on Ebay, new for 9 bucks and couldn't pass it up. All of my freight cars have sprung metal trucks, so this one filled the bill nicely.









I'd removed the elevated track off the layout recently, returning to 2-train operation and had all of these dowels I didn't know what to do with. So added some side stakes to an ATSF flat car and made a log load for it.


----------



## Shawn91481

Yellowstone Special said:


> I was in need of another tank car, so found this on Ebay, new for 9 bucks and couldn't pass it up. All of my freight cars have sprung metal trucks, so this one filled the bill nicely.
> 
> View attachment 228497
> 
> 
> I'd removed the elevated track off the layout recently, returning to 2-train operation and had all of these dowels I didn't know what to do with. So added some side stakes to an ATSF flat car and made a log load for it.
> 
> View attachment 228505



Way to repurpose :smilie_daumenpos:

I had cut some willow braches when I was a kid. With a knife I split the "logs" and created a firewood pile. I left some of the logs whole and when they dried out the bark shriveled and looked like it was a scaled down tree trunk. Almost 20 years later I still run that free solution that looks better than anything you could buy.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Shawn91481 said:


> Way to repurpose :smilie_daumenpos:
> 
> Thanks Shawn. You, too. 👍


----------



## Guest

The tank car and logs look super, Vern. Making the log load form material you had on hand makes them special.

I'm just curious, why did you remove the elevated line?


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## Yellowstone Special

Country Joe said:


> The tank car and logs look super, Vern. Making the log load form material you had on hand makes them special.
> 
> I'm just curious, why did you remove the elevated line?


Thank you, Joe. The elevated line was removed mostly because it was just too noisy when 3 trains were running simultaneously on this relatively small 88 sq. ft. layout. Couldn't even carry on a conversation with visitors. One of the drawbacks of using Fastrack I guess. It's a little quieter with 2 trains.

Also makes it easier to clean track and access everything along with an unobstructed view of the whole layout. 

Wow! I just made engineer by responding to your question. Thanks again, Joe!


----------



## Bill Webb

On the way home from seeing the grandchildren, Paula and I stopped at Don Jones home in Zebulon, NC last night to see his layout and pick up two six car sets of N & W hopper cars that we purchased from him last month. Don had been to a train show in Raleigh and had just unloaded when we arrived.

We spent an hour and a half in his train room (very nice) and on the way out took a look at what he had left from the Raleigh meet. Five cabooses, two box cars, and a reefer, later, we left for home.

There are a number of outstanding layouts in the Raleigh, NC area and we look forward to visiting more AND getting to see the grandchildren too. Next scheduled visit is October 15.

Many thanks to Don for an enjoyable evening.

Sorry for the lack of pictures but it is/has been pouring outside.


----------



## seayakbill

LCCA / Lionel MP intermodal with the personalized container. Had mine labeled for the Seattle & Yakima RR, Cle Elum division.

Bill


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## Shawn91481

Wow neat container.


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## MOVL

Cool container Bill!


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## PatKn

Last night I got to run my 6 new Lionel GLA Hoppers. 





















This makes 21 coal hoppers - 6 Weaver, 6 Lionel, 9 MTH. This makes a sufficiently long coal drag IMO.


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## Spence

Very nice consist Pat. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## cole226

NICE LOOKING CONSIST PAT.:thumbsup:


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## gunrunnerjohn

Lookin' good Pat, another 50 and you'll have a dynamite coal train!


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## Shawn91481

Damn I'm jealous that you have that much room. Very nice cars


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## Guest

The new hoppers look great, Pat. With the loco, caboose and other hoppers they make a really nice train.


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## Lehigh74

Nice coal drag Pat. I have one that consists of about 18 hoppers (Lionel 6456, MTH, Kline and RMT). I think I know what John is talking about though. Last year at a NPOG open house, Harry had a coal drag with about 90 hoppers pulled by a PRR Y3.


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## Mark Boyce

That coal train looks great as it is, Pat!!


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## MOVL

Pat, your GLA hoppers look great.
I only have the Lionel GLA hoppers in Polar Express name, but in person these are incredibly detailed.


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## njrailer93

started building up mt reefer fleet. added 2 new ones.
the pfe is from Lionel. BLOWN AWAY. excellent detail.


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## ddixoncint1

I model only B&O, C&O, Cheese & CSX. But I love the Northern Pacific colors l had a NP passenger train set when I first started playing with trains (American Flyer 1950's) Thanks for sharing.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Guest

The new reefers look great, NJ.


----------



## highvoltage

ddixoncint1 said:


> I model only B&O, C&O, Cheese & CSX...


I think auto-correct ruined Chessie for you.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Or, is it that cheese can be modeled in any scale?


----------



## Shawn91481

An old TMCC Dash 9 that I patched to UP Colors. The gray is too light for SP, but I would have to repaint whole loco to correct so I painted the trucks, and fuel tank black.


----------



## seayakbill

MTH Great Northern sky blue GP-20 has joined the Seattle & Yakima roster. Will be helping out sister railroads, the Northern Pacific and Spokane Portland & Seattle over the Cascades.

Bill


----------



## Shawn91481

seayakbill said:


> MTH Great Northern sky blue GP-20 has joined the Seattle & Yakima roster. Will be helping out sister railroads, the Northern Pacific and Spokane Portland & Seattle over the Cascades.
> 
> Bill
> 
> View attachment 232401


Would be great for a 70's era layout or even as a yard locomotive for a modern layout. It would look fantastic with some heavy weathering.


----------



## PatKn

That GN engine is a real beauty, Bill.


----------



## PRRRunner

Just got these 3rd Rail brass cars off Trainz/Dash:


----------



## PennsyFan

Two new sweet hoppers from MTH.


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## MOVL

PRRRunner, that rolling stock is nice. I'd love to have the tank car. Great purchase.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

PRRRunner said:


> Just got these 3rd Rail brass cars off Trainz/Dash:


Those are unique and very cool cars, first time I've seen those. :thumbsup:


----------



## suzukovich

seayakbill said:


> MTH Great Northern sky blue GP-20 has joined the Seattle & Yakima roster. Will be helping out sister railroads, the Northern Pacific and Spokane Portland & Seattle over the Cascades.
> 
> Bill
> 
> View attachment 232401


Looks good. Not a big fan of the BSB but it was a fact of life after 67. Should fit in rather nicely.


----------



## PRRRunner

Keith,

The 6-dome tank is a great car and shows up on auction sites now and then. The problem with it is they have zinc pest in the trucks so you have to get new trucks for it. I used Atlas O trucks and they gave the car a nice low look (may not like tight curves). Others have successfully used MTH trucks but the car rides higher. Here is what was in the box when I received the car:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's ugly, did the seller actually state the trucks were dust?


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## PRRRunner

John,

The seller included a picture showing the disintegrated parts. Besides, I already knew of the problem because I've been looking for these two cars for a while. Unfortunately, just because the trucks were bad didn't mean the car was cheap.


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## seayakbill

Another boxcar from Menards

Bill


----------



## Craignor

I bought these Lionel Legacy E8's at York in April. Here they are at my modular club 's display (National Capital Trackers) this past weekend in Brunswick, Maryland. 

Note the neat Pre-war tinplate train on the inner loop.

Transportation via O Scale Hauler.


----------



## MOVL

PRRRunner said:


> Keith,
> 
> The 6-dome tank is a great car and shows up on auction sites now and then. The problem with it is they have zinc pest in the trucks so you have to get new trucks for it. I used Atlas O trucks and they gave the car a nice low look (may not like tight curves). Others have successfully used MTH trucks but the car rides higher. Here is what was in the box when I received the car:


Wow! Thanks for the info. Very good to know. I'll keep my eye out for one of these.


----------



## santafe158

Well, since I drive a Ford, work for a museum started by Henry Ford and have relatives that work/retired at Ford, I couldn't resist this little set.


----------



## seayakbill

Neat set, those K-Line Plymouth switchers are terrific. I have a couple and they have been running great for years.

Bill


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## PatKn

Same here Jake. I have three plymouth switcher sets. There neat little sets.


----------



## santafe158

Yeah, the plymouth's are fun little engines. We have a Santa Fe one my dad bought many years ago while we were on vacation and it runs well. I also have on of the K-Line porter steam locomotives that I believe was essentially built on the same chassis. It too has been a great runner


----------



## MOVL

Nice set Jake!
I have a B&O Plymouth with those ballast hoppers and love it...paint is great.

I also have a C&O Plymouth...the paint is horrid on it. Pretty much did the yellow in fluorescent...very bright. That one is going to be repainted for Pere Marquette.


----------



## santafe158

MOVL said:


> Nice set Jake!
> I have a B&O Plymouth with those ballast hoppers and love it...paint is great.
> 
> I also have a C&O Plymouth...the paint is horrid on it. Pretty much did the yellow in fluorescent...very bright. That one is going to be repainted for Pere Marquette.


Thanks Keith. I watched it on Ebay for awhile and had decided I didn't need it, but then I broke down about a week later and hit the buy it now button  I think it'll be running on my small loop that goes through the "mountain" on my theater Christmas display as sort of a small mining scene. I love how they look with all the marker lights and such, even if not very realistic. 

We have a 12 ton plymouth built in 1927 at work for moving equipment around the shop. It's quite fun listening to it run with a 1000 cubic inch 6 cylinder gasoline engine working its tail off to move a locomotive that weighs 10-50 tons more than it does.


----------



## MOVL

I am a huge fan of Lionel PS-1 boxcars. This is one that I have been wanting and just got on the secondary market.


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## DennyM

I picked up this Lionel Seaboard Extended Cab caboose a couple of weeks ago.


----------



## PatKn

Nice cars Keith and Denny. 
Denny, your break an is slouching on the job. He should be watching the train, not daydreaming and stareing out the back.


----------



## suzukovich

Some cool stuff posted. santafe158 the ford Plymouth switcher set is nice.

Anyway picked these up last week. Been wanting to get them for a long time. 3 Max Gray TTX TOFC flats.


----------



## DennyM

PatKn said:


> Nice cars Keith and Denny.
> Denny, your break man is slouching on the job. He should be watching the train, not daydreaming and staring out the back.


Pat if you look again it's a woman. I put her in there to keep the brake man company.


----------



## Chiefmcfuz

]













































150. How did I do?


----------



## Chiefmcfuz

]











Set break up, Lionchief Broadway Limited and Keystone Special.


----------



## seayakbill

The Northern Pacific piggy backs are really nice. I bought the 2 pack when first released, will have to dig em out and give em a run.

Bill


----------



## Yellowstone Special

This item doesn't roll on rails. But we finally got a foot bridge to go on the west side of Walmart (every town has a Walmart). All we have to do now is dig a winter stream with ice for it to cross over.


----------



## Fabforrest

DennyM said:


> Pat if you look again it's a woman. I put her in there to keep the break man company.


Not sure I would want a break man on the job.

Brake man, maybe.


----------



## DennyM

Fabforrest said:


> Not sure I would want a break man on the job.
> 
> Brake man, maybe.


Yikes, I missed that one. I'm gonna fix it.


----------



## Guest

I went to the train show in Deland, FL on 10/1. It was fun to go and was a bit of normal in my new life. The only thing I bought was this MTH flatcar with Railtown taxis. When I build my new layout I will remove the taxis and use them in my city and replace them on the car with different vehicles or some other load.


----------



## santafe158

Picked up a few things recently.









I should add, my girlfriend picked this one out. She thought it was funny with all the chickens inside 























Also the owner of Tony's Mower Shop and Trains in Northville, MI donated a couple items to the Redford Theatre for use on the Christmas display I put together. These will join the theater collection that was started with a donation from the Detroit Historical Museum last year and will hopefully keep some of my own locomotives off the layout to reduce wear and tear. This was a very unexpected and generous donation that we greatly appreciate.









A Williams GP38 and a Lionel Charlie Brown Psychiatric Help Booth


----------



## Mark Boyce

Hey, glad you went to the show. That's a good plan to use the taxis in town and put other vehicles on the car


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## Guest

Mark Boyce said:


> Hey, glad you went to the show. That's a good plan to use the taxis in town and put other vehicles on the car
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I'm glad I went to the show, Mark. I don't miss NY at all but I miss friends and relatives there. My club in NY is starting to do all the fall and winter train shows and I miss that.

I've wanted a taxi or two for my city for quite a while. When I saw the car at a reasonable price I had to get it.


----------



## seayakbill

My latest acquisition from Menards Electric Trains

Bill


----------



## Mark Boyce

Country Joe said:


> I'm glad I went to the show, Mark. I don't miss NY at all but I miss friends and relatives there. My club in NY is starting to do all the fall and winter train shows and I miss that.
> 
> 
> 
> I've wanted a taxi or two for my city for quite a while. When I saw the car at a reasonable price I had to get it.




I thought you may be missing train shows and old friends in a new environment. You will get right into things in Florida. You shouldn't have any shows you miss because of snowstorms!


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## DennyM

Country Joe, seayakbill and santafe158 You guys found some nice stuff. I went to Menard's yesterday and picked up a Santa Fe boxcar and tanker. They got some nice rolling stock this year and some industrial buildings. Unfortunately I don't have room on my layout for most of the buildings. There was a lot of HO stuff too.


----------



## Alexander

Great additions, Denny M!


----------



## Guest

Very nice cars, Denny. It must be great to be able to go to a Menards.


----------



## DennyM

Country Joe said:


> Very nice cars, Denny. It must be great to be able to go to a Menards.


Thanks CJ, Menard's is fine if you don't ask for help.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

This is an MTH Premier Challenger that I bought some time back that was "upgraded" to TMCC. The upgrade was not nearly what I typically do, so I started over. The good news is, I got it for $400 and it included the ERR Cruise Commander and the new RailSounds Commander, so it was a good deal. It's an older one, so it started life with a pair of Seuthe smoke units, not the fan driven smoke we all associate with MTH locomotives.

I set about changing all that. It got fan driven smoke, the Super-Chuffer and Chuff-Generator, ground lights, two-level smoke (lower at idle), LED lighting all around, and my new fancy flickering smoke box upgrade. This will be my new Super-Chuffer demo locomotive at York next week.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Looks really great John!! It will be an eye catcher at York, then when you show what it can do it will be impressive!


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## Bob Phillips

Hope you don't smoke out the Orange hall.


----------



## Guest

Very nice loco, John. I am a fan of Challengers even though I don't have any interest in western railroads.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I didn't really have any interest in western railroads either, but I suddenly find I have a bunch of UP stuff, so I went ahead and got a bunch of passenger cars and several cabooses.  Might as well give in. 

I've brought the same two locomotives the past few York meets, I decided I needed a fresh face this year. Of course, I throw another one in the box in case something craps out, can't be too prepared. 

I'm working on new lighting demo passenger cars as well. getting bored with the old ones there too.


----------



## Bob Phillips

John 
Do you make passenger car led's in yellow?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

No, but you can.  If you use the LED regulator modules, you can just use yellow LED strips to complete the cars. I thought about different colors, but it would be a nightmare to stock all the different colors in kits.


----------



## Norton

Very nice stuff guys especially impressed with the Post War 1615, looks new, and John's Challenger. Great scores all around.

Pete


----------



## Kmac

I really like that 1615 and the Challenger is awesome. I just received an MTH premier Pennsy A5 0-4-0. I am on a real Pennsy kick lately and figured I better add this engine to my roster especially because it handles tight curves. It has a lot of detail and runs and sounds great. The tender is for sure my favorite part of this engine, the slopped back is great.

Keaton.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's a very nice A5. :thumbsup: I have the K-Line A5 with TMCC and I added cruise. You certainly have better smoke, that's the other thing I need to fix on mine.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Congratulations! The MTH one Looks great Keaton!! I have the TMCC K-Line version also.


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## MOVL

Sharp Challenger, John! Upgrades sound great. Enjoy that one.

Keaton, your switcher is cool. I've been thinking about adding one of those A5s.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Country Joe said:


> Very nice loco, John. I am a fan of Challengers even though I don't have any interest in western railroads.


Joe! How can you say that?!

And I'm relieved to learn that you finally 'gave in,' John.

Don't you guys know that the western railroads are where it's at? Where have you been all your lives?

Even in the old days, the Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and the Santa Fe all had longer routes than the New York Central and Pennsylvania.

Western roads rock!


----------



## Guest

Country Joe said:


> Very nice loco, John. I am a fan of Challengers even though I don't have any interest in western railroads.





Yellowstone Special said:


> Joe! How can you say that?!
> 
> And I'm relieved to learn that you finally 'gave in,' John.
> 
> Don't you guys know that the western railroads are where it's at? Where have you been all your lives?
> 
> Even in the old days, the Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and the Santa Fe all had longer routes than the New York Central and Pennsylvania.
> 
> Western roads rock!


I don't dislike western railroads, Vern, but since I'm an eastern guy and New York Central fan I prefer eastern roads. I also prefer eastern scenery over desert scenery. When I say I don't have any interest in western roads it's from a modeling standpoint. It helps me to narrow my buying interests otherwise I'd buy everything I see until I ran out of money.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yellowstone Special said:


> Joe! How can you say that?!
> 
> And I'm relieved to learn that you finally 'gave in,' John.
> 
> Don't you guys know that the western railroads are where it's at? Where have you been all your lives?
> 
> Even in the old days, the Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and the Santa Fe all had longer routes than the New York Central and Pennsylvania.
> 
> Western roads rock!


Just remember, early in the 20th Century, the PRR was the largest corporation in the world! The PRR actually used the tracks for revenue service, not just to cross the wilderness! 

Here's a quote for you. 



> The PRR was the largest railroad by traffic and revenue in the U.S. for the first half of the 20th century. Over the years, it acquired, merged with or owned part of at least 800 other rail lines and companies. At the end of 1925, it operated 10,515 miles of rail line; in the 1920s, it carried nearly three times the traffic as other railroads of comparable length, such as the Union Pacific or Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroads. Its only formidable rival was the New York Central (NYC), which carried around three-quarters of PRR's ton-miles.
> 
> At one time, the PRR was the largest publicly traded corporation in the world, with a budget larger than that of the U.S. government and a workforce of about 250,000 people. The corporation still holds the record for the longest continuous dividend history: it paid out annual dividends to shareholders for more than 100 consecutive years.


----------



## PatKn

GRJ :appl::appl::appl: "The Standard Railroad of America"


----------



## Yellowstone Special

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Just remember, early in the 20th Century, the PRR was the largest corporation in the world! The PRR actually used the tracks for revenue service, not just to cross the wilderness!
> 
> Here's a quote for you.


Joe: That's OK. However there's a lot of interesting terrain out west besides desert, such as the Rocky Mountains, Cascade Mountains, countless other mountains and valleys, the Columbia River Gorge, California coast, etc. I've seen these examples modeled beautifully on train layouts.

And John: Thanks for the reminders about the PRR. I am a bit familiar with American railroad history and know that the Pennsylvania indeed was probably the greatest American railroad for a long time. 

What I was getting at about western railroads was the fact that they covered vast distances due to western states being larger in area than eastern states and western cities being farther apart than eastern ones.

So the Pennsylvania had just over 10,000 miles of track in 1925. The Union Pacific by comparison as of Dec. 31, 1925, had 15,265 miles of track, again, due to the vast distances covered. 

Yes, the Pennsy and NYC both moved more freight and passengers on their rail networks, because they were older railroads and were located in the more populous and industrial east.

But for distances covered including Chicago to Los Angeles: 2,015 miles on the Santa Fe; Portland, OR to New Orleans: 2,860 miles on Southern Pacific via California; Chicago to Seattle: 2,065 miles on the Great Northern, etc., no eastern railroad even comes close as far as mainline distances covered.

The longest rail distances I could find in the east were New York City to Miami: 1,278 miles and New York City to Chicago: 790 miles. Even in the midwest, Chicago to New Orleans (think Illinois Central's City of New Orleans) was only 927 miles.

Covering vast, overland distances such as Nebraska to Utah through Wyoming, with lots of tonnage is the main reason the Union Pacific operated several HUGE locomotives over the years. These included the Challengers, the Big Boys, the gas turbines and the DDXs. I find it interesting that other western railroads didn't use larger and heavier locomotives that the UP used, but instead, just coupled on additional locomotives as they were needed for longer and heavier consists.

So, that's all. Western railroads may not have hauled the volume of freight and passengers that eastern railroads did. But because of their distances covered, I think they still rock.


----------



## suzukovich

East vs West augment. John it looks great. Everybody should have a Challenger in their life. Well not everybody since I don't have one. 

Well after a 3yr search and quite a few auctions lost to include six times (since April )in a row to a bogus bidder on DASH. *I have finally acquired a 3rd Rail CB&Q NE 7 Wood Way Car!!!!!! *


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yellowstone Special said:


> So, that's all. Western railroads may not have hauled the volume of freight and passengers that eastern railroads did. But because of their distances covered, I think they still rock.


No argument from me, I'm just jerking your chain.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

gunrunnerjohn said:


> No argument from me, I'm just jerking your chain.



Very well, GRJ.


----------



## seayakbill

Received up this guy from Menards along with the freebe C&NW flat with kubota tractor.

Bill


----------



## BWA

I guess I am now a Western railroad guy.

Picked these beauties off the Bay. Marx Western Pacific ABA units in pretty darn nice shape.....

Now, I gotta find a whole batch of Marx coaches.....hwell:


----------



## cole226

nice set of F-3s:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new locos, BWA. They really are beautiful.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Those F units are beautiful!!! I think the best looking Marx I have seen!


----------



## Lee Willis

Love those Marx F units. I grew up with Marx trains. Love 'em.

I added five Menards Santa Fe Box cars recently. Could not resist the price (around $100 for all five) and the ATSF paint scheme.








As expected they are nicely done - good looking, okay running, etc. Glad to have them!








They mix particularly well with the other Menards ATSF cars, the "Shock Control" cars I have. 








They were accepted upon delivery and have been put into service already. However, management does plan to talk to the foreman in the paint shop on Monday.


----------



## balidas

BWA said:


> I guess I am now a Western railroad guy.
> 
> Picked these beauties off the Bay. Marx Western Pacific ABA units in pretty darn nice shape.....
> 
> Now, I gotta find a whole batch of Marx coaches.....hwell:
> 
> 
> View attachment 240281
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 240289


Beautiful! I love Marx. I put together a Marx ABBA New Haven with a string of passenger cars.


----------



## Guest

Lee, the new boxcars look great. What do you mean when you say they run OK.


----------



## walter

Look at it this way, the car was probable finished Monday morning after a long weekend, and pool hall drinking.


----------



## PatKn

I just received this MTH Climax Engine and 4 K-Line spine cars. I love the engine and cars. I need to replace those shiny logs with real logs though. Test ran it on my test track. I think it's pretty cool. I always loved geared locomotives. It also came with an old Atlas (pre Atlas O) UP bobber caboose which I'll put away for a future bashing project.


----------



## cole226

TOO NICE, i'm jealous


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new Climax, Pat. It look, runs and sounds great. I think the logs would look fine with a little Dullcote.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

BWA said:


> I guess I am now a Western railroad guy.
> 
> Picked these beauties off the Bay. Marx Western Pacific ABA units in pretty darn nice shape.....
> 
> Now, I gotta find a whole batch of Marx coaches.....hwell:
> 
> 
> View attachment 240281
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 240289


That IS a very nice looking ABA set, BWA. I can't tell if they're supposed to be Es or Fs. But that's the first Marx set of ABAs I've ever seen. Awesome! :thumbsup:


----------



## cole226

Yellowstone Special said:


> That IS a very nice looking ABA set, BWA. I can't tell if they're supposed to be Es or Fs. But that's the first Marx set of ABAs I've ever seen. Awesome! :thumbsup:


they are E-7s. there are several sets on ebay now.


----------



## Craignor

I have had a MTH auto carrier for years, decided to turn it into my NASCAR car, since I am a NASCAR fan, so I removed the cars that came with it, I can use them on my layout, and scoured the Halls of York for NASCARs to fill the car, found the last two this time, it's hard to find Nascar cars in 1:43. Here it is:


----------



## Guest

The Marx ABA set is very impressive!!!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The Climax is great Pat, they are a neat little locomotive. I have the same model, I'm readying 20 of the little IDR log cars to pull with it, I just need to get the real logs on in place of the plastic, sound familiar?


----------



## santafe158

Climax locomotives are cool, that's a really nice looking model. I used to have a Bachmann HO model, but it unfortunately self destructed while running on a display track (ironically, in a real roundhouse at our take a train to work day event). It was cool while it lasted though.


----------



## MOVL

Love that Climax. So cool.

Wow, the paint scheme on the Marx WP ABA is very appealing.


----------



## JimL

Cool looking, Craig!!


----------



## BWA

Marx did a number of neat paint schemes not often done by other manufacturers.....

They have a real nice NH set, and, Rock Island.


----------



## Craignor

Thanks Jim.


----------



## suzukovich

Some cool stuff Posted

BWA Real nice Marx set. Not always a fan but these look real good.

Pat the Climax is pretty cool.

This came today Legacy GN GP 9s and the MTH FA2s were combined from an earlier purchase of NH FA2 ABA with smashed shells and just arrived GN FA2 Shells. Ok cool for me.
















































Last 

Siku Mercedes Benz Actros* Winterdienst arrived today. So now Mike G ( Other Place) and Wood don't have to drive the UMOG all the time.  Ok cool for me and more comfortable for*Mike G and Wood


----------



## PatKn

The Great Northern paint scheme has always been my favorite. Beautiful engines Suzu. Enjoy them.


----------



## Wood

Suzu, ABA's are the best. It makes a complete looking consist even if you only run a few cars behind them. The eye always catches the engines and the rolling stock becomes a glance. They look very nice.


----------



## PRRRunner

I added this Williams 5-car scale UP HW set to get the two parts I needed to change a similar PRR observation car to a non-observation car to expand my PRR consist. I bought the 5-car set at York for less money than the two parts would have cost. Now I need to figure out what to do with the 4 remaining UP cars.


----------



## Craignor




----------



## Don F

Nice addition! 
Don


----------



## Pebo

Craig.....I love that Western MD livery!

Peter


----------



## Craignor

Thanks Don and Peter.


----------



## Pebo

I have always loved the NYO&W railroad......their stuff doesn't come up for sale often......when this did at a great price, I pounced....It's a beauty and runs like a fine watch!


























Peter


----------



## PatKn

Gorgeous engine Peter :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## RonthePirate

Not an engine, but this little US Steel car caught my eye.
Brand-new, in the box, $25.00 from The Train Engineer.

Even Ebay has then for 30 bucks as the least expensive.


----------



## seayakbill

I picked up this MTH Premier Wheeling & Lake Erie boxcar last week from Pats Trains in Wheeling, WV.

Bill


----------



## PatKn

Bill,
I love the colors of that car. Black and orange have always struck me as a cool combination. Although a Yankee fan, I always liked the Orioles colors.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Perfect colors for Halloween!


----------



## MOVL

Nice engine Peter!

Bill, WOW that is a sweet boxcar. Pat's does a lot for W&LE fans...which is very cool. Love that boxcar. It took a lot for not to purchase any.


----------



## santafe158

I'm going to see how much my girlfriend loves me this year... 

She's moving into an apartment at the end of next week, so I'm starting her a small collection to put a train and village under her Christmas tree. I don't have much to be worried about though since she does like watching toy trains run around as her dad brought her and her brother an HO set home from a business trip when they were young that they added to their Christmas village and played with every year. I fixed that set last year and heard of several occurrences of her playing with it without me being around 

I picked up this set at a good price on eBay (Wish I bought two since the price went up by almost double after I bought this one) and a Lemax train station with a few other village supplies. My mom is also looking for some buildings to give her for Christmas. I don't have any experience with On30 stuff, but figured it'd be a nice size for a small apartment display. Plus she'll be able to run the HO scale Hogwarts Express set I bought her last year (no not for Christmas ) on the same track.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Branching out Jake? ON30 is a good scale, I do like that locomotive.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I added a couple of locomotives, actually I've one for some time, but it was a basket case.

The Wabash Trainmaster was an eBay purchase, it had hit the floor and was pretty busted. I was trying to redo the shell, but too much damage. I happened to find out that Lionel had some shells for my locomotive, so I got a new one, she's back on the rails! This one has the spinning fans when the smoke is energized, cool, but they're a bit noisy if the sound isn't on.

The Atlas was an OGR forum buy that I picked up at York. The lighting was screwed up, and it didn't have cruise. I put in the ERR Cruise Commander M and then redid the lighting, it was pretty pathetic even if it had worked right. Now it has directional markers & headlights, and separately illuminated number boards all around. Why they didn't try to light the number boards escapes me since they're were all set up for lighting!

Yes, I know the cab piece is not aligned, I noticed that when I was posting the pictures. I'll have to fix that.

*Lionel Legacy Wabash Trainmaster*​








*Atlas TMCC Reading GP-35*​


----------



## Bob Phillips

Very nice engines John. Really like the Reading. I have GP45 Williams and put TMCC in it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks Bob, I need more Reading power to pull my string of boxcars. I'm thinking of the Menard's Reading hoppers, I'm on the fence about ordering a couple sets of those.


----------



## Bob Phillips

I would like to get the new station & Hoppers also but where to put them. My 990 base went out on me Sunday. Remote can't find base so hooked up my spare at it works fine. Lionel said to change channel so I'll try that tonight.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Branching out Jake? ON30 is a good scale, I do like that locomotive.


I've always been tempted to get On30 stuff, but never spent the money. I figured it'd be a good size for my girlfriend to put under her Christmas tree in a smaller apartment with a few ceramic village buildings (and also give me a chance to see what it's all about). Now that it arrived in the mail today though I want one myself


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You're heading out in a whole new direction.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You're heading out in a whole new direction.


Perhaps, I've always liked narrow gauge stuff and this is a really nice little set. I may have to get myself one one of these days 

A couple pictures of the engine (I had to test it just so there aren't any surprises when I give it to her after all :laugh:). I put my Lionel Legacy PRR mikado in the background of one photo to show a size comparison. This is a cute little engine.


----------



## Volphin

My Lionchief Hogwarts Express just arrived! Just in time for Halloween. :knock_teeth_out:


----------



## Guest

Volphin said:


> My Lionchief Hogwarts Express just arrived! Just in time for Halloween. :knock_teeth_out:


You can always run it under the Christmas tree.


----------



## Mark Boyce

New Railking Buffalo & Pittsburgh caboose to go with my Premier B&P GP-38-2 I got a few months ago. All my other engines are steam or first generation diesel. I made the exception because I live right over the hill from the B&P. In fact I saw a Geep like this yesterday across from where I get on the main road.











Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## walter

Mark Boyce said:


> New Railking Buffalo & Pittsburgh caboose to go with my Premier B&P GP-38-2 I got a few months ago. All my other engines are steam or first generation diesel. I made the exception because I live right over the hill from the B&P. In fact I saw a Geep like this yesterday across from where I get on the main road.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sharp. Very impressive.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Thank you, Walter!!


----------



## Guest

Wow Mark, that's a beautiful loco and caboose.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Thank you Joe!!


----------



## Kmac

Mark, great engine and caboose. I have a buddy that is and engineer for the B&P and he drives engines just like that. Very cool especially since it hits close to home. Enjoy!

Keaton.


----------



## DennyM

Mark Boyce said:


> New Railking Buffalo & Pittsburgh caboose to go with my Premier B&P GP-38-2 I got a few months ago. All my other engines are steam or first generation diesel. I made the exception because I live right over the hill from the B&P. In fact I saw a Geep like this yesterday across from where I get on the main road.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's really nice Mark.


----------



## PW Trains

Picked up this white magnifying lamp at Harbor Freight for $32.00

Works great for my weary old eyes. Highly recommended if you need one of these.

Paul


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I looked at the HF website, don't see that light anywhere. What is the stock #?


----------



## Mark Boyce

Keaton, Denny, 
Thank you for the comments! I think the have a rather attractive paint scheme, unlike the solid dark orange our other local Bessemer & Lake Erie. I do have a Premier F7 B&LE,
Where I live one is on one bank and the other on the other bank of the Connoquenessing Crick.


----------



## Tom17

Try this http://www.harborfreight.com/fluorescent-magnifying-lamp-60643.html
Not exactly the same. Price is higher.


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## PW Trains

Tom17 said:


> Try this http://www.harborfreight.com/fluorescent-magnifying-lamp-60643.html
> Not exactly the same. Price is higher.


Thats the one.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I was hoping for LED, I'll keep looking. I have an old Luxo on my bench, but it's slowly dying.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Being a big smoke guy, when one locomotive has two smoke units, I have to consider adding it to the roster. Here's the UP Propane Turbine, you can tell it's an MTH by the way it smokes!  A little fuzzy, it was a snapshot while it came by. Lots of nice detail on this one, the grills are really cool. The only fix I have to do is improve the headlights, they are pretty wimpy.


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## Shawn91481

That is a different locomotive for sure. Pretty cool.


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## Spence

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I was hoping for LED, I'll keep looking. I have an old Luxo on my bench, but it's slowly dying.


GRJ; check this lamp out:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Large-Lens-...192345?hash=item5680fc1819:g:f54AAOSwZG9WlcXa


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## gunrunnerjohn

Spence, I'm looking for something with a larger lens and also an articulated arm so it reaches more of the work area.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Shawn91481 said:


> That is a different locomotive for sure. Pretty cool.


Well, it was one of a kind, they never made any more after doing their tests with the prototype. This is probably like the PRR S2-Turbine, a single prototype, but tons of models.


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## seayakbill

Some new additions from the Menards Train Shop. Their prices make it very difficult to pass them up. Another Army boxcar and a couple more trucks.

Bill


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## gunrunnerjohn

I love that Menard's is making a lot of the Military stuff, I wish some of it was scale sized.


----------



## Richard E

After a wait of more than six years I received my Atlas Trainman L&HR RS-3
It will spending most of its time running as a booster for a L&HR Alco C-420.
The C-420 was a Penny's exclusive from a few years back. I upgraded it to TMCC and Railsounds.


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## Spence

Richard E; Very nice looking engine. Hope it was worth the wait!


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## Wood

Great road names... Leigh and Hudson River. Awesome...


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## Guest

Bill, I love the boxcar and trucks. Menards makes some great stuff.

Richard, the L&HR locos look great. The C420 is a very attractive paint scheme.


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## DennyM

Six years?? Wow, as much as I like Atlas I would have moved on. It's a good looking engine Richard. Like Spence said, I hope it was worth the wait.


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## santafe158

I just got what seemed like a great deal on these Lionel PRR Heavyweight Commuter cars on Ebay. Much less than $200 for all four. I intend to pull them behind my Lionel Legacy PRR Mikado. I currently pull either my freight train or my MTH Congressional cars, but always thought a set of heavyweights would look awesome behind it. They'll also look good with my Lionel PRR BB1 electrics.


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## Laidoffsick

New Zebras in the house


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## gunrunnerjohn

The lost their strips on the top half!  We'll let you slide this time.


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## Guest

I picked up this boxcar this afternoon.


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## Mark Boyce

Joe,
I like the boxcar! I'm not familiar with the Early Bird logo, but it's great!

I trust you are staying warm!! It was 29 degrees here when I left for work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Guest

Thanks Mark. Early Bird cars are not modeled as frequently as Pacemaker cars. I saw it in a local hobby shop at a decent price and grabbed it.

Yep, I'm staying warm. It was about 75 when I went out this morning and is about 78 now. I'm in shorts and a tee shirt. 29 is very cold and I don't miss it one bit. Stay warm and think about moving to Florida when you retire.


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## Mark Boyce

Good idea Joe. I have never been in Florida. In fact I have never been south of Richmond Virginia in the winter. I was in Atlanta once, but it was summer. The couple across the road from us left Monday to spend the winter in Florida. I told my wife we should have stowed away! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Lehigh74

Just a Menard’s Reading hopper. One truck frame was installed with the tab under the frame of the hopper…easily fixed. I added anthracite to make the load more realistic. Yellow is not my favorite color, but it sure looks nice with Reading green.


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## CDNJ

Found the 18 K-line Lackawanna Phoebe Snow 5 Pack. Bought the MTH Primier E8 Lackawanna last month for my birthday. Been a good month.Perfect Timing.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Very nice, I was just watching a DVD on the Erie Lackawanna RR tonight.


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## Guest

The cars look great. That will be a beautiful train.


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## PatKn

CDNJ, Nice train. I love the E8! Enjoy them.


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## CDNJ

Thanks!


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## santafe158

My Lionel PRR Heavyweight commuter set arrived today. These were made back in 2004/2005 and came as a 3 pack with an add on car. I got all four for about half the price I've seen them listed at on Ebay recently. They're very nice cars for the money with full interiors and some pretty good detailing. I bought my Legacy PRR Mikado from a friend last year and we decided that we liked how it looked pulling a short passenger train, but I never cared for the look of my modern PRR streamlined set behind it. These suit it a little better, even though it's doubtful that they ever pulled passenger trains on the Pennsylvania RR.


----------



## MOVL

Those Lackawanna Es look great.


----------



## cole226

*allentown show finds*

picked up this 2344 AA set in nice original condition. original portholes, looks and runs great

















got a pair of williams 72' passencher cars to go with the AAs

















and this prewar 260 vandy for a project tender i'm converting to postwar 12 wheel trucks to run with my 726.
all the brass trim is soaking to be cleaned up. it was a complete prewar, but had been repainted over trim.:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Mark Boyce

I met Bob S for brunch yesterday, and bought the Christmas A5 #12 from him. We had a good talk, this being the second time we had done this. I put the A5 on the track, and it ran well! Thanks Bob!!










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn

These were priced so low I had to take a chance on them. They're the K-Line set with TMCC. The lighting was a bit screwy, and they didn't have electrocouplers. When I opened them up, the wiring was, shall we say, suspect! I ripped out all the old lighting and installed LED headlights and incandescent number board lighting. I also installed the electrocouplers. While I was at it, I installed the ERR Cruise Commander M, now they're a real nice running set.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Very nice John! I'm sure they run top notch now!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DennyM

CDNJ, Jake, Randy, Mark and Gunrunerjohn,
You guys got some nice finds. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## Guest

You guys added some great stuff.

Cole226, I love the NYC F3s and passenger cars. The NYC is my favorite road.


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## Yellowstone Special

GRJ: That's a beautiful set of CP Fs and you being able to gut its innards and replace with modern stuff is awesome. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## PatKn

CDNJ, GRJ,
Ditto what they said. Enjoy your new toys.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Thank you Denny and Joe. Knowing I was meeting Bob to get the A5, I picked up a matching caboose at the Greenberg show last Saturday. I can't show a photo of them together as my wife whisked it and a couple of other items away to give me for our anniversary or Christmas! lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, I didn't truly "gut" them. They came with TMCC, but someone had been inside before me and really made a mess of the wiring. Rather than try to fix a bad job, I just started over, it's quicker. I also like connectors to anything in the shell so if you take the shell off to work on it, you don't have the shell dangling off the wires. Besides, I typically add LED lighting to any upgrade of lighting I do, it looks about 1000% better than what was in them.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Mark Boyce said:


> I can't show a photo of them together as my wife whisked it and a couple of other items away to give me for our anniversary or Christmas! lol


That's just WRONG! Once I've seen it and handled it, it's no longer a Christmas present! I buy my own Christmas gifts, and I'm never disappointed in the selection.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Well, I didn't truly "gut" them. They came with TMCC, but someone had been inside before me and really made a mess of the wiring. Rather than try to fix a bad job, I just started over, it's quicker. I also like connectors to anything in the shell so if you take the shell off to work on it, you don't have the shell dangling off the wires. Besides, I typically add LED lighting to any upgrade of lighting I do, it looks about 1000% better than what was in them.


That's more than I would know how to do so it's still awesome to me.


----------



## Lee Willis

I don't feel the least bit hypocritical because I dissed these Freightsounds PS1 cars recently on another thread, saying that they can be annoying. They can be, when I just want the trains to run and run for hours. The noise really gets on my nerves. But I got another anyway, the new Lionel Santa Fe car. Put three on a long train and you have a wonderful cacophony of sounds. It does get annoying, but it can be fun - for a while anyway.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

If you turn down the volume and set them to MIN, it's not too bad. I don't think they did all that good a job with the sounds, they should have had more road sounds and less clanking and banging like they're being knocked around in a yard.


----------



## walter

gunrunnerjohn said:


> If you turn down the volume and set them to MIN, it's not too bad. I don't think they did all that good a job with the sounds, they should have had more road sounds and less clanking and banging like they're being knocked around in a yard.



I sold mine to a friend, they were annoying and didn't sound very realistic running along. If they had added a clickety-clack or other realist running sounds alongside, I might have considered. My friend also says its annoying even turned down and not realistic of a moving freight car. 
Wish ERR would come up with a realistic add-on sound kit to add to freight cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, I don't know about ERR, but I'm working one a sound card.  I've attached a sample of the kinds of sounds I think the boxcar should have. I use a longer version of these in my prototype sound cards, I'm hoping to have the production version ready soon with some additional features.

I hand built a few of these, but I want to get a later version in production that offers expanded capability. This one has an RF remote that allows you to pick one of five sound files. Sound files can be as long as you like, for boxcars I use a 5 hour sound file.


----------



## walter

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Well, I don't know about ERR, but I'm working one a sound card.  I've attached a sample of the kinds of sounds I think the boxcar should have. I use a longer version of these in my prototype sound cards, I'm hoping to have the production version ready soon with some additional features.
> 
> I hand built a few of these, but I want to get a later version in production that offers expanded capability. This one has an RF remote that allows you to pick one of five sound files. Sound files can be as long as you like, for boxcars I use a 5 hour sound file.
> 
> View attachment 249649


I would be very interested. Do you do the upload also? What would be the charge?


----------



## Mark Boyce

I spent some time with the Pittsburgh Independent HiRailers at the Greenberg show last Saturday. Someone there always has the latest stuff running. I did not like the clanging banging cars, but did like the train they ran with 3 cars with clickety clack sounds.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn

The good part about my sound module will be it's user loadable. It accepts Micro-SD cards with the sound clips, so anyone can load them. One problem with providing canned sounds is finding royalty free sounds. However, anyone can download the sounds on the Internet for personal use, so I leave the sound selection mostly to the user.

I have a plan to try to record a local freight train by taking a ride on a local hop, if I get that done, I'd have some original sounds that I could use and distribute with the modules.


----------



## walter

gunrunnerjohn said:


> The good part about my sound module will be it's user loadable. It accepts Micro-SD cards with the sound clips, so anyone can load them. One problem with providing canned sounds is finding royalty free sounds. However, anyone can download the sounds on the Internet for personal use, so I leave the sound selection mostly to the user.
> 
> I have a plan to try to record a local freight train by taking a ride on a local hop, if I get that done, I'd have some original sounds that I could use and distribute with the modules.


Keep us upgraded when they will become available.


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## walter

Picked up at todays train show for 125.00. 4 K-Line Premier aluminum Santa Fe cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

OK, I had joined the 44-Ton club a while back with my Williams that I upgraded to command, now it has a stable-mate, the MTH 44-Ton locomotive.

The sound is great in the MTH, louder than I had imagined. I am disappointed in the supercaps in this PS/3 board, the sound cuts off after about a second of no power. I even swapped this for a second unit and it has the same issue. Now other people are telling me they see this too, so maybe this is just that they couldn't fit the proper sized caps in?

The MTH model is on the left, the Williams is on the right.


----------



## walter

gunrunnerjohn said:


> OK, I had joined the 44-Ton club a while back with my Williams that I upgraded to command, now it has a stable-mate, the MTH 44-Ton locomotive.
> 
> The sound is great in the MTH, louder than I had imagined. I am disappointed in the supercaps in this PS/3 board, the sound cuts off after about a second of no power. I even swapped this for a second unit and it has the same issue. Now other people are telling me they see this too, so maybe this is just that they couldn't fit the proper sized caps in?
> 
> The MTH model is on the left, the Williams is on the right.
> 
> View attachment 249913
> 
> 
> View attachment 249921


I love both of my 44s, (yes, bought another which I'm going to paint and decal as a leased engine).
I've noticed, both, when power is completely taken off trackage, after a couple seconds they're silenced, but doesn't matter to me. But they work correctly in shutdown with track power and commanded as.
I've had each one creep through every switch F and B to check for any lose of power, etc. The only problem I had was at a 5" section of track that was insulated. Swapping out the section, no problem. 
I always feel as I'm over critical of engines, even when a small problem or defect shows up. But my expectation of this small switcher weren't high, but has me surprised with what I wasn't expecting, (able to go through my switching ladders without a hitch) has made me a fan.


----------



## Norton

While I picked this K-Line E8 set up a few months ago, I just finished a cruise update on it Friday. Yesterday I ran it for about 4 hours on the club layout pulling 8 K-Line cars. Smooth as silk with never a glitch. 
I have come to the conclusion that club modular layout is a great place to run trains its less than ideal for pics.
Anyway, now with the electronics taken care of I have a number of cosmetic upgrades planned for including a new pilot and repainting the trucks and fuel tank for 1950's passenger service.

















Pete


----------



## Guest

The E8s are real beauties, Pete, especially to a New York Central fan.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Going really slow, the MTH stalls on a couple of O72 Fastrack switches. It's also stalled on open track with a slight bobble in the track (it's on carpet). The sound is certainly "big" for as small a locomotive as it is, and it has plenty of pulling power.

Apparently, the quick sound cutoff is normal, a host of people over on OGR are saying the same thing.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Norton said:


> While I picked this K-Line E8 set up a few months ago, I just finished a cruise update on it Friday. Yesterday I ran it for about 4 hours on the club layout pulling 8 K-Line cars. Smooth as silk with never a glitch.
> I have come to the conclusion that club modular layout is a great place to run trains its less than ideal for pics.
> Anyway, now with the electronics taken care of I have a number of cosmetic upgrades planned for including a new pilot and repainting the trucks and fuel tank for 1950's passenger service.


Those look great Pete. I have a set of PRR K-Line E8's, but mine still have a problem that the front truck climbs over the outside rail on curves, haven't gotten back to them to try to sort it out.


----------



## Fabforrest

Have coveted the new building available (woodland scenics, riverleaf, menards), but have been able to use only a few as my space is pretty much built up. Really like the menards sauerkraut factory. finally decided to remove my MTH freight transfer station (quickly boring animation, loud, out of scale figures...anyone interested) and put in the factory. added some stuff. modified a K-Line vat car to reflect the Hermans lettering. Serendipity...lots of barrels and located right next to my barrel loader. Sweet. Great detail and lighting.


----------



## Guest

You've created a fabulous scene, Forrest. It's busy but not overcrowded. The Hermans vat car looks great.


----------



## Norton

Maybe its a problem with minimum radius John. I was running on the outside loop of the club layout which is 108" diameter. Its a bit of a rats nest under the shells with all the special wiring for the mars lights and fan motors. Maybe something is preventing the motors from swinging freely. The lead unit has the fan motor drive circuitry next to the forward motor. The double stick tape had given up and the circuit was contacting the motor. Maybe its as simple as that.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I was running them on O72 curves, they claim to run on O31, so it's hard to believe the curves are the issue. They do the same thing on Fastrack and Atlas track. I have just not gotten back to working on them again.


----------



## DennyM

You did a nice job on that Forrest.:thumbsup:


----------



## PatKn

Welcome to the 44 Ton Club John. 
Pete, Those E-8s look fantastic. :smilie_daumenpos:
Forest, I like the Pickle Factory scene. :thumbsup:


----------



## Yellowstone Special

forrest: Fantastic shots, even with the modern Apple Computer semi trailer. You have some awesome stuff there. :appl:


----------



## PW Trains

With the assistance of PTC (Brian) I was able to pick up a set of these K Line Santa Fe 15" Aluminum Passenger Cars. 

My first set of K Line passenger cars, now I can understand why everyone gives them high marks. 

Now I just need to find some MTH Santa Fe E units.

Paul


----------



## DennyM

Those are sweet Paul.:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## DennyM

That K-Line looks good Norton.:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Very nice, and very shiny!


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking train :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Saw this little guy for $50 shipped, and I was sucked in. You don't see a lot of stuff for the Strasburg RR, so I figured this was a nice catch.


----------



## santafe158

That's definitely a nice engine John. I'm a fan of smaller switchers and the K-Line plymouths are nice little ones. We have a 1927 15 ton plymouth gasoline engine that we use as a shop switcher at work and it's pretty fun to run. It has a 4 speed manual transmission, so it's more like driving a truck than running a locomotive, and the 1000 cubic inch 6 cylinder gas engine built by Climax is a hoot to listen to when it's working hard.

Now you need the Lionel CN 2-6-0 in Strasburg paint and some MTH strasburg cars to go with it


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I wish I could add sound, but I think that's simply not going to happen! 

Harry Henning has the whole set, but I haven't seen it at a price I'm willing to pay yet.


----------



## Wood

John, Strasburg would be a hard road name to catch. It disappoints me that we do not have the huge variety of road names names as in years past. I wanted to model the Providence and Worcester but there is little Lionel or MTH offers in the new catalogs. 

In regard to your switcher I also have a Plymouth Copper consist all hooked up with Kadee couplers. It is a very good runner and fun to play around with...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Providence and Worcester, now there's a name that you don't hear much! 

I'd like to find some Kadee couplers that are compatible with the lobster claw for this one, I don't know if I can find them in the proper mounts to add. I have no illusions of doing electrocouplers.


----------



## Fabforrest

since i replaced my MTH freight transfer station (earlier in this thread) with the Menard's Hermans sauerkraut factory, i lost the perch for my guy checking out the sunbathing dancers on the roof the with Winter Park Dolls gentlemen's club. tried him on the water tank, but really didn't work.

then, provocateur Lee Willis made his post about Menard's vehicle selection and i realize the aerial platform was perfect. here is the result. i am liking it.


----------



## DennyM

I like it.


----------



## Wood

> GunrunnerJohn posted: I'd like to find some Kadee couplers that are compatible with the lobster claw for this one, I don't know if I can find them in the proper mounts to add. I have no illusions of doing electrocouplers.


John, Below are pictures of the Kadee couplers on the Plymouth switcher. It was an original part installed on the units. #K5011. You might be able to get them from Brasseur trains. Considering the size of the units, it enhances the appearance of the these little runners.


----------



## Wood

FAB - details make the layout. Looks good. I feel for the poor bas***ds below the lift.


----------



## seayakbill

Picked up the Akron Barberton & Cluster RR switcher from Pats Trains

Bill


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking engine. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Congrats Bill, she's a real beauty!


----------



## suzukovich

I know its been awhile quite a few additions but for now My 3rd Rail SD9s and SD7s arrived will be installing Kadees tonght










CB&Q/C&S





































SP SD9 and SD7


----------



## Guest

Very nice collection of locomotives.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Well here's a much less elaborate photo. My son-in-law resides in Hawaii and picked this up at the Mililani Library book sale for $3.00 and sent it to me. Obviously, they were selling morel than just books.

But this red Lionel New York Central gondola is just in time for Christmas and is now the oldest car (1953-54, I think) on my layout.


----------



## Lehigh74

Suzukovich - What's the story behind the huge headlight on the 5332? That really caught my eye. I don't think I have ever seen one like that.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I picked up 18 Menard's Reading Hoppers. Working out most of the kinks, but I have 16 of them on the rails, waiting on the replacements for the other two that I consolidated the problem pieces on. I like the fact they put some graphics on the ends of these, that is a nice touch.


----------



## santafe158

Lehigh74 said:


> Suzukovich - What's the story behind the huge headlight on the 5332? That really caught my eye. I don't think I have ever seen one like that.


SP was a railroad that used MARS lights on their locomotives to make them more visible. Basically a headlight that moved in a figure 8 pattern or something similar. Somewhat of a predecessor to the modern ditch lights.


----------



## briangcc

No pics as they're at home tucked away for Christmas but last train show we picked up:

MTH Railking Great Northern TOFC - $20
Lionel Silver PRR boxcar - $15
K-Line PRR hopper - $15


Also on Evilbay I picked up:

MTH M&M Christmas car shell w/1 door - cost me $7 shipped
MTH 2004/5 Philadelphia Happy New Year car - organ donor for above (gave up its floor, trucks, doors, door guides, and brake wheel) - cost me $20 shipped
MTH 2004/2005 NY Happy New Year car - going to be a repaint of some sort - $11 shipped
MTH Rugged Rails F3 PRR - wife doesn't know about this one yet!
Lionel/MTH flat with trucks glued to the floor - wife purchased this one so I forget the price she paid

And my Dad (aka grandpa) picked up (3) Plasticville buildings for the whopping amount of $3. All needed some sort of repair/paint job but he couldn't pass up the price.


----------



## suzukovich

Lehigh74 said:


> Suzukovich - What's the story behind the huge headlight on the 5332? That really caught my eye. I don't think I have ever seen one like that.


They are Mars or osculating lights meant for visibility. The SD7s had the barrel mounted Mars where as the SD9s were mounted in a housing similar to the headlight housing. . 

Here are the SP units in operation


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The best MARS light simulator I've found is the ngineering.com MARS Simulator.

Link to the MARS Simulator Video. Give the video a few seconds to load.


----------



## walter

gunrunnerjohn said:


> The best MARS light simulator I've found is the ngineering.com MARS Simulator.
> 
> Link to the MARS Simulator Video. Give the video a few seconds to load.


Agree, and they are 18V dc friendly.


----------



## seayakbill

PIcked this guy up a week or so ago at the local Menards. Alaska RR flatcar with ARR cement truck load.

Bill


----------



## cole226

5 mth covered hoppers i picked up off ebay.
under $100 shipped. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice score, I like unit trains, so when I see the change to get a bunch of the same style cars I'm all ears.


----------



## PatKn

Love the Pennsy hoppers. I have one of those. I would love to have more. :thumbsup:


----------



## cole226

*PENNSY HOPPERS*

yes, i'm happy with them. to bad not sequenchial numbers.hwell:

about $20 apiece, and they look like never run to me.


----------



## cole226

*new stuff*

also picked up this full scale tender from a T-1 for a long haul tender project for on my williams brass mikado. 

this was a screw up from TRAINZ that i wound up getting for $15.00:thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

cole226 said:


> yes, i'm happy with them. to bad not sequenchial numbers.hwell:
> 
> about $20 apiece, and they look like never run to me.


Well, the chance of sequential numbers in the real world are pretty much nil on a real railroad, so they're prototypical!


----------



## cole226

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Well, the chance of sequential numbers in the real world are pretty much nil on a real railroad, so they're prototypical!


I shouldn't say sequential, i wish they were'nt all the _*same*_ number:laugh:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

OK, that's different and something you WON'T see on the real railroads as a rule!


----------



## 9daytonas

Getting back into trains so I can enjoy them at Christmas with our little one and share them with the children of my employees. Pretty much everything is new this year, but here a few highlights... 

1. MTH RK EMD SD60 w/PS3 in Conrail livery
There are some nice details on this model and the beauty of Conrail is it was so monochromatic. I will eventually add some MU hoses, sideframe detail and lightly weather the under carriage. This is a nice model and I got a great deal on it brand new from an eBay seller. The SD60's take me back to my teen years and rail-fanning the Collinwood yards outside of Cleveland with my brother and good friend on weekends. 

2. MTH RK Alco C628 w/PS3 in SP livery (looks more like a C630 to me)
Another great looking MTH RK model. On special at Trainland.com and couldn't resist. I will give this one some light 'sandy/dust' weathering this summer. It lacks detail, so I'll dress up the sideframes and add some grab irons where none currently exist. This is a great sounding loco, both prime mover and horn. Love love love Alcos and the 6-axle Centuries are some of my favorites. I crank the smoke on this beast and it feels like I have a real Alco in the living room.

3. K-Line EMD GP39-2 w/TMCC & RS in CSXT/D&H livery
I painted the rails and steps on this one as well as the grab irons and lift rings. The sideframes were black which seemed wrong from prototype photos, so I painted them silver to look more like the photos of the unit before it was re-painted in the 'Bright Future' CSX scheme. I don't have the heart to weather this one like I originally planned as the D&H colors are just so sexy to me. This is the one that everyone helped me out with. I added ERR Cruise Commander and Railsounds upgrades. Sound is excellent and the horn/bell really get my daughter amped up!

4. A couple of cars I've started weathering. They will look really nasty when I've airbrushed them. For now the washes will suffice.


----------



## Mark Boyce

9daytonas,
Welcome back to the hobby! They look great!!


----------



## DennyM

Randy, GRJ Bill,
All looking good. 9daytonas yours looks good too and welcome back to the hobby.


----------



## walter

9daytonas said:


> Getting back into trains so I can enjoy them at Christmas with our little one and share them with the children of my employees. Pretty much everything is new this year, but here a few highlights...
> 
> 1. MTH RK EMD SD60 w/PS3 in Conrail livery
> There are some nice details on this model and the beauty of Conrail is it was so monochromatic. I will eventually add some MU hoses, sideframe detail and lightly weather the under carriage. This is a nice model and I got a great deal on it brand new from an eBay seller. The SD60's take me back to my teen years and rail-fanning the Collinwood yards outside of Cleveland with my brother and good friend on weekends.
> 
> 2. MTH RK Alco C628 w/PS3 in SP livery (looks more like a C630 to me)
> Another great looking MTH RK model. On special at Trainland.com and couldn't resist. I will give this one some light 'sandy/dust' weathering this summer. It lacks detail, so I'll dress up the sideframes and add some grab irons where none currently exist. This is a great sounding loco, both prime mover and horn. Love love love Alcos and the 6-axle Centuries are some of my favorites. I crank the smoke on this beast and it feels like I have a real Alco in the living room.
> 
> 3. K-Line EMD GP39-2 w/TMCC & RS in CSXT/D&H livery
> I painted the rails and steps on this one as well as the grab irons and lift rings. The sideframes were black which seemed wrong from prototype photos, so I painted them silver to look more like the photos of the unit before it was re-painted in the 'Bright Future' CSX scheme. I don't have the heart to weather this one like I originally planned as the D&H colors are just so sexy to me. This is the one that everyone helped me out with. I added ERR Cruise Commander and Railsounds upgrades. Sound is excellent and the horn/bell really get my daughter amped up!
> 
> 4. A couple of cars I've started weathering. They will look really nasty when I've airbrushed them. For now the washes will suffice.


Good job on the weathering and slight product causing rust on the tank car. Naphthalene is nasty stuff. But with added compounds is used in many home products. Slight rust is what is seen after a year or 2 service on these carriers. Again, great job.


----------



## MOVL

Bill, beautiful ABC switcher with the Wheeling & LE boxcar. Look tough together.


----------



## PW Trains

Picked up this LCT - US Army Air Corps Searchlight Car (11-70080). 

MTH did a really nice job on this o gauge tinplate car.


----------



## CDNJ

Wanted a Genset for awhile. Got one..MTH Premier PS 3 
(Seller ad Pics)


----------



## MOVL

That's cool. I love the look of tinplate searchlight cars.


PW Trains said:


> Picked up this LCT - US Army Air Corps Searchlight Car (11-70080).
> 
> MTH did a really nice job on this o gauge tinplate car.


----------



## suzukovich

Some cool stuff since the last time I was here.

Added to my herd of Zebras ATSF RSD15


----------



## santafe158

Well, I don't exactly have the money for any big train purchases right now, but I couldn't pass up a good deal on a hobby shop liquidation sale on the other forum and I ended up buying one of these. I've always wanted a Legacy GP, and while this wasn't the one I had in mind, I figured it'll be fun for running during the holidays.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking tinplate searchlight car. :thumbsup:

Cool looking herd of Zebras. I always liked the Genset. But although I saw one offered in Pennsylvania livery, the Pennsy didn't exist when the Genset wa made. I like to specialize in scale Pennsylvania RR and decided I don't want non-prototypical Pennsy equipment. That's just me. It's the reason I never bought a Schnabel car or a NS Legacy Pennsy engine although I like both those items. The RSD-11 looks real cool. I like look of the long short hood.


----------



## daschnoz

I've always wanted a passenger car. I took the little guy to the local RR store and we bought one.

MTH 33-6244










Now to get the rest of the cars to complete the passenger set....later.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Starting the passenger train slowly, but the speed will build up!


----------



## DennyM

santafe158 said:


> Well, I don't exactly have the money for any big train purchases right now, but I couldn't pass up a good deal on a hobby shop liquidation sale on the other forum and I ended up buying one of these. I've always wanted a Legacy GP, and while this wasn't the one I had in mind, I figured it'll be fun for running during the holidays.


Looks good jake.:thumbsup: I bought a Legacy H16-44 baby Trainmaster at York. It wasn't my first choice, but for the price I got it anyway.


----------



## suzukovich

santafe158 said:


> Well, I don't exactly have the money for any big train purchases right now, but I couldn't pass up a good deal on a hobby shop liquidation sale on the other forum and I ended up buying one of these. I've always wanted a Legacy GP, and while this wasn't the one I had in mind, I figured it'll be fun for running during the holidays.


A deal is a deal. The good thing is at a later time you can always repaint, patch Job, or purchase a dummy in what you were looking for and do a shell swap.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys. I think I'll be keeping this one as is, and maybe eventually purchase a "normal" one for my regular use later on down the road. I've always kind of thought the Polar RR scheme was neat, I just didn't want to spend the money on it, but this was too good to pass up.


----------



## MOVL

Jake,
EXCELLENT purchase! I have the Polar RR GP7 and it is a favorite diesel of mine. Fantastic runner. Enjoy it!


----------



## santafe158

MOVL said:


> Jake,
> EXCELLENT purchase! I have the Polar RR GP7 and it is a favorite diesel of mine. Fantastic runner. Enjoy it!


Thanks Keith. I blame you for it... I watched some of the videos you posted of yours to talk myself into it :laugh:

I'm hoping it'll arrive soon so I can run it on my clubs layout for the holiday event they're set up for where I work in the next couple weeks, and also my theater display. I can't wait!


----------



## 4G-Man

Went after a new Slot Car today and look what else followed us home.


----------



## 4G-Man

here it is out of the box and assembled


----------



## Guest

The new set looks great, Dan.


----------



## RonthePirate

4G-Man said:


> Went after a new Slot Car today and look what else followed us home.


NICE little set there!
So now even Bass Pro Shops are on the Lionel bandwagon!


----------



## DennyM

I got another Menard's tank car. This one is Quaker State. I also got my school children in that I ordered from RMT for the school yard. It turns out that it is a O-Line Reproductions figure set.


----------



## 4G-Man

Country Joe said:


> The new set looks great, Dan.





RonthePirate said:


> NICE little set there!
> So now even Bass Pro Shops are on the Lionel bandwagon!


Thanks, hope to figure out how to tie it all together and be able to run more than one train set independently and also have them be able to use the same track also. Want some y's and come cross overs and such. I think we are going to build a table, run power, and create some type of scenery. The wife is even excited, so things are looking positive with it. She is a detail person. I have some scale questions, I will ask the in the scale thread though.


----------



## seayakbill

DennyM, I also purchased the Quaker State tanker from Menards. One of the better looking 3 dome tankers in the 3 rail market, a unit train of these guys would really be sharp.

Bill


----------



## Togatown

*3360 Burro Crane*

I've been wanting to add a PW Burro Crane to my collection, but the nice ones always bring stupid money. Happened across this one online and managed to get it for just $ 65. Except for the letter "O" in BURRO smudged on one side, it is in outstanding condition. Runs and all functions work, but I want to dissemble it and service it properly, since it was original owner and stored for many years.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

A fun little crane. If there was room for a command upgrade, I might have considered one.


----------



## cole226

gunrunnerjohn said:


> A fun little crane. If there was room for a command upgrade, I might have considered one.


consist it with a support car. 

hide your boards under a gondola load or something like that. add power trucks to your support car and it would be pretty bulletproof little rig.:smokin:

I better quit, i've almost got myself talked into making one. :cheeky4:

_happy holidays_


----------



## Togatown

gunrunnerjohn said:


> A fun little crane. If there was room for a command upgrade, I might have considered one.


It sounds like a coffee grinder and shakes like a sober wino.


----------



## DennyM

seayakbill said:


> DennyM, I also purchased the Quaker State tanker from Menards. One of the better looking 3 dome tankers in the 3 rail market, a unit train of these guys would really be sharp.
> 
> Bill


Bill, I got this for a friend of mine for Christmas. The Menard's here has several different Army cars. I might have to put together a Army train for myself.


----------



## B&O Forever

Togatown said:


> It sounds like a coffee grinder and shakes like a sober wino.



Mine is quiet and smooth as silk.

A little tinkering and oiling and it was good to go.

It is a nice addition to my layout. I have a dedicated track just for the Burro.


----------



## Pebo

To pull my Army train......









Peter


----------



## PatKn

I like the engines Peter. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Denny, that car looks great. I like the idea of an army train.

Peter, I love your new engines.


----------



## 86TA355SR

My wife bought the shelves for Christmas. We picked them up tonight and I couldn't wait to assemble them. Little did I know she bought them for me-so, I put some of my train collection on them. So nice to have stuff organized!


----------



## 4G-Man

86TA355SR said:


> View attachment 261649
> 
> 
> My wife bought the shelves for Christmas. We picked them up tonight and I couldn't wait to assemble them. Little did I know she bought them for me-so, I put some of my train collection on them. So nice to have stuff organized!


That's quite the "engine" what's the scale on that dude?  that'll take a big track!


----------



## 86TA355SR

427 SBC with after market fuel injection, aluminum heads and roller valve trane. Wasn't suppose to be in picture but I got excited about the shelves!


----------



## 4G-Man

86TA355SR said:


> 427 SBC with after market fuel injection, aluminum heads and roller valve trane. Wasn't suppose to be in picture but I got excited about the shelves!


I can understand excitement, I assume that is a 1:1 scale and will use about a 5' track.


----------



## seayakbill

More Menards rolling stock

Bill


----------



## Norton

This just arrived. At this point I think my Hudson collection is complete. Its not my favorite streamlined engine but its still an icon and no NYC collection would be complete without one. 
It has TMCC and a wireless tether but only one chuff. One thing this CV shares with other Lionel Commodore Vanderbilts is the heavy diecast tender that is a sealed box. Even pre fatboy the sound is impressive. Very loud with significant bass.
I doubt I will upgrade it. I will run it but for long trains I have other engines for that work. I will probably be selling my silver version if anyone is interested.









Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I can fix the one chuff.


----------



## 4G-Man

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I can fix the one chuff.


I can't wait til I get my Train book in - all these fancy words you all use. :dunno:


----------



## DennyM

Those of you who has a Menards in your state know they're have their brown bag sale this week. Anything in the bag is %15 off. One of the things I put in the bag is this CP Rail boxcar. I couldn't stop myself. My hand had a mind of it's own.


----------



## 4G-Man

This showed up in the mail today - my daughters year


----------



## DennyM

Nice.


----------



## RCARD86

*New to the roster*

Bought these two for myself. for Christmas hahaha


----------



## DennyM

Those are sweet RCARD86.:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## 4G-Man

Went to the Train Museum in Sand Springs, OK today and came home with a Log Hauler and an uncoupling track piece.


----------



## Lehigh74

My wife got me a couple of oddballs for Christmas. I was mystified as to who made them because they came in plain white boxes and there is no manufacturer indicated on the trucks or the cars. The railroad and road numbers led me to Frank’s Roundhouse/Custom trains.


----------



## DennyM

Those are nice Lehigh74.


----------



## Lehigh74

Thanks Denny. She doesn’t always hit the target when getting train stuff, but she did well this time.


----------



## 4G-Man

Very cool - custom print I assume.


----------



## Lehigh74

I don't know how many were made, but I don't think these are custom prints. I had just never heard of Frank's before. Learn something new every day. There are a few on ebay now for probably way too much $. Here's a bit more info on them.

http://www.robertstrains.com/Frank.htm


----------



## Wood

Lehigh, That is an excellent looking Lehigh Valley boxcar. I'm always looking for them. Apparently, as your name suggests so are you. Haha


----------



## Yellowstone Special

A real UP CA-4 caboose at the Heber Valley Railroad yard, Heber City, UT:









Lionel O Scale UP CA-4 caboose:


----------



## Wood

Vern, That is an excellent rendition of the original caboose.... Awesome.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Wood said:


> Vern, That is an excellent rendition of the original caboose.... Awesome.


Thank you, Wood. I needed another one to match my UP Legacy GP-7.


----------



## suzukovich

Yellowstone Special said:


> A real UP CA-4 caboose at the Heber Valley Railroad yard, Heber City, UT:
> 
> View attachment 267761
> 
> 
> Lionel O Scale UP CA-4 caboose:
> 
> View attachment 267769


Cool, so which one was added to your roster?


----------



## suzukovich

Norton said:


> This just arrived. At this point I think my Hudson collection is complete. Its not my favorite streamlined engine but its still an icon and no NYC collection would be complete without one.
> It has TMCC and a wireless tether but only one chuff. One thing this CV shares with other Lionel Commodore Vanderbilts is the heavy diecast tender that is a sealed box. Even pre fatboy the sound is impressive. Very loud with significant bass.
> I doubt I will upgrade it. I will run it but for long trains I have other engines for that work. I will probably be selling my silver version if anyone is interested.
> 
> View attachment 262113
> 
> 
> Pete


Its still a nice looking engine regardless.


----------



## suzukovich

Pebo said:


> To pull my Army train......
> 
> View attachment 260986
> 
> 
> Peter


Nice!!!


----------



## Yellowstone Special

suzukovich said:


> Cool, so which one was added to your roster?


Uh, the first one of course! Lol! 

Wish I had a real one in the back yard.


----------



## suzukovich

Its been a while so Happy new year everyone. So cool stuff posted. For me Picked up some engines that had been on my hit list for a long time. Ok Cool for me.

1st up 2 Atlas CB&Q GP35s One powered and one not powered
and unlike my legacy CB&Q GP35 they are correct with headlights in the nose.



















2nd is the Lionel GN U33C in the BSB scheme.



















And finally added to my herd of Zebras with the other powered Atlas ATSF GP9 #715. Now I have the complete set. 2 powered and one nonpowered










Now I need to install Kadees.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

suzukovich - Very nice diesels for your winter-themed layout. :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You really laid in a bunch of power there suzukovich! 

I added one complete passenger train, the MTH Reading Crusader set. It's a PS/1 set, so it'll need the command upgrade, but I wanted a Reading Crusader, now I have one. 

I just took a couple of shots after taking it out to check it over. The locomotive and tender were brand new, never on the tracks. The cars were run, still in excellent shape. They obviously need an upgrade of lighting and passengers...


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Yellowstone Special said:


> A real UP CA-4 caboose at the Heber Valley Railroad yard, Heber City, UT:
> 
> View attachment 267761
> 
> 
> Lionel O Scale UP CA-4 caboose:
> 
> View attachment 267769


Sorry folks. I just noticed that the real one is a CA-5. Oh well. :dunno:


----------



## PatKn

Really beautiful set John. :smilie_daumenpos: That train has always been a favorite of mine.


----------



## seayakbill

Hi John, the Crusader is one very cool steamer. Great looking set. Upgrading to command control will make it super nice.

Bill


----------



## DennyM

That's a good looking set.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys. I'll have to carve out a day to do the command upgrade and install the LED lighting and passengers. It'll star at our next modular display.


----------



## suzukovich

John That's nice looking engine.


----------



## suzukovich

Yellowstone Special said:


> Sorry folks. I just noticed that the real one is a CA-5. Oh well. :dunno:


Yep always check the paperwork before you buy. But I understand , still will look good in you backyard...


----------



## PRRronbh

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You really laid in a bunch of power there suzukovich!
> 
> I added one complete passenger train, the MTH Reading Crusader set. It's a PS/1 set, so it'll need the command upgrade, but I wanted a Reading Crusader, now I have one.
> 
> I just took a couple of shots after taking it out to check it over. The locomotive and tender were brand new, never on the tracks. The cars were run, still in excellent shape. They obviously need an upgrade of lighting and passengers...
> 
> View attachment 267921
> 
> 
> View attachment 267929


John, now you need the correct five cars for the Crusader. The consist was five cars consisting of a Obs, Coach, Diner, Coach, and another Obs. I ended up buying all eight cars to get the correct five then selling off the extra three.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, they can eat in the baggage car, so that takes care of the diner.  I might buy a couple more cars if they surfaced, but I don't see them too often.


----------



## walter

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Well, they can eat in the baggage car, so that takes care of the diner.  I might buy a couple more cars if they surfaced, but I don't see them too often.


Just have someone sell sandwiches/water on the train. Then no need for a Diner. If they want to ride an Observation car, cut a hole in the roof and cover with clear cellophane. No one will notice, you think? :stroke:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I got the dome car covered, but the sandwiches are a good idea.


----------



## Lehigh74

MTH has the diner as a separate sale item in the 2017 V1 catalog, page 62. 30-67939.


----------



## IronManStark

hello all I'm a bit new to the train seen. This is my most recent update. A rivarossi 2-8-8-4. I re powered it with a bachmann motor. Then did all the details my self. 


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## gunrunnerjohn

Lehigh74 said:


> MTH has the diner as a separate sale item in the 2017 V1 catalog, page 62. 30-67939.


There you go, I'll grab one of those, solves that issue.


----------



## Mark Boyce

gunrunnerjohn said:


> There you go, I'll grab one of those, solves that issue.




If all the cars we wanted were available upon suggestion! Pretty handy John!


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## seayakbill

A couple grain hoppers from Menards. The paint scheme is fantasy, but both Lionel and K-Line did similar paint schemes on freight cars.

Bill


----------



## suzukovich

Unlike Yellowstone Special who has one in his back yard and not as colorful as bill's Menards NP hoppers. My latest addition and a long time looking, Oriental Limited CB&Q NE-1 Waycar.


----------



## 4G-Man

suzukovich said:


> Unlike Yellowstone Special who has one in his back yard and not as colorful as bill's Menards NP hoppers. My latest addition and a long time looking, Oriental Limited CB&Q NE-1 Waycar.


suz - whatsu got going on the Carrera?


----------



## seayakbill

3 more Menards freight cars, they were included in the Menards Mystery box.

Bill


----------



## DennyM

Those look nice Bill. I have eight Menards cars now and looking at you pictures I might have to get more.


----------



## seayakbill

DennyM said:


> Those look nice Bill. I have eight Menards cars now and looking at you pictures I might have to get more.


Denny, the lowball price of Menards rolling stock make them very addictive. 

I am guessing that the Big 3 electric train importers are starting to notice that Menards may be more than just flea on a elephant.

Bill


----------



## 4G-Man

I got a couple things , insignificant to you pros but make me want to swim upstream and spawn. But I gotta clear some pics off my phone first and I've been on business travel from OK - MN and I am tired; them dad-blamed northerners take their winters so seriously!


----------



## seayakbill

Some new freight cars for the Spokane Portland & Seattle RR from MTH.

Bill


----------



## DennyM

Those are nice. I like MTH rolling stock.


----------



## Dano

I added this CPR FB-2. Since all my FAs are slated to be CN I will mix this in with some F3s to break up the monotony.


----------



## DennyM

Real nice looking B unit.


----------



## DennyM

seayakbill said:


> Denny, the lowball price of Menards rolling stock make them very addictive.
> 
> I am guessing that the Big 3 electric train importers are starting to notice that Menards may be more than just flea on a elephant.
> 
> Bill


I dunno, you might be giving them too much credit for common sense.


----------



## Bill Webb

One national company kept the fleas and got rid of the elephants. Now they are closing up everything.


----------



## seayakbill

New grain hopper for the S&Y RR, Menards UP Flag hopper.

Bill


----------



## Pebo

Just picked these guys up for a great deal:









To add to my Army Train.

Peter


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Very cool Peter, are those MTH cars?


----------



## JimL

Bill .... those different Menards hoppers make for some sharp looking trains.

Peter .... those are super nice troopers.

Jim


----------



## Pebo

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Very cool Peter, are those MTH cars?


Thanks, everyone.
KLINE BY LIONEL........this is the 2 pack add-on set.....I already have one (so please don't look at the car numbers ).

The 4 pack set and 2 pack set are hard to find. So, when I found a 2d 2pack set, I jumped on it.

It will be added to this train.....a video that I call "Tanks-a-Lot".






Peter


----------



## Guest

Bill, you have some fabulous locos and rolling stock.

Peter, I love the way cool army train.


----------



## DennyM

Great video Peter. The photo is nice too. K-Line by Lionel?? I wouldn't mind some of those.

Bill, that hopper is nice.


----------



## seayakbill

Peter, very nice video, a lot of nice Army equipment on that train.

Bill


----------



## Pebo

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.
Peter


----------



## Spence

Peter; nice looking cars & video. :thumbsup:


----------



## PatKn

Peter, I like the army cars. :thumbsup:


----------



## Lehigh74

*Another odd ball*

I picked this up in December at the Hatboro, PA train show. It is a Lionel 9700 series box car redecorated by Newbraugh Brothers Toys and Pleasant Valley Process Company.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Hatboro train show? Didn't even know about it.  I'll be at the Spring Thaw in Allentown, I know about that one.


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Hatboro train show? Didn't even know about it.  I'll be at the Spring Thaw in Allentown, I know about that one.


Of course you didn’t know about it, because it doesn’t exist. But the Horsham train show is a nice show with some good variety usually the first Saturday of December.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I didn't know about that one either, but I can find that with a Google search.


----------



## Lehigh74

About a year ago, I fixed my layout so that all curves on one loop are at least 72 inch diameter (well one curve is closer to 68 inch diameter). Since then, I have been thinking about getting an MTH Zephyr and I have been looking for used examples at train meets. When I saw that Just Trains had them for 29% off, I picked one up. I took a slight chance that the train (rated for O72) would handle the 68 inch curve and luckily it did. I’m very happy with it so far. Looks good next to the M10000. I usually run freight at 25 to 35 SMPH and passenger at 35 to 55 SMPH. The Zephyr doesn’t look right unless it is doing at least 65 SMPH. A few disappointments…it doesn’t seem to want to make smoke. Also, the MTH catalog and website says it comes with 12 passengers per car, but it came with zero passengers.


----------



## Mark Boyce

It looks great, Lehigh74!! I'm glad it handled 068! I think you should ask about no smoke and passengers. Even at discount, everything should work and be included.


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## Lehigh74

Mark Boyce said:


> It looks great, Lehigh74!! I'm glad it handled 068! I think you should ask about no smoke and passengers. Even at discount, everything should work and be included.


Mark - I can't really complaint to Just Trains about the passengers. Their description did not include that much info. And I figure I may fiddle with the smoke unit to see if I can get it to work better.


----------



## Mark Boyce

That sounds good to me! 


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## emmetd

just added this 260e that i made frame for. picked shell at a show. made it a 4-6-2


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's something you don't see everyday now, a home-brew.


----------



## seayakbill

The latest from Menards, Canada grain hopper with freebe NS / Pennsy box truck.

Bill


----------



## suzukovich

Lehigh74 said:


> About a year ago, I fixed my layout so that all curves on one loop are at least 72 inch diameter (well one curve is closer to 68 inch diameter). Since then, I have been thinking about getting an MTH Zephyr and I have been looking for used examples at train meets. When I saw that Just Trains had them for 29% off, I picked one up. I took a slight chance that the train (rated for O72) would handle the 68 inch curve and luckily it did. I’m very happy with it so far. Looks good next to the M10000. I usually run freight at 25 to 35 SMPH and passenger at 35 to 55 SMPH. The Zephyr doesn’t look right unless it is doing at least 65 SMPH. A few disappointments…it doesn’t seem to want to make smoke. Also, the MTH catalog and website says it comes with 12 passengers per car, but it came with zero passengers.
> 
> View attachment 281666
> 
> 
> View attachment 281674
> 
> 
> View attachment 281682


Zephr is nice. Glad it worked out with the curves.


----------



## suzukovich

Added to my herd of Zebras. Atlas ATSF RSD7/15 #813. Now #806 has a mate.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You need elephants next.


----------



## Lehigh74

Well he could run the Zebras elephant style.


----------



## Lehigh74

Mark Boyce said:


> It looks great, Lehigh74!! I'm glad it handled 068! I think you should ask about no smoke and passengers. Even at discount, everything should work and be included.


Mark,

I decided to take your advice after all. I submitted a contact form to MTH asking for the missing passenger figures. A few days later I got an email from Midge asking for the sales slip so I sent that. Today I got another email from Midge that said the figures would be shipped out in a few days.

And I put another 20 drops in the smoke unit and got good smoke out of all four pipes.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Yay!!! I'll tell you, Midge really does a great job!!


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, I had to add a few things to the roster. First up, the Menard's flatcars are so nice that I added another four PRR 14" ones, and shown is one with the free truck.









Then I added a few tank cars, the first two are K-Line aluminum tank cars, the last one is the MTH Premier tank car.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

I'd been looking for a conventional scale or semi-scale 4-6-2 Pacific I could pair with my tetherless Railsounds UP tender. 

Found this NIB LRRC loco on Ebay for $150.00, renumbered it, and now makes a nice addition to my small Union Pacific freight fleet.

Prior to obtaining this one, I was stuck with the U.P. baby Hudson that just didn't seem to match this scale-sized tender it came with. Besides, the U.P. never ran Hudsons anyway.


----------



## Guest

Congratulations on all the new acquisitions, guys. Your purchasing departments have been busy. 

Vern, I really like your new Pacific. :smilie_daumenpos: I enjoy seeing all the scale locos and cars but the traditional size stuff is what really floats my boat.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Country Joe said:


> I enjoy seeing all the scale locos and cars but the traditional size stuff is what really floats my boat.


Joe, have I got a deal for you!


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Country Joe said:


> Congratulations on all the new acquisitions, guys. Your purchasing departments have been busy.
> 
> Vern, I really like your new Pacific. :smilie_daumenpos: I enjoy seeing all the scale locos and cars but the traditional size stuff is what really floats my boat.


Thank you, Joe. 😀


----------



## DennyM

Really nice Vern.:thumbsup:


----------



## Yellowstone Special

And thank you, Denny. 😀

By the way, John, I like your new rolling stock, especially that last Santa Fe tank car. 👍


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks Vern. I also added a second Aerotrain locomotive and observation car. I'm converting one to TMCC and leaving one as DCS so I can operate in either environment.


----------



## JimL

.
Nothing special, but .... while cleaning out the garage in my Mom's house, where I grew up, I came across this .... 











So, I figured I should get one of these. Nicholas Smith Trains had this Atlas hopper from 2003 squirreled away. I have someone who will trade his 2-rail trucks for these 3-rail trucks ....
















Jim


----------



## IronManStark

So I got this for a steal!!! It says $10 , but I got it for $5!!!! 
It works!!! Yeah!! 


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## IronManStark

I also got all of these cars for $3!! 
Yeah they need trucks & couplers , but for .30 cents a piece how can you go wrong?..


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## Yellowstone Special

JimL said:


> .
> Nothing special, but .... while cleaning out the garage in my Mom's house, where I grew up, I came across this ....
> 
> View attachment 291394
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So, I figured I should get one of these. Nicholas Smith Trains had this Atlas hopper from 2003 squirreled away. I have someone who will trade his 2-rail trucks for these 3-rail trucks ....
> 
> View attachment 291402
> 
> View attachment 291410
> 
> 
> Jim


Nice, Jim. This reminds me of the old "Death Valley Days" TV series from the late 1950s and early 60s, and for a while, was hosted by Ronald Reagan. 

"Death Valley Days, brought to you by 20 Mule Team Borax and Boraxo Powdered Hand Soap."


----------



## Lehigh74

That Boraxo tin sure brings back memories. Growing up, there was always one of those tins in the bathroom cabinet. And the hopper looks so nice, I started looking for one. There are about a dozen on eBay and I almost grabbed one until I realized I already have a K-Line 6223. The Weaver and Lionel versions look a bit nicer than the K-Line. I may still pick up a Weaver 40233.

And the K-Line tank cars have got me looking for some of those.


----------



## DennyM

JimL said:


> .
> Nothing special, but .... while cleaning out the garage in my Mom's house, where I grew up, I came across this ....
> 
> View attachment 291394
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So, I figured I should get one of these. Nicholas Smith Trains had this Atlas hopper from 2003 squirreled away. I have someone who will trade his 2-rail trucks for these 3-rail trucks ....
> 
> View attachment 291402
> 
> View attachment 291410
> 
> 
> Jim


I use to love the smell of that soap and it really cleaned your hands good.


----------



## JimL

Yellowstone Special said:


> Nice, Jim. This reminds me of the old "Death Valley Days" TV series from the late 1950s and early 60s, and for a while, was hosted by Ronald Reagan.
> 
> "Death Valley Days, brought to you by 20 Mule Team Borax and Boraxo Powdered Hand Soap."


Wow ... I just looked at some YouTube's.

Very interesting to see Ronald Reagan doing those old spots.

Jim


----------



## Mark Boyce

I always think of Death Valley Days whenever I see the words Borax or Boraxo. Very nice car!


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## PatKn

It's amazing how a little thing like a tin of Borax brings back memories. My uncle gave me a completed model of a 20 mule team he built. It was displayed in my room. I worked in a gas station part time the last 2 years of high school and the first 2 years of college. Boraxo and Lava Soap was always in my bathroom next to the regular soap. I have an Atlas Boraxo hopper due to those memories.


----------



## highvoltage

Ordered this from Menard's, should be in this week:


----------



## DennyM

Mark Boyce said:


> I always think of Death Valley Days whenever I see the words Borax or Boraxo. Very nice car!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I haven't thought about that TV show in years. I just saw that old Steve McQueen TV show, Wanted: Dead Or Alive the other day.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I got jealous of all the guys posting their Santa FE F3 sets, so I decided to remedy that omission. 

This set started out life as a PS/1 MTH Premier set, and was upgraded to ERR Cruise and Sound by the previous owner. I bought it for $200, which I thought was a killer price since the two ERR boards cost $200.  It was "less than perfect" as far as the lighting went when I received it, only the MARS light blinked. After several hours rewiring and replacing, it's all good.


----------



## DennyM

I have my eye on a Lionel Burlington F3 AA Legacy, but at over $600 I had to keep walking.


----------



## Guest

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Joe, have I got a deal for you!


Very nice stuff posted, guys.

What's the deal, John?


----------



## Wood

Very nice John, I hate to tell my wife how much I have invested in these beautiful sets. Great buy and you're the one to fix it all up. Enjoy....


----------



## seayakbill

Latest grain hopper from Menards. They have really added some very colorful hoppers to this series.

Bill


----------



## cole226

*new arrival*

New boxcar arrived yesterday. an older CMP car.


----------



## DennyM

Nice looking boxcar Randy. I also like your trestle.


----------



## Don F

Weaver continued to produce these outside braced boxcars. We did a custom run of Birmingham Southern cars a few years ago for our TCA_MG Forum club car.


----------



## cole226

DennyM said:


> Nice looking boxcar Randy. I also like your trestle.


thanks Denny


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Finally finished converting a Great Northern Vanderbilt tender to Union Pacific, which fits into my UP freight operations. It's paired with the O-8-0 steam switcher it came with.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice job on the tender, looks like a factory job! :appl:


----------



## Yellowstone Special

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice job on the tender, looks like a factory job! :appl:


Thank you, John. Those Microcsale decal sheets make it a bit easier.


----------



## Dano

Beauty!:appl:


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Dano said:


> Beauty!:appl:


Thanks Dano.


----------



## Guest

Very nice work on the tender, Vern.

I got these two cars yesterday at the TCA train show in Ft. Pierce.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thanks Joe. I like your new freight cars and if those photos were taken on your new layout, looks like it's coming along nicely. :thumbsup:


----------



## DennyM

That tender is really nice Vern. Joe I echo Vern's post, very nice. :thumbsup:


----------



## Shawn91481

I picked up a new/old (it had been stitting on the store shelf for a few years) UP SD-70ACe. The horn is probably the best feature.


----------



## Shawn91481

Then for my steam set I came across this MTH D&RG (without the "W") Reefer. You don't see models like that very often so I picked it up. 

The Lionel D&RGW cattle car might be most detailed car in the fleet. It's absolutely fabulous and after over a year of looking I found one on eBay.


----------



## Shawn91481

Wow "Yellowstone" That's an amazing job. I've done conversations on cheap freight cars, but I don't think I'd be brave enough to do it on an engine. :appl:


----------



## Norton

A couple more cars for my Kodak train. I had not seen the KMT boxcars anywhere for at least the last couple of years and found it today at a local show. The TOFC is more common but the deal was too good to pass up.
Still looking for a yellow version of the KMT Kodak boxcar.

















Pete


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you, Denny. 

And thank you, Shawn. I didn't do anything with the Great Northern 0-8-0 locomotive, just the tender it came with. Nice acquisitions, by the way, especially that UP SD-70ACe. :thumbsup:

Norton: Thanks again for your input on how to refinish rolling stock and engines on that other thread I'd started awhile back. I didn't gut and strip the whole tender. But after removing the Great Northern logos and lettering with laquer thinner, just masked off the affected areas and sprayed them with a primer coat, then a finish coat that was satin black. 

And on that new LRRC Pacific I'd purchased a few pages back in this thread, the lacquer thinner you'd suggested for taking cab numbers off black locos worked very well. After removal, I just put on new numbers from a sheet of Microscale Union Pacific decals for black steam locomotives.
So that motorcycle spray paint in satin black you'd suggested worked perfectly. I appreciate your expertise!


----------



## Wood

Shawn91481 said:


> I picked up a new/old (it had been stitting on the store shelf for a few years) UP SD-70ACe. The horn is probably the best feature.


Shawn, Good find on the SD70ACe I have two of the Lionel Legacy UP SD70ACe and they are fantastic runners. Excellent horn and lighting features like ditch lights and MARS strobing. Put them in a lash up and they makes an impressive freight hauler.


----------



## Shawn91481

Wood said:


> Shawn, Good find on the SD70ACe I have two of the Lionel Legacy UP SD70ACe and they are fantastic runners. Excellent horn and lighting features like ditch lights and MARS strobing. Put them in a lash up and they makes an impressive freight hauler.
> 
> View attachment 296025


I got it to go with the DRGW UP heritage SD70, but they really don't want to run well together. The couplers on the heritage keep uncoupling from the cars. And if it's in front the front truck derails


----------



## Guest

Thanks Vern. That is my new layout. I will be starting a layout thread as soon as I take some decent pictures.

Thanks Denny.

Shawn, very nice loco and freight cars.

Pete, I like the freight cars. The Kodak boxcar is cool and the Xerox and Kodak trailers are very nice.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

*MTH new issue UP "Flag" baggage car*

I've wanted one of these cars for a long time but always found the prices for them in the aftermarket too high. I did not know that MTH had done another run of them (this one is 20-61032) until I got an email flyer from Mr Muffin's Trains. Now, I actually have the Lionel UP Excursion car sets on order and they are meant to include Lionel's version of this car. But - can you believe it - those cars are STILL NOT in Lionel's shipping schedule hwell: so I thought, why wait? If the Lionel car is ever produced I can compare and contrast it with this very nice effort:







The flag motif is very nicely done - not a decal so I don't know how they did it but no matter, it sure looks good to me.


----------



## DennyM

Wood said:


> Shawn, Good find on the SD70ACe I have two of the Lionel Legacy UP SD70ACe and they are fantastic runners. Excellent horn and lighting features like ditch lights and MARS strobing. Put them in a lash up and they makes an impressive freight hauler.
> 
> View attachment 296025


Shawn that SD70Ce was definitely a good find. Wood < really like those passenger cars and the SD70ACe engines. HorborBelt very nice. MTH has great passenger cars :thumbsup:


----------



## PatKn

That baggage car is a thing of beauty. Enjoy it.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Nice car, HarborBelt! I don't know how they did it either, but that American flag-draped car looks pretty good. :thumbsup:


----------



## cole226

*U.S. FLAG baggage car*

beautiful car! :thumbsup:


----------



## Wood

Harbor belt, that is very impressive and unusual. Was there a UP unit, flag draped, that actually ran the rails? Just curious.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

Wood said:


> Harbor belt, that is very impressive and unusual. Was there a UP unit, flag draped, that actually ran the rails? Just curious.


Yes indeed; the one (only) I know about is UP 5769 "Council Bluffs" depicted below. It looks like a longer wheelbase than the MTH model or the proposed Lionel one but I am not complaining:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice car, I should get one for my UP passenger train, I already have a dozen of the MTH 18" cars, it would fit right in.


----------



## Wood

Harborbelt. That is impressive. I live in the East so I'll never see that roll by. Nice find and thanks for sharing. Good luck on your layout.


----------



## Guest

That's a really attractive car, HarborBelt. It looks like MTH took a standard baggage car and decorated it for the UP. The doors are located differently and the windows are different than the prototype. I'm not criticizing, just observing. I'd happily run the car as is if I had it. Maybe Lionel is making a completely new baggage car with the correct doors and spacing so it's taking a long time to get it to market?


----------



## HarborBelt1970

Country Joe said:


> That's a really attractive car, HarborBelt. It looks like MTH took a standard baggage car and decorated it for the UP. The doors are located differently and the windows are different than the prototype. I'm not criticizing, just observing. I'd happily run the car as is if I had it. Maybe Lionel is making a completely new baggage car with the correct doors and spacing so it's taking a long time to get it to market?


You know, with Lionel catalog illustrations you have to allow for, uh, artistic license = occasional but total inaccuracy. Nevertheless here's what they are advertising; I know it looks as long as their 21" passenger cars but last year it was confirmed that it (like the sound-equipped power car) will in fact be an 18" car: 









I won't do a comparison with the MTH car or the prototype until I actually see what they produce. I hope I like it.

P.S. I agree that in the time-honored O gauge fashion the MTH car is a standard streamliner baggage car with a custom paint job. It's only a representation of the real car but on the whole (meaning on the rails) it works.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

MTH actually has very few passenger car designs, just a lot of paint jobs.  The good thing is 99% of the public doesn't know the difference, only the train junkies.


----------



## Dano

Very interesting graphics. Looks like they blew up a photo of an actual flag, shows the stitching and all!


----------



## Norton

HarborBelt1970 said:


> You know, with Lionel catalog illustrations you have to allow for, uh, artistic license = occasional but total inaccuracy. Nevertheless here's what they are advertising; I know it looks as long as their 21" passenger cars but last year it was confirmed that it (like the sound-equipped power car) will in fact be an 18" car:
> 
> View attachment 296362
> 
> 
> I won't do a comparison with the MTH car or the prototype until I actually see what they produce. I hope I like it.
> 
> P.S. I agree that in the time-honored O gauge fashion the MTH car is a standard streamliner baggage car with a custom paint job. It's only a representation of the real car but on the whole (meaning on the rails) it works.


It will be interesting if they actually produce the car as illustrated. I am not aware that Lionel ever made a car based on ACF prototype. Only PS and Budd. That said I don't think MTH ever made any Premier car that was not ACF.
I have tried to mix MTH and Lionel cars in the past and they vary in height and width enough so its noticeable. I will be looking forward to this.

Pete


----------



## HarborBelt1970

Dano said:


> Very interesting graphics. Looks like they blew up a photo of an actual flag, shows the stitching and all!


I am pretty sure that both the original and the model of this car have digital imaging to thank for their flags. So this is probably a "virtual" flag image, no doubt based on some images of Old Glory caught by a breeze but not just a photo blown up to billboard size and cropped to fit on the side of a baggage car. Actually if you look at it hard it's too perfectly proportioned to be anything but an artificial creation.

In fact decals of this exact image have been available for years in HO and even N scale. I have always thought that it stands to reason it could be more easily produced for a much larger scale. I don't know by what process MTH transferred the image on to the car I have but it looks good even under very close range examination.


----------



## SDIV Tim

My newest addition to my fleet


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice Tim, but why a East Coast RR on the West Coast?


----------



## SDIV Tim

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice Tim, but why a East Coast RR on the West Coast?


GRJ, 
Don't start...
I want to make a rare diesel consist so this is one, BNSF is next and maybe the GE Demo or a CSX Unit.


----------



## Mark Boyce

John, I thought Tim was thinking ahead to when NS stretches coast to coast! ;-)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Very nice loco, Tim. I used to think that NS black was ugly but it's grown on me over time and now I think it elegant.

Modern railroads use pool power so I'm sure it's not unusual to see NS and CSX locos out west. I saw lots of UP and BNSF locos pulling CSX trains in NY before I moved to Florida.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Mark Boyce said:


> John, I thought Tim was thinking ahead to when NS stretches coast to coast! ;-)
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Mark, your absolutely correct! Once in a while you will see a black stallion sitting in the BNSF Yards in San Diego, so they get around


----------



## Mark Boyce

SDIV Tim said:


> Mark, your absolutely correct! Once in a while you will see a black stallion sitting in the BNSF Yards in San Diego, so they get around




Yes, and I have seen UP engines in Pennsylvania 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SDIV Tim

John, Here you go


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Very nice, Tim. You're smart to belong to that model railroad club. 

I realize y'all are probably tired of seeing the same photos in this thread of my experiment in mating a modified LRRC 4-6-4 Pacific with a Great Northern Vanderbilt tender into a Union Pacific duo. But it's finally finished.

There's more space between the locomotive and tender than I would like. But I drilled a larger hole as far back as I could into the Lionel vandy tender's long, narrow draw bar to accommodate the engine.

These are what pulled UP's freight trains on the Yellowstone Branch through my home town in eastern Idaho back in the 1950s until about 1957. Then they were replaced with EMD GP-7s. Nice to have this little project finally completed.


----------



## Wood

Well done Vern...


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thanks Wood.


----------



## DennyM

Yellowstone Special said:


> Very nice, Tim. You're smart to belong to that model railroad club.
> 
> I realize y'all are probably tired of seeing the same photos in this thread of my experiment in mating a modified LRRC 4-6-4 Pacific with a Great Northern Vanderbilt tender into a Union Pacific duo. But it's finally finished.
> 
> There's more space between the locomotive and tender than I would like. But I drilled a larger hole as far back as I could into the Lionel vandy tender's long, narrow draw bar to accommodate the engine.
> 
> These are what pulled UP's freight trains on the Yellowstone Branch through my home town in eastern Idaho back in the 1950s until about 1957. Then they were replaced with EMD GP-7s. Nice to have this little project finally completed.
> 
> View attachment 298377
> 
> 
> View attachment 298385


I'm not tired of seeing it. Real nice Vern.


----------



## JimL

I like it!

Good work, Vern ...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks really nice Vern, I'll bet it feels nice to have it all done.


----------



## cole226

a U.P. in Scranton, Pa.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you gentlemen, and yes, it does feel good to finally have it done.


----------



## Shawn91481

Very nice work. I agree the gap is aweful, but the closer you draw it in the wider your curves will have to be.


----------



## Shawn91481

cole226 said:


> a U.P. in Scranton, Pa.
> 
> View attachment 298474


She's in rough shape.


----------



## Guest

Shawn91481 said:


> Very nice work. I agree the gap is aweful, but the closer you draw it in the wider your curves will have to be.


The loco and tender look great, Vern. I agree, closing the gap looks more realistic if you have broad enough curves to allow it.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Shawn91481 said:


> Very nice work. I agree the gap is aweful, but the closer you draw it in the wider your curves will have to be.


You're right, Shawn. The problem with these newer Lionel Vanderbilt tenders is that they made them to mate specifically with Lionel's 0-4-0 steam switcher type locomotives, and nothing else. So these Vandy tenders have a long, narrow drawbar with a circular hole on the front tip to accommodate only those locomotives, which have an extended cab roof. I guess that's why the tender drawbar is so long.

I drilled a secondary hole as far back as I could before the drawbar tapers too thin to drill a hole into it. So, I'm stuck with the wide gap between the locomotive and the tender. I considered a shorter tender drawbar to install in the Vandy tender, but it's a tetherless Railsounds tender with internal electronics and a wire soldered to the drawbar where it connects with the tender. I didn't want to mess with that, so just used it the way it is.

Too bad Lionel has never had the insight to manufacture its tenders so they can be paired with any Lionel steam locomotive.

And thanks, Joe. Just stuck between a rock and a hard place, I guess.


----------



## Norton

Yellowstone Special said:


> There's more space between the locomotive and tender than I would like. But I drilled a larger hole as far back as I could into the Lionel vandy tender's long, narrow draw bar to accommodate the engine.
> 
> 
> View attachment 298377
> 
> 
> View attachment 298385


The relettering came out great. As for the drawbar, they are easy to fabricate if you wanted to shorten it some more. I have used both steel and brass, whatever scrap I have laying around.

Pete


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thanks again Pete, but my metal fabrication skills (zero) aren't what yours are. In time, I may figure out a way to shorten the drawbar and add a broader piece in order to drill a hole in which the engine's "hook" could be placed into it. 

Or, I could drill a smaller hole into the narrow drawbar and trim the engine's hook to fit into it. But the tolerances would be very close, since there's not much material there to work with. Thank goodness for cordless Dremels and titanium oxide drill bits.


----------



## Norton

Vern, all you need is metal shears, a drill and a file. Alternatively you can get brass pre cut strips (width) which you can just cut with shears or a hack saw to length and drill a couple of holes.

Pete


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Norton said:


> Vern, all you need is metal shears, a drill and a file. Alternatively you can get brass pre cut strips (width) which you can just cut with shears or a hack saw to length and drill a couple of holes.
> 
> Pete


Thanks Pete. I have the tools, so maybe I'll try that. :thumbsup:


----------



## bluecomet400

Looks great, Vern! Nice combo.


----------



## bluecomet400

I just picked these up online; should have them next week.


----------



## Norton

Great catch Blue. These are some of nicest heavyweights out there. Produced when K-Line was just hitting its stride.:thumbsup:

Pete


----------



## bluecomet400

Thanks Pete!! I have no idea as to the rarity of these cars; I'm learning that some of the K-Line cars can be very difficult to find; I've only seen one other set like this--not that that's why I bought them--I bought them because I like them and I "needed" something to go behind my Lionel 5340 scale Hudson.


----------



## Norton

Are you aware these will actually negotiate 031 curves. The steps are hinged and will fold up when the coupler hits them. The K-Line Scale Hudson will also do 031 with the longer draw bar. Looks ugly but it does it.

Pete


----------



## seayakbill

A couple new MTH Premier Spokane Portland & Seattle bulkhead flatcars. Seems that MTH is the only importer that puts out SP&S rolling stock on a regular basis. Lionel did a couple starter sets years ago, the 0-8-0 Weyerhauser logging set and the Hooker chemical set.

Bill


----------



## Shawn91481

love those flatcars


----------



## DennyM

Those are nice Bill.


----------



## Guest

Bluecomet, I love those passenger cars!

Bill, the new flatcars look great. The loads are really nice.


----------



## Wood

bluecomet400 said:


> I just picked these up online; should have them next week.
> 
> 
> View attachment 298690


John, Super nice. K-Line made some incredibly nice Passenger cars. Great interiors, lighting and lots of exterior details. Are they 18"? 


Bill, your flat cars are awesome. The appearance of a realistic flat car and load makes all the difference in the world on a layout.


----------



## Don F

Wood said:


> John, Super nice. K-Line made some incredibly nice Passenger cars. Great interiors, lighting and lots of exterior details. Are they 18"?
> They look like 21"
> 
> 
> Bill, your flat cars are awesome. The appearance of a realistic flat car and load makes all the difference in the world on a layout.


I love bulkhead flat cars. I have an MTH center beam bulkhead car, it measures almost 19" The plastic wood loads look pretty good, but some day, I'm going to make a real wood load. When I was making MOW loads for Weaver, I developed a method of piercing a piece of plastic with paneling nails protruding just enough for the point to stick above the surface, spaced for the width of the boards I wanted or tool/parts crates. It worked very well. I clamped the plastic to a table top, and ran the crate sides and lid across the plastic, and the nail points gouged the board lines on the soft wood. I'll post some photos in the how to thread in the general discussion forum.
Don


----------



## Wood

Don, I'd like to see that. Will it be in the "Painting, Detailing and Decaling" of the Model Train Workshop section? 

Below is a real wood load on an old Pennsy flat.


----------



## Don F

Here are some pics of the wood crates. You have to look closely to see that these are not individual boards, as the circular saw marks indicate. 
Don


----------



## Wood

Looks very nice Don....


----------



## DennyM

I was at Menards today and ventured up to the second level where they put the trains after Christmas. I bought a flat car and put my Lionel semi trailer on it.

Don, very nice


----------



## santafe158

I picked up a non-model railroad item today for use at work. I work at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI as an engineer on the railroad running the three steam locomotives we have. This Michigan Central oil can came up on eBay and I made an offer. It's fitting because the former Michigan Central line to Chicago passes just outside our back fence. Currently I've been using the Santa Fe can I bought a couple years ago when I qualified to run, but this is neat since it has local ties.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Wood: Those lumber cars are superb!

Denny: A unique Wisconsin Central flat car. I have the orange Lionel semi too (that I got in 1989) and use the trailer on different flats.

santafe: Love the oil can and what an awesome job you have! :thumbsup:


----------



## Wood

Thanks Vern, the sawmill has been busy..


----------



## Guest

Very nice acquisitions, guys. I wish there was a Menards in Florida.

Wood, the real wood loads look fabulous.

Don, the wood crates are also fabulous.


----------



## DennyM

I wish I was in Florida except during hurricane season.


----------



## bluecomet400

Norton said:


> Are you aware these will actually negotiate 031 curves. The steps are hinged and will fold up when the coupler hits them. The K-Line Scale Hudson will also do 031 with the longer draw bar. Looks ugly but it does it.
> 
> Pete



The cars arrived yesterday and they are beautiful. I've never seen swing-up steps like that before--quite an invention. The other 2 sets of K-Line heavyweights that I own don't have that feature.


----------



## DennyM

santafe158 said:


> I picked up a non-model railroad item today for use at work. I work at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI as an engineer on the railroad running the three steam locomotives we have. This Michigan Central oil can came up on eBay and I made an offer. It's fitting because the former Michigan Central line to Chicago passes just outside our back fence. Currently I've been using the Santa Fe can I bought a couple years ago when I qualified to run, but this is neat since it has local ties.
> 
> View attachment 298986
> 
> 
> View attachment 298994


I'm about a two and a half hour drive from South Haven. Looks like I'm going to do a road trip this summer.


----------



## Guest

DennyM said:


> I wish I was in Florida except during hurricane season.


You could be a snowbird, Denny.  You could come down from November to May. The winter here is fabulous, one beautiful day after another. It sure beats blizzards, ice storms and bitter cold.


----------



## Don F

Denny, the TOFC looks good. Thanks guys for the compliments on the crates. Jake, the oil can is cool. I'd like to have one for my small collection.
Don


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Everyone's getting new stuff, I'm bummed! Hopefully, some stuff will come in for me soon and I can have something to post. 

I like the oilcan, just the thing for oiling in far away places!


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I like the oilcan, just the thing for oiling in far away places!


It's a long reach to lubricate valve gear inside the frame of a steam locomotive... believe me


----------



## Don F

Wood said:


> Don, I'd like to see that. Will it be in the "Painting, Detailing and Decaling" of the Model Train Workshop section?
> 
> Wood, and anyone interested, I put he tutorial on making board lines in the General Discussion forum in the Need all your threads on HOW Tos, etc Last page. I'm not sure if this is still a viable thread, I've been the only posting there for quite a while.
> Don


----------



## DennyM

John you'll be surrounded by stuff at the end of the month.


----------



## DennyM

Don F said:


> Wood said:
> 
> 
> 
> Don, I'd like to see that. Will it be in the "Painting, Detailing and Decaling" of the Model Train Workshop section?
> 
> Wood, and anyone interested, I put he tutorial on making board lines in the General Discussion forum in the Need all your threads on HOW Tos, etc Last page. I'm not sure if this is still a viable thread, I've been the only posting there for quite a while.
> Don
> 
> 
> 
> Don, what's the thread title?
Click to expand...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

DennyM said:


> John you'll be surrounded by stuff at the end of the month.


Maybe sooner than that, I have a couple of Amtrak items that might show up here in a few days, and at York I'll be picking up another cool acquisition. It's been a dry spell, but not forever.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Don F said:


> Wood, and anyone interested, I put he tutorial on making board lines in the General Discussion forum in the Need all your threads on HOW Tos, etc Last page. I'm not sure if this is still a viable thread, I've been the only posting there for quite a while.
> Don


Don, that was really intended to be a link thread that would link you to the individual threads.


----------



## Don F

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Don, that was really intended to be a link thread that would link you to the individual threads.


Where should it be put then? I guess I don't have the forum figured out yet. I thought since it's a "stickey", the posts go there.
Don


----------



## Don F

DennyM said:


> Don F said:
> 
> 
> 
> Don, what's the thread title?
> 
> 
> 
> Making board lines on a single piece of wood.
> Don
Click to expand...


----------



## DennyM

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Maybe sooner than that, I have a couple of Amtrak items that might show up here in a few days, and at York I'll be picking up another cool acquisition. It's been a dry spell, but not forever.


I've been avoiding all the local train shows and saving my money for York. I plan to get what I can on Thursday in case Bob gets busy Friday and Saturday and I need to stick around.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Don F said:


> Where should it be put then? I guess I don't have the forum figured out yet. I thought since it's a "stickey", the posts go there.
> Don


The posts typically go into the appropriate forum. The thing about the How To thread is to provide an index to the individual threads. If all the information is placed in the How To thread, it gets so large that it's much less useful as it's too time consuming to find the information.

If you like, we can move your topic to it's own thread and then you can put a link there, that way it'll be easier for everyone to use the How To thread.


----------



## Wood

I did find your link Don and thank you. I enjoyed seeing the technique on the boxes, brooms and other projects you have posted. Nice stuff. You should let gunrunnerjohn fix that so we can find you notes and directions.


----------



## DennyM

I couldn't find it.


----------



## Don F

gunrunnerjohn said:


> The posts typically go into the appropriate forum. The thing about the How To thread is to provide an index to the individual threads. If all the information is placed in the How To thread, it gets so large that it's much less useful as it's too time consuming to find the information.
> 
> If you like, we can move your topic to it's own thread and then you can put a link there, that way it'll be easier for everyone to use the How To thread.



John,
I would appreciate that, and thanks for informing me of my erroneous and sinful ways!
Don


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Don F said:


> John,
> I would appreciate that, and thanks for informing me of my erroneous and sinful ways!
> Don


We have redemption programs for sinners here unless it's a really grievous sin.


----------



## DennyM

I bought a K-Line Golden State ABA Alco set from a club member to go with my K-Line Golden State passenger cars. I keep them at the club because I don't run them on my layout very much.

I've had the passenger cars for while and had no idea K-Line made Alco's for them.


----------



## Guest

That is a very nice set, Denny.


----------



## DennyM

Thanks Joe,
I was surprised to get a email from this club member asking if I would be interested in buying the ABA units and that he was going to bring them for me tp try out on the club layout. Well that's one thing off my York list.


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful looking set Denny. :thumbsup:


----------



## cole226

*CMP*

here's some new rolling stock with freight. :thumbsup:


----------



## DennyM

cole226 said:


> here's some new rolling stock with freight. :thumbsup:
> 
> View attachment 300466
> 
> 
> View attachment 300474
> 
> 
> View attachment 300482


Real Nice Randy. Are those RailKing or Lionel PRR Madison Passenger cars on the inside track?


----------



## DennyM

PatKn said:


> Beautiful looking set Denny. :thumbsup:


Thanks Pat. A real unexpected treat.


----------



## cole226

DennyM said:


> Real Nice Randy. Are those RailKing or Lionel PRR Madison Passenger cars on the inside track?


thanks Denny. no, they are Lionel baby madisons.


----------



## Don F

These are the most recent additions, but acquired about a year ago. The Atlas CNJ hopper was donated by a friend, and the K line PARR I bought. The two are for the Ashley yard diorama. Still a few more cars to find yet. 
Don


----------



## Don F

cole226 said:


> thanks Denny. no, they are Lionel baby madisons.


How about the outside braced boxcars, Weaver?
Don


----------



## cole226

Don F said:


> How about the outside braced boxcars, Weaver?
> Don


CMP, I believe Weaver later purchased these dies


----------



## Don F

cole226 said:


> CMP, I believe Weaver later purchased these dies


That is correct, and now Lionel has them. We did a custom run for Birmingham Southern a few years ago for another forum. Nice looking cars.
Don


----------



## Dano

I added this FP7A and F7B to the mix.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looking good Dano, another A-Unit to bring up the rear and you have the whole set.


----------



## Dano

Thank you John. I have another MTH F3A-B set but I was planning on leaving them as is and repainting them in Canadian National livery. I made this set because Canadian Pacific did not use F3s. Also John, I want to thank you again for tuning me onto vinyl, I was able to turn these graphic texts out on the cheap cutter that I bought.


----------



## cole226

looking good Dano. :cAnada:

I've picked up a couple things past 2 weeks.


i'm trying to post pics but won't upload. says security token missing.
loading them exactly like i always do. it gave me the same thing last pics i posted but they took the third or fourth time i tried.

tried now three or four times but no go.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The graphics are too big, resize them to something like 1280 wide and you won't have a problem.


----------



## cole226

got it now. thanks John.







CMP SFRD wood side reefer map 
cars














K-line B&O sentinel







Atlas C&O reefer







Lionel Eastwood vat car







Weaver B&M RPO car















Wood/Brass Kit CP RPO car


----------



## DennyM

All nice stuff Randy. Dano, I'm with John. Another A unit would complete it.


----------



## Bill Webb

*N and W Dynamometer car*

On another forum, Malcolm Byrd has been in the process of building several N and W Dynamoneter cars. He completed the project last week and we received ours today.

As always, Malcolm's work is fantastic.


----------



## Bill Webb

*I-pad corrected wrong again... Dynamometer*

Proof reading gets really old with this thing.


----------



## JimL

Nice stuff, everybody!

Beautiful, Dano! There is no railroad paint scheme I like better than the old CP.


----------



## cole226

Bill, that Dyno car looks great. congrats. :smilie_daumenpos:
here's pic of the big one.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Good stuff guys, that custom car is neat, and expensive!


----------



## Wood

Yup!! Very neat stuff everyone. Bill the Dynamometer Car is really cool. How about converting that into a real dynamometer? It would be fun to measure the pulling power, torque and true speed of different units.


----------



## Guest

I place my first order with Menards and it arrived yesterday afternoon. I also got four 9 packs of trees as freebies but haven't opened them yet.


----------



## Lehigh74

Some nice looking additions Joe. I've got one of the Suzie Q box cars. Menards is great if you want to buy a train and have a few bucks left when you are done.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Nice looking cars, Joe. I like the Menards shiny wheels.


----------



## Guest

Lehigh74 said:


> Some nice looking additions Joe. I've got one of the Suzie Q box cars. Menards is great if you want to buy a train and have a few bucks left when you are done.


Thanks Lehigh, they area a great buy, especially with the free add ons. It's hard to pass up a freight car plus a box of 9 trees for $19.99. 



Yellowstone Special said:


> Nice looking cars, Joe. I like the Menards shiny wheels.


Thanks Vern. I noticed the shiny wheels as soon as I open the first box.  They are not as obvious when the cars are running on the layout.


----------



## DennyM

Nice Joe, I have the Suzie-Q boxcar among others. They roll very smooth and my wheels are not showing any sign of wear.


----------



## Guest

Great looking train, Denny. Are they all Menards cars? I'm envious of you guys who have a Menards nearby.


----------



## Fabforrest

Country Joe said:


> Great looking train, Denny. Are they all Menards cars? I'm envious of you guys who have a Menards nearby.


Country Joe, you can order online and have them ship to your home. I get all my menards stuff to Florida that way.


----------



## Guest

Fabforrest said:


> Country Joe, you can order online and have them ship to your home. I get all my menards stuff to Florida that way.


Forrest, it's easy and convenient to order online but I would love to be able to go to a Menards and see all the train items. There isn't a good train store anywhere near me. hwell: When I lived in NY I would make a pilgrimage to Trainland 2 or 3 times a year. There's something special about going to a well stocked train store and seeing all the train stuff.


----------



## DennyM

Country Joe said:


> Great looking train, Denny. Are they all Menards cars? I'm envious of you guys who have a Menards nearby.


The ones 0n the closest track are all Menards except the caboose. I have gotten three more since I took this picture.


----------



## Fabforrest

I don't have a store near me either. Roundhouse II is the nearest and too far away to be useful. The advantage with online is that you can see everything and I bet many menards stores do not have full inventory. I have not used brick and mortar since my local guy 3 miles away retired.


----------



## DennyM

The down side to Menards is they put all the train stuff on the second level to make room for spring and summer items. It's where the off season things go. They only put the trains out for the Christmas season. So it's still better to order on-line most of the year. 

As far as train stores the only real train store is I love toy Trains, but they are on the Indiana state line in Michigan City, IN 50 miles from where I live. The two other train stores are in Grand Rapids, MI which is 60 miles the other direction. All the really good train stores are on the East side of the state which is a three to four hour drive depending on which one you want to go to. 

Even Mr. Muffin's is a two hour drive straight down Indiana.


----------



## Guest

DennyM said:


> The ones 0n the closest track are all Menards except the caboose. I have gotten three more since I took this picture.


Thanks Denny. 



Fabforrest said:


> I don't have a store near me either. Roundhouse II is the nearest and too far away to be useful. The advantage with online is that you can see everything and I bet many menards stores do not have full inventory. I have not used brick and mortar since my local guy 3 miles away retired.


I think train stores are on the way to becoming extinct. It really is nice to sit at my computer, pick out what I want, and it shows up at my door a few days later.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Country Joe said:


> I think train stores are on the way to becoming extinct. It really is nice to sit at my computer, pick out what I want, and it shows up at my door a few days later.


Gosh, I hope not! Where would I sell my electronics?


----------



## Guest

Stores with a strong internet business, like Trainworld, Charles Ro, MB Klein, etc, will thrive. Mom and Pop stores just can't compete.


----------



## bluecomet400

Nice cars, Joe--I especially like the NYC hopper. 

Here's my latest addition, a combination of a trade at York and an ebay find. I got the Williams GS4 in a trade last month at York and found the Phoenix Railways cars on ebay. My modern O-gauge bucket list is now complete!!


















John


----------



## PatKn

Gorgeous set. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Daylight Southern Pacific, beautiful set John. Nice addition.


----------



## DennyM

Very nice John.:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## suzukovich

bluecomet400 said:


> Nice cars, Joe--I especially like the NYC hopper.
> 
> Here's my latest addition, a combination of a trade at York and an ebay find. I got the Williams GS4 in a trade last month at York and found the Phoenix Railways cars on ebay. My modern O-gauge bucket list is now complete!!
> 
> View attachment 309242
> 
> 
> View attachment 309250
> 
> 
> 
> John


Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That will cut a wide swath coming down the rails John.


----------



## bluecomet400

gunrunnerjohn said:


> That will cut a wide swath coming down the rails John.


It sure does, John!! The Phoenix cars give a lot more friction than K-Line or MTH, but the Williams loco pulls all 7 with very little effort. At some point I will want to upgrade the Seuthe smoke unit; do you sell anything that will fit in its place?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I use the MTH smoke unit in most of my upgrades, I've replaced a lot of Seuthe smoke units with the fan driven smoke. Of course, I also am doing a command upgrade in the process as a rule. Are you thinking of just trying to replace the smoke unit and not run command?


----------



## bluecomet400

I'm still in the dark ages and run everything conventionally. Looks like all your products are for TMCC only, unless I'm missing something. I'd like to at some point upgrade the smoke and add a whistle, but that's as suped-up as I care to go at least for now. Do you have any experience with the Dallee products?


----------



## Guest

Beautiful set, John. The SP Daylight is one of the most attractive trains ever to ride the rails.


----------



## DennyM

bluecomet400 said:


> I'm still in the dark ages and run everything conventionally. Looks like all your products are for TMCC only, unless I'm missing something. I'd like to at some point upgrade the smoke and add a whistle, but that's as suped-up as I care to go at least for now. Do you have any experience with the Dallee products?


One of my club members is strictly postwar conventional. He has no intentions of ever changing that.


----------



## cole226

*TANKS ALOT*

bought some loads for military train.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

bluecomet400 said:


> I'm still in the dark ages and run everything conventionally. Looks like all your products are for TMCC only, unless I'm missing something. I'd like to at some point upgrade the smoke and add a whistle, but that's as suped-up as I care to go at least for now. Do you have any experience with the Dallee products?


I've actually installed the Super-Chuffer in a conventional locomotive as a test case, I just needed an add-on capacitor to extend the low voltage capability of the 5V power supply. Several people have successfully installed those as well.

You are right, I really targeted command operation for the smoke products. Remember, many of my products were originally designed for me for my upgrades, then I found out others would like to use them as well. 

As far as smoke, there are a couple of ways to do that, you can run a fan driven smoke unit for conventional operation.

For sounds, by the time you do the higher end Dallee or Williams sound products, you can also install the ERR RailSounds Commander, they work fine in conventional mode. If you add my RailSounds Battery Replacement, the sound will persist through power interrupts when changing directions, etc.


----------



## Guest

Randy, those will make excellent flat car loads. Please post pictures when you get them done.


----------



## Lehigh74

Thanks Randy. I’ve been looking for a Sherman at a good price. After seeing your post I did a search on Tamiya 32505. I just got the last 2 from Model Train Stuff. Not as good a price as the Cruisers at American Excellence, but the best price I have seen on Shermans.


----------



## Greg Houser

Those tank kits will look nice. Brings back memories of my younger years - I loved those Tamiya kits.

-Greg


----------



## Lehigh74

I also haven’t built a plastic model of a car or military vehicle since my younger years. The O gauge buildings I have built lately are much simpler. These tanks have a lot of tiny parts that go flying across the room when you cut them off the sprue and you need a steady hand when gluing them to the model. It almost (but not quite) makes me want to get one of the RMT Shermans “on sale” for $50. But I’m thinking the Tamiya models will look better than the RMT when they are done.


----------



## DennyM

Lehigh74 said:


> These tanks have a lot of tiny parts that go flying across the room when you cut them off the sprue and you need a steady hand when gluing them to the model.


You almost have to be a brain surgeon with these models. Tweezers and toothpicks is what I use if it isn't too difficult.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Have you ever heard some say "I have a deal you can't refuse!"? Well, that's what I heard from one of the club members who was doing a bit of downsizing. So... I'm now the proud owner of this Lionel 6-82340 Legacy N&W Y6B, it's practically brand new. As bonus, he threw in a couple of aux water tenders that he got to run with it. For $700 it was hard to turn down a like-new locomotive that has an MSRP of $2000! The two MTH tenders were just icing on the cake.


----------



## DennyM




----------



## Lehigh74

Nice loco John. You seem to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time as far as getting great deals. I have a Railking PRR Y3. It was the first modern engine I bought. Not really in the same league as your Y6, but it’s one of my favorites.


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful engine, John. For $700 including the tenders, it was a steal. Enjoy running your new toy. (Albeit big expensive toy)


----------



## Spence

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Have you ever heard some say "I have a deal you can't refuse!"? Well, that's what I heard from one of the club members who was doing a bit of downsizing. So... I'm now the proud owner of this Lionel 6-82340 Legacy N&W Y6B, it's practically brand new. As bonus, he threw in a couple of aux water tenders that he got to run with it. For $700 it was hard to turn down a like-new locomotive that has an MSRP of $2000! The two MTH tenders were just icing on the cake.
> 
> View attachment 311305
> 
> 
> View attachment 311313
> 
> 
> View attachment 311321


Very nice John. :thumbsup: Enjoy.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I was so taken back by the asking price that I forgot to bargain, I just gave him the money!  The one tender is a match for the N&W J class 611, so maybe I should try to find one of those to go with it next.


----------



## seayakbill

Heck of a deal John, can't pass them up.

Bill


----------



## seayakbill

A couple more additions from Menard's Trains.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

seayakbill said:


> Heck of a deal John, can't pass them up.


I was pretty taken by the price. On newer Legacy items that I'm lusting for, I'll go around 60% of MSRP for really nice condition pieces. I wasn't really specifically looking for this set, but for 1/3 of the MSRP, and that's not considering the two additional water tenders, I couldn't pass it up. I'm sure I could turn all of that around in one day and make a nice profit.
---
In more recent news, I just received four more of the Menard's 14" flatcars, one of the flatcars with two jeeps, and of course, two of the flatcars with the vans. The two flatcars with the vans look a lot like this one I found on the web somewhere.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Another deal I couldn't pass up...

A brand new Williams Peter Witt Trolley, a bunch of Williams EZ-Streets track, and a Z-Stuff DZ-1220 Trolley Controller. All for $70 delivered, and I was actually looking to score one of the trolleys as it has the full detailed interior that would look great with passengers.


----------



## Wood

You're killing me John!!!!! Always wanted to get that DZ-1220. I'm not actively buying right now, but I think I'll have to get back in the game.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Make me a deal I can't refuse, it can be yours.  I'm not sure I'll use the trolley controller, it just came with the package, I really wanted the trolley. I actually got two of the trolley controllers, one is bad, the other one passed it's self-test with flying colors. The seller told me one was probably bad, that's why they sent him a second one.


----------



## DennyM

There you go Wood. John's not sure he'll use his so just nudge him every now and then and maybe he'll sell it to you.


----------



## Wood

Wahoooooo!!! I'll email you later John.


----------



## PatKn

Another nice purchase, john. Enjoy it.


----------



## cole226

Nice additions John. :smilie_daumenpos:

here's some stuff I picked up lately.

UP passenger cars for behind the 2023 I got from forum member sagomon.
















couple howitzers for army train
















building kit








and a coaling tower topper kit


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Quite a pile of stuff there Randy, I like the howitzers.


----------



## Guest

Very, very nice stuff, Randy.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Got these today. GE Evo from Nicholas Smith and the BNSF Unit from Mario's Trains


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

They look great Tim, but I'll bet it would enhance the effect if you took the foam packing out of the railings.


----------



## SDIV Tim

gunrunnerjohn said:


> They look great Tim, but I'll bet it would enhance the effect if you took the foam packing out of the railings.




Yeah! Well I repacked them shortly to take them to the club tomorrow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You're going to take the foam out for the club run, right?  I would love to score the Vision Line GE Evo, but I can't see the four figure prices.


----------



## cole226

*build progress*

worked on the first tank kit last night. 



















cole226 said:


> bought some loads for military train.
> 
> 
> View attachment 309346
> 
> 
> View attachment 309354


----------



## Guest

Very nice progress.


----------



## Lehigh74

Randy - Have you figured out what piece A7 is for?


----------



## Guest

Randy, nice purchase for the UP passenger train. :thumbsup:


----------



## cole226

Lehigh74 said:


> Randy - Have you figured out what piece A7 is for?


Must be for another sherman variation. I checked on my M4A1 version but don't see it on that one. :dunno:


----------



## cole226

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Randy, nice purchase for the UP passenger train. :thumbsup:


Thanks Brian. Wish it was the original *BUT* hwell:hwell:


----------



## seayakbill

Menards is killing me. The guy at the service desk where the internet orders are held knows me by first name now. Another freebe flat with Army van that came with the flat with Army jeeps.

Bill


----------



## DennyM

Well anytime you don't want it you can send it my way.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Well, I've never owned a K-line locomotive. So bought this Union Pacific GP38 through Ebay from Gryboski's Train Store for under $200, MIB. It's a great runner and good puller, but kind of a lame diesel horn and no bell. May be an ERR Railsounds Commander candidate. Nice cosmetic features though.









Also adding a Santa Fe diesel freight train, so got a Williams warbonnet GP38 and an Atlas extended vision lighted caboose.









Always wanted a real red caboose. This one has a blinking red light at the rear end.


----------



## Guest

Very nice additions, Vern.


----------



## Wood

Yellowstone Special said:


> Well, I've never owned a K-line locomotive. So bought this Union Pacific GP38 through Ebay from Gryboski's Train Store for under $200, MIB. It's a great runner and good puller, but kind of a lame diesel horn and no bell. May be an ERR Railsounds Commander candidate. Nice cosmetic features though.
> 
> Vern, All three pieces look great. K-Line had some nicely detailed engines. I now have three, 2 F3's the Midnight Chief, the Reading and the Amtrak F59PHI. I run them all the time. Upgrading sound is a good idea, thanks for suggesting that. I also upgraded to EER Cruise control which made them run more consistently with my other equipment.


----------



## Guest

Great additions to your roster, Vern. I've always loved the bright red ATSF cabooses.


----------



## DennyM

Real nice Vern. I think the ERR boards will work out nicely. Even if you just get the RailSounds Commander and run conventionally.
I bought a GP9 Canadian National from Grzyboski's at York last April. Got a good deal on it.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you, gentlemen.


----------



## SDIV Tim

I bought these yesterday


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Nothing like adding to the inventory, Tim. But I didn't see any passenger cars.


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Tim.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Nothing like adding to the inventory, Tim. But I didn't see any passenger cars.




It's coming but I don't know when


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Very nice cars, Tim. Great additions to your roster.


----------



## PatKn

Nice cars Tim.


----------



## cole226

cole226 said:


> worked on the first tank kit last night.
> 
> View attachment 314538
> 
> 
> View attachment 314546


well, few of the shermans have been commissioned and brought active!:smokin:


----------



## Guest

They look real good, Randy. Very nice work.


----------



## PatKn

Randy :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Sure looks like a military build-up Randy. Nothing wrong with that. :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It's apparently not just Trump that's building up the military, it seems a lot of use here at MTF are also doing a major military expansion.


----------



## Guest

I like your comments, John.


----------



## cole226

looks like if we have a full _1/48_ scale war MTF will be ready!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'll need my shipment of AA trucks from Menards to take care of the attacks from the sky, I did get a shipping notice.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'll need my shipment of AA trucks from Menards to take care of the attacks from the sky, I did get a shipping notice.


Even so John, they'd be ineffective against my B-17. It stands guard over my layout, ready to neutralize any threat.


----------



## Fabforrest

:smilie_daumenpos:

excellent, Vern.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you, forrest.


----------



## JimL

That's cool, Vern!


----------



## santafe158

I finally broke down and bought a Lionel Harry Potter set. It's the more recent Lionchief one that I got for a fairly good price on eBay. I'm not a huge fan of Harry Potter, but I did enjoy the movies (especially the train obviously) and my girlfriend is a big fan, so it all works out. Plus I've had people ask when I was going to get one to run on the display at the Redford Theatre for Christmas 

Not the best set quality wise, but I am enjoying it. I had to adjust the smoke unit actuator lever to get the chuff sound sensor to work right, but other than that it runs and sounds great. For once I actually enjoy the crew talk option since it's just various movie quotes in the characters voices. Pretty neat!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yellowstone Special said:


> Even so John, they'd be ineffective against my B-17. It stands guard over my layout, ready to neutralize any threat.


A lot of B17's fell victim to AA fire, so I wouldn't count on that.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

santafe158 said:


> I finally broke down and bought a Lionel Harry Potter set. It's the more recent Lionchief one that I got for a fairly good price on eBay. I'm not a huge fan of Harry Potter, but I did enjoy the movies (especially the train obviously) and my girlfriend is a big fan, so it all works out. Plus I've had people ask when I was going to get one to run on the display at the Redford Theatre for Christmas
> 
> Not the best set quality wise, but I am enjoying it. I had to adjust the smoke unit actuator lever to get the chuff sound sensor to work right, but other than that it runs and sounds great. For once I actually enjoy the crew talk option since it's just various movie quotes in the characters voices. Pretty neat!


Perhaps it's time for a command upgrade with improved smoke?


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Perhaps it's time for a command upgrade with improved smoke?



It is tempting, but I need to let my bank account recover after my trip to Chicago this weekend to ride behind the NKP 765 :laugh:

I also like having the lionchief remote so visitors to the club or my theater layout can have a hand in running things without much teaching.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

gunrunnerjohn said:


> A lot of B17's fell victim to AA fire, so I wouldn't count on that.


Well yeah, in the real world.


----------



## Bill Webb

*3rd Rail SCL E8s Are Out*

Received two Seaboard Coast Line E8s Monday from Scott and just got time for a couple of pictures tonight. We are pleased

In the rear is one of Harry's towers. We added interior detail and lots of lights.

Also received an Atlas bridge kit today. Things have been busy.


----------



## Bill Webb

*Another view*



Two AA units were too difficult to get in the picture.


----------



## Bill Webb

*A bridge to build*

At least it appears to be simple to build.


----------



## DennyM

santafe158 said:


> It is tempting, but I need to let my bank account recover after my trip to Chicago this weekend to ride behind the NKP 765 :laugh:
> 
> I also like having the lionchief remote so visitors to the club or my theater layout can have a hand in running things without much teaching.


You passed not far from me going to Chicago. I'm about 17 miles North of 94 just before you get to Benton Harbor.

Bill that Seaboard is nice. Does it have TMCC?


----------



## DennyM

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Perhaps it's time for a command upgrade with improved smoke?


I'm loving that smoke. I noticed the observation car flickers. All four of my observation cars flicker too. None of the other cars do.


----------



## Guest

Really neat additions to the fleet, Bill. Like the Seaboard E units.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

DennyM said:


> I'm loving that smoke. I noticed the observation car flickers. All four of my observation cars flicker too. None of the other cars do.


That's the Dementors coach, it has flashing lights by design. I'm actually planning on improving it as I don't like the cheesy way they did it. When I get done, only the cars that should flicker will flicker, all will be LED lit with my lighting board.


----------



## DennyM

gunrunnerjohn said:


> That's the Dementors coach, it has flashing lights by design. I'm actually planning on improving it as I don't like the cheesy way they did it. When I get done, only the cars that should flicker will flicker, all will be LED lit with my lighting board.


I have a Lionel, K-Line and two Railking passenger car sets. All of the observation cars flicker. I guess they are infested with Dementors too.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The cure for blinking passenger car lights. 

Passenger Car LED Lighting Kit


----------



## seayakbill

The Seaboard E-8 is a good looking diesel.

my latest additions to the roster from Menards.

Bill


----------



## Guest

Bill, looking good. You may want to have a conversation with Lee about unique shelving opportunities.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Pick ups from the show and from Menards 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Tim.


----------



## Guest

Excellent stuff, Tim. :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice stuff, love the Coor's Lite vat car, I hadn't seen that one.


----------



## PatKn

Bill, That Seaboard is a beautiful engine. I just picked up my 6-pack of MTH PRR Express Boxcars. The picture was taked just prior to me hot glueing the doors shut. (I hate open boxcar doors).


----------



## Guest

Very nice cars, Pat. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## DennyM

Nice Pat. I do like MTH rolling stock.


----------



## seayakbill

Good looking boxcars Pat.

How will the hobos get into the boxcars if the doors are glued shut.

Bill


----------



## Bill Webb

Pat the cars are classy looking. Tim, you were quite busy, and Bill... unique shelving opportunities? You and Lee can start a showroom.


----------



## Bill Webb

*Okay, not exactly to the roster... but hey, it is required*

Straight from Ross Custom, enough stuff to keep us busy for the next year or so once the tracks arrives. Garage addition framing begins Monday AM.

Does anyone know how to post multiple pictures from an I-pad?


----------



## Bill Webb

*A more at the other end*

Have to figure out how to wire these.


----------



## Lehigh74

The new RCS web site has a TECHNICAL section with instructions on how to wire them.


----------



## Guest

Sure looks like you are celebrating an early Christmas, Bill. Quite a haul.


----------



## Bill Webb

*Thanks PTC. Enjoying the picture that you attached of all*

Your turnouts on the new layout. Bet they are really easy to install.


----------



## Guest

Yup, could not be any easier Bill.


----------



## cole226

got to like those Ross switches.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

and nice bunch of cars Pat.


----------



## Wood

*Genesis F40DC & SuperLiners*

This is a bit of a long story, but let me try to make it short. The Lionel Superliners, made in 2003, are some of the best passenger cars produced. I have had a StationSounds Diner and the 2 pack, Sightseer and District of Columbia coach for several years. Wishing to expand my collection PTC Brian found the entire 7 car set on eBay. Bingo - done deal. Excellent condition. At least C-8


















Originally, Lionel sold a Dash 8 Amtrak as the locomotive power. They never produced a Genesis which is the most common locomotive to pull these units. 

Once again, through the help of PTC Brian, I found an MTH Genesis F40DC. The goal was to have GunrunnerJohn convert from Protosound 2 to TMCC. I purchased the Genesis and discovered it was defective. The seller refunded my money and I offered $50 for the body which he agreed to. A week later another Genesis showed up that had been converted to TMCC by Trains America. Bingo. I bought that unit. 










With the extra body I could still have John upgrade to TMCC and run a double header!!!


----------



## bluecomet400

Beautiful set, Wood!! Great story behind how you got it, too. :smilie_daumenpos::appl::sold:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Lookin' good there Wood.  I'm always on the lookout for the superliners, I'd love to land a set of those. I have a nice Genesis to pull them, just need the passenger cars.


----------



## Wood

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Lookin' good there Wood.  I'm always on the lookout for the superliners, I'd love to land a set of those. I have a nice Genesis to pull them, just need the passenger cars.


Agreed.. They are excellent lookers, very well made and dressed out nicely. The last couple of years they have been rather rare. I have a standing search on eBay and missed these. Advertised as Superliner Passenger set with no numbers. Brian picked it up because he simply searches for Passenger sets. Very decent price for a high C-8 product. If sold separately you could easily get more value. I'll be on the lookout for you....


----------



## santafe158

I couldn't resist picking this up last night on Ebay as a Three Stooges fan and a train fan. It's a custom job painted by the seller, and though I don't have it yet it looks great and I can't wait to get it. It'll also work out on my Theater Christmas display since we host a "Three Stooges Festival" a couple times every year.


----------



## Spence

Wood said:


> This is a bit of a long story, but let me try to make it short. The Lionel Superliners, made in 2003, are some of the best passenger cars produced. I have had a StationSounds Diner and the 2 pack, Sightseer and District of Columbia coach for several years. Wishing to expand my collection PTC Brian found the entire 7 car set on eBay. Bingo - done deal. Excellent condition. At least C-8
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Originally, Lionel sold a Dash 8 Amtrak as the locomotive power. They never produced a Genesis which is the most common locomotive to pull these units.
> 
> Once again, through the help of PTC Brian, I found an MTH Genesis F40DC. The goal was to have GunrunnerJohn convert from Protosound 2 to TMCC. I purchased the Genesis and discovered it was defective. The seller refunded my money and I offered $50 for the body which he agreed to. A week later another Genesis showed up that had been converted to TMCC by Trains America. Bingo. I bought that unit.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> With the extra body I could still have John upgrade to TMCC and run a double header!!!
> 
> Wood; that train looks very sharp. Enjoy your new purchases. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Way to go, Wood. Glad I could help. This is one beautiful passenger train headed by the Genesis.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Wood said:


> Agreed.. They are excellent lookers, very well made and dressed out nicely. The last couple of years they have been rather rare. I have a standing search on eBay and missed these. Advertised as Superliner Passenger set with no numbers. Brian picked it up because he simply searches for Passenger sets. Very decent price for a high C-8 product. If sold separately you could easily get more value. I'll be on the lookout for you....


If you ever see a set, I'm all ears.


----------



## Guest

John, I will look for you as well.


----------



## Wood

You're in good hands now John, get your check book warmed up!


----------



## Maxum

SDIV Tim said:


>



Man, do I remember riding those GMC buses as a kid growing up in San Diego. I still remember the route that went by my house, #27.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I rode one of these suckers from San Diego to NYC in the fall of 1962! I was in the Navy and got out of C-School in San Diego and had to report to my duty ship, the USS Shangri La in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Not a recommended way to cross the country!


----------



## seayakbill

A couple more from Menards Trains.

Bill


----------



## PatKn

Wood, That Amtrak set looks great. Enjoy it.


----------



## santafe158

Ebay is getting dangerous 

I'm looking forward to receiving one of these in the near future. Supposedly formerly from Richard Kughn's personal collection. Similar to the CN #89 that runs at Strasburg, I've liked the looks of these for awhile.


----------



## DennyM

Maxum said:


> Man, do I remember riding those GMC buses as a kid growing up in San Diego. I still remember the route that went by my house, #27.


Me too in Chicago. The #4 Cottage Grove bus and the 35th Street bus.


----------



## Guest

Very nice purchase, Jake.


----------



## santafe158

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Very nice purchase, Jake.


Thanks! I'm looking forward to running it.


----------



## Bill Webb

*Front end of the Pineapple Express going from Lambert's*

Point in Norfolk to Cincinnati. 

Next we need the reefers.


----------



## Bill Webb

*We used to insure someone involved with it.*


----------



## Guest

Looks good Bill.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Good looking locomotive Bill, who's model is that?


----------



## Guest

Jake and Bill, great additions to your locomotive rosters.


----------



## Bill Webb

*John - Lionel legacy*



gunrunnerjohn said:


> Good looking locomotive Bill, who's model is that?


Also made in blue.


----------



## DennyM

Nice engine Bill.


----------



## PRRronbh

New NKP PA's.


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine, Bill.

Ron, the Nickel Plate had a nice paint scheme. Nice engines.


----------



## Wood

Phew... They are beauties Ron. Nice find!


----------



## DennyM

Real nice Ron. I like the paint scheme.


----------



## Guest

Really like the PA's, Ron. The Nickle Plate blue is wonderful.


----------



## Guest

Sweet looking engines, Ron.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I rode one of these suckers from San Diego to NYC in the fall of 1962! I was in the Navy and got out of C-School in San Diego and had to report to my duty ship, the USS Shangri La in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Not a recommended way to cross the country!


Uh, Tim's is a city transit bus, John. You probably rode the more comfortable inter-city buses like Traiways or most likely, Greyhound's Scenicruisers, didn't you? 

But that's OK, I'm getting old, too. Nice image, by the way.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Vern, note that I did post a picture of the bus type that I rode, so I'm not totally losing it.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Vern, note that I did post a picture of the bus type that I rode, so I'm not totally losing it.


I must have totally missed that, John. I guess I'm the one who's losing it!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It will happen to all of us in the twilight of our years.


----------



## Bill Webb

*More boxes*

Track and cork... decided on Ross. No time to open yet. Busy building.


----------



## Wood

Woaaaa.. That's a pile track! When you get that "shed" built, post a plan. Now I'm curious.


----------



## DennyM

Bill, who did you buy the track from?


----------



## Bill Webb

*Ross track.*



DennyM said:


> Bill, who did you buy the track from?


Steve Nelson (Mr Muffin) handled it for us. We worked out a deal. He was very nice and helpful to work with.

Combined the track and turnouts, etc.

Close to you isn't he?


----------



## DennyM

Bill Webb said:


> Steve Nelson (Mr Muffin) handled it for us. We worked out a deal. He was very nice and helpful to work with.
> 
> Combined the track and turnouts, etc.
> 
> Close to you isn't he?


Steve is a good guy. I've talked with him at York. His store is about a three hour drive from where I live. I'm going to have to take a day trip down there this summer.


----------



## highvoltage

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Vern, note that I did post a picture of the bus type that I rode, so I'm not totally losing it.


Umm, John, I see a bear.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

A small addition, I picked up the Menard's Military Caboose. Of course, I didn't like the blueish white lighting, so I had to pull it apart and put a couple yellow LED's in place of the existing one. I can tell you that it was NOT designed to be taken apart, it was glued together! I finally beat it into submission and made my upgrade. I also used heatshrink where they had insulated with tape, I never have liked that.

Of course, the free truck has to be featured as well.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

highvoltage said:


> Umm, John, I see a bear.


That's pretty funny, those cheap shot guys. 

Look again.


----------



## Spence

Nice looking John but only 1 caboose!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Only one military train, only need one caboose.


----------



## Dano

This will be added in soon. A CP-A that an Alco PA sacrificed itself for!


----------



## Dano

Hey John, it being a military caboose you could have just painted the windows black!


----------



## Guest

Can't go wrong with a Warbonnet, Dano.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Dano said:


> Hey John, it being a military caboose you could have just painted the windows black!


Be nice!  They're running in the US, they don't need blackout windows.


----------



## Dano

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Can't go wrong with a Warbonnet, Dano.


I hate to disappoint but it will be getting red, black and white stripes.


----------



## Wood

My inventory has held this Bombardier HHP-8 for a long time. It is a great runner particularly after GunrunnerJohn posted about adding weights to his. What it needed was a consist of populated Bombardier Horizon Coaches. K-Line made a set in 2000, a 4 pack plus a Dinette. I have had an eBay search running for 2 years. Bingo. Up popped a 4 Pack set of coaches and the Dinette in one offer. The nice part is these were MIB.


----------



## Fabforrest

Great get, Wood!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice score Wood, glad the weights did the trick for you. Did you use the .45ACP solution?


----------



## Guest

Very nice set, Wood. I have converted another to the bright side of passenger train operations. Wood definitely has the bug.


----------



## Guest

Nice score, Wood. Very nice.


----------



## DennyM

Yes very nice.


----------



## Wood

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice score Wood, glad the weights did the trick for you. Did you use the .45ACP solution?


Yes, I have caught the bug. You might think it started with the Midnight Chief, but it really started with the Banff Mountain and the Canadian Pacific. Operations are my fun on the layout and now I have a real place to go. Brian suggested the CP and found a great K-Line set. York brought me the Legacy F3 CP. Now I had a set. 

Kathy and I ride the Amtrak, occasionally, and love the trips. I had a set of 3 SuperLiners powered by a Legacy Dash 8. I never liked the Dash 8 and guess who found a Genesis and a complete set of SuperLiners? You guessed it, Mr. PTC. 

That got me to thinking about where I would store these on my layout. As the mountain progressed and while working, my mind wandered to the east side of the layout which will be my next endeavor. It became obvious I could put in 3 100" sidings along with Harry Heike's Englewood Station. Now I have storage which would empty my West side rail yard. Nobody likes an empty yard.  Room for one more which brought on this last item the Amtrak Bombardier and Horizon consist.

In the end, there will be 3 major passenger lines with 5 consists. Canadian Pacific with EMD F3 ABA, Amtrak SuperLiners with Genesis P40DC, Amtrak commuter with Bombardier HHP-8, Santa Fe Midnight Chief with EMD F3 ABA and the Santa Fe Super Chief with EMD F3 ABBA.

My last search is for the K-Line Super Chief set. I do have an MTH Santa Fe set for the F3 ABBA but I really want the K-Line set. K-Line in the 2000-2005 period made incredible and affordable passenger consists. 

This forum is a gift and along with several other members it is how Brian, Elizabeth, Kathy and I have developed a great friendship.

Places to go and trains to run. With the help of PTC I have been able to collect some beautiful passenger sets. Thank you Brian.


----------



## Wood

Fab, Country Joe, DennyM and Gunrunner John, Thanks for your nice comments. 

John, I used the wheel balancing weights that Lee suggested. Got them on Amazon. Added 14 ounces. It was just enough to keep the wheel traction from skipping and it helped keep the trucks from bouncing on one of my switches which has a rough spot.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Wood, I now have the Amtrak power for all seasons. I have the DASH-8, the HHP-8, the AEM-7, the Genesis, and the F40PH. All but the AEM-7 are TMCC or Legacy, the AEM-7 is DCS. I am ready with whatever motive power is required to pull the SuperLiners if I ever find some at a decent price.


----------



## Wood

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Wood, I now have the Amtrak power for all seasons. I have the DASH-8, the HHP-8, the AEM-7, the Genesis, and the F40PH. All but the AEM-7 are TMCC or Legacy, the AEM-7 is DCS. I am ready with whatever motive power is required to pull the SuperLiners if I ever find some at a decent price.



We're looking... It'll come up. 

Great motive power. I am selling my F40PH. Don't like it at all.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Is that the new Legacy model? What don't you like about it?


----------



## Wood

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Is that the new Legacy model? What don't you like about it?


Ok - The paint is very thin, easily scratched. The engineer steps catch in the top of the front truck and derail it. The front pilot, which Lionel changed so that it no longer swings with the truck, simply does not stay in front and on close corners of my layout it hits my farm embankments. The front number lights are brilliant.

All of the above could be corrected. I know you posted a way to reduce the brilliance of the number board but after all the other oddities I decided to just dump it. It simply appears to me that Lionel has produced a low grade model. It just isn't good quality in my humble opinion.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have to say it wasn't their best effort. The number boards were the glaring problem I had, at least once I got the engineer seated and all the manufacturing defects with the trucks fixed. Since both that and the Cabbage unit had different intensity issues with the number boards, I decided to fix both of them, they look great now. 

I haven't had a problem with the front pilot, mine have seemed well-behaved. I haven't tried scratching the paint, and I think I won't do that intentionally!


----------



## Wood

Well, we are kind of on the same page. I discovered the paint issue when I tried to get the cover off to get to the sound control. As always I appreciate your input.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, the cover was somewhat of an extreme case.  I pried mine off, sanded the sides, and touched it up with a black marker. After applying the wet finger fix, looks as good as new, and now it pops right off when I want to access inside. 

I really didn't consider that as "easy to scratch paint" as I had to do some serious prying to get the stinkin' cover off!


----------



## DennyM

*Railking Street Lamps*

Not a big purchase. I picked up a couple of Railking street lamps to take the place on my Lionel street lamps. One of the things MTH makes well. Now all my street lights are Railking.


----------



## PatKn

Wood,
Nice looking cars. They make up a really cool train. Enjoy them.

The lamps look good, Denny.


----------



## Guest

The new street lamps look good, Denny.


----------



## Guest

Denny. all O-Gauge purchases, big or small, are *GOOD*!!!!!!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Those are pretty neat looking street lamps.


----------



## santafe158

A couple of my new things that have arrived since my initial posting a week or so ago.

Lionel Canadian National 2-6-0 #86 from Richard Kughn's Carail collection
















Custom Lionel Three Stooges Boxcar


----------



## Wood

Denny, I like those lights. They illuminate the space under the lamp very well and that's what they are supposed to do!! Good job.

Santa Fe 158 - If you don't mind - what is this Richard Kughn's Carail collection? Are you purchasing these items? Are they all being sold? How did you access it?


----------



## santafe158

Wood said:


> Denny, I like those lights. They illuminate the space under the lamp very well and that's what they are supposed to do!! Good job.
> 
> Santa Fe 158 - If you don't mind - what is this Richard Kughn's Carail collection? Are you purchasing these items? Are they all being sold? How did you access it?


Richard Kughn was a former owner of Lionel between 1986 and 1995. Carail was a private museum of his in Detroit that housed his extensive collection of model trains, cars, and more. I believe a health issue in the early 2000's made him want to downsize his collection so that his family wouldn't have to deal with it whenever he passed away (I believe he recovered, and is still living), so most of it was auctioned off. Occasionally items pop up for sale, like this one. It's not really anything special, just neat that it was once a part of his collection, with the shipping label to prove it.

If you're interested, I believe TM Books and Video produced a video about Carail. I would assume you can probably find it for sale out there somewhere.


----------



## santafe158

Denny, I too have a love for the Railking street lamps. I saw them used on the display layout at my local hobby shop and loved the soft light they gave, just right. I think I'm up to almost a dozen of them now since a fellow Redford Theatre volunteer gave us some money to put towards Christmas layout supplies. They really add to the layout.


----------



## Wood

Thank you Jake. I knew who he is/was, but did not know the story. You engine looks terrific. Nice catch!


----------



## santafe158

Wood said:


> Thank you Jake. I knew who he is/was, but did not know the story. You engine looks terrific. Nice catch!


Thanks! It was brand new in the box, and appears to have never been run (until I tested it). I'd have rather have found the rarer Strasburg 89 Version, but this one works fine for me.


----------



## seayakbill

I visited Richards Carail collection, really something to see. His collection of woodie automobiles was spectacular. He had a room set-up like a Coca-Cola soda shop with a real deal 57 red thunderbird setting right in the middle of the soda shop.

Bill


----------



## seayakbill

Latest from Menards, AT&SF flatcar with Shell fuel trailer.

Bill


----------



## DennyM

santafe158 said:


> Denny, I too have a love for the Railking street lamps. I saw them used on the display layout at my local hobby shop and loved the soft light they gave, just right. I think I'm up to almost a dozen of them now since a fellow Redford Theatre volunteer gave us some money to put towards Christmas layout supplies. They really add to the layout.


They're good solid construction and easy to wire. The Lionel lamps I had to do some soldering which I don't mind, but I don't have to with Railking. I also like the diffused lighting.


----------



## santafe158

seayakbill said:


> I visited Richards Carail collection, really something to see. His collection of woodie automobiles was spectacular. He had a room set-up like a Coca-Cola soda shop with a real deal 57 red thunderbird setting right in the middle of the soda shop.
> 
> Bill


It was a little before my time, but I've seen footage of it in various videos and it looked spectacular. I believe many items from the standard gauge layout are currently on the toy train display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn (I believe Dick Kughn was on the board for a few years there as well, and donated the standard gauge display to them).


----------



## Lehigh74

As a rule, I don’t get convention cars. As another rule, I don’t pre-order if I have to pay before the car is shipped. Well I broke both rules for the Blue Bell Ice Cream Reefer. Maybe because I liked the looks. Maybe because Blue Bell was having some problems. I ordered one In November 2015 expecting delivery as advertised late summer of 2016. In February of 2017, the ad in the TCA Quarterly was still saying late summer 2016 delivery so I called Riverview Trains to see what was up and I got talked into ordering another one. Yesterday I got only one in the mail due to a mix up with names and addresses. I called Riverview Trains again and hopefully, the other one will be delivered in a few weeks. 

I’m glad I broke my rules. This is a nice car. Great color. Only 256 were made. Many intricate details that appear to be pretty sturdy.


----------



## Guest

That is a really nice reefer. :thumbsup:


----------



## PatKn

Lehigh, That is a really nice looking car. I like the color, graphics and subject. Good purchase. :thumbsup:


----------



## Wood

Lehigh, Long wait, but very nice results. Beautiful color. Is that an Atlas reefer? I have a number of specially made Atlas reefers and they are very well made.


----------



## Spence

Lehigh; :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Lehigh74

Wood said:


> Lehigh, Long wait, but very nice results. Beautiful color. Is that an Atlas reefer? I have a number of specially made Atlas reefers and they are very well made.


Its MTH.


----------



## DennyM

Lehigh, I ate Blue Bell ice cream when I lived in Texas. I can't get it here in Michigan. It's is seriously good. MTH made that reefer then you know it's quality.


----------



## njrailer93

Added another menards flat and added the pipe load and chain


----------



## Spence

NJ; the flat car load looks good. :thumbsup:


----------



## Wood

Yes NJ, very nicely done. I used a silver chain on my loads and I like your black much better...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice, where did you get the holding brackets for the pipe?


----------



## Guest

Great job on the load, NJ.


----------



## Fabforrest

Fun video. One of my favorite trains.


Geez, I was referring to a video I thought was on the last page...but OT was on the first. D'oh!


----------



## njrailer93

I cannot take credit for those I found them on eBay. From a company called pm hobbies and gifts but I think they are no longer in business


----------



## PRRronbh

Tested and picked up Tuesday. The Ugly Duckling ofUS diesels


----------



## Lehigh74

My other Blue Bell reefer came in today. Nice surprise. I wasn’t expecting it for another week or so. They look good behind my LC+ camelback.


----------



## Guest

WOW, they look great behind the camelback.


----------



## PatKn

:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Shawn91481

Lehigh74 said:


> My other Blue Bell reefer came in today. Nice surprise. I wasn?t expecting it for another week or so. They look good behind my LC+ camelback.
> 
> [iurl="http://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=326385&d=1500068705"]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/iurl]


I love reefer cars, and that blue is eye catching. This is my modest collection of reefers.


----------



## Guest

Nice GM Demo, Ron.


----------



## Spence

Lehigh; the Blue Bells look sharp. :thumbsup:


----------



## PRRronbh

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Nice GM Demo, Ron.


Probably the ugly-duckling of US diesels. Has always intrigued me but none of my favored roads had one. A fellow O-Gauger pointed me to this which will fit in with any of my favored roads as a demonstrator for the 1947/1948 period. But imagine it in a Southern tuxedo or B&O royal blue and gray, etc. I think it is becoming my favorite diesel.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking engine, Ron. I always loved the BL-2 but the Pennsy didn't own any. The demonstrator is a good compromise. It would look good in Pennsy pinstripes though.


----------



## PRRronbh

PatKn said:


> Nice looking engine, Ron. I always loved the BL-2 but the Pennsy didn't own any. The demonstrator is a good compromise. It would look good in Pennsy pinstripes though.


I agree Pat since Pennsy is first on my favored list. But thank Mark for pointing me to this since as a demonstrator can run it with any of that time.


----------



## Guest

Very nice loco, Ron. I am another that has always like the BL-2. It's so ugly it's beautiful.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

They are ugly, but cool because they're different, kind of a unique profile.  The contours are unlike any other similar locomotive.


----------



## DennyM

Great engine Ron. :thumbsup: I have a BL-2 which I like a lot. I put ERR boards in it.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Sorry folks, but the BL-2 IS the "ugly duckling" of American diesels, and in O scale it looks like a toy, no matter what railroad livery it wears. 

Just my unhumble opinion.


----------



## PRRronbh

Country Joe said:


> Very nice loco, Ron. I am another that has always like the BL-2. It's so ugly it's beautiful.


So agree. I am NOT one for fantasy paint schemes, but may have bought one done up in my favored roads. This is the best of all railroad worlds it ends up being prototypical.


----------



## PRRronbh

gunrunnerjohn said:


> They are ugly, but cool because they're different, kind of a unique profile.  The contours are unlike any other similar locomotive.


John, this demonstrator paint scheme actually enhances and defines body contours that I did not know or realize were there. For me a great find. I do wonder if the original had the horns painted the blue body color.


----------



## Lehigh74

Certainly not the best looking loco, but I wouldn’t call it ugly…and it IS different. There is one still running on the Stourbridge Line between Honesdale and Lackawaxen, PA. One of these days, I am going to go see it.


----------



## DennyM




----------



## Yellowstone Special

Well, not bad Denny. But still . . . ?


----------



## Mark Boyce

PRRronbh said:


> I agree Pat since Pennsy is first on my favored list. But thank Mark for pointing me to this since as a demonstrator can run it with any of that time.


Ron, I'm glad you like it! I think that paint scheme is one of the best demonstrator schemes ever. I would have been tempted to get one if I didn't have two painted for the Western Maryland, which is slightly at the top of my favorite railroads list. 

I like the BL-2 styling, but like anything, I recognize that to each his own. If you like it, great! If you don't like it, great! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Surefire

Took a few years off from buying and have had some catching up to do on legacy steam releases. Most of my trains are in storage until I can start a new layout but had to pull the newer additions out over the weekend.


----------



## Wood

Surefire, That is an impressive collection. Nice units, indeed. Hope you get a layout started soon.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful locomotives, Surefire. You need a layout so those babies can run.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's quite a lineup Surefire! You certainly need a place to run those! 

I actually added a new stable mate today as well. This is the Lionel Legacy 6-11399 UP H-7 from 2014. I got a killer price on it, and couldn't resist! It's really quite a nice locomotive, great sound, great smoke, and lots of detail. It's going to get a workout this weekend at our club Run for Fun.


----------



## DennyM

I would love to see them running Surefire.


----------



## DennyM

That is sweet John. Didn't you get something a while back for a killer price? Hmmmm....do I see a pattern here?:sly:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I got my Y6B from the same guy, he's selling a few of them. He also has the M1a, but I didn't want to stretch the budget any farther, but I was tempted.  Both this one and the Y6B are like new.


----------



## Surefire

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I got my Y6B from the same guy, he's selling a few of them. He also has the M1a, but I didn't want to stretch the budget any farther, but I was tempted.  Both this one and the Y6B are like new.



That Legacy M1A has one of, if not the prettiest sounding whistles I've heard on a Lionel locomotive...not that I'm encouraging you to purchase it or anything :sold:


----------



## Wood

Great purchases pictured here. Nice catch John.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I think a friend of mine that I turned onto the M1a is buying it, so I'm too late.  I just really liked the look of the H-7, so for a good price it was hard to pass up.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful locomotive, John, and it's ginormous!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks, I had seen it in operation and knew it was a very cool locomotive, so when the chance to buy it at a bargain price came along...


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful engines, Surefire. Nice find, John.


----------



## Shawn91481

About a week ago I stopped into my local train store to price and check dimensions for a bridge I needed. To my saddness he was having a 50% off going out of buisness sale. It wasn't a surprise as he has mentioned retirement. The store was pretty much cleaned out when I got there. The $1,600 MTH Big Boy was gone as was the Polar Express set U was eyeing for my son. All but a few peices of Atlas 027 track was left. But, my bridge was still there and a few cars. All told for $100 I gor two new cars, one used car and the bridge I needed.


----------



## DennyM

Well at least you were able to get your bridge. The train shop here has been going out of business for a year now. He doesn't have anything left in the store and wonders why nobody comes in there. When people ask him when he's closing he tells them "soon".


----------



## Fabforrest

Shawn91481 said:


> About a week ago I stopped into my local train store to price and check dimensions for a bridge I needed. To my saddness he was having a 50% off going out of buisness sale. It wasn't a surprise as he has mentioned retirement. The store was pretty much cleaned out when I got there. The $1,600 MTH Big Boy was gone as was the Polar Express set U was eyeing for my son. All but a few peices of Atlas 027 track was left. But, my bridge was still there and a few cars. All told for $100 I gor two new cars, one used car and the bridge I needed.


careful, that stock car is off the rails.


----------



## Shawn91481

DennyM said:


> Well at least you were able to get your bridge. The train shop here has been going out of business for a year now. He doesn't have anything left in the store and wonders why nobody comes in there. When people ask him when he's closing he tells them "soon".


I guess buisness was fine, he just didn't want to do it anymore.


----------



## Shawn91481

Fabforrest said:


> careful, that stock car is off the rails.


Haha it's end of the rails anyway.


----------



## Guest

It's sad that the hobby store is closing but great that you got some really nice stuff at a fabulous price.


----------



## PatKn

Nice haul, Shawn. Unfortunate that the store is closing. That's happening too often now a days.


----------



## seayakbill

in the mail today the MTH Premier collector club car. Really nice Pullman Standard boxcar celebrating the 50,000 PS-1 boxcar.

Bill


----------



## DennyM

That's a nice boxcar Bill.


----------



## PatKn

Very attractive car, Bill. Is that just a commemorative model or did Pullman actually make that car in that paint scheme?


----------



## Shawn91481

Interesting. I would love to learn the history of the real world version


----------



## santafe158

I got mine today too. I saw a picture you posted a couple days ago, placed an order and was pleasantly surprised with how fast it arrived. $55 for club membership and the car with no shipping charge... not a bad deal for a brand new scale boxcar. I have probably half a dozen if not more scale boxcars I like to mix into my freight train, I can't wait to add this one to the fleet.


----------



## Shawn91481

Added to my reefer collection with some ATSF


----------



## Wood

Beautiful boxcars guys. I have a host of Atlas reefers which are nice, but it's time for a new collection.


----------



## Shawn91481

Wood said:


> Beautiful boxcars guys. I have a host of Atlas reefers which are nice, but it's time for a new collection.


New? No such thing. Just bigger lol!


----------



## Surefire

John inspired me to pull out my H7, as well as the Cab forward. Taking them out is the easy part, boxing them back up is the pain.

I did set up a loop in the living room to make it all worth while


----------



## DennyM

Good looking engines Surefire thanks for posting. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Shawn91481

Surefire said:


> John inspired me to pull out of my H7, as well as the Cab forward. Taking them out is the easy part, boxing them back up is the pain.
> 
> I did set up a loop in the living room to make it all worth while


I am jealous. I would love to have those engines.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Surefire said:


> John inspired me to pull out my H7, as well as the Cab forward. Taking them out is the easy part, boxing them back up is the pain.


Quite a lineup, but I'm too lazy to do something similar!


----------



## njrailer93

got some evil bay deals and one purchase from menards. the menards flat car i weathered and added the pipe load. i have 3 of these suckers now!


----------



## Wood

NJ, They look really good...!!!


----------



## Guest

Really nice acquisitions NJ. :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice job on the weathering and pipe loads.


----------



## Wood

This may not be "What you added to your roster", but it kind of is.... I have had components of my Amtrak consists for some time without ever having complete trains. Now I have them! Thanks to GunrunnerJohn and Passenger Train Collector my layout now sports a full Amtrak Superliner set and an Amtrak Commuter line with Bombardier coaches. The Bombardier HHP-8 was in my inventory for 4 years. The coaches are K-Line Bombardiers and beautiful units. Brian convinced me the Genesis was the engine for the Superliners. Lionel never made one, so the Genesis P40DC is an MTH product that John just repaired and cleaned the TMCC installation up. Awesome job. 

Here is a picture. It's my first night running, I'll take more pics soon and post them.


----------



## Guest

Those trains look great, Wood. I've been hankering to get some contemporary trains and I really like the Superliner.


----------



## Shawn91481

They lool great with the layout.


----------



## PatKn

The trains look real nice, Wood. I have a superliner set with a genesis. I always liked that set. I need to take it out and let it stretch it's legs. The Bombardier set is real cool. I don't own a commuter set like that. _I must avoid temptation - I have enough trains - There is no more room to store them. _ Happy railroading Wood. I am anxious to see more pictures.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I need some superliners, I have a bunch of Amtrak locomotives.


----------



## Wood

Country Joe said:


> I've been hankering to get some contemporary trains and I really like the Superliner.


Very good point Joe. My layout has progressed more and more toward a contemporary period. Diesels impress me. Initially my period was the 1950-70's modeling, now I consider the layout to be more of a 70's to 2000's layout. Freight is EMD GEEP's and EMD SD70ACe's. In passenger service, riding Amtrak really got me going. The new equipment is efficient, powerful and beautiful. PTC turned me on to the Genesis conversion for the SuperLiners. I kept waiting for Lionel to produce a Genesis but finally bought an MTH unit and had Gunrunner fix it up. The Bombardier is a Lionel product. It was way to light and a poor runner until Gunrunner posted about adding weights to his.

I hope we will be seeing more contemporary products by the O scale manufacturers. I'm now waiting for a Siemens with a great color scheme.


----------



## Guest

Wood said:


> Very good point Joe. My layout has progressed more and more toward a contemporary period. Diesels impress me. Initially my period was the 1950-70's modeling, now I consider the layout to be more of a 70's to 2000's layout.


That is just how I feel. I have always loved steam engines and 50s cars so I naturally set my layout in that period. Like you, I've grown to love diesels. I figure I could change the period of my layout by changing vehicles and trains. Changing periods every now and then will keep the layout fresh and interesting.



Wood said:


> I hope we will be seeing more contemporary products by the O scale manufacturers. I'm now waiting for a Siemens with a great color scheme.



That's a beautiful loco. I would love to see it in O gauge.


----------



## Guest

Now we are talking passenger trains, Wood. Very smart move in converting the Genesis to TMCC which makes this Superliner train even more spectacular.

You have come a long way!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Spence

Wood; very impressive. :appl:


----------



## balidas

Surefire said:


> John inspired me to pull out my H7, as well as the Cab forward. Taking them out is the easy part, boxing them back up is the pain.
> 
> I did set up a loop in the living room to make it all worth while


Beautiful locomotives!


----------



## balidas

Spence said:


> Wood; very impressive. :appl:


I agree!


----------



## seayakbill

Seems like the S&Y RR has been in an acquisition mode the last couple weeks. The MTH 44 tonner and a couple more freight cars from Menards Trains.

Bill


----------



## Shawn91481

Nice switcher.


----------



## Guest

The S&Y Acquisition Department has been busy and they are doing a very good job. They deserve a round of applause, a round of drinks and getting some time off to watch the new loco and cars make their maiden run.


----------



## Guest

Bill, you are going to need as bigger train room.


----------



## seayakbill

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Bill, you are going to need as bigger train room.


LOL, Brian, needed a larger basement many, many moons ago.

Bill


----------



## DennyM

*I Did It Again*

I was at Menards today to pick up some vacuum bags for my Shop-Vac and another Army car jumped right into my basket. I tried to get it out but it kept jumping back in it. So I brought it home.


----------



## Spence

Denny; nice. :thumbsup: How many military vehicles do you have now ?


----------



## Guest

It sure is a looker, Denny. It's funny how those cars keep jumping into your cart. It's nice of you not to throw them back on the shelf.


----------



## DennyM

Spence said:


> Denny; nice. :thumbsup: How many military vehicles do you have now ?


I have four so far.



Country Joe said:


> It sure is a looker, Denny. It's funny how those cars keep jumping into your cart. It's nice of you not to throw them back on the shelf.


Yeah it's weird. Well if you can't beat it, join it. At least that's how I explain it to my wife.


----------



## Bill Webb

*Denny said that he has a shopping cart problem. Ours is*

With UPS. They keep leaving packages. Hope there are none this week while we are enjoying the rain at the beach.

The N and W Alco is from our friend Don Jones and makes a nice addition.


----------



## Bill Webb

*Another view*

And now the MTH 0-8-0 has arrived. It will have to wait.


----------



## DennyM

It's nice Bill. I wish UPS would leave boxes on my porch. It would be a Legacy 990 Cab2 with the 1.6 version software  and maybe just maybe a Legacy GP35 or a Legacy Lionmaster Challenger (036 curves) and some Z-Stuff block signals and and seated passengers.  I can dream can't I?hwell:


----------



## Guest

Very nice loco, Bill. It looks like an RS11.

If the UPS man delivers too many packages for you just send him my way. I'd be glad to help.


----------



## Guest

Good show, Bill. As they say, keep those cards and letters coming.


----------



## highvoltage

Bill Webb said:


> And now the MTH 0-8-0 has arrived. It will have to wait.
> 
> 
> View attachment 335754


Picture looks like the N&W Alco.


----------



## DennyM

*Another Army Car Followed Me Home*

This Menards flatbed truck on a flatbed car just wouldn't leave me alone so I brought it home.


----------



## suzukovich

DennyM said:


> This Menards flatbed truck on a flatbed car just would leave me alone so I brought it home.
> 
> View attachment 337722


Nice, I can understand that. This showed up in my driveway courtesy of GovPlanet.










Sent from my SM-T560NU using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Denny, nice addition to your roster. I can understand why you couldn't resist it.

Doug, very nice new (to you) vehicle.


----------



## suzukovich

Country Joe said:


> Denny, nice addition to your roster. I can understand why you couldn't resist it.
> 
> Doug, very nice new (to you) vehicle.


Thanks Joe. I couldn't resist with all the posting of all the Menards Flats with Military vehicles. Lot of the vehicles are not accurate to what the US Military uses, but are a good buy. Mine is definitely to big to fit on a Menards car.


----------



## DennyM

I would be too tempted ram into people with something like that. Mostly the ones who pull out in front of me.


----------



## Guest

suzukovich said:


> Thanks Joe. I couldn't resist with all the posting of all the Menards Flats with Military vehicles. Lot of the vehicles are not accurate to what the US Military uses, but are a good buy. Mine is definitely to big to fit on a Menards car.


I think most people couldn't tell the difference between Vietnam era and current military vehicles. We, including me, are satisfied with pretty much any military loads.

I don't think even Menards can make a flat car to fit your vehicle but I wonder how many Menards freight cars you could fit into it. :dunno:


----------



## mopac

Denny, I have not seen that one yet. Looks good.

Doug, you will have a blast with your new toy.

Denny, you sound like my youngest son. Neither one of you need a hummer. LOL. When I was younger I wanted a tank
and run over idiots. They are not hard to find, I do not mean the tanks.


----------



## highvoltage

suzukovich said:


> Nice, I can understand that. This showed up in my driveway courtesy of GovPlanet...


I drove an up-armored version a few years ago. Once you stopped it would rock back and forth on its suspension for a few seconds before settling out. Suspension wasn't designed for all the extra weight.

Just curious, why did you purchase one?


----------



## suzukovich

I drove them too. Part of the problem was they kept adding more armor to them. Many years in the Army and drove many Humvees. As to why purchase one. Very stable, strong brakes, diesel, If you know how to drive them the best off road vehicle going next to a Bradley. I just wanted one. 

Sent from my SM-T560NU using Tapatalk


----------



## DennyM

mopac said:


> Denny, I have not seen that one yet. Looks good.
> 
> Doug, you will have a blast with your new toy.
> 
> Denny, you sound like my youngest son. Neither one of you need a hummer. LOL. When I was younger I wanted a tank
> and run over idiots. They are not hard to find, I do not mean the tanks.


I wanted a tank too. I also want to go to a junkyard and get a car to run just enough to run them down.


----------



## highvoltage

suzukovich said:


> ...the best off road vehicle going next to a Bradley...


Now that sounds like fun, enjoy!


----------



## santafe158

After several years of looking, I finally purchased a couple of simple track cleaning cars. My display at the Redford Theatre for Christmas usually has a few spots that are hard to access for cleaning by hand, so I'm hoping these will help alleviate some of the hassle with that. 

The one with the rollers is by R&L Lines. It rides on die cast trucks, is made out of a solid piece of metal (I assume steel of some sort) that is pretty heavy. Normally they come with what appears to be a piece of stainless steel tubing riding on the cradles, but I bought mine used on Ebay and that was missing, so I replaced it with an industrial roller we had laying around in the workshop.

The second one with the scotchbrite pad is made by Bridgemasters. It appears to be similar to my grandpa's concept of a scotchbrite pad mounted to a block of wood secured between the side frames of his G scale bobber caboose. I figure I'll run this one ahead of the one with the foam rollers (which I'll apply some rubbing alcohol to) to help scour the heavy dirt before the rollers wipe up after it.


----------



## Lehigh74

I have one of the R&L Lines cars. It does a pretty good job. I clean accessible track by hand before I run the cleaner car so the rollers don't get black so fast.


----------



## santafe158

Lehigh74 said:


> I have one of the R&L Lines cars. It does a pretty good job. I clean accessible track by hand before I run the cleaner car so the rollers don't get black so fast.


That's good to know. I've read a couple reviews about them, but was skeptical. I got this one at a price I couldn't refuse, so I went for it. I do intend to clean the heavy stuff by hand, but there's a couple spots in our "tunnel" that I can't really reach easily, especially in the minimal amount of time I usually have for cleaning tracks.


----------



## DennyM

I need something like that for the club layout. It's pretty big and cleaning the track would be a lot easier with cleaning cars


----------



## njrailer93

took out of the camera and took a better shot of my kitbashed scale craft boxcar


----------



## Shawn91481

That is some nice waethering on that boxcar njrailer93


----------



## Guest

Outstanding work on the boxcar, NJ.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

njrailer93 said:


> took out of the camera and took a better shot of my kitbashed scale craft boxcar


A lot of work for one boxcar, but a very nice result. :thumbsup:


----------



## Trackside

*Restoration Project - Lionel 1688E*

My latest acquisition is my Dad's childhood Lionel 1688E Torpedo.
I'm beginning background searches for information and appropriate parts to repair and restore it. Started trying to clean up the motor & components. I've tried to attach a few photos let's see if it works... I'm thinking this is a 1936-37.


----------



## teledoc

Trackside, Your 1688E dates to 1936 vintage. The raised square hatch on the roof, and the open cab wall, is the key items, to put it at 1936. Later issues don't have the roof hatch, and the cab wall is closed with firebox doors. Any specific questions you have???


----------



## DennyM

Looks like that is going to be a fun project. Look forward to seeing your progress.


----------



## Trackside

*Restoration Project - Lionel 1688E*

Thank you, Teledoc, for confirming that for me. Most concerning question I have right now is that the two front wheels on the motor have damage and I'll need to find some replacement wheels. 

In reviewing the Olsen's part lists they seem to identify about 3 different combination of wheel sets. It appears to me that this one has a set of grooved wheels with gears on the two on the left side and having 12 spokes. 

I'd appreciate any guidance you might have on that. I've been cruising parts dealers online but not having much luck finding any with wheel sets. Scratching my head trying to determine if I should perhaps scrounge around and pick up some others that might have decent wheels and swap them out.


----------



## teledoc

*One definite dealer*

Trackside, A quick question about the plate on the bottom of the motor?? Does it show "Lionel Jr." or "Lionel 027" on the tag. Your motor definitely fits the 1936 era, but I find it strange that it has 12 spoke wheels, and what appears as cupped or grooved wheels. The wheels with the cupping or grooves are from the earliest production, and not found as common issue, of later motors. Looking at your body, it has roof hatch, open cab wall, and NO winged keystone, which puts it as a mid-year 1936 production. Most likely with the wheels you have, being 12 spoke, the axles should be splined (part 1689E-27), which most dealers carry. The wheels that I know can be had are from this link:
http://www.georgetebolt.com/prelist.html

It is George Tebolt, who is 82 years old. Click on that link, and it will bring up a page for Prewar parts. Scroll down to "0" gauge wheels, and there is a set of 12 spoke wheels, (Only sold in full set of 4 wheels) $40.00. That is the standard price for a complete set.

I have to check a few other dealers to see if they carry the 12 spoke. If I find others, I will let you know.


----------



## Trackside

*Restoration Project - Lionel 1688E*

Teledoc -- The plate on the bottom says Lionel 027. Thank you for the information, I'll check with Tebolt. That was a supplier that I hadn't gotten to on my list. Attached is a photo of the bottom plate.


----------



## teledoc

Phil, If the rear wheels are okay, without any issues, they can stay in place. The reason is the side rods are attached by peening, and can't be removed. The grooved (cupped) wheels were Very Early issues, and presumed to aid in traction. No need to remove them. Any wheelset from any dealer are sold as a complete set of 4. I remembered another dealer for the wheels--Mikestrainsandhobbies.

I also noticed you are missing the collector pickup shoes, on the collector plate. They are 1661E-33 part number, and just about all dealers have them.

Jerry (teledoc)


----------



## Trackside

*Restoration Project - Lionel 1688E*

Jerry -- That's good information on the side arms and rear wheels. Any schematics I've seen show the piston rods attached to the axle with a small hex nut, and that's not the case with mine. 

You were timely on your reply because I was looking those over trying to figure out how I'd ever get them off. That's a big pin holding them on. The rear wheels are in good shape though so that's one less thing to have to fuss with.

I did see the wheels on Tebolt's parts list and I'll check at Mike's in the morning to see if he might have some,too. You're also right I do need to get the collector shoe. 

I appreciate the help!!


----------



## teledoc

Phil, I just checked Mikestrainsandhobbies and if you go to his site, under the "General Parts" tab, scroll down to WHEELS, and he has wheel sets. I am pretty sure Part # 1-49075 would be what you need. I would Email him, to ask if they are 12 spoke or 8 spoke, to be sure. Also, ToyTrainTender (Jeff Kane) has part # 1661-WS, and again Email him to see if 12 or 8 spoke. Because you are not taking the rear wheels off, you need to get 12 spoke wheels, to make it look right. The going price from ALL DEALERS, is around $40 for a set of 4, and they only sell them that way. 

As an added note with wheels, the 258 loco, 1661, 1681 & 1689 use the same wheels, but again, you have to look for the number of spokes. I don't know if you checked the post in the "Tinplate" section, about Lionel Torpedoes a Case study, or not, but I know absolutely everything there is to know about the 1688, and the 1588 clockwork loco, along with the 1668 loco. The basic body of all three is the same mold that Lionel used, with certain modifications made during the years. 

I have three 1588 clockwork locos, four 1668's, and fifteen 1688's. I also have two 258 locos, along with three 1681 locos, and I know what motors can be swapped. You have a question, I can most likely answer it, with regard to the above mentioned locos.

Jerry


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Henning's Trains Tel: (215) 362-2442 is manufacturing a lot of the wheels for pre-war stuff, they're likely to have wheels if you need them.


----------



## teledoc

John, I would gladly use Hennings, but they don't have those wheel sets, for the 1661, 1681, 1688, 1689 locos, for the drive wheels. Hennings does have the pilot and trailing trucks/wheels, plus axles. One of the problems, stems from the spoke count on the specific year of manufacture. The early issues of the 1688E, use 8 spoke drivers, where later issues have 12 spoke. It comes down to whether you want the original look, or just a quick fix.


----------



## Trackside

*Restoration Project - Lionel 1688E*

John & Jerry -- Yes, I had checked with Hennings and found they didn't have any wheel sets for the 1688. Both Mike's and Toy Train Tender are checking their wheel sets to see if they have something that will work. Thanks, I appreciate your suggestions!


----------



## teledoc

One other option is looking on eBay for a motor only, that is offered cheap enough. As mentioned in other post, that the late version 258 loco used the 12 spoke wheels, and are interchangeable to the 1688E. The teeth count is 57 teeth on geared wheels, and the intermediate gear is Part# AM-70, which work on the 1661/1681/1688/1689 locos.

The wheels on the earliest 1688E's may have smooth axles which are a tight press fit, Part AM-84, or the later versions, which are splined, Part# 1689E-27.


----------



## Chiefmcfuz

Jeff Kane had them about a month ago ttender.com


----------



## Trackside

*1936 1688E Restoration Project*

OK Folks -- I still awaiting the arrival of my motor parts but thought I'd attach a photo of the locomotive shell and the 2689W tender that I refurbished.


----------



## Chiefmcfuz

Very nice.


----------



## teledoc

I presume you have wheelsets from Jeff Kane coming your way shortly. If you have questions with the restoration, just ask. It's looking good so far.:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks like new, I hope you get the running gear all sorted out.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have the Vision Line Eco Energy tank car set and a set of the non-Vision ones. Finally an opportunity to obtain some more came along and I grabbed up two more sets. With 12 cars, it's starting to grow into a decent sized tank train.  They roll very nice, I was able to pull the six new ones with a BEEP with no traction tires, not bad for six large cars.


----------



## Wood

John, those are nice units. A tank train is on my list. I have two suburban propane tankers and would like to build a bigger set.


----------



## DennyM

Those are nice John. I never considered a tank train.


----------



## Wood

Trackside, That is excellent!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Shawn91481

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I have the Vision Line Eco Energy tank car set and a set of the non-Vision ones. Finally an opportunity to obtain some more came along and I grabbed up two more sets. With 12 cars, it's starting to grow into a decent sized tank train.  They roll very nice, I was able to pull the six new ones with a BEEP with no traction tires, not bad for six large cars.
> 
> View attachment 342042
> 
> 
> View attachment 342050



Those are some fantastic tanks.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks, guys, I'm still looking for similar cars. I have a few other modern tank cars to add to the consist, but something about having a string of them all matching just looks cool to me.  It's a shame that Lionel never repeated the matching cars, they've been pumping out the black ones left and right.

Wood, I have several of the Suburban propane cars as well.


----------



## Spence

GRJ; the tanks look good. :thumbsup: Any chance of a short video pulling the 12 cars!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I only have six unpacked, I'm trying to empty this room so I can get the layout underway, that's been a bigger job than I ever imagined! I think I need to have a fire sale to cut down the stuff I have, but who decides what to sell...


----------



## Wood

Ha Ha Ha!!! That's a total dilemma!


----------



## Spence

GRJ; I know what you mean. In 2008 I thinned ot my collection by selling about 100 cars. My idea was to place everything I had on the layout. Then along came Menards and that theory was shot to hell.


----------



## PRRronbh

Finally realized my fascination as a kid of the Lionel late mid-50's catalog image of the New Haven EP-1. But with a K-Line EP-5 and MTH NH passenger cars.


----------



## DennyM

Good looking set.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## PRRronbh

Determined that the K-Line EP-5 was the nicest. Found one on eBay NIB totally intact.

Well this is how it arrived.


----------



## Guest

Always liked the McGinnes paint scheme (although he helped ruin the railroad), Ron. The K-Line is also a good runner.


----------



## Wood

PRRronbh said:


> Determined that the K-Line EP-5 was the nicest. Found one on eBay NIB totally intact.
> 
> Well this is how it arrived.



That happens on eBay. They are extremely good about getting refunds unless it was marked "Seller does not accept returns".

Sorry and good luck.


----------



## PRRronbh

Wood said:


> That happens on eBay. They are extremely good about getting refunds unless it was marked "Seller does not accept returns".
> 
> Sorry and good luck.



If you look at many of the eBay ads for a K-Line EP-5 you see where one or both pilots have been snapped off. This one advertised NIB and in-fact was, no marks on rollers and/or wheels. 
Problem this on was NOT packed correctly. Or may have gotten broke/snapped when put into Styrofoam. The brake was so violent that on of the coupler wires was ripped off.
But after weeks of pondering a fix, I "fixed" it literally.

Ron


----------



## Wood

*But after weeks of pondering a fix, I "fixed" it literally.

Ron 
*

Good for you. When you get something you want, you'll find a solution. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Bill Webb

*MTH N and W 0-8-0 Switcher*

Received today from Steve at MrMuffins. Looks like a nice addition and is one that is needed.

Now if we can get the garage finished and some of this stuff out of the house...

And for the first time, two pictures loaded at the same time. That is certainly an improvement but what did I do differently?

Yes, there is something under construction in the right rear. That is another story to be continued. Suffice to say that it has been thrown back in the box twice.


----------



## Shawn91481

Nice looking steam switcher.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice purchase, enjoy. 



Bill Webb said:


> And for the first time, two pictures loaded at the same time. That is certainly an improvement but what did I do differently?


I suspect it's the size of the graphic files. If you upload really huge files, they tend to have errors during the upload because of the size. If you resize them to a reasonable size, you can upload a bunch at once. I size things to 1280 wide, and I can upload ten at a time without any issues.


----------



## Guest

Good job, Bill, really fits into the theme of your new layout. Part of your growing super fleet of trains. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## dicgolfer72

few new goodies in this week 

first is a mth 3768 pensy

was a ebay snag I was not to happy when it showed up 

listed as "new only ran to test "

it showed up and the proto 1 board was all kinds of messed up 
it would make awful sounds and not run 
and then sometimes it would run for a short time then sound would stop and get stuck in forward ( when I opened it up it had a new battery and the pcb was very dirty/corroded so I find it hard to believe it was tested working)

lucky for me I had a southern crescent with a smoke unit that was shorting the train and had the 3 clanks of death 

so picked up a reset kit and transplanted the qsi pcb from the southern into the pensy and now she cooks (still not happy about what I paid lol)

then picked up a set of Bachman o scale chuggington engines for the lil guy 
they are nice for what they are but way to fast to let him run by himself 
the dual motors with full metal gears will take some weight to slow them down enough for him


----------



## ogaugeguy

It's a Lionel limited edition Hogwart's Express box car made by RGS Trains in 2001, custom painted with classic Harry Potter graphics. I don't know how many were made but neither I nor anyone I know have ever seen one before so I 'm guessing it's both scarce and rare.

Anyone have additional information on this box car other than what I've already stated?


----------



## santafealltheway

ogaugeguy said:


> It's a Lionel limited edition Hogwart's Express box car made by RGS Trains in 2001, custom painted with classic Harry Potter graphics. I don't know how many were made but neither I nor anyone I know have ever seen one before so I 'm guessing it's both scarce and rare.
> 
> Anyone have additional information on this box car other than what I've already stated?


Awesome!

I got the HO bachmann set.


----------



## DennyM

dicgolfer72 said:


> few new goodies in this week
> 
> first is a mth 3768 pensy
> 
> was a ebay snag I was not to happy when it showed up
> 
> listed as "new only ran to test "
> 
> it showed up and the proto 1 board was all kinds of messed up
> it would make awful sounds and not run
> and then sometimes it would run for a short time then sound would stop and get stuck in forward ( when I opened it up it had a new battery and the pcb was very dirty/corroded so I find it hard to believe it was tested working)
> 
> lucky for me I had a southern crescent with a smoke unit that was shorting the train and had the 3 clanks of death
> 
> so picked up a reset kit and transplanted the qsi pcb from the southern into the pensy and now she cooks (still not happy about what I paid lol)
> 
> then picked up a set of Bachman o scale chuggington engines for the lil guy
> they are nice for what they are but way to fast to let him run by himself
> the dual motors with full metal gears will take some weight to slow them down enough for him


It seems like they all say "new only ran to test". Like when a used car salesman says an old lady only drove the car to church.hwell:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

dicgolfer72 said:


> then picked up a set of Bachman o scale chuggington engines for the lil guy they are nice for what they are but way to fast to let him run by himself the dual motors with full metal gears will take some weight to slow them down enough for him


Consider doing a simple rewiring of the motors in series, that will make a major impact on the speed.


----------



## dicgolfer72

DennyM said:


> It seems like they all say "new only ran to test". Like when a used car salesman says an old lady only drove the car to church.hwell:



yea it really is hard anymore to trust what people say 
that's why I didn't bother filing a claim or complaining to the seller
I paid 150$ + shipping and I did find some replacement boards for 50 $
so I'm not to bad off 
but I could have gotten a newer engine at that price 





gunrunnerjohn said:


> Consider doing a simple rewiring of the motors in series, that will make a major impact on the speed.


thanks 

ill give that a shot on the Brewster 
we had a huge Oh No ! with it already 
and now has its horn is ripped off lol 

Brewster is a fair bit bigger than Willison , and also bigger than any other engines I have 
and full speed it hit the menards Maintenance Shed
hit so hard that it also tore out the rivets on a menards military box cars coupler 

up side is now without his horn he fits inside the shack lol


----------



## SDIV Tim

Never ran TMCC with odyssey and a missing headlight cover thingy for 95 what a steal


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Good one, Tim. Who doesn't like the Sante Fe.


----------



## PatKn

Just picked up these from my LHS. They were a MTH pre-order.


----------



## Shawn91481

PatKn said:


> Just picked up these from my LHS. They were a MTH pre-order.
> 
> View attachment 346401


Sweet. Tanks are my favorite.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice cars Pat. I like tank cars, I'm trying to build a nice long modern tank train.


----------



## Guest

Some nice additions, guys. I bought some new stuff at a train show just before Irma was about to hit. We headed north to escape and I'll post pics when we get back.


----------



## DennyM

Those are nice Pat. Stay safe Joe.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Country Joe said:


> Some nice additions, guys. I bought some new stuff at a train show just before Irma was about to hit. We headed north to escape and I'll post pics when we get back.


As long as they're not under water, right?


----------



## Guest

Thanks Denny.

John, we aren't in a flood zone. We're about 8 miles from the coast. We heard from neighbors that all is well with our house and the power is back on.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Just get back before the looters and you're all set.


----------



## PatKn

Great news, Joe.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

A while back I picked up the RailKing Reading Crusader with five cars. It's a nice looking train, but a bit short. Bob Phillips came to the rescue and I bought these matching cars from him.  I haven't unpacked them yet, I'll have to upgrade to the LED's and add passengers to match the other cars. I don't know as I'll do the observation as I already have two of them for the Crusader. With ten cars, it should be about the right length for a passenger train.


----------



## PatKn

That's going to be a good looking train, John. Enjoy it.


----------



## bowerda47

My latest addition a Lionel # 6-11711 Santa Fe ABA anomaly.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

PatKn said:


> That's going to be a good looking train, John. Enjoy it.


Thanks Pat, I'm looking forward to having these knocked out.




bowerda47 said:


> My latest addition a Lionel # 6-11711 Santa Fe ABA anomaly.


A classic, that will look good heading up your passenger train.


----------



## bowerda47

A classic, that will look good heading up your passenger train. [/QUOTE]


Can you spot why it is an anomaly?


----------



## Guest

Sante Fe F units, now they are *classics*.


----------



## DennyM

gunrunnerjohn said:


> A while back I picked up the RailKing Reading Crusader with five cars. It's a nice looking train, but a bit short. Bob Phillips came to the rescue and I bought these matching cars from him.  I haven't unpacked them yet, I'll have to upgrade to the LED's and add passengers to match the other cars. I don't know as I'll do the observation as I already have two of them for the Crusader. With ten cars, it should be about the right length for a passenger train.
> 
> View attachment 346650





bowerda47 said:


> My latest addition a Lionel # 6-11711 Santa Fe ABA anomaly.


John and Bowerda47 real nice.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## PRRronbh

gunrunnerjohn said:


> A while back I picked up the RailKing Reading Crusader with five cars. It's a nice looking train, but a bit short. Bob Phillips came to the rescue and I bought these matching cars from him.  I haven't unpacked them yet, I'll have to upgrade to the LED's and add passengers to match the other cars. I don't know as I'll do the observation as I already have two of them for the Crusader. With ten cars, it should be about the right length for a passenger train.
> 
> View attachment 346650


But in-fact the Crusader passenger consist was only five cars.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Will be nice to see the Reading cars on club layout at a show. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Now I need to find some 18" ones.


----------



## Guest

PRRronbh said:


> But in-fact the Crusader passenger consist was only five cars.


For most of us in O gauge the prototype is only a suggestion though our trains are usually shorter than the real ones, not longer.


----------



## Bob Phillips

For most of us in O gauge the prototype is only a suggestion though our trains are usually shorter than the real ones, not longer. 

It is very hard to pull 100 freight cars on a layout like the real trains do in my area.


----------



## Guest

One advantage of passenger cars, you can make up trains that are a whole lot closer to prototype.


----------



## PRRronbh

Bob Phillips said:


> Will be nice to see the Reading cars on club layout at a show. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Now I need to find some 18" ones.


Weaver made them in the correct five car consist. They also made a scale Crusader.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I know that Weaver made them, but they have the ugly passenger silhouettes, and ripping those out and putting in interiors is a PITA, Harry Henning did it to that set.

I also know that the "real" Reading Crusader consist was five cars, but since I want mine to have a little more length with the shorter cars, it'll be longer. 

The real Crusader didn't have dome cars either, so I'll nip that comment in the bud before it happens.


----------



## Guest

The New York Central never had dome cars either but that won't stop me from running them. I don't have any now but some NYC passenger sets include them and I'm sure I will eventually have at least one. I like dome cars. I think they are really cool and look great running in the dark. :laugh:


----------



## dicgolfer72

https://www.menards.com/main/home-d...-c-13318.htm?tid=-8020385039944388955&ipos=13

this mystery box from menards peaked my intrest so I bought it 
when I made my order for the new lionel panel van and a military caboose to finish off a military consist


overall pretty happy (sorry for the hazy pics my phone camera lens is scratched pretty bad and good camera is at my store )


ended up with Morton salt factory in great shape just a bit of damage to one of the walkways 
2 flat cars 
one military 
one with ambulance 
a quaker state tanker car
and 2 die cast cars red ambulance and green Porsche ( the Porsche is big at 1/36 scale so 2 year old is going to get it )

and a camo menards hat 

lol 
I'm happy with the lot at 99$
rolling stock was all in 100% cosmetic condition just damaged or missing packaging
now I just have to find a spot for the Morton factory on my already overflowiung layout lol


----------



## Yellowstone Special

dicgolfer72 said:


> https://www.menards.com/main/home-d...-c-13318.htm?tid=-8020385039944388955&ipos=13
> 
> this mystery box from menards peaked my intrest so I bought it
> when I made my order for the new lionel panel van and a military caboose to finish off a military consist
> 
> 
> overall pretty happy (sorry for the hazy pics my phone camera lens is scratched pretty bad and good camera is at my store )
> 
> 
> ended up with Morton salt factory in great shape just a bit of damage to one of the walkways
> 2 flat cars
> one military
> one with ambulance
> a quaker state tanker car
> and 2 die cast cars red ambulance and green Porsche ( the Porsche is big at 1/36 scale so 2 year old is going to get it )
> 
> and a camo menards hat
> 
> lol
> I'm happy with the lot at 99$
> rolling stock was all in 100% cosmetic condition just damaged or missing packaging
> now I just have to find a spot for the Morton factory on my already overflowiung layout lol


Boy, that lens really IS scratched. Makes it look like there's a lot of fog on your layout.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Country Joe said:


> The New York Central never had dome cars either but that won't stop me from running them. I don't have any now but some NYC passenger sets include them and I'm sure I will eventually have at least one. I like dome cars. I think they are really cool and look great running in the dark. :laugh:


That's the reason I love the dome cars. I have a PRR dome car as well, another road that never had them.


----------



## seayakbill

Some diecast for the layout from Menards.

Bill


----------



## dicgolfer72

seayakbill said:


> Some diecast for the layout from Menards.
> 
> Bill
> 
> View attachment 347074


great die cast i need to stock up on more myself

I got my panel truck the other day from them 
nice truck but seems a tad small compared to some of the other cars/trucks i have in the same scale 


I've been going a bit crazy of late lol 
(glad I've been here to snag the packages before the wife does lol )

this one came in today
pretty happy with them 
no frills but detail is nice and the price was good 
only thing i don't like is the motors are pretty loud 

nib k-line 
southern pacific twin alco set


----------



## Shawn91481

K-line those are some old beauties. Never had any of their locos, but I did get a few peices of rolling stock. The Anheiser Busch Reefer is just as good as any of the middle of the road MTH (Railking) or Lionel stuff


----------



## DennyM

dicgolfer72 said:


> great die cast i need to stock up on more myself
> 
> I got my panel truck the other day from them
> nice truck but seems a tad small compared to some of the other cars/trucks i have in the same scale
> 
> 
> I've been going a bit crazy of late lol
> (glad I've been here to snag the packages before the wife does lol )
> 
> this one came in today
> pretty happy with them
> no frills but detail is nice and the price was good
> only thing i don't like is the motors are pretty loud
> 
> nib k-line
> southern pacific twin also set


I had the K-Line AA NYC Alcos. They were pretty loud. I traded them for the Williams AA Rock Island Alcos. The only drawback is the power unit only has one motor, but they're nice a quiet. Plus I put a Railsounds board in it.


----------



## Dano

I have added the CPA-16-5 and a Rayonier thrall door boxcar to the mix.


----------



## Wood

Dano, that Thrall box car looks excellent. Is it scale? I should research them. Time to move up from 1940's refrigerated box cars.


----------



## DennyM

Yeah that boxcar is nice.


----------



## PatKn

dicgolfer72, I also had the K-Line alco set in NY Central. It went the way of most of my traditional sized collection when I sold them off years ago and started concentrating on scale equipment. Reliable good runner. Enjoy yours.

Dano, The box car looks great.


----------



## santafe158

Made a trip to the LHS (Local is a loose term now adays unfortunately) to pick one of these up on Saturday. Since they released the LCS Wifi products, my buddy and I have been toying with the idea of getting one for our layout at the Redford Theatre. I hook my legacy base up every year, so that we have the option to run our nicer models when we're there to do it, but the Wifi module will give us a bit more flexibility for running trains without having to be right next to the layout. It can sometimes be a challenge being near the controls if something happens, so having the ability to control things from my phone will be nice.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Alright Jake, looking good! I will follow your lead on control items and post that I just bought a brand new Legacy 990 last week and got my first engine programmed and up and running this past weekend!  Yes, I see already Legacy is much better than TMCC!


----------



## DennyM

santafe158 said:


> Made a trip to the LHS (Local is a loose term now adays unfortunately) to pick one of these up on Saturday. Since they released the LCS Wifi products, my buddy and I have been toying with the idea of getting one for our layout at the Redford Theatre. I hook my legacy base up every year, so that we have the option to run our nicer models when we're there to do it, but the Wifi module will give us a bit more flexibility for running trains without having to be right next to the layout. It can sometimes be a challenge being near the controls if something happens, so having the ability to control things from my phone will be nice.
> 
> View attachment 348314


There is one connected to the layout at the hobby shop I work at. It seem to be working pretty good. The train tech there was testing it.


----------



## santafe158

Mark Boyce said:


> Alright Jake, looking good! I will follow your lead on control items and post that I just bought a brand new Legacy 990 last week and got my first engine programmed and up and running this past weekend! Yes, I see already Legacy is much better than TMCC!



I completely agree Mark. Though I only own three Legacy locomotives, even my TMCC stuff is nicer to run with the system. I definitely like the Cab-2 Controls better. Enjoy your new Legacy system!


----------



## santafe158

DennyM said:


> There is one connected to the layout at the hobby shop I work at. It seem to be working pretty good. The train tech there was testing it.


That's good to know. We'll probably start layout construction in about a month, so unfortunately I have to wait until then to try mine out, but we're looking forward to it.

We're also looking to possibly add its own network within the theater wifi that only we have access to. I'm not sure who would pay $50 for an app just to mess with our trains, but we don't really want to take that chance.


----------



## Dano

Wood said:


> Dano, that Thrall box car looks excellent. Is it scale? I should research them. Time to move up from 1940's refrigerated box cars.


MTH makes a bunch, they are big!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Decided to add to my command upgraded Tie-Jector, so I picked up the tie work car. The lighting was lame, so I had to fix that. Now it has work lights in the tie area, cab lights inside, and a rear light in case they're working back there. Naturally, they're flicker-free using my lighting regulator.  I also added the tether to my Tie-Jector to share the pickups with the work car, no more stalling on switches.

Quick cell phone pictures, excuse the focus.


----------



## PatKn

Nice addition, John. :thumbsup:


----------



## Mark Boyce

santafe158 said:


> I completely agree Mark. Though I only own three Legacy locomotives, even my TMCC stuff is nicer to run with the system. I definitely like the Cab-2 Controls better. Enjoy your new Legacy system!


Thank you, Jake!


----------



## Spence

GRJ; very nice improvements.


----------



## dicgolfer72

man i need to slow down 
post man brought me another one lol

rail king santafe set with dummy and b unit

i already had a powered a unit but have been wanting a dummy and a b unit 
when this one popped up as only making sound not working i jumped on it lol

glad i did it was only a very very rotted original proto battery
new batt and now it runs great 
and now i have a spare lol


----------



## Guest

*glad i did it*

Congratulations, nice when a plan works out.


----------



## Guest

We are back home after fleeing Irma and visiting family and friends in NY. I can finally show what I bought at a show on Sept 2:

MTH water tank









MTH crossing flashing lights









and 3 ITAD sensors for the lights and some operating accessories


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Very nice, Joe. So Scaletrax AND Fastrack? Interesting.


----------



## Guest

Yellowstone Special said:


> Very nice, Joe. So Scaletrax AND Fastrack? Interesting.


Thanks Vern. The ITAD will work with any track. I don't have any Scaletrax but I did use Realtrax on the upper level on my layout because I had it.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Country Joe said:


> Thanks Vern. The ITAD will work with any track. I don't have any Scaletrax but I did use Realtrax on the upper level on my layout because I had it.


I see. Nice job at the crossing with the road meeting the rails.


----------



## Guest

Yellowstone Special said:


> I see. Nice job at the crossing with the road meeting the rails.


Thanks Vern. The foam core is easy to work with and just the right thickness for the rails. I make a paper template and then cut the foam core with an X-acto knife. I have some Woodland Scenics N Scale foam roadbed for inside the rails. It's fits perfectly between the center and outside rails. This is another crossing where the road is finished.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Country Joe said:


> Thanks Vern. The foam core is easy to work with and just the right thickness for the rails. I make a paper template and then cut the foam core with an X-acto knife. I have some Woodland Scenics N Scale foam roadbed for inside the rails. It's fits perfectly between the center and outside rails. This is another crossing where the road is finished.
> 
> View attachment 349682


Good job, Joe. I need to do that at my main crossing. Thanks for the tips. :thumbsup:


----------



## Bob Phillips

Layout is looking great Joe. Hope everything is A ok in Florida.


----------



## Guest

Good stuff, Joe. Glad your back home safely.


----------



## Guest

Yellowstone Special said:


> Good job, Joe. I need to do that at my main crossing. Thanks for the tips. :thumbsup:


Thanks Vern. I cut the roadbed in the middle. It doesn't split apart like cork but there is a cut line so it's really easy. I lay the center against the inside rail and the sloping edge against the outside rail. There seems to be plenty of clearance for the wheel flanges.



Bob Phillips said:


> Layout is looking great Joe. Hope everything is A ok in Florida.


Thanks Bob. Vero Beach is on the east coast so we didn't get hit all that hard. The west coast really got hammered.



Passenger Train Collector said:


> Good stuff, Joe. Glad your back home safely.


Thanks Brian. The one big casualty is that I was planning on attending York next month but after all the driving and being away I'm putting it off until April. I'm just not up to another long drive so soon.


----------



## Bill Webb

*MTH N and W 0-8-0*

Joe glad that you are back safely. Like your purchases.

Today we got a second MTH 0-8-0 but this one made a stop in New Jersey for renumbering and some "light weathering" per Paula's request. If you don't know, Harry Hieke and Vicki live in New Jersey.

Paula likes what Harry did and it was her call and birthday present (next week). The new look is gone but it isn't the "worn n used" that I would have preferred.

She just said, "Now we need to get one of the freight engines weathered."

Now to get the building finished. We are past ready to run some trains


----------



## dicgolfer72

Passenger Train Collector said:


> *glad i did it*
> 
> Congratulations, nice when a plan works out.


lol yes


----------



## DennyM

Looks good Bill. How were Harry and Vicki doing?


----------



## Guest

Thanks Bill.

I agree with Paula. I prefer light weathering to really beat up and neglected. The new N&W looks fabulous.


----------



## Guest

Ahh, the old lightly weathered trick. If this makes Paula happy, it is well worth it. Harry does a super job as well.


----------



## Bill Webb

DennyM said:


> Looks good Bill. How were Harry and Vicki doing?


They are doing fine and getting ready for York. As you have seen from PTC, Harry has been pretty busy lately.


----------



## DennyM

Bill Webb said:


> They are doing fine and getting ready for York. As you have seen from PTC, Harry has been pretty busy lately.


Yes I have always outstanding work.


----------



## Wood

*Super Chief*

Today was a good day! I met my friends Brian and Elizabeth in Portland for a great breakfast at Becky's Diner.

The reason for this meet was to collect a few things from Brian who is releasing some old equipment he no longer needs. Below is pictured the Lionel SuperChief 15' Chrome top passenger set produced for the 1997 Classic Trains Volume 2 catalog. He had the complete 5 car set and the 2 car add on pack. All items are like new. I am not certain they have ever been run. 

I have searched for several years for the K-Line 15" set without success. No longer looking! This is a beautiful set with excellent trucks and couplers. It runs extremely well on my layout and I am very happy to have it.

Thank you Brian and Elizabeth.


----------



## DennyM

Wood that is absolutely beautiful. I'm living in the wrong part of the country. All the cool train stuff is East. It would be easier to get into the oval office without a invitation than to talk my wife into moving, but I try anyway.


----------



## Wood

Thanks Denny, This is a little bit of a throw back piece. Are they realistic? No. Do they have interiors? No. Do they use those crazy windows pictures to show people? Yes.

I love them!!! They remind me of those Lionel coaches I had in my life, a long time ago. But, they are even better, they are "The Super Chief"! This was the top of the line for Lionel in 1997. I am grateful.

Michigan has some nice modelers out there.


----------



## Shawn91481

I added a train wreck... it was unplanned, but what happens when you have a cheap Lionel coupler fail and you walk away for a minute.


----------



## Guest

That is a really nice set, Wood, plus it's great that you guys were able to get together.


----------



## Guest

Ouch, Shawn, but it looks like there was no serious damage.


----------



## Shawn91481

Wood, very nice. If you ever find it a burdon let me know. I'll take it off your hands. 

Joe, LOL I wouldn't be laughing if there had been damage. Those engines are expensive, and I put a lot of work and money into that caboose.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Wood, They look great and so does the layout!! They are just right for that rather tight curve. I would have expected nothing but the best from Brian and Elizabeth!! Thank you for sharing!!! I have a 15" Williams Powhatan Arrow set with the people on the windows in color. Looks great to me!


----------



## Guest

They look wonderful on your railroad, Wood.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Shawn91481 said:


> I added a train wreck... it was unplanned, but what happens when you have a cheap Lionel coupler fail and you walk away for a minute.


One thing I learned a long time ago: Never walk away.


----------



## Spence

The cars look great Wood. I see you've added some boats & canoes to the lake. It looks fantastic. :appl: I especially like the sea plane.


----------



## Wood

Spence, Did you notice the Park Ranger's boat? Another friend with gifts to share. This scene is really going to come alive. Wait until I get Gunrunners motor in the float plane and double magnets on the floats.

Opps, I just looked at the picture and your Park Ranger boat and Truck are hidden behind the cars.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking set, Wood. Enjoy it.
Shawn, I'm glad there was no damage. I've caused an occasional accident myself.


----------



## DennyM

*Z-Stiff and another Menards truck*

I picked up a couple of Z-Stuff dwarf signals when I was at the hobby shop yesterday. Then went to Menards to get more wire to wire them to the layout and I got another Denver Die Cast truck.


----------



## Mark Boyce

Denny, those dwarf signals look very good on the layout.


----------



## DennyM

Thanks Mark. That's one thing checked off my York list.


----------



## PatKn

The dwarf signals look nice, Denny. We have some Z-Stuff Pennsy style signals at the club. I like the way they work and they're easy to install. Had some trouble with the crossing gates though.

Just got a shipping notice from Patrick's trains that my Lionel Legacy Rutland Mogil is in transit. It arrives tomorrow. Won't get to take pictures until the weekend though. I'll post the pictures when afterwards.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Denny is trying to personally empty Menards of diecast trucks.


----------



## DennyM

Me?????


----------



## njrailer93

Here we go mth ps2 scale nyc gp9. Picked it up with 340 miles everything works great I will throw a bcr at it though


----------



## Spence

Denny; I thought you were done buying until after York! 

Vern; nice looking engine.


----------



## Guest

Denny, I like those signals and the truck. I don't think you can have too many vehicles on a layout. What makes the signal change from green to red?

NJ, very nice loco. It looks like new.


----------



## DennyM

Spence said:


> Denny; I thought you were done buying until after York!
> 
> Vern; nice looking engine.


I said I was not buying anymore Menards trains til after York. I said nothing about cars, trucks and helicopters. I'll post a picture of the helicopter after I get a flatcar to put it on. All three were a total of $9. The dwarf signals cost me a whopping $10



Country Joe said:


> Denny, I like those signals and the truck. I don't think you can have too many vehicles on a layout. What makes the signal change from green to red?
> 
> NJ, very nice loco. It looks like new.


They have a IR sensor that activates when a car passes beside them. It is so much better than making blocked sections. Especially with Fastrack.


----------



## Guest

Thanks Denny.


----------



## seayakbill

New grain hopper on the S&Y RR. An Atlas Early Times Whiskey grain hopper.

Bill


----------



## Guest

I like the graphics, Bill.


----------



## DennyM

Is it headed for Tennessee to the Jack Daniels plant?


----------



## Guest

New K-Line F59PHI to go with our Surfliner passenger car set.

View attachment 355578


----------



## PRRronbh

Just acquired this week. A MTH Premier AAR box car. Prototypically correct 1955 McGinnis era Paint black body orange door. But not too sure that the orange ladders and grab-irons are in fact prototypical.


----------



## Guest

Great acquisitions Brian and Ron.


----------



## Chiefmcfuz

Made a track cleaner car out of spare parts.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Very amusing, quite creative.


----------



## Krieglok

Finally picked up a couple favorite locomotives in O scale. Both MTH products...

Tom


----------



## Wood

Krieglok said:


> Finally picked up a couple favorite locomotives in O scale. Both MTH products...
> 
> Tom



Beautiful units. 0-8-8-0 and 2-8-8-0? Very unusual.


----------



## Krieglok

Both Erie Railroad prototypes, an Alco 0-8-8-0 "Angus" and a Baldwin Triplex, 2-8-8-8-2. 

The Angus, when built in 1907, was the largest steam locomotive in the world....

Tom


----------



## Spence

2 beautiful Erie's. :thumbsup:


----------



## Wood

Krieglok said:


> Both Erie Railroad prototypes, an Alco 0-8-8-0 "Angus" and a Baldwin Triplex, 2-8-8-8-2.
> 
> The Angus, when built in 1907, was the largest steam locomotive in the world....
> 
> Tom


I missed the Baldwin extra 8 under the tender. They must have been a killer to keep enough water and coal loaded. What was there principal product load. Coal??


----------



## Krieglok

The Baldwin Triplex was designed to haul freight at a decent speed over Gulf Summit, capable of pulling almost 300 cars. The problem was the draft gear(couplers) on freight cars of the time, were not able to withstand the large loads, so train lengths were still limited to around 100 cars.

The Triplex ended up being used for coal drags and as pusher locomotives on Gulf Summit for a fairly limited number of years. The engine was built with the idea of replacing three locomotives and crews with one locomotive and crew for pusher, helper service.

The problem was when the Triplex was out of service for repairs, they had to be replaced by three locos if another Triplex wasn't on hand.


----------



## Wood

Thank you Tom, interesting story.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful locos, Tom. Very nice additions to your roster. Are they Premier or Railking? I'm guessing Premier but I really can't tell.


----------



## Guest

Nice additions, Tom.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks guys.

They are the Premier series with the high rail wheels. They are unbelievably heavy. This is the first O scale I have purchased in over 20 years. I have some cheapie Lionel and K-Line stuff that I haven't run in years. 

The 0-8-8-0 came as a set with five Erie coal hoppers and a bobber caboose.


----------



## Chiefmcfuz

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Very amusing, quite creative.


Thanks


----------



## PatKn

Last week I received my Lionel Legacy Rutland Mogil from Patrick's Trains. I got a chance to try it out on my test track on Saturday. Haven't had a chance to bring it to the club and let it stretch it's legs. I'm running conventional since I don't have TMCC or Legacy. 






























The Mogil will pull my milk train. I presently have an Atlas Rutland RS-1 that pulls the train.


----------



## Spence

Pat; looks and sounds good. :thumbsup:


----------



## Wood

Pat, After watching you posts over the years, you have developed a very nice collection of locomotives. The little Mogel looks and sounds great. Please post pics of the milk train.


----------



## PatKn

Wood said:


> Pat, After watching you posts over the years, you have developed a very nice collection of locomotives. The little Mogel looks and sounds great. Please post pics of the milk train.


Thanks Wood & Spence. I will have to bring the milk train to the club soon and take some pictures. I'll make sure to post them.


----------



## cole226

what, not a Pennsy!!


nice little engine pat. milk train will look great.:thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Looks good, Pat. You will love Legacy.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Command operation is like potato chips, you can't have just one!  Nice addition Pat.


----------



## Guest

That is a very nice small loco, Pat. It will look great pulling your milk train.


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Pat. I have a Cab1-L I'm thinking of selling.


----------



## PatKn

Thanks all. I've been looking for a small Rutland Steam engine for a long time. The Rutland is not done much by O Gauge manufacturers. 

Thanks Denny but most of my engines are MTH. I have no immediate need for TMCC or Legacy. I'll continue to run my Lionel engines conventional.


----------



## Krieglok

That is a handsome locomotive with nice lines. Great acquisition!

Tom


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Maybe this isn't really a "rosterable" item, but I just finished installing a new Miller's Engineering sign for my train station. 

Now it's not only Victoria Station, but a Santa Fe passenger station as well, since the Santa Fe train stops there as well as the Polar Express.

I really like the Miller's signs. :thumbsup:


----------



## Spence

Looks good Vern. Those Miller signs can become addictive.


----------



## Guest

The sign looks great, Vern. It's a nice addition to your layout.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you, Spence and Joe.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'm not sure how I'll "roster" this, but this is where the JWA RR will be living soon!


----------



## DennyM

It definitely looks good Vern. I plan on getting some more Miller signs at York.


----------



## DennyM

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'm not sure how I'll "roster" this, but this is where the JWA RR will be living soon!
> 
> View attachment 358138
> 
> 
> View attachment 358146


Man, I would love to have a room that size. My wife watches those house hunting shows. When I watch them with her all I see is places to put a layout.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Denny, this little search took three years, we started looking in 2014. We end up moving about three miles.


----------



## teledoc

John, I suppose we will be seeing construction of the JWA RR, starting about mid 2018??


----------



## cole226

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'm not sure how I'll "roster" this, but this is where the JWA RR will be living soon!
> 
> congrats on the new house. looks like nice size train room.:thumbsup:
> 
> anxious to see a track plan


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thanks, Denny. Seems like York would be a good place to get more of them.

What a beautiful and ample space for the perfect layout, John. We'll expect great things!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, after the move, the sale of this house, and getting all the usual "necessary" stuff done to the new house, I'll be breaking out my Mianne benchwork boxes and figuring out what else I need. 

I'm a ways from a track plan right now, but I'll be looking for ideas when I figure out how big the layout will be. I'm still thinking on having it on the walls or in the center of the room. For this room, I'm leaning to having it in the center, and maybe having one long side on the wall.


----------



## teledoc

Shelf plans from Lee Willis, to showcase your extras.....ROFLMAO!!! There will be a lot of normal things to be done, before any train work can be started. Hopefully everything goes smoothly with the dual transition, of new house move, and old house sale. Then the FUN STUFF can start. Best of luck with the move.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I will be needing a lot of shelves, that's for sure. I'm eyeing the steps down to the basement as one place that could be used for display as well. Someone here showed us the way...


----------



## SDIV Tim

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SDIV Tim

Added this 24.5 inch monster










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## DennyM

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Denny, this little search took three years, we started looking in 2014. We end up moving about three miles.


I can't wait to see your layout progress.


----------



## DennyM

SDIV Tim said:


> Added this 24.5 inch monster
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

SDIV Tim said:


> Added this 24.5 inch monster


That's a serious gondola!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

DennyM said:


> I can't wait to see your layout progress.


I can't wait either.


----------



## Guest

Tim, that is a sweet looking gondola. What size curves are required to run it?


----------



## Guest

Exciting move, John. Gorgeous new train room.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks Brian, now I just have to build something there.


----------



## DennyM

Too bad I don't live there John. You would definitely have some help.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Denny, I suspect I'm definitely going to need some help, but at least the process has started at last.


----------



## Jeff T

Good Luck with your build John!!


----------



## Wood

John, That is a beautiful room. Great layout opportunity. I will enjoy watching your progress. 

Don't forget the workshop. Gotta have a place for me to send all my stuff for repairs/upgrades..


----------



## Bill Webb

*Very nice quarters for the JWA RR*



gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'm not sure how I'll "roster" this, but this is where the JWA RR will be living soon!
> 
> View attachment 358138
> 
> 
> View attachment 358146



John that is a beautiful room. What a great place to build a railroad. Can't wait to watch.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I can't wait to get started!


----------



## Shawn91481

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'm not sure how I'll "roster" this, but this is where the JWA RR will be living soon!
> 
> View attachment 358138
> 
> 
> View attachment 358146



Wow that looks like a grade location. I'll trade you.


----------



## PatKn

Great looking space, John. Good luck on the new house and enjoy building the new layout. :smilie_daumenpos: For me the planning is the best part.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, once the move is laying flat, next spring promises to be busy trying to figure what I'm building.


----------



## DennyM

You've got plenty of time to plan.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Funny how time has a way of getting away from you.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Country Joe said:


> Tim, that is a sweet looking gondola. What size curves are required to run it?




In the Catalog it says it will navigate O-36 but the smallest I’ve done is O-54


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## DennyM

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Funny how time has a way of getting away from you.


True, when I woke up this morning it was still July.


----------



## seayakbill

A couple more items from Menards Trains. The Lighted Billboard and the AT&SF boxcar. Great stuff at a very reasonable price.

Plus the free trees are very much appreciated.

Bill


----------



## Guest

Very nice additions, Bill.


----------



## Krieglok

Cool. I like the billboard with the dog! 

Nice boxcar too!

Here are my latest O scale buys...

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Arrived today....K-Line PRR B-6 0-6-0, a gently used gem. Here it is on the test track...a few added details coming soon...

Tom


----------



## Mark Boyce

The B-6 looks great, Tom!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice B6, they're a neat little locomotive. I have the K-Line A5, and the Legacy B6, and both of them are very good looking as is yours. :thumbsup:


----------



## DennyM

Great looking engine Tom!!


----------



## Krieglok

Thank you guys. Of course K-Line gets all the credit!

I plan on just adding the whistle and bell lanyards running back to the cab, and perhaps a little extra piping on the front end. 

A well made model right out of the box though. Thanks again!

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Really nice engine, Tom. Those little steam switchers are real cool. I have the K-Line A5 and the MTH B6. Enjoy it.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks, Pat. I have the A-5 from MTH. I love it! It is a chunky little engine! 

I actually have another B-6, brand new in the box. It is another "505" so I have to part with one of them lol.

Tom


----------



## cole226

tom,
i've got the same b6. great litttle switcher.
good luck with it.
rc


----------



## Guest

Very, very nice locos, Tom.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks guys. The second B-6 came out to the test track today, along with my new(used) MTH PRR J-1. Both threw traction tires on my short test track. But the rest of the features work as intended. 

The J is huge. I had it on my mantle for a couple days and today when I took it down to test it, I was afraid of dropping it on my Pug, who was sleeping right below! This engine is heavy! A bit of dust to remove, but otherwise a nice worker...

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Tom,
I also have the MTH J1. It is my favorite steam engine. It looks so massive. I love it. I had some trouble running it at my club. The 16 wheel tender would derail on an S curve. We added a short straight between the two curves of the S and it now takes the curve with no problems. There was a couple of other big engines that had trouble with that curve.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

cole226 said:


> gunrunnerjohn said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not sure how I'll "roster" this, but this is where the JWA RR will be living soon!
> 
> 
> 
> congrats on the new house. looks like nice size train room. :thumbsup:
> 
> anxious to see a track plan
Click to expand...

Me too! I have to get moved first, but I'm packing away here, but I have a long ways to go!


----------



## JimL

Very cool looking B-6's! I like little steam switchers, too ... had a few.

Your two B-6's on the layout with the huge J-1 ..... PRR cool! I like that stuff


----------



## PRRronbh

Not exactly new to me but new in that recently finished mod moving all power "gear" from the MTH provide trailing A-unit to the B-unit. Now have a B&O prototypically correct E6a and E6b 57 and 57X both powered.


----------



## Krieglok

Beautiful E units! I love the B&O locomotives, the paint scheme gives them that sleek look that makes them look fast even though they are standing still!

They must pull like mules!

Tom


----------



## PRRronbh

Krieglok said:


> Beautiful E units! I love the B&O locomotives, the paint scheme gives them that sleek look that makes them look fast even though they are standing still!
> 
> They must pull like mules!
> 
> Tom


When B&O smooth sided stream line passenger cars are coupled to these slant nosed E6a and E6b units you have one streamed line train. Only thing MTH got the bottom stripe WRONG. All B&O E's in the blue and gray paint style had a 1 3/4-inch GRAY bottom stripe not gold as MTH used here. Now the passenger cars I have from this same time do also have a bottom gold stripe which was in fact prototypical for some of B&O's smooth streamliners.

Thought about trying to change this but it dose look so good and consistent, what the heck.


----------



## Krieglok

Ahh, little things only the owner might know about. Regardless, they are beautiful. The Pennsy units aren't bad looking either. I bet they look sharp pulling a string of Tuscan varnish....

Nice units!

Tom


----------



## balidas

PRRronbh said:


> When B&O smooth sided stream line passenger cars are coupled to these slant nosed E6a and E6b units you have one streamed line train. Only thing MTH got the bottom stripe WRONG. All B&O E's in the blue and gray paint style had a 1 3/4-inch GRAY bottom stripe not gold as MTH used here. Now the passenger cars I have from this same time do also have a bottom gold stripe which was in fact prototypical for some of B&O's smooth streamliners.
> 
> Thought about trying to change this but it dose look so good and consistent, what the heck.


You could probably change that with some pinstripe.

Beautiful looking locos tho!


----------



## balidas

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'm not sure how I'll "roster" this, but this is where the JWA RR will be living soon!
> 
> View attachment 358138
> 
> 
> View attachment 358146


Yea ya know, I think with some planning, you will be able to fit a few loops in there. 

Great space!


----------



## Guest

Beautiful B&O units, Ron.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful locos. I would leave the stripe alone unless it really, really bothers you. Toy trains have a long history of getting details close but wrong.


----------



## DennyM

Yes, definitely good looking units Ron.:thumbsup:


----------



## PRRronbh

Krieglok said:


> Ahh, little things only the owner might know about. Regardless, they are beautiful. The Pennsy units aren't bad looking either. I bet they look sharp pulling a string of Tuscan varnish....
> 
> Nice units!
> 
> Tom


Have not had trackage up for a while. Have three sets of MTH Pennsy passenger cars. A heavyweight set, a smooth side streamline tuscan set and a Fleet of Modernism set best matched to the S1.
Have another Lionel set of Pennsy E7's and a MTH contemporary Southern E8 A-unit that is at the NCTM.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice collection. Who made the PRR coaches?

The southern E is really sharp. I ran one when I was a Hostler. It was owned by New Jersey Transit, but it was still in the Southern Cresent colors. 

Tom


----------



## PRRronbh

Krieglok said:


> Nice collection. Who made the PRR coaches?
> 
> The southern E is really sharp. I ran one when I was a Hostler. It was owned by New Jersey Transit, but it was still in the Southern Cresent colors.
> 
> Tom


All Pennsy passenger cars are MTH. But have a K-Line blunt end PRR observation and PRR Business Car

Business car in this photo.


----------



## PRRronbh

Thanks all for your comments.Am leaving the bottom gold stripe alone especially since matches up passenger car set.


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Ron.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Maybe this could be considered a "stationary" roster item. Picked up another MIB Dept. 56 structure on Ebay for less than half price new. This is the Old Chealsea Mansion from their Snow Village line. 

It fits in well with the others and with Christmas coming, adds a little more red and white to the layout.


----------



## JimL

Beautiful Christmas addition, Vern!


----------



## Yellowstone Special

JimL said:


> Beautiful Christmas addition, Vern!


Thanks Jim.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I haven't been buying much lately, but I added a couple of cars for my Christmas Train, the price was right.


----------



## PatKn

Ron,
I love the E Units. The E6 looks great in the B&O scheme. I have always liked the B&O paint scheme. Engines like the E6 and Shark nose really show it off. I don't have any E6s. My Pennsy E8s are the pride of my Diesel powered varnish. I also have E8s in Per Marquette and Great Northern.


----------



## Guest

Ron, beautiful passenger cars.

Vern, that's a great looking building. It's a fine addition to your layout.

John, very nice cars.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you, Joe.


----------



## seayakbill

A new Menards building for the Seattle & Yakima RR. The Morton Salt structure certainly is a standout.

Bill


----------



## Krieglok

Nice looking string of hoppers with the RS pulling! The salt complex looks sharp too. 

I picked up a couple cars recently. First is a MTH PRR work train coach. I remember seeing many of these cars being scrapped in the Conrail era. They included any car from Coaches to sun solarium observation cars which the PRR gutted and turned into camp cars. I have a "Watch Your Step" from an old obs car.

Second is a Bobber caboose. This one is going to repainted into an early "Erie" scheme...

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Bill, I like the Morton salt building. 
Tom, the cars look nice. I don't have any MOW cars for my Pennsy collection. I like the MOW Coach. 

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Bill, Morton Salt looks great. A nice place for the Morton hopper.

Tom, the new rolling stock looks super. I really like the bobber caboose.


----------



## TomW2034

A friend loaned me his Southern Pacific GS-2 Daylight 4-8-4 Locomotive & tender and cars to run on my ceiling layout. I had a hunch when I was unpacking all this diecast that my 80 watt power supply might not be up to the challenge. It was not.

Fortunately, there was a train show in town I had already planned on attending. I am now the proud owner of Postwar 275 watt ZW power supply. It is up to the challenge!






Tom


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Tom, your ZW certainly is up to the challenge.

Nice ceiling layout and I like your lighting. :thumbsup:


----------



## DennyM

Nice layout Tom. You can't go wrong with a PW ZW. I had one for a while, but traded it for a ZW-C.


----------



## Krieglok

PatKn said:


> Bill, I like the Morton salt building.
> Tom, the cars look nice. I don't have any MOW cars for my Pennsy collection. I like the MOW Coach.
> 
> :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


Thanks Pat. I have a second one plus the 250 ton wrecker and flatcar. To bring up the hind end, I have the yellow MTH N-6 work caboose too. I wish they did a two bay hopper in the MOW yellow too. 

I need to get them together for a work train portrait!

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Krieglok said:


> I need to get them together for a work train portrait!
> 
> Tom


I would love to see it.


----------



## PRRronbh

PatKn said:


> Ron,
> I love the E Units. The E6 looks great in the B&O scheme. I have always liked the B&O paint scheme. Engines like the E6 and Shark nose really show it off. I don't have any E6s. My Pennsy E8s are the pride of my Diesel powered varnish. I also have E8s in Per Marquette and Great Northern.


Pat train wise I have been pretty lucy. Santa brought me first Lionel Christmas 1947. My Hometown in the day was served by 5-class 1 roads. The Pennsy, NYC, B&O, Erie, and "Little Giant" P&LE. Was old enough to see the last 6-7-years of steam. 

The family had a tie to the Pennsy. At least once a month we drove along the tracks (beside Ohio River) to Conway and past to Pittsburgh. So those 5 RR's are tops for me. But moving to Charlotte during the heart and heat of the Claytor brothers steam excursion the Souther and N&W drew my attention.

The B&O's Blue/Gray (with black and gold) is one of the sharpest paint schemes, very regal. I must find the passenger set. Believe MTH called it "The Columbian." Which is great since it was The Columbian I rode in late 50's round trip to Chicago. It was in the wee O-dark-thirty Hours we traveled. I left the seat beside Mom and spent the hours in the dome. Also later rode round trip to DC as a gift from school.

But the Pennsy is still number ONE.


----------



## PRRronbh

Country Joe said:


> Ron, beautiful passenger cars.
> 
> Vern, that's a great looking building. It's a fine addition to your layout.
> 
> John, very nice cars.


Joe, hopefully will soon find where I squired away the matching B&O "The Columbian" passenger set. Throw pics up then.


----------



## Krieglok

My last PRR Locomotive purchase for a while. It is a MTH L-1 Mikado. Everything checked out fine on the test track...so far.

Tom


----------



## ERIE610

*I COLLECT WHAT I LIKE INCLUDING MARX TRAINS*

Hello. A couple of Saturdays ago I acquired 5ea. Marx Steamers & tenders + a Weaver 5204 Diesel. 2ea. #666, 2ea. #999, & 1ea. CP. On Craigslist I spotted a 3 bay Garage sale where some local Toy Train guys were thinning out their rosters. One fella was selling his offerings at nearly giveaway prices. He sold me the 5 Marx steamers & tenders for $40 & just gave me the Weaver. He had some other Marx, Lionel and a NIB K-Line Union Pacific 4 Pac. All cars were similarly priced as the Marx Steamers. Needlessly to say I almost emptied what I had in my wallet. He even included 5 of those nicely partitioned white boxes usually used by the Game Card Hobbyist for storing their cards. All the Marx engines ran when I tested them. The Weaver ran "sort of" when tested. Finding sales like this are some what rare here in the Kansas City area. So one must be at the ready if & when they do happen. Now the Marx engine's exterior appearance cleaning process begins. I know that Marx trains were at the lower end of the Toy Train Totem pole but they do have a certain Aura that appeals to me. Winter time is fast approaching so that means I will be inside working on all of my O gauge toys especially if it is really nasty outside.

MY CONTRIBUTION


----------



## PatKn

Tom,
that Mikado is a beauty. I bought one from Gunrunner John on a forum a while back. Great engine. Enjoy it.

Erie,
Sounds like you got a great deal. Have fun cleaning up and running those trains.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Pat! This engine runs nice on the test track and talk about smoke! I can't wait to get a layout set up. 

Work train pictures coming soon!

Hey Erie, can you post photos of your finds?

Tom


----------



## Guest

Tom, that Mikado is a real beauty.

Erie, you got a great deal. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time.


----------



## Krieglok

*PRR GE 44 Tonner from Williams*

Thanks Joe! I love it!

Okay, in my L-1a post above, I said the MTH L-1a was my last PRR locomotive purchase. Let me clarify that I meant "steam locomotives"....lol.

I am planning a small switch layout for the time being and this diesel locomotive seemed like a perfect fit. 

It is a GE 44 Tonner made by Williams. I found it at Trainworld and it was reduced in price by $100. Sweet. 

It is pictured with some hoppers that I just added stirrups to...

Tom


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new diesel, Tom. Williams did a nice job on it. A small diesel like the 44 Tonner is a perfect engine for a switching or shortline layout. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The Williams 44-Tonner is cool, I upgraded mine to TMCC.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks, Joe. I want to design a switching layout that would fit in a 36"x80" area. I have a few switchers including this one that I could use. 

Tom


----------



## Yellowstone Special

gunrunnerjohn said:


> The Williams 44-Tonner is cool, I upgraded mine to TMCC.


Now, no offense to Krieglok. But John, I thought you knew that there is no such thing as a "cool" 44-Tonner, whether it's made by Williams or any other manufacturer.

No uglier or more sorry-looking, boxy, style less switcher was ever made and any models of them should be expunged from the planet. But I thought you would've known that by now.


----------



## PRRronbh

Well just added this MTH two car add-on set 20-6665. The prize of this set is the "Pittsburgh" dining car. Added to my original B&O five car set can assemble a reasonably prototypical consist of "The Columbian."


----------



## Krieglok

Yellowstone Special said:


> Now, no offense to Krieglok. But John, I thought you knew that there is no such thing as a "cool" 44-Tonner, whether it's made by Williams or any other manufacturer.d
> 
> No uglier or more sorry-looking, boxy, style less switcher was ever made and any models of them should be expunged from the planet. But I thought you would've known that by now.


I guess I am a guy who likes mechanical, functionality and ugly aspects of various locomotives. I have a thing for box cabs, cab forward electrics, and other non steamlined engines.

Don't be too harsh of John, he was just being a polite host...lol

After all, who could despise a beautiful thing like this....

Tom


----------



## TomW2034

PRRronbh --

Wow! What radius track is required to run those cars?

Thanks,
Tom


----------



## DennyM

Those are nice Ron.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful cars, Ron. The B&O is one of my favorite passenger car sets.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Krieglok said:


> I guess I am a guy who likes mechanical, functionality and ugly aspects of various locomotives. I have a thing for box cabs, cab forward electrics, and other non steamlined engines.
> 
> Don't be too harsh of John, he was just being a polite host...lol
> 
> After all, who could despise a beautiful thing like this....
> 
> Tom


OMG!! I think I'm going to throw up! :smilie_daumenneg:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yellowstone Special said:


> Now, no offense to Krieglok. But John, I thought you knew that there is no such thing as a "cool" 44-Tonner, whether it's made by Williams or any other manufacturer.
> 
> No uglier or more sorry-looking, boxy, style less switcher was ever made and any models of them should be expunged from the planet. But I thought you would've known that by now.


Vern, did you ever hear that revenge is a dish best served cold?


----------



## PatKn

Just picked up these two MTH Hoppers from my LHS. They are a pre-order from the 2017 v1 catalog. I'm pretty happy with these. They look nicer in person than they did in the catalog.


----------



## Lehigh74

Those are nice looking covered hoppers Pat. Made me look them up at MTH, but it looks like no one has them in stock.


----------



## Guest

Really nice hopper cars, Pat. You have good taste.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Vern, did you ever hear that revenge is a dish best served cold?


Un, yes John. But I still think 44-Tonners are ugly.


----------



## DennyM

Those hoppers are really nice Pat. MTH has really nice rolling stock.


----------



## Guest

Ron, the B&O passenger cars look great. IMHO that is one of the most attractive paint schemes.

Pat, the new hoppers are real beauties.


----------



## PRRronbh

TomW2034 said:


> PRRronbh --
> 
> Wow! What radius track is required to run those cars?
> 
> Thanks,
> Tom


Tom they are MTH's standard 19-inch long cars. O42 min recommended curves.


----------



## highvoltage

Krieglok said:


> I guess I am a guy who likes mechanical, functionality and ugly aspects of various locomotives. I have a thing for box cabs, cab forward electrics, and other non steamlined engines.
> 
> Don't be too harsh of John, he was just being a polite host...lol
> 
> After all, who could despise a beautiful thing like this....
> 
> Tom


I'm with you, they do have a sort of functional beauty to them. My first impression though is that they look like they don't know whether they are coming or going.


----------



## Krieglok

Ron, the B&O passenger cars are sharp. I guess the naming of the cars is a MTH thing? My PRR set also has names on each coach.

Pat, the hoppers are really sharp. They have that short, heavy look to them. I like the Pillsbury car in the silver with the logo. Nice!

Vern, remember: We, the refined members of this forum, don't "throw up" ....We "vomit"....

44 Tonners for ever!!!  

Tom


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thanks Tom.


----------



## mopac

Most of this year I have spent redoing some old American flyer steam locomotives. And have not spent much time with my O. A week or two ago BobS decided to sell his lionel "Chief" set. I picked it up. It needed a home. It runs like a champ. Nice.
I noticed right off it needed a B unit and a couple more cars. A few days ago I got a "add on" diner car and today a matching B unit arrived. Not the best pics but here is
a new train for me.

















Still need 1 or 2 more cars but its a start. I think I was lucky to find an exact matching B unit. I did not know there were so many stripe variations. These match.


----------



## Krieglok

Nothing beats that Santa Fe red warbonnet scheme. The entire train looks really sharp. Really handsome! I want to get a set of war bonnet Fs one of these days...

Tom


----------



## Jeff T

I LOVE carpet central. Had a box arrive today, need to get some track down and snap a few pics myself!!


----------



## DennyM

It looks great Mopac. Santa Fe warbonnet is one of my favorites.


----------



## mopac

I figured if I was going to run some O, I had to get a war bonnet. Still need to get a layout built. Its coming.

The cars are shortys but O42 is biggest track I have.


----------



## cramden

mopac said:


> I figured if I was going to run some O, I had to get a war bonnet. Still need to get a layout built. Its coming.
> 
> The cars are shortys but O42 is biggest track I have.


They look real sharp mopac. I can't keep up with you guys at this rate. They would look great under the tree.


----------



## PatKn

Nice train, Mopac. Enjoy it.


----------



## Guest

The Sante Fe warbonnets are the standard of the O-Gauge hobby. Enjoy them Mopac.


----------



## Jeff T

OK, I've strayed from orange and blue!! Bought my first MTH steamer. Picked up this P&LE off the ebay. Previous owner was a train guy as it has a BCR installed in it already. It's PS2 with 3 volt boards.

After owning nothing but Lionel, and generally unimpressed by their anemic smoke units, I am amazed at the amount of smoke this little thing puts out. I've never had to turn off a smoke unit before!


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine. Enjoy it Jeff.


----------



## Krieglok

Cool locomotive! We can see the smoke in the photo...lol. Did you try pulling a string of cars with it? Just curious how it pulls. 

Damn the detectors, full steam ahead!

Tom


----------



## Guest

The new loco is looking very good, Jeff.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

MTH has always been the smoke champs, even the low cost RK line has impressive smoke.


----------



## DennyM

:thumbsup:


----------



## Maxum

My first O gauge steam locomotive. Picked it up last night.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Boy, you jumped in with both feet, that's a great locomotive! I wish you the best of luck with it.


----------



## Jeff T

Holy guacamole!! I call winner-winner chicken dinner!!! :thumbsup:


----------



## Maxum

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Boy, you jumped in with both feet, that's a great locomotive! I wish you the best of luck with it.



Thanks John. I actually prefer MTH locomotives and DCS. Unfortunately MTH only makes the AC-6 version of the cab forward and I love the looks of the AC-12. Only Lionel makes the AC-12. The sound on this thing is awesome! The video just doesn't capture how good it sounds. It has 2 speakers in the tender. That's part of the reason locomotive and tender together weigh around 18lbs. It's over 32" long.


----------



## DennyM

That is a very handsome loco. You should enjoy it a lot, but if you don't I'm just a click away.


----------



## PatKn

Wow!  For a first steam locomotive, you started with something really special. Great looking (and sounding) locomotive. Enjoy it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It's a good choice, one of our club members has one, great sound and you can't beat the looks!


----------



## Yellowstone Special

This just arrived today. Needed a Union Pacific flat with trailer to go with the sign at the end of the UP freight yard.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice, a train of about 20-30 of those would look really cool!


----------



## Guest

Nice loco, Maxum. Great way to get started.

Vern, neat flat with trailer. It looks good in front of the UP sign.


----------



## Guest

Good looking flat car, Vern.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you GRJ, Joe, and Brian. 

Yes John, a bunch of them would look good in a trailer train. But it was difficult enough to find just one.


----------



## DennyM

I like it Vern.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thanks Denny.


----------



## Jeff T

:thumbsup: Vern!!


----------



## Maxum

Yellowstone Special said:


> This just arrived today. Needed a Union Pacific flat with trailer to go with the sign at the end of the UP freight yard.
> 
> View attachment 369617


Looks good! What brand is it?


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thanks Jeff and Maxum.

This is the Lionel 2002 St. Louis LRRC Convention Car.


----------



## Spence

Vern; very nice looking. :thumbsup:


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you, Spence.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Bought both sets for 240 today. Probably be the best deal on this thread in a long time

Total 2-Bay hoppers I own: 25, all MTH


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's a mighty good deal, that's for sure! That will make a nice looking consist! :thumbsup:


----------



## Jeff T

Dang Tim, that's almost more cars than I own!! (JK)

Makes me think. We should post pics of where are trains are stored. I would expect some have more inventory than the lhs!


----------



## Krieglok

Nice grab on the Erie hoppers. I have the Erie 0-8-8-0 and Triplex. The 0-8-8-0 came with a set of four hoppers and a bobbber caboose. 

These Erie hoppers are hard to find, especially in quantity, at a decent price. I am envious of you! 

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Jeff T said:


> Makes me think. We should post pics of where are trains are stored. I would expect some have more inventory than the lhs!


Here's about 60% of them, ready for the move. There's another floor to ceiling pile about 10-12 feet wide in the basement that I'm still working on to get ready to move.

I decided to hand move most of the locomotives, especially the ones that don't have the shipping carton.


----------



## DennyM

SDIV Tim said:


> Bought both sets for 240 today. Probably be the best deal on this thread in a long time
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's a good deal Tim.



gunrunnerjohn said:


> Here's about 60% of them, ready for the move. There's another floor to ceiling pile about 10-12 feet wide in the basement that I'm still working on to get ready to move.
> 
> I decided to hand move most of the locomotives, especially the ones that don't have the shipping carton.
> 
> View attachment 370745
> 
> 
> View attachment 370753
> 
> 
> View attachment 370761


60%??


----------



## Guest

Quite a haul, Tim. Good for you.


----------



## Guest

Tim, you got a great deal on the hoppers. They will make a nice train.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Your lying John, shouldn’t it be 40% packed? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, some of the other stuff is also packed.


----------



## Spence

Tim; nice additions to the collection. :thumbsup:
GRJ; You'll be making a few trips down the road to the new house.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Settlement day today, by this afternoon I'll be house poor until I get out of this one and sell it!


----------



## PatKn

Congratulations and good luck, John.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'm a lot poorer, and I now have two houses, one too many.


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new layout building with living quarters attached.

Good luck with the sale of the old house.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That comes in a couple of months Joe, now we have to do the moving and getting this place ready to sell.


----------



## Spence

Hope the market is good there in PA. and you sell it quick.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Here's hoping...


----------



## highvoltage

gunrunnerjohn said:


> That comes in a couple of months Joe, now we have to do the moving and getting this place ready to sell.


Best of luck to you.


----------



## seayakbill

From Pats Trains, the Milwaukee EF-3.

Bill


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new loco, Bill. She's a beauty.


----------



## Guest

I agree with Joe, "she's a beauty", Bill.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's some serious motive power.


----------



## cschroeder6

Finally picked up a postwar ZW


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Cool, looks to be in nice shape as well.


----------



## Krieglok

I used turtle car wax on my old ZW. Made it look brand new!

Tom


----------



## rdmtgm

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=373802&stc=1&d=1511840372

5 car set of C&O passenger car MTH premier. My first set of modern scale passenger cars. Boy are they pretty to look at!
80 bucks on CL and I couldn't be happier. Now I need to get something cool to pull them with.
Randy


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful train, rdmtgm.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

$80 for five cars is a steal, at least those cars!  Nice score.


----------



## DennyM

Definitely a steal. Nice cars.


----------



## rdmtgm

Thanks guys!
Randy


----------



## Dano

Country Joe said:


> Congrats on the new loco, Bill. She's a beauty.


Yeah, what they all said!


----------



## seayakbill

Dano said:


> Yeah, what they all said!


Thanks guys, the Milwaukee EF-3 is a brute. Lots of power with the 4 motors, been running the heck out it, no issues what so ever.

Bill


----------



## seayakbill

Picked up a Milwaukee boxcar from Menards for the Milwaukee EF-3 consist. Liked it so much ordered some more of the boxcars from Menards on-line. Plus the freebe lighted Shelbys were a great incentive.

Bill


----------



## Guest

Bill, that's a very attractive boxcar.

I was at a show yesterday. I was looking for an Erie caboose to go with my LC+ Erie Camelback. I found this set of 4 cars for $75.









Another vendor had K-Line boxcars for $15 each but offered me 3 for $40. It was an offer I couldn't refuse.









Last was this K-Line cop and robber gondola. It is scale size and I can run it with my scale size cars. It adds a little action and fun to the layout, something for visitors to discover. It's driven by a gear on one wheel set and rolls along quietly.


----------



## Guest

Joe, very good buy, and Bill, very attractive MR box car.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Bill: Love your Milwaukee Road box car.

Joe: Nice additions for reasonable prices. Like your Erie set.


----------



## seayakbill

Country Joe, nice group of K-Line rolling stock at a great price. 

K-Line was a terrific option for the O Gauge operator, to bad they got into financial trouble.

Bill


----------



## DennyM

That was a good find Joe. Bill, I'm going to Menards today to get some other things. I'm pretty sure I'll find myself in the train aisle.


----------



## cole226

Randy, bring them C&O cars over i need something to pull!

picked this up last week--K-line 2-6-6-6 C&O Alleghenny/TMCC


----------



## cole226

And here's some more i got this week.


----------



## DennyM

cole226 said:


> Randy, bring them C&O cars over i need something to pull!
> 
> picked this up last week--K-line 2-6-6-6 C&O Alleghenny/TMCC
> 
> View attachment 375978
> 
> 
> View attachment 375986


That is SWEET!!!!:smilie_daumenpos:



cole226 said:


> And here's some more i got this week.
> 
> View attachment 375994
> 
> 
> View attachment 376002
> 
> 
> View attachment 376010
> 
> 
> View attachment 376018
> 
> 
> View attachment 376026
> 
> 
> View attachment 376034
> 
> 
> View attachment 376042


You did good Randy.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## DennyM

seayakbill said:


> Picked up a Milwaukee boxcar from Menards for the Milwaukee EF-3 consist. Liked it so much ordered some more of the boxcars from Menards on-line. Plus the freebe lighted Shelbys were a great incentive.
> 
> Bill
> 
> View attachment 375754
> 
> 
> View attachment 375762
> 
> 
> View attachment 375770





DennyM said:


> That was a good find Joe. Bill, I'm going to Menards today to get some other things. I'm pretty sure I'll find myself in the train aisle.


Well I did it. I picked up a Menards Army tanker. They only had one.


----------



## Wood

Cole, Very good haul. That 2-6-6-6 is detailed. I like the coaling tower with its dusting and by the way your trestle is impressive.


----------



## Guest

You have been busy, Cole. Lots of nice purchases, especially the Allegheny.


----------



## cole226

Wood, thanks for the nice comments.

I don't think I ever listed this 2-8-0 I bought 5 or 6 weeks ago.




































It is a sweet little loco. And it and the Allegheny will absolutely _C-R-A-W-L_ :smilie_daumenpos:

looks like there have been some nice additions by you guys.


----------



## Krieglok

Cool Consolidation! Nice number too....four aces!

Tom


----------



## Guest

Thanks guys. The show in Melbourne, FL has had some excellent buys.

Vern, I was only looking for an Erie caboose, didn't expect to find one, but was very pleasantly surprised to find the 4 cars at a very reasonable price.

Bill, I agree, K-Line made some very nice stuff and provided some competition and an alternative to Lionel and MTH.

Denny, very nice tanker. I'm envious of you guys that have a Menards nearby.

Randy, you have bought some great stuff. It's all good but I really love the NYC AA F3s.


----------



## cole226

thanks Joe. i'm moving some of this stuff on the SALE forum.


----------



## DennyM

Randy I really like that Consolidation. Thanks Joe, but I would gladly give up Menards to buy ocean fish that is actually fresh and doesn't cost 12-15$ a pound.


----------



## Guest

I hear you, Denny. As much as I like Menards trains I'm not moving from Florida just to be near a Menards store. They should build a Menards here on the Treasure Coast.


----------



## Krieglok

Putting together my PRR worktrain...a snow plow (MTH) and two bunk cars (Lionel)... ready to pushed by a PRR Consolidation...

Tom


----------



## cole226

Krieglok said:


> Putting together my PRR worktrain...a snow plow (MTH) and two bunk cars (Lionel)... ready to pushed by a PRR Consolidation...
> 
> Tom


Going to be a cool looking train. :thumbsup:


----------



## DennyM

Looks good Tom.


----------



## Guest

Tom, the work train is nice, nice, very nice. Something you don't usually see on a layout. :smilie_daumenpos:

P. S. I love the Jean Shepard quote. I loved his show on the radio in the late 60s or early 70s. He was a fabulous story teller.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Good start on the work train, maybe a nice crane would looks good in the consist.


----------



## Krieglok

I have the crane, tender, a couple of coaches and a wooden caboose...all in PRR yellow. They wouldn't fit in the pic, so they will come out later...lol

CJ, cool of you to notice the Jean Shepherd quote. He did so much more than the "Christmas Story"... really great writer and speaker.

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Great stuff everyone. I'm catching up. I haven't been on line since Thursday. I've been focused on my train club' open house. The Allegany is really impressive. Nice trains Joe, Bill and Denny. I've been thinking of building a work train. With all my Pennsy trains, the only work train item I have is a plow. You might have some problem pushing with a steam engine. Those front couplers don't center. They're ok for double heading but not much else. You can always run the engine backwards.


----------



## Krieglok

Good point Pat. Unless MTH starts making scale O snow, the plow will not much use. I guess one of my switchers can push the plow! 

I am looking for a yellow PRR hopper. One railroad I worked on, had an old PRR ballast car that was a very old stem winder coal hopper at one time. It would be cool to find a similar car. MTH sells a more modern hopper in yellow. I may go for that one...


----------



## Jeff T

Picked this up on Craigslist locally.









Now to see if I can wire it to our meager Christmas loop.

Electrically challenged, YES!


----------



## PRRronbh

Well don't have much use for stock cars. But did see a post from a fellow O-Gauger of his double deck stock car. Never knew these were modeled in O. 

Went on the hunt finding that Lionel did make some but nor happy with their road names. Then found out the one I liked was a K-Line and an eastern road. Search found one NIB (sealed box) at Grzyboski's for $35.00.


----------



## DennyM

Nice find. I like K-Line cars. I have a few.


----------



## c.midland

I'm trying to collect all the reefers made in the modern-era with a Colorado theme. I rarely purchase new trains anymore, but not that many were made, so next year maybe I'll find another.


----------



## PRRronbh

DennyM said:


> Nice find. I like K-Line cars. I have a few.


Yes Denny, taking the car out of its box was think what a great product they had made.


----------



## Guest

Jeff, the gateman looks great and is a fun accessory.

Ron, that is a very nice stock car. I agree, K-line made some really nice rolling stock.

Midland, that's a very attractive reefer.


----------



## Guest

The Gateman is a classic for sure, Jeff. Nice purchase.


----------



## DennyM

PRRronbh said:


> Yes Denny, taking the car out of its box was think what a great product they had made.


I hardly have any Lionel rolling stock. Most of my cars are K-Line, Menards and RailKing. I have one O-Line Production.


----------



## Krieglok

The crossing gate is really nice. How old would that particular piece be? The only old Lionel I have is a semaphore signal.

The stock car is cool too. I like the "more scale" look it has. 

The colorful reefer is very bright! Very "Christmassy" !

Here is my first PRR Diesel purchase...a MTH GP-30, an older version with PS2....

Tom


----------



## Maxum

Nice GP30 Tom. I might be adding one to my collection soon.


----------



## Maxum

My railroad has been on an expansion spree lately. Picked up this MTH Premier set yesterday at a show. It's PS2.


----------



## Guest

Tom and Maxum, great additions to your locomotive rosters.


----------



## DennyM

Nice engines Tom and Maxum.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Maxum said:


> My railroad has been on an expansion spree lately. Picked up this MTH Premier set yesterday at a show. It's PS2.
> 
> https://youtu.be/3KF8Tojiid0


I like your Santa Fe set, Maxum. It's horn sounds like the real thing.


----------



## Maxum

Yellowstone Special said:


> I like your Santa Fe set, Maxum. It's horn sounds like the real thing.


Thanks!

I have a couple of sets of the MTH Premier F3's. I think they have some of the best sounds of any of my locomotives.


----------



## Volphin

I've added a few items to the collection over the past year. A scale PE freight consist and a really neat TMCC North Pole track inspection '55 pickup truck


----------



## bowerda47

*MichMash Lines Recent Add*

Added two new rolling stock recently


----------



## DennyM

Nice addition Bowerda47.


----------



## Guest

Volphin, you've added some very nice stuff.

bowerda47, love the cabeese, and they are my favorite road!


----------



## bowerda47

*Recent Adds*

Could not pass up. Both MIB. 6907 was $40. 19714 was $43. Did not have a Wood Side Caboose or Work Caboose with WorkLight.


----------



## Guest

Always liked the NYC green.

View attachment 379594


----------



## Krieglok

Cool set. The NYC caboose is a perfect copy of the real NYC cabooses. Nice!

Volphin, the steam video is great. That is a huge locomotive!

Tom


----------



## Matthew B

Because it's always five minutes to midnight on the Polar Express. We introduce our recent acquisition from Lionel Lines the LionChief Plus Polar Express 2-6-4 Berkshire Locomotive #5212.


----------



## Guest

Way to go Matthew.


----------



## 93firebird

http://www.lionelstore.com/Western-Pacific-LionChief-Plus-GP7-Diesel-Locomotive-6-84111

Grabbed this from the Lionelstore.com site. My brother gave me a code he was given by his employer for 40% off.

Went to Nicholas Smith on Sunday, and the wife talked me into buying this.
http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/wlm/wlm21817.htm. As well as a williams ac33 CSX loco.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## Dano

I have the Canadian National CPA/B 16-5 unit finished and running. I painted 6802 in the older scheme (waiting for some shop time) just for variety.


----------



## SDIV Tim

From Christmas.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Matthew, very nice work.

Dano, outstanding paint job.

Tim, excellent acquisitions. The passenger cars are gorgeous. (Caboose ain't too shabby either)


----------



## DennyM

Dano, you did a fantastic job on that B unit.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Nice additions, everyone.

This probably isn't a "rosterable" item. But the wife and I finally found a frame for our Lionel jigsaw puzzle we completed a couple of years ago and mounted it above the right side of the layout.

I had to darken the train room and turn off the layout lights, because of the reflections off the glass. The flash kicked in and made a little bright spot, but you get the idea.


----------



## DennyM

I'd say it's "rosterable" Vern.


----------



## Spence

Pretty neat looking Vern. :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Never saw one of those Vern, pretty cool.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you, gentlemen.


----------



## Guest

A "classic", Vern. Just beautiful.


----------



## Guest

Vern, it looks like it was a fun puzzle to assemble and is a great train room decoration.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you PTC Brian and Joe. This puzzle took us about a week to complete in our spare time and we're glad to finally have it framed and mounted on the wall.


----------



## Maxum

Nice job Tim! Looks great. Last summer I actually had the opportunity to ride and have lunch in an ex Santa Fe dome like this one while riding on the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad over La Veta Pass here in Colorado. The service was fantastic and you would have swore you were on a 1950's rail trip.


----------



## ogaugeguy

Matthew B said:


> Because it's always five minutes to midnight on the Polar Express. We introduce our recent acquisition from Lionel Lines the LionChief Plus Polar Express 2-6-4 Berkshire Locomotive #5212.


Is this actually a LionChief *PLUS* locomotive?
I hadn't heard that Lionel offers a Polar Express Berkshire loco in their LionChief Plus series.
:thumbsup:_ Please list the Lionel item number for this locomotive._


----------



## Bob Phillips

ogaugeguy

Lionel made the polar express set with blue tooth # 6-84328


----------



## ogaugeguy

Bob Phillips said:


> ogaugeguy
> 
> Lionel made the polar express set with blue tooth # 6-84328


Yes, thanks, Bob, I have that set. However, Matthew B said the engine he's showing is LionChief Plus. I know there's a Lionel Lines #726 LionChief Plus Berkshire but I've never heard of a LionChief Plus P.E. Berkshire. Wondering whether the loco he's showing is a Lionel Line 726 that he customed painted for the P.E. and if it is, was he also able to move the P.E. specific announcements to that engine? Hopefully, Matthew B will tell us more about his #5212 P.E. locomotive.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I know of no LC+ Polar Express set or separate sale locomotive, I suspect that was a mis-type.


----------



## Krieglok

My new MTH PRR G-5 4-6-0 just arrived from Train World...one day shipping because they are so close...My last PRR steamer for now.

It seems a bit touchy with the DCS being a PS3. It took a little break in time for the smoke to start running right. Seems good now...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice looking locomotive Tom, good luck with it.


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new loco, Tom, it's a beauty. The red cab roof and tender deck make it really stand out.


----------



## Maxum

Nice looking locomotive Tom. I usually find on a new locomotive you have to run them a while before they really start smoking. This is due to the wick material needing to soak in the smoke oil and get it "wicking" throughout all the wick material. I've read it in the directions (can't remember if it was Lionel or MTH) stating that you have to add more than normal at first to get the all the wick wet. 

I think you'll also find as you run the locomotive and it breaks in that it will run smoother. Mine and my dad's experience so far is that MTH locomotives tend to run the smoothest of all the modern 3 rail O gauge locomotives.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks guys and thank you Maxum for the technical hints. The engine was brand new so the dry wick was certainly an issue. It improves constantly.

Here is a pic of the 10 wheeler pulling my wreck train....

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

For a brand new locomotive with fan driven smoke, I add at least 30-40 drops of fluid for the first fill. You also want to add about half that, wait a few minutes, then add the rest. You have to soak up the new wick properly to get good smoke.


----------



## Maxum

Krieglok said:


> Thanks guys and thank you Maxum for the technical hints. The engine was brand new so the dry wick was certainly an issue. It improves constantly.
> 
> Here is a pic of the 10 wheeler pulling my wreck train....
> 
> Tom


You're welcome. Love the wreck train. I might have to make one up.


----------



## Guest

Tom, very nice looking locomotive.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks guys. 

John, I started with15 drops of smoke fluid and added more when it started working. I have about 30 in there now. I will let it soak before adding more...

Tom


----------



## DennyM

Nice locos Tom.:thumbsup:


----------



## cole226

*C&O hoppers*

picked up this 3 pack of 50 ton 2 bay hoppers for behind my 2-6-6-6


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

cole226 said:


> picked up this 3 pack of 50 ton 2 bay hoppers for behind my 2-6-6-6


Hmm... They look good, but an Allegheny needs about 50 more for a proper consist.


----------



## Wood

cole226 said:


> picked up this 3 pack of 50 ton 2 bay hoppers for behind my 2-6-6-6
> 
> View attachment 391186
> 
> 
> View attachment 391194



Cole, They look great. The trestle and backdrops are images I always love to see. Very nice layout.


----------



## Guest

Great looking scene, Cole. Magazine quality.


----------



## PatKn

Tom, Nice engine. Love the MOW train.

Randy, Nice set of hoppers. Like the layout too.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Pat. I have four more cars I could add to it if my mantle was wider...lol.

The C&O hoppers look great, Cole. I can just hear the flanges squealing as it passes over that cool trestle...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I weakened and bought some 21" passenger cars, couldn't resist the price, $200 for the set. These are the K-Line 21" aluminum cars, they are all in excellent shape with the exception that a number of the passengers refuse to sit down for the trip.  Since I'll put LED's in them anyway, I'll convince those guys to sit before I put them back together. 

Of course, right now I don't have anywhere to run them, that's another issue.


----------



## teledoc

Nice looking passenger cars and a really good price. John, you did good, but you are going to be putting LED’s in them anyway.


----------



## Guest

$ 50.00 per car, that's dirt cheap for K-Line 21" passenger cars. This is a terrific buy, John. But you knew that already.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I wasn't really looking for these, but when I saw them at that price, I jumped on them. Now I just need a layout to run them on...


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful looking train, John. You got them for a song. I would buy them at that price in a heartbeat and I don't have any SP Trains. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Nice, nice, very nice additions Randy and John.


----------



## DennyM

Nice cars Cole and I really like that trestle.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It was hard to resist the K-Line cars at that price, I was surprised to see them. They sure are looooong, my first 21" cars, I've been sticking to 18" cars up to now.


----------



## bluecomet400

gunrunnerjohn said:


> It was hard to resist the K-Line cars at that price, I was surprised to see them. They sure are looooong, my first 21" cars, I've been sticking to 18" cars up to now.


Nice score, John!! They will look great on your new layout.


----------



## Krieglok

The 21" cars are really impressive. Great paint scheme too! Nice.

Tom


----------



## Bob Phillips

John
Hope the new layout has wide curves even on the club layout they are long. Bringing them this weekend?


----------



## DennyM

Those cars are nice John.


----------



## Spence

GRJ; very nice looking. Now your hooked on 21" cars.


----------



## Dano

Have not checked in as often lately. Thank you for the comments on the FM B unit.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Bob Phillips said:


> John
> Hope the new layout has wide curves even on the club layout they are long. Bringing them this weekend?


Bob, I would, but I can't find a matching locomotive. I have the Legacy A-B-A SP F3's, and also the GS-4, and I couldn't find either of them, they're buried in my new closet. Too much work to dig them out, so I'll run my Strasburg set that I just got. I just hope we have the MTH signal sorted out, the locomotive is a PS/2 model.


----------



## Krieglok

My new PRR FA2 ABA Set, a used set with little use. Just fit on my test track...lol

Then my two recent steam buys, a couple PRR G5s, one is brand new and the second one is the PS1 version I just repaired...

Tom


----------



## cole226

Krieglok,

Nice additions to that Pennsy roster.:thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Randy. They are addicting....

Tom


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Tom


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful looking engines, Tom. :thumbsup: I have a Proto 1 G5. Nice little engine. FAs are a small hole in my Pennsy roster. Maybe someday if I find one at the right price.  I like the look of yours.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You've been busy Tom, trying to populate your roster all in one year?  PRR is well represented on your RR. :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks guys. The FAs caught my eye early on but it took a while to get them. I am considering adding the "train phone" antenna sets to the A units as all the PRR FAs had them. If I can find the proper stanchions, I will do the project.

It has been a combination of my hobby funds piling up and the availability of a lot of stuff I wanted. I had quite a bit of HO and N scale I sold off before discovering O scale. I started with Erie wanting two certain engines then I entered into the realm of the PRR as I wanted the I1sa Decapod and never stopped... like I mentioned, kind of addicting. I just need a layout now...

Tom


----------



## Maxum

This showed up in the mail today from Pat's Trains. It's a Lionel Legacy Southern Pacific AC-9. Basically it's a Cab Forward with the cab in the conventional location. I took advantage of Pat's 15% New Year's day sale he posted online for MTF members. I think USPS was a little rough in their handling of the box. Both the shipping box and Lionel box had shipping damage along with the Styrofoam. I had to adjust the running gear as well as it was binding up from the rough handling. But now it runs and sounds great.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful addition, Maxum.


----------



## Krieglok

That is one sharp looking locomotive! The way the SP ran shrouding along the top of the boiler, makes the engine massive. I would love to see it in motion!

I too have had poor experiences with UPS. Damaged shipping containers almost every time and occasional breakage of the contents. But on the other hand, the USPS has misrouted three of my eBay sales in the last two weeks, resulting in long delays to the buyers. 

We can't win....

Tom


----------



## Maxum

Krieglok said:


> That is one sharp looking locomotive! The way the SP ran shrouding along the top of the boiler, makes the engine massive.


I too like the skyline casing SP did on some of their locomotives. That's part of the reason I have a GS-4 as well.


----------



## DennyM

That is really nice Maxum.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## PRRronbh

New Friday.

The Southern Crescent Limited did pull mail from New York City to Atlanta


----------



## Krieglok

Nice paint scheme. Who built this model?

Tom


----------



## PRRronbh

Krieglok said:


> Nice paint scheme. Who built this model?
> 
> Tom


Tom, if you are referring to the Crescent Limited RPO, it is a MTH Premier heavyweight that matches their 5-car and 2-car add on sets.

The Southern ran this in late 20's early 30's.


----------



## Guest

Maxum, that is a really nice locomotive.

Ron, nice RPO. Southern RR green is really beautiful.

The postman brought a building and a signal yesterday afternoon.

Regina's Soft Serve will go in the city area.









I'm not sure where the signal will end up right now.


----------



## DennyM

PRRronbh said:


> Tom, if you are referring to the Crescent Limited RPO, it is a MTH Premier heavyweight that matches their 5-car and 2-car add on sets.
> 
> The Southern ran this in late 20's early 30's.


I had a feeling it was MTH. They make very nice passenger cars. I have Milwaukee Road and PRR Madison passenger cars. Those are nice Joe. Is the ice cream shop from MTH?


----------



## TomW2034

Another way-cool locomotive on loan to me; Big Boy threw a traction tire on this consist!


----------



## Guest

DennyM said:


> Those are nice Joe. Is the ice cream shop from MTH?


Yes it is, Denny.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

*New GGD Santa Fe "Great Dome" car*

This is something I ordered a while back mainly as an example of a classic passenger car and not as part of any set I already have, although - sacrilege, shock horror, tut tut, count the rivets etc. - I might actually run it with a set of Lionel "Superliners" (fantasy NYC livery) being the only other cars of this full length height I have. 

It's the GGD brass 3rail version of the Santa Fe "Great Dome," which GGD has issued at the same time as its Great Northern Empire Builder set. Bottom photo is of GGD's production sample; if anything the one I got looks better:

















No wonder these were advertised as having special bearings for smooth rolling as this car is HEAVY . It weighs as much as some of my diesel locos do. 

Beautiful detail outside and in although as you can see mainly from the the top picture, GGD persists in using LED four bulb lighting strips that are too short for their scale streamlined cars. But I'm not complaining about anything as it otherwise looks (and rolls) great. :thumbsup: And thanks to Scott Mann for making this passenger car aficionado's delight.


----------



## Shawn91481

HarborBelt1970 said:


> This is something I ordered a while back mainly as an example of a classic passenger car and not as part of any set I already have, although - sacrilege, shock horror, tut tut, count the rivets etc. - I might actually run it with a set of Lionel "Superliners" (fantasy NYC livery) being the only other cars of this full length height I have.


Sweet cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Beautiful car, but I'd have to take it apart and light it properly. I don't know why GGD is doing such a poor job with lighting, that's seems to be a very puzzling way to finish off the car.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Beautiful car, but I'd have to take it apart and light it properly. I don't know why GGD is doing such a poor job with lighting, that's seems to be a very puzzling way to finish off the car.


They should be using your lighting kits! I would if I was game enough to take this car apart, which I am most definitely not. I suspect that their factory has a surplus of the four bulb strips.


----------



## Wood

That is a beautiful Passenger Car!!! Very interesting and appearance style. It looks similar to the full length Vista domes they are running in Canada. The only exception is the new models have over arcing domes.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Not only does it not have sufficient lighting, but I've seen some GGD passenger cars with the electronics module clearly visible hanging in a window! Surely, they can do a better job that that!


----------



## Guest

Beautiful passenger cars, Harbor Belt.


----------



## Maxum

Gorgeous looking coach Harbor Belt. I actually rode and had lunch in an ex Santa Fe dome like that last summer.


----------



## Krieglok

a couple new items...

A MTH PRR Alco S-2 switch engine. I bought it off eBay. It was listed as new but has 12.8 miles on it. The smoke unit is kind of weak, but otherwise the locomotive is perfect. 

I also picked up a Nickel Plate Road baywindow caboose. It is made by Lionel for K-Line (?) and it is a nice, heavy car with lots of detail and an excellent paint job.

It even has the smoking chimney which seems to work better than the smoke unit on the S-2...lol.

Tom


----------



## Maxum

Nice Alco and caboose..


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Maxum.

I figured out the problem with the smoke unit. I turned the engine over on my work mat to remove the three screws that hold the body to the chassis. After getting them apart, I found the inside was coated in smoke fluid. I put the chassis on my test track and fired it up. The unit started smoking like crazy. 

It turns out, the unit was overfilled. It works as intended now. 

I also had a chance to set up a O-72 oval and run some engines. I found a couple laps racked up the mileage on the odometer. I guess the 12 miles on it when it arrived wasn't so bad after all...

Tom


----------



## cole226

Tom, 
another Pennsy loco.  You go buddy! :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Heh...Pennsy, yes! I am trying to stay away from too many diesels, but I wouldn't mind a nice SW-9 or some sort of EMD switcher and a GP-9 numbered 7000!

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Nice acquisition, Tom. I have that same S2 switcher. Nice engine. Runs great. Be careful with the K-Line caboose. The K-Line Caboose with smoke have a reputation for melting the plastic shell. You may not want to run it with the smoke on for too long. They make a great caboose except for the smoke unit problem.


----------



## cole226

PatKn said:


> Be careful with the K-Line caboose. The K-Line Caboose with smoke have a reputation for melting the plastic shell. You may not want to run it with the smoke on for too long. They make a great caboose except for the smoke unit problem.



couldn't you put a resistor or something to cool it down a bit. :dunno:

I'm dumb on this circuitry stuff. But I can follow directions pretty good when GRJ and others lend us their knowledge. It is greatly appreciated. :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Pat, Thanks for the warning about the K-Line caboose smoke unit. Knowing this now, I probably will not use it very much. 

I really like this S-2. I am glad I grabbed it when I could.

Like Randy, I have very little electronics aptitude, but an electrical solution would be interesting.

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, the heater can get away in early K-Line or Lionel cabooses. They weren't designed for command control constant voltages and they get way too hot!


----------



## Krieglok

Wow! I guess we would be better off with out them! The smoke units I mean...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I've put little fan driven smoke units in a couple of cabooses for people. Get better smoke, and they won't cook the caboose.


----------



## DennyM

I've never had a issue with my K-Line smoke unit in my caboose running it with my Legacy. (I'm knocking on wood)


----------



## Krieglok

That UP scheme looks sharp! Very nice.

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

DennyM said:


> I've never had a issue with my K-Line smoke unit in my caboose running it with my Legacy. (I'm knocking on wood)


Newer smoking cabooses had a TMCC/Conventional switch to modulate the heat. Those don't normally have an issue for command running.


----------



## Krieglok

I checked the paperwork that came with the NKP caboose and it doesn't appear to be the later version. Mine will basically just be displayed so I will not be using the smoke unit often if at all. Thanks for the great info about the caboose and the smoke unit.

Tom


----------



## DennyM

Krieglok said:


> That UP scheme looks sharp! Very nice.
> 
> Tom


Thanks Tom. I got it at York. It smokes very well.


----------



## DennyM

I posted this on another thread, But I figured I'd post it here too.
My Lionel DSDX 16146 Reefer I bought at Memory Station train store in Watkinsville, GA.


----------



## Guest

Very nice reefer, Denny.


----------



## Krieglok

That reefer is a cool looking car! Nice.

Tom


----------



## Maxum

Cool reefer. No pun intended! 

I've been collecting ice reefers so I can have a solid block of them to pull behind my cab forward like they did back in the day in California's Central Valley.


----------



## cole226

won some stuff at auction

3 tinplate
























2 buildings and Zippo sign for the price of the sign :sold:


----------



## Shawn91481

Wow neat stuff


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Randy. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Cool looking freight cars and buildings, Randy. Where is the Zippo building? Bradford PA? 

Tom


----------



## Guest

You have been a very busy buyer, Cole. Really like the Shell Tanker.


----------



## Guest

Very nice stuff, Randy.


----------



## santafe158

I've procured a few fun things recently.

My brother discovered a partial Lionel 1603WS set from 1958 at the local antique store. It had the engine, 6424 auto flatcar, 6818 Transformer Flatcar and the 6017 Caboose. I found the proper boxcar (6014 Frisco) and the 6112 Gondola for it at a recent train show, but I'm still on the lookout for a tender, the proper automobiles for the flatcar as well as the proper canisters for the gondola. Unfortunately I haven't taken any pictures of my set, though I borrowed pieces from my other postwar sets and ran it on the club layout as a complete set recently. For a basic set it's really neat looking, although the engine needs some tuneup work as it seems to have a bit of a bind in the mechanism.









A fellow club member and I also purchased 17 older Lionel Maxi-stack cars between us from yet another club member. I've had a pair of Lionel Lionmaster SD80MAC's for several years now, and never really had any modern cars to go with it. I purchased two of the 3 unit sets. We ran all 17 units as a train at the show we got them at and it looked pretty cool.


----------



## Krieglok

Looks great rolling by. Nice collections of stacks!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I like the double-stack cars, nice looks unit train.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys. I've never been much for modern trains, but 17 of those going around the track is pretty neat looking. Luckily the club member that bought the 11 units I didn't buy is usually at the shows I plan to run my 6 at, so we'll always have the opportunity to run them all. 

On that note, I procured another new item just this morning. I bought one of the Corgi PCC cars in the Detroit Street Railways scheme a couple years ago intending to motorize it for use on my Redford theatre Christmas layout since it's located in Detroit. I purchased a kit through GHB International when they had them still, but sadly it wasn't quite sturdy enough for the amount of operation it was going to have. My Williams Peter Witt didn't fare much better as a replacement. Bowser made a kit that's built a little more simply, but robustly (or so it appears). They're pretty tough to find however, though they pop up occasionally. I finally scored one for $20 +shipping on ebay. I look forward to finally having a powered Detroit street car!


----------



## SDIV Tim

I went up to Milepost 38 in Westminster and bout 6 Stack Cars for 39 each. The store had others for like 74 so these were perfect even though they are the same numbered no one will care. My total is now 19 and 7 to go to complete this train 










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Maxum

SDIV Tim said:


> I went up to Milepost 38 in Westminster and bout 6 Stack Cars for 39 each. The store had others for like 74 so these were perfect even though they are the same numbered no one will care. My total is now 19 and 7 to go to complete this train
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Look good. Railking or Premier? I just sold off a Railking UP husky stack 3 car set with a FRED.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Maxum said:


> Look good. Railking or Premier? I just sold off a Railking UP husky stack 3 car set with a FRED.




Railking. The trains started off with 3 BNSFs about 7 years ago and after that my dad bought me 6 and a SD70 for Christmas. And I added red several over the years.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Shawn91481

SDIV Tim said:


> Railking. The trains started off with 3 BNSFs about 7 years ago and after that my dad bought me 6 and a SD70 for Christmas. And I added red several over the years.
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Really nice. How close to scale are these Railkings?


----------



## SDIV Tim

Shawn91481 said:


> Really nice. How close to scale are these Railkings?




They are a lot smaller than the scale models. I would say they are about 2 inches shorter car length and container is about 3 inches length and 1 inch shorter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## DennyM

Went to Menards to get some light bulbs for my Lemax buildings. I was passing the train aisle and this hopper was in dire need of a home.


----------



## Bob Phillips

You must have quite a large orphanage on your layout Denny.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice looking car there, Denny. The UP flying flag scheme was always a favorite of mine. Looks great!

Tom


----------



## ERIE610

*I COLLECT WHAT I LIKE*

11% rebate this week probably was a +factor in your decision to buy. Those Menards 4 bay hoppers are nicely detailed.

MY $0.02 WORTH


----------



## Guest

Nice car, Denny. I have the NYC one and love it. Great value for the money.


----------



## DennyM

Bob Phillips said:


> You must have quite a large orphanage on your layout Denny.


Yeah and it's filling up.



ERIE610 said:


> 11% rebate this week probably was a +factor in your decision to buy. Those Menards 4 bay hoppers are nicely detailed.
> 
> MY $0.02 WORTH


It's doesn't hurt that Menards 3 miles from my house either.

Thanks Tom and Joe.


----------



## Krieglok

I picked up a MTH SW-7 off eBay recently. It is a Railking with PS2 , but no smoke. Kind of a "plain jane" looking engine. I grew up not far from the NYC and remember engines like this switching around the grain elevators in Buffalo, NY.

I saw the same engine in a photo of somebody's layout here at this forum, so I went looking for one myself. I received this one and painted the exhaust stacks black. Most of these engines had shining brass bells, so I need to paint the bell too. I am also putting in a BRC2 when it shows up in the mail...

Tom


----------



## Guest

Nice loco, Tom. She's not a plain jane to us NYC fans.


----------



## Guest

Tom, you are building a substantial inventory of trains. Looking good!!!!


----------



## DennyM

Nice switcher Tom.


----------



## Krieglok

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Tom, you are building a substantial inventory of trains. Looking good!!!!


Thanks guys. I just need a layout....soon!

Tom


----------



## PDDMI

*“He likes it! Hey Mikey”!!!*

Delivered by FedEx Friday night at 7:00pm, even though we had a major all day snow event...really glad it made it here in time for some weekend enjoyment! And once again proving...that even through rain, sleet, snow, or the dark of night, the.....oh wait, that’s the other delivery service? 

Anyway, it’s my new LC+ Mikado Baltimore & Ohio w/Bluetooth and it fit on the layout ‘like a glove’. Worked great right out of the box with the designated and universal remotes as well as the LC+ iPhone App.
Have had the LC+ Pacific, Hudson, GP-20, NW-2 and Berkshire w/BT locomotives , but this is my first ‘Mike’...


----------



## Guest

Very nice, PDDMI.


----------



## Guest

Nice loco Paul. I have an older LC+ Mikado (no bluetooth) and like it a lot.


----------



## rdmtgm

Found this K-line army train on my favorite hunting spot, Craig's List
Randyhttp://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=407625&stc=1&d=1518394938


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## WITZ 41

*OMI 0107 Union Pacific 4-6-2*

Two Tone Grey #3225

Sometimes I just can't help myself....


----------



## Guest

Beautiful loco, WITZ. I love the two tone grey. :thumbsup:


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## DennyM

Nice streamer and Army train.


----------



## Vincent

That Army train is amazing.


----------



## Guest

Nice Army train and steam engine. Your purchasing departments have done well.


----------



## rdmtgm

Thanks guys, been looking for an army engine, found the whole thing.
Witz that engine is a work of art.
Randy


----------



## Vincent

rdmtgm said:


> Thanks guys, been looking for an army engine, found the whole thing.
> Witz that engine is a work of art.
> Randy


A while back I found some similar cars, including the locomotive, in HO on two different sites. However, I was unable to find a complete HO set.


----------



## WITZ 41

Thanks guys. I'm a sucker for the TTG.


----------



## PatKn

How about "What I subtracted from my roster lately". Yesterday I brought my brand new Legacy BTO Rutland Mogul to the Fedex drop off to send it back to Lionel for repair. Since I started building my milk train in the 1990s with an Atlas Rutland RS-1, I have been looking for a small Rutland Steam engine to swap off with the RS-1. Rutland is not a popular road name with the Model Train Manufacturers. The engine will be basically rebuilt. Dave Olsen of Lionel posted on another forum: "We're going to replace the center driver axle assembly, the motor assembly (new gears), traction tires, and side rod screws. In addition to the mechanical parts being replaced, we're also reprogramming the RCMC with new code that has been adjusted for the different gear ratio. This is why only our Customer Service department can do this fix." I gotta give them props for owning up to their mess and offering a no cost fix and picking up the shipping cost. The engines should never have left the manufacturing plant this way though. I waited this long for my Rutland Mogul. I guess I can wait a little longer for a working one.


----------



## Krieglok

That would make a good sticky topic. Kind of a hall of shame for companies or people sticking buyers with faulty equipment...

Pat, your situation is really disappointing. I hope your engine comes back to you quickly and fit for service.

Tom


----------



## emmetd

found this bad boy on ebay.


----------



## cole226

Pat, hope they got a good fix for your mogul.

It is a shame for the prices they demand for new equipment that the customer has to be the test market. this is the main reason I can't bring myself to buy new releases. I'll wait for reviews and then look for NOS or used.

That's just another thing that's great about the forum. You can get some honest insight to what are good or what can be done to improve our trains. AND what to stay away from.


----------



## Vincent

Nice-looking car, Emmetd! I'm tempted to ask if it's G scale.


----------



## DennyM

I thinking pre-war O gauge.


----------



## emmetd

O gague. 814r


----------



## Dano

Cool.


----------



## Krieglok

*A Couple More Green Machines...*

I added a couple more locomotives to my PRR roster...

First is an Atlas Alco RS-1 with Lionel TMCC and Railsounds. A really nicely detailed engine I picked up used.

Next is a MTH FM H10-44 switcher, a RailKing version with PS3. Another nice runner with great detail...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You are totally out of control Tom!


----------



## Krieglok

We'll sort of...lol. I am running out of stuff that grabs me. I am organizing my storage space as I sell off stuff on eBay, so that will slow me down a bit. I have about 30 locomotives at last count. I don't want to stray too far past first generation diesel when it comes to Pennsy stuff. Maybe some F7s or E8s will finish off my funds....

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful engines, Tom. I have the H10-44 it's a real nice running engine. Enjoy them.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks, Pat. I was surprised how much smoke it puts out. I can't wait to pull a freight with it sometime!

Tom


----------



## DennyM

Nice engines Tom. MTH are big smokers.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks, Denny. You said it. I had to shut the smoke off after a couple minutes. It was getting cloudy in my kitchen...lol.

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Beautiful engines, but why are you getting smoke out of diesels?


----------



## DennyM

Diesels smoke too.


----------



## Vincent

DennyM said:


> Diesels smoke too.


By George, Denny, you're right! I have never seen a diesel locomotive emitting smoke, but if they have leaks inside, they do.


----------



## PRRronbh

Tom, as a Pennsy fan am a big fan of the FM H10-44. It is just quintessence Pennsy. This was my very first MTH purchase decades ago. It was a MT-2075L 100% conventional engine. 
Awhile back purchased a MTH RK (actually scale) P&WV PS-2 3v H10-44 from another forum's member. Switched out the shells with correct lights. Now mine is PS-2 3v with all functions. One thing have to do, the original has/had three good size lead weights to improve traction. One of these days, permitting, will have to layout hole pattern, drill and screw in-place these weights.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice rework. I have a couple conventional engines I would like to convert someday. I also considered powering a PRR E-33 with a donor locomotive chassis. The PRR used the FM H10-44s on local freights around my old hunting grounds in the southern tier of NY and Pennsylvania. Lines that are long gone now...

Vincent, Alco made locomotives were known for their heavy smoke from the stacks, due mainly to "turbo lag" on the prime mover...

Tom


----------



## PRRronbh

Tom, these are pictures of the lead weights on the Original H10-44 frame.


I then assembled the P&WV shell to original frame tested it and sold it.


----------



## DennyM

Who is George and why is it always by him?


----------



## Vincent

DennyM said:


> Who is George and why is it always by him?


He's the guy who killed the dragon.


----------



## Krieglok

PRRronbh, the lead looks pretty substantial. Nice work. I bet that unit pulls like crazy.

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

I also have one of the FM switchers. Interesting looking loco and the smoke looks great coming out the dual exhausts.


----------



## Krieglok

A diesel with almost too much smoke! I wish my Lionel T-1 smoked like that!

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Gang, after looking at a variety of photos, I believe that diesels smoke.

But I worked at a steel mill that had its own diesel switcher, and I never saw it smoke. I worked fourteen years at a paper mill, and when the railroad took cars in and out, I never saw their diesels smoke. And I've been stopped at rail crossings and never saw the diesels smoke.


----------



## PRRronbh

SICK diesels smoke. Then of course there are ALCO's!


----------



## Dano

I bought this FPB-4 the other day. After straightening the steps and turning down the flanges and a minimal amount of weathering to the trucks she was ready to add to the mix.


----------



## Vincent

Dano, I am surprised that a brownish-green car with white stripes could look as impressive as that one Beautiful picture.


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine, Dano. 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## Dano

Thanks guys! I believe it is the 1954 Passenger Scheme, black, olive green and gold/yellow striping.







I don't usually dirty them up this much!


----------



## DennyM

I went to Menards to get some motor oil for my van and this boxcar was in my basket when I got to the check out line. I don't know how it got there.:dunno:


----------



## bluecomet400

Denny, there are other stores that sell motor oil but not trains. Might be worth a try. On the other hand........I think you got it right. 

John:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Guest

Sweet looking boxcar Denny. If I had a Menards near me I doubt I'd be able to go into the store and not buy some train item. I'd be drawn there like a moth to a flame.


----------



## Vincent

bluecomet400 said:


> Denny, there are other stores that sell motor oil but not trains. Might be worth a try.
> 
> John:smilie_daumenpos:


But...why would you want to?


----------



## DennyM

Country Joe said:


> Sweet looking boxcar Denny. If I had a Menards near me I doubt I'd be able to go into the store and not buy some train item. I'd be drawn there like a moth to a flame.


It was the last one in the store. The only rub is someone had the bright idea to put all the cars on the top shelf and the buildings on the lower shelf. So now you can't see what's left.


----------



## Spence

Dano &
Denny Nice additions to your collections. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

DennyM said:


> It was the last one in the store. The only rub is someone had the bright idea to put all the cars on the top shelf and the buildings on the lower shelf. So now you can't see what's left.


It's probably some idiot manager who thinks that trains won't sell because Christmas season is over. And of course they won't sell because no one can see or reach them.


----------



## DennyM

Country Joe said:


> It's probably some idiot manager who thinks that trains won't sell because Christmas season is over. And of course they won't sell because no one can see or reach them.


I did say something. I'm sure they don't care, but I still said something.


----------



## 93firebird

Denny, you'd better give that to me before your lady sees it. Wouldn't want you to get in trouble and all.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## DennyM

I appreciate that firebird, but I'm always in trouble. My standard line is, "I've had this for a while Honey I just now put it on the layout". Of course I get the 'you sticking with that story?' look.


----------



## Vincent

DennyM said:


> I appreciate that firebird, but I'm always in trouble. My standard line is, "I've had this for a while Honey I just now put it on the layout". Of course I get the 'you sticking with that story?' look.


 Okay, Denny, here's what I suggest: Show your wife a bunch of your railcars, and then ship them to me. Later, insist that you never owned any such cars, and that she is confused.


----------



## DennyM

Vincent said:


> Okay, Denny, here's what I suggest: Show your wife a bunch of your railcars, and then ship them to me. Later, insist that you never owned any such cars, and that she is confused.


:laugh::laugh:


----------



## PatKn

About 29 years ago, when I first joined my train club, it was closing time on the last day of our open house and My wife had come down to the club to see the layout. I was packing up my trains to take them home and my wife remarked "I don't remember that train. When did you get that?" Three members simultaneously burst out with "It's mine".


----------



## Vincent

PatKn said:


> About 29 years ago, when I first joined my train club, it was closing time on the last day of our open house and My wife had come down to the club to see the layout. I was packing up my trains to take them home and my wife remarked "I don't remember that train. When did you get that?" Three members simultaneously burst out with "It's mine".


It was a train robbery!



Sorry. Couldn't resist.


----------



## DennyM

PatKn said:


> About 29 years ago, when I first joined my train club, it was closing time on the last day of our open house and My wife had come down to the club to see the layout. I was packing up my trains to take them home and my wife remarked "I don't remember that train. When did you get that?" Three members simultaneously burst out with "It's mine".


When I come home with rolling stock I go straight to the basement.


----------



## Holdover18*

About 35 yrs ago my wife, (still Married) walked into my hobby room and although she doesn't recognize a particular item she has the ability to count. She remarked that there seemed to be more items than there was. This was a pivotal moment, I said honey I work two jobs, built you a beautiful house in the country, your horse has a nice field and barn, you drive a new car and don't work just do things with our son, and I don't count how many teddy bears and dolls you have (almost more than I want to count) so I would appreciate it if you don't start scoring my toys. Subject has never again come up...your mileage may vary.


----------



## Bob Phillips

When my wife comes down to train rooms she often says when did you get that one. I say (we) got it at the train show remember. I'm picking up two MTH engines a York and told her I need $4000.00 cash to get them, she said you'll need to work harder.


----------



## Guest

*"This was a pivotal moment, I said honey I work two jobs, built you a beautiful house in the country, your horse has a nice field and barn, you drive a new car and don't work just do things with our son, and I don't count how many teddy bears and dolls you have (almost more than I want to count) so I would appreciate it if you don't start scoring my toys. Subject has never again come up...your mileage may vary."*

A very wise man.


----------



## Norton

This arrived today. Its Big Four month I guess. Earlier I scored a CCC&StL Hudson. Then this weekend I found a few two tone brown passenger cars for it. Now this Pacific. 
When I first saw a pic of this MTH engine I thought it was a fantasy paint job. Then learned one was painted this way. Nice break from the otherwise black unstreamlined engines.
It will get run with green heavyweights but I tried one of my K-Line 1938 Century cars to see how close the grays are. Not very. 


















Pete


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Pete.


----------



## Vincent

Congratulations!


----------



## PatKn

Enjoy it. 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

That is a beautiful locomotive Pete.


----------



## Guest

Very nice, Pete, put that one in the win column.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Interesting locomotive Pete, I hadn't seen that one before.


----------



## Norton

I wasn't aware it existed either. I was thinking about a Pacific and this fits the bill with a little flair. My only other Pacific is the 3rd Rail Mercury and frankly its a bit of a dog. Not one of Scott's better efforts. This one is very solid, typical MTH with good detail.
The chuff is a bit funky. Sounds like its at the bottom of a 55 gallon steel barrel, Lots of echo. I may look into it later.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

The grey paint scheme really brings out the details. Beautiful locomotive!

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Really nice pictures this week everyone. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Bill Webb

*Got this yesterday from my friend Don Jones who I had*

asked to keep an eye out for it. Jawn Henry that Scott Mann came out with several years ago... beautiful engine but really large, especially with both tenders.

Thanks Don for your help. Paula loved the engines.

Sorry the pictures are no better. The train room is just about ready for bench work. It has been a long winter.

Will post some pictures of the room soon.


----------



## DennyM

That is a beast Bill. I like it.


----------



## Wood

Nice catch Bill. Don has helped several people with some great engines. He must have eyes all over the place.


----------



## Spence

Very nice addition. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Bill, this is like three engines in one. Glad you found this beast as it fits into your new layout theme nicely. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new engine, Bill. It's unique and a great addition to your roster.


----------



## SDIV Tim

I got these 6 MTH Premier GLA hoppers for free last night at my clubs swap meet


Timothy Lewis
Writer, Social Media Director And Human Resources Director at Railroading In America Magazine
Vice President of Lewis Locomotive Works


----------



## PRRronbh

Bill GREAT find since all were sold out.

Since I spent 26+ years in power generation (primarily nuclear) turbines are a must. Had my order in righty Scott announced them. The N&W TE-1 was a must have!

Now there are two more must haves. A prototypically correct CF cabin car and a Dynamometer car.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful collection, Ron.


----------



## DennyM

Bill or Ron, wasn't the TE-1 made by 3rdRail?


----------



## PRRronbh

DennyM said:


> Bill or Ron, wasn't the TE-1 made buy 3rdRail?


Yes Denny, Scott, 3rd Rail made 120 total of the TE_1 (Jawn Henry), 80 of which are 3-rail. They were delivered July, 2013.


----------



## DennyM

I just saw my typo.:goofball:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I've always lusted for the Jawn Henry Locomotive, that's a keeper!


----------



## Bill Webb

Thanks everyone. Jawn Henry will be fun to have. Can’t wait to set up a typical coal train coming up the Blue Ridge with a Y6B, an A, and Jawn Henry pushing in the rear.

Ron you have been hanging around Rev Malcolm. He does some beautiful work. Agree on having both of those. 

Tim you did well last night. Nice cars.


----------



## Guest

:smilie_daumenpos:Great additions guys. Very nice new trains for you to play with.


----------



## PRRronbh

Bill Webb said:


> Thanks everyone. Jawn Henry will be fun to have. Can’t wait to set up a typical coal train coming up the Blue Ridge with a Y6B, an A, and Jawn Henry pushing in the rear.
> 
> Ron you have been hanging around Rev Malcolm. He does some beautiful work. Agree on having both of those.
> 
> Tim you did well last night. Nice cars.


Yes Bill the Rev. made both of those. He also made my four window wood Southern cab.

When it appeared that Malcolm may not be making more CF's found and purchased a brass CH by Sunset. It is 2-rail, needs paintings and lettering. Found the correct decals. Was going to add Kadee's and buy another MTH 2-bay hopper and set up as a conversion car "claw" on one end and Kadee on other.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, not currently having any track here to run on, I left these in the box. These are the MTH Premier Amtrak Superliners, I've been keeping an eye out for these for some time. First thing I've bought in a spell, hoping to get a real layout in place so I can change that. 

Another itch that has been scratched.


----------



## Maxum

Nice coaches John! Glad I'm not into Amtrak or I'd have to get a set.


----------



## Guest

Good job, John, Super-Liners (Hi-Levels) are the best. You will love running them.


----------



## DennyM

Those are nice John. MTH really makes some nice passenger cars.


----------



## Bill Webb

*Ron the CH will be fun to complete. Are you using Rustoleum*

and Lee’s technique?

John you are helping fill up the new room. That is a good thing.


We wanted an additional J and another A. Don came thru. We are thinking that the A is rather clean for an engine that operated for years in the coalfields west of Bluefield, W Va. it may need a trip to see Harry Hieke if he can ever finish Brian’s GCT.

This about completes the steam and diesel “want” list for now. Can’t say that for electrics given Scott Mann’s announcement of a new Virginian later this year.


----------



## Guest

Ron, John and Bill, great additions to your rosters.

My purchasing department finally got it together and this LC+ Berkshire arrived yesterday. It's already on the track and earning it's keep. I haven't tried the bluetooth control yet but will soon.


----------



## Guest

Bill, glad you were able to come up with your Big Three from Don. Looking good.


----------



## Guest

I bet you are happy with your new Nickle Plate, Joe.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Lots of nice motive power guys, that must be why the economy is doing so well.


----------



## PatKn

Wow! Great acquisitions. The turbines are Drop dead gorgeous. The steam engines are are beautiful as are the superliners. Tim, I have six GLa hoppers in pennsy livery. There beautiful cars and I paid a lot more than you did for them.


----------



## Guest

Passenger Train Collector said:


> I bet you are happy with your new Nickle Plate, Joe.


I am very happy with it Brian. I haven't tried the bluetooth features yet but will soon.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Country Joe said:


> Ron, John and Bill, great additions to your rosters.
> 
> My purchasing department finally got it together and this LC+ Berkshire arrived yesterday. It's already on the track and earning it's keep. I haven't tried the bluetooth control yet but will soon.
> 
> 
> View attachment 424090


So Joe, if this is the loco you wanted in Pennsy markings, it looks like it wouldn't be that difficult to convert it. Nice. :thumbsup:


----------



## cole226

new coaling tower over the weekend.
anxious for it to arrive in mail. here's a stock photo.


----------



## Vincent

I bought it for 30 cents US today. It needs tires, but the rest of it is in good condition.

And Yes, I'm telling the truth.


----------



## Spence

GRJ; very nice looking superliners. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Cole, you will like this one. GGD did a superb job with them. 

Anyone who is looking for a GGD Coaling Tower, I have one for sale that was customized by Jeb Kriebel.


----------



## Guest

Yellowstone Special said:


> So Joe, if this is the loco you wanted in Pennsy markings, it looks like it wouldn't be that difficult to convert it. Nice. :thumbsup:


Thanks Vern. It was New York Central I was looking for. I believe the P&LE had Berkshires lettered P&LE New York Central System. I'm happy with the Nickel Plate since it ran in NY State. That's my way of reducing the number of locomotives I buy. They have to be railroads that ran in NY State.


----------



## Guest

Cole, great looking coaling tower. It will be a nice addition to your layout.

Vincent, super bargain. Can you get tires for it?


----------



## cole226

Brian and Joe, thanks. I was happy to make that pick. 

Brian, the layout is looking g-r-e-a-t!:thumbsup:
Joe, nice Berk, and I see NYC on the sand dome.:hah:

looks like everybody has got some nice stuff.
and the JAWN HENRY, what can I say:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Vincent

Country Joe said:


> Vincent, super bargain. Can you get tires for it?


Let's just say that it will be quite a challenge. Incidentally, I Googled it, and I cannot find any mention of such a newspaper.


----------



## Guest

cole226 said:


> Joe, nice Berk, and I see NYC on the sand dome.:hah:


Thanks Cole. Yep, it does say NYC! :laugh: Actually the NY is good enough for me. It fits in with my theme.


----------



## Larry Sr.

Cole
I think you will definitely be happy with that tower. Here is a shot of mine currently. It will really stand out.
Have Fun.
Larry


----------



## Wood

Larry Sr. said:


> Cole
> I think you will definitely be happy with that tower. Here is a shot of mine currently. It will really stand out.
> Have Fun.
> Larry
> 
> 
> Nice job on the detailing of your tower Larry. Cole, I agree, The GGD tower is an eye catcher. Just for ideas, here are a couple pics of mine.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Nice coaling tower, Wood. Only where does the coal go in the SF F3 A & B?


----------



## cole226

larry and wood

great looking pics. your layouts are really nice. those towers look real good.

can't believe it, i ok'd shipment on the tower yesterday afternoon, and it was here at lunchtime today. I knew they were impressive, and this is the discontinued redwood.

I have everything tore up right now so excuse the mess, but here's some quick shots.


----------



## cole226

And I'm going to have to build me a sand dryer house/bunker and a tower. 
I seen Larry's


----------



## Wood

Yellowstone Special said:


> Noce coaling tower, Wood. Only where does the coal go in the SF F3 A & B?


Were talking 1950' here Yellowstone. The Santa Fe and the Hudson were both still running up through the early 60'. My engine yard is holding some great locos side by side.


----------



## Guest

Larry, Cole, Wood, the coaling tower is really impressive. You guys all have great layouts. Thanks for the pics.


----------



## Wood

Cole, That looks terrific. I love the height of the tower because it adds elevation to the layout. Nicely hid GP7. Yellowstone will be barking at you....


----------



## Wood

Cole - You have to tell us the story about that Ballerina dancing on the roof tops.. :dunno:


----------



## cole226

Wood, just checking to see who's really looking! 

Seriously, how about an Author Murray's Dance Studio? :dunno: 









just an idea i was tossing around.:goofball:


----------



## Yellowstone Special

​


Wood said:


> Were talking 1950' here Yellowstone. The Santa Fe and the Hudson were both still running up through the early 60'. My engine yard is holding some great locos side by side.


I know, and I figured as much.  

The trains I run on my layout are from the 1950s era (& 60s) as well.


----------



## Shawn91481

I like that tower


----------



## bowerda47

*My New Erie Lackawanna*

Last month I fell into this addition to my railroad. The Lionel Diesel AA 6-18116 with 6-19130 thru 6-19136 Passenger Cars. This set is a MIB Sealed with original shipping cartons for the engines and set of first 4 passenger cars. The other 2 passenger cars had no shipping carton. However, to my delight the seller said the 6-19136 passenger car was from the Richard P. Kughn collection, but had no concrete proof. The price was so low that I could not pass. $498 shipping included. Once I had the set in my hands, I did a little digging and discovered via photos from the auction, that the passenger 6-19136 was in fact from that auction based on still attached auction lot stickers and a distinctive mark on car in the auction photo that matched mine. Enjoy the attached photos.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice set. Those PAs are sharp looking!

Tom


----------



## cole226

nice EL set. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Nice looking passenger train set.


----------



## Guest

The EL passenger set is beautiful. It's a great addition to your roster.


----------



## Larry Sr.

Cole

Your tower looks great already.

Just info for you I ordered these completed bases for that exact tower and think it's a nice addition.

Sorry but, I can't think of the mans name .

PTC or someone else may know. I'm guessing Harry Henikie, but that's a guess??

Wood , nice pictures of your layout as well.

Larry


----------



## cole226

Larry, yeah probably Harry Hieke.
I figure to make some when the time comes. right now the layout is about 1/2 tore up. Had too much of a flat look around the town area. I haven't seen a flat town since last time I was in OK. years ago.
rc


----------



## Vincent

Bowerda47, that's a magnificent train set!


----------



## bowerda47

*Too Big*

Yeah, Vincent
It is really great. Sadly it really is too large/long to properly run on my layout. So, Train Show near me in May. Probably box it up and sell it. Then look for something a little less lengthy.


----------



## Vincent

bowerda47 said:


> Yeah, Vincent
> It is really great. Sadly it really is too large/long to properly run on my layout. So, Train Show near me in May. Probably box it up and sell it. Then look for something a little less lengthy.


For what it's worth, my 6' by 8' table, used only for HO, is too small.


----------



## bowerda47

*Great Lakes Express*

So, on my Birthday I am looking around and stumble on a set I never new existed. I researched and found a little info about it and determined what it sold for when it rarely came up for sale. Make long story short. Got this for a very reasonable price. MIB Sealed Never Opened.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

bowerda47 said:


> So, on my Birthday I am looking around and stumble on a set I never new existed. I researched and found a little info about it and determined what it sold for when it rarely came up for sale. Make long story short. Got this for a very reasonable price. MIB Sealed Never Opened.


Looks like a perfectly sized set for your layout. Good find. :thumbsup:


----------



## Vincent

Nice-looking set!


----------



## Guest

Beautiful passenger set. It looks great on your layout. I've always love the green passenger cars.


----------



## Guest

Great to see more and more passenger sets being added to layouts.


----------



## Krieglok

I picked up a MTH Baldwin Sharknose AB set recently. Nice lines and proper PRR antenna, PS2 but with a 5 volt system. BCR already installed...


----------



## cole226

Ran across CNJ passenger cars. Not sure yet, these may keep right on moving along. If not, I'll need to put some people in them.


----------



## Wood

Randy, Those look awesome. Who made those?


----------



## Vincent

Cole 226 that control panel of yours is impressive. My dad had the same Lionel power unit that you are using.


----------



## cole226

Wood said:


> Randy, Those look awesome. Who made those?


RAILKING, 60' Madisons https://mthtrains.com/30-69182
they are nice, but I still am undecided if I'm going to keep them.

Although, I do have 1 CNJ camelback I could put in front of them.









Vincent Cole 226 that control panel of yours is impressive. My dad had the same Lionel power unit that you are using. 


LOL,THANKS, but, YOUR TOO EASILY IMPRESSED BUDDY! Lionel ZW


----------



## Krieglok

They look as if they would be right at home behind a CNJ camelback. It is also justification to get a CNJ Pacific ......

Tom


----------



## Guest

Sweet loco Tom. I've always like the lines of the Sharknose.


----------



## Guest

Cole, I like the passenger cars a lot. I don't have any of the Railking 60' cars but I'm going to look into getting some. The Williams 72' cars run on my curves but are really too long.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Joe. The Sharknose seems to have more "mechanical" lines than other streamlined units. I like that....

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Krieglok said:


> Thanks Joe. The Sharknose seems to have more "mechanical" lines than other streamlined units. I like that....
> 
> Tom


Help me out please. What are "mechanical lines"?


----------



## Krieglok

Vincent said:


> Help me out please. What are "mechanical lines"?


Square angles and straight lines as opposed to curved , more graceful lines. It is an artistic/design phrase....

Tom


----------



## WITZ 41

Super excited and a little disappointed....I was really hoping for 1948-1955 gray trucks. Can't seem to escape the 1955+ crowd.


----------



## Guest

It's a beautiful locomotive.


----------



## Krieglok

Sharp locomotive, great details.

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Here's a quick video that I shot of my MTH Premier set, the Strasburg 4-4-0 and eight 60' woodside passenger cars. I don't think these have been featured here before.


----------



## rdmtgm

Very nice! And great sound!
Randy


----------



## Maxum

Nice John! Great sound.


----------



## Krieglok

Very nice run-by. The locomotive and coaches look perfect together. I really like those older style coaches. 

Tom


----------



## Guest

Thanks for the video, John. That's a really beautiful train.


----------



## Guest

Strasburg set, very nice.


----------



## Vincent

I enjoyed the video.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Very nice set John. Is the loco Lionel or MTH?


----------



## cole226

Nice looking train. and sounds great. :appl:


----------



## Wood

John, Yup, the consist really does look great!!! I notice the coaches are populated and nicely lighted. Did you have to populate them and did you had the lighting?


----------



## Krieglok

This is one of my "must have" purchases. I went the long buck on this purchase. 

It is an Atlas PS&N reefer lettered for the St. Mary's Brewing Company. I don't own too many old reefers, but this one was special to me as they actually existed and the Shawmut was always one of my favorite railroads...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys, I was happy to scratch that itch, I've wanted a Strasburg set for some time. All of the cars and the locomotive are MTH Premier. I think the detail on these is fantastic, but the plastic railings have a habit of coming off, I'll have to add some glue to discourage that. 

The coaches are populated from the factory, but they need more passengers. They are also all LED lit, but for reasons that totally escape me, MTH didn't put a capacitor to kill the flicker! They even left holes that one fits in, so I'll have to add the capacitor when I add the passengers. I added it to one to see how difficult it was, no sweat at all, and fixed the issue 100%.


----------



## Spence

Krieglok: Nice looking box car. :thumbsup:

GRJ; Very nice. :appl:


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Randy


----------



## DennyM

Real nice John and Tom.


----------



## cole226

maiden voyage for these two. first time on tracks.


----------



## DennyM

I got another Great Northern GP35 Legacy from Gryzboski's Trains the other day to go with the GN GP35 that I also got from Gryzboski's at York last October. The Odyssey went out on it so it's currently being repaired.


----------



## Guest

Nice additions Cole & Denny.


----------



## Guest

I love the reefer Tom.

Cole, the new engines are great additions to your roster.

Beautiful diesel Denny. I'm sorry to hear that it's out for repair.


----------



## Dano

Some sweet stuff guys!


----------



## DennyM

Country Joe said:


> I love the reefer Tom.
> 
> Cole, the new engines are great additions to your roster.
> 
> Beautiful diesel Denny. I'm sorry to hear that it's out for repair.


Thanks Joe. This one works, the first one I bought is out for repair. When I get it get it back I'll have two Great Northern GP35s to lash up.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Denny, you didn't mention the new computer you also added to your roster, we need more pictures. 

I believe this is the old one, right?


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks guys. Randy, those are sharp looking locomotives. The streamlined C&O was always an eye catcher. Is there a real one in the B&O museum in Baltimore? Always a cool looking engine.

Denny, Great Northern always had great looking paint schemes. Nice locomotive!

Tom


----------



## DennyM

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Denny, you didn't mention the new computer you also added to your roster, we need more pictures.
> 
> I believe this is the old one, right?


This is still the old one. Apparently I didn't slam it hard enough. My wife grabbed and hid before I could take the hammer to it. After it stayed hidden for two weeks? She got it out and when I turned it on, it worked perfectly.  My AVG program fixed all the problems. 

Now my rub is Bob fixed my Great Northern GP35 Legacy I bought at York with a new Odyssey motor and it binded up before it got around the layout. He's trying to figure out what happened. It a good thing the new I bought one works.


----------



## bluecomet400

Nice Strasburg set, John. I just had lunch with Brian & Elizabeth and they told me about your new set, so I had to see for myself. Looks great!

John


----------



## Guest

Thanks Denny, I somehow got the idea that is was the new one that needed repair. Boy am I confused.:goofball::dunno::laugh:


----------



## DennyM

Country Joe said:


> Thanks Denny, I somehow got the idea that is was the new one that needed repair. Boy am I confused.:goofball::dunno::laugh:


Your no more confused than I am. :goofball: I bought a Great Northern GP35 Legacy from Joe Gryzboski at York last October. Recently the Odyssey board went out. Then I saw Gryzboski had another GN GP35 Legacy for sale so I bought while the first one was being repair. Bob the Lionel repair guy (and my friend) fixed it, but there is still a problem and he has to fix it again. So at least I have one that works.hwell: How's that for confusing? :dunno:


----------



## PRRronbh

Hopefully one of my last acquisitions. I do like passenger cars/trains. Added this week the five car set MTH 20-40033 to the two car set and RPO car already had. This will now replicate the consist of the B&O "Shenandoah" that in 1958 rode round trip to D.C.

Ron


----------



## Wood

That's a big consist Ron. Looks great and love the backdrop in the picture. Good luck with your purchase.


----------



## cole226

very nice Ron. :thumbsup:


----------



## Shawn91481

Those B&O heavies are amazing


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful set, Ron.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

bluecomet400 said:


> Nice Strasburg set, John. I just had lunch with Brian & Elizabeth and they told me about your new set, so I had to see for myself. Looks great!
> 
> John


Thanks John, I really like the look of the woodside cars, they really are good looking cars.


----------



## Guest

Passenger cars, you gotta love um. Wonderful purchase, Ron, and B&O to boot.


----------



## Guest

DennyM said:


> Your no more confused than I am. :goofball: I bought a Great Northern GP35 Legacy from Joe Gryzboski at York last October. Recently the Odyssey board went out. Then I saw Gryzboski had another GN GP35 Legacy for sale so I bought while the first one was being repair. Bob the Lionel repair guy (and my friend) fixed it, but there is still a problem and he has to fix it again. So at least I have one that works.hwell: How's that for confusing? :dunno:


I hope he gets it working again and I'm sure he will. They are beautiful engines.


----------



## Guest

Ron, that is a beautiful passenger train.


----------



## DennyM

Country Joe said:


> I hope he gets it working again and I'm sure he will. They are beautiful engines.


Yeah he will, but he lives about twenty miles from me. I'll have to wait until I see him at the club or if I'm feeling spunky I'll drive to his house and drop it off.


----------



## SDIV Tim

The World prettiest Steam Engine










Timothy Lewis
Writer, Social Media Director And Human Resources Director at Railroading In America Magazine
Vice President of Lewis Locomotive Works


----------



## PatKn

It's definitely in the top 5. Very nice engine, Tim.


----------



## cole226

Here's something new from a while ago.

Lionel 1668E with TMCC and Railsounds


----------



## cole226

Tim,

I've got one from the pumpkin patch too. :hah:







posted this morn on K-line thread


----------



## Vincent

Cole226, that beauty is at least eighty years old! Does it run well? Have parts of it been rebuilt?


----------



## cole226

Vincent said:


> Cole226, that beauty is at least eighty years old! Does it run well? Have parts of it been rebuilt?


I could pull your leg here Vincent, but I'll play nice. this is a modern remake of the 1937 designed loco made back 20 years ago.
this one happens to actually be new. just out of the box. Very little run time.
It has TMCC and Railsounds.


----------



## Guest

GS4, one of the nicest engines put there. Thanks for the photo, Cole.


----------



## Vincent

cole226 said:


> I could pull your leg here Vincent, but I'll play nice. this is a modern remake of the 1937 designed loco made back 20 years ago.
> this one happens to actually be new. just out of the box. Very little run time.
> It has TMCC and Railsounds.


sniff My sense of awe has been shattered.


----------



## Krieglok

*Two more Pennsy engines...*

Nice GS-4 there Randy. They look fast even when they are sitting still. Interesting how they had airhorns instead of whistles. A sign of modern steam...

I picked up a couple PRR locomotives recently. The Tuscan GG1 is one I was watching for and it finally came up for sale. The VO-1000 was a heat of the moment buy. Both MTH Premier products.

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Beautiful models, Krieglok!

I was surprised by the VO-1000 yard switcher, which I had never seen before. Built mostly during WW2, the PRR bought 8 of them (The Navy bought 40 and the War Department bought another 26). 548 were built.

These locomotives were so sturdy that in the 1960s, some were modified with upgraded equipment, and one of them is still in service today.


----------



## Krieglok

Vincent said:


> Beautiful models, Krieglok!
> 
> I was surprised by the VO-1000 yard switcher, which I had never seen before. Built mostly during WW2, the PRR bought 8 of them (The Navy bought 40 and the War Department bought another 26). 548 were built.
> 
> These locomotives were so sturdy that in the 1960s, some were modified with upgraded equipment, and one of them is still in service today.


Thanks! That's right, Vincent. Many were re-engined with more reliable and serviceable prime movers and stayed in service for a very long time. 

I think MTH or Atlas are doing a run of these in O scale...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

MTH has done these a number of times, for both RailKing and Premier lines. Here's my sample.


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> MTH has done these a number of times, for both RailKing and Premier lines. Here's my sample.
> 
> View attachment 433458


Nice! Interesting how MTH produced the models with the various exhaust stack arrangements depending on the railroad they were lettered for. Some were four, many were two and some were single stack especially if the prototypes were re-engined with EMD prime movers....

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Very nice engines, Tom. I might be prejudiced though. I have both those engines and they both run great. Enjoy them.

I just got this NY Yankee Jersey Boxcar to add to my NY Yankee Train. I liked this train when it came out in the Lionel catalog but at $85 MSRP, there was no way I was going to spend that much on a boxcar. National Railroad Worx had a 3 day sale on MLB cars. For $39 plus $11 shipping, I paid what, to me, the car is worth.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Pat. The GG1 must be a later version as it is PS2 with 3v boards. My other GG1s have 5v boards. The VO-1000 was a surprise. I didn't know MTH made one in Pennsy.

The Yankee boxcar is pretty sharp and looks pretty big. Is it O or O-27? How long is your Yankee train? 

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Thanks, Tom. This makes 10 NYY Cars. I also have a MLB SW cow and calf switcher and caboose. The Jersey car is O-27.


----------



## Lee Willis

Nice train, Pat. I went to many a Yankee game when I lived in Yonkers - Mets, too, but you gotta love the Yankees - sort of America's team.


----------



## Guest

Baseball season, how good is that. Great purchase, Pat. I really like the passion that Yankees fans have for their team. You are a perfect example of this Pat.

Having said that, go Braves. I have the same passion.


----------



## Vincent

You might want to switch to the Philadelphia Phillies. Our memorabilia is often available in junk shops at bargain prices.

And if you're willing to search garbage cans, you can find our souvenirs free. 

And don't forget, that we're the first professional team to lose 10,000 games!

Sincerely yours,
Vince
Philadelphia Phillies phan since 1961


----------



## PatKn

Lmao 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Let me see, first Braves game to attend, 1945. Vincent, you have a way to go.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice cow/calf locomotive set, Pat. That train is really cool looking. 

Tom


----------



## balidas

PatKn said:


> Very nice engines, Tom. I might be prejudiced though. I have both those engines and they both run great. Enjoy them.
> 
> I just got this NY Yankee Jersey Boxcar to add to my NY Yankee Train. I liked this train when it came out in the Lionel catalog but at $85 MSRP, there was no way I was going to spend that much on a boxcar. National Railroad Worx had a 3 day sale on MLB cars. For $39 plus $11 shipping, I paid what, to me, the car is worth.
> 
> View attachment 433674
> 
> 
> View attachment 433682





PatKn said:


> Thanks, Tom. This makes 10 NYY Cars. I also have a MLB SW cow and calf switcher and caboose. The Jersey car is O-27.
> 
> View attachment 433730
> 
> 
> View attachment 433738
> 
> 
> View attachment 433746
> 
> 
> View attachment 433754


Being a lifelong Yankees fan I truly appreciate your train. Seeing yours has got me thinking about one of my own except I would want a steamer, maybe even a double header.


----------



## Holdover18*

well I am just a newbe with trains, never had them when I was a kid. Doing a setup with and for the grand-kids and enjoying every minute. My layout is small 6.5' X 10', I have a space limitation as well as the kids need to be able to reach the derailments etc. I took the advice of someone on the board and added quick action circuit breakers separate from the transformer, I also added volt meters and AC amp gauges to monitor what is going on. Having a blast..

would add pics if I knew how on this site, I don't have them downloaded to a site, I usually just bring them from my computer


----------



## DennyM

6.5x10 is a pretty good size. I started with a 4x8.


----------



## PatKn

Holdover, Go to "Forum News, Updates and Help" section of the forum. There is a thread there called "How to post pictures".


----------



## Booly15

*Lionel Century 726*

Just missed out on an original 726, found this one, couldn't resist!


----------



## DennyM

Nice loco Booly definitely a good fine.:thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Really nice! Great lines. Nice strong look to it!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Whistle clean, looks like a brand new one!


----------



## Vincent

My dad had a Lionel Berkshire like that. A beautiful machine!


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Whistle clean, looks like a brand new one!


It sort of is, that's the Century Club one from the early 2000's. Should be a nice running engine with TMCC and a good rail sounds set


----------



## Guest

Always loved Berks. Looks new.


----------



## DennyM

RailKing Pennsylvania Merchandise Service boxcar I bought at a train show in Wyoming, MI just South of Grand Rapids, MI.


----------



## Vincent

Now THAT is a beautiful boxcar!


----------



## Guest

Always room for another one, Denny. Very interesting markings.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful boxcar Denny. You can never have enough boxcars.


----------



## DennyM

I forgot to post this LCCA Christmas car from 2017 that I bought from a club member who is in the LCCA. My one and only Christmas car.


----------



## Lee Willis




----------



## Guest

Fun engine, Lee, you will enjoy it a lot. However, not better than the ATSF 3000.


----------



## Lee Willis

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Fun engine, Lee, you will enjoy it a lot. However, not better than the ATSF 3000.


Hmmmm, I won't argue with you, but wow, it is one fine, BIG, locomotive.


----------



## Lee Willis

I love them both, Brian, and after thinking about it, its a even draw. The Triplex has more drivers, and two smoke stacks. The 3000 has a swinging bell, and fantastic sound, and good special effects.


----------



## Spence

Denny; nice box cars. :thumbsup:
Lee: that engine is a monster. :thumbsup: Best of luck with your new "toy". Enjoy.


----------



## Vincent

Lee that is one fantastic locomotive you have there! I hadn't thought that such a thing was possible and I enjoyed researching it on the web.

Only four were made. They were designed to help other locomotives pull heavy loads over steep terrain. The last one was manufactured in 1916, and after being modified, stayed in service for 37 years.


----------



## Lee Willis

Vincent said:


> Lee that is one fantastic locomotive you have there! I hadn't thought that such a thing was possible and I enjoyed researching it on the web.
> 
> Only four were made. They were designed to help other locomotives pull heavy loads over steep terrain. The last one was manufactured in 1916, and after being modified, stayed in service for 37 years.


Thanks Vincent. They were cool, but the triplexs themselves lasted a very short time. they were modified into other locos, and many compound locos of that era were when they didn't work well, and as you said, then used for decades.

I love the model. Just a very cool loco. 

I'll post about another Triplex model next Tuesday.


----------



## Krieglok

Lee, it looks like the "Erie" bug has bitten you hard! A scale Triplex added to your collection and a 0-8-8-0 on the horizon...nice!

Tom


----------



## Bill Webb

*N and W “A” weathered by Harry*

Finally unboxed this engine that my son picked up from Don Jones. It is nicely done and will serve the mines west of Bluefield.

Lee that is a beautiful engine. 

Denny like the box cars; they look good. Did you get the bad weather that was on the east shore today?


----------



## rdmtgm

WOW!! Those sure are some big and beautiful engines! I thought 
I would post something from the other end of the hobby. I went on a Craig's list search for a radio for the new car and I mentioned that I collected Trains to the guy and low and behold, he pulled out an old box of Marx trains. 40 bucks was enough to add these to my trip home.
Randy

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=436225&stc=1&d=1523842264


----------



## Lee Willis

Oh wow, rdmtgm, that is a real find. That is beautiful and old, too.

I love old Marx stuff, and have only a little bit of it myself.


----------



## PatKn

Denny, I love the Merchants Service Boxcar though I might be a little prejudiced. They look great is string os identical cars. You need to buy some more. 
Lee, The Triplex looks fantastic. I have been enamored with that engine for a long time. So far, I have successfully avoided buying one. 
Bill, That is one striking locomotive.
Randy, Not much into Marx, myself but I know a good deal when I see one.

Enjoy your new toys everyone.


----------



## Krieglok

All great looking stuff! 

The weathered N&W locomotive looks super! I haven't the nerve to try it on mine, although I used to weather my HO stuff.

Like Pat, I don't have any Marx stuff, but that train looks really cool. Nice lines and great colors...and all original it looks like. 

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I lust for a Triplex Lee, I'm insanely jealous.


----------



## Guest

Big beautiful engine, Bill.


----------



## Maxum

Bill, I love the weathering job, but like Tom I'm chicken to do it to my own equipment. 

I scored this locomotive and coaches off eBay recently in a couple of smoking deals. The locomotive is a MTH Premier Santa Fe Northern PS3 with just 2 scale miles on it and the coaches are MTH Premier Maddison coaches that look brand new. Its like a typical MTH steamer, it'll smoke you out of the room! The smoke is on low in the video. The sound is great and it will creep flawlessly at 2mph. The tender on it is huge.


----------



## UP-Railroad

my latest was union pacific coal cars........ there really nice black with yellow end


----------



## Vincent

Sharp-looking train, Maxum


----------



## Maxum

Trainman40 said:


> my latest was union pacific coal cars........ there really nice black with yellow end




Pictures???


----------



## Krieglok

Nice video. The Santa Fe Northern is a massive looking locomotive. The matching varnish looks great too...

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Nice train, Maxum. Enjoy it.


----------



## Guest

Good job, Maxum.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Maxum said:


> Bill, I love the weathering job, but like Tom I'm chicken to do it to my own equipment.
> 
> I scored this locomotive and coaches off eBay recently in a couple of smoking deals. The locomotive is a MTH Premier Santa Fe Northern PS3 with just 2 scale miles on it and the coaches are MTH Premier Maddison coaches that look brand new. Its like a typical MTH steamer, it'll smoke you out of the room! The smoke is on low in the video. The sound is great and it will creep flawlessly at 2mph. The tender on it is huge.
> 
> https://youtu.be/VG82zzeuPbA


Maxum: Forget that old Northern and coaches. When do we get to see those awesome Santa Fe RDCs in action? :


----------



## Maxum

Yellowstone Special said:


> Maxum: Forget that old Northern and coaches. When do we get to see those awesome Santa Fe RDCs in action? :


I'll have to remember to run them next time I'm over at my dad's house as that was his layout in the video. My train room is under construction at the moment


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thanks Maxum. :thumbsup:


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Maxum. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## superwarp1

This is from last Jan at the Amherst train show(Big E). Impulse purchase of the mikado. The Main Central mikado with a NH ten wheeler. By far my favorite lashup.


----------



## Vincent

That Mikado is a beautiful engine! From what I could see of the New Haven locomotive, it is also beautiful. As far as your having done a bad thing...

...next time, put a caboose on the end and you'll be okay.


----------



## Guest

Very nice locomotives Superwarp. They run and sound great.


----------



## Wood

Good view of your layout. You have laid out a super template for a super layout. Like all of us, a work in progress. Engines and consists look cool. I love lashups. :appl:


----------



## Maxum

Nice! Good looking double header. I'm a big fan of Mikados.


----------



## superwarp1

Vincent said:


> That Mikado is a beautiful engine! From what I could see of the New Haven locomotive, it is also beautiful. As far as your having done a bad thing...
> 
> ...next time, put a caboose on the end and you'll be okay.


Yeah, my Son built that train That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Thanks for the kind words everyone


----------



## Spence

Superwarp1; very nice looking layout. :thumbsup:


----------



## DennyM

What everyone said, nice video.


----------



## Krieglok

Excellent video, Superwarp. It is really impressive as to how long the train is. The layout is equally impressive.

Here are my latest pick ups....

A new pair of Lionel PRR E8 locomotives, a used Lionel D&H RS11 and a new Lionel South Buffalo S2. 

The E8s are from Trainworld in Long Island. They are pretty impressive, with both units putting out nice clouds of smoke! 

The RS11, a used eBay purchase, needed a new airhorns installed. The original two had been broken off. It also needed a set of MU hoses which were broken off of the pilot. I found the brass horns on EBay and the MU hoses came right from Lionel. 

The South Buffalo S-2 was a engine I had planned on buying a few months ago. I finally saved enough money to buy it, so I ordered it from one dealer, only to find it was out of stock. I searched the web and found one for sale, just about an hour from my house, Tom's Trains. I ordered it and had it in one day. 

The S-2 had a rough beginning as it wouldn't run properly when I tested it. It turned out, there was too much "blackening" on the wheel treads, so it wouldnt pick up power properly. After a good wheel cleaning, the brand new engine ran as it should...phew!!!

Tom


----------



## Larry Sr.

Well,
This is about the ugliest engine I have ever brought home. I just pictured it as my garden trolley engine.

So I drugged it home from York with the Dallee automatic back and forth with momentum kit.

Should be a interesting project with a 100 feet plus of LGB track.

LGB Alligator 


Larry

PS Damn it's ugly, but growing on me.


----------



## DennyM

Krieglok said:


> Excellent video, Superwarp. It is really impressive as to how long the train is. The layout is equally impressive.
> 
> Here are my latest pick ups....
> 
> A new pair of Lionel PRR E8 locomotives, a used Lionel D&H RS11 and a new Lionel South Buffalo S2.
> 
> The E8s are from Trainworld in Long Island. They are pretty impressive, with both units putting out nice clouds of smoke!
> 
> The RS11, a used eBay purchase, needed a new airhorns installed. The original two had been broken off. It also needed a set of MU hoses which were broken off of the pilot. I found the brass horns on EBay and the MU hoses came right from Lionel.
> 
> The South Buffalo S-2 was a engine I had planned on buying a few months ago. I finally saved enough money to buy it, so I ordered it from one dealer, only to find it was out of stock. I searched the web and found one for sale, just about an hour from my house, Tom's Trains. I ordered it and had it in one day.
> 
> The S-2 had a rough beginning as it wouldn't run properly when I tested it. It turned out, there was too much "blackening" on the wheel treads, so it wouldnt pick up power properly. After a good wheel cleaning, the brand new engine ran as it should...phew!!!
> 
> Tom


Nice locos Tom. Especially the PRR E8s.



Larry Sr. said:


> Well,
> This is about the ugliest engine I have ever brought home. I just pictured it as my garden trolley engine.
> 
> So I drugged it home from York with the Dallee automatic back and forth with momentum kit.
> 
> Should be a interesting project with a 100 feet plus of LGB track.
> 
> LGB Alligator
> 
> 
> Larry
> 
> PS Damn it's ugly, but growing on me.


Larry it looks good to me. You going to post a video of it running?


----------



## Vincent

Don't feel bad, Larry. They really did make electric locomotives like that, and it makes an interesting addition to your collection.


----------



## PatKn

Nice haul, Tom. I am especially fond of the E8. :thumbsup:

Larry, Center cab electrics are cool. :thumbsup:

Enjoy your new toys, guys.


----------



## Krieglok

Larry, post a video of the LGB Alligator on the move. I bet it looks even better with those side rods going around at speed. 

Not ugly at all! 

Thanks for the comments Pat. I saw that MTH also makes a nice set of E8s, but the MTH PRR train phone antennas are just too delicate. Lionel makes a sturdier antenna on their engines.

Tom


----------



## PatKn

I have a set of MTH PRR E8s. Nene had a problem with the antennas. 

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## cole226

nice additions everyone. :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

PatKn said:


> I have a set of MTH PRR E8s. Nene had a problem with the antennas.
> 
> Pat
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


I don't mean the MTH details are bad, just a bit more "fine" than the Lionel versions. The MTH GP-9 and F-3 set I own, have antennas that were not handled too carefully by the previous owners. The plastic stanchions tend to snap if not handled/packaged carefully. The Lionel antennas are all metal and tend to bend instead of breaking. 

The big difference with me is that I probably handle my locomotives too much...lol.

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Krieglok said:


> The big difference with me is that I probably handle my locomotives too much...lol.
> 
> Tom


I can identify with that problem. Not having a layout of my own, my trains get packed and unpacked and brought to my club on a weekly basis.


----------



## Guest

Great additions Tom. They are all nice but I really like the D&H RS-11.

Larry, that Alligator is very cool. It's odd looking but attractive.


----------



## teledoc

Larry, Sr., Isn’t that a “Pushmi-Pullyu” (Dr. Doolittle fame”?..


----------



## Krieglok

Country Joe said:


> Great additions Tom. They are all nice but I really like the D&H RS-11.
> 
> Larry, that Alligator is very cool. It's odd looking but attractive.


Joe, the funny thing is the real South Buffalo 102 was originally a D&H locomotive before being sold to the SB... 

Thanks for the kind comments, guys.

Tom


----------



## Larry Sr.

Larry, Sr., Isn’t that a “Pushmi-Pullyu” (Dr. Doolittle fame”?.. 

teledoc I have no ideal. lol

Guys I will do my best to make some go pro posts in the summer. I'm looking forward to that. 

Currently I'm a work in progress with my train in the yard project. (G scale section) It's a learning and fun project 

But, I'm moving along. Looking forward to getting back to work on it shortly. 

The track for the funny looking Alligator trolley isn't down on the layout yet. It's totally separate.

Larry


----------



## Guest

Your project will be interesting to follow, Larry.


----------



## cole226

Larry Sr. , I like that alot. Looks like it will be lots of fun.:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Krieglok

Yes, it is a great looking garden layout! Something tells me you don't have dogs! Lol. I am considering an outside layout, but the weather isn't the best for that idea here in NJ.

Tom


----------



## DennyM

Larry Sr., this is a Pushmi-pullyu. Very nice garden layout.


----------



## Vincent

Larry, that is a beautiful lay-out you have.


----------



## Maxum

Looking good Larry.


----------



## Larry Sr.

Guess I'm going to have to let that ugly Alligator thing grow on me. lol

I do appreciate the support guys. I'm a O gauge guy but I always thought about adventuring into the yard with One Gauge trains just to get outside in the summer.

It is definitely a new and fun challenge. 

I'm 100 % legacy TMCC inside the O room and went DCS in the yard Totally learning DCS with WI Fi all that new stuff?????

I did start a post in the G section here for anyone that might be interested in my progress. Of course I hide the many goofs I make. 

Learning what is being used by other hobby members is worthwhile.

I don't want tie up this discussion with a build so I'm back to G posts.


Having Fun
Larry


----------



## Maxum

I had G gauge (1:22.5) back in the late 1990's. I sold it all off in 2002 when I moved. I did keep my LGB Santa Fe ABBA set of F-7's. I plan to put them on static display when I finish my train room.


----------



## MOVL

Larry, WOW! Such a fun project this must be. Well worth the time, as it is beautiful. Love trains in yards.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

And... HE'S BACK!  Welcome back Keith!


----------



## Guest

Keith is an outstanding modeler. Glad to have him back.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

gunrunnerjohn said:


> And... HE'S BACK!  Welcome back Keith!


Yes indeed, a very welcome return! :smilie_daumenpos::appl:


----------



## MOVL

Thanks guys. I will try to post, whenever I can.


----------



## Norton

In the past month I picked up these bargains. I try to resist jumping on something just because of its low price but these were just too low to resist. Combined both were just a shade over two bills.
This Lionel 0-8-0 is the conventional version of the USRA released around 2004. Its since been updated with cruise. Like its TMCC brother it came with fan smoke and 4 chuffs.









Next is this K-Line B6 lettered for NYC. NYC never had these but I am a big fan of K-Line and this doesn't disappoint. It came with a bad audio power board. The board has been replaced and a Cruise M installed.










Actually I have a plan for these engines. No one has made an engine for the Buffalo Creek Railway out of Buffalo, NY (not West Virginia, Buffalo Creek and Gauley).
In the steam era they used primarily 0-6-0s and 0-8-0s to shuttle the boxcars around the flower milling elevators. 




























Pete


----------



## Vincent

Well done, Norton.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice pickups, Pete! I can't wait to see your Buffalo Creek repaint. That engine is spot on for a Buffalo Creek 0-8-0, even the tender with the swap! Sweet.

I grew up near Buffalo and I remember going over the Skyway and seeing BC's Ohio Street yard filled with Buffalo Creek 40' flour cars. We used to visit the old roundhouse before it closed up during the early days of Conrail....

Tom


----------



## DennyM

Nice Pete.


----------



## PatKn

Nice engines, Pete. Can't wait to see the new paint.


----------



## Lee Willis

Now those are cool. Small tough steamers like that are among my most favorite locos. Very cool. Buffalo Creek - never heard of it, but it would look fantastic - would be fantastic.


----------



## Norton

It will take a bit more than a repaint to do these. Besides the electronics swap I plan to do some minor detailing like move the bell and dynamo on the engine and raise the coal bunker on the tender.
The Buffalo Creek Railroad was jointly leased by the Erie and Lehigh Valley. It was built to serve the grain elevators at the eastern end of Lake Erie.The engines pretty much stayed on site but their cars traveled the country.

Here is a link to the history of the Grain Elevators.

http://buffaloah.com/h/elev/hist/1/index.html

And some background on the Buffalo Creek.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3310705

By the time I was old enough to be driving through the area, steam was gone replaced by diesel but as Tom said the yard was still packed with hundreds of their boxcars. The boxcars were marked for handling flour only and never routinely carried other cargo.

I would like to do an 0-6-0 but theirs had no resemblance to the B6 or most any other 0-6-0 done in three rail. An Atlas brass one might make a starting point but would require extensive work.

Here is one. The big all weather cab is one of the main features. NYC had many similar to this as did many other Canadian and northeast roads. Who knows maybe someone like MTH will make one and letter it in a few different road names.









Pete


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new locomotives, Pete.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice pickups Pete, for $200 for both, that's one heck of a deal!


----------



## Norton

Well, $220 actually. 79 and 139 and that was the buy it nows. Start was $59 and $99 but I was pretty sure bidding would take it higher than the B.I.N. Even with the upgrades I am under 4 bills.
How much for a Legacy 0-8-0?

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Probably more than you paid.


----------



## Larry Sr.

Yesterday 2 O gauge Legacy Clinchfield SD 40's
Engine 3000 and 3006
Happy Dance!

Larry


----------



## Vincent

Larry, if it weren't for your control panel (Pretty sharp, by the way) I would not have known that it isn't real.


----------



## Krieglok

Clinchfield, interesting railroad. Really nice locomotive, Larry!

I just received my latest PRR acquisition, a PRR BLH Transfer Locomotive. Sort of a 44tonner on steroids....lol

Tom


----------



## Guest

Larry, nice purchase.


----------



## PRRronbh

Tom a quintessential engine for us Pennsy fans.

"Top-Shelf"

Ron


----------



## Krieglok

Nice collection of PRR switching power there, Ron!


----------



## Vincent

Krieglok, that's a diesel to be proud of! I almost hate to ask this, but how does it do on curves?


----------



## Krieglok

Vincent said:


> Krieglok, that's a diesel to be proud of! I almost hate to ask this, but how does it do on curves?


Thanks Vincent. It is pretty long, almost twice as long as two GP9s together.

Well, I don't have a layout but the O-72 curve I used as part of a test track was a little tight, the engine ran fine, but there was a lot of overhang at the ends...

Tom


----------



## Larry Sr.

Hi all

PTC thanks.

Vincent : Not real, it's just my fantasy toy world.

Hi Tom.
My Grandpa retired from Clinchfield and Dad worked for them for over 10 years.

This town (Erwin,TN) is here because of the Clinchfield RR. It holds a special place for me as well as a lot of other locals.

Now, that CSX has bailed out we don't hear the sounds coming out of the mountains when they come down into the valley as much as we use to. Sad.

On these two engines, MRSP was a no no , but the price has went down and I had to jump on both now. 
Not much demand for Clinchfield.

Larry
Still having fun inside and out.


----------



## cole226

here's a PRR K4 that has just arrived. K-line with TMCC/Railsounds


----------



## Guest

Tom, Ron, Randy, very nice locos. The PRR shown a lot of love.


----------



## Vincent

Cole226, not only is that a beautiful locomotive and tender but they're Pennsylvania Railroad as well!

Incidentally, I'm impressed with the bridge and the background.


----------



## Krieglok

Larry, I forgot about CSX giving up the old Clinchfield. They didn't tear it up, I hope. 

Randy, that is a sharp looking K-4. K-Line stuff was so well made. I have a few of their locomotives with TMCC and they are excellent engines.

Thanks for the compliments, Joe. PRR is definitly well represented here...lol.

Tom


----------



## santafe158

I can stop collecting trains now as I just purchased the sole model that I've always wanted... (yeah right) I finally purchased a Lionel N&W 611, which is probably my all time favorite mainline locomotive. I recently got promoted to a full time position at work, and I got a pretty decent tax refund this year so I figured I'd splurge for once. It's the TMCC one, so I'll probably have to look at altering it a bit to get 4 chuffs/revolution, but for now I'm just excited to finally be getting one.

My first and only time seeing the real 611 was back in 2015 when a coworker and I drove all night to Manassas, VA from Detroit to work as car hosts on the Sunday trips during its first weekend of excursions following its rebuild. It was a whirlwind of a trip, but it was awesome.


----------



## Wood

Congrats Jake. It is a beautiful steamer. Interesting story about serving as a car host. That must have been great fun.


----------



## Vincent

Santafe158, I just watched two videos of the 611 in Roanoke. That is one beautiful monster! I'm looking forward to seeing photos of your locomotive after it arrives.


----------



## santafe158

Vincent said:


> Santafe158, I just watched two videos of the 611 in Roanoke. That is one beautiful monster! I'm looking forward to seeing photos of your locomotive after it arrives.


Thanks Wood. The car hosting gig wasn't quite as interesting as I thought it might be. We had a tougher time staying awake after having driven all night (and I worked an 11 hour shift firing a locomotive at work the day we left), but it was well worth the experience seeing my favorite locomotive for the first time. Prior to that, I had only seen photos and videos. We also met some great people along the way.

And Vincent, the 611 and her late sisters were and are some of the best steam locomotives ever built. And pretty good looking at that. The fact that the N&W designed and built many of their own locomotives based on their needs is something I find very fascinating about that railroad.


----------



## Bill Webb

The Arrow and Pocahontas used to come thru Suffolk twice a day when I was a kid on the way to/from Norfolk. They and the coal trains with steam were quite a sight.

The Js were beautiful engines. Fortunately the 611 still is.


----------



## seayakbill

I won this Menards boxcar on a contest held by Cabinet Bob on the other forum. The Menards question was " what are the first 3 pieces of Menards rolling stock and what year were they released" Easy question for me since I had the 3 flatcars from 2010.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice locomotive Jake, that's one that I still have a yen to purchase.


----------



## DennyM

Nice engines everyone. I really like that "sorta 44 tonner" PRR. That is a sweet engine. I picked up a Menards Northern Pacific hopper and I traded a caboose for a Lionel Northwestern Reefer. I


----------



## seayakbill

Denny, that Northern Pacific covered hopper is one of the best looking hoppers that money can buy.

Bill


----------



## Shawn91481

seayakbill said:


> I won this Menards boxcar on a contest held by Cabinet Bob on the other forum. The Menards question was " what are the first 3 pieces of Menards rolling stock and what year were they released" Easy question for me since I had the 3 flatcars from 2010.
> 
> Bill
> 
> View attachment 443777


Bill, I really like those Menards cars. Are they as detailed as an Atlas or MTH Premier? No, but they are cheap with insanely fast shipping. You can quickly fill out a roster without going bankrupt.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice locomotive Jake, that's one that I still have a yen to purchase.


Thanks. It's been on my list for a long time, but I'm not one to spend more than $500 on a locomotive. This time I gave in. It was a local seller and I learned that he's a member of the local round-robin train club the Detroit Three Railers, so I'm pleased that it's coming from a good source.

Any tips for upgrading it to 4 chuffs per revolution? :laugh:


----------



## santafe158

Bill Webb said:


> The Arrow and Pocahontas used to come thru Suffolk twice a day when I was a kid on the way to/from Norfolk. They and the coal trains with steam were quite a sight.
> 
> The Js were beautiful engines. Fortunately the 611 still is.



That's an image I've only seen in pictures. I bet seeing the N&W back in its heyday was quite a sight.

Seeing 611 in person for the first time while it pulled its train into the Manassas, VA station back in 2015 was definitely an event that brought a tear to my eye. Hopefully I'll see it again someday.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

> Any tips for upgrading it to 4 chuffs per revolution?


Before ERR closed it's doors and put me out of the TMCC upgrade business, I did have a solution...


----------



## santafe158

The ERR situation is unfortunate. I may look to modifying the chuff cam to have four lobes instead of two.


----------



## PatKn

Great stuff guys. I am, of course, partial to the Pennsy stuff. I have that 2500 HP Transfer diesel, Tom. It's a great running engine. It runs nicely on the club mainline that is smaller than O-72. I'm not sure the minimum radius. Th K4 is a beautiful engine and the pride of the Pennsy fleet. I saw 611 when it was still in the Virginia Transportation Museum. It's a beautiful engine. I have to try to get a ride behind her someday. Some real nice looking rolling stock too. Enjoy you new toys guys.

I had a club member ask me if the 2500 HP Transfer diesel was a real locomotive. It definitely was.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Pat. Cool picture. It is one of those locomotive types that hid in the shadows of history. The PRR did own at least 20 of them, but if it wasn't for MTH or the Al Stauffer books, I never would have known they existed. I would imagine it handles curves pretty well with just the two trucks. It is just so long!

Tom


----------



## Norton

santafe158 said:


> Thanks. It's been on my list for a long time, but I'm not one to spend more than $500 on a locomotive. This time I gave in. It was a local seller and I learned that he's a member of the local round-robin train club the Detroit Three Railers, so I'm pleased that it's coming from a good source.
> 
> Any tips for upgrading it to 4 chuffs per revolution? :laugh:


I am still optimistic the ERR will come back as well as John's upgrades but lest we forget before the Chuff Generator there was and still are magnets and reed switches on the tender wheels. 
Stones axes for sure but they work. I think I may still have couple of engines that use them and ERR was still including them in their steam Railsounds kits.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have the 2500HP transfer engine as well, cool piece, and with two smoke units, it's a real smoker as well. When I turn on the smoke, I run it at the lowest setting.


----------



## DennyM

I'm not going to hold my breath.


----------



## Guest

Bill, that Menards boxcar is a very nice prize.

Denny, excellent additions to your fleet.


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I have the 2500HP transfer engine as well, cool piece, and with two smoke units, it's a real smoker as well. When I turn on the smoke, I run it at the lowest setting.


That was one of the first things I checked, and yes a real smoker!

Once I know it is good, I just shut off the smoke...until I build a layout someday!

Tom


----------



## santafe158

I picked up this Lionel N&W Auxiliary Tender for the TMCC J class 611 I purchased. I'm hoping to pick up the engine as well as the four Lionel aluminum Pocahontas cars I bought with it this weekend.


----------



## Vincent

It's in excellent condition Santefe158.


----------



## santafe158

Vincent said:


> It's in excellent condition Santefe158.


It was listed for sale as being in Mint condition. I see evidence that it was operated once or twice perhaps, but other than that it's brand new. I'm looking forward to running it all as a set. It'll be a good engine for freight and passenger service. One of my fellow club members has the same locomotive with the Lionel Powhatan arrow cars, so I'll likely run mine with freight cars most of the time so we have a bit of variety there, but it'll be nice to have the new aluminum passenger cars as well.


----------



## Krieglok

That will be an impressive looking consist when you get the whole works together with the 611. I rode behind that locomotive some 30 years ago. I can't remember if they had the auxiliary tender on the train back then.

The N&W passenger cars that were always with the J back then, were smoothside cars painted in the N&W red/maroon. There were added cars from various places in the train too. Big train, almost 20 cars I recall...

Tom


----------



## santafe158

Krieglok said:


> That will be an impressive looking consist when you get the whole works together with the 611. I rode behind that locomotive some 30 years ago. I can't remember if they had the auxiliary tender on the train back then.
> 
> The N&W passenger cars that were always with the J back then, were smoothside cars painted in the N&W red/maroon. There were added cars from various places in the train too. Big train, almost 20 cars I recall...
> 
> Tom


Thanks! I think it's going to look neat.

I think they usually use an Auxiliary tender on and off depending on the distance of the trip it's going on. When I rode behind it from Manassas to Front Royal in 2015, they had it. The one they use now isn't a true N&W one like my model, but it's a converted tender from a steam locomotive. The coal bunker has been fitted with a roof and a door and is where they store their water treatment chemicals and other supplies. That was also an 18 car train as I recall. I have several passenger cars from different roads that I sometimes mix up as an excursion train, so that should go well with my 611.

I should also add, the Auxiliary tender typically used by 611 is painted to match the striped tender vs the basic N&W paint job on mine. Mine more closely resembles the tender that was typically used with the 1218 when it was operational, though I've seen pictures of it behind the 611 as well. It all works out


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I sold the one with the stripe as I didn't have the J to go with it. I kept the one like yours that goes with my Legacy Y6.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I sold the one with the stripe as I didn't have the J to go with it. I kept the one like yours that goes with my Legacy Y6.


Was the striped one an MTH tender? I didn't see one ever offered by Lionel. I briefly thought about getting an MTH one, but the prices were more than I paid for the Lionel one. I think I like the traditional look better anyway and it would be more correct if I pulled a freight train with it. Now I need a good N&W caboose :laugh:


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## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, it was the MTH tender, I believe from 2015 or 2016. I got the two tenders and the Legacy Y6 for $700, so it was somewhat of a steal for a $2000 MSRP locomotive and two tenders worth about $400 or so.  After selling the one tender, I got the Y6 and extra tender for $625, one of my better deals. The guy I sold it too was real happy to get it for $75, but since he's a friend and member of our club, I figured I'd give him a break.


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## Krieglok

The "all black" auxiliary tender will still look fine. 

Now you have another piece to hunt for, if you want to get one. The thrill is in the hunt...lol

Is this the one you need?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MTH-TRAINS...602573?hash=item1ca97ca54d:g:AOMAAOSwIxxarxQt

A few there at crazy, all-over-the-place EBay pricing...

Tom


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## santafe158

That was a steal John.

Tom, that's the idea, but that's the non-scale Railking one. I'd be after the MTH Premier scale one. I believe there was one up for sale on Ebay for about $200+ shipping. I paid about the same for my Lionel one since that appeared to be about what a couple have sold for recently. The N&W stuff is popular, so prices are still pretty high even on the older items. I realized after purchasing mine that it came from a local seller, who used to own a hobby shop nearby until he retired about a year ago. He donated a few nice items to my display at the Redford Theatre because he regularly attends shows. I always like purchasing stuff from him because of that nice gesture.


----------



## DennyM

That's a great looking tender there Jake.


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## santafe158

Thanks Denny! It'll look better when I have the locomotive to go with it


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## Krieglok

santafe158 said:


> That was a steal John.
> 
> Tom, that's the idea, but that's the non-scale Railking one. I'd be after the MTH Premier scale one. I believe there was one up for sale on Ebay for about $200+ shipping. I paid about the same for my Lionel one since that appeared to be about what a couple have sold for recently. The N&W stuff is popular, so prices are still pretty high even on the older items. I realized after purchasing mine that it came from a local seller, who used to own a hobby shop nearby until he retired about a year ago. He donated a few nice items to my display at the Redford Theatre because he regularly attends shows. I always like purchasing stuff from him because of that nice gesture.


A few on there, both RK and Premier...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MTH-O-SCAL...972024?hash=item1ca89d66b8:g:5WAAAOSwO0Ra2MIt

Definitely not inexpensive 

Tom


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## gunrunnerjohn

I guess the one I sold for $75 was a steal.  It was the Premier version that seems to be going for $200 or more.


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## santafe158

Definitely a steal. I paid about $240 for mine with shipping because aside from one for $300+, it was the only one on eBay.


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## Krieglok

*Lionel Sharks*

I picked up a set of Lionel RF-16 Sharknose diesels. I Liked the A-B-A set that Lionel made available. The two A units came as a set and the B unit was a seperate purchase. The two A units are powered and come from the factory set up to run together, back to back. They have TMCC...

Tom


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## teledoc

Tom, I’m starting to think you have NO self control with buying!!! LOL.:laugh::laugh:. You’ve been purchasing quite a bit lately. It’s all about having fun.


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## Vincent

VERY sharp-looking set. And the fact that they are Pennsylvania Railroad only improves things.

You stated that the engines are designed to run together. Can each one run separately?


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## DennyM

Tom I think you should send that ABA to me so I can test it to make sure everything works. I'll get it back to you in six months.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Nice locomotives Tom. I have the Legacy A-B-A Delaware & Hudson set, they're neat looking locomotives. The Legacy ones just had one powered A, so I added the powered B so I'd have two powered units.


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## Guest

You sure are a PRR fan, Tom. Nice purchase.


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## Larry Sr.

Hi all
OK, I'll swing to the South.lol 

Starting with the two O gauge legacy Clinchfield SD 40's (3000 and 3006) I received in the mail last week. 

And this week another O gauge AC 6000 Family Lines . Still happy dance time.

Larry


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## Krieglok

Thanks guys.

Toledoc, I don't have a layout yet, so all my hobby money goes into rolling stock at this point. I have bought some Ross switches and track for future use, though. Some day!!!

Vincent, The two A units will run separately. They are both powered. I haven't figured out the correct way to MU them as per the Lionel instructions, but I did manage to get them to run together in TMCC by giving them the same ID number. One engine is "wired" in reverse so you can run the two back to back. 

John, as you probably know, my locos are branded as "Century Club II" series engines. I never heard of that until I found these locomotives. The D&H versions are sharp looking engines. The real ones lasted into the late 70's or early 80's I recall, working the ex-Lehigh Valley Auburn Branch in NYS.

PTC, I have many other roadnames when it comes to locomotives but my main interest is PRR. Probably because my family background includes a number of people who worked for the Pennsy years ago, mainly in the steam era. I have too many favorites!

Denny, I will send you the tracking number for the set as I put them in the mail this morning as per your instructions! Lol.

Larry, the AC6000 looks really sharp. The "Family Lines" scheme were handsome but short lived. I suppose that is a "Heritage Unit"?

Tom


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## Lee Willis

I have a set of Lionel sharks. Nice locos, I agree. I couldn't find a Lionel B unit and ended up with a Williams B dummy which worked out well after a little surgery


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## Guest

Larry, beautiful locomotive. This makes a very nice addition to your roster.


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## Krieglok

Lee Willis said:


> I have a set of Lionel sharks. Nice locos, I agree. I couldn't find a Lionel B unit and ended up with a Williams B dummy which worked out well after a little surgery


The B units for Sharks seem scarce for some reason. I bought a Lionel FA set of AAs and the B units that go with them were flooding the market...

Tom


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## DennyM

This is not on my roster, but one of the club members bought the Legacy Southern Pacific A-B-A Sharknose. The forward A unit and B unit which was separate are powered just the rear A unit is non-powered.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Not sure, but I think the SP Sharknose is a fantasy scheme, I don't think SP ever had them.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Not sure, but I think the SP Sharknose is a fantasy scheme, I don't think SP ever had them.


Your are correct, GRJ. The espy never had them.

Just another example of the fantasy world 3-rail O scalers live in. Oh, I live in that world, too.


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## DennyM

I wouldn't mind getting a SP Shark Nose, but I have my eye on a LC+SP Pacific or Alaska.


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## Larry Sr.

Hi Vern
I sure live in that fantasy scheme. I chase the Norfolk Southern Legacy SD 70 ACe's with the matching rolling stock. I love the Easter egg colors.lol.
That took some time.

Now I like any of the Legacy CSX heritage AC 6000 units.

*Tom..*.......... The "Family Lines" scheme were handsome but short lived. I suppose that is a "Heritage Unit"?

yes sir it is. I have several engines and a lot of rolling stock in the Family Lines. I Had GGG convert the three MTH PS1 Diesels (Picture)to TMCC with sound . The engines were new and really nice work by MTH. IMHO.



Always something to chase for in this hobby.

Still fun.
Larry


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## PatKn

Tom,
Nice looking engines. I have a MTH A-B set in Pennsy. 
Nice engines, Larry. 

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## DennyM

I like those engines Larry and the CSX you posted earlier.


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## santafe158

Well, I got a nice call shortly after arriving at work this morning and the seller swung by and dropped these awesome toys off for me. I have the other three cars that go with the Lionel Aluminum Pocahontas set as well.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, that's a very nice setup Jake, the J is one of those things that I'd love to trip over, but so far they've eluded me, at least at the price that I'm willing to pay.


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## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Well, that's a very nice setup Jake, the J is one of those things that I'd love to trip over, but so far they've eluded me, at least at the price that I'm willing to pay.


Thanks John. I'm very happy to have it and I'm quite content just staring at it... :laugh: I'll have to dig some track out to run it when I have some time. If you find one, it's definitely a great looking model. Having seen the real thing and been a fan of it for years, it was only a matter of time before I snapped. 

The price wasn't necessarily amazing, but it was a heck of a lot less than a Legacy one. It turned out that I actually know both of the owners it's had since it was new, so I know it's been taken care of. Both ran it a few times and then later upgraded when the Legacy model came out. The seller I bought it from sold me the cars that came with his set and kept the Legacy locomotive because he prefers the older 7 car Powhatan Arrow set vs the 4 cars available for the Pocahontas.


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## DennyM

Jake you keep posting stuff like that and I may have to make the three hour drive down 94 and see it up close.


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## Vincent

DennyM said:


> This is not on my roster, but one of the club members bought the Legacy Southern Pacific A-B-A Sharknose. The forward A unit and B unit which was separate are powered just the rear A unit is non-powered.
> 
> View attachment 445729


Okay, ignorant question: Can the B unit run by itself? Could it push the dummy A unit and pull a string of cars?


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## Krieglok

Thanks Pat. I have the MTH Sharks too. They are better looking overall but I wanted an ABA set I could run as a set. 

Jake, that J is really sharp! The model has that long, brutish look, like the real thing. Very nice! I always set up a test track when I get a new engine, just to make sure everything works. It also satisfies some of that wanting to see the new iron run!

Vincent, it depends on how the B unit is configured. There are B units, mainly Lionel, that are powered and could run by themselves. For the most part, MTH B units are non-powered, so they need to be pulled. That is speaking of "stock" units of course. There are mods that people do to have powered b units from makers that usually do not produce them, mainly by installing custom electronics. There are sets where the B unit does the work while an A unit just gets pushed along. I am not 100% sure about that though...

Tom


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## santafe158

Krieglok said:


> Jake, that J is really sharp! The model has that long, brutish look, like the real thing. Very nice! I always set up a test track when I get a new engine, just to make sure everything works. It also satisfies some of that wanting to see the new iron run!
> 
> Tom


Thanks Tom. It's really a pretty looking model of a good looking engine. We'll definitely get to test running soon, I just haven't had the time yet. My train stuff is pretty tightly packed away at the moment so it'll take me a bit of time to dig it out. Perhaps tonight I'll run it back and forth after work if I have the energy.


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## santafe158

DennyM said:


> Jake you keep posting stuff like that and I may have to make the three hour drive down 94 and see it up close.


Make a trip in December and I can show it to you along with the Redford Theatre Christmas display :laugh:


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## DennyM

Vincent said:


> Okay, ignorant question: Can the B unit run by itself? Could it push the dummy A unit and pull a string of cars?


Not an ignorant question. When I was programing the engine ID number I was wondering the same thing. The answer is yes. The B unit will operate on it's own. So you could use a couple of dummy A units and the powered B unit can do all the work.

When I programed the engine ID number to the powered A unit, I put the same ID number in the B unit and they work together no problem.


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## gunrunnerjohn

The Lionel powered B-Unit of most any set will run independently.


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## Krieglok

DennyM said:


> Not an ignorant question. When I was programing the engine ID number I was wondering the same thing. The answer is yes. The B unit will operate on it's own. So you could use a couple of dummy A units and the powered B unit can do all the work.
> 
> When I programed the engine ID number to the powered A unit, I put the same ID number in the B unit and they work together no problem.



Denny, I did the same thing. I programmed both of my Sharks with the same number and they run great together. There were directions on "MUing" them in the manual, but I couldn't get the suggested method to set up properly. 

I have the Lionel Santa Fe F7 set I bought here at the forum. I recall there was a powered B unit with that too. I displayed it, but have yet to set them up properly...

Tom


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## DennyM

Tom I hate to say it, but I have no idea what MUing is.


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## Vincent

DennyM said:


> Tom I hate to say it, but I have no idea what MUing is.


It's what a cuw does when she's lonely.

Actually, I looked it up, and I don't know, either.


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## Krieglok

DennyM said:


> Tom I hate to say it, but I have no idea what MUing is.


In the rail industry, when two or more locomotives are connected for simultaneous operation from one control stand or cab, they are considered a "multiple unit". MUing is a slang railroad term to describe the act of connecting two locomotives together, usually with electrical jumpers and air hoses, to act as one unit. 

In the Lionel sense, I inferred that "MUing" is the act of setting up two locomotives to operate in tandem through required programming...

Tom


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## gunrunnerjohn

Lionel and MTH call it a *lash-up*, it used to drive Rich over at OGR crazy when people would use that term.  *MU* is the correct term.


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## PRRronbh

A shot of the MU between one of the NS OCS A&B units.
Move image to your desktop and enlarge the heck out of it,

Ron


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## Krieglok

Yes, it is a debated term depending where you come from or what Railroad you are familiar with. 

I didn't think of the term "lashup" when I responded above. I do see that in the manuals from MTH and Lionel, but it didn't click. Thanks John! 

Tom


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## DennyM

Thanks Tom. I learned something new. I never heard the term lash up until I started running Legacy. I going to use MUing at the next club meeting just to see the their confused faces. Most of them don't know what lash up means much less MU.


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## gunrunnerjohn

You need to "MU" or "lash-up" some engines to show them Denny!


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## Lehigh74

I won this little gem at Choochooauctions. Probably cane from the same Pennsy collection as Tom’s P5a. This one showed just a few miles and a few minutes (after I ran it for a few miles and a few minutes). I’m guessing the owner bought it and put it on a shelf since it has some dust. I’ll have to oil up the valve gear and axles before I run it any more. There are a lot of details and a lot of valve gear on this little guy. Hatches on the tender and cab open as do the cab windows. You would think that a 0-4-0 would have no clearance problems, but the valve gear hits one of my bridge supports so I will have to trim that.


----------



## PatKn

Nice little engine, Lehigh. I have the K-Line A5. Enjoy it. 

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Vincent

Another magnificent Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive! Congratulations on a good find!


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## Guest

Feels good Lehigh to win when you really want it. Nice engine.


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## DennyM

Very nice Bob.


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## PRRronbh

As a Pennsy fan, great little engine. Kind of also a must have. I have the K-Line by Lionel TMCC unit. And like yours it has the modern electric head-light vs. kerosene. 

Enjoy!

Ron


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## Krieglok

Nice 0-4-0! These are sharp little locomotives. I only have the MTH version and it is great. Nice when you get a locomotive with almost no time or miles on it. Definitly a display piece. I may build a O scale switching layout just so I can use mine!

Tom


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## gunrunnerjohn

Great little locomotive Bob. I also have the K-Line A5, they're a nifty little switcher.


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## DennyM

I picked up a tow truck from Menards the other day.


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## Krieglok

A nice heavy wrecker for pulling stalled trucks off the tracks!

Tom


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## Guest

Good looking wrecker, Denny.


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## santafe158

Well... since the purchase of my Lionel 611 and Pocahontas cars last week, the N&W bug has hit hard. I purchased the MTH N&W "tool car," which is painted up to resemble the baggage car the 611 crew uses for their supplies behind the locomotive during their excursions. Today I scored the Lionel N&W Northeastern caboose for about $26 on eBay. Now I can set up for a "ferry run" when I acquire a couple of coal gondolas


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## Vincent

Santafe158, I was going to say that this beautiful caboose is worth every penny of the $4,500 you paid for it. But I think it's time we let that joke disappear.

Beautiful caboose, by the way.


----------



## santafe158

Vincent said:


> Santafe158, I was gong to say that this beautiful caboose is worth every penny of the $4,500 you paid for it. But I think it's time we let that joke disappear.
> 
> Beautiful caboose, by the way.



Thanks! I'm looking forward to having a unique modern era train for my steam locomotive.

That being said, I just ordered the final car for it. A Lionel NS 65' mill gondola, which will be used for hauling the 611's "coal supply." I'm done spending for awhile...


----------



## DennyM

Vincent said:


> Santafe158, I was gong to say that this beautiful caboose is worth every penny of the $4,500 you paid for it. But I think it's time we let that joke disappear.
> 
> Beautiful caboose, by the way.


Is that the same caboose that SOB had on Ebay?


----------



## santafe158

DennyM said:


> Is that the same caboose that SOB had on Ebay?


I'm unfamiliar with the seller I bought mine from. They're supposedly a youth program in Idaho that sell things to raise money for their mission. The photos I used are purely for reference and not the actual auction photos from what I purchased, his prices were too high... :laugh:


----------



## DennyM

Yeah that guy that wanted $4,500 for his caboose and then had the nerve to charge shipping.


----------



## santafe158

DennyM said:


> Yeah that guy that wanted $4,500 for his caboose and then had the nerve to charge shipping.


You could likely procure a real one for that much. Although shipping would empty your pockets quickly... :laugh:


----------



## DennyM

I could put it in my yard turn it into a rental and charge the summer people a small fortune to stay there. There's one by the old train depot that does real well.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking cars, Jake. They'll look great behind 611.


----------



## santafe158

PatKn said:


> Nice looking cars, Jake. They'll look great behind 611.


Thanks Pat. One of the other members of the modular group I help out with also has the 611, but he has the 7 car Powhatan Arrow train with it. I'm liking the idea about having something more unique to go with mine on occasion.


----------



## santafe158

DennyM said:


> I could put it in my yard turn it into a rental and charge the summer people a small fortune to stay there. There's one by the old train depot that does real well.


I've stayed at the Red Caboose Motel near the Strasburg Railroad. The one we stayed in was pretty nice inside considering what it once was. Definitely a unique experience for sure. Just look out for angry neighbors :laugh:


----------



## Krieglok

That place has been there for decades! I never stayed there though. Been to Strasburg but neglected to visit the PA state RR museum...

Tom


----------



## santafe158

Krieglok said:


> That place has been there for decades! I never stayed there though. Been to Strasburg but neglected to visit the PA state RR museum...
> 
> Tom


The museum was very nice from what I can recall. They do have a lot of equipment in not so great shape outside, but we visited in the winter so we never made it out there to look at anything. The motel was decent, but you sort of have to want to stay there. I'm not sure if it's any better now, but at the time I believe it was under newer management and they were doing work. Prior to that the reviews weren't so great, although you have to understand that you're sleeping in a former railroad car, not a luxury environment.


----------



## santafe158

My first two of the three cars I ordered arrived today. The caboose is still in transit, but I got my tool car and gondola. I had the feeling the tool car was going to be in the gloss finish like the prototype. I'm not quite sure whether to dull it down to match the model locomotive's finish or not. We'll see how it all looks as a train.


----------



## DennyM

Those are nice Jake.


----------



## cole226

good looking train your building Jake. I've had 611 and the 612 over the years. i'm modeling more northeast corridor so they've moved on. i've still got the warhorse set with the hopper train.

got the N&W duplex roomette car on ebay right now. 

item #(232774550564)


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## cole226

*K-line PRR K4*

here's my new K4









and passenger cars


----------



## santafe158

Great looking K4. I like the industrious, yet graceful look of the PRR steam locomotives.


----------



## santafe158

Finally got around to running this thing...  I'm quite happy with it.


----------



## DennyM

Gotta love those K-4s.


----------



## Lee Willis

Two weeks ago I got this very nice MTH spreader car at a local train show/swap meet. It looks lovely all lit up, with its wings extended, in front of a big SD90.


----------



## Krieglok

Great looking K4 there, Randy. Is it a MTH engine? I especially like and prefer the blacked or darkened side rods. 

1361, that is the K4 that was on display at the Horseshoe Curve, I believe...

Nice looking consist there, Jake. The "J" looks great rolling along. Your layout looks exactly like mine...lol.

Lee, the spreader looks really cool. I have one in PRR colors but never had it out of the box. Does it handle curves okay? 

Tom


----------



## cole226

Krieglok said:


> Great looking K4 there, Randy. Is it a MTH engine? I especially like and prefer the blacked or darkened side rods.
> 
> 1361, that is the K4 that was on display at the Horseshoe Curve, I believe...
> 
> 
> Tom


thanks Tom. Its an old k-line. now I have both the pre and post war k-line versions/tmcc and railsounds.
and yes, 1361 was the HSC display. she also has a birthday this month. 100 years old!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

santafe158 said:


> Finally got around to running this thing...  I'm quite happy with it.
> 
> Water tender looks to be on backwards, the backup light is on the front.
> 
> It has a nice deep chuff, sounds great.


----------



## Krieglok

cole226 said:


> thanks Tom. Its an old k-line. now I have both the pre and post war k-line versions/tmcc and railsounds.
> and yes, 1361 was the HSC display. she also has a birthday this month. 100 years old!!


Nice. K-Line put out nice stuff. I have been considering their pre-war K4 as I have the MTH post-war version. 

Tom


----------



## Guest

Great looking Spreader, Lee.


----------



## PatKn

I commented on a DD1 I saw on the other forum and how I wanted one and a forum member contacted me. He was interested in selling his DD1. We quickly came to an agreement and yesterday, the DD1 arrived. I put a BCR in and then powered it up. It runs nice on my test track. I can't wait to take it down to my club and run a passenger train with the DD1 in the lead.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice locomotives! They look really great paired up and ready to pull. I guess those DD1s always ran in pairs? It is strange looking at an electric PRR locomotive with no pantographs! Interesting how the PRR used both third rail and catenary on their electric lines. 

Nice acquisition!

Tom


----------



## Lee Willis

I've always thought they have some of the most interesting wheels - drivers, for any electric. A very interesting loco. Good models. I hope you get photos of the train at the club. Thanks.


----------



## Spence

I've never seen one before. Best of luck with it Pat.


----------



## Guest

Wonderful Pat when you secure long awaited engines.


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Pat. I think MTH makes them. I had thought about buying them at one time. I never saw or heard of a DD1 until I went to the railroad museum in Strasberg.


----------



## Krieglok

Cool photo, Denny. Those engines look pretty good for their age...

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Those are the same engine numbers as my model

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn

More windows than my BB-1 set Pat, I guess I have to get some of those.


----------



## Vincent

Beautiful locos, Pat!

Denny, if somebody would paint them to look like Pat's locomotives, that museum would get more visitors.


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## DennyM

I don't know if you guys noticed. The road number on the light is 4781 and the road number on the body is 3936.


----------



## Krieglok

They get plenty of visitors! They also have a lot to maintain, but the weather is always the enemy of stuff parked outside, especially in the northeast. They have lengthened the museum building quite a bit, to get more equipment undercover...

Tom


----------



## DennyM

Vincent said:


> Beautiful locos, Pat!
> 
> Denny, if somebody would paint them to look like Pat's locomotives, that museum would get more visitors.


I was thinking that when I posted the photo.


----------



## Krieglok

DennyM said:


> I don't know if you guys noticed. The road number on the light is 4781 and the road number on the body is 3936.


Both numbers are correct! Lol. Originally the 3936 then changed to 4781. The number was possibly changed to eliminate a roster conflict which was common on the Pennsylvania in later years. The number change is noted in the book "Keystone Steam and Electric" written by William Edson. He noted the change but didn't give a reason why...

Tom


----------



## DennyM

Krieglok said:


> They get plenty of visitors! They also have a lot to maintain, but the weather is always the enemy of stuff parked outside, especially in the northeast. They have lengthened the museum building quite a bit, to get more equipment undercover...
> 
> Tom


The guys I talked to when I was at the museum told me they were volunteers. Too bad I don't live there I would love to help restore and maintain those DD1s.


----------



## Guest

Gee, it's been a while since I last posted in this thread. There have been a lot of great additions in that time. Very nice acquisitions Lee, Randy, Jake, Pat and Tom.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Joe.

I have a new/old acquisition to display here. It was the first O scale locomotive I purchased about a year ago. It is a Lionel TMCC NYC S-2 electric engine. I only ever ran it in conventional mode and it ran nicely. 

Well, I ended up putting on eBay when I started becoming more interested in PRR and Erie equipment. It sold pretty quickly. The new owner contacted me and told me how happy he was with the purchase. About a week later, he hit me with a return notice from eBay. He complained that the engine didn't run right and that he wanted his money back. 

The engine arrived back at my house and I checked it to make sure it was the same engine I sold him and that it wasn't broken or had parts swapped out. It was in the same fine condition that I sent it in from the start. This time I had a Lionel TMCC control system. I ran it back and forth on my test track and then on an oval I set up in my living room. It ran fine. No problems!

Well, I was actually happy to have it back. It is an ugly little engine that grew on me. I suppose the eBay buyer had "buyer's remorse" or lousy, dirty track. Who knows. But it is back home to stay...

Tom


----------



## Wood

Tom, that is a nice little engine. Very unique. 

Sometimes eBay customers can be quite quirky. I have bought a lot of stuff on eBay but hate selling there.


----------



## Krieglok

Wood said:


> Sometimes eBay customers can be quite quirky. I have bought a lot of stuff on eBay but hate selling there.


You got that right! 99% of the buyers are nice, but that 1% are just jerks. Sometimes it doesn't seem worth the trouble...

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Tom, I wouldn't call it "ugly." "Unusual" in an interesting sort of way.


----------



## PatKn

Let's call a spade a spade. It's ugly and I love it. Nice engine Tom. I don't have any NYC or I'd want one.


----------



## Guest

I think it's an unusual but attractive locomotive, Tom.


----------



## Krieglok

Interesting and ugly, lol. These S-2s were little work horses for the New York Central, in and around Grand Central Terminal and the electrified lines around NYC. They pulled local trains, transferred equipment and ended up as switchers on the PC before they were retired. 

I would guess that they were the NYC's equivalent of the Pennsy DD-1s, seeing all kinds of service...

Tom


----------



## cole226

here's an addition to the tin plate fleet.

600 series baggage, 3 pullman, observation


----------



## Wood

cole226 said:


> here's an addition to the tin plate fleet
> 
> 600 series baggage, 3 pullman, observation



Boy oh boy, there sure is a lot of new additions to these layouts. My suggestion is you get some lessons on shelf building from Lee. 

They all look great and lots of fun.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice fleet of tinplate there Randy! That is quite a train. What engine would pull it? I know nothing about tinplate, but my brother in law collects it...

Tom


----------



## Guest

That is a really nice train Randy.


----------



## cole226

Krieglok said:


> Nice fleet of tinplate there Randy! That is quite a train. What engine would pull it? I know nothing about tinplate, but my brother in law collects it...
> 
> Tom[/QUOT
> 
> Tom, I don't know off hand what would have pulled them in the 30's. But I've got my 226E heading them up.


----------



## Vincent

Sharp-looking fleet, Cole. But where do you find good tin plate cars like that?


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Randy.


----------



## Krieglok

*Pat made me do it...*

PatKn's recent purchase of a set of MTH DD1s inspired me to search out a set for my own. I found these at Train City auctions for a pretty fair price. They are PS/2 with a 5v system. I powered them up and they ran fine. Just .08 on the odometer! 

They had a little damage on the bell mount of one engine, but since it is brass, I was able to bend I think back into position.

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, STOP WITH THE PURCHASES! You're overloading the MTF database with new engines! 

Very nice purchase, I like those, and now I'm jealous.


----------



## Vincent

Tom, in addition to being beautiful additions to your collection, they look like they are in excellent condition.


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Tom, STOP WITH THE PURCHASES! You're overloading the MTF database with new engines!
> 
> Very nice purchase, I like those, and now I'm jealous.


We need a "TBA" thread (train buyer's anonymous) for those who fall under the influence of detailed and or scale models of trains. It is a horrible disease... 

Thanks guys. Like I said, Pat made me do it! I was going to let them go by-the-way mainly due to the 5v control but I decided I could take the chance and get some quality time with them if/ or before the 5 volt boards go south...

Tom


----------



## DennyM

I'm jealous too.


----------



## Vincent

Krieglok said:


> We need a "TBA" thread (train buyer's anonymous) for those who fall under the influence of detailed and or scale models of trains. It is a horrible disease...
> 
> Tom[/QUOTEBut But if we did that, we'd stop buying all these wonderful trains!


----------



## Larry Sr.

Tom
*We need a "TBA" thread (train buyer's anonymous) for those who fall under the influence of detailed and or scale models of trains. It is a horrible disease... *hwell:

That's the truth.:thumbsup:
Larry


----------



## Krieglok

My name is Tom M. I am a "trainoholic". I have not bought or used a model train for two days...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> My name is Tom M. I am a "trainoholic". I have not bought or used a model train for two days...


I think that's a lie Tom, part of this therapy is you have to be truthful in these sessions!


----------



## Krieglok

Well, I did buy a caboose on eBay and rearranged the electric locomotives on my mantle today... 

The sickness prevails...:goofball:

Tom


----------



## cole226

Tsk Tsk, _theyz gonna come git you for dat! _


----------



## DennyM

I had to knock over a liquor store to buy my last engine and rolling stock.


----------



## Vincent

My 6' by 8' table does not have room for any more trains. I want to buy either a glass table or a clear plastic table to put on top of my table, and then I can build on the new table.

I need help.








So, do you guys think I should get a glass table or a clear plastic table?


----------



## DennyM

I'm not sure what your planning to do, but plastic can get cloudy and glass can be pretty heavy.


----------



## PatKn

Tom, congratulations on you new acquisition. Enjoy them. I do. I think the 5v ps2 was the last time MTH offered the DD1. I kept hoping for a new offer in the catalog and gave up. My DD1S run great. (See fantastic fan fotos) I now have a pretty complete set of Pennsy electrics.

My name is Pat K and I am a trainoholic. 

BTW: it's not my fault. 

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## Vincent

DennyM said:


> I'm not sure what your planning to do, but plastic can get cloudy and glass can be pretty heavy.


Denny, we need to start a new thread. Something like "Locoholics Unanimous," where we can write posts like my last one.


----------



## Maxum

Not going on the roster, but FedEx dropped this off to me today. It's Millhouse Studio's 34" turntable with a auto indexing. I've got to hurry up and finish my train room so I can start my benchwork and install it.


----------



## Guest

Nice!!! Turntables are so much fun.


----------



## Wood

Now that's some motivation to start benchwork... Good luck with it and keep us posted.


----------



## DennyM

Nice turntable Maxum. I wish I had room for one.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice turntable. It looks very sturdy. What is it made out of? 

Tom


----------



## Maxum

Krieglok said:


> Nice turntable. It looks very sturdy. What is it made out of?
> 
> Tom


Thanks

Made from aluminum.


----------



## santafe158

Ended up buying part of my dad's Fathers Day gift the other night when I discovered these...
He's always been a fan of the "Sanford and Son" 1951/52 Ford F1 truck. Something about the ugly bulbous grill that those model years had appeals to him as they're pretty unique. I discovered Greenlight apparently makes or made a 1:43 scale version of the truck, so I ended up buying two. One for him and one for me. I'm looking forward to including it on my Redford Theatre display this year.


----------



## Wood

Jake, What a great vehicle. Thank you so much, because I am a bit of a Sanford & Son fan. I just went to Amazon and ordered one for my layout. Already have the spot for placement. Oh, it's the big one Elizabeth, comin' home to ya...


----------



## Guest

Yup, we are ordering one too. When we go south on 95, the sign for Sanford reminds me of this show. I kid Elisabeth all the time about it.


----------



## PatKn

Cool truck, Jake. 

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## santafe158

I'm glad I shared it. I figured you guys would have found these by now 

Enjoy your new trucks when they arrive. Mine should be here tomorrow.


----------



## Spence

Neat looking truck. :thumbsup: I'm in for one also.


----------



## santafe158

Spence said:


> Neat looking truck. :thumbsup: I'm in for one also.


As others did, I found mine on Amazon. They were also on Ebay and probably elsewhere for around $20 or less.


----------



## DennyM

santafe158 said:


> Ended up buying part of my dad's Fathers Day gift the other night when I discovered these...
> He's always been a fan of the "Sanford and Son" 1951/52 Ford F1 truck. Something about the ugly bulbous grill that those model years had appeals to him as they're pretty unique. I discovered Greenlight apparently makes or made a 1:43 scale version of the truck, so I ended up buying two. One for him and one for me. I'm looking forward to including it on my Redford Theatre display this year.


"Ester you so ugly you could stick your face in some dough and make gorilla cookies"!


Great truck Jake.:thumbsup:


----------



## Vincent

Nice-looking truck, and a hilariously funny show.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys. After seeing the quote Denny posted, I'm going to have to dig up some episodes to watch again. It's been awhile and I forgot about the Esther insults :laugh:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Fun piece for the layout for sure.


----------



## DennyM

Did you guys know that Redd Foxx never swore in his standup shows. He implied swearing by changing the letters, but never actually said the words. He did swear quite a bit in Harlem Nights though, but so did Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor.


----------



## Vincent

Yes, someone scratch-built the Sanford & Son junkyard for his HO set.


----------



## DennyM

That's cool Vincent.


----------



## santafe158

My trucks arrived today. It looks good in person.


----------



## Mark Boyce

The truck looks great, Jake!!


----------



## santafe158

Thanks Mark!


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Jake.


----------



## Vincent

Beautiful truck and loco!


----------



## Guest

The Sanford and Son junkyard looks fabulous.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys!


----------



## DennyM

santafe158 said:


> Thanks guys. After seeing the quote Denny posted, I'm going to have to dig up some episodes to watch again. It's been awhile and I forgot about the Esther insults :laugh:


----------



## DennyM

Was at Menards today and pick up this Great Northern boxcar which is the second boxcar I'm got for my Great Northern consist.


----------



## Vincent

Interesting design, Denny.


----------



## DennyM

I was kind of put off by it when I first saw it, but then I decided it would work in my consist


----------



## DennyM

I found this on Google.


----------



## Vincent

It is unusual to find a boxcar that interesting.


----------



## DennyM

Vincent said:


> It is unusual to find a boxcar that interesting.


I was surprised to find a photo of that paint scheme. I didn't think Great Northern actually used it.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking car, Denny.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful boxcar Denny. Yep, the GN used that. I've always loved it. I had that boxcar in HO many years ago.


----------



## Guest

Good one, Denny.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice boxcar there, Denny. I remember seeing real ones around in my earlier years. The good old days when railroads had nice graphics on their cars...

Tom


----------



## Maxum

Nice looking boxcar Denny. I might have to hit up Menards for one of those even though I have one or two of the Great Northern billboard boxcars already, although mine are MTH.


----------



## DennyM

MTH makes great rolling stock. I have several of their freight cars and passenger cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I've been wanting one of these for my MOW train for some time, finally scored one on eBay at a price I could live with, $39.99. It was stated that the smoke unit didn't work, which was certainly correct.  However, smoke is my middle name, so I replaced the smoke triac on the regulator and put in a new smoke resistor, and what do you know, I have smoke!  I'll have to convert this to run with TMCC so I can turn the unit on and off, and it cries for the headlights to be functional. 

I wanted either the PRR or MOW model, so that also added to the chase, those seem to be popular.


----------



## Vincent

Gunrunnerjohn, I looked it up, and YES, there really is such a thing as a jet-powered snow removal railcar.

But as sharp-looking as yours is, it gets tough competition from this Hungarian version. And Yes, the Hungarian version is real.


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I've been wanting one of these for my MOW train for some time, finally scored one on eBay at a price I could live with, $39.99. It was stated that the smoke unit didn't work, which was certainly correct.  However, smoke is my middle name, so I replaced the smoke triac on the regulator and put in a new smoke resistor, and what do you know, I have smoke!  I'll have to convert this to run with TMCC so I can turn the unit on and off, and it cries for the headlights to be functional.
> 
> I wanted either the PRR or MOW model, so that also added to the chase, those seem to be popular.
> 
> View attachment 457686


It that a Lionel product? Pretty cool looking. The RR I work for has one they use for cleaning switches in the winter. The jet power really makes the ballast fly, not to mention it is super loud! Lol

Tom


----------



## PRRronbh

to the best of my knowledge NYC did have a similar snow blower. Think I have seen pictures. But pretty sure the Pennsy did not.

Ron


----------



## DennyM

That is very cool John.


----------



## Spence

Very nice find GRJ. :thumbsup:


----------



## PatKn

Great find, John.


----------



## Guest

Good one, John.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys. Even though I got the smoke running, I want more smoke, so I'll be doing some "improvements" when I get a chance to enhance the volume.


----------



## Guest

That is really cool, John. A fun piece of MOW equipment.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have a few MOW pieces, the eventual goal is a MOW consist. Obviously, the TMCC crane car will be a prominent feature of the MOW train.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, this is sort of added to my roster, even if it is my tool roster.  The star was the press, I've been wanting one of these.

I picked up four tools, $145 total. 

A mini drill press, a 4" blade mini table saw, a 2" blade mini chop saw, and an arbor press with a number of common tools.


----------



## Wood

Nice find John, Great modeling tools. The arbor press is the star for sure.


----------



## DennyM

Nice find. Makes me want to hit some flea markets this summer.


----------



## Lee Willis

Very nice tools.


----------



## PatKn

Nice haul, John. Good price too.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Now I just have to use them.


----------



## Spence

You can never have too many tools.


----------



## Vincent

*1939 Chevrolet Panel Truck*

Walmart. 90 cents. What can I say?


----------



## Maxum

Vincent said:


> Walmart. 90 cents. What can I say?



Nice score. I'm gonna have to hit my local Wallyworld and see if I can find one.


----------



## DennyM

Nice stuff guys. I picked up a couple of Reefers at I Love Toy Trains when I went there for The LCCA event which I posted on another thread.

















The books were a bonus


----------



## PatKn

Big fan of the billboard reefers. Nice pickup, Denny.


----------



## Lee Willis

I like that Fritos boxcar in particular. Cool Americana.


----------



## Spence

Obviously it was a good day for you Denny.


----------



## Guest

Like the truck, Vincent.

Nice pick-ups, Denny.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Fritos, one of my favorite snack chips.


----------



## Guest

Nice truck Vincent.

Love those reefers Denny.


----------



## DennyM

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Fritos, one of my favorite snack chips.


Me too. I saw the Frito's reefer and grabbed it immediately then the J & B caught my eye.


----------



## Lee Willis

I saw this gigantic 20,000 tank car on Pat's Trains new products page and just had to have it. I think it was MTH Premier. Really big and really ce. Makes an 8,000 gallon tank car look puny.















ni


----------



## Fabforrest

a derailment disaster waiting to happen...


----------



## Spence

Lee; you need another half dozen to make a full consist.


----------



## Guest

I really like the length of that tanker. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Love the big tankcars. I have about a dozen assorted ones, some of the 20K and some of the 33K. I also have an even dozen of the Lionel Ethanol tank cars, a Vision line set with sound in two cars, and three of the non-Vision sets of three. The Ethanol cars look good behind the Vision Line Genset.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking tank car. I agree. You need about a dozen to make a consist. I like the car but it's too modern for my trains.

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## Vincent

And it's O gauge? Lee, if you get a few more, you'll have to knock out another wall.

Magnificent-looking car, by the way.


----------



## santafe158

My Lionel N&W J class purchase awhile back has definitely been one of my favorite purchases of all time. Sadly, living in an apartment I don't have room for a permanent layout so it's been living in its box in my closet. I do have a few locomotives on display, though none of my shelves or display case were long enough for the J class. Finally picked up a properly sized display case from a case maker selling on ebay and have somewhere to look at it. I have a case that's about 10 inches shorter than this one that my grandfather and I built several years ago. I wired in LED lighting in it last year, and I'm definitely considering adding that to my new case to highlight the running gear.


----------



## Guest

Looks good, Jake.


----------



## Vincent

Sharp-looking loco there, Jake!

Norfolk and Western built them themselves, and they were the last passenger steam locomotives built in the US. Wikipedia reports that when N&W began replacing them with first-generation diesels, it took several diesels to replace one J class.


----------



## DennyM

Nice Jake.


----------



## santafe158

Vincent said:


> Sharp-looking loco there, Jake!
> 
> Norfolk and Western built them themselves, and they were the last passenger steam locomotives built in the US. Wikipedia reports that when N&W began replacing them with first-generation diesels, it took several diesels to replace one J class.


Thanks guys!

I'm a big N&W fan because of the locomotives they built. They were a coal hauling railroad, and tried their best to support their customers by holding on to steam until the very end. Most railroads were done with steam by the early 1950's, while the N&W ran until almost 1960. The 611 was built in 1950, so that tells you how modern it was. It makes you wonder what they would have come up with if there had been a few more years of steam.

The J class was built for speed and power. They were expected to pull heavy passenger trains in the mountains, while maintaining a fast paced schedule. Having ridden behind the 611 on an 18 car passenger train, it definitely has some strength to it.


----------



## Guest

Lee, that is a great looking and very big tank car. Way cool!


----------



## Guest

Jake, that loco is a beauty. It's great that you can now have it on display.


----------



## PatKn

Jake, that Loco looks awesome in that case.

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## Krieglok

Nice looking display. The engine looks great in there. I have display cases for my Triplex and 0-8-8-0. It is amazing how much dust can accumulate over a short time...

Tom


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys, it's definitely nice having it under cover and visible. I let it sit out for a couple days prior to receiving the case and the dust had already started accumulating.


----------



## SDIV Tim

While on my trip I went to this place... 

The Guide to a great Vacation: Train related things to do
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...rum.com/showthread.php?p=2297532&share_type=t


and got this.












Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SDIV Tim

Picked this up too on my trip at Western Depot in Yuba City, CA


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Wood

Tim , That's a great caboose. Good find.


----------



## Maxum

SDIV Tim said:


> While on my trip I went to this place...
> 
> The Guide to a great Vacation: Train related things to do
> https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...rum.com/showthread.php?p=2297532&share_type=t
> 
> 
> and got this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Walt Disney's back yard railroad.


----------



## Spence

Tim; looks like your trip was successful with a couple of nice purchases. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Like your purchases, Tim.


----------



## Guest

Tim, really nice cabeese. I really like the Carolwood Pacific bobber caboose.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I like the bobbers, and that one seems very nice. :thumbsup:


----------



## Vincent

Found this in an Internet search:

"Most railroads opted for a caboose with two trucks (called "bogies") and eight wheels, but some eastern roads chose a no-truck, four-wheel design called a "bobber." The lack of trucks reduced the amount of steel needed for the caboose, thus lowering the final cost. This car got its name from the way it would "bob" down the track. Its tracking was so bad that several states enacted laws prohibiting the use of bobber cabooses (although by then the railroads had already stopped buying them)."


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Vincent, I didn't say they were practical, I just like them in some situations.


----------



## santafe158

The tender behind the small 4-4-0 I work on dates back to the 1870's and is a two axle thing similar to a bobber caboose. I can imagine how badly a bobber caboose would have rode after having sat on the tender tank many times while training new crew members. It's a rough ride.


----------



## santafe158

I wasn't going to buy anything for some time after purchasing my Lionel N&W 611 since it was pretty much the one train item I've always wanted. Well now I keep finding myself looking for more N&W cars to go with it... 

Here are three more for the collection. I found them at a reasonable price on Ebay. The main downside is the plastic trucks and couplers, but I can live with that or change them out later. The price for all three wasn't much more than a single new Lionel car, so I'm happy.


----------



## Vincent

Jake, for what you paid, you got your money's worth.


----------



## santafe158

Vincent said:


> Jake, for what you paid, you got your money's worth.


I definitely agree. I'm looking forward to putting them in a train with my other freight cars.


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Jake.


----------



## Guest

Very nice hopper cars, Jake. If they track well and don't cause any trouble I would leave the trucks as is.


----------



## PatKn

Nice hoppers. Weaver makes nice hoppers. I have 6 in PRR livery. 

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys, Weaver did make some nice cars. These will be the 3rd, 4th and 5th hoppers I own made by them. I'll likely leave the trucks alone as I already have a few Weaver plastic trucked cars in the fleet. I will probably look into adding a bit of weight to these cars though since they're so light.


----------



## Krieglok

I have a few Weaver cars too. Great stuff. 

Jake, the 1950's N&W lettering style was always a favorite of mine. Nice purchase! 

Tom


----------



## SDIV Tim

Nice Cars Jake


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## DennyM

Another Menards purchase. I gotta stay away from that second level.


----------



## Guest

Denny, you have a serious case of Menard's fever. Only know cure, stay away.


----------



## Vincent

Nice boxcar, Denny. I actually have a Rock Island train that I like, but I want to convert it to PRR.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful boxcar, Denny. At $20 a car they are hard to resist.


----------



## DennyM

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Denny, you have a serious case of Menard's fever. Only know cure, stay away.


I would, but there are other things I'm there to get and next thing I know I'm on the second floor. It's worse at Christmas when they move it down to the main floor.


----------



## Wood

Denny, that is a beautiful boxcar. Unique color and great graphics.


I wish Menards would move into New England.


----------



## DennyM

I think Menards should expand their store locations. Modelers would still order trains on-line during the off season.


----------



## ERIE610

*MENARDS SPECIAL DISCOUNT*

Hello. An added plus this week is that all items online & in store that Menards offers is 11% off. That $20 Rock Island Boxcar would now be $17.79. Free shipping to the nearest store is another +. Hmmm?

LATER


----------



## santafe158

Menards is always a dangerous place to go around Christmas time. My buddy from the Redford Theatre and I frequent the local store when we need building supplies for projects at the theater since we have an account there. I think every trip one of us ends up purchasing a new car or building for the theater layout


----------



## DennyM

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Denny, you have a serious case of Menard's fever. Only know cure, stay away.


Maybe they should form TBA Train Buyers Anonymous. 



Vincent said:


> Nice boxcar, Denny. I actually have a Rock Island train that I like, but I want to convert it to PRR.





Country Joe said:


> Beautiful boxcar, Denny. At $20 a car they are hard to resist.





Wood said:


> Denny, that is a beautiful boxcar. Unique color and great graphics.
> 
> 
> I wish Menards would move into New England.


Thanks guys. I didn't like the color at first, but it grew on me.


----------



## santafe158

Finally got around to installing the Super Chuffer and Chuff Generator from Gunrunner John's line of products in my Lionel TMCC N&W J class. My main desire was for 4 chuffs per revolution of the drive wheels instead of the stock two, but the Super Chuffer supplies the proper voltage for the generator so it received one of those too. 

Though I initially felt like I got in over my head, the installation was fairly easy. The toughest part was fitting everything and keeping the wires organized. John was helpful in answering the many questions I had, though most of the issues were my own 

I later had to go back and rebuild the smoke unit as the original resistor was shot. That was the one feature I hadn't tested since acquiring the engine, but I had the parts on hand. The cab light bulb also needs to be replaced, but it's also wired into the super chuffer so it will turn on and off automatically as the engine starts and stops.

Great products! I'm looking forward to the fall/winter train running season so I can give it a workout on the club layout.


----------



## papa3rail

Got my 2010 new old stock K-Line by Lionel Broadway Limited set last week.


----------



## Wood

Very nice looking unit, great sound and super passenger cars...


----------



## Vincent

Now THAT is a great lay-out!


----------



## Lee Willis

Nice set. It was inevitable that you get it. 

The telephone antenna on the roof of the observation car is a nice touch.


----------



## DennyM

Great video. Those cars, loco and layout are nice.. :thumbsup:


----------



## PatKn

Nice video, Dave. Enjoy that beautiful set.


----------



## Guest

Jake, the J sounds awesome.

Dave, the K-Line set is fabulous. It looks and sounds great.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful set Dave. Glad you went with K-Line. You will be too.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice set, the K-Line cars are great, I really miss those guys!


----------



## papa3rail

Thanks guys I love this set. I need to upgrade the interior and marker lights to LEDs and after 8 years in a box there are a couple of peeps bouncing around but other than that they're perfect.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

At least K-Line was putting people in the cars back then, most of the other guys shipped them empty, you had to add your own passengers.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Some new arrivals. The REA Flatcar with the Panel Truck will have two once they sell the cars separate or they offer a giveaway, I’ll get something I desire. Overall the cars are nice.










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## Wood

Woaaa.. Those are nice. I have not seen them before
You will enjoy them rolling on a layout.


----------



## Guest

Very nice acquisitions, Tim. Menards makes some excellent rolling stock at prices that are hard to resist.


----------



## DennyM

Those are nice Tim. You know I'm going to have to get them now. I was going to wait a while before I got more Menards, but NOOOOO you had to post those cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The picture boxcars are neat, that would be a worthwhile addition to a military train.


----------



## Guest

Good ones, Tim.


----------



## SDIV Tim

DennyM said:


> Those are nice Tim. You know I'm going to have to get them now. I was going to wait a while before I got more Menards, but NOOOOO you had to post those cars.




Im sorry 


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## SDIV Tim

gunrunnerjohn said:


> The picture boxcars are neat, that would be a worthwhile addition to a military train.




If menards keeps making nose art boxcars, I’m probably going to have three military trains when I’m done. I got all 14 cars just wonder how many more can they do?


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## Bill Webb

*Tim, like your purchase. They look good.*

You can’t be responsible for Denny’s habit. He was just looking for another excuse to go to Menards.

Paula said to put a picture of our new acquisition... rolling stock that goes under the layout. Heck, the thing starts automatically, cleans up, goes back to the charger and docks, recharges, and starts all over again. Gotta get a N and W decal for her.


















Don’t have a clue how to turn them right side up.


----------



## Spence

You gotta love Menards.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Bill Webb said:


> Don’t have a clue how to turn them right side up.


Stop posting with an Apple device. 

You rotate the pictures, it's common for this to happen with Apple IOS.


----------



## DennyM

Bill Webb said:


> You can’t be responsible for Denny’s habit. He was just looking for another excuse to go to Menards.


Hey, I resemble that remark.


----------



## Norton

My NYC TMCC Mogul 1924 got a running mate. Grzyboskis had one more early one left from their big purchase a while back. Thank you David for leaving me one. Originally lettered for Wabash.
A few mods and relettering ended up like this. While I didn't create a true lashup I did run them both at three speed steps and they tracked near perfectly.


----------



## Guest

Nice one, Norton. 

You are correct Bill, it needs a N&W logo. You might want to consider a maroon racing stripe to go with the black color.


----------



## Lehigh74

Bill Webb said:


> Paula said to put a picture of our new acquisition... rolling stock that goes under the layout. Heck, the thing starts automatically, cleans up, goes back to the charger and docks, recharges, and starts all over again. Gotta get a N and W decal for her.


I just ordered an earlier version of the same thing Bill.


----------



## Lehigh74

That's a sharp looking mogul.


----------



## Norton

Thanks guys.

Bill, If you have a garden railroad Husqvarna has one too.

















Pete


----------



## highvoltage

Bill Webb said:


> ...Don’t have a clue how to turn them right side up.


Use a photo app to rotate them. To avoid the orientation problem when taking a picture with a smart phone, hold the device with the camera to the left and the "Home" button to the right. Your picture will come out oriented properly.


----------



## DennyM

Norton said:


> My NYC TMCC Mogul 1924 got a running mate. Grzyboskis had one more early one left from their big purchase a while back. Thank you David for leaving me one. Originally lettered for Wabash.
> A few mods and relettering ended up like this. While I didn't create a true lashup I did run them both at three speed steps and they tracked near perfectly.
> 
> View attachment 460630


Norton that is really nice. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## PatKn

Enjoy the cars, Tim.
Beautiful engine, Norton


----------



## PatKn

Not really for my roster but for my workbench. I bought the power board module a while ago. GRJ posted on the other forum that it was being sold on Ebay. I bought mine for $6.49. It has since gone up in price. I new I had two old computers I needed to get rid of. I removed the power supplies and hard drives from both computers. I totally destroyed the hard drive. (Hillary would be proud). One PS is from a really old computer and the pin configuration was not compatible with the board connector. On the other power supply, I cut off all the harnesses except the one I needed. Drilled four holes in the side of the chassis to mount the board and pulled the harness slack into the chassis so it doesn't hang loose. This will become useful for troubleshooting and tinkering. Thanks John for the tip on the board.


----------



## Norton

Looks like a handy item. I am using a computer power supply on my portable modules and have a few more at the ready. Will have to get one of those boards.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have the same board mounted on a PC power supply, but it's buried in my pile of boxes.


----------



## PatKn

Yours is how I found out about it. 

Pat

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## Wood

PatKn said:


> Yours is how I found out about it.
> 
> Pat
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


Pat, do the computer power supplies provide AC or DC voltage and how many watts of power?


----------



## SDIV Tim

Birthday Present summary: i received an Auxiliary Water Tender. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like the built one for 4449, but it will do. I remember these were cool tenders because they had guts in them for light at the back and a remote coupler, all you need to do is connect a wire to the back of the loco and bam, you’re in business. That is not the case it is empty and couplers are by manual open/close. I would avoid getting one unless you’re trying to model something. The next 3 pics are of my last 3 Hoppers for my Beer Train. These were done by RMT. I would like to thank everyone for the birthday wishes.


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## PatKn

Enjoy your birthday trains, Tim. That tender is beautiful. It will look awesome behind that engine.


----------



## highvoltage

Wood said:


> Pat, do the computer power supplies provide AC or DC voltage and how many watts of power?


PC power supplies are all DC. Power rating varies, but an article I read said they are available from 150 watts up to 500 watts.


----------



## PatKn

highvoltage said:


> PC power supplies are all DC. Power rating varies, but an article I read said they are available from 150 watts up to 500 watts.


I agree with HV. I've see 250W, 350W, 500W. You have to read the label on your power supply. Output is always DC.


----------



## DennyM

Happy birthday Tim enjoy your cars.


----------



## Norton

highvoltage said:


> PC power supplies are all DC. Power rating varies, but an article I read said they are available from 150 watts up to 500 watts.


The power rating is total watts. Current varies depending on the voltage. +5V is typically 20-30 amps. +12V >10 amps. The rest much less than 10 amps but still useful current.
These are best used for lights and signals. They may operate some modern accessories and a few Post war types.

Pete


----------



## SDIV Tim

PatKn said:


> Enjoy your birthday trains, Tim. That tender is beautiful. It will look awesome behind that engine.




Thanks


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## SDIV Tim

DennyM said:


> Happy birthday Tim enjoy your cars.




Thanks


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## santafe158

The new stuff seems to keep rolling in lately, even though I said my Lionel N&W J would be my last purchase for awhile...

Anyway, here are a few new things added to the roster.

I picked this boxcar up on my trip to Scranton last week while visiting Scranton Hobby. The paint scheme is one we have an ex C&O boxcar painted up in at work, so I thought it would be neat to have a model of.









An MTH General from 1997. I got a good deal on this one on Ebay and figured it might be a good runner for my Redford Theatre display. Sadly the stock reverse unit moved out of position in the tender during shipping and shorted out when I tried to test run it, so it now runs with a bridge rectifier in its place. Today I purchased a set of three MTH Overton passenger cars to go with it as well. It should be a nice old timey set for the display.









I bought a set of four of these Lionel Amtrak Amfleet cars, also potentially for use at the theater. Though I prefer older equipment, I figured it might be nice to have a recognizable road name for the younger generations. I'm looking to acquire a GE Genesis type locomotive to pull them at some point when funding permits, as that's what we see in this area pulling the Pontiac-Chicago "Wolverine."


----------



## Wood

Jake, That is a very nice looking Phase 4 Amtrak Passenger liner. A lot of detail under the body.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks Wood, they are very nice cars and I enjoy seeing them because the real ones pass by where I work several times a day.

I also finally got a picture of this new addition. Having visited Scranton, PA recently, I enjoyed seeing the classic "Electric City" sign downtown. While this will likely never see use on a layout, I couldn't resist buying the Miller Engineering desktop model of the sign.


----------



## Vincent

I'm afraid that I don't like Amtrak, but the boxcar looks sharp and the locomotive looks even sharper.

Okay, the Amtrak car looks sharp--I just don't like Amtrak.


----------



## Guest

Kids do relate to the Amtrak passenger cars. That's what they see today. Good move Jake.


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## gunrunnerjohn

The Genesis are around Jake, the MTH Premier is a very nice unit, and you can frequently score the PS/1 models for around $125-150.


----------



## Guest

Very nice acquisitions, Jake, very nice!


----------



## PatKn

Nice haul, Jake. 

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Wood

santafe158 said:


> I also finally got a picture of this new addition. Having visited Scranton, PA recently, I enjoyed seeing the classic "Electric City" sign downtown. While this will likely never see use on a layout, I couldn't resist buying the Miller Engineering desktop model of the sign.
> View attachment 461356



Now that's a SIGN!!! My golly, it would be worth creating a city scene of Scranton just to put that up on a layout. Gotta go to Scranton one day. Lots of places in PA that are RR centers and well worth visiting.


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## santafe158

Thanks guys, I'm looking forward to my fall/winter toy train operating season so I can try all this stuff out.

John, the PS1 model sounds like it'd fit my budget nicely at that price range. I'd likely gut it and install a bridge rectifier anyway for simple operation at the theater. I'll have to keep an eye out. Thanks.


----------



## PatKn

Just bought these Atlas SD40’s. This is more modern than I usually buy but they're prototypical for the end of the PRR so it meets my criteria. 










Pat

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## PatKn

I also picked up three PRR books.










Pat

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## santafe158

Nice finds Pat, I like the locomotives.


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## Vincent

I still find it difficult to believe that there is such a thing as a beautiful diesel,, but you just bought yourself two of them.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice SDs Pat. I am often tempted to get into the later PRR power, but so far I have resisted except for a MTH GP-30. Great books too!

Tom


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## Wood

Very nice Diesels Pat. I like the books too. Always nice to read the background story of your railroad and it's equipment. 

Yes Vincent, diesels can be beautiful...


----------



## Spence

Very nice looking engines Pat. :thumbsup:


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## Guest

Beautiful engines Pat.


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## PatKn

Thanks all. As I said, a little modern for my fleet but the do look nice.

Pat

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## Booly15

*Summer*

I have been so busy with summer projects that I have to put my RR on the back burner, but coming here with a morning cup of coffee keeps my head into my hobby. Thanks everyone.


----------



## Holdover18*

Haven't posted for awhile, so I'll update where this has gone since I started in Feb 2018. I started a Lionel O gauge setup with the grand kids with one gifted steamer and some used 027 track, now 6 months later the train board is 6.5' X 13' and soon to have a 5 X 8' L shaped addition (great reason to clean out the basement) We now have 15 steamers and 25 diesels and growing, all Lionel but not legacy type, just the lower priced ones purchased off Ebay, Trainz and other sources. I have taken the grand kids, 7 yrs old and 11 yrs old, to Cass WVA 3 times in the last 4 years at their request, they absolutely love the place and the Shays. We decided to use the addition to the board to build a logging RR with hills and switch backs, saw mill and other related items, and decided to do it right we needed a Shay. Purchased a Lionel Western Md. three truck Shay and I am amazed at the detail as well as the rail sounds. The addition will have to be at least 52" turn track for the trucks to work, and the Shay will have to be dedicated to that board, it will not work on the 027 turns. Be a while before I post pics as this is a work in progress and most of it will be done over the winter. This is one hobby I should of gotten into years ago!!!


----------



## PatKn

Sounds like you definitely caught the bug, Holdover. Welcome and enjoy. It's a great hobby.


----------



## Guest

Nice story, Holdover. You and the grand kids are having fun.


----------



## Wood

Holdover18* said:


> I started a Lionel O gauge setup with the grand kids with one gifted steamer and some used 027 track, now 6 months later the train board is 6.5' X 13' and soon to have a 5 X 8' L shaped addition *(great reason to clean out the basement)* This is one hobby I should of gotten into years ago!!!


You made me laugh... We share similar stories, right down to the rational... It's 11 years later and still having fun.


----------



## Vincent

Holdover, you're a fine grandfather!


----------



## Holdover18*

Vincent,
thanks for the reply, but honestly at this point I am not sure who is enjoying this journey more , me or the grand kids. I try to do everything with them, I got them both into photography when they were each 3 yrs old, and now they enter contests and win. I collect and restore Model A Fords and they are both with me doing that, especially the 11 yr old. We take the As to shows and they tell people more than they ever wanted to know about 28-31 Fords. The model RR is something that I let them decide what to do, and guide them as best I can. When I finally get to post a PIC of the lay out, the design is all their doing. I'm closing in on 73 and this being a grand-pa is a hoot, tons of memories and big smiles.

And this Shay locomotive and the up coming logging track and camp build has got them so excited, they can hardly contain themselves..


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Logged in another roster locomotive, the Lionel Legacy C&O 2-6-6-2 USRA Mallet. This should be perfect for pulling that military train I have in boxes.


----------



## Vincent

Gunerjohn, that is one magnificent locomotive!


----------



## Spence

GRJ: that engine looks like it will pull some military cars and then some.


----------



## Wood

John, That's a beauty... Get the layout up so you can showcase your roster.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice looking locomotive. I like the US markings with the C&O sub lettering. USRA design locomotives always look great...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys. I was kinda' pleased to spot this one at a good price over at OGR, I fired it up on the rollers (no track), and the only thing I had to fix was the flickering firebox, the plastic came apart internally.


----------



## Guest

She is a beautiful loco, John. She'll look good pulling the military train.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, the military marking pushed me over the edge, I thought that was a cool thing, and I don't have a USRA locomotive. It was also a very good price, and it's like new, not a mark on it.


----------



## Guest

Nice one, John. I sure like articulated engines, especially those that are Legacy.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, can't wait to have a layout to run it on.


----------



## PatKn

That engine looks fantastic. Enjoy it, John. 

Pat

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## gunrunnerjohn

I'm hoping to actually have a place to run it soon. Until them, I'll have to take it to the club. We have a modular show on the 25th, it'll stretch it's legs there.


----------



## papa3rail

Looks like a beauty nice buy.:thumbsup:


----------



## Shawn91481

I live in Colorado, and Menards hasn't made it there yet. So, I'm in Milwaukee right now, and took advantage of the situation .


----------



## Vincent

Shawn, I wish they had one of those stores in Mexico. You got some sharp-looking stuff.


----------



## Vincent

The Citroen 2CV that I bought for 40 pesos ($2.18 US) at Walmart today pulls up at a dilapidated Esso station that my smart, intelligent wife (Hey, she married me) assembled. Selling for 190 pesos online, the model represents a well-built budget car that cost half as much as a Volkswagen Beetle.

Although it is described as "Vintage," I cannot find out what year it represents.


----------



## Shawn91481

That's a neat car Vincent at a great price.


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## rrswede

Nice. 

The yellow and black Citroen 2CV was introduced in 1982. The 2CV was introduced in 1948.

swede


----------



## Vincent

rrswede said:


> Nice.
> 
> The yellow and black Citroen 2CV was introduced in 1982. The 2CV was introduced in 1948.
> 
> swede


I don't know how "vintage" 36 years is, but it's a beautiful car! Thanks for the info, Swede.


----------



## Spence

Nice looking car. :thumbsup: I like the bumble bee colors.


----------



## santafe158

Apparently adult beverages and eBay are a dangerous combination for me. 

Nonetheless, I think I did pretty well with my latest purchase of a postwar Lionel 41 Army switcher. I've wanted one of these for some time now, and finally pulled the trigger last night. The price was right and the condition looks to be good other than a missing front coupler.


----------



## Vincent

Jake, that is a sharp-looking loco, as well as an interesting conversation piece.


----------



## santafe158

Vincent said:


> Jake, that is a sharp-looking loco, as well as an interesting conversation piece.


Thanks, it's definitely a unique locomotive. It's prototype was a one of a kind turbine locomotive built by Davenport in 1954. The real locomotive, U.S.A. #1149 is on display at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, MO.


----------



## MichaelE

A surplus restored Deutsches Reichsbahn carriage picked up on the cheap for the ÖBB privat mountain line. Full interior, and extra exterior parts so small I need a magnifying glass to mount them.

Roco 54201:


----------



## PatKn

Nice switcher, Jake. The adult beverage did not do you wrong this time. Looks like a good find.
Michael, That's a cool looking coach. Enjoy it.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks Pat, I'm looking forward to receiving it and giving it a run.


----------



## Guest

Very nice acquisitions Shawn, Vincent, Jake and Michael. Your purchasing departments did good. The all deserve an adult beverage to celebrate.


----------



## Shawn91481

Country Joe said:


> Very nice acquisitions Shawn, Vincent, Jake and Michael. Your purchasing departments did good. The all deserve an adult beverage to celebrate.


The CEO approves


----------



## Shawn91481

santafe158 said:


> Apparently adult beverages and eBay are a dangerous combination for me.
> 
> Nonetheless, I think I did pretty well with my latest purchase of a postwar Lionel 41 Army switcher. I've wanted one of these for some time now, and finally pulled the trigger last night. The price was right and the condition looks to be good other than a missing front coupler.
> 
> View attachment 464110


Seems to me a coupler would be an easy fix, if it's not just for show.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

This is sort of part of my roster, actually it'll be holding some of my roster.  My Glenn Snyder shelves arrived. I tried the joiners for one piece, looks like they'll hold them together pretty well. Since I have a 7 foot run where I'm putting them, I needed a 1 foot piece, and I figure it needs support at the end.

The three 3-foot pieces will be in the small space as you come down the stairs.


----------



## Guest

You sure have a project to work on, John.


----------



## Wood

Michael, That is a very nice European unit from Germany. Are you going to acquire more equipment that will utilize the European style couplers or will you attempt to exchange the couplers. I'll bet the details are amazing.


----------



## MichaelE

They do seem to be a rivet counters delight.

I'm keeping the Roco couplers on all of the equipment I buy. There seems to be several styles and I have cars with two different types.


Roco, Fleischman, Pico, and others use both of these types:










Upper right image is correct profile view:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Passenger Train Collector said:


> You sure have a project to work on, John.


I have a few, but in the next few days I want to get these up and start filling them.


----------



## santafe158

Shawn91481 said:


> Seems to me a coupler would be an easy fix, if it's not just for show.


Thanks guys. I think the coupler will be easy if I can find a new one. It appears to be a fairly common issue because I found a new front truck on ebay that says the coupler was repaired with a screw. I'm pretty sure the last one I looked into buying was also missing the coupler. A new front truck isn't all that expensive either, so I may just go that route with it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

At our last modular show I was running my Reading coal hoppers, I have 18 of them, but I thought a few more would hit the spot. Since they still have them, I ordered another six.


----------



## JoeSaggese

gunrunnerjohn said:


> At our last modular show I was running my Reading coal hoppers, I have 18 of them, but I thought a few more would hit the spot. Since they still have them, I ordered another six.
> 
> They are really cool looking


----------



## Krieglok

MichaelE said:


> They do seem to be a rivet counters delight.
> 
> I'm keeping the Roco couplers on all of the equipment I buy. There seems to be several styles and I have cars with two different types.
> 
> 
> Roco, Fleischman, Pico, and others use both of these types.


I have a large collection of Roco, Fleischman and other German HO trains. Most of my stuff is older, so they came equipped with the drop hoop couplers. I considered using the Roco close couplers but converting the equipment with older coupler pockets would be a pain. I kept the original couplers and continue to use them.





gunrunnerjohn said:


> At our last modular show I was running my Reading coal hoppers, I have 18 of them, but I thought a few more would hit the spot. Since they still have them, I ordered another six.
> 
> View attachment 464438


Great looking hoppers, John. I might have missed it, but who manufactured them?

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

I have about a dozen of those Menards Reading hoppers. I've been told that Reading never had yellow hoppers, but I like the look. They look even better when you cover the plastic loads with anthracite.


----------



## Lehigh74

A few years ago, I got good price on eBay for a “new” Railking Reading GP-9. Well it was almost new. It had been run long enough to screw up the smoke unit and the PC boards. I should have returned it, but instead, I turned it into a dummy. I have been looking for a good deal on a used Railking GP-9 with good chassis and electronics, but trashed shell so I can put the new Reading shell on it.

I got an email from Pat’s Trans last week about a blow-out sale on P&LE GP-9s. I picked one up for (including shipping) about 20% off list price. The P&LE is sure a plain Jane engine. Like a lot of recent MTH diesel engines, this one has kind of a shrill turbo sound, not the diesel rumble that I prefer. I’ll run it for a while with the P&LE shell, but eventually I’ll switch shells.


----------



## Vincent

You've got a bunch of sharp-looking cars there, Lehigh. Is that a Coca-Cola truck I see in some of them?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Great looking hoppers, John. I might have missed it, but who manufactured them?
> 
> Tom


I missed putting that in, they're Menard's hoppers. This brings me up to 24 of them, about the right length for me.


----------



## Lehigh74

Vincent said:


> You've got a bunch of sharp-looking cars there, Lehigh. Is that a Coca-Cola truck I see in some of them?


No. It's an old timey fuel truck.


----------



## Vincent

Lehigh74 said:


> No. It's an old timey fuel truck.


That's the kind of beautiful vehicle I like to add to my lay-out.


----------



## santafe158

Apparently I need to delete my ebay account... things are getting out of hand. My cheap postwar 41 switcher is a neat little engine with a great price. This one was too, just a much more expensive great price 

I purchased a Lionel JLC GG1 #4925 at a train show several years ago and absolutely loved running it. It's got some running issues that have it pretty much relegated to shelf display now, leaving my set of MTH congressional cars sitting in their boxes. I found a decent deal on the silver 4866 on eBay and ended up winning the auction. It'll look nice with the silver cars. One of these days I'll have to figure out the issues my 4925 is having and get it back up and running too. A GG1 doubleheader would be neat.


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful engine. You can't have too many GG1s. Enjoy it. 

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn

Can't leave them on the shelf, gotta' get them back in service!  Good looking GG1, nice purchase.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys. The GG1 is sort of an ugly locomotive in a beautiful kind of way. The style has grown on me, and it's something different to run on the club layout.


----------



## Wood

Jake, That is a beauty... Nice purchase.


----------



## Guest

Jake, that silver GG1 is a looker!!! :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys! I completely agree Joe. I saw the silver one in the case at my LHS when I was younger and they were still a new model and it was definitely appealing. I'm looking forward to running it as I'm sure it'll be an eye-catcher. I can't even find a video of one running on Youtube, so there must not be a ton being run out there.


----------



## ERIE610

*LATEST ADDITION.*

My latest find. I went to a Toy Train garage sale a while back. Some collectors were cleaning out their equipment and decided to have a toy train only garage sale. One older + gentleman was really thinning out his Roster for cheap. So I took advantage of the situation to buy most of what he was offering. One item that stood out was a NIB K-LINE K621-2112A UP 4 Pack. My ancient Vivitar digital camera is on the fritz so I downloaded some pics that are true represented photos. The one set I have looks like it has not left the box. The Gentleman asked $20 for the set which I gladly paid. 


LATER


----------



## Fabforrest

A steal!


----------



## Tallaman

Thanks for sharing the hi-res images guys (esp Lehigh74). Allowing us to zoom in and view details really enhances the experience.


----------



## PatKn

Good price on those trains.

Jake, I have to disagree with you. The Raymond Loewy designed GG1 is a beautiful engine. Not at all ugly. It is a unique looking engine though.

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## Vincent

Ugly?!?

Jake, that's one of the most beautiful locomotives I've ever seen!


----------



## santafe158

Perhaps ugly wasn't the correct word. :laugh: I think Pat's description of "unique" was a better term for what I was referring to. They're definitely neat looking engines. I saw the 4935 at the museum in Strasburg a few years ago and it's definitely impressive.

While Lowey is often given credit for designing the GG1, the 4800's body was not a Lowey design. He started with that initial design and refined it, hence the smooth sides of the all welded body skins on all the newer GG1's and the one of a kind riveted body on 4800. Their longevity in service is also very impressive for a locomotive.


----------



## bowerda47

*K-Line 4-6-6T Tank Locomotive*

This arrived in August. Thanks to Harry Burkhardt for making me aware of this Locomotive. And a very special thanks to Richard M White Captain US Navy-Retired, BETHESDA, MD (a forty year veteran) for agreeing to sell this to me. Thank you for your service Sir. This K-Line 4-6-6T Tank Locomotive is a highly detailed smooth running engine made by K-Line in 2005 just before they went out of business. Note: if anyone would like to have one of these The Western Depot has several. Original MSRP was $599.95 but they have them for $500 plus shipping in 3 different road names. You can see all the different road names that K-Line planned to make in the 1st photo. I can not verify if they actually made all of them. Enjoy the photos, I will post video of it running as soon as I oil the pivot points, etc.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have the NJC model of the tank engine, they are a unique and very neat locomotive, nice pickup.


----------



## bowerda47

Thanks John. Went after this Road Name because thought it was unique. Searched the history of the company and was in awe with the history. Never would have even been aware of the company if not for this locomotive.


----------



## santafe158

How about trading that fine looking tank engine for my recently purchased paperweight that's painted silver with PRR markings? 

My GG1 arrived today and everything looks great except the truck frames disintegrated upon unpacking it due to zinc rot. Apparently this is a common issue with the older JLC models, and my other model is also showing signs of it upon inspection. Sadly the truck frames are an important component for the locomotive to function, so I'm essentially stuck with a large expensive paperweight. I shot Mike Reagan a note inquiring as to whether or not he knew of a source for replacements. He mentioned that the legacy models have a different truck design and the frames wouldn't be compatible (he learned the hard way), so there's no real solution. Quite a disappointing outcome for a purchase I was quite excited about.

It's amazing how a brand new older locomotive that had never been removed from the styrofoam is unusable and parts aren't available to solve the issue.


----------



## Magic

Awww man, Jake that really sucks.

Magic


----------



## santafe158

Magic said:


> Awww man, Jake that really sucks.
> 
> Magic


It does, but a member of the OGR forum recently posted he had some for sale from his parts stock due to being a repair center. He's asking a bit much for them, but at this point I'll take what I can get. I suppose that's the law of supply and demand .


----------



## Wood

Bower, The Tank Engine is a very nice piece. The detail looks amazing. Nice pickup.

Jake, What a bummer on the GG1. Wow. I have seen that zinc oxidation in very old Lionel stock. It is a little surprising and shocking to hear the entire truck frame disintegrated. Hopefully you will find the parts.


----------



## JoeSaggese

Just got the set of 4 PRR Madison MTH cars. Only showing two of them............


----------



## Guest

Bowerda, that is a beautiful locomotive.

Jake, that stinks. I hope you are able to get the trucks for that beauty.

Joe, those are really cool passenger cars.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, this is "kinda" an addition to my roster, at least it's a place to store some of it.  I got the first round of my Glenn Snyder shelves installed. These are in the landing between the first floor and basement, fifteen 7 foot shelves. I'll need a lot more of them, but it's a start... 

I have to start unpacking stuff and getting it on display.


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## Spence

GRJ: never mind the display, let's get started on the layout.
The shelves look good. Nice location.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Spence, I'm still waiting on the Mianne benchwork, that's the pacing item. While I'm waiting, I figured to do some other "improvements" to the space.


----------



## Guest

Shelves look great, John.


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## PatKn

Love the tank engine.
Joe, the pennsy cars look great.
John, The trains will look nice on those shelves. You need a lot more, though.
Jake, Man, that sucks! I feel for you. I hope you can find the parts. That GG1 is too nice looking to stay on the shelf. Good luck.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys, I'm sure they'll look better full of trains.


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## JoeSaggese

Thank you guys


----------



## santafe158

Great looking shelves John. Eventually I'll have some wall space for a similar setup :laugh:

As for my GG1. I managed to find an expensive source for two sets (a pair for each of my GG1's) of replacement side frames on OGR and placed an order. Lionel's customer service department also gave me a few leads to some vendors who might have some. I still sent them an email as I'd like another spare set for future use if the replacement ones end up having the same issue.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Most of the time I buy Scale engines secondhand. Today I got my first brand new Scale Engine. Lionel’s newest Rendition of Pere Marquette 1225. I have a PM A909 Caboose arriving soon. Here is the Loco










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## Vincent

That's a beautiful locomotive and tender, Tim. I had to look up Pere Marquette 1225 to find out more, and the original (still in existence) was a wonderful machine.


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## PatKn

Gorgeous engine, Tim.


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## Guest

That is a beautiful engine, Tim.


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## santafe158

A friend owns the older 1225 model and it's certainly a nice engine. Enjoy yours!

One last purchase for the week. I dug out my old Lego train stuff at my parents house and moved it to my apartment. Sadly a few things have gone missing over the years, including the all important 9v power supply used for operating them. I purchased a fairly low end set from the 1990's to acquire another power supply. These 9v trains operated from an external power supply just like most other model trains and were very smooth runners. Sometime in the 2000's Lego switched to remote control battery power. I'm looking forward to running the new set as well as some of my older stuff again.

The replacement parts for my ailing GG1's also shipped today and should be here in a couple days. This week has definitely gotten better!


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## Guest

Lego trains are really cool. Have fun with them.


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## kennyach

Country Joe said:


> Lego trains are really cool. Have fun with them.


:smilie_auslachen:


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## Vincent

What little information I can find confirms that Lego trains are actually well-made.


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## Guest

I first saw Lego trains at a train show in Ithaca in upstate NY about 15 years ago. I was impressed with how well they ran and how everything on the layout was made from Legos. They are toys, not at all realistic, but they have a fun quality. I can understand why some guys really love them. These are a few pictures from that show.


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## Vincent

Beautiful pictures, Country Joe.


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## Wood

We have also worked with the Lego trains. Below are my builders. It is pretty neat stuff. We have the engine which the older gal built. It is a bit like the erector sets, we had in the 50 and 60's. I don't really have the patience for it, but they love Lego projects.


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## santafe158

They're definitely a unique aspect to the hobby. Though I love running my scale O gauge stuff, I really have an appreciation for trains that are just plain toys. Even at that, it's neat to see all the little details that Lego still managed to include in their sets. For toys, they certainly capture the essence of the real thing.

I can't say much about the newer battery RC Lego train sets, but the older 9V sets like I have are great. I hadn't run any of my stuff in years, but it all worked like a charm today after the tracks were cleaned up. Very smooth runners as well.


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## santafe158

About a week after this saga started, I'm back to being a fairly happy camper again. Four side frame casting replacements later, and I've once again got two solid GG1's. My 4925 will still be going off to Mike Reagan soon to have it's operational issues sorted out. Until then, they look nice on display.


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## Guest

I'm glad you got her fixed, Jake. They are beautiful locomotives.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I'm going to have to check my JLC GG1 when I get it out of the box and make sure it's not rotting away!


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## PatKn

Jake, Glad you solved your problem. Too bad it cost you extra. Gorgeous engines. Enjoy them.

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## santafe158

Thanks guys, it was definitely an unexpected expense for both locomotives. On the GG1 that I already had, the trucks had swelled to the point that there was no longer the 1/8ish inch gap between the truck frames in the center. They were touching each other which would have further limited it's ability to go around curves.


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## rdmtgm

Updated the roster a little this weekend at a tag sale. This was a friends father's estate. A massive collection. I was very happy to land a few pieces. The CP is Lionel, The Conrail is MTH , and the NS is Williams, All like new.



https://www.modeltrainforum.com/att...nt.php?attachmentid=466342&stc=1&d=1537106808


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## rdmtgm

Oh.. and the seven car MTH 15" Pennsylvania set in the background also.

Randy


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## gunrunnerjohn

Nice additions, I need some friends having big sales.


----------



## MichaelE

Krieglok said:


> I have a large collection of Roco, Fleischman and other German HO trains. Most of my stuff is older, so they came equipped with the drop hoop couplers. I considered using the Roco close couplers but converting the equipment with older coupler pockets would be a pain. I kept the original couplers and continue to use them.
> 
> Tom


Does that older equipment have the pizza cutter wheel flanges on the wheels? Will it run on code 83 and can you hear the flanges clicking against the spike heads?


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## Guest

Very nice locos, Randy, and those passenger cars look great. Very nice haul.


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## santafe158

Is the CP diesel the Lionmaster one? I have the powered/nonpowered Legacy SD80MAC's in the Conrail scheme which look very similar and love running them. Enjoy yours!


----------



## rdmtgm

Thanks everyone, yes the CP is the lionmaster version. I only run conventional but I am enjoying it a lot.
Randy


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## PatKn

Nice haul, Randy.


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## Guest

Also nice that your additions Randy came from someone you knew.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Finally, some revenue for my passenger trains! I spotted these being sold on OGR and decided they would be useful soon!  I have lots of the Chinese ones, but I like to sprinkle some better painted ones around, especially by the windows.


----------



## Lehigh74

They look to be the same as RMT BEEPeople. The men will need a butt cut to sit at the right height, but the soft plastic on those guys is easy to cut.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I've used these, they're actually smaller than BEEP people. These fit pretty well.


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## Vincent

Send me the ones that don't fit, Gunrunner John!


----------



## Wood

John, Like you, I have also used those KLine figures. They are good. Nice find.


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## gunrunnerjohn

They will all fit.


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## PatKn

Nice pick up, John. I saw those on OGR but let them pass because I have a collection of (sold by) chinese people, Beeple and Circus Craft people for my cars that don't have passengers.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I have a bunch of the Chinese figures, but these add variety, I try to mix up the passengers so I don't have all of one type.

I did buy some Lionel figures, but I was very disappointed in those, the paint never cured and they all stick together!  I do use the GG Little People, and they're actually slightly cheaper than the Lionel figures.


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## HarborBelt1970

You certainly scored a nice purchase there John; I have not seen any of these sets available anywhere and yeah, K-Line seated figures drop right into place without “surgery.” :smilie_daumenpos:


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## gunrunnerjohn

They pop up from time to time, I've seen a couple in previous sales on eBay, so they're around. I was surprised to get three of them all in one place.

The only thing that I sometimes have to do to the Chinese and K-Line figures is trim the feet for some seats, their legs are too long.


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## highvoltage

I'm going to have to trim the feet on some Lionel figures I bought a while back. I was trying to figure out if the figures were too big, or my passenger car seats were too small.


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## HarborBelt1970

highvoltage said:


> I'm going to have to trim the feet on some Lionel figures I bought a while back. I was trying to figure out if the figures were too big, or my passenger car seats were too small.


Well, both are right but maybe the latter is more right! Lionel passenger car interiors are sub-O scale, more like S scale and so are MTH interiors. I’ve found that MTH Railking and older Lionel figures drop right in because they have been scaled down to fit but true O scale people from China are just too big. S scale figures work but are not that easy to find in affordable quantity.


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## Vincent

Avast ye bunch of bilge-bailing swabs! We be comin' after yer passenger cars! Arf, arf, arf!


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## Guest

That is a fun car, Vincent. I'm curious, is it O gauge? I've never seen couplers like that.


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## Vincent

Country Joe said:


> That is a fun car, Vincent. I'm curious, is it O gauge? I've never seen couplers like that.


Actually, it is larger than G gauge. I bought a cheap plastic "made in Mexico" remote-controlled battery-powered Christmas train, that pulls 5 cars for about $55 US. It runs well, and on November 1 it will become part of my Christmas display.

"Holiday Time" is a brand of Mexican trains, of various sizes, and all of them are battery-powered. Nobody in Mexico manufactures regular electric trains.

My favorite is this mail car (?). I spent a while carefully getting the stuck door to slide open without breaking it. 

Although my wife (She had a blast!) and I ran it successfully on the floor, I have to set up the tracks to see how well it pulls a load before I try adding or subtracting anything from the cars.


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## Matt_GNo27

While I have a quite modest O-27 layout, it has bugged me that my dad's primarily American Flyer S-gauge trains are pretty close to scale, whereas my traditional O-gauge rolling stock is not. Even though I generally subscribe to the philosophy of "If it makes you happy . . ." deep down inside, a small part of me feels that if it isn't close to scale, what's the point?

When I got back into trains four years ago, I picked up three Lionel Standard O 2-bay ACF Centerflow hoppers to accompany my close-enough-to-scale K-Line MP15DC, and fashioned a crude FRED. This past week, two events snowballed into a more committed move into O Scale.

First I picked up MTH's cab figures for my Lionel Hudson Jr. and Williams GP9.

























Then, a red Great Northern O Scale offset caboose—much less common on the used market than the Big Sky Blue variant—came up for sale, and I won the auction. Now committed, I picked up three O Scale boxcars, which I was confident would be able to negotiate my layout's O-27 curves.

The boxcars arrived yesterday and the caboose, today.

































They join my close-enough-to-scale Williams GP9s and MTH Rail King gondola. 









Close-enough-to-scale sure feels good!


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## Guest

You bought some nice stuff, Matt, and you have a very nice layout.


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## PatKn

Nice trains, Matt. You opened the door to many more purchases. Your close enough will become a scale empire. It's a sickness. I know from experience.

Pat

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## Vincent

You don't often think of Great Northern as having sharp-looking cars, but you definitely found some.


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## Wood

That is very nice Matt. Nice little layout and it appears nicely assembled. Good work. The units you bought are great looking and I like the detailing by adding figures.

I see you are from the Boston area. I am from RI and this is mentioned because you bought Great Northern equipment. It is hard to find good equipment from the Northeast. I have always wanted to model the Providence and Worcester, but finding the equipment or modifying equipment was just too hard.


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## Matt_GNo27

Thanks for the compliments Country Joe, PatKn, Vincent, & Wood. 

PatKn, indeed it is a sickness. Sometimes I can stay healthy for several months, but inevitably my immune system breaks down and the disease reasserts itself.



Wood said:


> I see you are from the Boston area. I am from RI and this is mentioned because you bought Great Northern equipment. It is hard to find good equipment from the Northeast. I have always wanted to model the Providence and Worcester, but finding the equipment or modifying equipment was just too hard.


My modeling GN is a bit serendipitous. We grew up with my dad's AF trains, but my brother and my first set of our own was K-Line's Great Northern Flyer. I got the engine, caboose, hopper, and boxcar from the set. My brother got the stock car, gondola, and not from the set, a K-Line Pennsy caboose, and a Lionel Santa Fe U36B. (He later got the Lionel Santa Fe bay-window caboose to match his locomotive.) Every summer we would take a camping trip to different part of the country, and/or Canada, and I loved the Northwest, so Great Northern stuck. My non-GN rolling stock is mostly Northern Pacific, CB&Q, and SP&S.

I've toyed with the idea of expanding to a northeastern road, NYC—my maternal grandfather and great-grandfather were in the NYC—B&M, Rutland, or one of the Maine roads, but have yet to take the plunge. For one, it helps keep the sickness in check, and also as you note, other than for the NYC, most of the northeast roads are harder to find pieces for.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Lee sucked me in and I got a few things from the sale on American Excellence. I have lots of other cars, but not many trucks and buses, so I figured to get a couple of those.


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## Guest

My package from the good folks at Menards arrived this afternoon. I purchased two boxcars and some plug and play wiring and they gave me two yellow Hummers with lit headlights and taillights.

REA









New Haven









One of the yellow Hummers. Note the road under the Hummer. I need to fix that but I'm not sure how at the moment.


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## Guest

John, the vehicles look great. They are all nice but I really like the bus.


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## Vincent

Nice-looking boxcars, John, along with some snazzy-looking vehicles.


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## Guest

Not surprised, John, all nice vehicles. I like the circus one best.

Joe, looks like Menard's scores again.


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## Dano

I have put the newly minted F7a to work.


----------



## Magic

Looks great Dano, all that hard work has really paid off.

Magic


----------



## DennyM

Looking good Dano.👍


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## Vincent

Canadian National does have a tendency to paint sharp-looking designs on their equipment.


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## PatKn

Very cool, Dano.

Pat

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## gunrunnerjohn

Fantastic job on that F7, now all you need is another A and a B, imagine an A-B-A looking like that one!


----------



## Wood

Excellent Photo Dano!!!!


----------



## Guest

Beautiful loco, Dano.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Here's a recent eBay purchase, just arrived this afternoon. The MTH 20-3281-1 Premier 0-6-0 NYC USRA Steam Engine. It's only lack was it needed traction tires, no big deal. Practically new, 39 scale miles and 44 hours on the clock. I paid $198 with shipping, not to bad for a like-new Premier engine. It's also my first NYC, I didn't have any in the fleet.


----------



## Lehigh74

That’s a nice looking switcher John. You always seem to get great deals.

A PS2 loco with a wireless drawbar. Is the drawbar and its connections/plugs the same as a PS3 drawbar?


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## Dano

That is a sweet looking little loco, John. 
Also, the next CN unit will probably be green and gold(ish).
Thanks for all your comments. I am just finishing up the rear end, watching paint dry!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Lehigh74 said:


> That’s a nice looking switcher John. You always seem to get great deals.
> 
> A PS2 loco with a wireless drawbar. Is the drawbar and its connections/plugs the same as a PS3 drawbar?


The PS/2 wireless drawbar has a 10-pin connector, it's the same design as the PS/3 with the 6-pin connector. This was just a fluke, I happened to be cruising eBay and spotted this, it didn't seem to be getting much attention.


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## Matt_GNo27

As mentioned in this thread, I just picked up a scale Great Northern PS-1 boxcar. The fine detail work is impressive, at least coming from traditional O/O27-gauge.


----------



## Vincent

Good lay-out there, Matt.


----------



## Spence

Very nice looking boxcar. :thumbsup:


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## PatKn

Great deal, John. Matt, Nice boxcar.


----------



## bowerda47

*K-Line 4-6-6T Tank Engine*

Added this great Locomotive last month. This Locomotive was one of the last made by K-line before going out of business. Compared to my Lionel engines, this is massively heavy, around Eight (8) pounds. If anyone would like one, E-bay is expensive, but Western Depot has some for less than OMSRP. 
Anyway I'm in love. And especially the road name I was able to procure: TCI&RR Co.


----------



## Vincent

Bowerda47, that must have been one heavy locomotive.

And with a name like T.C.I. & R.R.Co., you have an interesting conversation piece.


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## bowerda47

Vincent said:


> Bowerda47, that must have been one heavy locomotive.
> 
> And with a name like T.C.I. & R.R.Co., you have an interesting conversation piece.


You should research the road name. Very interesting history and one, save for this engine, I would have never known.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have the Jersey Central model of the K-Line Tank Engine.


----------



## bowerda47

*Post War Switchers*

Also picked up these two (2) Post War Switchers last month. The Western Maryland was MIB for $94. The ATSF 623 was $77 and looks like it was never run. Plus seller has OB and will send to me when he finds it.


----------



## Vincent

bowerda47 said:


> You should research the road name. Very interesting history and one, save for this engine, I would have never known.



Great suggestion!


Founded in 1852 as a coal-mining company, it became a steel company that owned various coal and iron sources and had its own railroad. It was one of the stocks in the original Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Becoming America's second-largest steel company, it merged with US Steel, but US Steel kept the railroad operating.

In 1952, the entire operation was dissolved, and what was left was made a division of US Steel. In 2015, the last steel plant of the former company was shut down.


----------



## bowerda47

Vincent said:


> Great suggestion!
> 
> 
> Founded in 1852 as a coal-mining company, it became a steel company that owned various coal and iron sources and had its own railroad. It was one of the stocks in the original Dow Jones Industrial Average.
> 
> Becoming America's second-largest steel company, it merged with US Steel, but US Steel kept the railroad operating.
> 
> In 1952, the entire operation was dissolved, and what was left was made a division of US Steel. In 2015, the last steel plant of the former company was shut down.


What is this a photo of? Model or real train?


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## Lehigh74

Pretty cool finding a 623 that was never run.


----------



## Vincent

bowerda47 said:


> What is this a photo of? Model or real train?


 You know, it does look like a model. But I found it on the web, and it is real:

http://alcohistory.blogspot.com/2006/08/tennessee-coal-iron-railroad-company.html


----------



## PatKn

Not exactly for my roster but I just retired and was presented this cool picture signed by my colleagues. The second picture was my buddy in the publication Dept being creative.












Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Krieglok

Congratulations! 

Lots of time for railroading now!

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Congratulations, Pat!

Now, how soon can you get yourself down here to Mexico?


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## Guest

Congratulations Pat! Retirement is great. It takes a little time to get used to. When I retired in 2014 it felt wrong to get up in the morning and not go to work, but I got over it pretty quickly. If you're like most of us you will end up being so busy you will wonder how you ever had time to go to work.


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## santafe158

Congratulations Pat!


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## cole226

CONGRATS PAT.

Hope you have a healthy and happy retirement. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## gunrunnerjohn

I was cruising the OGR for-sale forum and actually looking for something else when I stumbled across an old ad for a couple of Vision Line Ethanol Tank Car sets. To my amazement, he still had two sets, so I picked up one to go with my other Ethanol tank cars. With this addition, I have fifteen of these cars, enough for a decent looking tank car train. Four of the fifteen are sound cars, so it'll also be a very noisy train!


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## Guest

Congrats on the new tank cars, John. They are a great addition to your roster.


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## cole226

all those tankers will make for a nice unit train John. :thumbsup:


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## gunrunnerjohn

That's the intent, I like the look of unit trains. Now, if I could only find another set or two of the add-on cars... 

What I need now is my benchwork, I'm going to call Mianne on Monday!


----------



## cole226

gunrunnerjohn said:


> What I need now is my benchwork, I'm going to call Mianne on Monday!


Yea, you've got to be gettin _aintsy! _


----------



## Krieglok

Tank car unit trains are pretty cool. I see the oil trains often at work. A train of white tankers would be really sharp.

Tom


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## Vincent

John, that will be one sharp-looking train!


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## PatKn

Thanks for the good wishes. 
John, nice pick up. Unit tank train will look cool. 

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Pebo

Congrats, Pat!

Peter


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## Guest

Congratulation, Pat, well deserved. You enter a new era and you have a wonderful hobby to maintain your interest and activity. The operative word is " activity" as this is so important for good health in retirement.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Pat will have so much more time for trains, who knows what will happen!


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## santafe158

I've had this for about a week now, but haven't shared it yet. I finally purchased a Williams Amtrak Genesis locomotive to go with the Lionel Amfleet cars I bought from forum member Bruce (Stoshu) back in July. I'm looking forward to running the set as while the equipment numbers don't match up, the train's appearance will be similar to the Amtrak Wolverine that passes by my workplace several times every day on its way to Chicago, IL and back to Pontiac, MI. Having ridden that train several times, I think it'll be neat to have a representation of it to operate in O scale.

This is also my first Williams engine with the newer Trueblast Plus sound system. I know it's not the greatest system in the world, but it's better than the previous horn/bell system 

I was initially dismayed at the height difference between the locomotive and car. I knew the Amfleet cars were low compared to the locomotives, but this seemed like a bit much. I figured maybe Lionel scaled down the cars proportions slightly for the set they were included in, though they are 18" cars. Upon looking at pictures of the prototype, the cars are really just that ridiculously low compared to the locomotives. The height difference is a bit exaggerated between the models though. Either the Williams engine is a bit too high (most likely) or the cars are too low. Overall it's close enough for my standards.


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new loco, Jake. That will make a very attractive train.


----------



## mopac

I also got a new engine for some N&W lionel 18 inch passenger
cars I got from member RGS 455. Turns out he was not far away so he avoided having to ship and I avoided shipping charge. New
engine is MTH premier N&W #611. PS1. Never ran from 1997.
Got it a week or two ago but never showed.
Was on display but not a scratch on it. Only bummer is smoke is fan driven but not sync. puffing.


----------



## Spence

A couple of nice looking engines. :thumbsup:


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys.

Must be the year for acquiring models of the 611. Enjoy your beautiful locomotive!


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## Guest

Buy everyone in your purchasing department a beer, Mopac. They did a good job acquiring that locomotive. She's a beauty.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Hmm... I like the Genesis and the N&W 611.  I keep looking at the 611, but then I'd have to get passenger cars, etc. Of course, I already have lots of Amtrak motive power, including the Genesis, so I'm set there.


----------



## SDIV Tim

This is what I picked up on Saturday at my Local club’s swap meet. Both reefers are Schlitz beer and made by CMP and the REA truck will be for another project










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## gunrunnerjohn

Cool, different schemes, same beer.


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## Guest

Love those reefers, Tim, and the truck is cool.

The postman brought a package Saturday. The small house will be a clubhouse for the trailer recreation area.

















My layout will have a strong police presence, some deer, kids with bikes enjoying a Coke, young lovers and a newspaper vending machine. The package of 120 unpainted people will end up in passenger cars. I'm going to try painting them. My hands shake so painting isn't easy but since these people will end up inside passenger cars I think I'll be OK.


----------



## PatKn

Nice cars, Tim/
Joe, That house will make a nice clubhouse for the trailer park. Those detailed figures will add a lot of interest to the layout. I bought a couple of hundred unpainted people to fill my passenger cars a few years back. I hot glued their feet to paint mixing sticks, spray painted them a flesh color and then started painting one color at a time. Blue paints here shirt there, dress here etc. Took them off the sticks when painted and dry and then painted the shoes.


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## Guest

Thanks Pat. I hadn't thought about how to hold them yet. Hot gluing them to a paint stick sounds like an easy way to go. Did you have any problem getting the hot glue off their feet?


----------



## Lehigh74

Those Railking figures are a good price for the number of figures that you get, but painting them can get tedious. I think they are closer to S scale than O scale. I have a bunch of them in my passenger cars. I painted some of them with solvent base paint and they never cured. I tried priming them with gray rattle can primer and they never cured. I use acrylic paints now. That sometimes requires two coats, but they dry fast. I crazy glue them to PETE #2 plastic from food containers while I paint them.


----------



## PatKn

One of the useful features of hot glue is that it peals off easily. If you want it even more easily removed, a little heat with a hair dryer or heat gun, softens it up more.

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Bob, I think you are right, they look closer to S scale than O but I think they will look fine in my passenger cars.

Thanks Pat, your advice really helps. I have a hot glue gun and glue sticks so all I need are some paint stirrers and they are plentiful and free at Home Depot and Lowes.


----------



## Lehigh74

Country Joe said:


> Bob, I think you are right, they look closer to S scale than O but I think they will look fine in my passenger cars.



Yes. They are perfect for passenger cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Just a couple of Weaver NASCAR cars I scored while looking for other stuff on eBay. Two brand new scale Weaver cars, $22.50 shipped. Shipping was more than the cars cost!


----------



## WITZ 41

*3rd Rail Brass Harriman 72' Diner*

2 Rail. Can't resist the TTG!

Heavier than I thought it would be, but it's balanced and smooth. A little push and it keeps on rolling.


----------



## Guest

That building should fit in well with your trailer park plans, Joe.

Nice diner, WITZ.


----------



## Krieglok

The freight cars are sharp. The diner is amazing. The detail is wonderful.

Here is my second 3rd Rail purchase, an Erie S-4 Berkshire. A really smooth runner. It arrived in the factory packing with damage to the tender and the valve gear. Repairs are under way..

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Witz, that is the sharpest-looking dining car I have ever seen.


----------



## WITZ 41

It's the first 3rd Rail brass passenger car I've purchased. Bought it from an old timer in Texas, another UP fan. Not sure if he did any extra detail but I am really pleased. After seeing some of Erik Lindgren's work I think I might super detail the tables with cloth, dishes, utensils, shades, etc. Alas, too many projects vs. time.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice 3rd Rail stuff guys.  I had a conversation with Scott about his production, he isn't too worried about the tariff or factory closings. He can move to Korea pretty easily if he has to, so that's good news.



I had a decent York this time, first time in a few of these that I really brought anything significant home.

I actually received the Legacy Reading T1 in the mail while I was down at York, so I kinda' figure that's a York purchase. NIB and never opened for $850 shipped.  The K-Line Tank Engine was a York purchase, also NIB for $400. Both appear to be fully functional with my brief bench test, that's good news as well.










Scored a six car set of K-Line C&O 18" heavyweights in one of the member halls, $150 which I thought was a decent price.

















Henning's had a bunch of these, so I got this one for $80, I decided I needed one after I got to play with one there.










Free stuff is always good, I got these 26" bridge sides from a friend for free, he decided against the project that they were intended for.










The best "free stuff" score was a whole box of left over Mianne benchwork! Lots of stuff for my already planned yard expansion, should really cut down the price of the upgrade! The whole front row is the 4 foot sections, great stuff! 










I also got a couple of Lionel SC2 controllers in the free column, they'll be useful.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Picked up a CP grain hopper up at the Roundhouse Gang Swap Meet at San Bernadino station










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Vincent

Man, I have to start flying to some of these meets you guys attend.


----------



## Guest

Nice haul, John.


----------



## Lehigh74

Nice haul indeed John. The Reading locos look really nice. And the free stuff? I have often thought that you find the best deals, but the stuff you got for free is fantastic. I have a few of the scenic express girder bridge plates. They will look good on your layout.


----------



## Spence

GRJ; Very nice haul. :thumbsup:
Tim; Nice grain hopper.


----------



## Lehigh74

*My York Haul*

Seven MTH 70’ PRR Madison passenger cars new-in-box. I found it interesting that the 5-car set had 2 baggage cars. Also nice that the diner has a kitchen. These are 2003 vintage and fairly basic by today’s standards. No LED lights, basic trucks. But I got them for about 1/3 the price of current new ones, so I’m happy with them.

















Some MTH rolling stock. A Suzie Q box car, a REA gondola, a PRR caboose and a PRR fire car.






















An RMT beer hopper









Diecast. The lettering on the ice cream truck struck me as funny…caution they are selling children.
















Some pewter diecast. These were made by the Danbury Mint and I don’t think I have seen them before. When I saw the Daimler, I had to get it and when the seller said he would give me a price break if I got two, I grabbed the Alfa.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You certainly filled out the roster Bob, lots of goodies. I may have the same PRR heavyweights, mine have LED lighting now.


----------



## Vincent

Lehigh74, you got a lot of sharp-looking vehicles and railcars there.

I'm surprised about the passenger cars not being illuminated. I assume that you have checked the wheels for contacts?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Vincent said:


> I'm surprised about the passenger cars not being illuminated. I assume that you have checked the wheels for contacts?


Vincent, reading comprehension here.  They have lights, he was lamenting that they didn't have the more modern LED lighting. I have the same set, they had lights before I put the LED lighting in.


----------



## Vincent

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Vincent, reading comprehension here.  They have lights, he was lamenting that they didn't have the more modern LED lighting. I have the same set, they had lights before I put the LED lighting in.


Now you're talking! And I learned something.


----------



## Krieglok

Here is a NOS Atlas SW9 I found at a dealer in California, of all places.

This is a model of an ex-Erie SW9 which was handed down to the NJDOT through the ownership of Erie, Erie Lackawanna, Conrail and finally NJT. It is in NJDOT colors and remained painted this way while in use with NJT. It is now part of a museum collection.

The cool part is that I actually operated the real locomotive years ago, while working the passenger yards in Hoboken, NJ, the ex-Lackawanna Terminal.

I never knew Atlas made this O scale model until I found it on the "Public Delivery Track" website. It has TMCC and Railsounds. The details are right on, except the hood ladder rungs were not painted white. I have included a picture of the 436's sister engine, the 438...

Tom


----------



## Guest

That is a nice locomotive, Tom. It's a great addition to your roster and your connection to the real one makes it special.


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine, Tom. Great that you can find a model of an engine that you operated.


----------



## Vincent

Tom not only is that a beautiful locomotive, but it represents an outstanding design (I was so impressed by your photos that I researched the SW9 diesels).


Designed as railyard switchers, their three-year production ended in 1953. Famed for their versatility and reliability, they changed hands many times as railroads folded and merged. Their low price made them popular with short line railroads, and many are STILL IN SERVICE with Amtrak, short-line railroads, tourist lines, and industrial sites.


----------



## Guest

Santa came early, Bob.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Not often you can find a model of the actual engine you operated, cool find.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks, guys. I have not bought too much lately, but the chance came up to buy a few engines I have a connection with. The next thing might be a B&LE SD9....

Tom


----------



## Spence

Pretty neat connection with the engine.


----------



## chevelle454

Bought the Mi-Jack crane and an articulated TTUX car w/ trailers from a club member for $80, deal of a lifetime!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That was indeed a good deal! :thumbsup:

I'd contact The Train Tender and order the brass gear for the lifting servo, the plastic one tends to crack when you use the crane. Mine hasn't cracked, but I picked up the brass one at York for when it does.


----------



## chevelle454

gunrunnerjohn said:


> That was indeed a good deal! :thumbsup:
> 
> I'd contact The Train Tender and order the brass gear for the lifting servo, the plastic one tends to crack when you use the crane. Mine hasn't cracked, but I picked up the brass one at York for when it does.


Thanks for the tip, just sent him an email.


----------



## DennyM

I'm just going to post the two main things I bought. All the other stuff is on another thread I posted. My 671 Turbine and my Legacy SP Sharknose.


----------



## PatKn

Chevrolet, that Mi-jack and ttux will add a lot of play value to your railroad. I have a few ttux and maxistacks I no longer run. I've been thinking of posting them on the for sale forum. They're nice cars but don't fit the trains I run. 
Denny, not much into post war but really like the Sharks.


----------



## Guest

Chevelle, you got a heck of a deal. The Mi-Jack crane will add a lot of action and fun to your layout.

Denny, you got two beautiful locomotives. I'm partial to the 671. My first Lionel set came with a 2020 and I've had a soft spot in my heart for the steam turbine all my life.


----------



## DennyM

Teledoc helped me pick it out the 671. It was at the Trains booth. I was twenty minutes short of getting one with magna traction.

Pat I decide to get another post was engine. I like running them from time to time.

Plus the price was right.


----------



## Krieglok

I like the Sharks. The paint scheme makes them even more interesting. Nice acquisitions!

Tom


----------



## santafe158

Visited my parents today and stopped in by the LHS nearby to see what was new. They seem to be moving away from selling mostly new O gauge stuff and have a lot more consignment and used pieces in their cases. I couldn't resist this Lionel Grand Central Terminal (the smaller 100th anniversary one) for $85. It's used, but in great condition. I had never seen one in person and I think the size is ideal for my Christmas display. My mom also purchased and tucked away a postwar gang car for Christmas which will be something fun to run.









I also picked up a postwar Lionel 3520 searchlight car at the local antique store which appears complete except for the searchlight lens. The final highlight of today is that the new front coupler for the Postwar 41 Army switcher as well as a new mechanism for my original childhood starter set 4-4-2 (which took a fall when I was younger) arrived in the mail today. Not too bad a day


----------



## Guest

Jake, congrats on your new additions. The GCT looks fabulous. It will be a fun Christmas season for you.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The station looks great, nice pickup.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys. I'm looking forward to putting it on display.


----------



## PDDMI

*New addition for this years Christmas Train...*

Just received this newest addition, an MTH flat complete with packaged crate (direct from the North Pole), and a couple of lighted trees...each has presents and a model train set at the base as added details. Going to be a hit with visitors...will be added to my existing Christmas Train this year...and that won’t be too long from now...


----------



## Vincent

PDDMI, that is a great-looking car!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That one lights up the area, that's for sure!


----------



## Guest

Paul, that is a really cool Christmas car.


----------



## santafe158

Those are great cars Paul. Several of our club members ran theirs on our modular display for a few holiday events last year and they were a big hit. I'm teetering on the edge of ordering one myself


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The GRJ RR received some roster upgrades recently. First up is this like new MTH Premier Reading Camelback. 









I spotted someone selling the Lionel PFE reefers, so I snagged a set to add to my fruit train. 









Finally, I also snagged these 30K Ethanol tank cars, I have a bunch of them, just adding to the tank train.


----------



## Guest

Really nice stuff, John. Did your benchwork finally arrive?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks Joe. Still waiting on the bench work, I'm getting a bit impatient!


----------



## Guest

I don't blame you, John. You've been waiting a very long time. Since they were ready to deliver while you were at York there should be no more hold ups.


----------



## tankist

I wonder what is the reason for prefab benchwork? It seems probably the easiest part of MRR skill tree. Is it that much better to justify more then week time of wait?


----------



## Vincent

John, they all look sharp, but I like the boxcar the best.

Since I'm new at this, could you explain why a boxcar owned by Pacific Fruit Express has both the Southern Pacific Lines and the Union Pacific Railway logos?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Pacific Fruit Express Company was jointly owned by SP and UP.


----------



## Vincent

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Pacific Fruit Express Company was jointly owned by SP and UP.


Thank you, John.

It's an interesting story, with Pacific Fruit Express being founded jointly by Union Pacific and Southern Pacific, which were both controlled by the same man. The company consisted mostly of refrigerated cars ("reefers") that it leased to other railroads.


It SEEMS to have had a small number of switcher locomotives, work cabooses, and truck trailers.


In 1978, it was divided between UP and SP. Somehow, they missed a small section of track in a switching yard, and that is all that remains of PFE today.


----------



## Guest

tankist said:


> I wonder what is the reason for prefab benchwork? It seems probably the easiest part of MRR skill tree. Is it that much better to justify more then week time of wait?


There are a number of reasons to buy benchwork kits. Most of my life I had a basement where I could build benchwork. I'm not the worlds greatest carpenter but since benchwork isn't cabinetry it doesn't require great woodworking skills. I first used Sievers kits when we moved to a condo. I had no place where I could do the work. The benchwork is modular so it has moved with me to Florida. I'm sure other guys could give more reasons to buy benchwork but for me it was lack of a place to do the work.


----------



## PatKn

I'm not much into Christmas cars but I really like that flatcar.
Nice haul, John.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Personally, I just don't want the mess in my finished and carpeted basement. I've built benchwork before, just decided to go a different way.


----------



## Spence

Nice haul John. Now you just need a layout to put them on.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys, Tim assures me that the benchwork will ship by Monday, we'll see if he's as good as his word.


----------



## Guest

Benchwork arrives, then the fun starts, John. You must really be looking forward to it.

Good luck with your layout build project!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It'll be an adventure, that's for sure!


----------



## DennyM

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Thanks guys, Tim assures me that the benchwork will ship by Monday, we'll see if he's as good as his word.


We should have gone to him at York and went all mafia on him.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, I did "lean" on him a little at York.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Smuggled Menard’s back into California. Here are before photos and after.










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Vincent

Tim, every one of them is a fine-looking vehicle.


----------



## DennyM

Very cool Tim. Where did you go to Menards?


----------



## Guest

Looks very good, Tim. Menards makes some really nice freight cars.


----------



## Guest

Where there is a will, there is a way for Tim.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Remember Tim, those have cancer causing chemicals, so I'd be careful handling them.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

Did I really need another passenger car set - especially of SP Daylight cars? No. Absolutely not.

However, I really wanted some Christmas cheer around the tree this year so when the MTH SP Christmas Train passenger car sets were cataloged I didn’t so much decide as succumb. To six of them, although I have only unpacked two.

Below, both photos in dim light and one with and one without flash:

















I don’t have a circus train and never wanted one but for clowning around these cars will certainly do. LEDs are bright as you can tell and the interiors of the cars also look very nice. Ho, ho ho. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Beautiful cars HB. They will look great running during the Christmas season or whenever you feel like you need a little Christmas in your life.


----------



## Wood

Those are nice cars. Reminds me of the Canadian Pacific Christmas train.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

Country Joe said:


> Beautiful cars HB. They will look great running during the Christmas season or whenever you feel like you need a little Christmas in your life.


I shall merrily take your advice - where’s the Santa Clause emoji? 🎁⛄🎄


----------



## PatKn

Those passenger cars are beautiful. You'll have an impressive display.


----------



## Guest

HarborBelt1970 said:


> I shall merrily take your advice - where’s the Santa Clause emoji? 🎁⛄🎄
> 
> View attachment 471262


Great idea, we really could use a Santa emoji.

Is that an adult beverage that Santa is enjoying?


----------



## HarborBelt1970

Country Joe said:


> Is that an adult beverage that Santa is enjoying?


Ya’know, I looked at that and thought how Santa and I have at least one thing in common, which is not a white beard. Or a whip. 

It looks like a shot glass but it’s actually Diet Coke.  🍸🍸🍸


----------



## Vincent

Of course it's an adult beverage--it's Diet Coke.

PS. Anybody who uses a whip on reindeer (except to use the sound as a steering guide) doesn't know how to drive a miniature sleigh.


----------



## Spence

Nice looking passenger cars. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Nice job lighting the passenger cars for Christmas. Santa will be pleased.


----------



## DennyM

The passenger cars will look good running around the layout.


----------



## bluecomet400

Very nice Christmas lights on those cars--I've never seen that done before. 

These cars just arrived yesterday. They are a Nicholas Smith exclusive, made by MTH. I don't allow a lot of plastic in my train room, but when I saw these earlier this year, I had to have them as I love the Strasburg RR.


----------



## DennyM

Very nice BC.


----------



## Guest

Very nice passenger cars, bluecomet, especially the Strasburg cars. They are a little different than the normal passenger car and very attractive.


----------



## Krieglok

Beautiful passenger cars, BC. The P&R obs is especially appealing as I like the more subdued colors...

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Get ready BlueComet. In your first photo, in the top right section, did you build that Lionel delivery truck from a box or did you buy it that way?


----------



## HarborBelt1970

Wow. I don't model that era but those are really, really nice cars. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Lehigh74

Nice cars John. Do you have a Strasburg loco to pull them with?


----------



## Guest

Nice purchase, John. I particularly like the yellow one.


----------



## Chiefmcfuz

Lehigh74 said:


> Nice cars John. Do you have a Strasburg loco to pull them with?
> 
> View attachment 471584
> 
> 
> View attachment 471586


Strasburg is my favorite.


----------



## bluecomet400

Lehigh74 said:


> Nice cars John. Do you have a Strasburg loco to pull them with?
> 
> View attachment 471584
> 
> 
> View attachment 471586




No Strasburg loco yet. I think many of us are waiting for someone to make #90. If that happens, I'm in. For now, I'll probably use my Williams PRR K4s.

Who knows--maybe someday I'll buy a 2-10-0 and have it painted and re-lettered for the SRR. Yes, Brian, you read that right!!


----------



## bluecomet400

Vincent said:


> Get ready BlueComet. In your first photo, in the top right section, did you build that Lionel delivery truck from a box or did you buy it that way?



That truck is made by Ertl and it is part of a 2-truck set. There's one for sale on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ERTL-3522-...=item3faf56614a:g:dwsAAOSwi0xaAgIb:rk:21:pf:0


----------



## Lehigh74

bluecomet400 said:


> No Strasburg loco yet. I think many of us are waiting for someone to make #90. If that happens, I'm in. For now, I'll probably use my Williams PRR K4s.
> 
> Who knows--maybe someday I'll buy a 2-10-0 and have it painted and re-lettered for the SRR. Yes, Brian, you read that right!!


MTH made a Strasburg lettered American (20-3595-1) in 2016 and it looks like there are some still available. It is numbered 98, but it doesn't look a whole lot like the real 98.


----------



## Krieglok

Here is recent pickup that wasn't running until GunrunnerJohn stepped in and told me how to troubleshoot a problem with the R2LC board. Thanks John!

It is a Weaver GP38-2 painted for the Maine Central Railroad. It has TMCC and now runs like a champ. It has decent detail, about the same as a MTH Railking locomotive...

Tom


----------



## santafe158

I picked up this Lionel 225E at a train show last weekend. I've been wanting one for awhile and the price seemed right for the condition. Initially I just thought it had the wrong tender and a not so great smokebox door latch, but upon closer inspection it will be getting a new pilot truck as well as a whole replacement steam chest casting. It appears it took a nosedive at some point in its life and somebody did a heck of a job reconstructing the broken pilot out of epoxy. The pilot truck was also pretty well damaged. Though I don't mind the repair, I want a more structurally sound locomotive so I ordered an original replacement part.

I have two 224E's and they're some of the best running engines I own, so I'm looking forward to the 225E, which I believe utilizes the same mechanism.


----------



## Krieglok

It is amazing you can still buy parts for an older locomotive like that. Is that considered a Tinplate train? I really don't know anything about the old stuff, but it is a stout looking engine. Nice pick.

Tom


----------



## santafe158

Krieglok said:


> It is amazing you can still buy parts for an older locomotive like that. Is that considered a Tinplate train? I really don't know anything about the old stuff, but it is a stout looking engine. Nice pick.
> 
> Tom


Parts are definitely still available. People often part out junk engines and there are others that make reasonable repro parts. I love fixing up the older trains. They’re simple to work on and it’s satisfying seeing something you fixed running around the track.

I’m also not sure what category this engine would fall under since it is die cast It was in the late tinplate period just before WW2 and would have pulled tinplate cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tons of parts and repro parts available for this stuff. Henning's Trains has carved out a significant niche dealing in original and repro parts for prewar and postwar stuff.


----------



## PatKn

Nice passenger cars, John. Very unique. 
Tom, I like the MC Engine. I'm partial to NE Trains and MC is one you don't see every day.


----------



## tjcruiser

That's a very nice looking 225 steamer, Jake. Enjoy the rehab fun!


----------



## santafe158

Thanks TJ!


----------



## cole226

*225*

You'll like the 225. Same motor as the 226E which was considered a premium engine.

I guess it could be considered tin plate with the 2225 or 2265 tin tender.
but it also came with a 2235 die cast tender.

I have all three:
224
225 
226
and they all are smooth runners


----------



## santafe158

cole226 said:


> You'll like the 225. Same motor as the 226E which was considered a premium engine.
> 
> I guess it could be considered tin plate with the 2225 or 2265 tin tender.
> but it also came with a 2235 die cast tender.
> 
> I have all three:
> 224
> 225
> 226
> and they all are smooth runners


Thanks, my brother purchased a 226E last year and it ran great. I'm looking forward to running this one.

I'm looking to purchase the proper 2235 tender for it. I believe only the early gunmetal gray ones came with the tin type tender, so the one with mine likely came from something else.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Do you ever get offered something that you really don't need, but it's simply "too good a deal to pass up"? Here's mine, just came in.

The MTH Premier Big Boy from the 2017 catalog, not a scratch on it. I just couldn't resist it for $750 shipped, so now it lives here. 

The cool part about this is I have the Lionel Vision Line 4014, which is the Big Boy as manufactured. Now I have the contrasting model, same locomotive as restored burning oil instead of coal.

























With all the flap about the MTH remote going away, I scored one of those for $75, but I didn't bother to take a picture.


----------



## DennyM

John that is just cool.


----------



## Vincent

John, you would turn me into an articulated mallet purchaser if I could afford it. That is one sharp-looking locomotive.


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new loco, John. She's a looker.


----------



## Spence

Very nice addition to the roster. :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Congratulations! A very nice and huge locomotive! Cool to have variants of the same locomotive!

You need more display shelves now! :smilie_daumenpos:

Tom


----------



## cole226

Krieglok said:


> Congratulations! A very nice and huge locomotive! Cool to have variants of the same locomotive!
> 
> You need more display shelves now! :smilie_daumenpos:
> 
> Tom


pretty neat having pre and post rebuild. :thumbsup:

now get that layout built.


----------



## Guest

Never have too many Big Boys, John.


----------



## Booly15

Great pieces, 72" minimum radius?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys. The fact that it was the later version after the restoration made it a cool purchase, having the contrast is kinda' neat. Yep, O72 is the minimum, and with any of the scale Big Boys, they really mean it! They won't make it around an O60 curve, don't ask me how I know this.


----------



## tjcruiser

Holy sh*t, John! Awesome Big Boys! I think you might need to build an addition on to your house, though. They're huge!!!

Enjoy!

TJ


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, I could finish the attic...


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Well, I could finish the attic...


Or build an outdoor layout...

This is my latest pick up. It is a set of Lionel TMCC F7s in the PRR freight scheme. I found the ABA set from one dealer and the matching powered B unit from another. The lashup has two powered units and two dummy units...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You better get to building that layout, and it's going to have to be a big one!


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You better get to building that layout, and it's going to have to be a big one!


Someday, someday I will build a layout. Hopefully it will be big!

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Put up a tin roof. That will get you started.


----------



## PatKn

John, That Big Boy is Gorgeous. My initial reaction is "Why 2 Big Boys?". Then I thought I have 3 K4s and 5 GG1s. 2 Big Boys sounds like a great idea.

Tom, Beautiful set of engines. John is right. You need to run those beauties.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Pat! I hope to run them soon!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

PatKn said:


> John, That Big Boy is Gorgeous. My initial reaction is "Why 2 Big Boys?". Then I thought I have 3 K4s and 5 GG1s. 2 Big Boys sounds like a great idea..


Well, #1, it was a GREAT deal. Also, it's the 4014 as it will come out of the Cheyenne shops, and my Lionel VL-BB is the original configuration as originally delivered. It's a really nice contrast, the before and after.


----------



## Maxum

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Well, #1, it was a GREAT deal. Also, it's the 4014 as it will come out of the Cheyenne shops, and my Lionel VL-BB is the original configuration as originally delivered. It's a really nice contrast, the before and after.


$750??????????????? 

You stole that! Nice score. My dad has the 4014 in PS2 and it's an awesome locomotive. Nice to have the quilling whistle in PS3.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The only thing that escapes me on the MTH model is the whistle steam only works when you're in quilling whistle mode, a simple firmware change would make it work anytime the smoke was active, which makes more sense to me. However, it was a great deal, so I'll hold my complaints.


----------



## Guest

I got a new house for the residential area (the cream house with brown shutters) and a 4 car passenger set. I didn't have lightweight passenger cars and found these at Mario's Trains.


----------



## Guest

Nice additions, Joe.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice coaches. The stainless fluted NYC car are always sharp looking. The house is great looking too!

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Very nice-looking display.


----------



## DennyM

It looks great Joe. Are the cars MTH?


----------



## Guest

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Nice additions, Joe.


Thank you Brian.



Krieglok said:


> Nice coaches. The stainless fluted NYC car are always sharp looking. The house is great looking too!
> 
> Tom


Thanks Tom. I didn't have any stainless passenger cars so I was very happy to find these.



Vincent said:


> Very nice-looking display.


Thank you Vincent.



DennyM said:


> It looks great Joe. Are the cars MTH?


Thanks Denny. Yes, the cars are MTH Railking. They are 60' cars so they are perfect for my layout. I was surprised when I found them on Mario's Trains website.


----------



## cole226

sharp looking cars Joe. :thumbsup:

here's some pics of my latest acquisitions;

Lionel Classics w/TMCC

























K-line w/TMCC


----------



## DennyM

I like that Trainmaster Randy.


----------



## Krieglok

I always liked the basic blue paint schemes like the what the C&O and B&O used for a while. The switcher is really cool looking.

The Trainmaster looks beautiful! Lionel makes a great model of that. The towering steps really make the engine look huge.

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Very nice pictures, Cole 226. And I learned something:

Every photo I can find of a PRR caboose has the cupola in the center. Beneath the cupola itself, there are no windows. I can find no statement that this was the PRR's standard, but yours is the first exception I have found.


----------



## Krieglok

Vincent said:


> Very nice pictures, Cole 226. And I learned something:
> 
> Every photo I can find of a PRR caboose has the cupola in the center. Beneath the cupola itself, there are no windows. I can find no statement that this was the PRR's standard, but yours is the first exception I have found.


The caboose you are looking at is based on a New York Central wood caboose prototype . It just happens to have Pennsy lettering on it.

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Krieglok said:


> The caboose you are looking at is based on a New York Central wood caboose prototype . It just happens to have Pennsy lettering on it.
> 
> Tom


Education is a wonderful thing.


----------



## Guest

Those are beautiful engines, Randy. I'm not sure which I like better.


----------



## PatKn

Nice cars, Joe. I have a set of Premier aluminum cars like that in Pennsy on order.

Nice engines, Cole. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## cole226

thanks for your comments guys. And best of all they both sound and run good.


----------



## Guest

Train Master, how good is that, Cole. :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, at long last, after a bunch of other people got them, I got my H10. I first ran it at the shop for 15 minutes, because it wasn't going home with me unless everything worked and it was 100% cosmetically. Lionel nailed this one, a $600 steamer with great smoke, whistle steam, swinging bell, and super sounds! Hard to follow that one up I suspect.

I really like the blackened drive rods, but I'm not super crazy about the bright silver on the smokebox, that might have to change at some point. I've been told the different color red is actually prototypical for many PRR steamers, but I confess it does look a bit odd to me. I've seen it on other Lionel PRR steam, but many have both the color of the cab roof. All things considered, it's a good value for all the features and the nice detailing. I know, it's really closer to the H9, but who's counting rivets anyway. 

I tinkered with the BlueTooth using both the LC Universal Remote and the LC Android application. While the Android app has more features, it disconnected from the locomotive for now reason a number of times, so it's not really ready for prime time. I had no issues with the LC Universal Remote connected right up and ran the locomotive.


----------



## Norton

This Lionel 60' RPO arrived today. I am always on the lookout for appropriate cars to make my SP Daylight train a bit longer. Main consist is Lionel's 7 car 18" aluminum cars to which I have added an MTH auxiliary water tender, Lionel heavyweight diner, and an MTH R50 express car. The latter is a fantasy piece but the others did exist. SP had about 20 heavyweight cars painted Daylight colors including Diners, RPOs and Baggage cars. This RPO is an ex Weaver car. Its all plastic including the frame and truck sideframes. The coupler is metal. Its solid and I don't expect problems from it. Paint is close to Lionel's first run of streamline Daylights. Camera lighting may make appear much different but its pretty close. Because it has a plastic frame Lionel added wipers on the wheels to pickup the outside rail. This causes a noticeable drag. Not too significant for a single car but a train full of these cars would create a lot of drag for the engine.

























BTW one advantage of running 4449 lettered in the early paint scheme is it is correct for the early '40s era and well as modern day, just add or subtract the auxiliary tender.

Pete


----------



## DennyM

Man Pete I'm so jealous. I tried to find SP Daylight cars at York. I did find some, but he wanted too much for them and that was after he came down.


----------



## Norton

Denny, I have had mine for some time. Long before Lionel announced they wouldn't be making them anymore. They don't come up very often though. I think there were some in Hot Waters auction coming up Friday both Lionel and GGD.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

The Pennsy H-10 is a great looking locomotive, John. I agree, the smoke box needs to be more graphite rather than silver, but the rest of the engine is just right. It is nice to see a Pennsy Consolidation with a regular tender instead of a "Lines West" tender for a change.
I have to look at picking one up...

Pete, the SP Daylight RPO is really sharp. A consist of with that color scheme must really be great looking. Nice!


----------



## PatKn

John, love the H10. The red color seems strange to me too. Enjoy it.

Pete, nice daylight car. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Bob Phillips

Henning's trains told me yesterday my H10 was in so now to get there and pick it up. Looks great John bet there will be a few of them running at the club soon.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Bob, I plopped it on the showroom layout for 15 minutes and tested everything before I took it home, I recommend it.

FWIW, it's rumored to be an H9, and son of a gun, I guess it is. I checked out the builder's plate...


----------



## DennyM

Picked up a Morton Salt boxcar from Menards to go with my Morton Salt hopper.


----------



## Vincent

Beautiful boxcar, Denny.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking car Denny

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Guest

PatKn said:


> Nice cars, Joe. I have a set of Premier aluminum cars like that in Pennsy on order.


Thanks Pat. I look forward to seeing your new cars when they arrive.

John, your H9 looks really good. It's nice to hear that Lionel made a good BTO locomotive. I like the silver on the smokebox. I think some locomotives were silver and others were a bit darker.

Pete, that baggage car is a great addition to your Daylight passenger train.


----------



## DennyM

Thanks Vincent and Pat. There was a Reading boxcar that wanted to come home with me too, but I decided if it was still there after Christmas then it was meant for me to buy it. Or I could hint to my wife what I want for Christmas.


----------



## Guest

Denny, I love your Morton Salt boxcar. It's super attractive.


----------



## DennyM

Thanks Joe.


----------



## Guest

Very nice RPO, Norton.


----------



## Guest

I was at a train show yesterday with my modular club. We had a good time running trains. I picked up this LC+ GP-38. This locomotive violates my New York State rule but since I'm a Floridian I'm including railroads that ran in Florida to my list of locomotives that I run. Or maybe I'll just ditch the NY state rule and run whatever I like. The whole purpose of the rule was to keep me from buying anything that catches my eye. We'll see how the whole thing works out. Anyway, here's the locomotive. The cab light stays on until the loco starts moving.

















I got a good buy on this loco from All About Toy Trains. The list price is $350, normal sale price is around $310-315 at discount and the show special price was $275.

He also had the LC+ 0-4-0 in UP two tone gray. It is a very attractive loco. The show special price was $350 which was very tempting but he only had it in UP. It's available in NYC but he didn't order any so I will probably wait for April and try to get one at a good price in York. In the mean time I had fun running the GP-38 last night.


----------



## DennyM

Nice loco Joe.


----------



## Vincent

Beautiful locomotive, Country Joe.

But for the life of me, I can't figure out what an LC+Gp-38 diesel is And am I hallucinating, or is the front coupler able to swivel away from the main body?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The pilot moves with the front truck, it has to to make the curves.


----------



## Krieglok

Vincent said:


> Beautiful locomotive, Country Joe.
> 
> But for the life of me, I can't figure out what an LC+Gp-38 diesel is And am I hallucinating, or is the front coupler able to swivel away from the main body?


LC+ means LionChief Plus(Lionel), GP38 is the type of locomotive.

Tom


----------



## Vincent

Krieglok said:


> LC+ means LionChief Plus(Lionel), GP38 is the type of locomotive.
> 
> Tom


Yeah, that Lancaster and Chester Railroad really didn't seem to be what you were talking about.


----------



## Guest

DennyM said:


> Nice loco Joe.


Thanks Denny.



Vincent said:


> Beautiful locomotive, Country Joe.
> 
> But for the life of me, I can't figure out what an LC+Gp-38 diesel is And am I hallucinating, or is the front coupler able to swivel away from the main body?


Thanks Vincent. I see that a couple of guys have answered your questions. To add a little, the GP-38 is an EMD (General Motors Electro Motive Division) locomotive. The GP stands for General Purpose. EMD comes from Electro Motive Division. 38 is the 38th model in this series. GP diesels have two B (4 wheel) trucks. 

The front and rear couplers and pilots swivel so the locomotive can negotiate tight curves and not derail any cars that it's coupled to. It's a compromise used in O gauge because of our very sharp curves.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking loco, Joe. Enjoy it.


----------



## Guest

PatKn said:


> Nice looking loco, Joe. Enjoy it.


Thanks Pat. I'm having a lot of fun with it.


----------



## DennyM

Motor Max American Classics 1955 Chevy.


----------



## Guest

That's a nice truck, Denny, and a nice scene. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## DennyM

Country Joe said:


> That's a nice truck, Denny, and a nice scene. :smilie_daumenpos:


Thanks Joe. I wish all the vehicles had working lights.


----------



## Guest

Good one, Denny.


----------



## Guest

DennyM said:


> Thanks Joe. I wish all the vehicles had working lights.


Right now I only have 2 vehicles with working lights but I plan on adding more. I will use those without working lights in places where they are parked.


----------



## DennyM

Country Joe said:


> Right now I only have 2 vehicles with working lights but I plan on adding more. I will use those without working lights in places where they are parked.


I think when I eventually get the LEDs for the vehicles, I'll get just for the cars on the road. I was hesitant because I envisioned doing all of them. It didn't occur to me not to do the parked vehicles.


----------



## Guest

DennyM said:


> I think when I eventually get the LEDs for the vehicles, I'll get just for the cars on the road. I was hesitant because I envisioned doing all of them. It didn't occur to me not to do the parked vehicles.


I'm glad I could help, Denny. I'm only going to have the cars at RR crossings or stop signs, places where it makes sense for a car to be standing still, to be lit up. The rest will be parked with their lights off. I might do a taxi cab with a passenger standing as if gettin in or out with it's lights on.


----------



## DennyM

Country Joe said:


> I'm glad I could help, Denny. I'm only going to have the cars at RR crossings or stop signs, places where it makes sense for a car to be standing still, to be lit up. The rest will be parked with their lights off. I might do a taxi cab with a passenger standing as if gettin in or out with it's lights on.


We're thinking along the same lines. I have four cars on the road and the rest are parked. I also want to light a tow truck and a police car too.


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## Guest

We are fortunate to have several vehicles with working headlights and running lights. They make a big difference in creating more interest for the streets on your layout.


----------



## Norton

This showed up a few days ago. My first modern engine, I have zero rolling stock to run with it but I'll find something. MTH has come a long way with sound. This is pretty impressive in both volume and texture. I think even die hard Legacy fans might take notice. Of course MTH smoke will fill the room in a few minutes.









Pete


----------



## Guest

That is a beautiful locomotive, Pete, congratulations. I have 3 Railking locomotives with PS3 and they sound great.


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## Krieglok

What a looker! The paintwork really stands out and the detailing is excellent! Nice purchase!

Tom


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## DennyM

A beautiful engine for sure. I guess I'm the die hard category, but MTH has some nice detail on their engines and I like their 'crew talk' better.


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## PatKn

Beautiful engine, Pete. Enjoy it.


----------



## Norton

The real deal came through town a couple of months ago. By the time it got close to me it was dark so I couldn't get pics but our local news guy and train fan got this a few hours earlier on the other side of town. Somewhere just east of Rochester, NY on the old NYC mainline, now CSX.









Pete


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## Guest

Norton said:


> This showed up a few days ago. My first modern engine, I have zero rolling stock to run with it but I'll find something.
> 
> Pete


Congrats Pete! That looks so much nicer than I thought it was going to. I think I missed the boat on that one. Really beautiful!

Whatever you run with it is going to look great!

Emile


----------



## Vincent

Pete, that locomotive is a real beauty.


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## mopac

Yes, very much a looker!!! I am not familiar with #1943. What is it commemorating?
Something to do with WWII?


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## Norton

mopac said:


> Yes, very much a looker!!! I am not familiar with #1943. What is it commemorating?
> Something to do with WWII?


Its called the "Spirit of the UP" but its about Supporting the Troops (see the lettering along side the rear fans) and the country. I don't know if was painted for a specific occasion or not. Hopefully the UP guys will chime in.
The cars in the pic are the UP Business Train. I suspect many of the cars were in the Bush Funeral Train as well.

Pete


----------



## Norton

TheBigCrabCake said:


> Congrats Pete! That looks so much nicer than I thought it was going to. I think I missed the boat on that one. Really beautiful!
> 
> Whatever you run with it is going to look great!
> 
> Emile


The MTH ones are still out there, both Premier and Railking and Lionel's just showed up this week.

Pete


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## mopac

It is good to have the UP business train cars. They are good to run behind many locomotives. I have a set in HO. I run them behind #844,#3985,and #4014. They
could be run behind anything.


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## santafe158

Broke down and bought a couple things this week.

My Polar Express set has been on constant duty at the Redford Theatre for quite a few years now, so I figured it'd be nice to have a set for home. I tested out the bluetooth features on a fellow club members set and decided I liked it. There were some good deals the week of Cyber Monday, but I sat around thinking on it too long and they went away. I finally broke down and bought a set on Ebay from Marios Trains at just above the price I had been watching.










I also discovered that Lionel made a scale John Deere themed tank car last year. When I was younger I also enjoyed seeing John Deere tractors and my grandma often bought me John Deere themed things for various holidays. She passed away back in July, so I figured this tank car might be a nice memory to have when running my trains.


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## Jeff T

Just found a video on YT, sounds are definitely a step up.

Enjoy Pete!


----------



## Vincent

Santafe158, that is a sharp-looking tank car.


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## DennyM

Very nice Jake.

I bought these from a club member for $5 a piece.


----------



## Magic

UP No.1943 spotlights Union Pacific's relationship with thousands of veterans who helped build America after defending the United States - a tradition dating back to the company's founding. Created in collaboration with Union Pacific veterans, the locomotive name is connected to a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress funded by war bond contributions from Union Pacific employees in 1943. The plane was christened The Spirit of the Union Pacific and assigned to the 571st Bomber Squadron. The Spirit of the Union Pacific was shot down on its fifth mission during a raid on enemy installations in Munster, Germany.

Magic


----------



## Norton

Great tradition! Thank you Magic for the explanation and history lesson.

Pete


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## DennyM

Interesting piece of history.


----------



## highvoltage

Norton said:


> Its called the "Spirit of the UP" but its about Supporting the Troops (see the lettering along side the rear fans) and the country. I don't know if was painted for a specific occasion or not. Hopefully the UP guys will chime in.
> The cars in the pic are the UP Business Train. I suspect many of the cars were in the Bush Funeral Train as well.
> 
> Pete


Here are some more details about UP1943, with an explanation of the paint scheme. Doesn't mention it being painted for a special occasion.

https://www.up.com/aboutup/special_trains/commemorative/1943-spirit/index.htm


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## Spence

Great deal Denny. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Magic, thanks for the story behind UP 1943.

Jake, you bought some nice stuff. If you sign up for Mario's emails you get discount promotions. The usual is $15 off a purchase of $149 or more and $25 off a purchase of $349 or more. I also think he offers $40 off $549+ but I'm not sure of that one. You still get free shipping so even though his prices are slightly higher than some other online retailers the free shipping and discount make him cheaper than most.

Denny, you got a great deal on those cars.


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## DennyM

Spence said:


> Great deal Denny.


He has a caboose I may buy if I see him at the club Saturday. Some of the other cars are postwar. Their smaller than my other rolling stock. I don't know what to call the scale.


----------



## Norton

DennyM said:


> He has a caboose I may buy if I see him at the club Saturday. Some of the other cars are postwar. Their smaller than my other rolling stock. I don't know what to call the scale.


I think these are based on Lionel Post War 6044 cars that came in sets like the Scout sets.










Pete


----------



## cole226

DennyM said:


> Some of the other cars are postwar. Their smaller than my other rolling stock. I don't know what to call the scale.


Denny, I always call them traditional O. :dunno:


----------



## Guest

I always called them O27. I think they are S scale or very close. If you run them in a train with a similarly sized loco and cars they look fine and make a nice train.


----------



## Guest

This is an addition to my train room rather than my roster. I enjoy sitting in a chair so I can watch the trains from roughly an O scale persons eye level. I had a folding chair but since my layout is an E against 3 walls I had a hard time moving around with the trains. Last night I bought a new chair. I can roll and swivel so it makes train watching (and running) more fun.


----------



## Guest

No that's what I call a new addition with a meaningful purpose. Why not watch in comfort. Good one, Joe.


----------



## Guest

Passenger Train Collector said:


> No that's what I call a new addition with a meaningful purpose. Why not watch in comfort. Good one, Joe.


Thanks Brian. That is exactly my thought. Why not be comfortable while enjoying my trains?


----------



## PatKn

Good investment, Joe. Now all you need is a cup holder. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## DennyM

This is what I have so far.


----------



## Guest

PatKn said:


> Good investment, Joe. Now all you need is a cup holder.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Thanks Pat. You are right about the cup holder. I have to figure something out.


----------



## Guest

Denny, the layout looks great. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Vincent

Country Joe said:


> Thanks Pat. You are right about the cup holder. I have to figure something out.


There's a button on the front of your computer. Press it and a cup holder will come out.


----------



## Guest

That's a good one, Vincent. :laugh: It almost makes me wish I had an old desktop computer lying around.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

What if my CD is vertical, do I lay the computer on it's side?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I was looking through my mail and a new American Excellence flyer came in, so I got sucked in. I ended up checking sale section and filling out a bunch of 50's cars and trucks and a couple other items that just looked fun. I figured no sense in unpacking them right new as I don't have a place to set them, but they will find a place.


----------



## PatKn

Nice bunch of cars. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks Pat. I have no hope of catching up with Lee, but I figured to start adding a few as I see something in the right time period or that just catches my eye. The one you can't see in the box is this one, I might try my hand at lighting this one up. It would be something to see if I could get all the lights going!


----------



## Norton

Impressive ambulance. The '59 Cadillac probably used more sheet metal than any American sedan ever built. Today you could make about 4 Honda Civics from the materials that went into it. Burnt into my memory is having to sand one out for repainting when I was a kid working in my Dad's collision shop.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I saw that ambulance and I had to have it. I forgot that the wagon versions they did for ambulances and hearses had suicide doors. I will have to see if it's practical to light all those lights, that would be an attention getter!


----------



## santafe158

My parents were nice enough to get me most of the newer Dept 56 Harry Potter village buildings as a combined Christmas and birthday present. They’ll look nice with my Lionel Hogwarts Express set. I ordered the last building and figure sets today as well so I’ll have the currently complete set.


----------



## Guest

That's a haul, John. Love the 50's vehicles. The ambulance is pretty nice as well.


----------



## Guest

Jake, you sure have nice parents to add to you Harry Potter collection.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Finished the Beer Train today with these two. I got another 3-Rail Item but I won’t reveal that until May when the other portion of my Christmas Gifts arrive. The horn goes in my pick up truck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## santafe158

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Jake, you sure have nice parents to add to you Harry Potter collection.


I certainly agree!


----------



## Krieglok

Jake, those buildings are really nice looking. Are they any scale in particular? 

Tim, nice haul for the beer train!

John, the vehicles are nice. I checked out the ambulances at the site you mentioned. The model of the ambulance my hometown fire dept ran, a later model Miller Meteor, was $115! I am considering it still...

Tom


----------



## santafe158

Krieglok said:


> Jake, those buildings are really nice looking. Are they any scale in particular?


Thanks! They’re not really a particular scale. I suppose you could call them Christmas village scale, as the smaller house is about the right size to go with other Christmas village structures. The castle is a smaller scale since it would be so large otherwise. It would look good as a background piece for a forced perspective look.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Cool buildings Jake, I'll bet that will really dress up the 'ol Hogwart's neighborhood! 

Tom, my whole car order didn't cost $115, so I hope that's a really nice model!


----------



## 93firebird

Christmas Haul!









Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


----------



## DennyM

Nice haul.


----------



## santafe158

Looks like some very happy kids with some very nice trains. Enjoy!

A quick photo and video I took of the Dept 56 Harry Potter buildings with the Lionel set under our Christmas tree.


----------



## DennyM

A Menards Railway Express Agency boxcar.


----------



## Guest

Should look good on your layout, Denny


----------



## bowerda47

*Lionel NW2 Diesel Switchers*

I have owned the 3 Stanchion 624 since 1975. I recently acquired the 10 Stanchion 624. Then obtained the two 6250 Seaboard Switchers One is a 3 Stanchion the other is a 10 Stanchion. I need some info from anyone familiar with the 6250 Seaboard. I can not seem to find any information on the 10 Stanchion version. Any help is appreciated.


----------



## Wood

47, This is the best I could find. Hope it is helpful.

http://train-station.com/Pages/archives/Library/PW-624W-10STANCHION.html


http://postwarlionel.com/motive-power/diesels/nw2-switcher/624-chesapeake-ohio/


----------



## santafe158

The remainder of my Dept 56 Harry Potter Village arrived this weekend with the addition of the Olivander's Wand Shop and the Hermione and Ron Figures. Need to light it up still, but it's a nice looking building.


----------



## Guest

D56 does a phenomenal job with their collections. Nice addition, Jake.


----------



## Guest

Jake, those are really cool. D56 makes great villages.


----------



## Vincent

Very impressive.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Those are neat looking buildings, I suspect we can look forward to seeing them next Christmas on the theater layout!


----------



## DennyM

Those are cool buildings.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Those are neat looking buildings, I suspect we can look forward to seeing them next Christmas on the theater layout!


Thanks guys!

John, that's still a bit undecided. My girlfriend is a big fan of the Harry Potter books and movies, and I enjoy the movies myself so we may keep them as part of our small village under the tree at home. I'm sure they'd be a hit at the theater though, so I may need to work something out


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, we'll look for the buildings somewhere in pictures.


----------



## DennyM

Jake, did you know they sell Harry Potter figures at Wally World?


----------



## Guest

Jake,
The Department 56 "Craggy Oak" makes a nice "Whomping Willow", especially when combined with the Corgi 1:43 "Harry Potter & MR WEASLEY'S FORD ANGLIA". The car comes with Harry and Ron figures as well.

Emile

View attachment 478970


----------



## Guest

Excellent, Emile, totally fits the scene.


----------



## santafe158

DennyM said:


> Jake, did you know they sell Harry Potter figures at Wally World?


I've read about it but I typically don't shop at Wally World, although I did notice that Meijer had a limited selection the last time I was there. It was a couple days before Christmas though so it was pretty picked over. I'll keep an eye out next time.


----------



## santafe158

TheBigCrabCake said:


> Jake,
> The Department 56 "Craggy Oak" makes a nice "Whomping Willow", especially when combined with the Corgi 1:43 "Harry Potter & MR WEASLEY'S FORD ANGLIA". The car comes with Harry and Ron figures as well.
> 
> Emile
> 
> View attachment 478970


That's a beautiful scene Emile. Thanks for the tip about the car and the Dept 56 tree. The Lego version of the Castle my girlfriend and I have includes the Whomping Willow and the car which is pretty neat. A feature I may have to add to my Dept 56 set now.

I'm loving this collection and I've never even read the books. I think it's about time I do . I've seen the movies several times however.


----------



## Guest

Jake, The Corgi Harry Potter "Knight Bus" is just a little small but could be worked into a layout if it's placed properly. Here it is next to a few Lionel figures which are (presumably?) the correct scale.

Emile

View attachment 479234


----------



## santafe158

I'll have to keep an eye out for that one as well, it's a neat vehicle. This area of collecting is looking dangerous


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'd hate to go around a corner in that bus!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I had a set of four of these, finally tripped over another set at the right price to add to the consist. Eight of these makes a nice looking passenger train. These are on the bench for their LED upgrades...


----------



## Guest

There is something pretty nice about the looks of Hi-Level passenger cars, John. Having 8 now will make a super passenger train.

Please tell us what you are doing to upgrade these cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Brian, here's the upgrade in pictures.

Amtrak MTH Premier SuperLiner LED Upgrade in Pictures


----------



## Guest

Thanks, John. Really nice looking passenger cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Can't wait to get them all upgraded and on my new layout.  They'll be running next week at Oaks at our modular show. When we have multiple people running passenger trains, sometimes the incandescent bulbs trip the breakers if two passenger trains are on one power district, I'm going to fix that.


----------



## santafe158

I just received 16 of your power boards for the LED conversions in the mail today John. 

My Lionel TMCC Class J seems to have issues with its smoke production if I run the passenger train behind it. I just realized the other day that the 2015 Pocahontas cars they made to go with the newer Legacy J have incandescent bulbs, not LED's like I assumed. I figured I may as well upgrade the other two passenger car sets I frequently run as well while I'm at it. With the two bins of Postwar projects I now have, and 15 passenger cars to upgrade, I'll be busy for the foreseeable future.


----------



## Andreash

A new Amtrak material handling car. I liked the first one so much, I got a second one off eBay. Made by Concor. It doesn’t fit so well in my time period, but I like it....


----------



## Guest

Welcome to the MTF. Don't worry your new baggage car does not necessarily have to fit the time period you are modeling.

You live in a beautiful city.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

santafe158 said:


> I just received 16 of your power boards for the LED conversions in the mail today John.
> 
> My Lionel TMCC Class J seems to have issues with its smoke production if I run the passenger train behind it. I just realized the other day that the 2015 Pocahontas cars they made to go with the newer Legacy J have incandescent bulbs, not LED's like I assumed. I figured I may as well upgrade the other two passenger car sets I frequently run as well while I'm at it. With the two bins of Postwar projects I now have, and 15 passenger cars to upgrade, I'll be busy for the foreseeable future.


We like to keep you off the streets.  To show you that you've made the right choice, I even use my product to upgrade my passenger cars, just got finished with my eight MTH Premier Amtrak Superliners, what a difference. I went from four amps down to .2 amps to light them!


----------



## Vincent

Andreash, I don't particularly like Amtrak cars, but I have to admit that you have a really sharp-looking one there.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> We like to keep you off the streets.  To show you that you've made the right choice, I even use my product to upgrade my passenger cars, just got finished with my either MTH Premier Amtrak Superliners, what a difference. I went from four amps down to .2 amps to light them!


I'm looking forward to the difference!


----------



## Andreash

A Amtrak diner, dome car (another), and a observation car.







The entire train.....







Cheers


----------



## Guest

Nice looking Amtrak passenger train.


----------



## Vincent

Andreash, it is photos like that that help me realize that Amtrak could have beautiful trains.


----------



## DennyM

Very nice.


----------



## PatKn

Very cool looking Amtrak train.

I just purchased this Heisler. Couldn't help it. I love geared locomotives. It joins my Climax and Shay.










Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Vincent

Pat, that's a beautiful locomotive!

I have a photo of a similar loco from PP&L (Pennsylvania Power and Light). I had thought it was powered by either compressed steam or compressed air, without a firebox. But I couldn't find any info on it.

So, how is that loco powered?


----------



## PatKn

Thanks Vincent. This Heisler locomotive has a firebox. It is powered by Steam. There is a small coal bin just behind the engineer. It pulls a tender that is a water tender only.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## santafe158

Vincent said:


> Pat, that's a beautiful locomotive!
> 
> I have a photo of a similar loco from PP&L (Pennsylvania Power and Light). I had thought it was powered by either compressed steam or compressed air, without a firebox. But I couldn't find any info on it.
> 
> So, how is that loco powered?


Heisler was the manufacturer of the locomotive you mention. It is indeed a fireless locomotive which has a large hot water tank instead of a boiler. It received a tank full of superheated water from a stationary plant boiler at the power plant which created the steam it used to run. As the pressure dropped, the water would boil creating more steam. Everything below the frame was more or less a conventional steam locomotive.

Heisler geared locomotives as Pat's locomotive shows were a different design. They had a boiler like a conventional steam locomotive and were designed for hauling loads up sharper grades than a regular locomotive could (similar to a shay). Like a shay, they had a drive shaft that was geared to the axles. Unlike the shay, the drive shaft was run down the centerline of the locomotive beneath the frame and was turned by two steam engines (cylinders and pistons) mounted in a "V" formation, one on each side of the locomotive.


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new loco, Pat. Geared locos are interesting creatures.


----------



## Vincent

Now I had to go look up "geared locomotives."

Yes, almost all were steam-powered and had a firebox. Gears enabled them to use smaller wheels, giving them more pulling power in exchange for lower speed. They were popular in coal mines and lumber operations because of their ability to pull a heavy load from a dead start. They were also popular in areas with steep grades. Cheaply-built tracks could not handle high-speed trains, but they could handle geared locomotives.

Most survivors are used on tourist lines, but they are also used on sugar plantations in Indonesia, where they are fueled by dried residue from sugar canes.


----------



## MichaelE

Found a Roco München 850th Anniversary Br.111 locomotive. This was a limited edition and is virtually unobtainable in the States. It was on consignment at Reynauld's so I bought it the second i saw it.

When I receives it and inspected it, it still had the original grease in the bogies, additional parts baggie unopened, and the wheels where shiny. It had never been on rails. Good price too.

The four car consist is an Interegio first class coach followed by three 2nd class coaches, all Roco. Smooth running and can't hardly hear the locomotive. It has an ESU digital decoder installed and runs very well.



















These are Interegio 1st class coaches also from DB being pulled by a TRIX Br.187 electric by Bombardier, full lights and sound.


----------



## PatKn

Interesting train, Michael.


----------



## Vincent

You did well, Michael. My first train was a Roco and it still runs well.


----------



## 93firebird

Grabbed an MTH DCS with remote setup at Oaks, PA trains show today.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## Guest

93firebird said:


> Grabbed an MTH DCS with remote setup at Oaks, PA trains show today.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


That's a great system. Congrats!

Emile


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Michael. Pat, are You going to make a video of the Heisler running on your club layout?


----------



## Krieglok

Cool looking Heisler there Pat! I didn't know there were geared locomotives available in three rail. A logging railroad would be an interesting subject in O scale. Nice acquisition!

Michael, the Roco stuff is always top notch. Beautiful train. I used to buy quite a bit from Reynolds about 15 years ago. When I moved, I took my German HO layout apart and stored all the running stock. The days before DCC...

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Thanks guys. Denny, I didn't take a video because I was pulling the K-Line spine cars that I bought with with my Climax engine. These cars have cheap looking plastic logs. I changes the logs on two of the cars to real cut wood. These can be seen in the pictures. I am collecting cuttings to finish the other two cars. The half wood - half plastic loads look worse that all plastic or all wood. I will take a video when I complete the other two cars. 

I am planning to run my Shay this Wednesday. This has stake cars with real wood loads. I plan to take a video.


----------



## Guest

Very nice cars, Pat. They will make a great train.

Believe it or not, I can't tell which cars have plastic logs and which have wood.


----------



## Guest

And the beat goes on, Pat. I would change those logs out as well. Nice purchases.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Love the Heisler Pat, I have the Climax and a couple of the Shays, and that will fill out my geared locomotive roster.


----------



## Pebo

New to my fleet in late 2018....the Vision Line Niagara......it doesn't get appropriate "excercise" on my home 6x16 layout......but on the 20x42 modular layout, it does.






Peter


----------



## Vincent

Nice video, Pebo.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful locomotive, Peter, and a very nice train.


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## DennyM

That is a nice Niagara Peter. How long does it take to assemble the layout?


----------



## Guest

The Niagara is a beautiful engine. Terrific purchase, Peter.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Impressive Peter, just have to keep all those smoke units working.


----------



## PatKn

Love your Niagara, Peter. Beautiful engine.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice locomotive and the perfect train to pull behind it. The modular layout looks good too. Nice to have a place to run the big stuff!

Tom


----------



## Pebo

Thanks for all the nice comments...
Peter


----------



## Pebo

DennyM said:


> That is a nice Niagara Peter. How long does it take to assemble the layout?


Denny.......it's about 20x42.

30 modules including the corners, yard and station area.....
If we have 12-15 people....about 4-5 hrs.......1st we put a corner down....ans then everything follows it.....balancing the modules takes the most time......they we clamp them together.....next wire harnesses get connected.....then the plexiglass and the curtains....Last the scenery and the trains....

Take down.....and load the 24' train....about 2 hrs 15-30 minutes.... as long as we have 12 -15 of the guys

Peter


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I don't feel so bad, we put up our display in a couple of hours with half a dozen people!


----------



## Matt_GNo27

This week I picked up the MTH 20-90498 Great Northern 6-Car Ore Car Set for just over half it's original MSRP to accompany my K-Line K-6716 Great Northern Ore Car from my youth. Three of the cars were previously unused and in their original packaging all but unopened.

I had long been wanting a GN ore-car train, but had held off on the Lionel 6-pack—the cars are too narrow—and been contemplating the recent 3-car RailKing set, when this and another five-car bundle from the same set, I believe, appeared on Ebay.


----------



## PatKn

Nice cars, Matt. I like ore cars but don't have any. I was contemplating the Pennsy 6 car set in the Lionel catalog but I already have too many trains and would have to get at least 2 sets to make a decent train. Enjoy yours.


----------



## Matt_GNo27

PatKn said:


> I was contemplating the Pennsy 6 car set in the Lionel catalog but I already have too many trains and would have to get at least 2 sets to make a decent train. Enjoy yours.


Thanks, Pat.

Did the PRR use ore jennies for iron ore? It's my understanding that the rival NYC used regular hoppers (2-bay?).

You could always get the Erie Mining set.


----------



## PatKn

The PRR originally used coal hoppers until ore cars became available around 1960.


----------



## Guest

Way to go, Matt.


----------



## Guest

That’s a great looking train! Nice find. Congrats.

Emile


----------



## SantaFeJim

I added this fine brown Leghorn Rooster to my Roster.


----------



## DennyM

Nice find Matt. Jim where did you find your rooster?


----------



## Guest

Jim, looks more like a Black Bonnet.


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## PatKn

Yesterday I got my Mogul back from Lionel. I ordered it Sept 2016. I received it Oct 2017. Sent it to Lionel Feb 2018 and got it back yesterday. It looks good and runs OK on my test track but it ran OK on the test track last time. It wasn't until I ran it at the club that I saw the problem. I'll bring it to the club on Wednesday and run the crap out of it. Probably will run it at the February open house too. It's a nice engine. I hope it runs as well as it looks. Here is a couple of pictures I took at the club before I sent it to Lionel.


----------



## Lehigh74

Good luck with the mogul Pat. It DOES look nice.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Just came in off my 2018 MTH order. Maersk locomotive (BNSF) and my 4 car streamlined U.P. set. Both are impressive, The Maersk Sealand BNSF caught my eye because of the colors. It's RailKing but has impressive detail and I am sure it will be a good freight runner. 

Next I got my MTH streamlined 4 passenger car set in. After spending $600 on the infamous Lionel 21" Rock Island set, I was happy as a clam with the details on this MTH set. I really like the window shades on this set.


----------



## Guest

Pat, the Mogul is a beauty. Good luck with it.

Bryan, that Maersk diesel looks great as do the passenger cars.


----------



## Guest

PatKn said:


> Yesterday I got my Mogul back from Lionel. I ordered it Sept 2016. I received it Oct 2017. Sent it to Lionel Feb 2018 and got it back yesterday.


Pat,
The Mogul looks great and I hope it runs for you.

I think that 11 months to repair a brand-new engine is just ridiculous! Lionel has got to do better. You deserve better!

Emile


----------



## Guest

Bryan Moran said:


> Just came in off my 2018 MTH order. Maersk locomotive (BNSF) and my 4 car streamlined U.P. set.


Bryan,
Those are great choices! The paint scheme on the Maersk is excellent. Congrats!

Emile


----------



## Vincent

Bryan, in addition to its beautiful colors, that Maersk Sealand locomotive has a beautiful design.


----------



## Guest

Sweet Maersk Bryan...in the future we will probably take the plunge with MTH engines and locos. Especially those gorgeous Orient Express locos and Passenger cars! As it is we have a fair amount of Premier rolling stock and passenger cars. Very happy with them. Enjoy Bryan.

Gary.


----------



## PatKn

Nice trains, Bryan. That engine is beautiful.


----------



## DennyM

Matt_GNo27 said:


> This week I picked up the MTH 20-90498 Great Northern 6-Car Ore Car Set for just over half it's original MSRP to accompany my K-Line K-6716 Great Northern Ore Car from my youth. Three of the cars were previously unused and in their original packaging all but unopened.
> 
> I had long been wanting a GN ore-car train, but had held off on the Lionel 6-pack—the cars are too narrow—and been contemplating the recent 3-car RailKing set, when this and another five-car bundle from the same set, I believe, appeared on Ebay.
> 
> View attachment 482220
> 
> 
> View attachment 482222
> 
> 
> View attachment 482224
> 
> 
> View attachment 482226


Matt, when I was at the club yesterday. One of the members had just bought a mess of ore cars with different road names. Some were metal. He ended up with a 38 car consist and I forgot to take pictures.hwell:


----------



## cole226

I've picked up a couple things over past couple weeks.
a new reefer and some more vehicles.


----------



## DennyM

Those are nice Randy. I especially like the reefer and the milk truck.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Randy
I can't wait to get to the point where I can add cars. I have a few but yours are great. I like the DIVCO van too. Colors are realistic on the cars.


----------



## Lehigh74

Who made the Pontiac Randy? I thought it was a Nomad at first. Just yesterday, I started looking for some Nomads. I like the Yat Ming 57, but have only seen the Kinsmart 56 and I’m not crazy about it. Your Safari looks pretty good.


----------



## cole226

road champ


----------



## Guest

You got some really nice stuff, Randy. I have the same 1950 Studebaker, even the same color.


----------



## Spence

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Thanks Pat. I have no hope of catching up with Lee, but I figured to start adding a few as I see something in the right time period or that just catches my eye. The one you can't see in the box is this one, I might try my hand at lighting this one up. It would be something to see if I could get all the lights going!
> 
> View attachment 477686


Nice start on the diecasts but I'm afraid that even if we combined our vehicles we still couldn't catch Lee.


----------



## Spence

PatKn said:


> Very cool looking Amtrak train.
> 
> I just purchased this Heisler. Couldn't help it. I love geared locomotives. It joins my Climax and Shay.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Beautiful looking engine Pat. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Let's see what's in the Tickle Trunk. For my birthday last November Cheryl surprised me with a BN 1776 U30C with matching caboose. Great paint design. For Christmas Santa left four of the new AC 6000's, ( 2 Up & 2 CSX ), under the tree as well as three of the new passenger E6's. One UP, One Santa Fe, ( Powered B unit and Super Bass unit from the new F3's as well ) and one Milwaukee Road. Also Ordered the UP 1943...couldn't resist. Sorry no pics. They are all packed away. Almost forgot, Pennsy E8 AA's with the new powered B unit from the new Pennsy f3's. Will have to paint the B unit to match the E8's. These are all Lionel.

Regards,

Gary.


----------



## Guest

*"For Christmas Santa left four of the new AC 6000's, ( 2 Up & 2 CSX ), under the tree as well as three of the new passenger E6's. One UP, One Santa Fe, ( Powered B unit and Super Bass unit from the new F3's as well ) and one Milwaukee Road. Also Ordered the UP 1943...couldn't resist. Sorry no pics. They are all packed away. Almost forgot, Pennsy E8 AA's with the new powered B unit from the new Pennsy f3's. Will have to paint the B unit to match the E8's. These are all Lionel."*

Gary, you had to be a very good boy for Santa to leave that haul. Almost needed a second trip to your house from the North Pole.


----------



## Krieglok

Bryan, Great looking stuff. I like the UP passenger car. Silver trucks look very classy with the Armour yellow paint scheme. The locomotive is cool too. I am not really familiar with the Maersk rolling stock, but I see many types of locomotives in their paint scheme

Randy, the reefer is really sharp. The billboard paint scheme is really interesting. It looks like it is sitting on a double slip switch or a three-way turnout. Interesting track work too!

Tom


----------



## Guest

Passenger Train Collector said:


> *"For Christmas Santa left four of the new AC 6000's, ( 2 Up & 2 CSX ), under the tree as well as three of the new passenger E6's. One UP, One Santa Fe, ( Powered B unit and Super Bass unit from the new F3's as well ) and one Milwaukee Road. Also Ordered the UP 1943...couldn't resist. Sorry no pics. They are all packed away. Almost forgot, Pennsy E8 AA's with the new powered B unit from the new Pennsy f3's. Will have to paint the B unit to match the E8's. These are all Lionel."*
> 
> Gary, you had to be a very good boy for Santa to leave that haul. Almost needed a second trip to your house from the North Pole.


Mrs. Clause may have had something to do with that. LOL. Also ordered the new VL Challenger. Now if they will just make another Big Boy and a couple of other articulates we will basically be done with Steam locos. The problem with Lionel seems to be feast or famine!

Regards,

Gary.


----------



## cole226

here's couple more vehicles. 

Think I'll make the 31 Cadillac a hearst.

















and the 41 Lincoln the rich widow ride


----------



## Guest

Nice cars Randy! We have a ways to go in the vehicle department. Always keeping our eyes open foe something unique.

Regards,

Gary.


----------



## cole226

waitin' 4 the train said:


> Nice cars Randy! We have a ways to go in the vehicle department. Always keeping our eyes open foe something unique.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Gary.


that's me, something a little different.


----------



## Guest

The Lincoln is outstanding.


----------



## Spence

Nice vehicles. :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Randy, the Caddy is really cool looking. Imagine driving a car with a 10' long steering column! Are you going to paint it black?

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

*0-4-0 and Crane...*

I picked up another ROW 0-4-0 with the B&O lettering. This was the version I really wanted and of course it came up for sale after I bought the SP version. 

Coupled to it is a Lionel TMCC 250 ton crane in PRR colors. It was missing a couple parts which I already ordered from Lionel, but seems in good shape otherwise...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice detail on that one Tom, I have the MTH model that's not nearly as detailed. However, mine does have TMCC.


----------



## cole226

Krieglok said:


> Randy, the Caddy is really cool looking. Imagine driving a car with a 10' long steering column! Are you going to paint it black?
> 
> Tom


Thanks Tom. 
Yeah, back then a car hauler carried 3-4 cars. Wife and I passed one today and commented that it had 10.

And yes, if I use as a hearse I'll have to paint it. Just the front seat, so it should make a hearse.

I like your little saddle tank loco and crane. :thumbsup:


----------



## DennyM

All real nice Randy, Tom and John.


----------



## Guest

More nice additions to your collection, Tom.


----------



## PatKn

Nice little engine, Tom. Enjoy it.

I just Picked up at my LHS an MTH Pennsylvania 70’ Streamlined Ribbed-Sided Passenger Set that I had on order. I got the 4-car set, a 2-car Sleeper Diner, a 2-car Baggage Coach and a RPO car. This set screams GG1 to me. I plan on running it at our February 24 Open House with double headed MTH Scale GG1s. I'll post pictures when I have them.


----------



## cole226

That sounds good Pat. Double headed GG1s.:thumbsup:


----------



## WITZ 41

Recent addition.....

*3rd Rail Early Challenger (Oil Burner) Union Pacific #3802, 2R*

Great looking model from 3rd Rail. I've been late to the 3rd Rail game but I think the ones I have are wonderful models at a great value. This is a nice representation of the early challengers. 

Union Pacific converted the early challengers to oil burning in 1944 and renumbered the series to 3800s. They stayed that way except for a brief stint back to coal for less than a year before going back to oil again. I try to stay in the 1946-1954 range so #3802 is correct for the period I'm trying to model, however at this stage many of the first group of early challengers had large modified sand domes over the front engine driver set. This particular model, as made, might be a good candidate for renumbering to #3839 which kept this look to the end as far as I can research. I'm not sure I'll ever get around to doing it as I'm thrilled to have it, and happy as is. 

Sorry if the color seems to be off in these photos, I tried different lighting.

Enjoy!

Great job 3rd Rail. (Still hoping you'll reconsider the UP 4-10-2 but as the simple 2-cylinder rebuilt late model 5090-5099 series.)

So I've checked one off the white whale list. 
Still looking for:
*PSC 17003-1 UP 2-8-8-0 Bull Moose (Late)
*
*OMI 0178 FEF-1 #815 with experimental skyline casing.*


----------



## cole226

WITZ, that is one beauty of a loco. I see why you write so happy.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Very nice, the 3rd Rail stuff is well done.


----------



## DennyM

Witz, that is a seriously nice engine.


----------



## WITZ 41

Thanks guys. More than anything, I'm always sharing photos because I can't tell you how many times I would consider something but there is no Real photo of it to be found. I love the conversations on forums like this but I like it best when people share! It's half the reason I hate the new catalogs and BTO situation. I want to see it. I'm sorry but I've come to the conclusion that 3rd rail is the only place I'll buy blind from going forward.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful Challenger, good luck with it.


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## Spence

Very nice. :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks for the previous comments about the 0-4-0 and crane! 

WITZ, The 3rd Rail Challenger is really sharp. The detail on their offerings is top notch. I have their Erie Berkshire as well as some of their older models and they are all nice. The two rail version is nice, with the smaller couplers.

Tom


----------



## PatKn

That Challenger is gorgeous.


----------



## Krieglok

*Another Hippo*

I picked up a MTH 2-10-0 I1sa that was weathered. It looks pretty cool with the grime. A nice runner and heavy smoker! PS/2 3v system...

Tom


----------



## MichaelE

That looks great.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks! The weathering really brings out the details...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Boy Tom, you're not slowing down, still full throttle on the purchases!  Lookin' good, you'll soon have to have a lot of shelves, I'd contact Lee for ideas.


----------



## Guest

Yuck, it's all dirty! 

Very nice loco, Tom. John is right, you will need to do some serious self building to display all your great locomotives.


----------



## cole226

good looking hippo Tom. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks guys. I do have a wall with shelves in place already. I have a bunch of military models I have to get rid of or store before I can modify the shelving for the trains. Too many hobbies!

Tom


----------



## DennyM

Nice engine Tom.:thumbsup:


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful engine Tom. I love the weathering. I have that same engine without the weathering. The weathering really makes it look like a Workhorse. Great running engine.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks guys. Can't wait to run it on a real layout someday!

Tom


----------



## cole226

Krieglok said:


> Thanks guys. Can't wait to run it on a real layout someday!
> 
> Tom


yeah Tom, I'm sure you'd love to see them on a layout.
I'll bet there's some clubs around that would like to have you with the roster you have.
Are you collecting rolling stock yet? I've not seen so much of that.
Believe me, when you start putting a consist of nice stuff together it will be like buying another engine $$$$$.


----------



## Krieglok

Randy, I have about 40+ freight cars and about five passenger sets from MTH. That doesn't include MOW stuff like cranes, plows and crew cars...

I tend to buy rolling stock in groups, so since I don't have a layout to run/display them on, I leave them in the box. So taking pics of them rarely happens...

Tom


----------



## cole226

Krieglok said:


> Randy, I have about 40+ freight cars and about five passenger sets from MTH. That doesn't include MOW stuff like cranes, plows and crew cars...
> 
> I tend to buy rolling stock in groups, so since I don't have a layout to run/display them on, I leave them in the box. So taking pics of them rarely happens...
> 
> Tom


Thats about what I figured.


----------



## cole226

found these in the mailbox yesterday


fairly nice car for low end Atlas.

















and a fuel truck that's been missing on layout


----------



## Guest

Very nice additions, Randy. I especially like the fuel truck. :thumbsup:


----------



## Wood

Randy, I have always been a big fan of Atlas Reefers. Lots of detail, scale rendition and IMHO well made. It looks great and the petrol truck is a winner.


----------



## cole226

thanks Joe and Wood,

I was pleased with both. The truck has good detail and I needed one anyway. 
The reefer is an Atlas Trainman series which I had never had in hand. Nice detail but more user friendly than Steam Era Classics.
Plus nicer price. :thumbsup:


----------



## DennyM

Randy, nice reefer and fuel truck. Ive been working on a reefer consist. It's a mixture of K-line, Lionel and MTH.


----------



## cole226

thanks Denny. I think Atlas makes the nicest reefers and their Trainman line is worth looking at. Not near as detailed as the more expensive stuff but still nice. A little more rugged.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice stuff Randy, the fuel truck is really cool, well detailed.


----------



## DennyM

cole226 said:


> thanks Denny. I think Atlas makes the nicest reefers and their Trainman line is worth looking at. Not near as detailed as the more expensive stuff but still nice. A little more rugged.


I had to check to make sure one of the cars was a Atlas, but it's a 3rd Rail.


----------



## cole226

nice reefer. don't see much 3rd rail rolling stock. Brass?


----------



## DennyM

Uh...I don't think so. It was a Christmas from another modeler.


----------



## MichaelE

My new ACME Br.120 locomotive arrived today.

The detail is outstanding. I've never seen such detail on an HO model. ACME really outdid themselves with this model. The undercarriage is highly detailed with separately applied parts including sanders, springs, etc. Along with the usual hoses this also has the prototype coupler installed in the front of the locomotive that can be exchanged for the included Roco type couplers. I just installed one in the rear as I don't plan on pushing any carriages with this loco. 

The paint is nearly flawless with one minor blemish on the top of the cab corner. It's a very small spot that looks glossier than the rest of the paint. Nothing to fret over and I'm not concerned.

Backing up a bit, the packaging is most impressive with the locomotive being bolted to the heavy duty plastic stand (that can be used for static display purposes) using an Allen head black oxide screw. It is contained in a plastic clamshell that opens at both ends and this was inserted into a plastic sleeve and then placed in a heavily padded box using closed cell foam. The box contained a parts baggie with static display parts as well as two extra rubber tires, and a separate package with the aforementioned Roco type couplers.

The instruction booklet explains how to remove the body shell, set the DIP switches for DC lighting options, and the installation of the 21MTC sound decoder. It has a separate pad mount for the speaker if not already included and wired with the sound card.

I would really like to install the extended ladders that are included but they warn it will interfere with bogie movement on curves so those will remain in the baggie.

The wiring and insulator detail is very nice with a good shine on the ceramic insulators. The venting on the roof angles seem like photo etched parts and are very sharp looking and applied separately. 

The whole model is metal both body and chassis and feels like it weighs somewhat less than a kilo. Heaviest locomotive in HO I've ever held. Even heavier than my all metal TRIX Br.187.

The ESU Loksound 4.0 sound decoder is being shipped after programming on Saturday so with any luck and no screw ups by the US Postal Service I should have it running by Wednesday or Thursday of next week.

It's going to look mighty good pulling that Swiss passenger service I ordered.


----------



## DennyM

Okay, I know I said I wasn't going to buy anymore Menards rolling stock, but it was sitting there. The last car with this road name and I didn't have anything with this road name. I was just there to get a new soldering iron.hwell:


----------



## DennyM

MichaelE said:


> My new ACME Br.120 locomotive arrived today.
> 
> The detail is outstanding. I've never seen such detail on an HO model. ACME really outdid themselves with this model. The undercarriage is highly detailed with separately applied parts including sanders, springs, etc. Along with the usual hoses this also has the prototype coupler installed in the front of the locomotive that can be exchanged for the included Roco type couplers. I just installed one in the rear as I don't plan on pushing any carriages with this loco.
> 
> The paint is nearly flawless with one minor blemish on the top of the cab corner. It's a very small spot that looks glossier than the rest of the paint. Nothing to fret over and I'm not concerned.
> 
> Backing up a bit, the packaging is most impressive with the locomotive being bolted to the heavy duty plastic stand (that can be used for static display purposes) using an Allen head black oxide screw. It is contained in a plastic clamshell that opens at both ends and this was inserted into a plastic sleeve and then placed in a heavily padded box using closed cell foam. The box contained a parts baggie with static display parts as well as two extra rubber tires, and a separate package with the aforementioned Roco type couplers.
> 
> The instruction booklet explains how to remove the body shell, set the DIP switches for DC lighting options, and the installation of the 21MTC sound decoder. It has a separate pad mount for the speaker if not already included and wired with the sound card.
> 
> I would really like to install the extended ladders that are included but they warn it will interfere with bogie movement on curves so those will remain in the baggie.
> 
> The wiring and insulator detail is very nice with a good shine on the ceramic insulators. The venting on the roof angles seem like photo etched parts and are very sharp looking and applied separately.
> 
> The whole model is metal both body and chassis and feels like it weighs somewhat less than a kilo. Heaviest locomotive in HO I've ever held. Even heavier than my all metal TRIX Br.187.
> 
> The ESU Loksound 4.0 sound decoder is being shipped after programming on Saturday so with any luck and no screw ups by the US Postal Service I should have it running by Wednesday or Thursday of next week.
> 
> It's going to look mighty good pulling that Swiss passenger service I ordered.


That is a very nice loco.:thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Michael, that is a really nice locomotive. It's very attractive and has lots of details.


----------



## Guest

Denny, that Reading boxcar is a looker. Menards is a good value for the price so I can understand why you gave in to the temptation, especially since it was standing there looking beautiful and shouting, "Buy Me! Buy Me! I'll look good on your layout and I need a home!"


----------



## MichaelE

Thanks guys. I've been lusting after that loco for nearly a year and have been trying to deide on a sound decoder for it.

The ESU won hands down after hearing the sound samples and reading about the capabilities of the decoder.


----------



## Lehigh74

*I joined the 44 Tonner club.*

I tried to find that thread, but wasn’t able to. When MTH came out with the 44 tonners, I thought it was too much money for such a small loco. But the Lehigh Valley pre-war livery is just gorgeous on this little guy. The first few times I started it, it made a high pitched squeal when I rolled the thumbwheel, but it seems OK now. Wait. Not really. It seems to hesitate at certain spots on the layout (not at switches). I like the engine sound. There are a few paint flaws. A bit of red where it should be gray and a splotch on one of the hoods.


----------



## Lehigh74

I like the Reading box car Denny. I have thought of picking some of those up a few times. So far I have been able to resist. I have some of the Menards yellow with green roof box cars. I also have a few with the same paint scheme as the one you just got by other makers.


----------



## MichaelE

Nice details on that locomotive. I like the paint too.


----------



## Guest

That is a beautiful engine, Bob. I see the splotch. Should that front handrail be gray rather than red? Are you going to return the loco?


----------



## DennyM

Thanks guys. Bob, that is good looking 44 ton loco.


----------



## Cousin Eddie

Picked up these three in the past few weeks. My layout is totally random and freestyle but I seem to be collecting the fallen flags that lead to conrail and then into Norfolk southern as the main theme


----------



## cole226

I like that 44 Ton. And that Reading boxcar too. Nice additions.:thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

rboatertoo said:


> It was of those weeks here, I found 3 passenger car sets that I have been looking for. Not a normal week or even month.[/ATTACH][/ATTACH]
> Northern Pacific 21" K-line
> View attachment 80113
> 
> 
> Lionel Santa Fee Superliner with U28CG
> View attachment 80105
> 
> K-line C&NW 21" cars, I recieved 8 but only put 6 on track.
> 
> When it rains it pours!!!


I really like those Great Northern passenger cars a lot. What make are they and what's pulling them?

Regards,

Gary.


----------



## Krieglok

TheReading boxcar is really sharp! The 44 tonner is really interesting. Very vibrant paint work there. Nice acquisitions.

Eddy, the locomotives are really cool. I have the NJT 4303 too. I think it came in a set originally...

Tom


----------



## Guest

Nice locos, Eddie. They are great additions to your roster.


----------



## Lehigh74

Country Joe said:


> That is a beautiful engine, Bob. I see the splotch. Should that front handrail be gray rather than red? Are you going to return the loco?


It’s not going back. I took care of the splotch with b-Gone. Cleaned the wheels, rollers and track with alcohol and that seems to have taken care of the stick-slip issue. I guess I’m overdue for a good track cleaning. I think the front handrail is red. I found a B&W photo of cab #61 and the handrail looks to be the same color as the red.


----------



## Pingman

I bought these SF ABA F units, set 6-11711, during the Stout Auction today:


----------



## Lehigh74

As a new member of the warbonnet club, I have to say they look nice Carl.


----------



## Pingman

I've never owned, for myself, any Warbonnet. Thirty years ago next month I bought a PW SF 2353 AA set in E++ condition for the sole purpose of giving them to my brother for his 40th birthday along with equally nice 2500 series pax cars.

It was my way of assuaging my then long held guilt (two decades worth) for getting our childhood trains which included Southern AA 2356 diesels and 2500 series pax cars.

Honestly, I submitted what I was certain was a low ball bid in the Stout Auction and was surprised that it won. Not sure if I'll keep them or not.


----------



## Guest

Lehigh74 said:


> It’s not going back. I took care of the splotch with b-Gone. Cleaned the wheels, rollers and track with alcohol and that seems to have taken care of the stick-slip issue. I guess I’m overdue for a good track cleaning. I think the front handrail is red. I found a B&W photo of cab #61 and the handrail looks to be the same color as the red.


That is good news, Bob. For some odd reason I've always loved the 44 tonner. Some guys are drawn to Shays and other geared locomotives, some love trolleys, etc, but I've loved the 44 tonner since the first time I saw one. :dunno:



Pingman said:


> I bought these SF ABA F units, set 6-11711, during the Stout Auction today:


Carl, those are very nice diesels. While I'm not a warbonnet fan I would happily keep them and run them on my layout if I got them at a good price.


----------



## Cousin Eddie

Thanks Joe I didn’t know I was going with a theme but it just started to take shape on it’s own.


----------



## mackerel

I finally got around to taking some nicer photos of what I picked up at Amherst. During the process it became clear that lighting in the train room is terrible for photography. The layout is scheduled to be moved to a nicer part of the basement to allow for growth and the lighting will get fixed in the process.

Picture 1 = Lionel B&M RS-3 (new)
Picture 2 = My favorite of 5 Williams passenger cars (used, not sure of vintage). These are getting pulled by the RS-3 for now. 
Picture 3 = Lionel General (vintage 1960s)
Picture 4 = One of the lighted cars that came with the General set.
Picture 5 = Livestock car that came with the General set.
Picture 6 = My Great Northern 4-8-4. 

Everything seems to be running great.

Just getting started, but these are keeping the fun going for now.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

WOW, nice haul Adam!


----------



## Krieglok

Nice stuff. I like the coach and horse car. I had a General set from the 50's I think. I sold it years ago as I wasn't into O scale back then. Oh well....

Tom


----------



## Guest

You got some nice stuff, Adam. Is the RS-3 a LionChief Plus?


----------



## mackerel

Yes, thats a Lionchief Plus. I use the app to control it. My favorite locomotive at the moment.


----------



## MichaelE

I really like that RS-3 Adam.


----------



## Guest

*"I really like that RS-3 Adam."*

Me too!


----------



## Krieglok

*Milwaukee Road 4-6-4 Baltic...*

I picked this engine up off eBay recently. It is a Weaver Milwaukee Road 4-6-4 Baltic. It was basically brand new but it had a small problem with a bent eccentric rod. It was easily straightened and the engine runs great and smokes like crazy. 

I don't know too much about their service history with the Milwaukee Road but I liked the looks of it...

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

I like the looks of it too. Plenty of detail there.


----------



## santafe158

Picked up this nice Lionel Postwar 2175W set on eBay today. A friend of mine has been building up a nice collection of Postwar Lionel F3's, and I couldn't be left out. I've been looking for a nice set for awhile and decided to bite the bullet today. I'm looking forward to receiving them and getting them on the track for some fun.


----------



## Guest

Adam, I like LC+ a lot. I think it's the most fun way to run an engine, especially the newer locos with Bluetooth. 

Tom, that's a sweet looking steam engine. I never heard of a 4-6-4 being called a Baltic so I learned something today. 

Jake, that is a very nice set.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice set there, Jake. It looks to be in top condition.

Joe, I am guessing the Milwaukee Road didn't want to use the NYC term "Hudson" on their railroad! I never heard the term either before I bought this engine...

Tom


----------



## cole226

nice pickups Tom and Jake. 

good detail on the Baltic, and that F3 set looks really clean and sweet. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Cousin Eddie

That is a nice clean looking set of f3s!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice Baltic Tom, better than average detailing on that one.

Jake, that set looks like new, not common to find the decals and paint in that shape.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys, I'm looking forward to getting it in the mail.

John, it definitely wasn't a cheap set but it makes me happy that I didn't budge on my offer to a seller that was looking to get rid of one last year. This set is in much better shape for quite a bit less money. It does show signs of a lot of running as the rollers have some grooves worn into them, but whoever owned them took great care of it all. I've been wanting a Postwar F3 set for years so I'm excited.


----------



## cole226

Wasn't the T rail pretty hard on center pickups? Seems I heard that somewhere. :dunno:


----------



## Jeff T

I haven't played for awhile!! Found a 2001 D&H RS11 at DuPage NIB, posted a WTB for passenger cars and had one person offer me six different sets! Picked a Williams set.

Here's a pick running at the club layout!!


----------



## Bill Webb

*A Virginian weekend*

After a less than stellar Christmas train season, this weekend was much improved as we added to our Virginian fleet. Although we model the N and W, often both railroads ran thru the same town

Everyone recognizes the MTH 44 tonner. The grandchildren had a wonderful time running it on the layout










Today the much anticipated Virginian EL - 2B arrived from Sunset Models. It is spectacular.

Scott Mann did a superlative job with this.























t


----------



## Wood

Bill, That is some nice rolling stock and power you are collecting. It is going to look terrific on your layout.


----------



## DennyM

Very nice guys. One of the club members gave me a Lionel A. T. & S. F. 356-250 Barrel Loader. He only had two barrels and I don't have a activator track, but it's a cool car.


----------



## santafe158

cole226 said:


> Wasn't the T rail pretty hard on center pickups? Seems I heard that somewhere. :dunno:


I would imagine T rail would be even better than regular tubular rail since the force is distributed over more area on the roller. I believe it was Lionel's short-lived "Super-O" track that people say is harder on the rollers as it uses a narrow copper strip as a center rail instead of a wider rail. I've never used Super-O, so I can't prove it either way.


----------



## Krieglok

Jeff, the D&H set really looks great. A pair of D&H "sharks" or PAs would make quite a sight pulling that big train! The RS11 is a great locomotive. I have one too and it is a spot on model of the real thing.

Bill, the VGN EL-2b looks huge! I am an electric locomotive fan and I was looking at this engine on the 3rd Rail site. Very tempting...just big!

Denny, the barrel car looks cool. I am sure more barrels are available. I never saw that car before. I had a friend who had the milk car with the metal milk cans. It was fun to watch it work. The barrel car should be just as entertaining!

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Jeff, the D&H had a beautiful paint scheme. Great looking set.
Bill, gorgeous engines. I am also a fan of electrics as well as 44 toners.
Denny, you can't beat the price. Enjoy it.


----------



## cole226

santafe158 said:


> I would imagine T rail would be even better than regular tubular rail since the force is distributed over more area on the roller. I believe it was Lionel's short-lived "Super-O" track that people say is harder on the rollers as it uses a narrow copper strip as a center rail instead of a wider rail. I've never used Super-O, so I can't prove it either way.



Yes, My Bad 
That's what I was thinking of. I think the super O would wear the pickups, so worn rollers might not mean so much run time as appears if they were run on super O.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Jeff, the D&H set really looks great. A pair of D&H "sharks" or PAs would make quite a sight pulling that big train! The RS11 is a great locomotive. I have one too and it is a spot on model of the real thing.


I think this would look great pulling that set.


----------



## Guest

Jeff, that is a beautiful train!

Bill, very nice acquisitions. 

Denny, the barrel car looks cool. I have newer Lionel log and coal dump cars that I just run in trains because I like how they look. I never use the dumping feature. The barrel car will look great running on your layout.


----------



## Fabforrest

latest, and perhaps last, addition to my City of Portland consist. This is a K-Line RPO from the City of Los Angeles set. The passenger cars in this set are 21 inches long, but the RPO and Baggage are 15, which is what I run.

Three things may need to be done. These have K-Line Streamlighting. The rest of the consist has been upgraded to LED lighting by Royztrains. I am getting some flicker, but it may be tolerable. 

There is a detailed interior, but no people or equipment. If i want to add these, I will send to Roy and have him do both. IIRC, getting into these Streamlighting lit cars is not fun.

Last, the trucks on this are grey. All the other cars are silver. The engine is currently black, but I intend to swap out the side frames for silver ones. Do i want to paint these? Undetermined.


----------



## DennyM

Technically it's not new. I put a lighted covered bridge on my layout. I had it on the layout before, but I took it to the club and put it on the layout there. It was removed to make some changes so i brought it home and put it back on mine.

When I connected the light it was too bright so I put a drop diode in line. The drop diode is on the left.


----------



## Wood

Added another matching Genesis to my layout. MTH Genesis AMD #800 Amtrak Phase 4. The other is #802. The only Premier Genesis in Phase 4 MTH made.


----------



## MichaelE

Love those Euro lines on that lokomotive.


----------



## Guest

Forrest, that is a nice RPO. Workers inside will be a nice improvement and bring the car to life. 

Denny, the old/new covered bridge looks great on your layout. 

Wood, that's a beautiful locomotive.


----------



## DennyM

Thanks Joe. Wood. That's a sharp engine Wood. I'm starting to consider purchasing a Genesis. That will be my next mission at York. Forrest, nice RPO.


----------



## Wood

DennyM said:


> Thanks Joe. Wood. That's a sharp engine Wood. I'm starting to consider purchasing a Genesis. That will be my next mission at York. Forrest, nice RPO.



Thanks Denny, My layout is moving toward a modern rendition of railroading. I love diesels. They are the epitome of power on the tracks. Lionel does not make a Genesis similar to what powers the Amtrak fleet. This MTH product is a great rendition of that power. My Superliners are Phase 4 design and this Phase 4 engine makes a terrific consist. I can double head the consist with two Genesis units. The layout is controlled in Legacy so I run these in conventional mode.


----------



## DennyM

Wood said:


> Thanks Denny, My layout is moving toward a modern rendition of railroading. I love diesels. They are the epitome of power on the tracks. Lionel does not make a Genesis similar to what powers the Amtrak fleet. This MTH product is a great rendition of that power. My Superliners are Phase 4 design and this Phase 4 engine makes a terrific consist. I can double head the consist with two Genesis units. The layout is controlled in Legacy so I run these in conventional mode.


I'd like to have one that's Metra. The commuter trains in Chicago.


----------



## Wood

DennyM said:


> I'd like to have one that's Metra. The commuter trains in Chicago.


Denny, You got my curiosity up. 

*WOW* the MP36PH would be a super look on any ones layout. Have you seen these on the tracks in Chicago?


----------



## Bill Webb

Forrest, Denny, and Wood... nice acquisitions. It is nice to see plans coming together.


----------



## Guest

Love the your new Genesis, Wood. Really looks terrific on your layout. I also agree about the diesels.


----------



## DennyM

Wood said:


> Denny, You got my curiosity up.
> 
> *WOW* the MP36PH would be a super look on any ones layout. Have you seen these on the tracks in Chicago?
> 
> View attachment 486204


I've seen that or close to it.


----------



## Jeff T

Wood said:


> Denny, You got my curiosity up.
> 
> *WOW* the MP36PH would be a super look on any ones layout. Have you seen these on the tracks in Chicago?
> 
> View attachment 486204


I've seen those a few times, never that clean though!


----------



## santafe158

This has been a bad week.... for my bank account. 

My Postwar F3 set arrived on Thursday. It wasn't quite in the condition I expected as the powered unit's paint had been pretty heavily touched up. The seller was great to work with though and gave me a partial refund due to having forgotten to mention the paint issue in the listing. He initially offered a full refund and return shipping, but the rest of the set was just as I expected it to be and I was good with the partial refund. Ran it for several hours yesterday at the Worlds Greatest Hobby on Tour show in Novi, MI yesterday.
















Grzyboski trains was also present at the show and managed to find their way into my wallet two different times. First up is one of the new Harry Potter Dementor's cars for my Hogwarts Express set. The sounds and lighting effects in the newer Dementor's cars are pretty neat.









And finally, upon walking around the show a second time, I realized Grzyboski had an unusually good price on the Lionel Legacy DT&I crane and boom cars as a set. My buddy said he paid more for just the crane, so I ended up taking one home. I'll be having fun running it on the layout at the show again today. A really neat car to have.


----------



## DennyM

Nice finds Jake. Joe Gryzboski is a good person to deal with. Ive bought all my Legacy engines except two from him.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I picked up the new Harry Potter Dementor's car recently as well. I'm going to stick an ERR Mini Commander in it to allow me to enable/disable under command control.


----------



## Jeff T

Craigslist find. K-Line Burlington Northern MP-15. Popped the shell gave it a quick bath, new light bulbs and a little oil and grease and it runs like a champ.

Not bad for $20!


----------



## DennyM

Nice Jeff. I bought this Lionel boxcar from a club member.


----------



## Pingman

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I picked up the new Harry Potter Dementor's car recently as well. I'm going to stick an ERR Mini Commander in it to allow me to enable/disable under command control.


Clearly a project worthy of a "how to" thread. Stop being so helpful to everyone else and get to work on your own stuff, GRJ.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys. Even my girlfriend (granted she's a Harry Potter fan) seemed to enjoy the dementors car. I look forward to running the full set soon.

My crane got an all day workout at the Worlds Greatest Hobby show today as well. Such a neat piece of equipment.


----------



## Guest

Jake, Jeff and Denny, youz guys got some really nice stuff.


----------



## Bill Webb

*Silver Meteor finally arrived*

Scott Mann outdid himself with The Silver Meteor. We will try to post a video when I get back in town. The seven cars are plenty for our layout.

The diner will go to Jack Pearce for some special touches which he does so well.


----------



## Wood

They are beautiful Bill. I love the sprung trucks, Take a closeup pic of that Drumhead. I'll bet its cool. By the way the train room is coming along nicely.


----------



## MichaelE

Great looking passenger service. I like that BN switcher too. Always like the green and black better than the red and grey.


----------



## Guest

Congrats Bill. That is a beautiful train.


----------



## DennyM

Bill that train is absolutely gorgeous.


----------



## PatKn

DennyM said:


> Bill that train is absolutely gorgeous.


Ditto what Denny said. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Bob Phillips

*Trains from Allentown show*

Some trains from Allentown train meet.


----------



## PatKn

Nice haul.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Beautiful Seaboard set, Bill. Another winner for your collection.


----------



## Guest

Quite a score Bob form the Allentown Train Show.


----------



## Wood

Yes Bob, I like your hall. But I really like your Bridgeboss elevated track. Looks great.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Thanks everyone. Wood there is a little story behind the elevated track. He had a setup at April York 2017 of single track on display so I wanted that. He said come back in a few hours a he'd have it all packed up and set up his two track setup. So I said how much for two track with the station from one track. The price was right so it came home with me. Love to run subway and trolley on it.


----------



## Bill Webb

Wood said:


> They are beautiful Bill. I love the sprung trucks, Take a closeup pic of that Drumhead. I'll bet its cool. By the way the train room is coming along nicely.


Thanks Wood and everyone who commented. These cars have a pretty small clearance on the bottom. I had to tighten some track screws.

Wood we are about 65% complete on level one track work. Need to wire the yard and then do the remaining Benchwork and lay the track. It will go a lot faster since everything is not something new to learn.

We also are ready to do the shelves in the front; Seeing trains instead of junk will be a big improvement.


----------



## cole226

I'm a little late here but, *real nice stuff guys.:thumbsup::thumbsup:*


----------



## Krieglok

Me too! Great looking stuff. I especially like the Pennsy SW. The cab sunshades are a nice touch...

Tom


----------



## Wood

Bob Phillips said:


> Thanks everyone. Wood there is a little story behind the elevated track. He had a setup at April York 2017 of single track on display so I wanted that. He said come back in a few hours a he'd have it all packed up and set up his two track setup. So I said how much for two track with the station from one track. The price was right so it came home with me. Love to run subway and trolley on it.




Bob, you probably got a better price then I, but I like Jim's work and it is a fantastic elevated track structure.


----------



## Guest

Wood, it is all about the "look" and you sure got it right with your elevated track system. Not only is it functional, but it adds so much to your layout.

Bob, I thought from the photo you posted the elevated system was by Bridgeboss Jim. Looks good.


----------



## DennyM

Very nice haul Bob. I'm going to look into Bridgeboss. I've been wanting to put some elevated track on my layout.


----------



## Bob Phillips

The bridge boss system still lets you see the layout without blocking a lot of housing. My little layout in the picture was temporary but seems to be more permanent now. Need more structures, roads & people. I spend to much time playing and not working on my layouts.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Big haul there Bob, I'll bet your wallet was lighter!


----------



## Don F

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...NrgAhWSTt8KHUvsBPcQMwhKKA0wDQ&iact=mrc&uact=8

Not sure if this will show up via the link. I tried to copy paste the image, but it won't work. Anyway, I am searching for 2 bay hoppers of roads that served Ashley PA, specifically, the Huber Breaker at Blue Coal. I am planning to build a diorama of the Ashley yard and eventually include a model of the Blue Coal facility. There were 5 class one roads that served the town, and so far I've gotten PARR, CNJ, and CRP, which was the CNJ's attempt at an end around at paying taxes. The CRP hopper is MTH, and after a search, I purchased one from Public Delivery Track, (Beth Marshall). The other roads are D&H, Erie Lackawanna and Lehigh Valley. I found an Erie hopper on the Bay, but just got a message that it sold.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Denny 

Bridgeboss always has a good deal on his display setup at York. I only wish he made an S scale size for my other layout. Most of my O gauge stuff is for running at the club.

GRJ yes wallet is very lite now and need to save up for York. need cars to go with the Black Bonnet F3 set I purchased at Wilmington show two weeks ago. Didn't get to run them at Harry's, maybe next time.


----------



## DennyM

Bob Phillips said:


> Denny
> 
> Bridgeboss always has a good deal on his display setup at York. I only wish he made an S scale size for my other layout. Most of my O gauge stuff is for running at the club.
> 
> GRJ yes wallet is very lite now and need to save up for York. need cars to go with the Black Bonnet F3 set I purchased at Wilmington show two weeks ago. Didn't get to run them at Harry's, maybe next time.


Now that you mention it, I have seen him at York. He's in the Orange Hall near Mr. Muffins.


----------



## Guest

You got some really nice stuff, Bob. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Bob Phillips

Thanks Joe. Your layout is great too.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Well, it's been many moons since I was on this thread, but thought I'd share my latest addition. I imagine by now that about every O scale operator has a Santa Fe ABA set. I'd always wanted this one, and found it on eBay, MIB, for a little over half of what these were going for new, years ago. They will be pulling my K Line Santa Fe aluminum passenger cars, replacing a Williams F1 ABA set I've had for some time. Been putting it through the TMCC paces and like my Union Pacific TMCC F3 set, it performs flawlessly. 

*So Lee Willis, take note: As a conventional operator for years, I'm finding that trains are more fun in command control. *


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Vern.


----------



## PatKn

Very nice Santa Fe engines. Not everyone has a set of these. I'm not a big Santa Fe fan. But I do have a set of Pennsy. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Wood

Vern, Engine 19 is the 2000 version and along with it's sisters 16 and 18, the best detailed excellent runners Lionel made in the Santa Fe livery. Great buy. Enjoy...


----------



## Guest

Congratulations on the new locomotives, Vern. 

I don't have any Santa Fe locomotives. I don't dislike the ATSF, I'm just not a fan. Will I ever own a set of Santa Fe F units? Maybe. :dunno: In the meantime, yours look fabulous. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice pickup Vern, I have an A-A set, but no B unit.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you, gentlemen. Wood, I believe this set (#14588/Engine #19) is from 2005.


----------



## DennyM

Picked up a Southern Pacific boxcar from Menards.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Nice Denny. I've always liked the Espy.


----------



## Guest

That is a beautiful boxcar, Denny. Menards makes some very nice cars.


----------



## santafe158

Nice Santa Fe units Vern. I have the WP ones of a similar vintage and love them. They run as good as they look.

Nice boxcar Denny. Menards certainly puts out some nice stuff.


----------



## DennyM

Thanks Jake, Joe and Vern. This time I went there on a quest for a car. I almost got a tank car, but I remembered seeing a post about the trucks hitting the latter. When I looked closer the trucks were going to hit the latter on tight curves. Then I saw the boxcar.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

santafe158 said:


> Nice Santa Fe units Vern. I have the WP ones of a similar vintage and love them. They run as good as they look.
> 
> Nice boxcar Denny. Menards certainly puts out some nice stuff.


Thanks Jake. About 4 years ago just before I joined this forum, I had Lionel's scale conventional Santa Fe #17 version. But it had an anemic horn, no bell or diesel sounds, and I had a lot of trouble with it. I found out from the Lionel technician who repaired it that the scale conventional models had inferior boards and motors.

So obviously, I like this one much better.


----------



## Spence

Vern; great looking set. :thumbsup:


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you Spence.


----------



## DennyM

I bought this 2-4-2 #247 B&O from a club member. I was looking for something conventional and this is right up my alley.


----------



## mackerel

For a beginner on a budget Menards is a great way to go. I’ve been wanting a Military themed consist and was able to do that without breaking the bank. I wasn’t in the military but had many family members who were. This is one way for me to keep them in my thoughts and prayers and just honor our active military and veterans a bit. Hope the link below to my smugmug site showing a video of the new flatcars works.

https://arypinski.smugmug.com/Choochoo/i-xWkXvkj


----------



## mackerel

DennyM said:


> I bought this 2-4-2 #247 B&O from a club member. I was looking for something conventional and this is right up my alley.
> 
> View attachment 487526


Beautiful Locomotive! I love the black and blue color scheme.


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine, Denny.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Very nice loco, Denny.


----------



## DennyM

Thanks Pat and Adam. A club member brings in stuff to sale and the price was just right. It runs smooth and smokes nicely. No sound, but that's fine with me.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Got sucked in again! I spotted this listed at a "too good" price, the MTH Premier Greenbrier with the PS/2 upgrade. The "sticking point" was the upgrade didn't work right, but I figured at $335 shipped, I'd shoot the dice.

Fired up the board tester, boards were fine, that's good. Opened up the locomotive and fixed several pinched wires and did a little cleanup, and it runs like a top!

I love it when a plan comes together!


----------



## Guest

John, you got a beautiful loco at a great price.


----------



## Wood

mackerel said:


> For a beginner on a budget Menards is a great way to go. I’ve been wanting a Military themed consist and was able to do that without breaking the bank. I wasn’t in the military but had many family members who were. This is one way for me to keep them in my thoughts and prayers and just honor our active military and veterans a bit. Hope the link below to my smugmug site showing a video of the new flatcars works.
> 
> https://arypinski.smugmug.com/Choochoo/i-xWkXvkj


Mackerel, That video worked and your loads are a winner. Nice consist.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks Joe, I was happy to see it when it came in and was easy to fix. I'm glad I "shot the dice".


----------



## Wood

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Got sucked in again! I spotted this listed at a "too good" price, the MTH Premier Greenbrier with the PS/2 upgrade. The "sticking point" was the upgrade didn't work right, but I figured at $335 shipped, I'd shoot the dice.
> 
> Fired up the board tester, boards were fine, that's good. Opened up the locomotive and fixed several pinched wires and did a little cleanup, and it runs like a top!
> 
> I love it when a plan comes together!
> 
> View attachment 487806


John, you always get "sucked in" and come out a winner. Nice to have the skill set to repair someone's mistakes.

It is a sharp looking steamer.


----------



## Spence

GRJ: you’re engine totals are starting to approach Lee’s. 
Nice looking engine.


----------



## cole226

GRJ, sweet deal. Gotta love when a plan comes together.

I was in the full size one in Clifton Forge, Va.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice MTH locomotive John! That is one big engine.

Wasn't the real version running a few years ago? 

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys, I was certainly happy to get a really good deal on this one. The way it was packed I was a bit worried, but good ol' diecast, didn't do any damage. It sure wrecked the box, but that's only of minor concern. 

Boy, I should have bought the one Randy has, that would have been a steal at $335!


----------



## DennyM

It's handy being a repair tech John. You got that loco ship shape in no time.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

DennyM said:


> You got that loco ship shape in no time.


About half an hour and a little heatshrink and a couple pieces of wire.  My kind of repair!


----------



## PatKn

Wow. What a bargain. I rode behind 614 from Hoboken to Port Jervis. Beautiful engine. Enjoy it, John.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn

I keep my eye out for stuff like this.  I liked the Greenbrier when I first saw it, but the prices were kinda' out of sight. I did have a bead on a 3rd Rail one, but someone wanted it worse than I did. This one nicely scratches that itch. 

I'd love to ride behind the real 614, too bad the Eastern railroads are choking off steam.


----------



## NewYork Northern RR

*Sunset/3rd Rail NYC Mercury*

Well here is my newest purchase, like mots of us I've been watching these come and go but not at a price I liked. One came up, I made an offer that essentially took off the price of shipping, he/she accepted immediately and here it is. It does run or I should say did run a couple of laps around the room and then stopped. But I have lights so I should be able to figure it out. But when it ran, it was smooth as a whistle. I'm only running it on my carpet layout but I'm happy!


----------



## Guest

That is a beautiful locomotive.


----------



## NewYork Northern RR

Thanks Joe!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Very cool, that was in the heyday of streamlining. Looks to be in excellent condition as well.


----------



## Wood

NYN, Very cool, beautiful engine. That's a keeper!


----------



## NewYork Northern RR

Thanks Guys!


----------



## ERIE610

I found this MKT 85023 stockcar a while back. At first I thought it was a Lionel. But after further review I found out that it was a Kusan. I do not know if it is rare or not but it is a nice car.

STOCK PHOTO SHOWN BELOW


----------



## santafe158

Krieglok said:


> Wasn't the real version running a few years ago?
> 
> Tom


The locomotive was last operational in the 1990's. It'd likely be a good candidate to rebuild back to operation, but would need somewhere to run before money is thrown at it for a rebuild.


----------



## Guest

Erie, to the best of my knowledge Kusan isn't valuable or collectible but it is a nice car.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Nice MTH locomotive John! That is one big engine.
> 
> Wasn't the real version running a few years ago?
> 
> Tom


Well, quite a few years ago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_and_Ohio_614



> In 1995, 614 was moved to the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad in Pennsylvania for a complete overhaul. It was then used for a series of popular excursions between Hoboken, New Jersey and Port Jervis, New York in conjunction with New Jersey Transit (NJT) between 1996 and 1998.


I think that's the last time it ran.


----------



## Krieglok

Okay. I was working an outlying point when the engine was in Hoboken. I do remember seeing it there on my occasional trips to Hoboken, but I never saw it run. There was some money issue that resulted in NJT holding on to it for a while before it went to New Hope...

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

*Diesels and cabooses*

Here is a mash of diesels and cabooses (cabeese) I picked up over the last few months.

The top set is an Atlas TMCC RSD-15 in Cotton Belt paint with a MTH Premier Southern Pacific caboose.

The lower set is a MTH Railking Alco C-628 in the Lehigh Valley Snow Bird scheme along with a Weaver LV NE style caboose.

The LV engine is one of a pair I acquired off the OGR forum and basically was ripped off by the seller. I learned a lesson dealing with this guy. He represented it as a newer PS2 3v version when it was actually the PS2 5v version. The settlement involved a return of some monies and me keeping the set...

Tom


----------



## SDIV Tim

I bought two more UP Aerotrain cars for my Aerotrain. I have 6 cars plus the engine. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine/caboose combos, Tom.
Tim, the Aerotrain is a cool looking train. Looks better with 6 cars.


----------



## Jeff T

I picked up the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western 4-8-4 at the train show yesterday. It's from 1988 and it was new in the box. I was going to oil, grease and give it a spin, but the old saying It's only new once came to mind.

I posted it for sale and someone who bought this engine new was looking for another and "new" sealed the deal!!

Now I'm upset I didn't buy the KLine die cast PRR switcher as well!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Love the Aerotrain, one of my favorites. I actually have two of them, one is slated to get a TMCC conversion so I have a PS/3 and a TMCC. Maybe I can squeeze smoke into the TMCC model.


----------



## Krieglok

Jeff, nice flip! The Lackawanna 4-8-4s were called "Poconos". The K-Line 0-6-0 is a sharp engine. They are fairly common, so you will likely come across another one before long.

Tim, post pics of the Aero Train. I would love to see it!

Tom


----------



## cole226

*K-line Lima Berk*

here's some pics of my new to me Berk. Lima Demonstrator. Great detail for early 2000's and runs/sounds great. TMCC-cruise-RS


----------



## Guest

Tom, nice diesels, especially the LV.

Jeff, very nice ending. Your purchasing department should be rewarded.

Tim, adding cars to the Aerotrain is a very good idea. The 3 cars it comes with just aren't enough. I will be adding at least a couple of cars to my Aerotrain. 5 or 6 cars should make a respectable looking train.

Randy, that is a really nice steam engine.


----------



## PatKn

Nice Berk. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Wood

Cole, That's a nice buy. I always enjoy seeing pics of your nicely detailed layout.


----------



## cole226

thanks guys.
Wood, believe me, the camera is being kind. About the only part of the layout that's not a mess right now is where I took these pics.


----------



## Wood

Cole, I know that situation very well. The pics look great and I know your layout is cool...


----------



## fotojocbi

*2344 freight set plus +++ 2 layouts*

Picked this 2 compete layouts with 2344 and 675 engines plus 15 cars. The layouts are pretty cool but really like the almost 40 small metal signs on the bottom of the boards. They originally had the layouts designed to be hoisted by pulley into the ceiling and the sign were decorations. They are tacked to the board and hopefully I can get them off without damaging them.


----------



## cole226

*2344 freight set plus +++ 2 layouts*

Nice pickup. couple good looking outfits, put you in the business pretty quick.

they are both good running locos with a little attention they'll last a long time.


----------



## Guest

Cole, the Berkshire is my favorite mid sized steamer. Nice addition.


----------



## Jeff T

fotojocbi said:


> Picked this 2 compete layouts with 2344 and 675 engines plus 15 cars. The layouts are pretty cool but really like the almost 40 small metal signs on the bottom of the boards. They originally had the layouts designed to be hoisted by pulley into the ceiling and the sign were decorations. They are tacked to the board and hopefully I can get them off without damaging them.


Nice haul!! Good Luck getting those signs off, pry slooowly...


----------



## fotojocbi

Got all of the signs off the boards this evening and it looks like I'm 1 short of the complete 1950's Post Cereal RR Signs collection, plus 13 extras. Most are in nice shape and a few, not so!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Got a chance to snag this set for $150, couldn't pass it up. 

The keypad has a couple keys not working, but I already have the return label for it to go to Lionel to fix it for free. What's not to like.


----------



## PatKn

Good deal, John. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Severn

I now have 3 "intermodel" kline produced cargo carriers that for reasons that are not entirely clear to me -- I really like. 

I don't have a handy pic but you know what they look like.


----------



## Jeff T

I met up with Leapin' Larry from OGR at his hobbyshop in Evansville, IN yesterday.

Larry brought me an ES44!!






Quick run at the club this AM!!


----------



## mackerel

*New Hudson for the Birthday Boy*

My wife and kids took me to Charles Ro for my birthday (which was this past Monday). I've been wanting a new steam engine to add to the collection. I went in with Mikado on my mind but after checking out a few engines, I really fell in love with this Great Northern Hudson (Lionchief Plus). The sound on the Hudson was fuller and it was a bit larger and more detailed than the Mikado. The the Great Northern color scheme has always been a favorite as well. The picture doesn't to it justice, but this engine produces a lot of steam!


----------



## Krieglok

Nice locomotive, Adam. The Great Northern paint schemes are always eyecatchers! A string of matching coaches will look great behind it! 

Jeff, the ES44 is really sharp! Sounds great too!

Tom


----------



## mackerel

Krieglok said:


> Nice locomotive, Adam. The Great Northern paint schemes are always eyecatchers! A string of matching coaches will look great behind it!
> 
> Jeff, the ES44 is really sharp! Sounds great too!
> 
> Tom


I think you may be on to something!


----------



## Maxum

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Got a chance to snag this set for $150, couldn't pass it up.
> 
> The keypad has a couple keys not working, but I already have the return label for it to go to Lionel to fix it for free. What's not to like.
> 
> View attachment 489638



Nice score! I just picked up an almost new virtually unused Legacy 990 version 1.6 at a show recently and I thought I got a great deal at $230. I think your deal beats mine! :thumbsup:


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking engines, Jeff and Adam. Always been partial to the GN.


----------



## cole226

*new stuff*

couple buildings and some rolling stock








K-line billboard cars















Lionel well cars w/reels














Railking gondolas w/scrap








Railking police and bank


----------



## Guest

Jeff, congratulations on the new locomotive. It's a smooth runner and makes a very nice train. 

Adam, that GN Hudson is a beauty. 

Randy, you picked up some really nice stuff.


----------



## kstrains

Jeff T said:


> I met up with Leapin' Larry from OGR at his hobbyshop in Evansville, IN yesterday.
> 
> 
> 
> Larry brought me an ES44!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quick run at the club this AM!!



Very nice ES44, Jeff! Great engine to run at the Club! 



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Jeff T

kstrains said:


> Very nice ES44, Jeff! Great engine to run at the Club!
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Jon met up with me yesterday and I got my training. 

1) How to turn everything on

2) How to power the individual tracks

3) How to turn everything off

I did well and think I got my merit badge!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Maxum said:


> Nice score! I just picked up an almost new virtually unused Legacy 990 version 1.6 at a show recently and I thought I got a great deal at $230. I think your deal beats mine! :thumbsup:


Well, I do have to wait for the remote to come back, but I did check out the command base and it was 100%. This is the second time I've gotten a great deal on a Legacy system because it had a problem that would be fixed free. I don't get it, a phone call and dropping the item in a box solves the problem.


----------



## Guest

It is like Christmas in March for some of you. Wow, nice additions.

Adam, I particularly like your new GN engine and a belated Happy Birthday.

View attachment 489868


----------



## Guest

Hey Guys, nice acquisitions! Jeff the Rock Island looks great. Been looking at that one myself. It shows really well. Randy, that is some sweet rolling stock you grabbed. Looking good guys!

Regards,

Gary.


----------



## Jeff T

waitin' 4 the train said:


> Hey Guys, nice acquisitions! Jeff the Rock Island looks great. Been looking at that one myself. It shows really well.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Gary.


Thanks Gary. I've been looking for a BNSF but they're like hens teeth in the secondary market! Also picked up a FEC ES44 still in the shipper. Contemplating what to do, open/flip.


----------



## Krieglok

*PB&NE SW9*

Here is a recent acquisition...

A Lionel Legacy SW9 in the colors of the Philadelphia, Bethlehem and New England railroad. 

The colors were a standard scheme for the now defunct Bethlehem Steel railroads that operated in and around various steel mills and coal fields owned by Bethlehem Steel, such as the South Buffalo Ry, Cambria and Indiana RR, Conemaugh and Black Lick Ry and of course the PB&NE.

This engine joins the "Bethlehem" collection which includes a SB Ry Alco S-2 and a soon to arrive C&I SW9...

Tom


----------



## Guest

Tom, that is a very attractive switcher.


----------



## Jeff T

Nice Tom!


----------



## Guest

Jeff, we have the FEC ES44 as well. Very nice engine. Also have the BNSF " Golden Swoosh "We wanted a few Heritage Units and I think FEC looks better than the KC Belle we have. I have no idea if or when Lionel will make Heritage Units again so I bought a couple of other ES44's to repaint in the roads we like. Gives me something to do and I don't have to wait.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking switcher, Tom. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## mackerel

Very nice switcher Tom. Nice splash of color for the layout for sure.


----------



## DennyM

I picked up a Lionel Lackawanna boxcar and a 1955 Chevy Sidestep Pickup from Motor Max American Classics Die Cast Collection. Now I have the three pickups I wanted. The boxcar was a bonus.


----------



## PatKn

Very nice, Denny.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks guys. I am slowly digging out my South Buffalo S-2 so I can pose the three together when the Cambria and Indiana unit arrives!

Nice boxcar Denny. I am somewhat partial toward the Lackawanna. Sharp paint scheme.

What logos are on the doors of your pick ups? They too, look great!

Tom


----------



## cole226

_Phoebe Snow_ was a Sweetheart! :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Denny, the pickup truck is cool but I really love the Lackawanna boxcar.


----------



## Guest

Randy, I've never seen that before. Thanks for posting.


----------



## DennyM

Krieglok said:


> Thanks guys. I am slowly digging out my South Buffalo S-2 so I can pose the three together when the Cambria and Indiana unit arrives!
> 
> Nice boxcar Denny. I am somewhat partial toward the Lackawanna. Sharp paint scheme.
> 
> What logos are on the doors of your pick ups? They too, look great!
> 
> Tom


Thanks guys. Randy thanks for posting about Phobe Snow. Tom, the grey pickup had Northwest Railway Museum, the green pickup has Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum and the brown pickup says Mt Rainier Railroad. The rest of the writing is too small to make out.


----------



## cole226

*Lackawanna's favorite girl*

Phoebe Snow was a major ad campaign. They go on and on.


----------



## Bill Webb

Tom love the color that it brings to a layout.

Denny are you going to light up the trucks?


----------



## DennyM

Bill Webb said:


> Tom love the color that it brings to a layout.
> 
> Denny are you going to light up the trucks?


I'm going to try to, but I have over a dozen cars and trucks I want to light. The guy that sells the kits is down the aisle from us at York. So I'll wait until October when I go to York.

Randy that's pretty cool. The only Phobe Snow I ever heard of was the singer from the 70s.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, I'm thinking of just adding a macro to my login to congratulate you every morning on your new purchases.


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Tom, I'm thinking of just adding a macro to my login to congratulate you every morning on your new purchases.


I guess I am pretty predictable! 

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Just a bit Tom. I can usually rely on you every morning to have a post in this thread.


----------



## Norton

Picked this up last month. It came as a powered A, dummy A and a separate sale B unit. I modified the front pilot, powered the dummy A and put on shorter couplers to close the gaps.
Still to be done adding smoke and sound to the B unit.









Pete


----------



## Lehigh74

NYC is not my favorite railroad, but I have to say they look pretty sharp.


----------



## PatKn

I have the same sentiments as Lehigh. Really handsome looking engines.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Norton

Early on when I got back into 3 rail I came to the realization that I'd better focus on one road or go broke so NYC was somewhat of natural for me. Most of my life I have lived within 4 miles of the mainline and I have a family history of it with my grandfather working for them.
My HO is virtually all SP steam and I like most all the western roads but I didn't want to recreate my HO in O scale.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Pete, nice looking rig, and your additions always look great.

I don't know what happened to Tom this morning, he should be here with his daily report.


----------



## cole226

*over 80 yr old and still runs strong*

Here's a prewar _Flying Yankee_ I got yesterday. Some more pics in the tinplate thread.


----------



## Guest

That's a gem, Cole.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks great Cole, very nice. I love the look of those integrated stream-liners.


----------



## Krieglok

I am here but to compliment Pete's FA set and Randy's 80 year old streamliner. Both great looking sets!

Pete, I grew up near the NYC mainline west of Buffalo. The Central was a little before my time, but I remember seeing PC trains out there, plus N&W on the old NickelPlate line. 

I have been tempted to pick up an FA in NYC colors, but haven't found what I want. Yours look great! I have the original Alco builder's plate off the NYC FA-2 1035. NYC is a standard favorite although my model collection doesn't reflect that...just yet!

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Cool train, Cole. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

For reasons I have not yet figured out I am not a real fan of the NYC RR. With that being said Lionel's VL version of the Niagra has me taking another look. Looks great in the "what if" grey paint scheme. Also I came across some pics of an NYC black GG1 made by MTH. Toying with the idea of acquiring a GG1 and giving it a repaint and hauling black NYC passenger cars behind it. Randy, your Flying Yankee is superb. I too like the look of the streamliners and occasionally I pull My Zephyr out of the box and just get lost in the styling.

Regards,

Gary.


----------



## Norton

About 6 months ago our local paper posted a picture of the Zephyr coming through town on its publicity tour. This is far off its beaten path but having seen that picture I decided I had to have one. Very cool concept.









Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Was that photo taken in Rochester? The turn out is amazing. 

It takes a new IPhone release to draw that kind of crowd these days...

Tom


----------



## Norton

It was in Rochester on the NYC mainline BTW. I suspect because it was built in Philadelphia may have something to do with the route it took to get to Chicago.
The dress code for the new iPhone might be a bit different too.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

I see. That makes sense that the train is in a delivery mode, but great for publicity too. 

Everyone is wearing a hat and boys are wearing short pants! Lol. 

Tom


----------



## Spence

Any idea what year that picture was taken?


----------



## Norton

It would have been April of 1934. The Zephyr's first run was in April of 1934.

Pete


----------



## Spence

Norton said:


> It would have been April of 1934. The Zephyr's first run was in April of 1934.
> 
> Pete


Thanks


----------



## Krieglok

I picked up a string of "slag pots" to accompany my PB&NE SW9. The transfer caboose/idler car isn't prototypical, but it adds to the interest...

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Interesting looking train.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## DennyM

I just just got this Thunder Valley boxcar I bought off eBay. A friend told me that it's from a set that my Thunder Valley Dockside switcher came from.


----------



## PatKn

Very unique looking pair. I like them. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Lehigh74

Krieglok said:


> I picked up a string of "slag pots" to accompany my PB&NE SW9. The transfer caboose/idler car isn't prototypical, but it adds to the interest...
> 
> Tom


Now you just need some hot metal cars and you can model South Bethlehem. Here is a book that might interest you. A bit overpriced, but interesting.

https://www.amazon.com/Bethlehem-St...=bethlehem+steel+rail,aps,135&sr=8-1-fkmrnull


----------



## Norton

I found it interesting in Stephan Koenig's book on the South Buffalo RR that vitually none of the rolling stock was lettered for Bethlehem Steel but one of the few cars that did have "BS" on it was a transfer caboose. 
I have that same Bethelem Steel transfer caboose with dual roller pickups that I tether to my Beeps and Plymouths to deal with the dead spots at the switches.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

I have a few books about Bethlehem Steel railroading but not that one. I will check it out. I also have a few hot metal cars in the collection. A steel mill would be quite a modeling project! Thanks Bob.

Pete, some of the Bethlehem Steel cars are fantasy schemes. The hot metal cars and slag cars were usually so beat up and burned, they had little if no lettering on them. There were other cars and locomotives lettered for BS but they were usually narrow gauge and hard to document photographically as they worked inside the plants, away from public view. I grew up in Lackawanna and the only time I saw any BS rolling stock was when I had a tour of the steel mill when it was still open. I never saw any from the road or adjacent railroad yards in public view...

Tom


----------



## DennyM

PatKn said:


> Very unique looking pair. I like them.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Now I want to try and get the rest of the set.


----------



## jimben

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/tsQAAOSwu4JciaOI/s-l1600.jpg

Added this.


----------



## cole226

That will make you want to stand and salute. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## mackerel

jimben said:


> https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/tsQAAOSwu4JciaOI/s-l1600.jpg
> 
> Added this.


Beautiful tribute to this great country. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## PatKn

jimben said:


> https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/tsQAAOSwu4JciaOI/s-l1600.jpg
> 
> Added this.


Love it. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Norton

Tom, I had remembered something different but this was used like transfer caboose at the Lackawanna plant.









Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Pete, looks like a steel mill car! No airbrakes and very beat up. It also looks like it has had some "product" spilled on it in the past. 

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Just picked up these four Military DD Box Cars and two Tank Cars.


----------



## cole226

Very nice Pat. I really like the boxcars.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Congratulations to all on their new acquisitions!



Norton said:


> Picked this up last month. It came as a powered A, dummy A and a separate sale B unit. I modified the front pilot, powered the dummy A and put on shorter couplers to close the gaps.
> Still to be done adding smoke and sound to the B unit.
> 
> View attachment 490256
> 
> 
> Pete


Pete, those NYC Alcos are really beautiful.



cole226 said:


> Here's a prewar _Flying Yankee_ I got yesterday. Some more pics in the tinplate thread.
> 
> View attachment 490274


Super nice train, Randy.



Krieglok said:


> I picked up a string of "slag pots" to accompany my PB&NE SW9. The transfer caboose/idler car isn't prototypical, but it adds to the interest...
> 
> Tom


Tom, that's a really nice train.


----------



## Guest

DennyM said:


> I just just got this Thunder Valley boxcar I bought off eBay. A friend told me that it's from a set that my Thunder Valley Dockside switcher came from.
> 
> View attachment 490488
> 
> 
> View attachment 490490


Denny, congrats on the new boxcar. Do you know if the whole Thunder Valley train set is about explosives? It would make a fun train.



PatKn said:


> Just picked up these four Military DD Box Cars and two Tank Cars.
> 
> View attachment 490792
> 
> 
> View attachment 490794
> 
> 
> View attachment 490796
> 
> 
> View attachment 490798
> 
> 
> View attachment 490800
> 
> 
> View attachment 490802


Pat, you picked up some very nice cars. The military boxcars are great and I also like the tank cars a lot.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice cars Pat, very inspiring. However, I called the recruitment center and they told me I was too old to enlist. hwell:


----------



## Spence

Pat; nice finds. How are you enjoying retirement?


----------



## PatKn

Thanks all. I bought them to go with my military Beeps and my Old Glory Boxcars/reefers.

Spence, Thanks for asking. I have zero regrets about retiring. My only surprise is that I have less free time than I thought I would. I spent more time on the Forum when I was working. LOL.


----------



## Spence

PatKn said:


> Thanks all. I bought them to go with my military Beeps and my Old Glory Boxcars/reefers.
> 
> Spence, Thanks for asking. I have zero regrets about retiring. My only surprise is that I have less free time than I thought I would. I spent more time on the Forum when I was working. LOL.


I’m glad you’re enjoying it.


----------



## Krieglok

Cool looking cars Pat. That must make for one impressive train!

Tom


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Pat.


----------



## WITZ 41

Union Pacific TTT


----------



## Guest

Beautiful engine, Witz.


----------



## mopac

Nice locomotive Witz.


----------



## jimben

*Bought Spirit of America On30 Engine*

New to me.


----------



## Guest

That's a good looking engine Jimben. On30 has a charm that standard gauge doesn't.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

WITZ 41 said:


> Union Pacific TTT


Very nice engine. That must be a 3rdRail brass model.


----------



## WITZ 41

HarborBelt1970 said:


> Very nice engine. That must be a 3rdRail brass model.


Actually, I don't know the maker or much of the history. I thought it was going to be a heavily modified KTM model similar to the Peter Bassett TTT. The seller said it was custom built. Upon inspection it does indeed appear to be scratch built ground up, including the tender, but I haven't gotten too deep into it to confirm. Still possible it was built up from other models. It's a remarkable piece of work, well beyond any ability I have. 

The seller used to run it years ago as a member of the Citrus Empire O Scale Club in the Pomona Fairgrounds. He doesn't know who built it or much of the history. I'm researching to see if I can discover more.


----------



## Guest

Beautiful engine, WITZ. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Witz, great looking locomotive. The detail is really sharp. It is a 2-10-2? Likely a great puller. Nice pickup...

Jimbin, a really flashy engine! Do you have trouble finding track to run it on? Interesting how the main reservoir is mounted on top of the boiler. 

Tom


----------



## Spence

Jimben; that sure is a colorful engine. :thumbsup:


----------



## cole226

Witz, that is a beauty. any idea of age.


----------



## cole226

Tom, Jimben's loco is On30, it runs on HO track. Or On30 track which has wider tie than HO. O scale narrow gauge.


----------



## WITZ 41

cole226 said:


> Witz, that is a beauty. any idea of age.


No idea. Seller said he hasn't run it in twenty years. Still researching. Also have to address the pilot which got tweaked in shipping.

#5082 is an overall a beauty. Not as deeply detailed as the absolutely spectacular Peter Bassett TTT #5032 which I previously had owned for a short period. It is definitely not a KTM 2-10-2 based model like the #5077 either (which I also previously owned). However, it is very well made, details are crisp and clean. Goes a long way to fill a hole in my collection. Having had such wonderful TTTs in my possession I'm inspired to get to work on the KTM junker project I have to modify and super-detail it into #5028.


----------



## Guest

We are in NY. We came for our friend's son's wedding Sunday, 3/31, and are visiting friends and family. Yesterday evening I went to my old club to see the guys. One of my friends had a trolley for me. He won it in a raffle but isn't into O, He has N and HO, but no O gauge. When he won it he thought of me and was going to send it to me but I conveniently showed up. This is the trolley:









Unfortunately he's not into forums so he won't see this but I'll send him some photos and a video of it running on my layout when we get home.

Next week we leave for York.

P.S. It's cold here. Non mi piace...or...Ich mag es nicht.


----------



## PatKn

Nice trolley, Joe. It will look nice running around your town.


----------



## Guest

PatKn said:


> Nice trolley, Joe. It will look nice running around your town.


Thanks Pat. I plan to run it on the upper main around the residential area since I don't have room to add a trolley line.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Got this back from Lionel, everything works, and shipping both ways was free. 

I'm a happy camper. 


gunrunnerjohn said:


> Got a chance to snag this set for $150, couldn't pass it up.
> 
> The keypad has a couple keys not working, but I already have the return label for it to go to Lionel to fix it for free. What's not to like.


----------



## Lehigh74

This started because I wanted WS Foam Putty “right now” and neither of the two local hobby shops within 20 minutes of my house had it in stock. So, I figured I would drive the 35 minutes to Nicholas Smith and pick it up, but then I got lazy and decided to order it on-line and get it the next day.

It seemed kind of dumb to pay $13 shipping for something that costs $9 so I looked to see what else I could get. I had previously considered the PRR Bobber so I added that. Then I remembered Lee’s thread on the Wolverines so I added that too.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

So, you saved $9 and spent...? 

You really know how to save money!


----------



## Krieglok

Great items! The bobber is really well done. The Army flat looks great with the M-10s on board!

Tom


----------



## Guest

John, you got a great deal.

Bob, very nice stuff. I would have done the same thing adding some items to the order to justify the shipping cost. Is the Wolverine flat car Railking or Premier?


----------



## Lehigh74

Its premier Joe. The single car with 2 tanks is 20-95326. MTH also offers two different premier 4-car sets, a 4-car Railking set (with one tank/car) and a single Railking car with tank.


----------



## DennyM

Was at a train show in Kalamazoo, MI. It was okay, a mix of O and HO trains. I picked up a Illinois Central boxcar, a Milwaukee Road bunk car, a Thunder Valley hopper and a K-Line handcar. Its missing another car so I got really it cheap.

































Now I have another car for my growing Thunder Valley set.


----------



## PatKn

Nice haul, Denny. That Thunder Valley set is looking real cool. 

Pat


----------



## Guest

Inventory keeps growing, Denny.


----------



## Guest

Lehigh74 said:


> Its premier Joe. The single car with 2 tanks is 20-95326. MTH also offers two different premier 4-car sets, a 4-car Railking set (with one tank/car) and a single Railking car with tank.


Thanks Bob. I will look for them at York. If the Premier car will negotiate O36 curves I might get one or two of them.


----------



## Guest

Denny, you bought some nice stuff. Your Thunder Valley train is growing and looking very good.


----------



## Spence

Very nice finds Denny. :thumbsup:


----------



## santafe158

Saw some good reviews about the Lionel Legacy NW2's and bought this one on Ebay yesterday. I've been wanting a yard engine of some sort for shoving my Legacy crane car around and this seemed right. I'm looking forward to running it. It may get repainted to DT&I to match the crane car, but I haven't decided yet. I like the UP paint job and it's based on one that survives on the Heber Valley RR in Utah.


----------



## PatKn

Nice switcher, Jake.


----------



## Guest

Very nice locomotive, Jake.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys, it should be a fun one to play around with when it arrives.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Well, there probably won't be as many O scale forum members watching these threads as usual, due to the almighty semi-annual York meet. But while they're trudging through the halls and viewing all they can so they'll have something to write about, I've been enjoying my latest loco, a Union Pacific #844! The diesel GP30 road switcher. 









This is a Lionel with TMCC and I'm amazed at the sounds. It's also a good runner and can pull an F3B dummy along with 6 aluminum passenger cars effortlessly, although it'll be relegated to the freight yard and pulling freight trains. This is my 4th command control locomotive in 6 months and I'm glad to have made the switch-over from conventional.


----------



## PatKn

Nice-looking engine.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thanks Pat.


----------



## santafe158

GP30's definitely had a touch of class compared to other locomotives of the era in their styling.

Great looking model!


----------



## Guest

That is a sharp looking loco, Vern. :thumbsup:


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you, Jake and Joe.


----------



## Guest

Vern, that's one nice looking GEEP. I like that style.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Regards,

Gary.


----------



## Guest

Nice one, Vern.


----------



## mackerel

Amazing detail on the GEEP Vern. Very very nice. I LOVE switcher locomotives. I'm sensing a bit of jealous settling in.



:appl:


----------



## Guest

I found this Nickel plate caboose at York today. I was looking for one for my NKP Berkshire.









I also decided to part with some of the elusive sponduitz when I saw these Railking cars. I considered the Premier versions but these will go better with the 3 Army cars I have. The first two photos are the new cars and the next two are the Army cars I already had.

The two new ones.

















The three I already had.


----------



## PatKn

Nice haul Joe. That military-trained will really look good.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Thanks Pat. When I saw those Army cars I knew they were coming home with me.


----------



## JKP

Vern, I like it, most of my engines are UP, along with a western pacific and missouri pacific. Country Joe nice caboose.


----------



## Spence

Some nice fines everybody.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thank you Gary, Brian, Adam, and JKP. I appreciate your input.

Those are some nice additions you have there, Joe.


----------



## Guest

Very nice acquisitions Joe. Enjoy!

Gary.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Joe
I like the Nickel Plate caboose. I can't get enough cabooses, and that one has an interesting cupola and nice colors.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Got my B unit E8 in to complete my Burlington purchase. This is MTH Premier but runs on O31. I will be purchasing a high quality Zephyr train set, probably 5-6 car set in the next 2 years. That will give me streamliners in 3 road names - Rock Island, Union Pacific and Burlington. Might get a Milwaukee Road Hiawatha but not a priority.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking engine, Bryan.


----------



## Krieglok

That is a beautiful locomotive. The details really stand out with the silver paint work. The CB&Q had some classy streamliners. Excellent acquisition!

Tom


----------



## Guest

JKP said:


> Vern, I like it, most of my engines are UP, along with a western pacific and missouri pacific. Country Joe nice caboose.


Thanks JKP. I've been looking for a Nickel Plate caboose for a while. 



Spence said:


> Some nice fines everybody.


Thanks Spence. 



Yellowstone Special said:


> Thank you Gary, Brian, Adam, and JKP. I appreciate your input.
> 
> Those are some nice additions you have there, Joe.


Thanks Vern.



waitin' 4 the train said:


> Very nice acquisitions Joe. Enjoy!
> 
> Gary.


Thanks Gary. 



Bryan Moran said:


> Joe
> I like the Nickel Plate caboose. I can't get enough cabooses, and that one has an interesting cupola and nice colors.


Thanks Bryan. I was lucky to find it. I also like the colors and it's different than my other cabooses.


----------



## Guest

Bryan, the Burlington E8 is very attractive, simple but elegant. :thumbsup:


----------



## 93firebird

Completed the lower level of my current build. Waiting for a contracter to replace some windows so I can complete the reno of my basement and start on the main level above. This will be a subway here...need to find a subway set for it.









Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Nice Burlington set, Bryan.


----------



## Guest

Firebird, you are off to a great start. Please keep us posted as you make progress.


----------



## cole226

Nice stuff everybody.

Joe, no aerotrain cars?


----------



## Guest

Randy, I didn't see any. Emile was looking for them for me and he didn't see any either. Fortunately, MTH is making them so I will be able to buy new ones later this year when they are released. I just have to be patient.


----------



## santafe158

I received my NW2 on Monday. It was in a little rougher cosmetic condition than I was expecting but the seller made good on that. I have a new set of shells coming for my planned repaint. I think the smoke unit under the original hood got a little too warm as there is a slight deformation like a melt mark on the top of the hood. Other than that it runs and looks great from a few feet away. The sounds are very nice as well.

My only gripes are that for a Legacy engine they seem to have dumbed down some of the lighting features. The LED's in the headlights are very harsh "cool white" LED's that have way too much of a blue hue. On top of that, there's apparently no "rule 17" lighting in these. Not a deal breaker by any means, but a little disappointing considering the selling price of these.


----------



## Guest

Your new loco looks, sounds and runs great, Jake. I can't see any of it's flaws in the video.


----------



## santafe158

Country Joe said:


> Your new loco looks, sounds and runs great, Jake. I can't see any of it's flaws in the video.


Thanks! Most aren't terrible. One handrail is broken where it enters the frame, some paint chips on the truck, and a couple bent handrails. The main issue is the slight deformation on top of the hood. It isn't terrible, but for what I paid I wasn't overly happy to see it there. The rest I can overlook.

It's definitely one of the smoothest, slowest running locomotives I own though and the sounds are awesome.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It may be a molding issue, hard to believe it melted when brand new.


----------



## beachhead2

I bought these from a friend of mine this week: 

Third Rail E7 AA set


----------



## MichaelE

That's really nice looking.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> It may be a molding issue, hard to believe it melted when brand new.


It could be, but it was slightly used as purchased and I'm not sure how the previous owner treated it. I have a new fan motor on the way for the smoke unit as the existing one is way louder than it should be, so I'll see what the inside looks like when I break it open.


----------



## beachhead2

MichaelE said:


> That's really nice looking.


Thanks, MichaelE. That is, if in fact you were talking about the TX Special. I see your profile says Southern Illinois. The person I bought it from lives in Belleville.


----------



## Guest

Pretty nice, Beachead. The colors are much more vibrant than the Lionel model that was very dull (satin finish).


----------



## Guest

Beachhead, that is a very attractive AA set.


----------



## beachhead2

Thanks Joe and PTC. I also purchased a matching set of seven Lionel, 21" cars from 2015 Vol. 2 (4-pack, 2-pack, & station sounds diner). It makes a pretty impressive train. I'm just now getting into passenger trains. These 21" cars are cool and a great match for the Third Rail engines. While I have O72 curves, I still feel they are little large for my current layout. I'm actively searching for a new house with a bigger basement!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Love that 3rd Rail set, good luck with it! :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Beautiful Texas Special Beachead!! Fantastic paint.

Gary.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Third Rail, wow. Seen in fan photos like yours - awesome detail. Good runner?


----------



## beachhead2

Bryan, yes, for sure. They run great. They have a strange (to me) drive system that has a belt drive. They creep along great at slow speeds.


----------



## Guest

My best “York Find” 

Emile

View attachment 492840


----------



## Guest

Now that's a good one, Emile. Piggly Wiggly.


----------



## Wood

That is terrific. Great find...


----------



## Guest

Emile, I love your Piggly Wiggly! Believe it or not, I just saw my first Piggly Wiggly store in Columbia, South Carolina. I've been aware of them since the 1960s when I read a book about Bonnie and Clyde. They robbed a number of Piggly Wiggly stores. The name seemed so odd that it stuck but I'd never seen one.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Menards has them in stock.


----------



## DennyM

Menards Norfolk Southern PRR tank car.


----------



## Bob Phillips

Nice tank car Denny. One of my favorite railroads. Missed you again at York hope you come in October.


----------



## DennyM

Bob Phillips said:


> Nice tank car Denny. One of my favorite railroads. Missed you again at York hope you come in October.


I missed going. Hopefully I'll be able to make October. I was there vicariously threw Bob.


----------



## Guest

That is a very nice tank car, Denny.


----------



## Spence

Denny; nice looking box car. Your Menards collection is starting to grow.


----------



## Guest

Emile, I spent a lot of time in the Myrtle Beach SC area. Shopped at the Piggly Wiggly many times. I must order one myself.

Gary.


----------



## DennyM

Spence said:


> Denny; nice looking box car. Your Menards collection is starting to grow.


Thanks guys. Spence, I think I'm up to 30 cars.


----------



## Guest

waitin' 4 the train said:


> Emile, I spent a lot of time in the Myrtle Beach SC area. Shopped at the Piggly Wiggly many times. I must order one myself.
> 
> Gary.


I recommend it. There are very few building that can be described as "Fun". This one is. It's real and authentic, but it's just plain fun to have this on the layout.

Emile


----------



## Guest

Yellow, what's not to like.


----------



## Bill Webb

Denny you chose well.

Emile I remember a Piggly Wiggly growing up. Last one I saw was with my son near Washington, NC. They have good meat.


----------



## mackerel

*New Loco and Baby Madison Cars*

Earlier this year at Amherst I picked up a set of 5 nice Williams full-sized Madison cars. These are the nicest cars I own so far. Of course, since that was my first big train show and I was (am) in learning mode I didn't appreciate how some things won't run well on smaller layouts. Those cars will derail more often than not on my O31 curves, so they have become wall trophies for now. Some day they will run layout 2.0.

However, I still wanted a set of Madison passenger cars to play with now. So, I picked up a 3-piece set of baby Madison's and I must say that I am impressed. They light up nice (didn't snap these when they were on unfortunately), run smooth and have nicely detailed interiors. I need to now find some passengers to put in the seats!

I also saw a neat little Williams (by Bachmann) 2-6-0 "Baldwin" locomotive. It is a simple conventional only locomotive, but I must say, it is very well made. The motor seems to be very strong, the couplers are sturdy and the tender (coal) seems well detailed for the pricepoint. I was surprised to see it run strong after barely turning the throttle and that is while pulling the baby Madisons! The older conventional engines that I have require the throttle to be cranked a fair bit more before they start to move. Also, plenty of smoke from the engine, but it isn't fan driven so it just bellows out as it goes around the track. 

And no, I have no road name strategy whatsoever. Just enjoying the hobby with whatever looks like fun to add to the layout and is within budget.


----------



## beachhead2

Looking good, sir. I love that blue paint on the engine. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Very nice engine and passenger cars, Adam. Makes a very good looking train.


----------



## JoeSaggese

De Camp Bus.......I remember driving down Valley Road in the early 80s to visit a young lady 😎


----------



## Guest

That is a cool looking bus, Joe.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That bus style brings back memories.


----------



## Guest

Adam, nice Madison car set. Noe you have to add others.


----------



## Guest

Joe, great looking bus. Goes with the C&NW Railroad.


----------



## JoeSaggese

Thanks guys, I gotta say I'm really into these Corgi bus's. May need a separate layout for them


----------



## Spence

Nice looking Madison's.
I like the bus.


----------



## santafe158

Pre-ordered this Lionel camera caboose quite awhile ago and finally got to pick it up from the somewhat local hobby shop this afternoon. I actually ordered the PRR version, but having picked up my Lionel N&W 611 since then, I sort of had a reason to go for the more realistic NS one and swapped. It'll look good with my excursion era "ferry move" set of cars that I've been putting together. The camera quality isn't amazing, but seeing as it didn't cost a whole lot more than a traditional scale caboose, I can't complain. It's a neat car for sure and I look forward to running it the next time I have room to run some trains.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice, I'm waiting on the PRR and UP model, apparently they are delayed.


----------



## Guest

Good move, Jake.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys, it's a neat car for sure. John, I hope you enjoy yours when they arrive finally. The app is a bit clunky (essentially a cheap security camera type viewing app) to use but it gives a neat perspective of the train and its surroundings.


----------



## Matt_GNo27

Finally I was able to pick up MTH's Great Northern Bobber Caboose to complete my SP&S/GN logging train. About two years ago I let one go without bidding on it, and this is the first one that I've seen for sale since.


----------



## Guest

Nice addition to your logging train.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The bobber is a prefect addition to a logging train.


----------



## Mooner

For the Christmas layout (only layout we have) picked up green M&M tank car and the original Santa's Coal Service green 4 bay hopper. For comparison, I've included an image of the newer green hopper I bought in the fall. I prefer the older version as the elf on the newer version looks possessed. You better hope your name is not on the bucket of coal list!


----------



## 93firebird

My 11yr old son grabbed this at an antique shop for $15 today. It's in "Mint" condition!









Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


----------



## DennyM

Nice cars guys. It bought this BNSF boxcar from a club member yesterday.


----------



## Matt_GNo27

93firebird said:


> My 11yr old son grabbed this at an antique shop for $15 today. It's in "Mint" condition!


Nice score!


----------



## Guest

Very nice purchases guys! Y'all done good.


----------



## Guest

Mooner, nothing wrong with just a Christmas layout. We should know. 

Nice purchases.


----------



## fotojocbi

*Hit it big at auction!!*

I hit a triple yesterday and an auction in London, Ohio! I should have bought the entire collection consisting of 6 to 8, 6' tables. But happy with what I got!


----------



## Wood

A triple?? That looks more like a walk in home run. It appears to be all postwar. The New Haven, Santa Fe, Aluminum passenger cars, Sunoco tank cars, Katy boxcar, the switching station and two ZW's. You'll have a lot of fun. Nice grab!


----------



## fotojocbi

Thanks Wood! I should have bought it all!


----------



## Guest

Yeah, I'd say it's a grand slam. You got some great stuff.


----------



## fotojocbi

I was looking at the different variations of my 2343 Santa Fe's on Tandem and it didn't mention anything about the yellow and black GM decals. Any ideas?
Thanks, Jim


----------



## Guest

Quite a score. Good for you.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Talk about a truckload!  That was some purchase! :thumbsup:


----------



## AmtrackJim

Would you be willing to say what that auction cost you?


----------



## fotojocbi

$409.00. I'm a rookie to this, even thought I had them as a child and again when my son was young. Now as a grandpa, I'm at it again but want to build a big layout in the garage.
Anyway, there were only 5 or 6 of us interested in the trains (150 total at the auction) and there was only myself and another guy spending money and I should have bought everything I could but wanted to stay in my budget!


----------



## Wood

Wow, you smacked that ball all the way to Lansdowne St.


----------



## Spence

That's quite a haul which should keep you busy for a while.


----------



## Chaostrain

*Long Black Train Power*

I received this this week from ebay. With a coupon it was only $27.60. My wife and I tested it tonight. At first it did nothing. My wife played with the power and it attempted to move. I pushed a little bit and could feel it starting to loosen up. Phew, it most likely just needs a good cleaning to run. There is also a lot of other work to get it how I want for my Long Black Train. Things like replace the rear coupler, remove the front coupler, a custom catcher, stripped, cleaned, and painted gloss back.


----------



## Guest

A good project for you Chaos.


----------



## DennyM

fotojocbi said:


> I hit a triple yesterday and an auction in London, Ohio! I should have bought the entire collection consisting of 6 to 8, 6' tables. But happy with what I got!


Nice haul.:thumbsup:


----------



## DennyM

I bought this Lionel Western Pacific UP Heritage boxcar from a club member. It has some slight damage, but you can't see it.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice Denny. It looks like a mechanical refrigerator car. It has the fuel tank and the intake screen at the far end of the box. That is a sharp paint scheme...

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Cool looking car, Denny.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Wood

Denny, UP does a nice job of remembering their heritage. I love the images. Nice catch.


----------



## Fabforrest

I got that car after I got the SD70ACe and caboose in the same livery. The car was mammoth compared the rest of my rolling stock, so I got rid of it.


----------



## Guest

Chaos, that is a nice steam engine. Is it European or American, or maybe from some other country?

Denny, that is a very nice car, plus it's huge. Will it run on your home layout or is it just for running at the club?


----------



## Chaostrain

Country Joe said:


> Chaos, that is a nice steam engine. Is it European or American, or maybe from some other country?


You got me doing a little research here.

It was manufactured by Tri-ang Railways, now known as Hornby, in Britain. The real engine was used in the Milwaukee Road fleet of Hiawatha named passenger trains. At least that's what the seller posted. I'm tickled that it's undamaged. I was seeing engines with broken and missing pieces selling for more.


----------



## Krieglok

*MP1500ac*

Picked up a MTH MP1500ac. The beefy look got my attention...

Tom


----------



## Guest

Kreiglok, that is one fine Switcher engine. We have yet to decide on a switcher(s). I just looked them up on Google. Thanks for your post. I believe the decision has been made.

Thanks Much,

Gary.


----------



## Krieglok

You are welcome Gary! I have a few switchers and this one is my favorite. The Blomberg trucks really make it look large. This one is a MTH Railking version with PS/3. Found it on eBay...

Tom


----------



## Guest

Chaostrain said:


> You got me doing a little research here.
> 
> It was manufactured by Tri-ang Railways, now known as Hornby, in Britain. The real engine was used in the Milwaukee Road fleet of Hiawatha named passenger trains. At least that's what the seller posted. I'm tickled that it's undamaged. I was seeing engines with broken and missing pieces selling for more.


Thanks for the info, Chaos. I'd heard of Tri-ang but never seen anything they made.



Krieglok said:


> Picked up a MTH MP1500ac. The beefy look got my attention...
> 
> Tom


Very nice loco, Tom. The SP gray and red scheme is very attractive.


----------



## PatKn

That MP1500 is a cool looking swtitcher, Tom.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Pat! The SP had a simple but interesting paint scheme. 

Tom


----------



## Guest

Tom, you are building an outstanding inventory of trains.


----------



## Krieglok

Brian, I guess I am more of a collector at this point, since I don't have a layout...yet

Tom


----------



## DennyM

Nice stuff guys. I picked up a Menards Army tank car.


----------



## Guest

Very nice tank car, Denny.


----------



## Guest

Good one, Denny. Supporting our service members.


----------



## Krieglok

I like the camo paint job. Reminds me of the 1980's camo the US Army used...

Tom


----------



## rdmtgm

Local junk store had some trains on consignment. I picked up this Atlas RSD-7.
https://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=496942&stc=1&d=1558883925

As I was leaving the guy said he had an old box in the garage. So I bought this post war Boston and Maine set. There were two of the flats from the set but none of the loads.

https://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=496944&stc=1&d=1558884111

Then on the way home I stopped at a garage sale and found this 

https://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=496946&stc=1&d=1558884889


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice finds, they look great!


----------



## Wood

That UP 213 is a find and a half. Looks to be in very good condition. Nice find...


----------



## Guest

You found some treasures today. The B&M set is appropriate for this weekend.


----------



## NewYork Northern RR

A consignment store, old old box in the back and a garage sale, your next stop should have been to the local corner grocery store to pick up a lottery ticket!!!! Nice Finds!


----------



## Guest

NewYork Northern RR said:


> ...your next stop should have been to the local corner grocery store to pick up a lottery ticket!!!! Nice Finds!


I second the suggestion of a lottery ticket. 

You picked up some great stuff. :thumbsup:


----------



## rdmtgm

Thanks everyone. I wish I would have thought of the lottery ticket! That was the kind of lucky streak I always wish for . It has been months since I found anything I wanted to buy and then all in one day! I wish for everyone a nice streak of good luck to finish the holiday weekend!
Randy


----------



## ERIE610

*NICE FIND THERE*

All you need now is a dummy A unit for the B&M 217 to have a proper ABA Prime Mover set. Nice find. In nice condition.


----------



## Spence

rdmtgm; some great finds. :appl:


----------



## santafe158

I won an eBay auction for a more period appropriate caboose to go with my N&W J class 611 and it arrived today. I've got a Lionel one painted in the more modern NW scheme, but I've been wanting one painted in the older steam era scheme so I could pull a period appropriate freight with it when I get bored of pulling passenger cars. This MTH one should fit the bill nicely and seems to be rather hard to find.


----------



## Guest

That's a very nice caboose, Jake.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks!


----------



## Guest

We had our traveling layout at a show in Melbourne, FL, yesterday and while perusing the aisles I found this Railking Imperial PRR L1 Mikado at a price I couldn't resist so it came home with me.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It's nice when they follow you home.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice L-1! I didn't know they made a Imperial version. Looks great, especially with the dog house on the tender!

Jake, great looking caboose. I always prefer the older, simpler paint schemes. 

Tom


----------



## Guest

gunrunnerjohn said:


> It's nice when they follow you home.


It sure is, John. I would really like it if it happened a little more often.



Krieglok said:


> Nice L-1! I didn't know they made a Imperial version. Looks great, especially with the dog house on the tender!
> 
> Tom


Thanks Tom. When I saw it on the vendor's table I thought it was a Premier loco at first. I really like Imperial steam engines. They have Premier like details but run really well on my O36 curves. They will even run on my upper level that has O31 curves.


----------



## cole226

Country Joe said:


> Thanks Tom. When I saw it on the vendor's table I thought it was a Premier loco at first. I really like Imperial steam engines. They have Premier like details but run really well on my O36 curves. They will even run on my upper level that has O31 curves.


Yea Joe, but will it run with your NYC.


----------



## Guest

cole226 said:


> Yea Joe, but will it run with your NYC.


It's no problem, Randy. :laugh: While the NYC is by far and away my favorite railroad I have a connection to and fondness for the PRR. I grew up on Long Island when the LIRR was owned by the PRR, and my uncle was a trainman on the LIRR. Besides, my layout is a toy train layout so anything goes. Right now the new L1 is running on the lower main along with a NYC passenger train. It's not prototypical but it works for me.


----------



## cole226

Thought maybe you were stocking up on Pennsys before Krieglok gathered them all up.


----------



## Guest

cole226 said:


> Thought maybe you were stocking up on Pennsys before Krieglok gathered them all up.


:laugh: Good one Randy! Tom is in locomotive buying mode for sure. We visited a prospective Vero Beach Model Railroaders recruit. Yesterday he invited us to see his layout. It is in his 2 car garage and he is also in locomotive buying mode. He's in the hobby 2 years and has far more locomotives than I do, and very nice ones at that, kind of like Tom. He's a good guy and will be a great addition to our group.


----------



## Guest

Always nice to add to your train inventory.


----------



## mauka

Just ordered - been interested in Lionel Lines recently. Nothing like having locomotive #1.

This will be my second Lionel Docksider 0-6-0, first was from a starter set. Planning to upgrade with ERR board I bought a few years ago, hope it fits!


----------



## Guest

That is a great addition to your roster, mauka.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

mauka said:


> Just ordered - been interested in Lionel Lines recently. Nothing like having locomotive #1.
> 
> This will be my second Lionel Docksider 0-6-0, first was from a starter set. Planning to upgrade with ERR board I bought a few years ago, hope it fits!


They're neat little locomotives. What ERR board do you have? FWIW, I upgraded one of these with an TMCC board, I think it was a Digital Dynamics board, but they're no longer in business.

For anything but the Mini Commander II, you'll likely have to break out the Dremel and chew off a bunch of posts inside the shell, there isn't room for anything too large. The DD board I used didn't fit until a cleared out most of the projections inside the shell.


----------



## mauka

Thanks Joe.

GRJ - upgrade project has to wait until November, when we make our permanent move to Washington State. Hate waiting but wife can’t retire yet.

I have 2 ERR CRUISE LITE boards over there, purchased way back in 2014. 

Found a partial of the schematic, still looking for instructions. Generally keep everything, good chance it will turn up.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I was told the CC-Lite would fit, but I'll bet there will be surgery involved to squeeze it in there. I still have a couple of CC-Lite boards as well, I'm saving them for special projects.


----------



## Dano

I've had this kicking around for a while. I recently added proper looking powered trucks (she was a dummy) and swapped around the crew, I think they ran long hood forward. As you can see the pilots are still flopping around (and don't even mention those hand-rails!).


----------



## Wood

Dano, I always liked that CP paint scheme. I believe that is a K-line unit because that was K-Line's rendition of the scheme. Below is a picture of the K-Line CP F3 in the same paint scheme.


----------



## Dano

Sorry, but she is Lionel. My (MTH) FP7 in the same scheme.


----------



## Guest

Dano, that's a nice looking loco. It's nice that you powered it. I like the handrails but I'm more of a traditional toy train rather than a scale guy.


----------



## Krieglok

Diversifying my roster a bit. Southern Pacific has always been a favorite of mine, so I shopped around and found a Lionel SD40T-2. I always liked this version, with its big, boxy looks. I still have a Athearn model in HO, of the same engine I bought 37 years ago. 

This one is a Legacy engine with Bluetooth capabilities. I may give that option a try...

Tom


----------



## Guest

Nice loco, Tom. SP's paint scheme is sort of plain but still attractive. Of course, I'm a NYC fan so sort of plain floats my boat.


----------



## Lehigh74

The MTHRRC 2019 Premier hopper was delivered yesterday. Looks nice with good detail. I’ll probably cover the plastic load with anthracite. I’m ready for Emile’s next color Monday.


----------



## Wood

Lehigh, That's a nicely detailed unit. The photograph is also nice. Good framing by your layout.


----------



## Bill Webb

*Rocky Mountaineer to visit Blueridge*

Norfolk And Western has arranged for a visit by the Rocky Mountaineer this summer thru Nashville, the Smokey Mountains, and the Blue Ridge of Virginia where passengers will overnight in the world famous Hotel Roanoke. 

They are also attempting to arrange a return trip that will include Boston and a Christmas stop in the wilderness of Maine.

(Gotta have some reason to have bought these other than they are simply beautiful).


----------



## Guest

Hooray, Bill, they are sensational engines. And yes, the trip up north has been cleared and all permits have been issued. We may not let this train leave anytime soon.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'm glad I missed those, I'd have had to buy a ton of cars to go with them, I don't think I can afford it. 

They are a good lookin' pair... :thumbsup:


----------



## Wood

Bill, that's a beauty.. Good buy. Enjoy your trip.

Ps. I just looked it up on MTH. Not a bad price for a premier engine.. That would be $8-900 at Lionel


----------



## Guest

Congrats on the new engines, Bill. I don't think you need an excuse to run those beautiful engines. If anyone gives you grief about them running on your layout just tell them to go sit on a very large screw and rotate.


----------



## Krieglok

Country Joe said:


> Nice loco, Tom. SP's paint scheme is sort of plain but still attractive. Of course, I'm a NYC fan so sort of plain floats my boat.


Thanks Joe. Even though the grey is somewhat plain, the lighter color seems to make the details stand out, especially on the trucks.

Bill, the RM locomotives are really attractive. The paint work is top notch!

Tom


----------



## Bill Webb

Thanks everyone. We can’t wait to get the cars. If they are as nice as the engines it will be a good addition to the layout.


----------



## mauka

Found a copy in good condition, at a sane price after years of spot checking!


----------



## Guest

Nice acquisition, Mauka. :thumbsup: I think it would be a lot of fun to build one of those classic display layouts. Of course, it would also be fun just to look at them in the book and imagine how they would operate.


----------



## JoeSaggese

Just came in today. Model A REA delivery truck.


----------



## Guest

That is a very nice truck, Joe.


----------



## JoeSaggese

Thanks Country Joe


----------



## mauka

Country Joe said:


> Nice acquisition, Mauka. :thumbsup: I think it would be a lot of fun to build one of those classic display layouts. Of course, it would also be fun just to look at them in the book and imagine how they would operate.


Seems as though I’m always planning and never doing, and flip flopping between display style and realistic operation. 

Thanks Country Joe - always enjoy reading about your layout!


----------



## Guest

I agree, really nice truck, Joe.


----------



## mauka

*Lionel Lines locomotive #1*

Case of Needanuitis! Recently I’ve been shopping for Lionel Lines because they are O27 sized. This was posted in the general “buy anything new” thread, but here it is out of the NOS box.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice little Dockside switcher.


----------



## JoeSaggese

Thank you PTC


----------



## Guest

Mauka, that's a neat little engine. very nice pickup. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Guest

Great little engine for 0-27, mauka.


----------



## mauka

Thanks guys! :thumbsup:
Looking forward to running it - today’s countdown for our move to WA is 139 days. I’ve been working on shelf track plans with 72” to 54” transition curves - for some bigger iron.


----------



## Krieglok

A couple more Western acquisitions, a UP 4-12-2 (Lionel TMCC) and a Lionel Legacy SD40t-2 in Rio Grande colors...

Tom


----------



## Guest

The UP 4-12-2 is a stunner, Tom, Great purchase.


----------



## PatKn

Nice engines, Tom. I always liked the Rio Grand scheme. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## PatKn

One of the non-Pennsy trains I own is a RailKing N&W J. I run this engine with a water tender and a Williams Passenger Set with painted figures in the windows. This is an old set. In 1996, when MTH was just starting they offered this engine. The engine is conventional only with a QSI reverse unit. The smoke unit is a plunger type. Myself and two other members of my club jumped at this offer. The Lionel J was a heavily sought after used engine and was selling for top dollar. For $300 MSRP it was a chance to get a model of this classic steam engine at a decent price. My engine was run but not often. One of the 3 of us had bought the separate sale QSI sound system and had it installed in his engine. When the club ran open houses we would use the engine with the sound unit. I have regretted not adding sound to my engine and in the back of my mind thought about upgrading. I saw this Proto 2 RailKing Imperial engine on the other forum. I made an offer and negotiated a price that was acceptable to both of us. I knew the RK Imperial had more detail but because of the streamlined design expected the same engine with sound and chuffing smoke. Boy was I pleasantly surprised. This new engine is beautiful. It is a much improved over the non imperial engine IMO. I am looking forward to taking it to my club this Wednesday and running the whole set. Anybody want to buy a conventional N&W J?


----------



## Guest

Congratulations, Pat, nice engine.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice "J" there Pat. Interesting how the same engine is reproduced over time with better and better design and detail. Great purchase.

Thanks Brian and Pat. I was considering the UP 9000 for a while, both MTH and Lionel. The Lionel TMCC version came up at a decent price, so I grabbed it.

I always liked the Rio Grande scheme too. It seemed like a good partner for my Southern Pacific tunnel motor, especially since the two companies were merged with the Union Pacific.

Tom


----------



## Guest

Tom, congratulations on the new locomotives. They are great additions to your roster. 

Pat, the Imperial J is impressive. What a difference between the two locomotives. I love Imperial steam engines. They have Premier type details at Railking prices and run on my curves.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added an extra car to my D&H passenger train.


----------



## PatKn

Nice car, John. D&H has a beautiful paint scheme.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Lehigh74

I agree with Pat. That’s a nice looking car. Looks like NOS from around 2000. Around the same vintage as the ATSF vista dome that I recently got.


----------



## mauka

Nice Vista Dome GRJ, going to be a beautiful train on that new layout! Reminds me of one of my first online purchases, MTH Premier ABA E8 Alaska set with passenger consist, including a full dome. So eager and then so shocked by how silly it looked on my 36” FasTrack.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys, I got sucked in when I saw it on the Sharks. I have the A-B-A Legacy Sharks, and a 5-car D&H MTH passenger set, so this will drop right in. I am still looking around for the 2-car add-on to the same set, that will make a nice length passenger train.

Since it's my birthday, it seemed appropriate that my birthday present also arrived today. Here are two K-Line A5 locomotives, one conventional, and one TMCC. Other than missing traction tires on one, they are all in great shape.

Interesting story, these were obviously custom painted by someone, and they were on eBay for $200 for the pair, including shipping. I was the only bid, so I got them for $200. Since I already have a #913, I think I'll swap the shells and sell the conventional one and repaint the tender on the TMCC one. Then I'll have a pair of them to double-head, should look pretty cool.


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## Guest

Happy Birthday John! You got some nice presents.


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## santafe158

That's a great deal John. I saw that listing and was surprised they were both on there for so little.


----------



## PatKn

Happy birthday, John. Nice present. Enjoy them.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys, at least I made it to 76, only 30-40 more years to go, right? 


santafe158 said:


> That's a great deal John. I saw that listing and was surprised they were both on there for so little.


I was too, I read the listing a couple of times and then put in a snipe. I was really surprised that they got no other action.

My only issue was the RS power supply fell out in shipping and there was no sound for the TMCC one, but stuffing it back in solved the problem. I don't think I can cram a Super-Chuffer into these, so they may have to live with puffer smoke units. 

I do have an idea for a poor man's Mini-Chuffer build with the Chuff-Generator board, that might be possible to get into them. It will get the ERR CC-M cruise, that's an easy upgrade.


----------



## Spence

Tom, Pat, & GRJ; some real nice acqusitions.
John; Happy Birthday


----------



## Matt_GNo27

With there actually being pictures now of the WBB GE 70-ton switcher, I have some hope that the locomotive will actually be made, and if we're lucky, delivered this year.







(Source.)

So it seemed serendipitous that a Weaver Rutland caboose appeared on Ebay recently. I don't think it is prototypical, but the colors are close enough for me, it's a real road number, and while it lacks much separately applied detailing, it nonetheless appeared to be a nice caboose. It arrived earlier this week.









Upon its arrival, I placed a pre-order at my LHS for the WBB Rutland switcher, making an exception to my GN, and one lone SP&S, locomotive roster. (Having grown up in Vermont, and with family in the Rutland area, it seems a worthy road name to make an exception for.)

Until the 70-ton switcher arrives, when I choose to run the new caboose, it be a case of East meets West.


----------



## PatKn

Nice caboose, Matt. There are not a lot of Rutland stuff available. I have an Atlas EV caboose. Beautiful car but too new for my Mogul. I would love to find a Rutland woodside caboose. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Matt_GNo27

PatKn said:


> Nice caboose, Matt. There are not a lot of Rutland stuff available. I have an Atlas EV caboose. Beautiful car but too new for my Mogul. I would love to find a Rutland woodside caboose.


Pat, am I correct in thinking that all of their cabooses, except for the couple of EVs, were all wood-sided?


----------



## Lehigh74

The Weaver NE style caboose doesn’t have too much in fine details, but they are a decent caboose for the price. I’ve got a few of them.


----------



## Krieglok

Matt_GNo27 said:


> Pat, am I correct in thinking that all of their cabooses, except for the couple of EVs, were all wood-sided?


The Rutland had two EV cabooses or "Vans" I think they called them. 

Everything else was wood sided. A 19000 series NYC wood caboose is very close in appearance to a couple classes of vans the Rutland owned. Perhaps with a little spray paint and decals(if they make them) you can make one yourself. 

Nice looking equipment, none the less...

Tom


----------



## santafe158

I recently purchased the older Lionel Powhatan Arrow aluminum 18" passenger car two pack as well as the station sounds dining car to go with my N&W 611. I have the four car Pocahontas set that was included with the Legacy 611, but unfortunately they gave up on the aluminum cars shortly after and no add on cars were ever made. Four cars always looks a bit short to me so a seven car train will be nice. While the N&W never mixed cars between the two trains, I can live with it for now until I find the older four car set. The station sounds car is my first factory made one and is pretty neat. I like all the dialogue included (aside from the not so great fake Southern accent of the one portion).


----------



## JoeSaggese

Those are really nice looking.


----------



## Guest

Good addition to your J, Jake.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice additions, that will look good behind your J.


----------



## PatKn

Good-looking set of cars.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys, I’m looking forward to running them all when I return from my vacation this week. It’ll be nice to have a proper train behind it.


----------



## cole226

I went on a NYC Hudson hunt.









Lionel 6-18056 NYC J1-e









Lionel 6-28072 NYC J-3a


----------



## santafe158

Great looking Hudson's!


----------



## cole226

thanks Jake, and I have to say your 611 should look good with the longer string of cars. :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Nice looking Hudsons there Randy. I have a K-Line scale one and I have been considering a Mohawk to go with it...searching...

Tom


----------



## Spence

I was curious about this post's start and looked back to page 1.
It was started by Keith on 09/25/2015/ almost 4 years ago.


----------



## Guest

Love the NYC Hudsons, Randy. Great additions to your roster.


----------



## PatKn

Those are impressive engines. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn

Nice locomotives, you obviously found some!


----------



## Guest

Yes you did, Cole. And, you came up a winner.


----------



## cole226

yeah, I'm happy with them. :thumbsup:
thanks guys.


----------



## 93firebird

Grabbed this yseterday from the gift shop of my family's favorite scenic railroad.









Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## Guest

Nice purchase, Firebird.


----------



## PatKn

Nice

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## mackerel

I ordered a flatcar from Menards. It is nice and looks/works as expected, but the surprise was this beautiful free truck that came with it. It is much nicer than I expected. It lights up as well, something I will test later. They really make it hard to pass up these deals.


----------



## Guest

Got to get one of these, Adam.


----------



## JoeSaggese

Just got these 2..................


----------



## Guest

Adam, those deals from Menards are very hard to pass up. I have the REA stake truck and love it. 

Joe, the flat cars are really cool. :thumbsup:


----------



## JoeSaggese

I also got the REA & PRR stake trucks and needless to say 2 Santa Fe stake truck. 

Thanks Joe


----------



## DennyM

This is not my roster, but a club member bought this diner at a train show and put it on the club layout. Now the guys from the sauerkraut factory can eat lunch there.


----------



## JoeSaggese

I really like that diner!!!


----------



## PatKn

Same here.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## 93firebird

Found the following unit at an antique shop near me. It has three passenger cars with it. Put it on "lay away" today.









Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## JoeSaggese

93firebird: That is really cool looking. Good find!!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Sometimes non-train shops are the best place to find deals on trains.


----------



## Guest

Denny, I like that diner a lot.

Firebird, sweet Railking Amtrak engine.


----------



## Guest

Joe, nice flats with loads.


----------



## Guest

Firebird, you will like this set.


----------



## 93firebird

Since my last post, I changed my mind and went with this Premier unit instead.









Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, that's a totally different locomotive!


----------



## MichaelE

Great looking locomotive.


----------



## PatKn

That's a cool locomotive. Enjoy it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Spence

93: Sharp looking engine.


----------



## Guest

I really like this one, FB. :thumbsup:


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## J.Albert1949

93 firebird wrote (and posted a pic):
_"Since my last post, I changed my mind and went with this Premier unit instead."_

Hey, I used to run *that very engine,* quite often!


----------



## Guest

I've added 3 new freight cars in the last couple of weeks.

First is this MTH Railroader's Club Railking club car. It arrived on my front porch about 2 weeks ago.









Next up are 2 cars I picked up at the train show in Deland, Florida. I went with a group of Vero Beach Model Railroaders.

First is this NYC stock car. I didn't have any stock cars and this one caught my eye. It's an MPC era car with plastic trucks. It's very light weight but seems to track well. I may eventually replace the trucks with die cast sprung trucks but it's not a high priority.









Last is this Williams PRR caboose. I have 2 Pennsy engines but only 1 caboose. I'm not concerned with prototypical accuracy but having the engine and caboose to match is important to me. Now I can happily run two Pennsy trains at the same time.


----------



## PatKn

Nice pick up, Joe. Enjoy them.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest

Thanks Pat. They have been running on my layout and I am enjoying them a lot.


----------



## Guest

Great to see more additions to your inventory, Joe. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

Thanks Brian. It's always fun to run some new trains.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Joe, if you want to fill any holes in your club car collection, I have a bunch of them in a big box here.


----------



## Spence

Very nice additions to the collection Joe. :thumbsup:


----------



## Guest

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Joe, if you want to fill any holes in your club car collection, I have a bunch of them in a big box here.


How did you get a bunch of them, John? I like them and run them as regular freight cars from a strange railroad or car leasing company. 



Spence said:


> Very nice additions to the collection Joe. :thumbsup:


Thanks Spence.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I bought a ton of them from a guy on the cheap, he was exiting the hobby. I figured if nothing else, I could paint them. If I ever get the time, I was considering painting them all the same for a nice unit train, but the "getting the time" has been the sticking point.


----------



## Lehigh74

Picked up a Strasburg N6b when I was at Nicholas Smith the other day. I have a thing for wood sided caboose.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice, good choice for Strasburg.


----------



## Guest

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I bought a ton of them from a guy on the cheap, he was exiting the hobby. I figured if nothing else, I could paint them. If I ever get the time, I was considering painting them all the same for a nice unit train, but the "getting the time" has been the sticking point.


I hear you, John. The Railking club cars aren't in great demand but, other than the paint scheme, they are pretty nice cars. I occasionally see them at shows at very reasonable prices.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Mine are the Premier club cars, that's why I bought them. They're scale sized and they were cheap enough that I could just steal the trucks and not feel cheated.


----------



## santafe158

I've made arrangements to purchase another Postwar Santa Fe F3 set, this time a 2151W with the 2333 F3's from 1949 (I purchased a 2175W set with 2343 locomotives from 1950 back in February). As of right now I'll be picking them up on Friday from the widow of their original owner who approached me at a train show some time ago. Everything seems to be in pretty amazing condition with all the boxes and I look forward to caring for them for the future. There are a number of basic accessories as well as the track and transformer it originally came with. Should make for a nice set to run and display.


----------



## santafe158

> Picked up a Strasburg N6b when I was at Nicholas Smith the other day. I have a thing for wood sided caboose.


That's a great looking caboose. The real one looks similar but is actually a former DT&I caboose that was one of the many in the order placed under Henry Ford's ownership around 1925 or 1926.


----------



## Wood

Jake, that is a beautiful set. All the important pieces of Lionel's postwar work. Excellent collection.


----------



## Guest

Congratulations Jake, that is a fabulous set. Everything looks like new.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Great set Jake, enjoy!


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys! Postwar Lionel is always fun to play with. Can't beat a Postwar F3 and some of the nicer Postwar cars Lionel made. The only damage I can see is some very minor rub marks on the edges of the locomotives as well as the missing portholes. The portholes on these were prior to the snap in type, so they're commonly missing and easily replaced.


----------



## Lehigh74

Thanks John and Jim. And thanks Jim for the info on SRC12. After you mentioned it I looked it up on the Strasburg site and also found an image elsewhere. It is a fairly good likeness as far as the general appearance, but some of the details are different.

BTW, I like your PW haul. I'm a sucker for the LV hopper. Even though they are ubiquitous I can't pass by one at a train meet without looking.


----------



## Guest

What a haul, Jake.


----------



## santafe158

Passenger Train Collector said:


> What a haul, Jake.


It certainly will be. I'm looking forward to Friday so I can go get it!


----------



## Bill Webb

*Golden Gate Southern E6 ABA*

Finally got back and opened the E6 Southern ABA that we received from Scott Mann last week. His company makes a beautiful product.


----------



## PatKn

That is one beautiful engine, Bill.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Very nice, they do make a good looking product!


----------



## santafe158

Great looking locomotives Bill. Those early EMD shovel nose E units are always classy.


----------



## Wood

Love those switch lights!!! And, yes they are sharp units.


----------



## Guest

What an absolutely beautiful set Bill. For us the Southern RR Tennessean is at the top of the list. I regret not ordering them. Too often there is just too much product available at one time.

Enjoy,

Gary.:appl::appl::appl:


----------



## Spence

Beautiful looking engine Bill.


----------



## kstrains

Bill Webb said:


> Finally got back and opened the E6 Southern ABA that we received from Scott Mann last week. His company makes a beautiful product.
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 503292



The Paint Scheme on The Southern Tennessean engines look great, Bill! 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Bill Webb

Thanks everyone for the compliments. We ran them yesterday and they are very smooth


Gary we agree about the large amount of desirable products that are available this year. Had Lionel not had the QC problems, we would have had to make some difficult choices. As it was, we returned a set of messed up Polar Express passenger cars, ordered none of the BTO N and W offerings from the catalog, and were able to order 4/5 cabooses from Rev Malcolm, the first of which he told me yesterday will be ready in about a week.

We went for quality and are glad of it. It won’t be a disappointing Lionel Christmas again this year.


----------



## Guest

Over the top good, Bill. Beautiful engines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Guest

Congratulations on the new engines, Bill. They area great additions to your roster and really beautiful locomotives.


----------



## Dano

#6709 has been added to the roster.


----------



## Dano

Great looking stuff guys and that Santa Fe set looks a beaut!


----------



## santafe158

Great looking CN locomotives Dano. I'm very partial to the older paint scheme.


----------



## Guest

I ordered this Railking Commodore Vanderbilt from Mario's Trains and it arrived yesterday afternoon. It's already on the rails earning it's keep. I had a pre-war Lionel Commodore Vanderbilt when I was a boy and for a long time I've wanted to add a modern model of this loco to my roster.


----------



## HarborBelt1970

Nice to see you back after a short hiatus and I’ll say no more about that other than I am glad to see you.

Very nice engine. The era is really not my thing but since all of the Santa Fe models I have hark back to my childhood and my father’s collection I can understand why you had to have it.


----------



## Guest

Dano said:


> #6709 has been added to the roster.
> View attachment 503848


SUUUUUUUWEEEEEEET!!

Gary.


----------



## Guest

Country Joe said:


> I ordered this Railking Commodore Vanderbilt from Mario's Trains and it arrived yesterday afternoon. It's already on the rails earning it's keep. I had a pre-war Lionel Commodore Vanderbilt when I was a boy and for a long time I've wanted to add a modern model of this loco to my roster.
> 
> View attachment 504044
> 
> 
> View attachment 504046


Nice purchase Joe....very appealing in the dark grey.

All The Best,

Gary.


----------



## Guest

HarborBelt1970 said:


> Nice to see you back after a short hiatus and I’ll say no more about that other than I am glad to see you.
> 
> Very nice engine. The era is really not my thing but since all of the Santa Fe models I have hark back to my childhood and my father’s collection I can understand why you had to have it.


Thanks HarborBelt, I am glad to be back. I think those engines we had as youths made a big impression on us. 



waitin' 4 the train said:


> Nice purchase Joe....very appealing in the dark grey.
> 
> All The Best,
> 
> Gary.


Thanks Gary. The one I had as a kid was black and I was very tempted to buy the black version but I think the dark grey is more attractive.


----------



## Guest

Your work is pure art, Dano. Beautiful job.


----------



## Guest

Joe, one of my favorite NYC engines. Great purchase.


----------



## MichaelE

ÖBB received a few new coaches a few weeks ago, and transferred back the SBB consist it was pulling to Deutsche-Bahn.


----------



## Wood

Nice modeling Michael. Looks like a snow covered peak will be in the back. The Cantenary wires are very realistic, or maybe it is real. Do you power your system with those lines?

I certainly would like to see more pics of your layout progress.


----------



## MichaelE

Thanks. No the catenary is not powered, though I do have two locomotives now that could use it if it were.

I still have a lot to install too. Viele Dank for the kind words.


----------



## Guest

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Joe, one of my favorite NYC engines. Great purchase.


Thanks Brian. The Dreyfus Hudson has more style but the Commodore Vanderbilt has a simple elegance IMHO. Of course, I'm prejudiced.


----------



## Guest

Michael, congrats on the new coaches. They look much better behind the OBB engine than the DB coaches. The detail on them is really nice. I'm especially impressed with the door latches.


----------



## Guest

Michael, just beautiful passenger train set. Thanks for posting it.

Nice to have you as part of the O-Gauge community, your contributions are very much appreciated.


----------



## DennyM

Very nice Michael, Bill, Dano and Joe.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice European set running there. I always loved the Roco products. I have quite a few from the 1980's.

What catenary system do you use? It looks great. I used to have the Marklin catenary system on a past layout, but it looked so chunky compared to what you have...

Tom


----------



## Guest

That is a gorgeous train Michael. Nice addition.

Gary.


----------



## mackerel

*New to Me Lionel 671 6-8-6*

Here is a unique locomotive. Apparently only one prototype was made for the Pennsylvania Railroad but it was a dismal failure. For Lionel, on the other hand, it was a hit as they sold thousands. Picked this up on eBay and the previous owner did a stellar job restoring it. Looks, runs and smokes (converted to accept liquid) like a champ. Best I can tell is this is a variation C from 1947.

Here is a link to a video of it running through the forest: https://arypinski.smugmug.com/Choochoo/i-tSh2ZKF/A


----------



## Guest

Congratulations on the new locomotive, Adam. I've always loved the Pennsy steam turbine. My first loco was a 1949 6-8-6 number 2020. A really great locomotive IMHO.


----------



## Wood

That looks pretty nice Adam. It certainly was a staple for Lionel. We had one in our family and it still runs great.


----------



## Krieglok

Really nice, Adam! That engine simply looks heavy. The detail is really nice and the locomotive has a great feel for the real thing. Nothing like "old iron"! Beautiful acquisition!

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine, Adam. Being a big Pennsy fan, the S2 Turbine is a favorite of mine.


----------



## Guest

I like that Pennsy Adam. Nice snag.

Cheers,

Gary.


----------



## cole226

*turbine*

good looking turbine Adam. :thumbsup:

they were for sure a winner for Lionel.

I have the 2020 version with smoke bulb and nickel rims and no E-unit lever.

always a solid runner and good puller in my post war semi scale roster.


----------



## JoeSaggese

Made a good score at Greenberg today. The 44 ton was missing a railing so I will try to fabricate one with brass. Add that to my to-do list.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice cars and trucks. Some of them look like they are right hand drive, better stay on the left side of the road! Lol.

I would bet that you may be able to find original handrails somewhere on line, but making them can be a fun venture. 

Tom


----------



## JoeSaggese

Thanks Tom. Im going to see if I can find a railing. If not then try the homemade version. Q


----------



## Spence

Nice looking autos Joe. :thumbsup:


----------



## JoeSaggese

Spence said:


> Nice looking autos Joe. :thumbsup:




Thank you Spence!!!


----------



## mopac

Nice cars and trucks Joe. Good score. I worked at a Chrysler plant in the 70s and we built a few right hand drive cars. I think they were scheduled to go to Saudi Arabia. Maybe not.
LOL. Long time ago.

And nice PRR locomotive.


----------



## JoeSaggese

mopac said:


> Nice cars and trucks Joe. Good score. I worked at a Chrysler plant in the 70s and we built a few right hand drive cars. I think they were scheduled to go to Saudi Arabia. Maybe not.
> LOL. Long time ago.
> 
> And nice PRR locomotive.



Thank you Mopac. Like I said above the 44 ton is missing a railing so ill try to hunt one down. If not I will try to make one


----------



## 93firebird

Grabbed a car to go with my MTH WWRR switcher. Got it for $25 dollars. Figured I go with it as it's something that will be redone to match the real ones. Anyone have a good inexpensive source for water transfers or decals to match the real coaches?









Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


----------



## Krieglok

That switcher looks great. I was thinking about getting the PRR version. The coach is coming along nicely. You may have to go with a alphabet set from Microscale, to make up the name. It is time consuming but if you are doing one coach, it wouldn't be too bad.

Something like this...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Microscale...uAAAOSwWAhcB9HP:sc:USPSFirstClass!07416!US!-1

J-prantel has a great assortment of decals...

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

*New Bugs...*

I picked up four Dinky 1/43 VW Beetles for my German DB auto carrier. They fit perfectly. 

I bought them from "Awesome Die cast" on line...

Tom


----------



## cole226

very good Tom. :thumbsup:


----------



## Lehigh74

The VWs look great Tom. I think you got the last ones since I couldn't find them ( I looked under dinky). Thanks for the new Diecast source too. Not sure if I'll use them much. Their prices seem a lot higher than my go to American Excellence.


----------



## Lehigh74

Just noticed the VWs are split window so they are older models (39 to 53). Neat!


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Bob and Randy. 

They are 1951s. They are listed as "Matchbox/Dinky" and found them searching for 1/48 VW and they turned up. They are 1/43, not far off from 1/45 scale of the auto carrier. A bit pricey, but very nice.

I looked up American Excellence and they have a nice selection of Veedubs, but not exactly what I needed. A good source for the future though.


Tom


----------



## Spence

Sharp looking VW's. I have a dealership on my layout with lots of "Bugs".


----------



## DennyM

That is very nice!:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Lehigh74

93firebird,

I thought that switcher paint scheme looked different than the one I remember, but after finding my pics, I see it’s a different loco.


----------



## JoeSaggese

Love all of the VWs!!!


----------



## Krieglok

Nice Volkswagen dealership! I had three bugs and a bus when I was younger. Never enough "farfenugen".... 







93firebird said:


> Grabbed a car to go with my MTH WWRR switcher. Got it for $25 dollars. Figured I go with it as it's something that will be redone to match the real ones. Anyone have a good inexpensive source for water transfers or decals to match the real coaches?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


Firebird, any luck with decals? 

Tom


----------



## Norton

When Williams and MTH started making 44 tonners I said to myself if they ever make one painted for Kodak I would get it. A museum about 20 miles from me has a Kodak centercab. While its an 80 tonner, the MTH engine is close enough. Amazing the sound for such a small engine and has electro couplers too.









http://www.rgvrrm.org/about/railroad/ek6/

Pete


----------



## cole226

That's a good looking centercab. I like the paint scheme. Does it match the prototype? :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

The 44tonner is a close match. I remember the Kodak Park Railroad when it was busy with the film factory there. It's all gone now I think....

Tom


----------



## Norton

The tracks are still there and in use up to a couple on months ago. The main steam plant was still using coal. Rochester Southern was running the hoppers up to the plant until the conversion to gas was completed.

Pete


----------



## 93firebird

Krieglok said:


> Nice Volkswagen dealership! I had three bugs and a bus when I was younger. Never enough "farfenugen"....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Firebird, any luck with decals?
> 
> 
> 
> Tom


A buddy of mine does vinyl graphics. He is trying to replicate the font for me. Said he'd get back to me when he's close.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


----------



## PatKn

Love the Kodak 44 Ton Switcher. I just purchased these with a gift certificate that my club gave me for my retirement last October.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice covered hoppers! Lots of interesting industries that are gone now. The Shell hopper looks great too. The Pennsy car with the engine inside is neat. What does the lettering on the side of that one say?

Tom


----------



## PatKn

.









Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I like the Generator Car, pretty cool. It needs the sound of a generator running.


----------



## Krieglok

Looks like a "Cat" engine in there....

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

MTH Eastman Kodak Corp 44 tonner from Pats Trains now running the rails of the S&Y RR

Bill


----------



## PatKn

I have an MTH 44 Ton Engine and I love it. The Kodak Engine is really cool looking. Enjoy it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice Bill, I have the first release PRR model. They are a cool little unit, I just wish they had more ability to traverse some switches.


----------



## cole226

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice Bill, I have the first release PRR model. They are a cool little unit, I just wish they had more ability to traverse some switches.


Might need to add a dedicated power car to add a couple more pickups.
I know I don't have to tell you this but I thought I'd put it out there for anybody that has a switcher that hangs up on switches.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, I have considered adding a little tether to it. I may consider a second one and double-head them. If I add a tether, then I'd have four pickups and plenty of power.


----------



## SDIV Tim

The steal of a lifetime. At my local train club yesterday, I saw this 2003 TMCC UP 4004 SD40T-2. Looked at the undercarriage and the wheels had no wear and tear. It ran only once, and the engine was in Mint condition. The seller was selling a collection and I got this for $90.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## cole226

Tim, how can you sleep at night.  
What a deal! :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice locomotive Tim, that was a steal. I thought I stole this one for $200, it's the new Legacy SW7 in UP livery.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice UP locomotives. The tunnel motor is really sharp...and huge! The switcher is very handsome in the UP Streamliner paint...

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Looks like UP was having a going out of business sale.  Enjoy the engines. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## beachhead2

MTH Model #20-21160-1


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking engine, Beachhead


----------



## seayakbill

For my MTH tinplate freight, a MTH B&O boxcar.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Not as impressive as some of the fancy stuff here, but I finally got a decent C&O caboose to replace the cheap Lionel one. This is the MTH Premier, nice unit.


----------



## Krieglok

Beachhead, The Mo-PAC unit is really well done. Nice lines and great paint.

Bill, The B&O tinplate is really interesting. I don't know anything about tinplate, but the cars look really heavy!

Finally, a C&O caboose. I think I have a couple, definitely a Lionel one that looks similar. John, Yours looks great even with the simple paint scheme...

Tom


----------



## ERIE610

*I COLLECT WHAT I LIKE INCLUDING MTH*

I found this MTH/Rail King National Guard flatcar with dual Hummer load at a local Train & Toy show last Sunday. It will fit right in with the Menards Military consist I am trying to build. My digital camera is shot so I used a stock photo to show what it looks like. Not bad for a Hamilton.


LATER


----------



## Spence

ERIE610 said:


> I found this MTH/Rail King National Guard flatcar with dual Hummer load at a local Train & Toy show last Sunday. It will fit right in with the Menards Military consist I am trying to build. My digital camera is shot so I used a stock photo to show what it looks like. Not bad for a Hamilton.
> 
> 
> LATER


Sharp looking car with those Hummers. :thumbsup:


----------



## cole226

*new stuff*

Some nice looking additions everybody. :thumbsup:

Beachhead beat me to the punch. I've got the MoPac Heritage on the way. Only mine is the RailKing Imperial from 2008. PS2 with only 3 miles/15 minutes run time. 









I plan to use it as a mid or end of train pusher behind my SD50.


----------



## seayakbill

Latest stuff from Menards Trains. Frisco weathered boxcar and the free Pennsy lighted stake truck.

Bill


----------



## teledoc

ERIE610, Are they called Hummers, because they don't know the words to the song......LOL!!


----------



## mopac

Randy, love your Mopac units. My favorite railroad. The canary and the Heritage
are nice.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Does this count? I added a cool 'scope/Multimeter to the test equipment roster.


----------



## cole226

That's pretty snazzy there John.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I still can't quite figure out how to get it aligned on the rails, but I'm working on it.


----------



## cole226

mopac said:


> Randy, love your Mopac units. My favorite railroad.



I'd have never guessed it.


----------



## PatKn

Wow. I love that scope multimeter. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Different piece of RR equipment Pat.


----------



## Lee Willis

O Gosh, I got to have once of those GRJ. That is nice.

This is the first Lionel I've bought in a while. Two work trains. Top row: scale, very nicely detailed and done ATSF bunk cars (three) and a work car. A matching kitchen car is supposed to be with them but Lionel couldn't seem to get it shipped with the other cars listed in its catalog page. I'm trying to put together a nice work train and this will help, although the cars look much too neat and tidy to be a work train.

Lower track is the new disconnect work train set. Cute, simple, but well made and quite heavy for their size. Arrived with the crane damaged in the box, but I think/hope I can fix it. for now is will sit upright for a photo, but only at an angle, but falls off if I try to move the cars. Not sure what I will do with these, except I have a lot of other disconnect cars and they are fun and I'm sure these will be, too.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I like the Disconnect Cars Lee, and I'm thinking of getting that set. I'll look it over in the store before I take it home to make sure it's not broken.


----------



## c.midland

Love the ATSF work train, Lee! Was considering getting those cars. Would be interested in your opinion of them.


----------



## Spence

Pretty neat sets Lee. :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

I added a MTH PS/2 3v Amtrak F40 to my collection. It is the early paint scheme used by Amtrak back when I used to ride back and forth between Buffalo and Croton-Harmon on the "Maple Leaf" back in the late 1980's. I have a set of matching Amfleet cars on the way.

The "Maple Leaf" used to use a consist of four or five coaches, a cafe car and one or two F40s when I used to ride it...

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine, Tom. Enjoy it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## seayakbill

Received this Lionel Yuengling boxcar a few days ago. One more beer freight car for the accumulation.

Bill


----------



## PatKn

That's a nice looking car.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## 93firebird

Made an attempt using Woodland scenics dry transfer sheet.









Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


----------



## Spence

Krieglok said:


> I added a MTH PS/2 3v Amtrak F40 to my collection. It is the early paint scheme used by Amtrak back when I used to ride back and forth between Buffalo and Croton-Harmon on the "Maple Leaf" back in the late 1980's. I have a set of matching Amfleet cars on the way.
> 
> The "Maple Leaf" used to use a consist of four or five coaches, a cafe car and one or two F40s when I used to ride it...
> 
> Tom


Tom your collection is neat in the fact that many of your engines have a personal connection to you. :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Pat and Spence. I don't know if I ever rode behind this particular engine or not. I did get a cab ride in one from Syracuse to Albany, one time when I was deadheading back to NJ. I never noted the engine number! 

This MTH F40 has something odd with the front truck and pilot. I didn't notice it until I looked at the pics I posted. I have to check it out again and see what the deal is. It is a high mileage unit, so I don't expect it to be perfect...

Bill, the brewery car is very sharp. Lots of lettering and subdued graphics make for a handsome piece of rolling stock.

Firebird, great job on the lettering. Dry transfer is really hard to do. I used to do it on some military models, but they were simple compared to what you are doing. Keep up the good work.

Tom


----------



## JDaddy

*MTH 0-6-0 proto 2/3*

I just save a MTH proto 2/3 0-6-0 from the heap.
It went for pennies on Trainz auction. It needed a battery and some traction tires and away she went!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's amazing, nice score!


----------



## JDaddy




----------



## JDaddy

smokes like a chimney a too!


----------



## JDaddy

*Look at that 0-6-0 GO!*


----------



## Krieglok

Nice locomotive! Great looking layout too!

Tom


----------



## JDaddy

Thanks Tom, 
Complete with paint brushes way in the background :hah:


----------



## PatKn

Nice find. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Spence

JDaddy; great looking photos and layout. :appl:


----------



## SDIV Tim

The Brand New MTH Railking 611 with the Spirit of Roanoke under the cab window has arrived. The sounds are from the previous run (2016) but I’m okay with it for now.










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine Tim.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice, I keep eyeing those J's, but I would have to buy all the cars to match, so I keep putting it off.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice, I keep eyeing those J's, but I would have to buy all the cars to match, so I keep putting it off.


It sure makes a nice looking train when you put it all together though...


----------



## SDIV Tim

Don’t yell at me John, I might be convincing you to get one after you see these videos.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Impressive to be sure. I'm saving my train budget for track, switches, signals, etc. I do love the look of the J's, they are one of the best looking locomotives.


----------



## seayakbill

New MTH tinplate UP boxcar for my tinplate freight train.

Bill


----------



## PatKn

Nice car, Bill. I don't have any tin plate but I like the way they look. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Spence

Very nice Bill. :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

The tinplate looks pretty substantial. Well made with nice paint work. Are they all metal?

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That tinplate look bulletproof!


----------



## Krieglok

*Amtrak Material Handling Car*

I added this MTH USPS car to my small Amtrak fleet. The real ones often brought up the hind end of Amtrak long distance trains on the NEC.

Amtrak even had a special mail train between NYC and D.C. Made up of these cars and a occasional baggage car hauling mail for the USPS...carried no passengers.

Tom


----------



## ERIE610

*FINALLY FOUND ONE*

My latest acquisition. I have been trying lately to build a BNSF consist. I finally found a BNSF boxcar. It seems that Industrial Rail is the only one to have ever produced a BNSF boxcar. I was lucky at our local Toy Train Show a few weeks ago. One vendor had this one for a $5 bill along with a Rail King flatcar for $3. of course I bought both of them. I have some other finds that I will post at a later date.

LATER


----------



## Spence

ERIE610 said:


> My latest acquisition. I have been trying lately to build a BNSF consist. I finally found a BNSF boxcar. It seems that Industrial Rail is the only one to have ever produced a BNSF boxcar. I was lucky at our local Toy Train Show a few weeks ago. One vendor had this one for a $5 bill along with a Rail King flatcar for $3. of course I bought both of them. I have some other finds that I will post at a later date.
> 
> LATER


Nice looking box car. :thumbsup: I've never seen one before.


----------



## beachhead2

I picked up this Red Comet during Pat's Labor Day sale.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's a great looking tinplate, love the bright red!


----------



## beachhead2

gunrunnerjohn said:


> That's a great looking tinplate, love the bright red!


Looking forward to using it on the Christmas layout. I wanted something new to take the sting off returning my Lionel "Missiouri" Mountain.


----------



## seayakbill

Lionel Great Northern boxcar with sound.

Bill


----------



## Lehigh74

Lotta smoke there Beachhead. I'm guessing its an MTH smoke unit.


----------



## seayakbill

beachhead2 said:


> I picked up this Red Comet during Pat's Labor Day sale.


Terrific looking tinplate set. MTH really manufactures some great looking tinplate product.

Bill


----------



## beachhead2

seayakbill said:


> Terrific looking tinplate set. MTH really manufactures some great looking tinplate product.
> 
> Bill


Yes they do. When I want something that's badged "Lionel" but _*actually works*_, I reach for MTH tinplate! 



Lehigh74 said:


> Lotta smoke there Beachhead. I'm guessing its an MTH smoke unit.


Indeed!


----------



## Spence

beachhead2 said:


> I picked up this Red Comet during Pat's Labor Day sale.


Very nice. :thumbsup:


----------



## Lehigh74

Latest addition to my military train. MTH premier flat with two howitzers. Again, I was amazed at the level of care they put into packaging. The canons are Solido products and they came with ammo that can be loaded and fired. I wasn’t expecting the 105mm howitzers to be this big. They are 1:43 scale and they make the 1:48 Shermans on the next car look small.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Cool Bob, I have a bunch of stuff still in boxes to do a military train, those would fit right in.


----------



## PatKn

I love the howitzer car. It's a nice addition to any military train. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Lee Willis

I got to get one of those cars: always love Solido army toys since I was kid (couldn't afford them then but I sure wanted them1)..


----------



## Toy train hobby

Various demonstrators...


----------



## PatKn

Very nice looking engines. The red and blue one is exceptionally striking. 

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## Toy train hobby

Thanks Pat. I really like the BL2 colors as well.


----------



## Lehigh74

Lee Willis said:


> I got to get one of those cars: always love Solido army toys since I was kid (couldn't afford them then but I sure wanted them1)..


Only one? I had you figured for a 4 car set.


----------



## Lehigh74

I've been thinking about getting a demonstrator or two and those ones look sharp. Who is the importer?

I'm thinking I want a first generation diesel in PS2 or PS3. What I see on ebay is later generation diesels and/or PS1.


----------



## cole226

Lehigh, nice guns! :thumbsup:

TTH, good looking locos. I'm in for the BL2. great colors. :thumbsup:

Beachhead, the Red Comet is a real eye catcher. :thumbsup:


----------



## Toy train hobby

Lehigh74 said:


> I've been thinking about getting a demonstrator or two and those ones look sharp. Who is the importer?
> 
> I'm thinking I want a first generation diesel in PS2 or PS3. What I see on ebay is later generation diesels and/or PS1.


Thanks Bob. The F3 was by Lionel and the Baldwin and BL2 are from Williams, or Bachmann.

Thanks Randy. What's nice about demonstrators, is that they can be seen in any geographical setting or location. I liked the Daylight version of the Baldwin Sharknose, but it never existed. I know... who cares.


----------



## SDIV Tim

Added an MTH Railking PS2 SW1500 in the Richmond,Fredericksburg and Potomac livery.


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## gunrunnerjohn

They're nice little engines Tim, and there's a road name you don't see every day!


----------



## Krieglok

That RF&P unit is really sharp. I never saw one before. Excellent acquisition!

Tom


----------



## santafe158

I recently discovered that MTH made a version of their PCC car in the paint scheme of The Detroit Street Railways back in 2005 and was able to procure one on eBay. While not the most detailed/scale thing in the world, it's a nice runner with PS2 and local street names called out in the station announcements.

















I also purchased a Lionel ZW-L transformer for a reasonable price. I've got a ZW-C transformer with three 180watt power bricks, but it's been finicky lately under command mode and even the conventional handles are flimsy. I've heard good things about the ZW-L, so I'm excited to give it a try when it arrives later this week. I'll probably repair the ZW-C and keep it around for backup purposes. If all goes well it'll remain my transformer for operations at the Redford Theatre, otherwise the ZW-L will do the honors this year.


----------



## Lehigh74

Nice. I didn't realize that some of the MTH streetcars had DCS. I thought they were all conventional. It adds something special when the announcements have a local flair.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Nice Jake, that's a good piece for one of your Christmas display tracks.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys. Until I saw it on eBay I never knew a Detroit PCC model existed in an O gauge size other than the Corgi models with a power upgrade (which I already have). 

If I can reliably get it to lock in forward only mode, it'll make a great addition to my Christmas display at the historic Redford Theatre (in Detroit). Otherwise I'll run it on the club layout for local shows. I'm new to this whole DCS equipped thing as I only run conventional MTH locomotives or Lionel, so figuring out the different whistle/bell combos to get it to do different things might take me some time.

Does anybody know if it'll hold its memory of being locked in forward only if I change the battery out for a BCR? According to the directions it'll hold the locked position until you put in the proper sequence of button hits again, even without power for some time. Not sure if that requires the constant power from the battery to do though? I have a BCR that's not being used as it's currently installed in an MTH diesel that has bad electronics and wouldn't mind updating the PCC car with it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

No problem locking DCS stuff in one direction. From a DCS User's Manual, this applies to conventional mode.



> You can lock your engine into a direction (forward, neutral, or reverse) so that it will not
> change directions. To do this, put the engine into the direction you want (or into neutral
> to lock it into neutral), run it at a very slow crawl (as slowly as it will move without
> halting), and quickly but firmly tap the Horn button once followed by three quick taps of
> the Bell button, allowing approximately ½ second to lapse between each quick button
> press. Two horn blasts will indicate that the engine has made the change. The engine will
> not change direction (including going into neutral) until you repeat the 1 horn, 3 bells
> code to return the engine to its normal condition, even if the engine is kept without power
> for extended periods of time.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> No problem locking DCS stuff in one direction. From a DCS User's Manual, this applies to conventional mode.


Thanks John, I did see that in the manual. I guess the main question is will it still do that with a BCR installed, or does it require steady power from the charged battery to hold the locked position? I'd definitely love to use it at the theater, but it has to be able to start and run forward every time its needed for the weekend shows after 5 or 6 days of sitting around since the layout is set to just turn on automatically with the throw of a power switch. No biggie if I can't run it there all the time, but it'd be cool to have it there.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It's stored internally Jake, it'll stay until you change it, the battery is a non-issue.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> It's stored internally Jake, it'll stay until you change it, the battery is a non-issue.


Great, that's what I was hoping. I'll put the BCR in it when I have time. Thanks!


----------



## cole226

*2-6-6-6 C&O*

This showed up today. Railking 30-1116lp C&O Alleghenny from 1997. Looks and runs like new. :appl:


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## gunrunnerjohn

Good looking Allegheny Randy. Even in semi-scale they're an imposing locomotive.


----------



## PatKn

That's a beautiful looking engine.

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## cole226

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Good looking Allegheny Randy. Even in semi-scale they're an imposing locomotive.





PatKn said:


> That's a beautiful looking engine.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Thanks guys, 22 yr old but appears unrun. Same length as my K-line model but a little heftier in boiler dia. Runs on 031.


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## santafe158

Allegheny's are always neat!


----------



## cole226

santafe158 said:


> Allegheny's are always neat!


Yeah, and it's pretty neat how this one and the K-line have the compressed build to run on 031. 
Makes for a BIG loco on a traditional size layout.


----------



## Krieglok

Really nice locomotive, Randy. MTH really packed a lot of detail into that engine. I bet it’s a great puller too...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Cole, I have the K-Line Allegheny, it's one of the first locomotives I upgraded with the Super-Chuffer when I first designed it.

Here's a picture from 2013 of my K-Line Allegheny.


----------



## Spence

Cole & GRJ; good looking engines. :thumbsup:


----------



## Lehigh74

My son is returning to the States with his wife and they will be staying here until they get settled into an apartment. So, I’ve been clearing stuff out trying to make some room. I had a bunch of old train magazines to add to the freebee pile at Hennings. I also brought a large Lionel mounted poster and some Lionel ornaments and told Bill if he wanted them, they were his. While I was there, I spotted this Baby Ruth wood sided reefer. It’s from a Railking set break-up. I took it up to pay for it and Bill wouldn’t charge me for it. It’s a nice car…diecast. It’s way too heavy for a 10” reefer (almost 3 pounds), so it will ride close behind whatever is pulling it.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Nice looking car, that's not your typical Baby Ruth car.


----------



## cole226

I like that Babe Ruth Bob. At 3 lb def a front runner. 

Wanted to say than you to Spence. And hey, one of them brown trucks just left.

Still on a NYC Hudson kick. 









































and a new in box K-line porter w/ 3 cars set


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice Hudson Randy, K-Line really hit a home run with those.


----------



## cole226

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice Hudson Randy, K-Line really hit a home run with those.


Yes, they are beautiful locos. 
With the same purchase I also got one of the MTH PS1 3020 Hudsons that I haven't unpacked yet. I'll unbox it later and do a compare. More pics to come.


----------



## Lehigh74

The Hudson had some great detail and it looks like its brand new.


----------



## santafe158

I'll probably have to find myself a Hudson someday. They sure are good looking locomotives. The K-Line Porter's are great, rugged locomotives too. Enjoy!

The UPS truck stopped by today with my ZW-L that I recently purchased. I've only done a function test to ensure that it all works and so far so good. I'm looking forward to getting some stuff set up to put it through its paces soon. My ZW-C had a chip replacement last year to solve its Legacy compatibility issues but it seemed to cause some functional issues. Thankfully a reset this evening seems to have fixed the problem. Not quite sure why I need both, but I'm sure they'll be put to good use come Christmastime between my trains at home and those set up at the Redford Theatre.

I really like the cosmetic design of the ZW-L. The gauges, lighted letters and the supersized ZW style housing make for a neat looking transformer. I definitely like that it's all self contained. Although I like the ZW-C a lot, the wires running everywhere can be a pain to deal with.


----------



## cole226

Lehigh74 said:


> The Hudson had some great detail and it looks like its brand new.


Yes, K-line did an extra special job on them. I've heard alot about their detail but first I had one in my hands.

Pickup rollers show it's been run but very minimal. Spotless, not even speck of dust.


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## PatKn

That Hudson is gorgeous. K-Line really did a good job on that one. I have the same porter set with the 3 reefers. It's a fun little set. 

Enjoy the ZW, Jake.


----------



## Spence

Lehigh74; love the Baby Ruth box car.
Cole; great looking engine
santafe158; Nice find on the ZL

With all this talk about the UPS deliveries I guess my pension check will keep on coming.


----------



## seayakbill

The last of my 2018 MTH pre-orders arrived last week, the EMD F-3 demonstraters.

Bill


----------



## PatKn

Bill, those are strikingly beautiful engines. Enjoy them.

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## cole226

Very nice demonstrators. :thumbsup:


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## Krieglok

Great looking diesels, Bill!

Here is my latest....Some NYC equipment...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, are you moving to a bigger house? If you're not, I urge you to consider it!  You are buying stuff at an alarming pace!


----------



## Krieglok

Eh, actually I have slowed down a bit. The scale Hudson from K-Line arrived a few months ago. The Mohawk and switcher came last week. Starting to earmark funds for track and switches...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, that's why I've been slowing down.  I have about 5K sitting on the end of the layout in switches and track! The four Reading engines were just because they were too good a deal to pass up, pricing doesn't come along every day. They also happened to be four that I didn't have, icing on the cake.


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## Krieglok

I am starting to stock pile Gargraves flex track and some selected Ross switches. I need to do some testing with my scale sized flange stuff to make sure it traverses the switches okay.

I considered MTH Scaletrax, but the samples I had wouldn’t click together. I don’t like that system. 

I have some Atlas track too. I will likely use it for yards or just sell it...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I was buying the switches I needed for the layout I started with, but I changed horses, and I have some switches that will be "surplus", and I had to buy some new ones. I figure the "surplus" ones will find a home as I work. I did score one 4-way yard switch for $185 shipped with three DZ-1000 switch machines, I just need one more and I'll have my yard switching. I love the variety that Ross has, you can find just about anything you need to make things happen.


----------



## Krieglok

I am sold on Ross switches and perhaps a few Gargraves switches too. I have a few sets main line crossovers but when I actually design yards and sidings, I will have to be a bit more selective.

I just need to learn how to install power systems for switches. I always had HO and N but O scale seems to be another animal all together...

Tom


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## gunrunnerjohn

Lots of information on wiring up Ross switches, and of course there's the choice of switch machines as well. If you want command controlled switches, look for the DZ2500 switch machines on your Ross switches.


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## Krieglok

Okay. Sounds good. I will not have all powered switches but there will still be a fair amount of them. Thanks John....

Tom


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## gunrunnerjohn

I picked up the Reading Camera Caboose. While it's a neat idea, the quality of the images still needs work.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice caboose! It the camera in the cupola? Never enough Reading... 

Tom


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## PatKn

Nice caboose. It will be fun at your club shows.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Yep Tom, the camera is in a cupola window. I just wish the video was better, but it's better than nothing I guess.


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## santafe158

The camera cabooses are a fun novelty, although like you said, they could have been executed a little better. I've got the NS one and enjoy it on occasion when I can get the thing paired up with my phone... Seeing as they didn't cost much more than a normal non-camera equipped caboose, I guess I can't complain too much.


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## seayakbill

From MTH, Skyline Chili of Cincinnati tank car.

Bill


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## Jeff T

Nice pick up Bill! Does it come with Pepto!!

Like so many regional restaurants, its what you grow up with!!


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## Lehigh74

I’m a big fan of the ultra-common post war 6456 hopper cars. PENNSY484 posted a shot of a green one (from a 2013 or 2015 RTR set) on OGF which started me on a search. I didn’t find any green ones, but I did find a grey one produced in 1997. I picked it up for $10 plus shipping. This one is fairly nice. I was expecting plastic trucks riveted to the chassis, but this has diecast trucks which are held on with a Philips head screw. It has fast angle wheels so it tracks well. I added a coal load. Looks good with my other 6456 cars even though the lettering is more modern than the PW cars.


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## Krieglok

Jeff T said:


> Nice pick up Bill! Does it come with Pepto!!
> 
> Like so many regional restaurants, its what you grow up with!!


Good idea! A pink tank car lettered for Pepto to be coupled behind it...or a boxcar of Tums....

Bob, the Lehigh Valley cars are awesome. I like the flag car especially. 

When we were kids, we called the LV the “Leaky Valley”....

Tom


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## PatKn

I have an Alka Seltzer car I run at the end of my junk food train.


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## seayakbill

One more addition to my MTH Tinplate freight train. A NYC coal hopper.

BIll


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## Spence

Very nice addition to the consist Bill.


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## cole226

Nice car. Good looking train Bill. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## PatKn

Nice Hopper built. I love the 10-point train.

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## DennyM

I picked up a Legacy Tuscan K4. I didn't think I was going to be able to get it, but it worked out.


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## Bob Phillips

Very nice Denny. I have that engine but it's MTH PS3. Hope to see you at York.


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## PatKn

Nice engine, Denny. I love the K4. I do not have a Tuscan one though.

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## Chops

A Bachmann Shell hafted onto an Athearn Blue Box SD9 chassis, 
and an old AHM shell hafted onto a Bachmann chassis, from the 
junk box.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Nice score Denny.


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## DennyM

Bob Phillips said:


> Very nice Denny. I have that engine but it's MTH PS3. Hope to see you at York.


I'm in York right now.


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## DennyM

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice score Denny.


Thanks John. A Legacy steamer was on my York shopping list. Now I don't know what I'm going to buy. Maybe a NW2.


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## santafe158

DennyM said:


> Thanks John. A Legacy steamer was on my York shopping list. Now I don't know what I'm going to buy. Maybe a NW2.


I love my Legacy NW2, that'd be a good thing to look for.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Some additions from York...

There were a spur of the moment purchase, they were just too cheap to ignore. The K-Line RS-3 for $75/ea, NIB with TMCC, Smoke, etc. I wish I had bought the other two.









Here's 2/3 of my Century Club A-B-A Sharks. I experienced a little issue with the lead A unit, so it's apart in a box waiting on a power truck. Both A units are full up, cruise sound, smoke. Interesting the B unit has TMCC just to run the coupler and a backup light. Since the shell and frame look to be ready for it, I ordered all the parts to add smoke.









I wanted one of the GE EVO engines when they first came out, this one is the MTH Premier PS/3 version. Pretty cool engine, nice sounds and I'm a sucker for blinking lights. 









I also picked up some passenger cars I made a deal for before I went to York, I have to get them out of the box.


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## Jeff T

You did quite well John!!!


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## Krieglok

Those EL RS3s are great! Since they are the same cab number, you may want to sell me one!

I didn’t know K-Line made those. The paintwork looks spot on to the prototype...

Tom


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## gunrunnerjohn

I was shocked they were so cheap, and they run great. My only complaint is no cruise, but I can fix that in a jiffy.


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## PatKn

Looks like you did well, John. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn

There are bargains around if you look for them. It also helps to have a network when you're walking around to find things that you haven't spotted yet. There was a guy looking for a PRR add-on passenger set, and when he mentioned it, I had just seen one in the Purple Hall.


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## Spence

Very nice additions John. :thumbsup: Now you need a layout to run them on.  I especially like the GE. I have 4 of them.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I know you have a bunch of the GE EVO engines, I felt left out, so I needed at least one.  It is pretty cool, and I know that visitors will love it.


----------



## Krieglok

*Allegheny Railroad*

This is my new Lionel GP35. It is in the colors of the Allegheny Railroad. I worked for the ALY back in the 1980’s. We had GP40s then, the GP35s came after I moved on, but the paint scheme is the same.

At first glance, I thought Lionel messed up on the cab number, using two different fonts in the 306. It turns out, the real 306 had the exactly same font on the cab side numbers. Imagine that!

Tom


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## PatKn

Nice looking engine, Tom.


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## gunrunnerjohn

It's nice when Lionel get the little details like the odd cab number correct. Enjoy it, that's not usually the way it works!


----------



## Krieglok

Yes, they model the real railroad’s screw up to a T. 

I didn’t notice the anomaly until I actually took a couple pictures of it. Then I had to research the image and found their other engines have consistent fonts through out. The 306 was the only one with the fat 3!

Tom


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## Krieglok

I picked up a MTH GP20. It is supposed to represent a Pittsburg and Shawmut GP7. Looks good even though some of the details are wrong.

A railroad I worked for leased this engine, P&S 10, and it’s sister, P&S 11, another geep in 1987. They often ran with our own Allegheny Railroad power...

Tom


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## seayakbill

When I was in Menards last week these 2 ended up in my shopping cart.

Bill


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## Spence

Nice additions to the roster Bill. I know my collection has gotten considerably larger since menards entered the model train business.


----------



## Krieglok

Cool cars, Bill. The big M&M/Mars factory is located on one of the lines I operate trains on. 

They have a siding and used to get carloads of “Canadian Sugar” which was reprocessed candy from Canada that originally came from from Cuba! That was how they steered around the trade ban with Cuba to obtain the product.

They haven’t used rail delivery for a few years now...

Tom


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## PatKn

Those M&M cars look pretty nice. I considered them for my Junk Food Train but the train is all MPC and I'd like to keep it that way. Besides, I have enough trains. I only buy "special" items" to add to my collection.


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## Lehigh74

My M&M 4-pack came in today. Three box cars like Bill's and a chocolate brown hopper. I like them.


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## Krieglok

*Shawmut Caboose*

Obtained a caboose to match my P&S GP20(GP7). It is an Atlas product I bought from Public Delivery Track...

Tom


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## seayakbill

Received the Red Flame NS diesel from Patricks Trains a week or so ago.

Bill


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## PatKn

Tom, got to have a caboose to match that engine. Nice-looking Caboose enjoy it. Bill that engine has a striking paint job. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Krieglok

Thanks Pat! 

Bill, your NS engine is handsome. Lots of detail, especially on the cab roof!

Tom


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## Spence

Tom & Bill; very nice additions to the rosters. :thumbsup:


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## seayakbill

Did some reading on the NS red Dash 9. Apparently what I thought was red flames is actually a representation of a horse's mane. Kind of looks like it and makes sense since the NS logo is a thoroughbred horse.

The conversion of the NS DC power to AC power is being done at 3 NS shops and at Catapillar, so each shop gets a different color mane. Red, Blue, & Black done at the 3 NS maintenance shops and Yellow done at a Catapillar maintenance shop.

The Yellow version is offered in the last MTH catalog, may have to get one when delivered next year.

Bill


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## gunrunnerjohn

A horse of a different color, that's for sure.


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## ERIE610

*BIRTHDAY PRESENTS*

I had a Birthday last Sunday. The Wife and Daughter gave me two presents. They are from Menards of course. I think they look great. I am pretty sure as to what I will getting for Christmas this year. 

LATER


----------



## Spence

Nice additions from Menards.


----------



## seayakbill

ERIE610 said:


> I had a Birthday last Sunday. The Wife and Daughter gave me two presents. They are from Menards of course. I think they look great. I am pretty sure as to what I will getting for Christmas this year.
> 
> LATER


Train stuff makes for great presents.

Two neat offerings from the Menards Train folks.

Bill


----------



## DennyM

My Milwaukee Road passenger cars that I'm running with my Milwaukee Road GP9. The cars are new I've had the loco for many years. I got the passenger cars at York.


----------



## Krieglok

Beautiful Milwaukee set, Denny. Who made the cars?

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice cars, they look like K-Line?


----------



## DennyM

Krieglok said:


> Beautiful Milwaukee set, Denny. Who made the cars?
> 
> Tom





gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice cars, they look like K-Line?


They are MTH. I just happened to walk up on them in the Orange Hall. The set was a real decent price.

The first thing I did was add passengers.


----------



## Spence

Denny; :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Lehigh74

I picked up a caboose to go with my EMD GP-35. There are few EMD crummys out there, but I like the colors on this one even though they don’t match the loco. It’s 1997 vintage with little if any use. It has lights, but no interior.


----------



## Krieglok

Interesting caboose, Bob. Did MTH or Lionel make a red and white EMD caboose? 

The new GP-35 running okay? 

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

Didn't see any caboose with colors that match the red and white GP-35. The GP-35 is fin but I haven't had a chance to run it too much.


----------



## seayakbill

Another Menards piece of rolling stock. This time the green Menards Company boxcar.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I went to the Allentown train show today, and something followed me home!  I couldn't resist, this is a brand new MTH Premier L-5 with PS/2, never out of the box. He had it marked for $475, but as I started to walk away, he blurted out, "how about $250?". Gee, talk about a suck-me-in price, I pulled out the cash and walked away with it! 

It's 15 years old, well aged in the box, but it runs perfectly. I did pull and trash the battery before I even powered it up, it has a super-cap replacement.

I'm a sucker for odd-ball locomotives, and this one sure fits the mold!  It's a heavy sucker, the whole shell is diecast, no plastic in sight!


----------



## Krieglok

Nice acquisition there John! That is one of the few PRR locomotives I don’t have..lol

Built in 2004, that’s a 3 volt system in that Monster, right?

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Great catch, John. I have that same engine and I love it. It really looks cool when it's running. Enjoy it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Spence

Good looking engine and great price. :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys, I was surprised when he popped out the revised price, it was really hard to say no... so I didn't. 

Tom, it is the 3V board, I verified that before I pulled the trigger. Since the manual was laying next to it on display, I leafed through that to see the battery instructions.

I do love the look of it when it runs, almost as much action as a steam engine!


----------



## Lehigh74

Nice motor John. At $475, I would consider it a very good deal (33% 0ff). But a NIB engine at 65% off is incredible. Never ceases to amaze me the deals you find.


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## gunrunnerjohn

It was somewhat surprising. I think the guy had just been hauling it around long enough that he wanted to unload it. I just need the DD1 pair and I'll have a bunch of the unusual PRR electrics.


----------



## santafe158

I've wanted a Lionel Postwar 221 locomotive for awhile. There's just something neat about those little replicas of the famous Dreyfuss NYC Hudson locomotives that I love. I've been watching Ebay for a couple weeks now and put in an offer for this set from 1946 and won it this evening. Appears to be in reasonable shape and should hopefully be a good runner.


----------



## ERIE610

*PIECE OF THE PUZZLE FOUND LOCALLY.*

I found this locally sort of. I am trying to build up a BNSF consist. So far Menards has been the best source for what I want to use. Just about all of the BNSF cars offered by Menards is online only. So I was pleasantly surprised to find the BNSF tank car at another Menards other than my local store. The Kansas City Metro area has 4 stores up and running with a 5th store being built out by the Kansas Speedway. I have been checking each store to see just what they have set out for the Holidays. Looks like it paid off for me this time. And 11% off to boot.


----------



## MattR

santafe158 said:


> I've wanted a Lionel Postwar 221 locomotive for awhile. There's just something neat about those little replicas of the famous Dreyfuss NYC Hudson locomotives that I love. I've been watching Ebay for a couple weeks now and put in an offer for this set from 1946 and won it this evening. Appears to be in reasonable shape and should hopefully be a good runner.
> 
> View attachment 514186
> 
> 
> View attachment 514188


Nice. I've been keeping my eyes open for a set of the blue passenger cars for awhile.


----------



## santafe158

MattR said:


> Nice. I've been keeping my eyes open for a set of the blue passenger cars for awhile.


Thanks. These are definitely runners as far as condition goes, but I'm loving the locomotive a lot. It's got the perfect toylike charm. I'm not a huge fan of how the cars match up with it, but it is the set it came with so I can live with it. I may see how a set of the later plastic O-27 streamliners look behind it at some point. I'm thinking about sandblasting the car roofs and putting a fresh coat of silver on them as the paint is really beat up on them. The bodies themselves look a lot better. I don't usually do repaint restorations, but these cars have already been modified as far as couplers and trucks go. The rear platform has the center portion bashed in to allow for an added coupler to protrude.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Well, I finally found a painted pewter switchman to handle the manual switch on the layout. He's hard-working and does a fantastic job.


----------



## PatKn

Nice added touch.


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Thanks Pat.


----------



## santafe158

Looks great!


----------



## Yellowstone Special

santafe158 said:


> Looks great!


Thank you, Jake. That's a nice postwar Dreyfuss Hudson passenger train you picked up. :thumbsup:


----------



## santafe158

Yellowstone Special said:


> Thank you, Jake. That's a nice postwar Dreyfuss Hudson passenger train you picked up. :thumbsup:


The small details definitely make a layout special.

Thanks!


----------



## Krieglok

Nice switch man figure! It is hard to find appropriate figures for a layout. It seems “everyone” is sitting or standing...

Tom


----------



## Yellowstone Special

Krieglok said:


> Nice switch man figure! I is hard to find appropriate figures for a layout. It seems “everyone” is sitting or standing...
> 
> Tom


Thanks Tom and yes it is, sometimes taking weeks or even months.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's a cool accessory, does he move the switch by himself?


----------



## Yellowstone Special

gunrunnerjohn said:


> That's a cool accessory, does he move the switch by himself?


Thanks John. Yes he does, when I tell him to of course.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Picked up a pair of Lionel TMCC U30C locomotives, they're going to become Reading models once they see the paint shop.

Pretty reasonable, $125/ea, but I did have to do some work on one to beat it into submission. They have cruise and smoke, so they're decently equipped.


----------



## PatKn

Good deal, John. Nice engines. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Picked up a pair of Lionel TMCC U30C locomotives, they're going to become Reading models once they see the paint shop.
> 
> Pretty reasonable, $125/ea, but I did have to do some work on one to beat it into submission. They have cruise and smoke, so they're decently equipped.
> 
> View attachment 515128


You already have an MTH Reading U30C don't you? I guess at $125 each, they were hard to pass up. If you get two more you will have the entire Reading U30C roster.

http://readingrailroad.org/roster/roster_loco_6300.html


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, I have one Reading, the MTH Premier. When we get these painted, the guy painting them will get one, and I get a second U-boat.  We're going to do a similar thing with the K-Line RS-3's I recently picked up at York.


----------



## seayakbill

Heck of a deal GRJ.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I keep my eye out for bargain priced command stuff.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added some heavy hardware to the mix today. This is the Lionel Veranda, a really cool piece. I got a great price on it because it had smoke issues. That was easily fixed, and now it's 100%.

I conundrum, should I keep it to play with the one already on the shelf or let someone else enjoy it?


----------



## Chiefmcfuz

Keep it. You earned it. 

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

If I keep it, I'll have to figure out how to renumber it without painting it.


----------



## Chiefmcfuz

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


----------



## cole226

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Added some heavy hardware to the mix today. This is the Lionel Veranda, a really cool piece. I got a great price on it because it had smoke issues. That was easily fixed, and now it's 100%.
> 
> I conundrum, should I keep it to play with the one already on the shelf or let someone else enjoy it?
> 
> View attachment 515612
> 
> 
> View attachment 515614
> 
> 
> View attachment 515616


they would make one heck of a Double Header John.

It's tough being you with such problems to overcome. :smilie_auslachen::smilie_auslachen:

and John, I received my Mikado. One of these days I'll get it unpacked and see what you did to it.


----------



## Chaostrain

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Added some heavy hardware to the mix today. This is the Lionel Veranda, a really cool piece. I got a great price on it because it had smoke issues. That was easily fixed, and now it's 100%.
> 
> I conundrum, should I keep it to play with the one already on the shelf or let someone else enjoy it?
> 
> View attachment 515612
> 
> 
> View attachment 515614
> 
> 
> View attachment 515616


You can always play with it for a while then let someone else enjoy it as "well tested."


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

cole226 said:


> and John, I received my Mikado. One of these days I'll get it unpacked and see what you did to it.


I made it into an Atlantic, just bobbed a few wheels. 


Chaostrain said:


> You can always play with it for a while then let someone else enjoy it as "well tested."


Well, I do have to test my fixes...


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Added some heavy hardware to the mix today. This is the Lionel Veranda, a really cool piece. I got a great price on it because it had smoke issues. That was easily fixed, and now it's 100%.
> 
> I conundrum, should I keep it to play with the one already on the shelf or let someone else enjoy it.


I don’t have one in my collection. I had two Lionel CC-1s at one time and let one go for what I paid for it...hint hint nudge nudge...lol

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well... I actually paid $1200 for this one, so I guess I can let it go for that.


----------



## seayakbill

Picked up the Valvoline oil tanker today at Menards. A light touch of blackish weathering on the upper tank, looks pretty good for $18.

Looks like the manufacture has acquired the old K-Line tooling for these tankers.

Bill


----------



## WITZ 41

KTM Westside Union Pacific Challenger.


----------



## Spence

Bill; I like the subtle weathering on the tanker.
Witz; nice looking engine.


----------



## Krieglok

John, $1200? Holy Cow, what do they go for new? 

Bill, a bit of black wash really brings out the details. Nice. 

WITZ, that Challenger is a great looking engine. The detail is outstanding. I am guessing it is two rail?

Tom

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, I was kidding!


----------



## Krieglok

Oh, nevermind, lol. I am just slow on the uptake sometimes....

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

With all the engines, I figured I better have some tank cars. These are K-Line cars with the diecast frames, sprung trucks, and nice graphics. If I only had some decent track to run them on...


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking cars, John.


----------



## Spence

GRJ: nice looking tankers.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys, they just caught my eye, and I have a few of the same design K-Line's with the diecast frame. They just "feel" robust when you pick them up.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice tankers. The yellow colors really standout.

I picked up three beater K-Line Heavyweight coaches. One needed a new truck and they all needed a cleaning and new diaphragms. 

About 40 minutes of work, and they are rail ready.

They have the old bulb lights inside. I may convert them to something better...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

K-Line, the gold standard of cars.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks John. One Wheelset seems to have a little zinc pest in the flanges. Hopefully I will get to run the wheels off them someday...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

K-Line cars were kinda' famous for wheels and trucks crumbling from Zinc Pest. I've put wheelsets in a number of their freight cars, and replaced the trucks on a set of PRR passenger cars as well.


----------



## Krieglok

Which passenger trucks did you replace them with? I had one car with a broken truck. I probably could have repaired it if the seller had the other half. I have another coach I use for donor pieces, but that only works till the parts run out...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I found a guy with K-line passenger trucks, it was an exact match. My solution only works until parts run out as well!


----------



## Krieglok

Okay. I looked over all my cars and other than the one bad wheel set, they all look solid. The broken truck I had to replace was damaged in a drop. 

There are plenty of “Heavyweights” out there to scavenge from...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have lots of K-Line cars that are fine, like many other diecast items, certain runs had issues. Kinda' like Lionel JLC GG-1 sideframes.


----------



## santafe158

Not really a train, but it will be getting installed on my layout at the Redford Theatre this week. In honor of showing the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation movie next weekend to open our holiday season, I purchased several components of the Department 56 Christmas Vacation collection. The house and garage come with three light settings. No outdoor lights, steady on outdoor lights and twinkle outdoor lights. Unfortunately every time you kill power it forgets the setting and reverts to interior lights only and you have to manually push the button to get to the desired setting ever time.. I rewired both buildings to run on 12VDC wall warts with a step down convertor putting out 2VDC to the LED's on the exteriors so they'll be on all the time (thanks to some tips from Gunrunner John). Much better for use at the Redford Theatre since it's not practical to push buttons every time the layout turns on. I'm definitely happy with how this set looks. Now I have to make some room to squeeze it in.


----------



## Spence

That’s pretty cute. :thumbsup:


----------



## ERIE610

*K-LINE FIND*

I attended our local Train & Toy show this last weekend. This K-Line Switcher caught my eye. Engine has twin motors so I expect it to be a good puller. After a little Haggling over price she came home with me. Original box included. I have some other goodies to post but I do not have a working digital camera. 

STOCK PHOTO USED


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Interesting paint colors, don't think I've ever seen one in that color scheme.


----------



## Krieglok

Jake, the “Family Vacation” home is really cool. I like the little “Eddy” with the sewage line going into the storm sewer...

Erie610, that is an interesting paint scheme on the WM switcher. K-Line made a great product. I think Lionel did the same paint job on one of their older switchers too...

Tom


----------



## DennyM

Really nice Jake.


----------



## seayakbill

I picked up another Gad-Pac ore car at an auction a week or so ago. This one for the Rosemont Copper Mine.

The accumulation of Arizona mines & RR's continues.

Bill


----------



## Spence

Nice addition Bill. Aren't we suppose to be slowing down our purchases as we grow older!!


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys. The Christmas Vacation set seemed popular amongst our patrons visiting the theater to see the movie. It definitely stands out like a sore thumb, just like the "prototype."


----------



## seayakbill

The Hoosier Line " Moron " boxcar from MTH.

Bill


----------



## seayakbill

Spence said:


> Nice addition Bill. Aren't we suppose to be slowing down our purchases as we grow older!!


LOL Spence, I think I am. This time last year I had 3 locos on pre-order, this year only one.

Bill


----------



## seayakbill

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Interesting paint colors, don't think I've ever seen one in that color scheme.


Yep, don't remember that paint scheme from K-Line, looks identical to a switcher that Lionel did 15 years or so ago.

Bill


----------



## Krieglok

That is an impressive ore train growing there! I have seen the ads for the “Moron” boxcar but didn’t know what it was about.

Of course I like the GN motor just ahead of it....

Tom


----------



## Maxum

This showed up in the mail today. It's a MTH PS2 version of UP's 9000 three cylinder locomotive. It was an Ebay score with zero run time. I love the sound of it with the extra cylinder.


----------



## Spence

Maxum; the engine looks brand new. :thumbsup:


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine,Maxum. Enjoy it.


----------



## Krieglok

That engine looks really impressive, more so when it is moving. Great acquisition Maxum. It looks like the 9000 will have no problem stretching its legs on your layout!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice score, the extra cylinder really adds a unique sound as well.


----------



## Jeff T

*Picked this up off Craigs...*

New in the box Lionel WP S-2 switcher. Opened it up, gave it the Mike R smoke unit treatment and it billows!!!


----------



## Krieglok

Nice. I like the Western Pacific paint job. Is it a TMCC or Legacy? I have the older South Buffalo version that came through with oversized traction tires and wouldn’t run right till I swapped them out with MTH ones. It would derail on curves and just run poorly all around. Now it is a great engine. Just had to tweak it....

Tom


----------



## Maxum

Love the WP paint scheme. Enjoy!


----------



## Jeff T

It's TMCC from about 2002. Back when the recordings were engine specific. Smokes like there's something wrong with it!!


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine. I have the MTH SW version of that paint scheme. It's a pretty engine.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Spence

Jeff; nice addition to your collection. :thumbsup:


----------



## seayakbill

Jeff, I have the Northern Pacific TMCC version from that era, how difficult was it to remove the shell. I think I have an antenna problem, keeps losing the TMCC signal.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Laid in some big iron, got a pretty good deal on it. This is the MTH Premier FEF that was originally PS/2, but someone converted it to TMCC, but not very well. However, for $350, it was a good deal anyway, and I'll correct the deficiencies and make it a good runner.


----------



## PatKn

Sounds like a great deal, John. Beautiful engine. Enjoy it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Laid in some big iron, got a pretty good deal on it. This is the MTH Premier FEF that was originally PS/2, but someone converted it to TMCC, but not very well. However, for $350, it was a good deal anyway, and I'll correct the deficiencies and make it a good runner.
> 
> View attachment 518648


You must have a pretty big roundhouse to be completing all these repairs and modifications!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, I have to try to keep up with your purchases, but I know I'm falling way behind! 

The engine is cosmetically excellent, and the running gear is fine. It has an older TAS SAW board set in it, no cruise and some of the lighting doesn't work like it should. It'll likely just get gutted and fitted with decent electronics.


----------



## Spence

I love those elephant ears. :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I've always been partial to smoke deflectors as well, just adds "something" to the look.


----------



## Jeff T

OK, Don't laugh!! My original set came in 61-62, it was an inexpensive Quaker Oats promotional set they did with Lionel. The steam loco was plastic bodied with a scout motor. Over the years that engine has decided when it wants to run. More so lately! Its usually the first set I put under the tree before we move to the modern stuff. One problem is the engine is so LOUD...

On Craigs the other day and I found a guy with a 31913 Penn Flyer set. Box, engine less tender, transformer and track, no cars. Perfect for my needs! He asked $50, I offered $30, deal done.

This die cast 4-4-2 runs like a top and has a nice little smoke unit to boot! Nice to find a little happiness in an inexpensive engine!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Price was certainly right! Looks to be in very good shape as well. :thumbsup:


----------



## Booly15

No laughter, I started in 65 with a scout set purchased with S&H greenstamps ( if you don't remember ask your parents). Simple loud, and it hooked me to this day.


----------



## santafe158

I got out my little NYC Flyer set that my dad gave me 22 years ago just before my third birthday to run under the tree. It needs some work as it's misbehaving (put a new mechanism in it last year due to a fall off a table it took years ago), but it was really nice having it up and running under the tree. Sometimes it's not the fancy locomotives that make running trains special.


----------



## Millstonemike

Booly15 said:


> No laughter, I started in 65 with a scout set purchased with S&H greenstamps ( if you don't remember ask your parents). Simple loud, and it hooked me to this day.


I got my first COX control line airplane with S&H Green Stamps. Used it until the .049 motor didn't have enough thrust left to get it off the ground.


----------



## Krieglok

Like Maxim, the Union Pacific 9000 4-12-2 was on my get list. I opted for the Lionel TMCC version as it was fairly inexpensive on eBay and it is in great condition. The MTH version has better detailing, judging by Maxum’s pictures, but the Lionel version is good too. Hope I get a chance to run it soon...

Tom


----------



## Jeff T

Beautiful Tom!! Enjoy!!


----------



## cole226

Nice loco Tom.

Time to get some rails laid.


----------



## PatKn

I'm not a big UP fan but you have to admit they have some beautiful engines. Enjoy it, Tom.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Pat, I was on the fence about UP, but they have some magnificent iron, that's for sure!  I used to UP trains a lot whem in the 50's when I lived in Utah and Wyoming. I probably have my PRR and Reading, but I do have quite a bit of UP stuff as well.


----------



## Krieglok

Thank you guys.

Randy, I have some planning going on and I have been buying Ross switches and Gargraves track for the day I can actually start something.

While I like the heritage with the PRR stuff I have, I enjoy all types of machinery/locomotives from any railroad mainly from a mechanical point of view...

Tom


----------



## WITZ 41

Love the 4-12-2 Tom. Nice pick up. Who doesn't love a good Union Pacific locomotive?!

Here's a few pics of a recent acquisition...

KTM (Westside) Union Pacific Challenger #3955


----------



## Spence

Witz41; very nice. :thumbsup:


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks WITZ. Your new Challenger is really sharp. The details are amazing. Is it two rail? 

The back angle picture really shows off the running gear detail...

Tom


----------



## cole226

beautiful details Witz.

Wondered if u have layout? Or collector?


----------



## WITZ 41

Thanks guys.

More of a collector now I guess. I pulled down the layout several years ago and never seemed to find the time. I pick up pieces when the price is right and have a few white whales I'm searching for in terms of specific models.

I have an unfinished basement bedroom from an addition I'm looking to turn into a poker den someday. I figured I would incorporate a tasteful dual loop around the wall/ceiling 3R & 2R. 

Until then I just keep looking. And tinker in some modification projects. I have a photo album thread on the "other" place, but I enjoy hitting this forum too from time to time.

(KTM Union Pacific 2-8-0, I'll change to coal and renumber to #6201). Picked up just last week.


----------



## cole226

Another beauty Witz. :thumbsup:

I picked up a couple Atlas Steam Era Classics 

































Atlas cars never disappoint.


----------



## Krieglok

Randy, Wow, look at those ladders! The paint scheme on the reefer is really eye catching. The detail in the lettering is exceptional. Like you say, Atlas always puts out a great product! Nice.

WITZ, the UP consolidation is really sharp. I really like the Vanderbilt tender...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Love the detailing on Atlas cars, but I hate how fragile many of them are.


----------



## Jim K

Okay it is a year old but it is the most recent additions to my rolling stock. I'm afraid I have reached a point in the hobby when new this and new that don't mean that much. My old Lionel and Marx run fine and make me happy. Now after I get dissed for this attitude I will probably go buy three passenger cars.... Pennsylvania I think.... I know I have been wanting them. 

Train ON!

Jim K


----------



## PatKn

What's important in this hobby is what makes you happy. Others opinion don't matter. Enjoy the new car and the old trains.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## seayakbill

6 pack of Erie Mining ore cars from Lionel.

Bill


----------



## PatKn

Very nice Bill.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Maxum

Cole, nice reefers. I love the detail of the Atlas cars and have a bunch of them myself. But damn they're fragile.


----------



## Maxum

WITZ 41 said:


> (KTM Union Pacific 2-8-0, I'll change to coal and renumber to #6201). Picked up just last week.



Nice looking consolidated. I love vanderbilt tenders. I wish MTH or Lionel would produce one in Southern Pacific markings.


----------



## Krieglok

Maxum said:


> Nice looking consolidated. I love vanderbilt tenders. I wish MTH or Lionel would produce one in Southern Pacific markings.


Similar but not quite the same...

http://www.lionel.com/products/southern-pacific-2-8-0-2521-6-82876/

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lionel-6-2...953294&hash=item444dd508a7:g:idAAAOSwQZFd6W9c

Tom


----------



## Maxum

Krieglok said:


> Similar but not quite the same...
> 
> http://www.lionel.com/products/southern-pacific-2-8-0-2521-6-82876/
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lionel-6-2...953294&hash=item444dd508a7:g:idAAAOSwQZFd6W9c
> 
> Tom


The ebay one is a TMCC version. I had one, but it was not in good shape when I got it on ebay and sent it back to the seller. I've been looking for the Legacy version in the Lionel link, but haven't see one for sale yet.


----------



## cole226

*more rolling stock and one loco*

Legacy LIONEL C&O 4-6-0









and mixture of MTH, LIONEL, ATLAS, K-LINE and WEAVER


----------



## Krieglok

Nice stuff! Is the engine a passenger engine? The paint scheme is pretty fancy. 

I like the CNJ flat with the trailer. Who made that? Great mix of railroads there. You don’t see Ontario Northland equipment too often in O scale it seems...

Tom


----------



## cole226

Thanks Tom

The 4-6-0 was actually used for both passenger and fast freight.
built in 1902 for the Cincinnati, Richmond & Muncie Railroad, purchased thru bankrupcy by C&O in 1909. It survives at the B&O museum in Baltimore.

The CNJ flat w/ trailer is a K-line


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful engine, Cole. Nice collection of Rolling Stock too. Enjoy them.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice stuff Cole. I have that same locomotive, I actually "improved" it by giving it a Super-Chuffer. One flat that early Legacy has is when you stop, the fan stops, but the smoke heater keeps running. It ends up cooking the wick. I replaced the smoke fan controller with the Super-Chuffer, and even got Rule-17 lighting in the bargain.


----------



## seayakbill

Another boxcar from Menards along with a free lighted Mustang.

Bill


----------



## ERIE610

*BNSF HOPPER & PIGGLY WIGGLY*

Finally they arrived from Menards. The BNSF covered hopper from Menards looks to be an online item only. Originally there was some Santa Claus figurines offered as the freebee when ordering any RR item $19.99 and above. But if the figurines were sold out then the Piggly Wiggly truck would be substituted. The BNSF Hopper will fit in nicely in my BNSF consist I am acquiring. 

LATER


----------



## Krieglok

Bill, The V&O boxcar is cool. It brings back old model railroad memories. 

Erie, Neat BNSF hopper. Is that a prototypical paint scheme? It seems modern freight cars are always covered with graffiti...a phenomenon that started some 20 years ago...

The Piggly Wiggly” truck is cool too. Nice detail for a freebie! 

Tom


----------



## Jeff T

Lionel 21955 DRG Passenger Set. Found one new in the box, still sealed in plastic.


----------



## Tom_C

Funny, I just bought a DRG on30 combine, for no particular reason.


----------



## cole226

Looks like a DRG morning. Nice stuff guys. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## PatKn

I've always liked the Rio Grande paint scheme. Enjoy it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Good looking cars, I like the bright paint schemes as well.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice set there Jeff. That Rio Grande scheme is really sharp. Congratulations!

TomC, is that a scale car? It has that compact look like real narrow gauge rolling stock has. Very nice!

Tom


----------



## Tom_C

Krieglok said:


> TomC, is that a scale car? It has that compact look like real narrow gauge rolling stock has. Very nice!
> 
> Tom


I honestly don't know, and not exactly sure I know what you mean by 'scale car'. I do know that On30 stuff I have (all Bachmann) looks smaller than typical O scale, so I *assume* it matches the scale of narrow gauge trains from back in the day.


----------



## Krieglok

I would guess that the car is shortened somewhat to fit the set. I am not familiar with narrow gauge stuff but the model looks really nice. I wasn’t sure if it was scale length or not.

Tom


----------



## WMnut

*Western Maryland 2-8-8-2*

New engine to pull the coal drag..


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking engine. Enjoy it.


----------



## cole226

WMnut said:


> New engine to pull the coal drag..
> View attachment 522944
> 
> 
> That should do the job. :thumbsup:


----------



## Lehigh74

Tom_C said:


> I honestly don't know, and not exactly sure I know what you mean by 'scale car'. I do know that On30 stuff I have (all Bachmann) looks smaller than typical O scale, so I *assume* it matches the scale of narrow gauge trains from back in the day.


I tried to find an image of the DRGW 211 and got as far as this site http://www.drgw.net/info/NGCars. Looks like it’s under construction, but you can email the site owner to maybe find out more.

Cars I have seen on the Maine Narrow gage look to be longer, but not all passenger cars were the same design.


----------



## WMnut

PatKn said:


> Nice looking engine. Enjoy it.


Thanks, i certainly will have fun with this one.


----------



## WMnut

cole226 said:


> WMnut said:
> 
> 
> 
> New engine to pull the coal drag..
> View attachment 522944
> 
> 
> That should do the job. :thumbsup:
> 
> 
> 
> Yes it will, thanks...
Click to expand...


----------



## Maxum

WMnut said:


> New engine to pull the coal drag..


Neat looking Y3. A lot of roads used Y3's. I have a MTH Y3 labeled for Rio Grande. And yes, with those small drivers they were designed to pull heavy loads.


----------



## Krieglok

I too have a Y3, a PRR version. It is the scale Lionel version. Those drivers with all the working valve gear make for quite a sight. 

Congratulations on you new WM engine!

Tom


----------



## ERIE610

*ESTATE SALE FINDS*

I went to an Estate sale last week. I managed to come home with a MTH RAILKING 2920 "Northern" with Proto 2 sound. This is my first MTH engine. I managed to come home with 6 MTH RAILKING UP Madison passenger cars as well. Passenger cars appears to be a full set of 4 plus 2 extra addons. 

LATER

STOCK PHOTOS SHOWN


----------



## seayakbill

The AT&SF Northern is nery nice, Northerns are one of my favorite steamers. They are a large steamer that fits in perfectly with smaller layouts.

Bill


----------



## WMnut

Maxum said:


> Neat looking Y3. A lot of roads used Y3's. I have a MTH Y3 labeled for Rio Grande. And yes, with those small drivers they were designed to pull heavy loads.


Yep, Western Maryland had some of the steepest grades of any railroad up through Black Water Falls, one engine for every 10 coal hoppers. I have a video of a coal drag coming up from Elkins W.VA through Black Water Falls, 3, 4-8-0s in the lead, 3, 3-8-0s in the middle, and 4, 3-8-0s pushing from the rear.
I think that was before W.M. got the Y3s, i don`t have a video of the Y3s yet.


----------



## WMnut

Krieglok said:


> I too have a Y3, a PRR version. It is the scale Lionel version. Those drivers with all the working valve gear make for quite a sight.
> 
> Congratulations on you new WM engine!
> 
> Tom


Yes thanks, i am going to be looking now for a 4-6-6-4 challenger.


----------



## WMnut

ERIE610 said:


> I went to an Estate sale last week. I managed to come home with a MTH RAILKING 2920 "Northern" with Proto 2 sound. This is my first MTH engine. I managed to come home with 6 MTH RAILKING UP Madison passenger cars as well. Passenger cars appears to be a full set of 4 plus 2 extra addons.
> 
> LATER
> 
> STOCK PHOTOS SHOWN


Wow, great looking set, you did well..


----------



## WMnut

*Western Maryland Shay*

My second purchase this week, first the W.M. 2-8-8-2, and now the Shay. Keep this up and i will have to go back to work !!!


----------



## PatKn

You certainly have good taste and engines.

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## Spence

Nice looking Shay. :thumbsup:


----------



## WMnut

PatKn said:


> You certainly have good taste and engines.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Thanks, and expensive also !!!!


----------



## WMnut

Spence said:


> Nice looking Shay. :thumbsup:


Thanks, the real one is running on the Cass Railroad, what an awesome shay to see in person.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Great looking Shay, I have the three-truck one in TMCC and the two-truck Legacy model. Love all the action when you run the Shay, lots of moving parts!


----------



## WMnut

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Great looking Shay, I have the three-truck one in TMCC and the two-truck Legacy model. Love all the action when you run the Shay, lots of moving parts!


I think the Shay is my favorite steam engine, that does not mean i don`t like all the others, but like you said, love the action, thanks.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I will caution you, they're also fairly delicate. You need to keep them lubed, and watch too tight a curve as they tend to break the linkage if abused at all.


----------



## Krieglok

Great looking engine. Now you need a string of log buggies to pull behind it!

Tom


----------



## WMnut

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I will caution you, they're also fairly delicate. You need to keep them lubed, and watch too tight a curve as they tend to break the linkage if abused at all.


Thanks for the information, i will be careful with the shay..


----------



## WMnut

Krieglok said:


> Great looking engine. Now you need a string of log buggies to pull behind it!
> 
> Tom


Thanks, first i need to save up for the log buggies, have spent my limit this month, but wait, this month is almost gone, ha.
That would look great though...:thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Beefed up my PRR passenger roster a bit, got this nice MTH Premier Atlantic. I did have to put a new board in it, the old PS/2 5V board was history.


----------



## PatKn

Nice engine, John. I'm really happy with my Atlantic. Mine is a PS1 converted to PS2.

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## gunrunnerjohn

It was cheap, but it had a bad 5V PS/2 board, so I treated it to the PS/3 replacement. It also got the quilling whistle as part of the upgrade since that was free. If the board had worked, it was a real bargain. As it is, it was a very decent buy, but not quite the bargain I was hoping for.


----------



## Maxum

Santa Fe decided to try out their new MTH Premier F7's in Proto 3 by pulling a set of heavyweight coaches. They haven't removed their stainless Budd cars from storage yet. LOL


----------



## Krieglok

John, my PRR Atlantic will need the same treatment, I figure. It too, is a PS2 5v. Nice locomotive. I like those high steppin drivers! 

Maxum, that is a great looking train. The mars light effect is really outstanding!

Tom


----------



## Spence

Maxum; :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice looking F7's. Lots of motive power there.


----------



## Riggzie

$14 caboose








in 3w ill pickup
$75 loco - guy put on test track and no go so je is having it serviced...
then ill grab all 5 of these for $125...


----------



## Maxum

Krieglok said:


> Maxum, that is a great looking train. The mars light effect is really outstanding!
> 
> Tom


Thanks. I have a few MTH locomotives with a Mars light. It's impressive how they simulated the real Mars light.


----------



## ERIE610

*I COLLECT WHAT I LIKE*

I have one of those PRR "LITTLE JOE" engines & similar passenger cars. You will be getting a very sweet deal for sure.

LATER


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You can add a realistic MARS light to locomotives if you like, the ngineering.com MARS Simulator is a very good simulation of the MARS light. It's the one I use when I need a MARS light.


----------



## Maxum

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You can add a realistic MARS light to locomotives if you like, the ngineering.com MARS Simulator is a very good simulation of the MARS light. It's the one I use when I need a MARS light.


Thanks for the info. I think a Mars light really adds to the realism of our models.


----------



## Krieglok

I looked for some IC cars to go with my Illinois Central Berkshire and caboose. 

I found one. A kit made by Weaver many years ago. It is scale but I put it together for 3 rail. I used a new set of MTH friction bearing trucks. After a bit of machining the trucks and filing the frame, I got the trucks to sit at a decent height. With out the work, the car just rode too high...

Next, a coal load and some weight to be added...

Tom


----------



## ERIE610

*How to Build Coal Loads*

There is an active post concerning How to Build Coal Loads shown at the MTF link below. Please join in.

LATER 


https://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=188410


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Picked up this little switcher, it's a Railking Scale Imperial 0-6-0. I added one enhancement, a pickup on the locomotive, it just had two on the tender. I find with any of these little switchers, you really need pickups on both ends. The Imperial line compares very favorably with the Premier line when the RK is scale sized.


----------



## WMnut

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Picked up this little switcher, it's a Railking Scale Imperial 0-6-0. I added one enhancement, a pickup on the locomotive, it just had two on the tender. I find with any of these little switchers, you really need pickups on both ends. The Imperial line compares very favorably with the Premier line when the RK is scale sized.
> 
> View attachment 524374


Wow, nice !!!!


----------



## Don F

A bought this Weaver fixed pilot RS3 from a friend, and it came without couplers. I installed Kadee scale couplers, and may weather it later on.


----------



## WMnut

Don F said:


> A bought this Weaver fixed pilot RS3 from a friend, and it came without couplers. I installed Kadee scale couplers, and may weather it later on.
> View attachment 524400
> 
> 
> View attachment 524402


Nice looking engine...


----------



## PatKn

Must be a Jersey Central day. Two very nice engines guys. I have a couple of rail king imperial engines. They're really nice. I have a B6 that's a scale Imperial. Enjoy your engines.

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## gunrunnerjohn

It's CNJ day at MTF.  That one looks brand new Don!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Finally found a Mogul that I can upgrade.  Runs great in conventional, and I have all the stuff coming from Lionel for the TMCC upgrade.


----------



## Krieglok

Who made that? Looks great!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, it's the Lionel 6-11290 Mogul 2-6-0 Bethlehem Steel #28. It's a conventional locomotive, but it has fan driven smoke and I can fit a Super-Chuffer in with the TMCC stuff.


----------



## Don F

gunrunnerjohn said:


> It's CNJ day at MTF.  That one looks brand new Don!


John, I don't think it has ever been run, or very lightly if it saw any run time. I haven't even tried it yet!


----------



## PatKn

Nice little engine, John. I'm sure with your little update. It'll run a lot better than mine with the Legacy fix.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## beachhead2

I've been assembling a collection of trains that might have come through St. Louis years ago. I picked up an MTH Louisville & Nashville E8 AA last week with some streamlined passenger cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice passenger train, you don't see those often.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

PatKn said:


> Nice little engine, John. I'm sure with your little update. It'll run a lot better than mine with the Legacy fix.


It runs great in conventional mode, so I have high hopes for it in command mode. I wanted the Legacy one, but I was reluctant to jump on one with all the issues. If they had ever really defined what the specific issue was, it would have been easier to decide if I wanted to take a chance on fixing one.


----------



## PatKn

I had mine fixed and I'm still not happy with its performance. I don't have Legacy I run mine in conventional. It doesn't pull very well. I had to reduce the size of my milk train in order to get it up a rather small hill.

That L&N set is really sharp looking. 

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## gunrunnerjohn

Pat, your story is exactly why I decided not to take the plunge. I still see NIB Legacy Mogul's being offered, but they're at top dollar. Obviously, they're shooting for the folks that didn't get the word.  By now, they're out of warranty, so when you get the non-working Mogul, you're stuck with it.


----------



## santafe158

Good luck with the upgrade John. I like my TMCC Mogul, and I'm sure with all your updates yours will be a great little engine.

I picked up my first Legacy engine with the whistle steam effect a couple weeks ago, the Lionel PRR 460 Atlantic from I believe 2017. I've only run it for a short time so far but it's a great little engine. I've had a set of the PRR heavyweight commuter cars Lionel cataloged with their BB1 electric locomotives (which I also have) why back when, but I've also been wanting a proper passenger steam locomotive to pull them as well. This certainly fills that gap. Having seen the beautifully restored real one at the RR Museum of Pennsylvania last summer, it's nice to have a model of it too.

Somehow I've yet to take a photo of it, so here's the Lionel catalog rendering


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That one was tempting to me Jake, but I already have a couple of Atlantic's, a Weaver one with TMCC and the MTH with PS/2. Given that fact, I can't really see going for the Legacy one. However, I did opt for the H10 with the whistle steam and swinging bell.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> That one was tempting to me Jake, but I already have a couple of Atlantic's, a Weaver one with TMCC and the MTH with PS/2. Given that fact, I can't really see going for the Legacy one. However, I did opt for the H10 with the whistle steam and swinging bell.


Atlantics in general are nice locomotives. I probably wouldn't have bought it if the seller was listing it at the regular going rate for the newer ones, but since he was a local acquaintance he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. While the features are nice, it's based on the less detailed older tooling from Lionel, so it's not the most amazing model in the world. Your models are probably actually nicer in the long run.

The H10 was also tempting when it first came out, but I waited a bit too long and the supply dried up quickly. Probably better for my bank account in the long run, but I saw one run once and really liked it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Once I beat my H10 into submission, it's a neat little locomotive.


----------



## santafe158

After Henry Ford sold the DT&I in 1929 it ended up under primarily PRR ownership and many PRR locomotive classes showed up on the roster. A 2-8-0, can't remember if it was the H-9 or H-10, showed up during that time. I wouldn't mind having one to reletter to somewhat accurately represent a local railroad here in the Detroit area.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The funny thing, Lionel's H10 actually calls itself an H9 according to the builder's plate.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> The funny thing, Lionel's H10 actually calls itself an H9 according to the builder's plate.


Some quick research online shows that they were all about the same other than the cylinder diameter. I believe Lionel originally marketed their model as an H9 during the TMCC days and probably carried over the builders plate. I believe they used, then and more recently, an incorrect generic running gear from their Harriman 2-8-0's and maybe they decided it more closely resembled an H10 and marketed it as such? They're pretty much one of those "close enough" models that look OK and run nice.


----------



## Jeff T

*After all these years...*

Last month at our clubs Open House one of the guys ran a set of old 2343's. With all the new stuff being run seeing the old engines run, spark and growl was pretty cool. I mentioned it to JK and he said he had two more sets at home. I'll bring them next run.

Yesterday was the next run. These well used, well loved little engines are in my office now. Could never afford them new, that's what Dad said! Now I have a pair!!


----------



## Spence

Congratulations on your new purchases. :thumbsup: Best of luck with them.


----------



## Riggzie

i have 1 hump and 2 hump sunoco tankers.. saw this and needed to add.. not sure i "needed" but hey...


----------



## cole226

Jeff and Riggzie, nice post war picks. They look to be in good shape. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## seayakbill

Cool, Lionel has done a ton of Sunoco tankers over the decades. A person could put together a Sunoco tanker unit train that would look terrific.

Bill


----------



## Riggzie

cole226 said:


> Jeff and Riggzie, nice post war picks. They look to be in good shape. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


hah, had to read that again then go look...

im Jeff as well... use Riggzie as a childhood nickname as real last name is Riggs and fwiw - never partnered with Murtaugh :laugh:


----------



## 93firebird

I've had this loco for a couple years now. Just got it back from the local train shop, Just Trains of Delaware. Had tthe MTH proto 3 upgrade done to it. Love how it turned out!






Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


----------



## KG Bird

This refurbished Mikado 2-8-2 in PRR livery


----------



## Cousin Eddie

Added this Penn Central and two cars this week.


----------



## raymarion

*My New Niagara*

Added the MTH Niagara recently. Lightly weathered for the in service look. Terrific puller and smoker.


----------



## Riggzie

raymarion said:


> Added the MTH Niagara recently. Lightly weathered for the in service look. Terrific puller and smoker.
> 
> View attachment 526080
> 
> 
> View attachment 526082


wow detail is amazing!!!


----------



## Riggzie

adition...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

raymarion said:


> Added the MTH Niagara recently. Lightly weathered for the in service look. Terrific puller and smoker.


Great looking piece, nice weathering job. :thumbsup:


----------



## PatKn

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Great looking piece, nice weathering job.


Ditto 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## cole226

raymarion said:


> Added the MTH Niagara recently. Lightly weathered for the in service look. Terrific puller and smoker.
> 
> View attachment 526080
> 
> 
> View attachment 526082


That is one serious hoss of an engine. Really like the weathering. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Spence

Ray; I agree with everyone else's comments. :thumbsup:


----------



## cole226

MTH Crane & tender, needed some Atlas tank cars, and an Ertl semi.


----------



## Riggzie

cole226 said:


> MTH Crane & tender, needed some Atlas tank cars, and an Ertl semi.
> 
> View attachment 526662
> 
> 
> View attachment 526664



i like that!!!! :smilie_daumenpos:

so they pair together? the crane and extended caboose? i have a crane and extended caboose and didnt think if they do or not...


----------



## Cousin Eddie

Riggzie said:


> cole226 said:
> 
> 
> 
> MTH Crane & tender, needed some Atlas tank cars, and an Ertl semi.
> 
> View attachment 526662
> 
> 
> View attachment 526664
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i like that!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> so they pair together? the crane and extended caboose? i have a crane and extended caboose and didnt think if they do or not...
Click to expand...

 yes that is called a work caboose they were used together. The work crews used them.


----------



## Cousin Eddie

cole226 said:


> MTH Crane & tender, needed some Atlas tank cars, and an Ertl semi.
> 
> View attachment 526662
> 
> 
> View attachment 526664
> 
> 
> View attachment 526666
> 
> 
> View attachment 526668
> 
> 
> View attachment 526670


 All very nice additions but I especially like that crane and work caboose! They look really good.


----------



## Riggzie

Cousin Eddie said:


> yes that is called a work caboose they were used together. The work crews used them.


gotcha.. mine has the spotlight so that is definitely the difference and your caboose seems longer.. but im getting another tomorrow and i think the light is missing... so may pair well!!!!


----------



## cole226

thanks Eddie and Riggzie.

for a M.O.W. consist you could use the spotlight and a work caboose along with maybe a flat or gondola. one on each side of the crane so it could reach either. 

I almost forgot my Corgi Scenic Cruiser I got Monday. :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The crane and work caboose is very slick. I have the Lionel TMCC crane and boom car, but I like that work caboose better than the boom car. :thumbsup:


----------



## Tom_C

I just bought this On30 BLI for $150. Hope I don't regret it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You'll know soon.


----------



## raymarion

*New Mohawk*

I got to weather my new Lionel Mohawk, Here is a before and after. Enjoy.


----------



## Riggzie

some new stuff for me.
I am keeping half and getting rid of the rest.

need to clean it before i post pictures....

but 
D.L. & W. Work Caboose No. 6419
Depressed Center Cable Reel Car No. 6561
Operating Barrel Car No. 3562-1
Sunoco 2-Dome Tank Car No. 6465
Pennsylvania Gondola Car No. 2452X
Operating Coal Unloading Car No. 3469


may keep
Lionel Lines Hudson Type 4-6-4-Locomotive No. 2065
--- needs greasing, front trucks but lights up and wants to move
Lionel Columbia Type 2-4-2-Locomotive No. 1654
--- needs greasing, rear trucks 

everything needs a good scrubbing and cleaning and oiling...


----------



## Riggzie

Cousin Eddie said:


> yes that is called a work caboose they were used together. The work crews used them.


just got one today!!!! so now i have the work caboose and work caboose spotlight...


----------



## Riggzie

Riggzie said:


> Cousin Eddie said:
> 
> 
> 
> yes that is called a work caboose they were used together. The work crews used them.
> 
> 
> 
> just got one today!!!! so now i have the work caboose and work caboose spotlight...
Click to expand...

my work crew train....

gotta cleanem still


----------



## cole226

The Mohawk looks great.


----------



## Riggzie

Riggzie said:


> some new stuff for me.
> I am keeping half and getting rid of the rest.
> 
> need to clean it before i post pictures....
> 
> but
> D.L. & W. Work Caboose No. 6419
> Depressed Center Cable Reel Car No. 6561
> Operating Barrel Car No. 3562-1
> Sunoco 2-Dome Tank Car No. 6465
> Pennsylvania Gondola Car No. 2452X
> Operating Coal Unloading Car No. 3469
> 
> 
> *may keep
> Lionel Lines Hudson Type 4-6-4-Locomotive No. 2065
> --- needs greasing, front trucks but lights up and wants to move*
> Lionel Columbia Type 2-4-2-Locomotive No. 1654
> --- needs greasing, rear trucks
> 
> everything needs a good scrubbing and cleaning and oiling...


oh hell... torn apart, greased and cleaned... 
both the train and whistle tender work.. fastest train i got now!!!! its staying on the roster!!!!!

derailed it on curve!!!!! with tender...

now to order front trucks and light bulb...


----------



## cole226

*NOOOOOOOO!!*



Riggzie said:


> now to order front trucks and light bulb...


_And a catch net!_:dunno:

Slow em down, and keep em on the table...
That 2065 will make you good engine. Those pulmors are dang near bullet proof.


----------



## Lehigh74

Oh wow. I haven’t checked this thread in a few days and missed some cool stuff. I’ve got the same MTH crane randy, but I can’t run it. If I raise the boom, I don’t have height clearance and if I lower the boom, I don’t have side clearance. But I keep it on a siding most of the time because I like it’s looks.


----------



## cole226

Same problem Bob;
I can move them around on one leg of the layout. (sidings, maintenence and yard buildings)

But tunnels and turns limit getting all the way around.

Mostly static anyways. They just look good. Kinda like Jordan spreader.


----------



## Cousin Eddie

Riggzie said:


> Riggzie said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cousin Eddie said:
> 
> 
> 
> yes that is called a work caboose they were used together. The work crews used them.
> 
> 
> 
> just got one today!!!! so now i have the work caboose and work caboose spotlight...
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> my work crew train....
> 
> gotta cleanem still
> 
> View attachment 526756
Click to expand...

 nice additions! Look good


----------



## Maxum

cole226 said:


> MTH Crane & tender, needed some Atlas tank cars, and an Ertl semi



I have those same two Atlas tank cars. The detail on them is great.


----------



## Jeff T

Grabbed these DRG Alco's off the bay. Box was water damaged and I think it scared away bidders. Units were new in the box and ran flawlessly when I had them at the club this morning. Didn't bother with the B it is truely is a dummy!!


----------



## Riggzie

Jeff T said:


> Grabbed these DRG Alco's off the bay. Box was water damaged and I think it scared away bidders. Units were new in the box and ran flawlessly when I had them at the club this morning. Didn't bother with the B it is truely is a dummy!!
> 
> View attachment 526946


sexaaaaahhhhhyyyyy!!!!


i gathered all of this today, but the top in O pertains here...
Little Joe and 5 passenger cars...
will do pics and video another day.. gotta head out with family.


----------



## Riggzie

Riggzie said:


> sexaaaaahhhhhyyyyy!!!!
> 
> 
> i gathered all of this today, but the top in O pertains here...
> Little Joe and 5 passenger cars...
> will do pics and video another day.. gotta head out with family.



6-8551 8551	Pennsylvania	EP-5 Diesel
k4580-7458	7458	Pennsylvania	Passenger Car - Baggage
k4580-8115	8115	Pennsylvania	Passenger Car - Observation
k4580-6700	6700	Pennsylvania	Passenger Car - Combine
k4580-4012	4012	Pennsylvania	Passenger Car - Coach
k4580-8086	8086	Pennsylvania	Passenger Car - Pullman


----------



## ERIE610

*LATEST FROM MENARDS*

Picked these up Friday from Menards. Nice 53 Ford that will go real nice with my Vetter, Sash & Door structure. The hopper will work with my other DRG&W rolling stock.

LATER


----------



## Maxum

Jeff T said:


> Grabbed these DRG Alco's off the bay. Box was water damaged and I think it scared away bidders. Units were new in the box and ran flawlessly when I had them at the club this morning. Didn't bother with the B it is truely is a dummy!!


Sweet looking PA's! MTH? Lionel? TMCC, Legacy, PS1,2?


----------



## Jeff T

Maxum said:


> Sweet looking PA's! MTH? Lionel? TMCC, Legacy, PS1,2?


1992 Lionel vintage... Conventional. May see if I can add TMCC to these!


----------



## Lehigh74

I was walking around Allentown yesterday minding my own business when something shiny distracted me. This has the same plated finish as the recent MTH warbonnets. Looks like gray in the catalog, but in person it’s spectacular.


----------



## Don F

I recently bought a Weaver CNJ RS3 that needed scale couplers. At the Allentown show yesterday, I picked up a Weaver CRP 2 bay hopper. It is kind of weathered, but I will re do it, and add scale couplers. I am planning a diorama of the Blue Coal Huber Breaker and the CNJ Ashley shop yard, and want to represent the 5 class one roads that served the area. These are the CNJ, Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, D&H and the Erie Lackawanna. I also have some old photos of Reading hoppers at Blue Coal. I find this interesting, as the Reading, headquartered in Pottsville, was the world's largest producer of anthracite. I have plenty of Reading 2 bay hoppers to include in the project.


----------



## cole226

Lehigh74 said:


> I was walking around Allentown yesterday minding my own business when something shiny distracted me. This has the same plated finish as the recent MTH warbonnets. Looks like gray in the catalog, but in person it’s spectacular.
> 
> View attachment 527060
> 
> 
> View attachment 527062


Bob, they won't be so shiny after you _*weather*_ them. :cheeky4:


----------



## Krieglok

The tank car is “sparkly”...railroaders like sparkly things.

Nice CNJ stuff there, Don. I would like to get a GP9 with steam heat and the motor generators in the end of the long hood. They used them in commuter service...

Jeff, great looking Rio Grande PAs. Nice to catch a break on a good buy now and then...

Tom


----------



## cole226

I didn't find anything at Allentown but people. 

I just got a Weaver RS3 in LV to run with my recent crane/work caboose. (ebay)
Seller said checked by local train club and said to be new and runs perfect.
_WELL_, I put it on the track and had immediate truck binding. Wouldn't run but inch or two.
Packed up and going back tomorrow.hwell:


----------



## Krieglok

My one DRG&W locomotive, just pulled these out of storage. It is a Lionel unit...SD40-2T....and a bit of modern Santa Fe power...a GE ES44AC...

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

cole226 said:


> I didn't find anything at Allentown but people.
> 
> I just got a Weaver RS3 in LV to run with my recent crane/work caboose. (ebay)
> Seller said checked by local train club and said to be new and runs perfect.
> _WELL_, I put it on the track and had immediate truck binding. Wouldn't run but inch or two.
> Packed up and going back tomorrow.hwell:


I used to go to Allentown for gun shows and fire dept collectible shows. I haven’t been to a train show in 20 years. 

I don’t get lemons off eBay too often. I have had a few, but usually minor electrical stuff, except for one steamer, I could fix with the right support from forum members. It a shame the loco doesn’t run right. It seems LV stuff is hard to find at decent prices...

Tom


----------



## cole226

Tom, yes I was bummed! It did look like new/unrun.
And he even took a Best Offer so I was real happy with the deal.

It was one of the chain/shaft drive. Seems like I remember that they had issues with the gears in the trucks. This one sure did.


----------



## Krieglok

Randy, Was it the older “213” unit that sold recently? It looks really nice. Maybe it has old, hard grease or something. What a shame.

Tom


----------



## cole226

Tom, yeah that was it.

I could roll the shaft by hand and felt like one gear on front truck rolled into a bad mesh.

I thought about opening it up but then thought better to just return.

Like to know how the _club_ ran it with such good results.


----------



## santafe158

I bought some trains that shrank in the dryer this weekend... well not really. While I mainly collect O gauge, I enjoy dabbling in other scales as well and had a few examples of most of the major scales except "Z" which I rectified at the local train show this weekend. Needless to say, it's definitely not my scale of choice by far, but it is neat to see such a small train set. It did tip over one time but it was because one of the couplers got bound up on the locomotive when I was placing it on the track. It ran fine after I fixed that...


----------



## cole226

Jake, toy trains for the toy trains.  gotch ya!


----------



## Chaostrain

santafe158 said:


> I bought some trains that shrank in the dryer this weekend... well not really. While I mainly collect O gauge, I enjoy dabbling in other scales as well and had a few examples of most of the major scales except "Z" which I rectified at the local train show this weekend. Needless to say, it's definitely not my scale of choice by far, but it is neat to see such a small train set. It did tip over one time but it was because one of the couplers got bound up on the locomotive when I was placing it on the track. It ran fine after I fixed that...
> 
> View attachment 527142
> 
> 
> View attachment 527144


A garden railroad for your O scale layout.


----------



## Maxum

Krieglok said:


> My one DRG&W locomotive, just pulled these out of storage. It is a Lionel unit...SD40-2T....and a bit of modern Santa Fe power...a GE ES44AC...
> 
> Tom


Couple of good looking locomotives. I'm a sucker for anything with a warbonnet on it! lol

The tunnel motor is pretty good looking. I miss seeing the flying Grande logo here in Colorado. I have a MTH SP tunnel motor. Those things are pretty good sized locos.


----------



## santafe158

Received my one other new item in the mail today, a Postwar Lionel 2065 locomotive. I'm currently working on one that's part of a set owned by my dad's boss and liked how it looks so much that I had to acquire one for myself. For those that don't know, they're mostly identical to the earlier 2055 Santa Fe style Hudsons (of which I own two) other than the boiler front, which includes the feed water heater tank on the 2065s. I don't believe I've seen any actual Santa Fe Hudson locomotives with that type of feed water heater, but I think it gives it an industrious look. The 1990's era Atlantic that powered my first starter set had the same feature, so I'm somewhat partial as well.


----------



## seayakbill

A couple freight cars from MTH & Patricks Trains. A Marsh Wheeling Cigars boxcar and a Ohio Central grain hopper.

Bill


----------



## Jeff T

I picked up a NIB set of K-Line Rock Island E8's w/TMCC, RailSounds and rotating vent fans instead of smoke. These are by far the biggest diesels I own. Put them on my little office track and it's funny in all the excitement of something new you completely forget all the basics, Run/Program, RS/SS, programing the Cab 2! LOL!!

Off to the club tomorrow!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Lookin' good, those should be fun at the club!


----------



## cole226

Nice looking set of 8's Jeff. Good to see the RI show up once in a while.


----------



## seayakbill

Terrific looking E-8's, the Rock Island had some very nice paint schemes.

Bill


----------



## Krieglok

Great paint work on those E8s. The Rock Island certainly had some very flashy, but handsome paint schemes. Time to buy matching coaches!

Tom


----------



## WMnut

gunrunnerjohn said:


> My latest was the the LC+ Camelback, my first LC+ locomotive.
> 
> View attachment 80009
> 
> 
> Previous to that, I picked up the Legacy B6sb.
> 
> View attachment 80017


Wow, i`m drooling on my keyboard, nice...:thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Got the RPO car to go with my GE EVO locomotive, ready for the demonstration tour.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking car John.

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## Lehigh74

You need to get your Gargraves track installed John. Once you get started, you will be surprised how fast it goes down.


----------



## Bill Webb

*N and W Js*

Found a couple of N and W Js. that needed a stripe. Harry Hieke changed the stripes, lightly weathered the 611 Spirit of Roanoke, and weathered the 600 for normal non-main line action. 

Here they are with the Pocahontas J from several years ago.


----------



## PatKn

Nice engines. That picture with the three of them is really cool.

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## gunrunnerjohn

That there is a lot of J's!  Nice locomotives, one that I haven't acquired yet. Too many locomotives, too little money...


----------



## santafe158

This set followed me home from a show near Toledo, OH this afternoon. I believe it's a partial Lionel 1091(?) set from 1938 consisting of a 1666E locomotive followed by a 2689W tender, a 2679 boxcar, a 2680 tank car and a 2682 caboose. Unfortunately I'm missing the boxcar and there don't seem to be too many 1938 ones out there at the moment so I'll have to keep an eye out for one. The 1938 ones had nickel plated journal boxes whereas the later ones had blackened ones. I haven't serviced the locomotive or tender yet, but I don't suspect they'll give me much trouble. At the very least, the locomotive will need new pickup shoes as the original ones are pretty worn. The original locomotive paint is in very nice shape as is the paint on the freight cars. The tender is a bit worse for wear as far as paint condition, but not the worst I've seen.


----------



## Maxum

The coaches are Atlas California Zephyr that I picked up from ebay NIB for a great deal last year. I just got them out since I finally had prototypical locomotives to pull them. I just got the low mileage Lionel Legacy F3's from a local seller.


----------



## Maxum

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Got the RPO car to go with my GE EVO locomotive, ready for the demonstration tour.


Nice looking combo! Glad to see you've got benchwork up. Time to lay some track.


----------



## Maxum

Bill Webb said:


> Found a couple of N and W Js. that needed a stripe. Harry Hieke changed the stripes, lightly weathered the 611 Spirit of Roanoke, and weathered the 600 for normal non-main line action.
> 
> Here they are with the Pocahontas J from several years ago.


They look great. I love the picture of your 3 J's lined up.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I'm having trouble wiping the smile off my face, got a really good deal on the Lionel Legacy Reading T1 and nine MTH Premier Reading passenger cars, couldn't pass it up! $750 for all of them! I thought I got a good deal when I bought my first Legacy Reading T1 for $800 NIB, I think this tops that one! They're all like-new, and run perfectly. All but one of the passenger cars are new enough to already have LED lighting and passengers, so they're "ready to run".


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## PatKn

Wow John. Beautiful set. And a great price. Enjoy them.

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## Riggzie

yeah really nice!!!!!! someday if I ever venture out of the Post War.. ill buy some big boy locos!!!! :cheeky4:

p.s. wife will not approve that purchase but $8k on a disney cruise... shed book in minutes...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys, I was in the right place at the right time I think.


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## Spence

GRJ; sharp looking "long" train. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## WMnut

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'm having trouble wiping the smile off my face, got a really good deal on the Lionel Legacy Reading T1 and nine MTH Premier Reading passenger cars, couldn't pass it up! $750 for all of them! I thought I got a good deal when I bought my first Legacy Reading T1 for $800 NIB, I think this tops that one! They're all like-new, and run perfectly. All but one of the passenger cars are new enough to already have LED lighting and passengers, so they're "ready to run".
> 
> View attachment 529838
> 
> 
> https://youtu.be/hvjehUCqvYQ


Wow, that`s a beauty...:thumbsup:


----------



## Maxum

GRJ, the cops are probably going to be paying you a visit. You stole that T1! Nice score.


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## gunrunnerjohn

It was a surprise when he told me the price. The T1 was $400, the nine cars were $350. The deal was certainly the T1, I was happy to get my other one at $800 NIB, so this one like new for half that was... amazing! The cars were about 40% of the MSRP, and they're all like new, so not a bad deal there either. I was looking for a nice Reading passenger set, and one fell into my lap!


----------



## Krieglok

Maxim, beautiful train consist. It is really impressive. I love the actual noise the cars make as they roll by. You layout also makes me envious!

John, I get the impression you like Reading! The engine and cars look great. Is that your layout? Were the real Reading T1s used for freight or passenger service?

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'm a PRR and Reading guy, but I also have significant investment in Union Pacific and C&O. There's a smattering of other road names, but those are the predominant names.

The table is the permanent layout, the Fastrack is just laying there for testing until I get my Gargraves/Ross track/switches down.


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## Lehigh74

A few years ago, I got a NOS (vintage 2003) set of five PRR Premier Madison passenger cars along with a two-car set. It was unusual that the five-car set had 2 baggage cars and no obs. The train just doesn’t look right to me without an observation car on the end so I’ve been looking for one. They only come in sets so I had to count on a set breakup which I haven’t seen. The other day I went ahead and got another five-car set (vintage 2015) since I wanted that one car. So now I have a dozen 18” Madisons. I like the lighted marker lights and I’ll probably keep the incandescent lights for them even if I LED the car. And I’ll probably see a set breakup next week.


----------



## PatKn

Sounds like a great looking passenger train.

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## gunrunnerjohn

Now you have a nice sized passenger train, it probably needs extra baggage cars!


----------



## Krieglok

Nice observation car. They also existed as business cars. I have seen photos of the EL yard in Hoboken where they had three or four observation cars stored in the depot back in the 60’s...

Speaking of EL, here is my latest acquisition. A MTH Rail King GP7 and a MTH bay window caboose...

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Nice trains, Tom.


----------



## Maxum

Looks good Tom. I'm a big fan of GP7's.


----------



## ERIE610

*TRAIN SHOW ACQUISITIONS*

Our local Train & Toy show had the first show of the year on the 8th of March. I did manage to acquire some Prime Movers and some cabooses. Both Lionel Engines run nice especially when they were allowed to run for a while. The TPW 8066 & 9309 caboose came as a set. The Penn 477618 I have is even nicer than the one in the photo shown. My digital camera is kaput and I have not educated myself the how to of downloading photos off my "smart phone" as yet. I found some other bargains that I will share later.

ENJOY


----------



## Maxum

ERIE610,

looks like you did good at the show. The Santa Fe GP7 has a special place in my heart. I was given that very same locomotive for my 6th birthday in 1973. I sold it as a teen and later I was able to reacquire it nearly 40 years later. It's the only piece of my childhood trains I have.


----------



## Krieglok

The TP&W scheme was cool. I remember seeing one of their old Alcos in Morristown NJ, at the M&E engine house...

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

Australian Gold tanker from Menards plus their freebie Ford panel truck. The gold tanker really stands out in a freight consist.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I like the tanker, very cool looking.


----------



## Spence

Australian Gold tanning products I believe are located in Florida & not Australia.


----------



## ERIE610

*WORKS FOR ME*

I received one of them Australian Gold tank cars for Christmas last year. And yes it is not hard to find out on the layout. What I like about it is that it is highly noticeable but not gaudy at all.


----------



## Lehigh74

I got this at Allentown last month. Thought I would find a Lehigh Valley RS-3, but didn’t. But I do like the Susie-Q colors and I’m happy with this loco. This is my third powered RS-3 and first Susie-Q loco. Nice sound, great smoke. Now I need to find a caboose to go with it.


----------



## Spence

Lehigh74 said:


> I got this at Allentown last month. Thought I would find a Lehigh Valley RS-3, but didn’t. But I do like the Susie-Q colors and I’m happy with this loco. This is my third powered RS-3 and first Susie-Q loco. Nice sound, great smoke. Now I need to find a caboose to go with it.
> View attachment 539720


Nice looking engine.


----------



## cole226

Spence said:


> Nice looking engine.


That Suzy Q is an eye catcher. Sharp!


----------



## Krieglok

Nice locomotive! Black and yellow always work well as a color combination.

here is one caboose for ya....









MTH Railking Scale NYSW (Susquehanna northeastern style Caboose, 3 rail


"O" gauge model trains, 2 and 3 rail, specializing in full scale models of the real railroads. We have "old, new stock" going back to the 1990's.




www.publicdeliverytrack.com





Tom


----------



## Riggzie

seayakbill said:


> Australian Gold tanker from Menards plus their freebie Ford panel truck. The gold tanker really stands out in a freight consist.
> 
> Bill
> 
> View attachment 530682
> 
> 
> View attachment 530684


i missed out on this... shucks... looks nice!


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## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Nice locomotive! Black and yellow always work well as a color combination.


Unless it's a bumble-bee trying to get you!


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## PatKn

Nice looking engine.


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## DMASSO

86TA355SR said:


> I really like it!


----------



## DMASSO

Few new trains














klopp


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## Lehigh74

Thanks for the compliments on the RS-3 guys. And thanks Tom for the link to the caboose. But I think I'll pass on that one. Beth wants $10 more than MTH wanted when it was issued in 2003.


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## Norton

These arrived yesterday. Tom will recognize these as they are add ons to the set I got from him. The sellers description said they were dirty, scratched up and had torn diaphram which must have discouraged all the other bidders. The car on the left had nothing wrong with it and I was able to clean up and repair the combine in about 20 minutes. This is the "damaged" side. I plan to run them with my Weaver Hiawatha.










Pete


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## Lehigh74

Never heard of the Olympian before today, but thanks to Wikipedia, I now know all about it.


----------



## Norton

Yeah, it actually predated the Hiawatha and came in this color scheme. Later became the Olympian Hiawatha and more maroon bands were added to the bottom and window band on the later cars.
Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

Never heard of *Clicquot Club*, and they already have a train!


----------



## Spence

DMASSO said:


> Few new trains
> Nice additions Don. Boy it's been years since I've heard the name Cilcquot Club.
> View attachment 539830
> View attachment 539831
> klopp


----------



## Millstonemike

A quick recap of the company's history. 

*Clicquot Club Company*


----------



## Lehigh74

A few more plated tank cars. I got the Texaco at Allentown and liked it so much, I decided to get some more. These arrived from Nicholas Smith a few days ago. I love to put one of these in front of a lighted caboose and look at the reflection.


----------



## Riggzie

Lehigh74 said:


> A few more plated tank cars. I got the Texaco at Allentown and liked it so much, I decided to get some more. These arrived from Nicholas Smith a few days ago. I love to put one of these in front of a lighted caboose and look at the reflection.
> 
> View attachment 540021
> 
> 
> View attachment 540022





JUST GREAT!!!! LOL..

i have about 6 Sunoco old tank cars, 1 new Menards Valvoline.. now looks like ill have to round up some of these too, if not too $ as they do look nice...


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## gunrunnerjohn

Those are great, I love the chrome plated tanks!


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## PatKn

Nice looking cars. I don't have any Chrome tank cars. Maybe I should reconsider.

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## Lehigh74

Thanks guys. The shiny new Railking tank cars are chrome plated (at least it looks that way to me). The Premier cars are not as shiny. Looks to be the same plating as the recent warbonnets. Not sure if its chrome on the Premier cars, but I like it.

And Riggzie, since you mentioned $, the plated MTH cars are 3 to 4 times what a Menards tank car will cost you.


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## beachhead2

Most of my trains are cab unit diesels and passenger cars. I decided to put together a more modern intermodal train. There is a yard near my house that older folks, like my dad, refer to as "Frisco Yard". It's right on the interstate so you can see loads of engines there anytime you drive by. In my memory, it was a Burlington Northern yard. Of course, now it's a BNSF yard. I believe it's actual name is BNSF Lindenwood Yard. Anyway, I think the modern orange BNSF paint schemes are pretty dismal so I bought these MTH engines instead.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Good looking engines.


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## Norton

Added another Mogul to the roster. Reletted from Lackawanna, details added, and mechanism tuned up. Actually redoing the lettering now as I didn't like the first try.










Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

Is that the Legacy one Pete? Looks good!


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## Norton

Yes it is, the one I got from Ben. With the thinner traction tires there are virtually no glitches.
Pete


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## PatKn

Nice engine. Enjoy

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## gunrunnerjohn

Here's one I've had for a few months, but I hadn't gotten around to fixing it, so it didn't get "featured". I plopped it on the bench today and am happy to say it was some minor stuff, and it's all happy now. This was a pretty good deal, $365 shipped, so an hour on the bench and a $5 speaker later, I'm ready to rock-n-roll. I'll do these deals all day.  It came as you see it, pretty decent weathering job and in really nice condition all around.


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## cole226

Nice John. Any progress on the layout?


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## PatKn

Nice looking engine, John. Good deal too.


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## Lehigh74

I like Y3s. if I’m not mistaken, that is MTH 20-3092-1 with a PS2 5-volt board. Did you install a roll your own BCR?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks guys. Sadly, no progress yet on the layout, but I'm about to park the repairs for a couple weeks and lay some track. Getting tired of the little Fastrack loop!

I was happy to find that the issue with this one wasn't a big deal to fix. It had the dreaded flickering light with smoke chuffing issue. There's a rather involved procedure to fully fix it in some locomotives, fortunately the abbreviated version fixed this one. Bob, as it turns out, the previous owner had already installed a BCR. It does have the 5V board, so I'll run that into the ground and then stick the PS32 board in.


----------



## Severn

One of these, an Athearn SD90mac, genesis 2.0. I found a place that was shipping and they had these in stock. Not exactly my fav but I wanted to give it a go and the price was low enough.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice engine, GRJ. Weathering really makes it look like a real locomotive.

Severn, the SD90 looks cool. I don’t know much about modern power but the radiators on the back really make the engine stand out.

My turn. A couple recent buys. First is a N&W GP9. It is a MTH Railking with decent detail. I am going to add the nose mounted bell on the front hood...









Next is an Alco C-628 in Lehigh Valley’s Cornell Red scheme. This is another MTH Railking Locomotive. This is a big diesel with great markings...











Tom


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## Severn

well it's HO anyway I wasn't paying attention to the forum name. i put some closer up pics in the HO area. i got a magnifying glass out to try to read the print and while it appears legible. I still couldn't read it. To what end this is useful, not sure!


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## Lehigh74

A couple of good looking locos Tom. I have a few engines in Cornel Red, but my C628 is a snowbird. Did you try the SXS crossing signal yet? Not sure if they are still using the same sound file as my 2014 model, but mine has a nice change in tone for the short blast.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Bob.

This one is the 2020 release, according to the MTH site. I bought it from MrMuffin’sTrains.

I haven’t had it on the test track yet. I am curious to see if it does have the same sounds as your 2014.

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, you're still racing to buy everything as it comes out, I'm going to have to catch up!


----------



## Krieglok

Oh, I have slowed a little. Just a couple buys a month. I am one of the bunch that is “Lucky” enough to be working through the Covid19 crisis...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

OK, in an effort to keep up with Tom's frantic buying spree, I recently scored a few prizes. I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I got first look at a collection being liquidated. I picked up five engines, four passenger cars, three cabooses, the CAB1L/BASE1L "Legacy Lite" command system, and an MTH TIU & Remote. It was one of those days when the price was too good to resist. They need a little dusting and TLC, but they're all running well. Other than a couple of little detail parts that I just added to my pending Lionel order, they're ready to go into revenue service. 

I lashed up the three Legacy engines and hooked the MTH Strasburg Woodside passenger cars I picked up and gave them all a run. Here's the drive-by.






I also got two MTH Premier engines, the MTH 20-20141-1 PRR SD70ACE and the MTH 20-20505-1 PRR ES44AC.



















Finally, a added a few cabooses, I needed some N&W cabooses, I only had one.


----------



## PatKn

Nice haul. 

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## cole226

Some nice looking equipment ya'll.


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## Krieglok

Thanks Randy.

John, I never bought that much stuff at one time! sounds like a challenge....

Tom


----------



## Norton

Thats quite a haul John. Anymore I have to stop and catch myself when I see a deal. I literally have no more room for stuff. 

Pete


----------



## Spence

Tom; nice additions to the fleet.

GRJ: nice looking engines. You’ve got to stop buying and start building.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, I think I have enough power, just need a place to run it!  I wasn't planning on this purchase, it just came out of the blue and I couldn't resist. Besides, if I sit on the TIU and remote for a couple years, I may be able to get all my money back when people are looking for an extra! 

Pete, the no room is biting me, look for some sales soon.


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## Krieglok

Some more Lehigh Valley....a Lionel C420 with TMCC. Bargain price but I haven’t tested it yet...

Tom


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## Lehigh74

Not too shabby. Looks like a slightly lighter shade of red than the C628 behind it or is that just the lighting.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Just hope you don't have to take it apart, it's pretty tight in there!  Put cruise in the same engine, it was a very tight fit! The cruise module is just "slightly" larger than the DCDR that it replaces.


----------



## Krieglok

Bob, yes, the Lionel engine is a bit brighter red than the MTH locomotive. it looked brighter when I considered buying it. I figured there wouldn’t be too much difference until I put the two together! Oh well. I just might have to get a newer Snow bird to go with the 627. By the way, the MTH C628 seems to have a newer sound file. The SXS function is rather plain. on the otherhand, my new MTH D&H C628 has the sound file you mentioned...much better horn with the off tone short whistle in the SXS mode...

John, I did a basic function check today on the Lionel C420. I just had to reprogram the engine number to get it to liven up. Everything works well, the smoke unit is okay. Doing any electronics installation beyond changing radio boards or installing YLBs is beyond my capabilities for now. Once I actually start running the stuff, I will likely get the bug to do performance upgrades...

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

I got an MTH LV C628 Snowbird dummy today from Tom (Krieglok). It’s 2002 vintage and has some nicks in the paint, but I’m not complaining. The price Tom gave me was more than fair and it looks fine when it’s moving down the track behind its sister. The guy that sold it to Tom had added a smoke unit and headlights, but apparently, he didn’t have any electrical tape or a soldering iron. He just twisted the wires together and used masking tape. Gave me a chuckle. I removed the smoke unit, headlights, wire and masking tape, cleaned up the wheels and she was good to go. I noticed that the flag on cab 638 is larger than the one on cab 629 (2014 vintage) and wondered if that was prototypical. It’s not. Both of the real ones had flags about the size of the one on cab 629.


----------



## Krieglok

Looks great, Bob! Two Snowbirds really make the scene. Glad I could help you!

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Some nice looking LV engines Tom and Bob. 👍


----------



## cole226

Bob's collecting Snowbirds and we're getting snow here in the middle of April. 😡


----------



## cole226

Dang, just made a deal on this GP38-2 w/TMCC/RS EOB.
Been watching for something to head up my 250T crane and tender.


----------



## Lehigh74

This must be Lehigh Valley Week. That will be a great looking wreck train Randy. I have the same crane, but with a RK tender. I can't run the crane on my layout due to clearance issues, so it stays on a siding.


----------



## cole226

Lehigh74 said:


> I can't run the crane on my layout due to clearance issues, so it stays on a siding.


I can only run on 1/2 the layout but it will be mostly static display. Couldn't believe I made an offer on the Weaver and it came in this morn while I was admiring you guys LV stuff. Make me happy!!


----------



## Krieglok

Randy, that GP38 looks great....and the right shade of red too! Weaver made a great product. They seemed ahead of their time. Imagine how nice their stuff would be if they were still in business...

Tom


----------



## santafe158

Last night I put in an offer for a Lionel Legacy Western Maryland 3 truck shay and won. It definitely probably wasn't my best idea given the times we're in, but the thought of having a new toy to play with while stuck at home was too good to resist...  My dad and I purchased a Bachmann G gauge shay years ago since we had always thought they were cool. My grandpa collects G gauge stuff so it lives on display in his bedroom and unfortunately doesn't see much run time anymore since we haven't really had the time to set any of his stuff up in awhile. I figured I might as well have an example of the design in my O gauge collection and now I will.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You're just doing your part to get the economy restarted Jake, good job!


----------



## santafe158

It doesn't seem so bad when you put it that way


----------



## PatKn

I love Shays. I could watch them run all day. Enjoy yours, Jake.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks Pat. They are indeed fun to watch running with all the running gear doing its thing. I'm looking forward to getting mine.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have a couple of Shays, and also the MTH Climax. They're so much "busier" when they run, it's pretty cool.


----------



## santafe158

I used to have a Bachmann HO scale Climax, but unfortunately the plastic drive gears split after a couple years and Bachmann didn't have any in stock to replace it with so it got replaced with a boring 4-4-0... It was a fun locomotive while it lasted. I do like the 4-4-0 since it's sort of similar to one I work on, but it's not as exciting to watch.


----------



## Norton

The three truck shays are very cool. I don't have one but did purchase a Westside Lumber shay for a friend and got to play with it for a while. Have fun Jake.
I have a very unprototypical NYC two truck shay by K-Line along with some matching log cars. NYC actually had a few shays but they had cover them up so not to scare the horses. True story.



Richard Leonard's New York Central Collection -- Lima Shay 7189 (1900)



Pete


----------



## santafe158

Thanks!

The NYC shays were certainly unique. There were also a few rotary snowplows built that used a couple banks of Shay steam engines ganged up to turn the blades.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Norton said:


> The three truck shays are very cool. I don't have one but did purchase a Westside Lumber shay for a friend and got to play with it for a while.


I have it's cousin.  I'm going to try to stuff a Super-Chuffer into this one.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice logging locomotives! I have a Lionel Shay I picked up a year ago. It is a nice runner. I may re-letter it for a Northwestern Pennsylvania Logging railroad...

Pete, I have an old soft cover book about the NYC Water Level Route. They mention the local freights working the West Side line in NYC, using Shays and boxcabs. The law required a flag man to proceed the movement on horseback! The flagman was referred to as “The Tenth Avenue Cowboy” ...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

In a vein attempt to keep up with Tom's breathtaking acquisition speed, I added a little steam hardware. 

The Lionel TMCC JLC Greyhound Challenger




























I also picked up this little guy.

Lionel TMCC D&H Camelback










I'll be adding the Super-Chuffer to the JLC Challenger soon.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice buys, John. I like the D&H Camelback. I would like to find one in “Erie”. Any smaller steam interests me...

Tom


----------



## santafe158

Great finds John. I do like the greyhound scheme on the challenger. A friend of mine has the Legacy version and it's always fun to run. I'm sure after your upgrades your TMCC one won't be too far off. The camelbacks are also great. My brother has one of those.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I was in a buying mood, and they were priced right. I got the MTH Premier D&H caboose with the Camelback, so it was kind of a set. First step was to slide a back-EMF cruise board in the Camelback, it's a really tight squeeze, and you have to rip several connectors off the motherboard and sky-wire them, but it does fit. Tom, I actually saw an Erie Camelback not long ago, but it wasn't something I was personally looking for.


----------



## Krieglok

The Erie 4-6-0s had the steam dome and sand box ahead of the cab on the boiler top. I have thought about getting a average MTH or Lionel engine and converting it into a “more“ Erie pattern....

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Here is a RailKing tank car I stripped and repainted. I added the foot stirrups and, of course, the decals.

I used Scale Coat satin black and the decals are from K-4 models...

Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

Looks great. Nice work with the decals. You can barely see them even after enlarging the hi-res pic. Clear coated?


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Mike. I took the pic with a crappy iPad camera, so the tiny faults are hidden...lol.

yes, clear coated with Scale Coat satin ...

Tom


----------



## Dano

6035 finished and in service.


----------



## IronManStark

Nice


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Check it out, great job, but it's too clean!


----------



## 86TA355SR

gunrunnerjohn said:


> .........
> The Lionel TMCC JLC Greyhound Challenger
> 
> View attachment 541836
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'll be adding the Super-Chuffer to the JLC Challenger soon. .......


John,
Appreciate a video when completed.
Thanks!
Aaron


----------



## santafe158

After nearly three weeks of waiting, my Legacy Shay finally arrived in this afternoon's mail. The seller dropped it off at the local post office in Tennessee and then there was nearly a two week wait before it was ever scanned to depart. It made great progress on its trip over this past weekend and finally arrived today. Upon opening the box there was a moment of disappointment. I quickly noticed that one of the tiny little shoulder screws that hold one of the drive shaft universal joints together was missing and the one directly across from it was nearly ready to fall out too. Since this locomotive is driven through the drive shaft, it's rather important that all the screws are present to operate it. I called Lionel and got a part number for the screws and have one plus a lot of extras coming since I'm sure it won't be the last time one goes missing. I'm sure it backed itself out while the previous owner was operating it and it went unnoticed. Somebody in China was asleep at the workstation when it was assembled as I found probably half a dozen other screws on the locomotive that also needed tightening. I think the previous owner mainly displayed it, so it probably never had the opportunity to show its issues during operation.

One other gripe is that upon disassembling it to check for other loose screws I quickly discovered that the owners manual had totally incorrect directions for the whistle-steam feature. It's described as a single smoke unit that operates both the stack and the whistle, however there are indeed separate smoke units for each that need to be filled independently. The manual, in bold letters, tells you to add fluid to the main stack only. 

After all that, I tied the universal joint together with a piece of wire so I could at least test it all and it runs great. I'm looking forward to the next club event (whenever that might be...) so I can give it a proper run. In the mean time it's looking pretty nice in my lighted display case waiting for its parts to arrive.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Lookin' good Jake, the Shay is one of my favorites. 

The lighting looks a little odd, is there light coming from below?


----------



## santafe158

Thanks John.

Yes, the lighting isn't perfect by any means but also looks much better in person than in the photos. My grandpa and I built that case many years ago and I retrofitted it with LED lighting. I used the LED tape strips and basically laid a strip in down one side, across the bottom and back up the other side. I can't remember why I didn't run them across the top too. Some locomotives look odd with the lights on, but others look pretty neat with the running gear highlighted.


----------



## cole226

Jake, might pay to use a spot of medium strength loctite on those screws. Gotta love the shays!


----------



## santafe158

cole226 said:


> Jake, might pay to use a spot of medium strength loctite on those screws. Gotta love the shays!


I've definitely been thinking about doing something along those lines. It'd probably save a lot of headaches in the future. 

Shays are great fun to watch running. Someday I'll have to go see a real one run. 😁


----------



## MichaelE

I really like the Shay locomotive. That is a very nice model.

You might get away with some clear nail polish on the screw too, or Loc-Tite green thread locker. I don't know that I would use the blue on such small screws. The blue is great for scope rings and mounts and such, but might be a little overkill for really small screws. Especially if they have to ever be removed.


----------



## santafe158

Definitely a good point about the strength vs. screw size. Thanks for mentioning that. I probably have something on-hand that'll work well enough. If you want something more fun than trying to remove a screw with blue Loctite, the red stuff is a lovely challenge 😄


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I use blue all the time on small screws. If there's any significant resistance to removing them, just set a soldering iron on the head for a few seconds and try again.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I wrapped up my Amtrak SuperLiner consist. I had eight coaches, so plenty of seats for passengers, but they were all going hungry, and losing their sleep. So we had to remedy that shortcoming.
I picked these up NIB, they were never unwrapped. I have been in the lookout for the transition sleeper to let me toss in a few single deck Amtrak cars for a little variety, finally spotted one.

Clearly, these will need my LED upgrade before they go into revenue service, they're already pretty warm sitting on the track at 18 volts!


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I use blue all the time on small screws. If there's any significant resistance to removing them, just set a soldering iron on the head for a few seconds and try again.


Another good tip. I probably wouldn't have put two and two together to use a soldering iron as a heat source. We use torches at work all the time to heat things up when removing stuff that was assembled with blue or red Loctite, but obviously that'd be way overkill for a tiny screw on a model ...


----------



## santafe158

I'm sure the lighting will look much better when you're done too aside from the heat.


----------



## Lehigh74

I kind of like the sleeper the way it is. Looks like some folks have gone to sleep and some are night owls. 

And I don’t get the transition sleeper. It looks like it’s the same height along the entire length. I thought it was supposed to be low at one end and high at the other.


----------



## santafe158

If you look at the diaphragms and end doors you'll see where the difference lies. On normal high level cars, the pass through doors to walk between cars are on the upper level. On the transition cars, there's a high door on one end and a normal height door on the other to match regular passenger cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The door on the back is at the height of the single deck cars. I would be nice to have been like the K-Line model, obviously MTH just took a different route. However, it will look like it mates up with the single deck cars, so I'm happy with it.

FWIW Bob, the constant height of the transition car is prototypical, here's the real thing.










Here's the K-Line K4603-33900 Amtrak Superliner 18" Transition Sleeper #39000, looks just like my car. I'm not sure what the one with the two levels is, but it may be a fantasy piece.









Here's the K-Line K4603-43900 Amtrak 21" Superliner Transition Sleeper, still the same full size with just the offset door. 










AAMOF, I can't find any pictures of the sloped one you refer to, but I have seen it in the past, so I know it exists.


----------



## santafe158

I believe the cars you're thinking of were built for the Santa Fe's "El Capitan" train sets and definitely made a cleaner looking transition than the modern version. I think K-Line made a version of it but see to recall that they're rather difficult to find.

I'm not sure if any are still in service, but I also seem to recall that much of the early fleet of bi-level's that Amtrak had originated from the Santa Fe "El Capitan."


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's the car, and I know I have seen a picture of a K-Line rendition. It must be rare, because I couldn't find it.
I can see why Amtrak decided to do the transition the way they did, it's very little difference than the standard car, so it saved a bunch of money I suspect. The transition car also has more usable space being a double-decker.


----------



## seayakbill

A couple AEC boxcars from RMT Trains

Bill


----------



## Norton

The New York Central and its subs have been acquiring some motive power from other roads. This was recently purchased from the L&N. In addition to a new paint job the drawbars were shortened and a deck and curtains added.










Pete


----------



## Norton

There is a picture of the K-Line transistion car in this thread.






Santa Fe (K-Line) Hi-Level train arrives at the station!!


Thought I would post pictures of a train I put together using the K-Line super detailed ATSF ABBBA F-units followed by a string of ATSF Hi-Level passenger cars. These are the 21" cars that K-Line produced and today are somewhat hard to find...at...




ogrforum.ogaugerr.com





Also there is one for sale as part of a set on OGR right now. Prices on these sets tend be among the highest for just about any passenger set save the Smithsonian NYC cars. This one is no exception.

Then again someone got a deal a while back. This could be on Antiques Roadshow.



K-Line K-4360K Santa Fe ATSF 21" Aluminum Passenger Cars 2-Pack



Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Pete, you missed this.








It's very common to find stuff like this on Graham's Trains that are from years ago. Almost every time I go looking for something rare, I find it there with the same Sold Out in the ad.


----------



## Norton

I was aware it was sold out at Grahams. Just posted the link to show what K-Line cars once sold for. You would be lucky to get that set for ten times that today.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, when I clicked on the link, I immediately looked around for the *Add to Cart* link.


----------



## Millstonemike

I've been stimulated.

Arrived today along with the stimulus check to pay for it. I got a good deal on eBay for this mint 2001 Williams GS4 and there's still $1K left of the stimulus check.

I have the full complement of 7 Williams Crown Edition extruded aluminum passenger from the 80's. I also have a 2000 Williams F7 ABA with dual motors in both A units and QS1 electronics. The diesels headlined the SP Shasta Daylight. The GS4 pulled the SP Coast Daylight.. 

My pic, Williams stock pic and some pics of the passenger cars and ABA.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Love the Daylight paint scheme, all you need is a command upgrade.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Picked up this little gem cheap as it had some wiring issues with the tether. It's the MTH Premier Dreyfuss with PS/2. It originally came with the 5V board, but that was replaced with a 3V board, but the previous owner couldn't get the tether sorted out. For $250, it was mine, and I fixed the tether.

Since I already had it open, I added an LED headlight, one of my favorite upgrades for most locomotives. I added a BCR clone, and a tender pickup roller. Although this is a fairly large locomotive, the two rollers are closely spaced, only 3" apart. That's a recipe for stalling on switches, the extra roller is my fix. Since the board is in the locomotive (rare for PS/2, usually only early 5V models), you get complete control of the lighting features. The ground lights, headlight, and cab light are all independently addressed, a nice touch.


----------



## Millstonemike

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Love the Daylight paint scheme, all you need is a command upgrade.


Always a salesman


----------



## santafe158

Norton said:


> The three truck shays are very cool. I don't have one but did purchase a Westside Lumber shay for a friend and got to play with it for a while. Have fun Jake.
> I have a very unprototypical NYC two truck shay by K-Line along with some matching log cars. NYC actually had a few shays but they had cover them up so not to scare the horses. True story.
> 
> 
> 
> Richard Leonard's New York Central Collection -- Lima Shay 7189 (1900)
> 
> 
> 
> Pete


I just had to drag this comment back from a couple pages back when we were discussing Shays. Pete, you might be pleased to know that I don't think your shay is as unprototypical as you might think it is. I just found info that says the NYC owned a second hand two truck 60 ton shay that was #10 (I believe the K-Line model wore #10?) that was used in Ohio between 1931 and 1935. Assuming the info on this page is accurate, I don't believe it was among the shrouded locomotives. The K-Line locomotive is allegedly modeled after a 60 ton shay, so there you go 😁

Photo & some info linked below:


sn-3159


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Millstonemike said:


> Always a salesman


You never know when you'll score.


----------



## Norton

Interesting Jake. I had never heard of that subsidiary. Wonder if it got relettered? Thanks for the link. BTW the shrouded shays ended up in western New York including Rochester working the Genesee river gorge but were long gone before I got here.
Pete


----------



## santafe158

Norton said:


> Interesting Jake. I had never heard of that subsidiary. Wonder if it got relettered? Thanks for the link. BTW the shrouded shays ended up in western New York including Rochester working the Genesee river gorge but were long gone before I got here.
> Pete


It didn't dawn on me that it ended up as a NYC subsidiary. Must not have been a hotspot for fan photos at that time as I haven't found any photos of it in my brief search.


----------



## seayakbill

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Picked up this little gem cheap as it had some wiring issues with the tether. It's the MTH Premier Dreyfuss with PS/2. It originally came with the 5V board, but that was replaced with a 3V board, but the previous owner couldn't get the tether sorted out. For $250, it was mine, and I fixed the tether.
> 
> Since I already had it open, I added an LED headlight, one of my favorite upgrades for most locomotives. I added a BCR clone, and a tender pickup roller. Although this is a fairly large locomotive, the two rollers are closely spaced, only 3" apart. That's a recipe for stalling on switches, the extra roller is my fix. Since the board is in the locomotive (rare for PS/2, usually only early 5V models), you get complete control of the lighting features. The ground lights, headlight, and cab light are all independently addressed, a nice touch.
> 
> View attachment 542624


Terrific upgrades John, you ended up with a great steamer.

Bill


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## seayakbill

Received the Lionel Tacoma Rail SD70 Ace a couple days ago.


----------



## Norton

santafe158 said:


> It didn't dawn on me that it ended up as a NYC subsidiary. Must not have been a hotspot for fan photos at that time as I haven't found any photos of it in my brief search.


I googled Federal Valley RR and got some interesting hits. It was only a 15 mile spur line and existed from around 1888-1954. They had two engines and handful of cars. The mainline through Palos, OH appears to be in good shape but no sign of the Federal Valley which branched off to the Southeast from Palos. Someone wrote a book about it though.
It must have caught the attention of someone at Atlas. This is an N scale model.


Pete


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## 93firebird

Waiting for this to come in to Just Trains of Delaware. My wife and I decided to support a local small business during this pandemic by ordering this. It holds sentimental value to my family. We paid a visit to Stone Mountain last year for our vacation.









Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn

That's a cool road name, and I like the paint treatment.


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## Krieglok

Added a 3rd Rail NYC T-3a to the roster. It is the three rail version in NYC black...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Time for a breather Tom, you need to start building that layout to run all these great locomotives!


----------



## Krieglok

Yes, I slowed a bit. I picked up a few cars and some rolling stock for repainting projects. The layout building starts soon...

Tom


----------



## Norton

Nice Tom. I picked up one of these when they first came out from Beth. Also have a reservation on an R2. I am not holding my breath on that one.
Pete


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## Krieglok

Thanks Pete. I was surprised she had one left. Certain things seem to appear on her site out of the blue, so it is worth checking her listings on occasion. I found a few gems at her site.

I like the R2 also, but I didn’t order one...yet. I did order a 3rd Rail future release of a NJT E-60 electric locomotives. The E60 was one of the worst engines I ever ran...gotta have one though!

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

My PRSL caboose came in the mail yesterday from Holly Beach. It’s an uncatalogued item (MTH 30-77356). It has a lot of detail for a Railking, but it’s not exactly prototypical. PRSL used ex-PRR cabooses. PRSL 227 was an N-5. The model is of a Reading NMl so it has too many windows. And It’s being pulled by a Baldwin with too many axles. Good thing I’m not a purist.


----------



## PatKn

Beautiful caboose. Accuracy is second to satisfaction. If you like it it's your railroad enjoy it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn

You need a nice PRSL E6 Atlantic to pull that caboose.  Such a deal I have for you!


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## Lehigh74

I didn’t add any rolling stock, but I made a few new loads. I put together two Atlantis howitzer kits. I like the way they look with the limber attached, but that means only one canon per flat car. I was going to put them on Menards 14” flats, but the car looked too big for the canon. So, I replaced home-made pipe loads on some MTH flats with the howitzers. Pipe loads are OK, but the howitzer loads are much better.

I have to say that I was not impressed with the Atlantis kits. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by Atlas O and Tamiya, but the Atlantis kits seemed to have imprecise fit between some of the parts, too much flash on delicate parts and some instructions that I found questionable.


----------



## PatKn

The howitzers look real cool. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Lehigh74

Thanks Pat...Twice.


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## Krieglok

Bob,

Nice guns! I didn’t know there was a 1/48 scale kit out there. Are the barrels movable in the carriage, as far as sliding back and forth on the recoil rail? 

Some of those lesser known model companies produce some pretty challenging kits. They look great...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The guns are cool, love Military trains.


----------



## Lehigh74

Krieglok said:


> Bob,
> 
> Are the barrels movable in the carriage, as far as sliding back and forth on the recoil rail?
> Tom


Yes. The gun rotates, elevates and the barrel will move back and forth in the recoil rail (as long as you let the paint cure fully before you slide the barrel into the rail).


----------



## Krieglok

Not a big deal but you might find this interesting.

Normally, when the gun is limbered up for travel, the barrel and breach block would be slid back so the breach rests on the triangle device that is mounted on the trails. It actually locked there as to prevent movement in the gun mount while traveling over rough terrain. Here is a 155 in travel mode...









Here is a 8” Projectile for the gun you modeled. It is on the right. part of my shell collection..


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

How does it shoot?


----------



## santafe158

A couple of new items in the collection this week. 

I picked up a Lionel WM caboose to go with my recently acquired WM Shay. It definitely wasn’t a good deal price wise but they seem to be somewhat scarce in this paint scheme. 










On a much cheaper note, I also picked up this 1990’s Lionel UP 4-4-2. My first set was powered by a NYC version of the same engine but it unfortunately took a dive off a layout I once had and ended up with some mechanical damage. Repairs worked for awhile but it ultimately needed a new chassis. It seemed cheaper to buy a whole locomotive than to procure individual parts so I grabbed this one which had taken a nose dive itself at some point, but appears to be mechanically OK. My original air whistle board was bad, as was the smoke unit so it also received those out of my parts source. Nice having the locomotive that started it all for me back in action thanks to its organ donor... I reused the original lead and trailing trucks as well as the rods from my original engine since I didn't want it to be a totally new locomotive. The parts donor went back together with what was left and is more or less intact for a future project.


----------



## Lehigh74

I like the Reading style caboose Jake. The WM 1874 (and 29 others like it) was built in 1940 at a cost of $3684.61 each.


----------



## Lehigh74

Krieglok said:


> Not a big deal but you might find this interesting.
> 
> Normally, when the gun is limbered up for travel, the barrel and breach block would be slid back so the breach rests on the triangle device that is mounted on the trails. It actually locked there as to prevent movement in the gun mount while traveling over rough terrain. Here is a 155 in travel mode...
> 
> Here is a 8” Projectile for the gun you modeled. It is on the right. part of my shell collection..


Thanks Tom. I’ll have to see if I can slide mine back. See above comment about letting the paint cure before you slide it in. Looks like you have the much cooler Long Tom version.

And I hope you keep your shell collection on the ground floor. They like they weight a bit.


----------



## Krieglok

You are welcome Bob. The model I have pictured is a 1/32 scale 21st Century Toys. They made great stuff in many scales. Tanks, gun, airplanes etc. They went out of business a few years ago.

The shell is a inert M404 anti personnel round. It was designed to be an air burst round that scattered many tiny AP mines over a given area. Nasty stuff from the Vietnam era. It is in my basement with a few other shells. It is about 150lbs empty. If it was live, it would be well over 250lbs. The shell next to it is a 90mm tank round. It is the gun used in the Pershing and early Patton tanks. The projectile is an armor piercing round that was fired and then dug out of a hill at Fort Drum, NY....

Tom


----------



## santafe158

Lehigh74 said:


> I like the Reading style caboose Jake. The WM 1874 (and 29 others like it) was built in 1940 at a cost of $3684.61 each.


Thanks for that info! I looked a little bit at the WM prototypes but never located a great history online. I also didn't look very hard so I guess that'll give me something to do in the future.


----------



## Lehigh74

I got it from _Reading Company Cabooses_ by John W Hall. There is a chapter on Foreign Roads that either copied the Reading design like WM or had the Reading build them cabooses like L&NE.


----------



## santafe158

Lehigh74 said:


> I got it from _Reading Company Cabooses_ by John W Hall. There is a chapter on Foreign Roads that either copied the Reading design like WM or had the Reading build them cabooses like L&NE.


Interesting. Until you mentioned the "Reading Style" caboose in your initial comment, I hadn't really compared the Lionel model in much detail to the WM prototype. I know Lionel generically refers to that caboose style as a "northeastern" caboose, so I figured it probably wasn't perfect but close enough. I suppose that copied design thing would be the reason it actually is pretty close in appearance to the real thing.

I plan to eventually get some coal hoppers to put between the Shay and the caboose. Even if they're not all perfect, it doesn't really matter since the Shay isn't either for that train with it's preservation era paint stripes 😁


----------



## 93firebird

This arrives today. Happy with the way it turned out.









Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn

I wonder if there's a boxcar with my name and picture on it? I served my time! OK, this may have been time off for a spell.


----------



## Millstonemike

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I wonder if there's a boxcar with my name and picture on it?


\
There is!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I thought there should be Mike, any idea if anyone still has these in stock?


----------



## 93firebird

Yup, Lionel direct has them available! Lol

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## Millstonemike

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I thought there should be Mike, any idea if anyone still has these in stock?


John, I think your kidding but just in case ...

93firebird is correct. These are the boxcars that Lionel will personalize direct from their website. You create the image and get several lines of text to fill in under the pre-printed "Thanks for Your Service" line. You could put your a picture of your ship (along side that mug shot  ). I don't have any experience ordering one, just some examples from other members.

Here's the *Lionel Link*


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, you're right, I didn't realize it was a custom made deal, pretty cool.


----------



## santafe158

Grzyboski's had a deal I couldn't refuse on the two three packs of Lionel Western Maryland 2 bay hoppers. They had the lowest price by far to begin with when I first saw them listed a couple weeks back but they lowered it by another $30 to $100 each before I looked last night so I had to bite. They'll be perfect behind my WM shay when they arrive.


----------



## ERIE610

A local fella was selling off some of his late father's collection on Craigslist. I managed to acquire from him a Williams GG1 4876 stock #74401, 4 different K-Line 8580-xxxx Streamline passenger cars. A Lionel 2046 steamer & 2046 whistle tender. Pictures to come later. This new MS Edge browser is flaky right now when it comes to saving & loading images.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

ERIE610 said:


> This new MS Edge browser is flaky right now when it comes to saving & loading images.


Consider an alternate browser, I use Firefox and I have zero issue with loading and saving images.


----------



## Hagan Meinke

Lehigh74 said:


> Thanks Tom. I’ll have to see if I can slide mine back. See above comment about letting the paint cure before you slide it in. Looks like you have the much cooler Long Tom version.
> 
> And I hope you keep your shell collection on the ground floor. They like they weight a bit.


----------



## Big Ed

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I wonder if there's a boxcar with my name and picture on it? I served my time! OK, this may have been time off for a spell.
> 
> View attachment 543735


I like the weapons they issued you, one for each hand. 😎


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It was a bar in Naples, you have to be prepared over there for anything.


----------



## Lehigh74

I got some NIB MTH SD-35s. These are some nice engines. I’m a PRR fan, but I don’t have too many DGLE PRR diesels since they are not the most colorful. But the price was right and I’m happy with these 2008 vintage PS2 3V locos. There is a grill over the exhaust, but the brake blister can be removed so it’s easy to load smoke fluid. There is so much smoke that it leaks from the seams of the removable section. The sound is good with not too much blower whine. The battery checks OK, but I’ll probably replace it with one of GRJ’s SBRs. The dummy has lights, but I wish the markers were lit and not everything else. The light from the number boards bleeds into the cab. The last shot here is with the interior lights turned off. I’ll take a look at that when I replace the battery. They look good running down the track.


----------



## PatKn

As a fellow Pennsy fan, nice looking engines. Enjoy them.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice Pennsy there Bob! I never have much luck picking up matching unpowered units. The later Pennsylvania scheme was pretty flat, as was the Penn Central, but the later scheme is still good looking, with the keystones on the Brunswick green paint. Great engines.

Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

Nice. The brown gives them a rugged look.


----------



## trainman32780

I resin cast these , I have a few other modern cars under construction . Will be posting them soon . All detail parts are added on to the car , lots of 3D printed pieces


----------



## trainman32780

GREENVILLE 60ft high cube , mid 80's boxcar , DTI , CONRAIL NW PC , riveted panels ( thank you Archer Transfers )


----------



## Millstonemike

Nice. The DT&I looks like a pic of a real version.


----------



## Magic

That is some mighty fine work, looks great.
Nice weathering.

Magic


----------



## Booly15

very nice weathering


----------



## Krieglok

Did a kit bash using a K-Line EP5 as a base model and made a Penn Central E40. It is a TMCC equipped engine with a YLB installed. I did the paint and decal work. Weathering will be the final step...

Tom


----------



## PatKn

Nice job on the boxcar, Trainman. That Penn Central looks beautiful.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## trainman32780

Tom ,
that PENN CENTRAL electric looks awesome , just a suggestion , to get a light grunge haze and to keep it where you want it or wipe off . I watched PLASMO on YT . seal your black with gloss acrylic , then mix cheap artist oils to the desired grime color , apply liberally then remove with q tips or paper towel , the oil will not react to the acrylic and vise versa , leave heavy in some areas and light in others , the oil takes a long time to dry and can even be removed with mineral spirits , my DT&I above , no air brush was used . Cheap craft paints (Anitas) . I practiced on an old shell to get the hang of it .It really is easy to get super effects , MIG JIMENEZ , on YT as well on chipping paint and rust . Solid black lends itself to fading so well for a realistic effect . 
Once all done you may not even need to seal the final paint .


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks! That is a method I never heard of. It will be interesting to give it a try. I have done airbrush weathering in the past, but your method sounds like a way to go.

Of course, anything I accomplish will never be as great looking as your creations. Your stuff looks great!

Tom


----------



## trainman32780

Tom ,
i use to do airbrush mist , but when I saw these guys on you tube using simple things and cheap paints , as they say practice makes perfect . If you can find it PLEDGE FLOOR CARE witha label that says 2X more shine . It is what a lot of guys use as a sealer I put it on with a q tip self leveling , once it dries , hard as nails , then apply the oils , Hobby Lobby sells a cheap 20 $ set of colors .
It is sort of like staining wood , wipe on wipe off but the oils are thicker , I do thin it a little but just swab it all over and them start removing it , wiping hard on the more clean areas and softer around areas where the grime collects . Best thing is if it does not look right a light mineral spirits on a brush and off it comes , start over . Once you do have it looking like you want just leave it to dries may take 2 days . Then do the other side . And once it does dry it may have a sheen you can light dull coat it and for enhance even more use the acrylic craft paints in washes over the work and then use water to thin and blend it and then let it sit . Practice on an old boxcar , and look at real trains how the streaks and grime forms it is not just one layer or color , the guys that when contests some use all brushes . remember grime get wet from rain and all goes straight vertical , so keep that in mind .


----------



## trainman32780

Also Jim at HIGHBALL GRAPHICS has lots of decals , a many are not posted . He is a good guy , fair on price , decal creation takes time , but anything worth doing , takes time to do it right .


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks again for the tips. I also looked at Highball Graphics. Nice stuff. I am putting together an order for a couple boxcar and tank car decal sets. I am looking forward to exploring the technique.

Tom


----------



## WITZ 41

Golden Gate Depot Combine
Union Pacific TTG
(Of another 3 car set I just snagged)


----------



## Millstonemike

21" ?


----------



## santafe158

I finally finished my Western Maryland coal train to go along with my Lionel Shay. Grzyboski's had a heck of a deal on the Lionel 3 packs of hoppers and I found the Northeastern caboose on ebay as previously posted, so I was able to put it all together in short order. I haven't had a chance to run it together yet, but it looks good as a set at least.


----------



## PatKn

Nice looking train.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Millstonemike

Love a long train of matching coal cars. Had a 6-pack of them in the mid 80's ....


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I like unit trains Jake, that's a handsome setup.


----------



## santafe158

Thanks guys, it certainly does make a nice looking little train.


----------



## Big Bill

Not new,but nice O scale All nation unit,


----------



## Big Bill

Here is a O scale Lobaugh unit with Weaver Coal cars


----------



## WITZ 41

Millstonemike said:


> 21" ?


Yes. Somewhat generic heavyweights but GGD does really nice cars for plastic.


----------



## Norton

Added another Niagara to the roster. Lionel TMCC 6024 got renumbered, gears and driveshaft replaced, cab curtains, and 4 chuffs with a new cam. Also got a Cruise M as the Odyssey board was getting flakey.










Pete


----------



## Firemaster One

WITZ 41 said:


> Yes. Somewhat generic heavyweights but GGD does really nice cars for plastic.
> 
> View attachment 544740
> 
> 
> View attachment 544741
> 
> 
> View attachment 544743


Really nice detailing.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice job Pete, where do you get the number plates like the one on the smokebox door? Looks like a nice job on the headlight numbers too.


----------



## Norton

I was able to cheat on this one and got a front from Lionel used on a Vision engine. Then just swapped the headlight and number plate. I have relettered a few of those and found it to be a PITA so now either stay with the original number change the headlight/tailight if available. For NYC Niagaras, Precision Scale actually makes a set of number plates for the Niagara numbers 6001-6010. That would have required only changing the headlight number.

This is a 3rd Rail Niagara that arrived as 6024 also. It has a PSC number plate. I think 6024 Niagaras are as plentiful as 5344 Hudsons. Everyone including MTH has done a 6024. For the headlight I printed the number using a laser printer on transparency.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Gonna' call you _*Sneaky Pete*_, great solution! I wondered how you got those so perfect.  I do a similar thing with the printing for number boards and headlights, but the metal plate would be more of a challenge to make it look right.


----------



## Millstonemike

Norton said:


> ... For the headlight I printed the number using a laser printer on transparency.


What type of media? I tried putting a sheet of semi-transparent cut from a laminating sheet. The heat from the laser printer's fuser distorted the plastic sheet.


----------



## Norton

The transparency material I used is for overhead projection. It comes in 8 1/2 x 11 sheets and made for laser printers.


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Apollo-B-W-Laser-Transparency-Film-Letter-Clear-50-Box/33729650?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1122&&adid=22222222227022266407&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=52371180551&wl4=aud-430887228898:pla-83936099591&wl5=9005667&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=101593696&wl11=online&wl12=33729650&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6ar4BRDnARIsAITGzlAyeY9Ps2cyZgR-tqikmxMyo_xSyCQitUK59UpnxxNGR9eFxe7b2tUaAul0EALw_wcB



They make a type for inkjet printers too but I have not tried that.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

100 sheet for $18 from Amazon. 





Amazon.com: OHP Film Overhead Projector Film - 8.5x11 for Laser Jet Printer and Copier Transparency Film 100 Sheets Uinkit: Camera & Photo


Buy OHP Film Overhead Projector Film - 8.5x11 for Laser Jet Printer and Copier Transparency Film 100 Sheets Uinkit: Office Products - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



www.amazon.com


----------



## Lehigh74

I picked up a couple of MTH 100 Ton map hoppers. The LVRR is one of those cars that I saw in the catalog and said “meh”. It was just issued, caught my eye and I had to have it. Then I decided to look for more. Found the PRR (issued a year or so ago) at the Caboose Stop in Cedar Falls.


----------



## Big Ed

Do you know if they had real hoppers with the map on it?
The original LV map box car still sits in my town.
Filled with hay.


----------



## Norton

I feel like I finally arrived in 3 rail. Most of my life my only AC transformer was a 1033. I picked up a Z4000 last year but now with the demise of MTH I decided I needed a backup. I know how complicated Z4000s are and given they rely on cpu board, if that board ever goes its nothing more than a doorstop. I only had to clean this up. I don't think anyone has been inside as its all original. Even the cord is intact and supple with no cracks. I have a fast TMCC breaker now for TMCC applications but intend to get a couple DCC Specialties PSX-AC breakers as those can be used for conventional as well as command operation.









Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Nice! They made great, last forever products back then. The breaker info is handy. Thanks for that.

I have a couple old timers myself. They may see use if my MRC ever craps out.









I bought the two Lionel transformers used and cleaned them up with a little auto wax...










Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

While the ZW is "king of the hill", KWs are extremely cool.

I picked up a VW for $25 from a Northwestern NJ seller. Needs a cord and the name plate. I'll pick that up on my next order at Train Tender.

It was in pristine condition and all the handles turn smoothly. Apparently the older couple didn't know what they had. They called it a Lionel "controller". I don't feel bad. Their (new) house was in a private community. I estimate 3,500 Sq ft.


----------



## KBeyer

Around here (medium city Midwest) $25 would be a fair price for a VW in that condition, so I wouldn’t feel bad at all. 

Can’t go wrong with a postwar transformer. Nothing to go wrong in there, just need to change the rollers when/if they get worn down. I’ve go six ZWs and a VW powering my layout. Use a TW on the test bench, and have a few 1033s, a KW and one or two others.


----------



## KBeyer

Here’s my latest, a 2359 B&M GP-9. At one time I had all of the regular run geeps, but sold all but the 2338 Milwaukee Road (in two variations). But, I always liked the paint scheme on the B&M, so picked this one up, and am now on the hunt for a 2346!


----------



## KBeyer

As I am a bit of a FM Trainmaster fanatic, I picked this one up a couple of weeks ago as an upgrade to the blue/yellow blue shell version of the 2331 I had in my collection. Bought from Trainz on e-bay and was an unusually good deal. Some times I can't figure out their pricing or grading of postwar trains.


----------



## Lehigh74

The MTH Club cars arrived. The premier car is Pullman Standard PS1. Interesting that the car is the same number (1) that was used a few years ago on the MTHRRC Pullman Standard PS1 (also pictured). I usually don’t get commemorative cars, but since MTH is closing, I got the 40 year MTH boxcar.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice cars, Bob. The PS cars are especially cool. Were they actual “demonstrators” from the past?

I added these to my collection. Atlas wood and Weaver steel cars. All painted and decaled by me...
























Tom


----------



## J.Albert1949

Nice job on the freight cars, Kreiglok.

I actually ran on some trackage used by the old LNE in my freight days (this was in 1985-1991). The segment connected Campbell Hall (where the Erie Goshen/Montgomery branch crossed the Graham Line), past the site of the old Campbell Hall station on the O&W, then it diverted to the right and ran another 2 miles or so to the west end of what once was Maybrook Yard.

You can find pics of the LNE FA units crossing the diamond by the old station...


----------



## Lehigh74

Nice work on the boxcars Tom. They look like factory made.

Good question about the prototypes for the PS-1 boxcars. Premier stuff is generally based on a real prototype, so my guess is there were prototypes of these cars. I did a brief search for images and only came up with an Atlas HO version of the 50000th car.


----------



## Madman

KBeyer said:


> As I am a bit of a FM Trainmaster fanatic, I picked this one up a couple of weeks ago as an upgrade to the blue/yellow blue shell version of the 2331 I had in my collection. Bought from Trainz on e-bay and was an unusually good deal. Some times I can't figure out their pricing or grading of postwar trains.
> 
> View attachment 545869


I am also fond of the Trainmasters. Of the post-war upper echelon of Lionel locomotives, they are one of the best all around runners.


----------



## Krieglok

What year is that Trainmaster from? It looks well detailed as well constructed. The Virginian colors are really striking.

I have only two Trainmasters. A K-Line PRR and a MTH DL&W. The Trainmasters are really interesting locomotives...

J.Albert, that area around Maybrook yard was a spaghetti bowl of railroads in the good days. So much is gone. Funny how the Erie crossed itself at MQ. Looking at the area now, one would never there was so much railroading happening there..

Tom


----------



## KBeyer

Madman said:


> I am also fond of the Trainmasters. Of the post-war upper echelon of Lionel locomotives, they are one of the best all around runners.


Oh, yeah, I'd argue they are the best. A combination of the dual motors, weight, and the distance between the trucks means they are the best at smoothing over lows in track voltage on a postwar layout.

Tom, that model is from 1956-58. Those were the years they came in the blue/yellow paint scheme. In 1955, the first year of the Virginian trainmaster, the paint scheme was a prototypical black/yellow.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I haven't added much to the roster lately, but a really good deal came along (actually two really good deals), and so I bit.

I picked up this Lionel Legacy NY, O & W ABBA setup for $700 delivered, and it also included four extra shells as Lionel replaced all the wrong color shells. It consists of the A-A set, a powered B with sound, and the Superbass B. So it has three of the four units with sound, two with power, and all have smoke. The extra shells will be painted for either Reading or PRR, I haven't decided which yet. The neat thing is, they're just drop-on shells, one plug for the A units, and nothing for the B units, so they're very easy to swap.



























I also got the old silver painted shells that were the wrong color and Lionel swapped them out. Those will get the repaint as they don't represent any real road name colors.










Next up is the Legacy Mogul, I picked up this one sealed in the box for $349, principally because of the known issues with many (or all) of them. I'm hoping to make it into a working model without too much effort, time will tell...


----------



## J.Albert1949

gunrunner john wrote:
_"I picked up this Lionel Legacy NY, O & W ABBA setup..."_

Kind of in the same vein in my reply to Kreiglok earlier, but...
... I used to run freight on one of the remaining segments of the O&W, in Middletown, New York.

On the Campbell Hall job (Conrail), we would take cars from Campbell Hall to deliver them to the Middletown & New Jersey (short line) in downtown Middletown.

We'd come to a place called "Four Story Junction", then run up a connecting track which would take us up to the old O&W main, then down through the Middletown yard past the yard office on Wisner Avenue, then down by the old O&W station and offices, and finally to the M&NJ depot.

Sometimes we'd park the engine near the yard office (privately owned now), then walk down Wisner Avenue to a diner there for a break.

Scott Hartley from Trains magazine wrote a piece about the Campbell Hall local, featuring a picture taken one day in 1985 as we climbed up from the Graham Line to the O&W main...


----------



## Krieglok

Cool. Ive been through there on the MTA Southern Tier line many time running passenger jobs. Four Story Jct is still there.

The signal changes are almost complete. You probably wouldn’t recognize the place anymore. So much change...mostly deleted...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I actually didn't know much about the NY, O & W line, I bought the set because it was offered at an impossible price, $700. When you add up the MSRP, it's more than twice that, and street prices for all the pieces is around $1100-1200. The extra set of shells was neat, that meant I could send them off and get them painted in the road name of my choice and still have the originals.


----------



## Spence

Great find John.


----------



## Norton

Lots of cool stuff here guys. Tom, beautiful paint job! That Post War Trainmaster looks brand new. My only Trainmaster is a pre Bachmann Williams that I put ERR Cruise in. Its a stump puller. I was able to couple 32 cars to it once at a club show and run it for two hours without it breaking a sweat.
John, are those NY, O&W engines from JR Junction? I know Phil is pretty fed up with Lionel not only about these but the J3 Hudsons that Lionel refused to offer a non class light option. Wouldn't even offer to sell him fronts at extra cost. He has a lot of NY, O&W and NYC customers who were bummed out.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

No Pete, these were offered by Alex M on OGR, I was surprised nobody bit. I was actually thinking of upgrading my MTH Premier Reading A-B-A from PS/1, but with these, I think I'll sell the MTH set and get my extra shells painted. The only issue I had was the SuperBass unit has a short, tripped the breaker on the spot. I opened it up and fixed the roller wire that was firmly screwed into the frame by the shell screw, all is well. 

The repainted shells are a lot closer to the proper color, they're certainly closer than the silver ones. Lionel did replace those at no charge. However, still not really the right colors, but better.




















Closer than Lionel's first attempt.


----------



## Lehigh74

I got another DGLE loco. Never thought I would ever have an E44. They are kind of an ugly duckling. Literally just a box. But the agreed price was right and I think I will like the loco. Its an MTH Premier from the 2014V1 catalog. It only had 5 miles on the chrono. When I put it next to my Blackjack GG1 it reminds me of one of my favorite spots at the Strasburg RR museum.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice motor Bob. The E44 was a brute but the GG1 makes it look small. Time to string catenary!

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

Thanks Tom. I thought the E44 looked kind of big for a 6 axle loco. It’s longer than a trainmaster or SD35, but about the same as a C628. The GG1 is a few inches longer. I’m up to 5 electrics now. But I don’t see catenary happening. With my layout, it would get in the way even if I just strung one loop. Plus, I’m way too lazy to tackle something that ambitious.


----------



## Krieglok

I know. Catenary is another whole aspect to the layout. I saw a huge lot of MTH catenary products for sale over on OGR. It was tempting...170 poles and the hardware kits to go with [email protected] $1700.

I like the midwestern style though...mostly wood poles ...simpler design...

Tom


----------



## BillTrzaskus

I just took possession of a NOS WEAVER ALCO C6-28.
I always wanted a 6 axle high horsepower locomotive to pull some long trains at our local club. Got it a couple of days ago. Here are a few pictures of it pulling a 29 car ore train around. Now hoping to get a second unit so I can double head them. Then I might purchase a dummy F unit and paint it in CNW colors and place the F unit between the Alcos






















Might be looking into weathering the big guy to make it more like a real ALCO, rusty, dirty and oil covered.​


----------



## Krieglok

That is an impressive train behind that engine. The engine looks great too. Weathering will make it even more interesting!

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

I’m impressed by the CNW ore train, but even more impressed with the layout. The partially complete trestle caught my eye. Is that track going to pass over the double main line on the lower level? It looks like that’s where it’s headed, but seems like it would be too high.


----------



## BillTrzaskus

The trestle belongs to an Old West mining district with a "ghost town ". The scene has ON30 running through it. Right now it's a static display and not completed. Maybe in the future there might be an interchange with the main line .


----------



## Magic

Nice looking loco on a very nice looking layout.
Keep the pics coming.

Magic


----------



## KBeyer

Yes, very nice. Can't go wrong with CNW colors!


----------



## KBeyer

Well, didn’t take long to find a mate for the Lionel 2359 B&M GP-9. Picked up a Lionel 2346 GP-9 and 6017 caboose. I had a 6457 caboose with a broken shell, so I swapped the base with the plain Jane base on the 6017. Spruces up that caboose a bit!


----------



## BillTrzaskus

Bought a CNW (recognize the pattern ) powered and dummy Doodlebug set. Since MTH put 2 motors in the powered unit, my son is pulling out one motor and placing it in the dummy. That way we'll have 2 powered units for the price of one.








Also he's trying to replace the marker lamps with 2 color LED 's with a directional circuit so we have green light in forward and red in reverse.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice doodlebugs! I thought about buying one and painting it in Erie. Another future project!

Tom


----------



## BillTrzaskus

He bought these from Evans Designs and rigged up a bridge rectifier so the incoming AC is changed to DC.


----------



## Millstonemike

BillTrzaskus said:


> Bought a CNW (recognize the pattern ) powered and dummy Doodlebug set. Since MTH put 2 motors in the powered unit, my son is pulling out one motor and placing it in the dummy. That way we'll have 2 powered units for the price of one.
> View attachment 547603
> 
> Also he's trying to replace the marker lamps with 2 color LED 's with a directional circuit so we have green light in forward and red in reverse.


What do you gain by moving the motor? The ability to run them separately? If so, won't you need another MTH electronic control system for the newly powered dummy? Just trying to understand ...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have a master-slave set of PRR doodlebugs, I have the same question as Mike. I don't see where this gets you anything.


----------



## BillTrzaskus

I have a PS 1 board left over from an MTH Railking NW2 that was converted to TMCC. We will use that board in the dummy to power it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I presume the other one is also PS/1? I still don't see the value in moving the motor. When you run them together, the factory way of running dual powered PS/1 was a slave board that was synchronized to the master. With independent boards, you will potentially have them fighting themselves if the reverse units get out of sync.


----------



## BillTrzaskus

Right, the other one is PS1 also, I can have 2 separate powered units, not necessarily running them together.


----------



## DennyM

Just got a Rail King SW-9 B&O Chessie switcher. It's the first RK engine I've ever owned.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice engine with nice sound. Looks like a real puller. Enjoy your new acquisition!

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

Not sure why I got this. Maybe I felt sorry for it. I’m not planning to restore it, other than clean, lube and rewire so it runs. But I might look for another 150 series that’s in better shape to keep it company.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That will buff right out and look as good as new.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Some time back I picked up six of the K-Line 18" Bombardier passenger cars, and I've been looking for a matching locomotive ever since. This is where I want to go...










And now I'm there! I just received the K-Line K2436-1001TC F40PH CalTrain #919 that I picked up from eBay, so I should be able to build the above consist with an extra car.


----------



## santafe158

I sort of went of the deep end with purchases lately... Some semi unexpectedly 🙄😁

It all started with a simple tank car lettered for a local chemical company....









Then I decided to acquire my first NS locomotive, a Lionel Legacy SD70ACe.









Shortly after that bill was paid, Lionel threw me a curve ball in that the Brass Hybrid 4-4-0's and passenger cars that I ordered last year were shipping shortly. Last I talked to them a few weeks ago they were hoping for December and now suddenly they're here. This has been an expensive month.... The cars arrived a couple days ago and look quite nice. Based on the unboxing video Lionel posted on their Facebook page, I'm very much looking forward to receiving my locomotives. Paying the bill, not so much 😁


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You better take a second job Jake.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You better take a second job Jake.


Thankfully I had money set aside for the 4-4-0s since I ordered them. It still stings a little though 🤣


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, they're not cheap, so I can imagine parting with that loot is a little difficult.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice S motor there Bob. Looks like it has been well used!

John, the commuter set is very nice. I wish they would do a Metra set someday. I always liked the gallery cars they used on the old C&NW.

Jake, nice tank car. I like the paint job. Not too flashy, but enough graphics to keep it interesting. The SD70 looks great too. Those huge radiators make for a very unique looking locomotive.

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> That will buff right out and look as good as new.


John – I usually take your advice as gospel, but in this case, I think you steered me wrong.😉

I cleaned up the commutator and put new insulation (heat shrink tape) on the wires to the brushes. But alas, the only thing this loco does is lights the overload light. The armature windings look like they were cooked. A rewind would be more trouble or money than this little guy is worth so I think it has seen the last of its track days.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's ugly, needs more buffing!


----------



## Lehigh74

I picked up this 2006 vintage MTH D&H A-B-A set from ebay. Both A units are powered. They were advertised as new and they in fact did have only about a mile on the ODO and an hour on the Chono. They didn’t have dust on them, but they were missing some of the foam packing pieces and the tires looked to have indentations. So, I suspect they were display pieces. After about 200 feet, half of the traction tires came off so I took the others off. Runs fine without them, but I will most likely put new ones on when I replace the battery.

Now I need to find some MTH 18” streamlined passenger cars for them to pull. They were only made in 2001 and 2006 so I may be looking for a while.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Eat your heart out Bob, I manged to score a couple of sets of those and a full dome car to pull behind my A-B-A Legacy Sharks.  They don't come along often, I found one set at Allentown First Frost, and one showed up on OGR for a great price.


----------



## Krieglok

Sharp engines Bob. That is one set I am still looking for for my D&H collection.

I have the Sharks too. I was lucky to find a dummy A unit. The real ones on the D&H were both A units. They didn’t have B units. I was considering moving the powered guts from the MTH B unit to the dummy A unit...another project.












Are the PAs 5 volt? Very nice looking locomotives.

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

Krieglok said:


> Are the PAs 5 volt? Very nice looking locomotives.
> 
> Tom


This is the 3 volt set (20-2633-1). I made sure of that before I put in my offer.

For some reason, I don’t have any sharknose diesels. But they sure look good in D&H bluebonnet colors.


----------



## Krieglok

Oh, that is great! I guess MTH made the transition to 3v A bit earlier. Nice buy.

The Sharknose engines seem rare or people hold onto them more than other engines. I consider myself extremely lucky to have found the Dummy A unit, let alone the AB set. The PAs will be a tough search for me too...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Besides the A-B-A Legacy D&H sharks, I have the A-B-A set of PRR Sharks, the Century Club models. I added the B-unit to the D&H Sharks so I'd have two powered units. Besides, they look cool with the B-unit, I don't care if it's not prototypical.


----------



## Krieglok

I have the same PRR sharks from Lionel. I liked them better than the MTH ones. The train phone antennas on the Lionel are much more stout and don’t break like the MTH ones did.

The D&H sharks with the B unit is an attractive set. My preference is dictated by how I saw them when they were running. They used to work the old Lehigh Valley Auburn Branch in New York, before Conrail. I ended up working the same line when it was a tourist railroad in the early 80’s...

Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

Lehigh74 said:


> ... so I think it has seen the last of its track days.
> 
> View attachment 548511


But it's 100+ years old. A real piece of history.

Note: A wire brush in a drill will make the rust disappear and the frame sparkle.


----------



## Lehigh74

I like the rust. I asked Harry Henning Jr. yesterday what it would cost to get it running. I could spend $50 for a rewind and another $15 to replace the pickup. I would end up with an engine worth $45 so it will be a bit of history, but on the shelf, not the track.


----------



## Maxum

Here's a recent EBay score. It's a Lionel Legacy 2-6-6-2 mallet that had never been run. Even though SP never ran mallets like this, I thought it was a good looking locomotive with the Vanderbilt tender. It's got great sound, lighting and runs great right out of the box.



















I put the non-scale coupler on the front as I needed it for helper service pushing a PFE reefer train over the mountains.


----------



## Krieglok

That is cool. Quite an impressive collection of reefers as well as the heavy motive power. The Lionel Legacy stuff seems pretty good lately. That is one heavy train and they pull with hardly making a sweat!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It doesn't have to be prototypically accurate to be cool, I like that Mallet.


----------



## Lehigh74

That train is an impressive roster all by itself.


----------



## Maxum

Thanks for the comments. I've always been a fan of PFE reefers since I was a little kid and my dad had a set of them in HO. I love that command control allows me to operate a train with helpers prototypically with a single throttle. With Lionel Legacy control when you set up a lashup, the locomotives whistle back and forth to indicate they're programmed. Sounds just like a real steam train with helpers.

Edit- I forgot to mention that's a 3% grade with multiple curves. Just one of those locomotives has enough power and tractive effort to pull the whole train up that grade. It's just a lot more fun to have multiple locomotives pulling it. I'm waiting on an MTH Big Boy to arrive. Once it shows up, I think my Big Boy and 9000 class (4-12-2) will need to double head and pull my PFE reefers up the mountain.


----------



## Firewood

That's a great scene - nicely done! There's something about a string of reefers and those engines are wonderful beasts.


----------



## Firewood

I did a Canadian National re-decorate on a Lionel Alaska 2-8-2 recently, seen here upstaging a Williams CPR combination. 



 As one of the few without feedwater heaters, I went with that number.....even if the sand dome isn't in the right spot. 3465 in early CN scheme can be found down the page here: Harold A. Skaarup Web page


  





I haven't found any photos of 3465 in this "modern" scheme, so I'm uncertain if it had a straight or angled tender emblem. I tried the 9 deg. angle but it just looked plain crooked, so did it this way. Maybe CN had the same rule of thumb - do what's pleasing to the eye 😉


----------



## Krieglok

Cool. Never enough Canadian railroads!

Here is a recent creation of mine...a Weaver car decorated with K4 decals...

Tom


----------



## Firewood

Cool. Never enough Canadian railroads!

Here is a recent creation of mine...a Weaver car decorated with K4 decals...

Tom

Nice! I'm taking note of that one - haven't seen it before


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks!

It might need a darker green. I had an Atlas N scale ONT boxcar many years ago. It was in the 1970’s scheme with the stylized ON on the side. It was a little bit darker. They had the earlier scheme in boxcar red too. That is my next project...

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Picked up a conventional Lionel 0-6-0T for a relettering and weathering project. I plan on doing it as a Hanna Furnace switcher. Hanna Furnace was a blast furnace operation in Lackawanna, NY...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Picked up a project set, they don't run, but I suspect I can remedy that. They were a gift, so I can't complain about them not running! Two powered and all have smoke. I'm guessing they have the same issue as a similar set I have in for repair, the K-Line cruise modules burn up!


----------



## Krieglok

Can’t go wrong with Santa Fe F units. They look great!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I was pleased to see how nice they look, I figured anything on the inside is easily repaired, just takes time and money.


----------



## Maxum

Krieglok said:


> Can’t go wrong with Santa Fe F units. They look great!
> 
> Tom


You took the words right out of my mouth! BTW, I like your saddle tanker. I bet it'll look great all weathered up.


----------



## Maxum

Well, the MTH Premier Big Boy I ordered almost a year ago finally arrived. It has really good sound. This thing is heavy! The locomotive and tender weigh about 22 lbs. It has some serious tractive effort. I pulled a train of 35 cars up my 3% mountain grade and multiple curves with ease. The real 4005 is nearby in Denver at the Forney Museum. It was the first of the Big Boys I ever saw back in the early 1970's. Never in a million years did I imagine I would get to see one operate. 











Living not far from Cheyenne, I was fortunate to get to see 4014 on it's very first test run


----------



## Krieglok

My god, that engine is huge! Makes my saddle tanker look like a mere speck!

Congratulations!

Tom


----------



## KBeyer

Krieglok said:


> My god, that engine is huge! Makes my saddle tanker look like a mere speck!
> 
> Congratulations!
> 
> Tom


Yes, what does it need for curves, 096?


----------



## Maxum

KBeyer said:


> Yes, what does it need for curves, 096?


 072

The front of the boiler sticks about 2 1/2" out to the side of the track in the curves. It forces me to leave a lot of space on the outside of the curves. Luckily I planned for large articulated steam locomotives when I started my layout and left plenty of room in the curves.


----------



## Jeff T

I picked up a 2001 Lionel starter set, Tinsel Town Express off FaceBook for $50. Everything was in the box, track transformer. Working on getting it cleaned up and operating before I give it to a local family with three kids under seven!


----------



## BigGRacing

I picked up a nice model for my train room this week, will look good as a display on the wall








Three models for $20 up here isn’t bad in my opinion, I think they are somewhat classic!


----------



## Krieglok

They are static models? They look like 1/100th scale. Great looking models. I like the 9F...one of my favorite engines. I wish they made one in O scale!

Tom


----------



## BigGRacing

Yes, just static models, but I liked them and the price was right


----------



## Krieglok

They are nice, no matter what. They look great. All famous locomotives!

Tom


----------



## santafe158

My Lionel 4-4-0s were delivered while I was at work today which made it pretty tough to focus... After a year and a half of waiting and a very painful blow to my wallet, I'm very happy to finally have them in my hands. They turned out beautifully and run pretty nicely out of the box. There are a few minor details (or lack of) that bug me due to the fact that Lionel has included them on other models in the past but left them out of these top of the line brass hybrid models, but overall I'm very happy with them.


----------



## BillTrzaskus

BillTrzaskus said:


> I just took possession of a NOS WEAVER ALCO C6-28.
> I always wanted a 6 axle high horsepower locomotive to pull some long trains at our local club. Got it a couple of days ago. Here are a few pictures of it pulling a 29 car ore train around. Now hoping to get a second unit so I can double head them. Then I might purchase a dummy F unit and paint it in CNW colors and place the F unit between the Alcos
> View attachment 546924
> View attachment 546925
> View attachment 546926
> 
> Might be looking into weathering the big guy to make it more like a real ALCO, rusty, dirty and oil covered.​











Just got my ALCO 's twin brother. Another Weaver ALCO Century 628 in CNW. Here they are pulling a 27 car ore train around. Next to them are a pair of MTH Doodlebugs that have been drawbared together . The marker lights have been modified so they show green in forward and red in reverse.


----------



## BillTrzaskus

Picked up a conventional Lionel 0-6-0T for a reering and weathering project. I plan on doing it as a Hanna Furnace switcher. Hanna Furnace was a blast furnace operation in Lackawanna, NY...

Tom

View attachment 548983

I have a Lionel US STEEL 0-6-0 tank locomotive just like yours. I weathered it and removed the US STEEL LOGO that didn't look right on it.























Here's a before and after photo to show you how it looks with a heavy coat of weathering. 
Bill trzaskus


----------



## BigGRacing

Very nice machines !


----------



## Krieglok

Very nice Bill. I always like those big Alcos and ore trains! 

The 0-4-0 looks great. I have a similar concept in mind for mine. Waiting for some detail parts to arrive then I can get started....

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

They look great, but I'm surprised there's no cab figures.


----------



## Krieglok

There is, they are just subdued with the weathering...

Tom


----------



## Firewood

BillTrzaskus said:


> Picked up a conventional Lionel 0-6-0T for a reering and weathering project. I plan on doing it as a Hanna Furnace switcher. Hanna Furnace was a blast furnace operation in Lackawanna, NY...
> 
> Tom
> 
> Bill trzaskus
> View attachment 549124
> 
> 
> Great job! I did a livery switch to CNR for my Docksider - more work needed.


----------



## BillTrzaskus

Tom,
Nice job. Now it needs some weathering like mine.


----------



## Lehigh74

My Pennsy passenger car sets (20-65043 and 20-69043) came in. Both the five car set and the two car set are NIB. I found it interesting that MTH made the five car set, the sleeper/diner set, the full length vista dome and the RPO in 2004, but didn’t come out with the baggage/coach set until 2006. Also found it interesting the changes that were made in two years. The newer cars have better trucks, better couplers, frames on the diaphragms, black grab rails and included passengers. My one disappointment is that the 2006 baggage REA car didn’t have the stripes or keystones shown in the catalog and website. Maybe that’s what the prototype looked like. The sets are a good color match for each other and for the Williams Tuscan GG1. Some of the 2004 cars have light bulbs rattling around inside, but that doesn’t matter. I will change the lighting to LED and add passengers.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Lookin' good Bob.  I think I have the same two sets, if I could only find them in the pile of boxes.


----------



## Krieglok

I have Pennsy heavy weight cars but no light weight stuff...yet. I would like to put together a Congressional style train of stainless Budd equipment to be pulled by a GG1.

my other passenger trains are NYC heavy weights, C&O heavy weights, CNJ and Milwaukee Road, also both heavy weight consists...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The Premier stainless style passenger cars for PRR are pretty readily available. I have nine of them I pull with one of my GG1's.


----------



## Krieglok

I have a set on order. Four car set and the diner/sleeper add on. Just debating the matching GG1 MTH has available...

Tom


----------



## Firewood

Tom,
Nice job. Now it needs some weathering like mine.
[/QUOTE]
Nice job! Speaking of weathering, has anyone repainted the cab figures? Those giant squid eyes are really something 👀


----------



## Krieglok

Looks like he is on "crack"...lol

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Looks like he is on "crack"...lol
> Tom


Dare I ask how you'd know what someone on "crack" would look like?


----------



## Krieglok

Come on John. I work for the railroad...we’ve seen everything....lol. 

Tom


----------



## Jeff T

Combining the summer hobby with the winter hobby...


----------



## Krieglok

Went with a Lionel JLC GG1. I liked the detail on it and it matches the new PRR stainless cars I also bought.









The GG1 is exhibiting some minor zinc rot in the main trucks. I just received the replacement truck frames from Hennings. They will be installed soon.

The cars are six MTH Premier stainless cars. Should make a decent train...here are three of them...

























I wouldn’t mind picking up a Budd stainless observation car with the blunt end like the Congressional had. Looking for one now...

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

That’s a good looking set Tom. Are they plated? The catalog says they are, but website doesn’t. And they don’t look shiny in the photos.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice looking GG1, I have one in for service, and it'll be getting the new sideframes as well.


----------



## Krieglok

Hi Bob. They are plated...very shiny. It looks like real stainless steel. I use my iPad to take pictures with. That coupled with the poor lighting, have an effect on my photos!

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice looking GG1, I have one in for service, and it'll be getting the new sideframes as well.


Thanks John. This is my second set, as I have the green, five stripe GG1 too. They will be back ups for that engine. The trucks on that one are still solid. The Silver GG1 has very subtle zinc rot that will likely get worse. That will be the first project....

Tom
[


----------



## Maxum

Nice looking GG1 Tom. Even though I grew up and spent my whole living in the western part of the country, I've always been a fan of GG1's. Any plans to put up cantenary wire when build your layout?


----------



## Krieglok

Maxum said:


> Nice looking GG1 Tom. Even though I grew up and spent my whole living in the western part of the country, I've always been a fan of GG1's. Any plans to put up cantenary wire when build your layout?


Thanks Maxim. I never saw one under power, but I have seen them in dead lines and been in the one that used to be stored in Hoboken, NJ. I missed working for NJT about three years too late to see them in service.

I have plans to install catenary, but more of a simple type like they used out west on the GN or Milwaukee Road. I have seen some centenary systems up for sale but haven’t wanted to commit to the couple thousand dollars to buy enough for a loop and yard...

Tom


----------



## Firewood

Krieglok said:


> Went with a Lionel JLC GG1. I liked the detail on it and it matches the new PRR stainless cars I also bought.
> View attachment 549717
> 
> 
> That there's purty!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Thanks John. This is my second set, as I have the green, five stripe GG1 too. They will be back ups for that engine. The trucks on that one are still solid. The Silver GG1 has very subtle zinc rot that will likely get worse. That will be the first project....


I have the JLC #4925 single stripe green one, the sideframes are perfect on that one. I even took one off to trial fit the Henning's sideframes when we were initially molding them. At that time I closely inspected and prodded it for any evidence of deterioration.


----------



## Firewood

I have plans to install catenary, but more of a simple type like they used out west on the GN or Milwaukee Road. I have seen some centenary systems up for sale but haven’t wanted to commit to the couple thousand dollars to buy enough for a loop and yard...

Check out this great video of a Milwaukee layout that ran live catenary - 1/4" dowels, brass rod and Marklin HO catenary sections, which look just fine in O gauge and less expensive.


----------



## Krieglok

Cool. I have been buying Marklin catenary parts for a while. They are fairly cheap on eBay. That is likely the route I will take when the time comes...

I have a collection of European electric locomotives and my old layout in HO had a section with working catenary. I used the Marklin stuff back then and still have it...

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

I painted a couple more freight cars.

The Frisco box car was a MTH Premier 40’ painted as a York commemorative car. I stripped it, replaced some missing handrails and painted it with Scalecoat II boxcar red in a spraycan. The decals are K4 products and they worked nicely.
















The other car is a Weaver 40’ stock car. This one was undecorated so I just painted it with Scalecoat Roof brown. The decal set, also from K4 was probably for an earlier era car as it lacks the dimensional data, normally found on cars after the turn of the century. It came out well though....


















Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

I'm always impressed by your paint and decal work Tom. If I ever give up looking for those premier D&H passenger cars and decide to put the effort into painting some, I'll come to you for advice.


----------



## Lehigh74

I picked up an MTH Baldwin VO 1000 yesterday. I didn’t have a VO 1000 before this and the only other CB&Q loco I have is the Pioneer Zephyr. Usually, I stick with a few north eastern roads, but in this case, I took a page from Spence’s book and got it because I like the way it looks. I didn’t realize that the exhaust stacks on the VO 1000 are offset. I like it. It has great detail for a diesel switcher and also has great startup sounds.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Bob. I am still looking for D&H passenger decals.it would be an interesting project.

The Baldwin is a nice engine and the CB&Q paint scheme is really sharp. Interesting about the stacks. There seems to be a variety of configurations with the MTH model. I have a P&BL engine. It was a shell that I bought and put on a PS3 chassis. My shell only had two stacks and the shell wasn’t designed for working smoke, so removed the smoke unit. I may drill out the stacks someday and install the smoke unit with the “trough“ that guides the smoke to the stacks.










Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

Krieglok said:


> Thanks Bob. I am still looking for D&H passenger decals.it would be an interesting project.
> 
> Tom


I thought about repainting some smooth sided cars. It might be a fun project, but I decided it would be a lot of work and I have little confidence that I could produce something that I would be proud of. I did find D&H passenger car decals at Highball Graphics but they are HO. I suspect they could make some custom ones for O scale.


----------



## Krieglok

It would be worth a try and contact them. Often, they just scale up the drawings they use and print them.

K4 does many decal in all scales. They have a computer printing system, so they print them as needed. No big runs needed. They haven’t any D&H passenger decal though. They do take suggestions...

Tom


----------



## Firewood

Krieglok said:


> I painted a couple more freight cars.
> 
> The Frisco box car was a MTH Premier 40’ painted as a York commemorative car. I stripped it, replaced some missing handrails and painted it with Scalecoat II boxcar red in a spraycan. The decals are K4 products and they worked nicely.
> 
> Nice work! Taking notes here - I'm looking to do some CPR & CNR re-liveries on some Menards boxcars.
> FW


----------



## Krieglok

That would be a good project. There are some Canadian road decals out there. Although not many. My usual source, K4, has only Ontario Northland. In fact they have more Mexican railroad decals than Canadian....go figure.

Tom


----------



## Firewood

Krieglok said:


> That would be a good project. There are some Canadian road decals out there. Although not many. My usual source, K4, has only Ontario Northland. In fact they have more Mexican railroad decals than Canadian....go figure.
> 
> Tom


Have you checked out Black Cat decals? O Decals Archives - Black Cat Publishing


----------



## Krieglok

Interesting selection. The freight car offerings are nice. I may do a CP car and order the decals from them.

I would like to see some CN maple leaf boxcar decals.

Tom


----------



## santafe158

Went to the LHS to pick up the Lionel Shark car I preordered back in 2019 and ended up coming home with another MTH Christmas car as well. Visiting the hobby shop is always dangerous...


----------



## Bighanded

not a new add, but this belonged to my Dad..it celebrates 90 yrs this Christmas and it had been shelved on display only for the last 25 yrs as it was not in running shape and I was working 80hrs/weeks..with Covid slow down, I've had some time on my hands, and was able to find some parts..worn gears, missing cosmetics..last evening it did a few dozen laps around the christmas tree..leaving my 89yr old mom in tears as she watched and enjoyed the memories..yes, I also refurbished the 3 passenger cars..so everything is llighting and running as it should.for those who know, yes, it was a repaiint..my mom thought she was doing something nice back in 1967 when she decided to paint it..not original red unfortunately..but this is family keepsake and that's the value.


----------



## Bighanded

santafe158 said:


> Went to the LHS to pick up the Lionel Shark car I preordered back in 2019 and ended up coming home with another MTH Christmas car as well. Visiting the hobby shop is always dangerous...
> 
> View attachment 550322


fun..good for you.. is that a 226E in the background?


----------



## Lehigh74

Looks like she did a pretty good job on the repaint.


----------



## Bighanded

she did..she said she regretted it as it destroyed the collector value.. I told her it made it more special that my mom wanted to make the effort..like I told her...these are family heirlooms to be passed down to the kids...all the more special to be able to say Memaw's hands were on this too.


----------



## KBeyer

Very nice engine with special memories. I wouldn't mind having some tin pre-war trains. Just never got started...


----------



## Bighanded

never really shop for pre-war, but grew up with Dad's. Santa always brought them somehow on christmas eve so when this lil 4 yr old woke up on the big morning, the trains were around the tree..and then a week later...they'd be gone until next year..when I got older, they hit the floor under the tree as soon as the tree went up..and many many years of play time including his 226E frieght set, a marx loco and American Flyer PA deisel set as I grew. I made sure trains were a part of every christmas when I made my own home and my 4 , now adult kids all have families of their own..some have taken some of my 1950s stuff to their houses to carry on, but the grandkids all love to come here and play...they have grown up expecting and loving it...small disney princess take rides in coal hoppers, a village of M&M's star wars characters live throughout the many houses we put on the floor, etc. I had to add a Thomas Train set a few years back when the twin grandaughters got all into the TV show..took them to a nearby museum 4 years back to see the life size Thomas and actually take a ride..so when they came over that year and Thomas was doing laps..they were squeeling with excitement...cheap product and very expensive.. but I found one on local marketplace that had been trashed by the former owner...got complete set, engine, 2 cars, track and transformer for $20...$12 of parts from Lionel online and 30 mins on the bench and Thomas was back together with moving eyes again.. so, yes, there's everything from 1930 tinplate, to 1950s working era, to MTH current protosound stuff down there for them to play with...and I love watching them make their own memories


----------



## Millstonemike

Lehigh74 said:


> Looks like she did a pretty good job on the repaint.


+1. Impressed with the repaint. "Mom" tore it down to paint it and reassembled it afterwards?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Lehigh74 said:


> Looks like she did a pretty good job on the repaint.


I agree, very good paint job!


----------



## santafe158

Awesome piece of family history. The paint job makes it that much more special (especially since it looks good!).


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added some heavy hardware today! This is a Lionel JLC scale Challenger that was totally upgraded to full Legacy operation. It now has all the features of the new Vision Line Challenger, whistle steam, dynamo steam, dual sound systems, ground lights, etc. It's a beast! This is a creation of a fellow named Bruk Bannister. We got to talking about what's possible, and with the help of a lot of 3D printing for all the internal pieces you can't buy, this creation was born! We were pushing the envelope on what could be done, but once I threw down the gauntlet, he was up to the challenge! The first time in a long time that I had someone else build something for me, it was kinda' fun just to wait for the finished product. There's a huge thread over on OGR about the build with lots of pictures.


----------



## Krieglok

That is a very impressive locomotive. Great work on the detail and the overall look of the engine.

I like the big UP steamers, but I have never worked up the nerve to buy one...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks Tom. This was hundreds less than the Vision Line Challenger and has all the important features. The sound with dual sound systems is outstanding, that's one area that MTH never seemed to spend enough time trying to get right. Of course, the smoke features hit home with me as the smoke king.  AAMOF, there's little on the VIsion Line Challenger that isn't on this one. When I went down the bullet list of features on the new Vision Line Challenger, I pretty much have them all. The JLC Challenger that was used as the base is a fine looking and well detailed Challenger, so it was the perfect candidate for the upgrade.

In addition, I got the excellent Pittman motor, not the trouble-plagued Canon motor that Lionel is now using in their "high end" steam! I've had three of the Canon motors croak, and they all went dead short! I don't see that many Legacy steamers that I should see that many motor failures. In my whole repair career, I've seen exactly one Pittman motor that died. Even that one I don't blame the motor, it was abused with a motor stall and shorted DCDS board, that finally cooked the armature. I can't really blame that failure on Pittman, so in truth, I've never seen one fail. Given that two of the three canon motors that croaked took out the RCMC, it was an expensive failure for the owners. The one that I saved the RCMC was it didn't destroy the board with the heat under the FETs and I was able to replace them. The Canon motors would just fail with a dead short, I wish I had taken one of them apart to see what happened. My guess is something with the brushes came loose and shorted.


----------



## Millstonemike

Video ...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'd love to, but I only powered up that little section of track to power it on. When I get enough track down and powered to do videos, I'll certainly be doing them.


----------



## DennyM

Just got this from Trainz last week.
_







_


----------



## Lehigh74

That looks tasty Denny.


----------



## BigGRacing

Tell me again what is more important than your family and precious memories, what a great Christmas story!


----------



## Millstonemike

DennyM said:


> Just got this from Trainz last week.
> _
> View attachment 550875
> _


Don't forget the sides ...


----------



## Lehigh74

Millstonemike said:


> Don't forget the sides ...
> 
> View attachment 550890


That doesn't look very prototypical to me. Shouldn't gravy be in a tank car?


----------



## Millstonemike

Lehigh74 said:


> That doesn't look very prototypical to me. Shouldn't gravy be in a tank car?


Have you ever had KFC gravy


----------



## Griff151

In-laws surprised me with this train set. After some good cleaning she runs great. Also picked this up for myself


----------



## ERIE610

Nice looking set there. Looks to be from the 1970-80 era. I have a DT&I Yardmaster Switcher set from the same era. The style of the box is from that era.

*STOCK PHOTO*


----------



## flyernut

Picked this up from a buddy last week.. Wonderful runner....I've always liked K-Line locos.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have the same model in PRR, very nice engines. They're as full-featured as anything Lionel produced.


----------



## flyernut

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I have the same model in PRR, very nice engines. They're as full-featured as anything Lionel produced.


I also have the PW version, gray body, brown/red roof.


----------



## Norton

A lot of the K-Line Trainmasters came with Cruise too. My only Trainmaster is a Williams Gray roof Lackawanna with ERR Cruise. 

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Pete, mine has cruise, and it's one of only a couple of my K-Line engines that the cruise still works great on.  I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, since all three of the tank engines cruise boards croaked! I've also got a set of Santa Fe F3's on the shelf with a dead cruise board, one of these days...


----------



## Norton

At least with the diesels you don't have deal with chuff. My 4-6-6T and shay still have their K-Line Cruise. Not looking forward to dealing with those when they croak.

Pete


----------



## WITZ 41

Love the modified JLC Challenger John!

Picked up one I've been looking a while for...

Key Imports custom series #49



















Needs a couple tweaks but it's a beaut.


----------



## ERIE610

My latest Menards online buy. We live in the Kansas City Metro area. So naturally I just had to have the 2020 KCS Boxcar. I could not find it at any of our local KC Menards. So an online order was the way to go. I also received the lighted Yellow Hummer as a freebie.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

WITZ 41 said:


> Love the modified JLC Challenger John!
> 
> Picked up one I've been looking a while for...
> 
> Key Imports custom series #49
> 
> Needs a couple tweaks but it's a beaut.


I'll bet that beauty set you back more than my home brew Vision Line Challenger!


----------



## KG Bird

PRR coal hopper car


----------



## Norton

I have been regressing lately to traditional trains. I saw this car for the first time last month. It struck me how absurd the markings are. Maybe a bit of an inside joke for electrical guys.
First off transformer warning placards are usually about volts, not amps. Second no power transformer built can handle 10 million amps or volts. 
A good friend works at a local hydroelectric plant that could power about a third of the state on its own. Of course they transmit at high voltage to keep the current on the wires down. Still the total amps they produce is about 1/50th of what Lionel's is rated at. I told him they need to get their transformers from Lionel and he said theirs come from China too. 









Pete


----------



## Firewood

Got a good-looking Williams 4-6-0 and hooked it up to my Williams CPR set. 
Nice little runner.


----------



## Booly15

Norton said:


> I have been regressing lately to traditional trains. I saw this car for the first time last month. It struck me how absurd the markings are. Maybe a bit of an inside joke for electrical guys.
> First off transformer warning placards are usually about volts, not amps. Second no power transformer built can handle 10 million amps or volts.
> A good friend works at a local hydroelectric plant that could power about a third of the state on its own. Of course they transmit at high voltage to keep the current on the wires down. Still the total amps they produce is about 1/50th of what Lionel's is rated at. I told him they need to get their transformers from Lionel and he said theirs come from China too.
> View attachment 552621
> 
> 
> Pete


Not regression in my world! Love it!


----------



## Firewood

View attachment 552621


Must be for that Monty Python dead parrot..... "VOOM?! This parrot wouldn't VOOM If you put 4 million volts through it!"


----------



## ERIE610

I just could not resist. All the cars shown below are Menards 2016 offerings. Some of the cars are on Menards online Low Inventory Alert. The Internet Low Inventory Alert usually means that Free Shipping to Store is not available but shipping to your residence is available for a shipping fee. All of the cars shown below are becoming scarce to find either in store or online. Last weekend I went on a quest to visit 3 of the 4 local Menards in our area to look for Train Stuff and take advantage of the 15% off bag sale. I managed to to find some 2019 & 2020 offerings I liked and came home lighter in the wallet. I did visit the 4th store this weekend where I found these 2016 offerings available. So I grabbed them up. Slide them into that 15% off bag along with a couple of the 4.5v power supplies and headed to the register. Since this store opened in Feb. of 2020 after the 2019 Christmas Season I just figured that they would not have any of the older cars for the 2020 Christmas Season. Looks like I was wrong. Thanks Menards for stocking the new store with older model train cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Practically a whole consist there, just add an engine and caboose.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I didn't think I could fit a turntable into my layout, but then I was looking at the Atlas 24" model, and it seemed like it would fit. Found one NIB on eBay for $213, better than most prices I saw, so now it's mine. It actually will fit, and it looks like I can get around 9-10 good sized whisker tracks, and some short ones for little stuff around it here. I'm looking into having two entry tracks so I can drive things out in either direction. It will swing pretty much anything that you can get the wheels on the 24" bridge, so it'll handle most of my smaller steam and all but a couple of the diesels. That takes care of a bunch of real-estate in this area!


----------



## ERIE610

Nice addition to your layout. Now the real work will begin just as soon as you figure out how this Turntable will fit in on the layout.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Working on that now. I have to figure a input lead that has at least 18-20" of straight track onto the TT so that engines can drive straight on, otherwise they clip the side of the bridge. I think I have it figured out, but I have to move the switch that will bring them in, so more track work on already finished track.


----------



## santafe158

Got a call during my lunch hour yesterday that an item I'd been waiting on for awhile finally showed up at the LHS from Lionel. I swung by this morning and picked it up (along with a second one for a coworker). Lionel's new Lionchief Plus 2.0 Docksider in the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal paint scheme. So far I'm impressed aside from what seems to be a faulty rear coupler that tries to fire but doesn't. Smoke is great, sounds are pretty decent (chuffs get kind of choppy at high speeds, but it is a switcher...) and it seems to run well. I think its running quality will improve after some break in time and might also be improved when controlled from my Legacy system instead of the phone app. Not bad for $200.

The real BEDT locomotive #15 interests me as it is the locomotive the Strasburg Railroad converted into their actual steam locomotive Thomas the Tank Engine (vs the number of dummies that also exist). I've spent a number of weekends running it when it's visited my place of employment over the years. Certainly wouldn't want to do it every day, but it's fun to run something different once in awhile.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Cool, I should be getting my two tomorrow, they're waiting at Emery for pickup.  I like the window trim on that one, I ordered the PRR and Bethlehem Steel road names.


----------



## Big Ed

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Cool, I should be getting my two tomorrow, they're waiting at Emery for pickup.  I like the window trim on that one, I ordered the PRR and Bethlehem Steel road names.


Bethlehem Steel? Someone say Bethlehem Steel? 

Now you have to get some Bethlehem Steel rolling stock.
Or paint up your own? I know you won't do that.  
Lionel 2460, painted for Bethlehem Steel.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Cool, I should be getting my two tomorrow, they're waiting at Emery for pickup.  I like the window trim on that one, I ordered the PRR and Bethlehem Steel road names.


I think you'll enjoy them thoroughly! My local hobby shop only had a single Santa Fe one on his shelf. He practically was begging me to leave one of the two BEDT engines behind (ordered one for a coworker who doesn't live nearby) to satisfy the demand from other customers. Hopefully we'll see more of them in a future catalog.


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Cool, I should be getting my two tomorrow, they're waiting at Emery for pickup.  I like the window trim on that one, I ordered the PRR and Bethlehem Steel road names.


Henning’s open on Monday now? Or only to associates?

I’m looking forward to Bill letting me know when they come in.


----------



## santafe158

Here's a short video. The extreme slow speed operation shown (especially in reverse) is very jerky. Another review I saw mentioned this but said it mostly went away after a break in period. I'm hoping for the best. My faulty coupler issue seems to have resolved itself by use of a different transformer so I'm quite pleased overall now.


----------



## santafe158

A video of a couple locomotives that arrived back in November. Not bad looking or running.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Lehigh74 said:


> Henning’s open on Monday now? Or only to associates?
> 
> I’m looking forward to Bill letting me know when they come in.


They're closed on Mondays, but I know the secret code.  They're supposed to be picking up the latest shipment at Emery this morning, so it'll be interesting to see if my engines are on the truck.


----------



## santafe158

santafe158 said:


> Here's a short video. The extreme slow speed operation shown (especially in reverse) is very jerky. Another review I saw mentioned this but said it mostly went away after a break in period. I'm hoping for the best. My faulty coupler issue seems to have resolved itself by use of a different transformer so I'm quite pleased overall now.


An addition to my previous posting with my docksider video.

A point to ponder for anybody considering acquiring one. As I mentioned above, I wasn't thrilled by the extreme low speed performance as it had a heck of a jerking movement (especially in reverse). This evening I started experimenting and dug out my older plain Lionchief docksider. Upon comparing the side rods I realized that the holes drilled through the side rods on the new locomotive were a good size larger than the holes on the older one. Ultimately this acted as though the wheels were out of quarter since the motor only drives the front axle. Due to this slop, there was a bit of binding at low speeds as the other two axles rotated in and out of quarter causing the jerking motion. I swapped side rods and it seems to run much better all around. Apparently Lionel didn't learn from the missing rod bushings on the Legacy Moguls....


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Interesting, I guess I'll have to round up some more bushings!


----------



## santafe158

I'm not sure if you could make a bushing small enough to solve this case, but perhaps it'd be worth a try.

That being said, I'm also not sure if this issue will apply to all of them or not. I've seen a couple reports of somewhat rough running as I experienced though. Perhaps you'll get lucky!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I can also search Lionel for a better rod bolt with different dimensions.


----------



## santafe158

That's not a bad idea either, I hadn't thought of it. If you come up with one let us know for future reference!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'm going to pick up my engines today, first thing I'll check is how sloppy the rod fit it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Here they are, a pair of the new LC+ 2.0 0-6-0T switchers. They indeed have the issue that Jake refers to, it's like the Legacy Mogul 2.0, they sure are slow learners at Lionel! Both of them run well, one minor disappointment, the coupler on the Bethlehem Steel one needs the full 18V track voltage to open, the old 1033 with around 16V couldn't quite get it done. I may try to get a new coupler from Lionel so I don't have to take this one apart and polish the innards. FWIW, all the couplers feel rough when you manually activate them, I think they're taking shortcuts making these nowadays.












Speaking of the couplers, they're a totally oddball design, and they actually disassemble using screws, now there's a switch! Sadly, I'll still have to knock out the rivet to fix the real issue, the rough movement of the actual knuckle.

Here's the coupler body with the knuckle removed.










Check out the hinky actuator, small wonder it's having some binding issues!


----------



## santafe158

I experienced similar coupler issues as well John. When I tested mine initially it was on the O-27 track I had handy while visiting my grandfather from a cheap 1970s set he has along with the transformer. Rear coupler would never quite fire. Works fine on 18V at home. It's an interesting coupler from the standpoint of what they had to work around with the docksider to make it fit properly, but definitely a lot of room for error in its actuation. Not to mention just poor build quality as far as the preparation of parts before assembly.

I'm also glad I wasn't the only one to notice the rod issue (maybe glad isn't the word considering it shouldn't have been a problem....) 😄 I'm sure you'll get it all sorted out. I've been enjoying mine thoroughly, problems aside.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I ordered rods and screws from the original docksider to see if those will solve the problem with the sloppy rods. At least I'll have some extras to file and hammer on.


----------



## Lehigh74

What are the part numbers and price on the rods and screws John?
My Beth Steel 0-6-0 came in, but the remote is not in stock. If the parts aren't too much, I'll order them so that maybe they will be there when the remote comes in.


----------



## santafe158

I will say, without putting a pair of calipers on them, the screws on the new and old docksiders appeared to be the same diameter to my eye, but perhaps there’s a small difference in them. Might take my calipers home from work this evening and check.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, dealer price was dirt cheap on the rods, so I figured I'd get a spare set for my two new ones. That way I can hack a set of rods if necessary and not go backwards. Although they're not super smooth running at slow speeds, they do run and not lock up like the Mogul's did! However, adding the bushing to the Mogul did wonders, so that may be the solution with the stock hardware on these new LC+ 2.0 models if alternate rod hardware doesn't work out.

Here are the part numbers.

6208613320 SIDEROD / 0-6-0 DOCKSIDER $5.20









6208613319 SIDE ROD SCREW / DOCKSIDER $0.60


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added some "heft" to my railroad, the C&O M-1 Turbine from MTH. The locomotive along is 25" long, amazing that it doesn't have any more overhang than the Vision Line Big Boy, I wondered if it would make some of my clearances! 

This is a PS/1 unit, but I got it cheap. I will upgrade it to PS/3 as time permits. Since it's only two motors, it's a pretty simple upgrade, I don't need two PS/3 boards.


----------



## Madman

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Added some "heft" to my railroad, the C&O M-1 Turbine from MTH. The locomotive along is 25" long, amazing that it doesn't have any more overhang than the Vision Line Big Boy, I wondered if it would make some of my clearances!
> 
> This is a PS/1 unit, but I got it cheap. I will upgrade it to PS/3 as time permits. Since it's only two motors, it's a pretty simple upgrade, I don't need two PS/3 boards.
> 
> 
> View attachment 553015
> 
> 
> View attachment 553016
> 
> 
> View attachment 553017



Just like the prototype, the model is an amazing piece of engineering.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It is one serious chunk of hardware, that's for sure!


----------



## Krieglok

Added some basic black to the collection. Penn Central makes for a simple paint scheme...

Both MTH models. The E44 is PS3 and the E33 is a PS2 3V version....


















Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

Some good pick-ups Tom. I got a PS3 E44 in PRR livery last year. Was never crazy about the box look, but I got it at a great price. I have it on the layout now. Not pretty, but its kind of a beast.


----------



## Riggzie

just got a score of 2021 so far...
was supposed to get a zw... 3 railking rollin stock and 3 nj transit passenger cars.. i got a good deal more..











































































$150!!!!!!


----------



## Riggzie

pre xmas... $50 score


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Riggzie said:


> just got a score of 2021 so far...
> was supposed to get a zw... 3 railking rollin stock and 3 nj transit passenger cars.. i got a good deal more..
> 
> 
> $150!!!!!!


I think it's safe to say you got your $150 worth and more!


----------



## Millstonemike

The white cord on the ZW has got to go


----------



## Riggzie

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I think it's safe to say you got your $150 worth and more!


and i sold a 163 freight set in box for $160... so essentially.. cost me $0!!!!


----------



## 93firebird

Just had these two units recently upgraded to MTH proto 3. They are Williams units. The only short comings are the lack of smoke and any aditional lighting otherwise they are both great pullers. Also had a Williams scale GG1 upgraded as well. The conversion is an awesome addition to the already smooth running Williams line.









Smallville train yard


More scenery from the layout completed




rumble.com





Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


----------



## Lehigh74

93firebird said:


> Just had these two units recently upgraded to MTH proto 3. They are Williams units. The only short comings are the lack of smoke and any aditional lighting otherwise they are both great pullers. Also had a Williams scale GG1 upgraded as well. The conversion is an awesome addition to the already smooth running Williams line.


Which two units did you have upgraded? I see a KCS, a Chessie and a CSX. They look good.

I had a few Williams scale GG1s upgraded by GRJ to PS3 including addition of marker lights and cab lights. Total cost for the loco and upgrade was not a whole lot less than an MTH premier GG1, but I did it that way because the Williams will do O42 curves and the MTH GG1s are rated at O72.

I’m curious why you had the Williams locos upgraded instead of getting MTH PS3 locos.


----------



## 93firebird

Lehigh74 said:


> Which two units did you have upgraded? I see a KCS, a Chessie and a CSX. They look good.
> 
> I had a few Williams scale GG1s upgraded by GRJ to PS3 including addition of marker lights and cab lights. Total cost for the loco and upgrade was not a whole lot less than an MTH premier GG1, but I did it that way because the Williams will do O42 curves and the MTH GG1s are rated at O72.
> 
> I’m curious why you had the Williams locos upgraded instead of getting MTH PS3 locos.


The CSX, and the KCS were upgraded. My wife bought them for my son and I for Christmas one year.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


----------



## Millstonemike

I have a Williams ABA with dual powered A units in SP Daylight upgraded to QS1/PS1 (not sure). The sound and extra control via conventional transformer is nice. And they'll navigate O-27


----------



## BigGRacing

GunRunner, I don’t usually follow this thread, but today is the first time I have ever saw one of those engines. Thank you for showing me something I have never seen before. Very Cool!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'm a fan of the somewhat eclectic locomotives, I like stuff like the M-1 Turbine because it was an unusual engineering exercise. Also, it doesn't look like any other locomotive.


----------



## Bill Webb

John this appears to be a nice addition to the fleet. How much does it weigh?


----------



## Bill Webb

After Christmas we picked up a P E Bipolar from Mr. Muffin. He treated us really well. The grandkids will enjoy this next year.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

WOW, the PE Bi-Polar, those are a chunk of locomotive.  You just need some catenary to run it under. 



Bill Webb said:


> John this appears to be a nice addition to the fleet. How much does it weigh?


The locomotive around 11# and the tender another 4#. It's up in steam territory, and with a plastic shell.


----------



## Riggzie

Traded my Lionel 155 Freight Station for a Lionel 97 coal elevator


----------



## Riggzie

got my coal elevator from trading my lionel 155 freight station..

Cookie is inspecting...
fyi - Cookie is 15.6lbs...and 1y old...


----------



## Norton

Just repainted this MTH woodside combine. I had picked up some unletterd green coaches from Beth. Since she has no plans to order combines and baggage cars I had to find one lettered for another road. This came to the Central from the Long Island RR. I have never been able to match MTH's Pullman green and this was no exception but will live with it.
Still looking for a baggage car plus have a Long Island coach to sell. 

Pete


----------



## Riggzie

Norton said:


> Just repainted this MTH woodside combine. I had picked up some unletterd green coaches from Beth. Since she has no plans to order combines and baggage cars I had to find one lettered for another road. This came to the Central from the Long Island RR. I have never been able to match MTH's Pullman green and this was no exception but will live with it.
> Still looking for a baggage car plus have a Long Island coach to sell.
> 
> Pete
> 
> View attachment 553735


stunning!!!!


----------



## Millstonemike

Now I see why interiors are so important to some.


----------



## Krieglok

Those coaches look super!

The matching paint issue isnt a biggie. Real rail cars were painted at various times, so the paint on each individual car may be more weather worn than the next. One car could appear brand new while the next may have not seen a paint shop in a few years. Colors do change with age....

Tom


----------



## J.Albert1949

That MTH combine looks great...


----------



## Norton

Thanks guys. Tom, I tried to match the paint just to see if I could come up with a mix that matches. I have tried on maybe a dozen other cars and no cigar.
NYC passenger car decals are like hen’s-teeth these days with Champ gone and Micro Scale getting out of O. I stumbled on these meant for 20’s era pre war cars. Would have preferred an extended font but was happy to find these.

Pete


----------



## Riggzie

Norton said:


> Thanks guys. Tom, I tried to match the paint just to see if I could come up with a mix that matches. I have tried on maybe a dozen other cars and no cigar.
> NYC passenger car decals are like hen’s-teeth these days with Champ gone and Micro Scale getting out of O. I stumbled on these meant for 20’s era pre war cars. Would have preferred an extended font but was happy to find these.
> 
> Pete


Wonder about making them myself.
Are they vinyl stickers? My wife has a cricut and you can print any size, any font.


----------



## Norton

I used water slide decals. You could cut them on vinyl but you would want a way to transfer the whole name at once with a backer sheet. Transferring it one letter at a time would be pretty tedious and hard to get them all in line.

Pete


----------



## Riggzie

my ebay purchase.. googling info found out over at ogr forums.. POTRZBE was selling them. is he here too? Added aluminum Williams Passenger cars to my Williams Freight Diesel... I love the look.


----------



## Millstonemike

Norton said:


> I used water slide decals. You could cut them on vinyl but you would want a way to transfer the whole name at once with a backer sheet. Transferring it one letter at a time would be pretty tedious and hard to get them all in line.
> 
> Pete


Check out eBay custom vinyl vendors. The cut vinyl is clad in two layers, one front and one back. You peel the back to stick the letters on all at once. Then you peel the front to expose the individual letters. I used them (another project) and they worked well. Message the vendor to see if they have your desired font and size as I did.


----------



## Riggzie

so stoked.. picked this up on ebay..








Lionel 345 Culvert Unloader And 342 Culvert Loader With 6342 Flat | eBay


<p>Lionel 345 Culvert Unloader Works With 6342 Flat. Condition is "Used" Motor works and conveyor moves. Has missing railing and metal base has some rust spots. Has ramp 6342 car and 3 culverts. Can be a little finicky The 342 culvert has roof chip that has been glued There is an alteration of...



www.ebay.com






I get it.. not mint.. in rough shape but hope to clean it up some, oil, whatever and get it running well.. for the price, cant complain!

Lionel 345 Culvert Unloader And 342 Culvert Loader With 6342 Flat
Lionel 345 Culvert Unloader Works With 6342 Flat. Condition is "Used" Motor works and conveyor moves. Has missing railing and metal base has some rust spots. Has ramp 6342 car and 3 culverts. Can be a little finicky The 342 culvert has roof chip that has been glued There is an alteration of conveyor but motor works. Has bridge for connection two Both Sold as is Due to age


will be some time till i get it as i received an email stating seller is away on business and will get it in the mail on friday... told him that i totally understand that...

I inherited a lot of stuff like barrel loader, log loader, coal ramp, and have since added coal loader, coal elevator, coaling station, oil derek but this pair was high on my list but were fetching $130-$199 each... yes in better shape...


----------



## Norton

Finally finished this project. It was one of the MTH parts donors. It was originally coal burner 4017 but the tender shell was exchanged for a grayhound oil burner shell. Arrived gutted but the seller added a Pittman motor. I was able to get factory boards and which allowed the whistle steam function to work. That whistle steam board was lost by the post office and took over two months before it finally showed up. Now repainted and relettered for the current excursion version. Main smoke off to show the whistle steam, otherwise lost in prodigious stack smoke. 










Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Nice! That is a lot of locomotive there. It looks great! My biggest engine is a Erie Triplex. I haven’t had the nerve to get a Big Boy just yet!

Tom


----------



## Riggzie

yall crack me up!!! hah..

my bachmann sd45 Hustle Muscle is my newly added biggest... and its huge..I would feel like i could actually ride a big boy around!!!!


----------



## Millstonemike

Looking majestic fronting the city scenery ...


----------



## Norton

The Big Boy is huge and weighs a ton. I was on a quest to recreate UP’s modern heritage fleet. Still looking for some E9s but I am set on steam with a Challenger and FEF. If you think that is huge, imagine the Big Boy and FEF both with auxiliary water tenders and a SD70 backing them up.
won’t be able to run that setup until the club starts doing some shows again.









Pete


----------



## Lehigh74

I picked up a second Santa Fe full length vista dome for my PA1 to pull around. Both of the full length domes came with tan interiors. The first one didn’t have passengers and before adding them, I painted the interior gray to match the five car set. I didn’t paint the new one’s interior because it was too cold outside and it had a dozen or so passengers already glued in tight. Just finished adding more passengers and LED lighting.


----------



## Riggzie

came in.. needs work. total rewire...


----------



## Madman

Riggzie said:


> came in.. needs work. total rewire...
> View attachment 554466
> View attachment 554467


Been there, done that. My guide was K-Line's book, "Repair For Lionel Trains", the original that Greenberg reproduced in paperback. Both my loader and unloader work like new.


----------



## Booly15

So great plans ahead, but found this at a tag sale auction to hold me over til the room is ready, will run some stuff on this, maybe do some slight adjustments and then have it until the major layout I'm planning gets going.


----------



## Riggzie

Booly15 said:


> View attachment 554661
> So great plans ahead, but found this at a tag sale auction to hold me over til the room is ready, will run some stuff on this, maybe do some slight adjustments and then have it until the major layout I'm planning gets going.


wow fully setup like that !!!


----------



## Booly15

Yeah came with everything you see there and a few more items, picking up over the weekend.


----------



## Lehigh74

After shoveling 10" of snow off my garage roof, it was nice to see this at my front door. There is a Williams scale GG1 inside the box.


----------



## Krieglok

I received the exact same box from Trainworld. It contains a MTH Erie F3 dummy A unit. Pics coming soon...

Tom


----------



## Booly15

So I read posts from years back about problems with the O gauge switches that you see on my prebuilt layout that I was able to acquire, does anyone have further info, I think gunrunnerjohn had some information. I just want to run trains so easy fix (don't mind taking some time, just don't want to do it 5 times) would be preferred over replacement. Thanks everyone.


----------



## Riggzie

helped a friend with his computer... and he gave me this. I was doing it for free... not that this is worth much. New in box, sealed.. ill take care of that in next house...lol


----------



## Lehigh74

MTH just released a Burlington extended vision caboose and I wanted one to go with my VO-1000. I waited till it was issued to order one and by the time the order went in it was too late. But they had issued the same caboose back in 2000 and I found one on ebay (Trainz). Worked out OK as the car is like new and I saved a few bucks. To reduce my shipping to product ratio, I also picked up a Mary Jane box car. My paternal grandfather always had a supply of Mary Janes to give one or two to the grandkids (if we were good) so this car brings back fond memories.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice caboose! I have some Burlington GPs but I never picked up a caboose to go with them. Another railroad I always liked mostly for their color schemes.

My MTH Erie F3 set came together on the same day. The dummy A came from Trainworld and the Powered A/dummy B set came from Public Delivery Track on the other side of the country. They arrived within 20 minutes of each other via USPS and FedEx...


























Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

I have a few Lackawanna locos and a few Erie Lackawanna locos, but no Erie locomotives. Those Erie F units have a nice paint scheme.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Bob. The EL used a similar black and yellow scheme for their freight units early on. MTH just announced a RK RS3 in the early freight scheme. It is something I haven’t seen in O gauge very often, except for the Atlas C425...

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

MTH released this Railking LVRR GP9 in January. I had it on pre-order at Nicholas Smith, but for some reason that fell through. I ended up getting it at Ye Olde Train Shoppe.

The Lehigh Valley had two GP9s. The 300 had three different paint schemes and the 301 had four in their time at LV before they were painted Conrail blue. The 301 was one of only two LV engines that had the wide yellow stripe scheme with the other being an RS3.

The model looks good in this paint scheme. It has good sounds and smoke (although neither the catalog nor the website description mentions smoke). One thing I don’t care for is that the MU hoses (molded into the pilot) are painted in tiger stripes. I would rather see them black along with the rest of the pilot like the prototype.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice Geep Bob. The LV had so many paint schemes it is hard to keep track.

I would imagine the MU hoses could be hand painted into black. A small project that would be a great improvement. I have a couple RK engines that have the same issue...

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

Krieglok said:


> The LV had so many paint schemes it is hard to keep track.
> Tom


I’ve said before that the Lehigh Valley probably had more paint schemes than just about any other railroad. But what surprised me was how many different schemes the GP9s had in just 17 years.


----------



## Krieglok

Lehigh74 said:


> I’ve said before that the Lehigh Valley probably had more paint schemes than just about any other railroad. But what surprised me was how many different schemes the GP9s had in just 17 years.


The paint shop must have been pretty busy....or bored...lol

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Bob, get your Sharpie out and make the hoses black.  Good looking GP9.


----------



## Krieglok

Continuing Bob’s Burlington spotlight, I purchased a couple CB&Q freight cars and a caboose. The Hi-Cube is an Atlas product, the reefer is a MTH car and the caboose is a Lionel.


















The GP40 is a MTH Premier engine. It has been in my collection for a while....









Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

I must say I like the looks of the caboose. Interesting to compare what Lionel and MTH did. They are pretty close.

I really shouldn’t have any Burlington stuff. I try to stick with northeastern roads. But I saw a great deal on a pioneer zephyr a few years ago and grabbed it. And Burlington diesels have great colors.


----------



## Krieglok

A good chunk of my collection is engines that look great, whether is it the type or paint scheme. I collect GP30s and Geep 7 and 9s regardless of road name. The Burlington later scheme has always been favorite.

Here is my GP30...another early purchase...








Tom


----------



## Norton

Another MTH parts donor brought back to life. The Central acquired this from the C&O and will haul locals while 999 handles the express.










Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Nice locomotive. Did you re-decal it? I like the dark running gear. Makes it look real.

Tom


----------



## Norton

I had to decal the cab and tender sides. The rest of the paint is original. The blue matches the MTH ESE engine. The stripes were a real pain. I tried decals first but found there was no way to lay something that long straight. Then transfers but that took a few tries too. This was what I was trying to match.









Pete


----------



## DennyM

My Tuscan Legacy K4. It's technically it's not new, but it's been away for repairs so long it feels new.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

DennyM said:


> My Tuscan Legacy K4. It's technically it's not new, but it's been away for repairs so long it feels new.


I have a couple of engines in for repair/upgrade, I think by the time the owners get them back they'll be thinking they're new as well!


----------



## DennyM

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I have a couple of engines in for repair/upgrade, I think by the time the owners get them back they'll be thinking they're new as well!


Bob had to wait for Lionel to send the parts. It needed a complete overhaul. Everything had to be replaced.


----------



## Millstonemike

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I have a couple of engines in for repair/upgrade, I think by the time the owners get them back they'll be thinking they're new as well!


LMAO ...

A older, wiser colleague once told me: "Never mix your advocation with your vocation." He imparted that wisdom to me while we attended a North Jersey train show; oddly enough as vendors. Him selling off his Lionel collectables and me selling O-scale whatever in a move to G-scale for the kiddies. He was referring to the gents sitting idlily at tables. Wasting time hawking their wares having thought; "I can make this my job."

But here the circumstances are different. The advocation is winning out 👍


----------



## Krieglok

Stripes look fine, Pete

I have the opposite results with decals vs dry transfers. I could never get dry transfers right. Decals gave me the chance to tweak them after application, so the wet method worked better for me.
Interesting era for locomotives and railroading in general. Modern technology was emerging in the industry with air brakes and automatic couplers...

Denny, nice to get a favorite up and running. It is a handsome engine.

Tom


----------



## Norton

Lettering are K4 decals as was the stripe I tried. Might have worked with Champ decals which a bit thicker.
Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Yes, K4 stripes are thin. I use Micro Scale stripes as they are available in many sizes and colors...and they are still made!

Tom


----------



## Matt_GNo27

While not new, it feels new. Last summer the reverse unit was fried in my WBB Rutland GE 70-tonner. It's been a long, long wait for the spare part to come in, but it arrived last Saturday and shortly thereafter I had the part installed and the little locomotive was running again. Bachmann Trains customer service was great to work with.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice locomotive there Matt. I like the Rutland Boxcar too. Cool layout,

Tom


----------



## Don F

I am planning build a diorama of the Ashley CNJ shop yard, and the Huber breaker. I am picking up 2, 3 and 4 bay hoppers that served the are. The latest is a K Line die cast Lehigh Valley 4 bay hopper.I have one Atlas die cast 2 bay CNJ hopper, one K Line die cast PARR 2 bay hopper, and five Weaver CRP, (Central Railroad of Pennsylvaina, the CNJ's end around attempt at avoiding taxes), and two K Line die cast Lackawanna 4 bay hoppers. I'm on the hunt for Erie and D&H hoppers. I found a 4 pack of K Line Erie diecast 2 bay hoppers on the bay. I made an offer, but the seller didn't answer my message.


----------



## Lehigh74

I may be biased, but I like the look of that LV hopper.


----------



## Don F

Lehigh74 said:


> I may be biased, but I like the look of that LV hopper.


Me too! When I saw this for sale on the OGR forum, it was listed as two bay, which is really what I was looking for. I was a bit surprised when I opened it, but it will go with my Lackawanna 4 bay cars. A purist on a real train forum pointed out that the 7 digit road number is not prototypical; I'll have to change that.


----------



## Desperado

Krieglok said:


> Continuing Bob’s Burlington spotlight, I purchased a couple CB&Q freight cars and a caboose. The Hi-Cube is an Atlas product, the reefer is a MTH car and the caboose is a Lionel.
> View attachment 555763
> 
> 
> View attachment 555764
> 
> 
> The GP40 is a MTH Premier engine. It has been in my collection for a while....
> View attachment 555765
> 
> 
> Tom


Does anyone know what the capitol D and F mean on the Burlington box car? I have seen the same DF on a Santa Fe and I have a GM&O box car with those letters as well. I have not seen a reference for them.


----------



## Matt_GNo27

Desperado said:


> Does anyone know what the capitol D and F mean on the Burlington box car? I have seen the same DF on a Santa Fe and I have a GM&O box car with those letters as well. I have not seen a reference for them.


Damage Free, as in Evans Products Company Damage Free Loader.

More info here and here.


----------



## Don F

The humble beginnings of a future work and wreck train. I received this Railking PARR 20 ton crane, and coupled it with a PARR MOW wood side gon with a muck load.


----------



## 93firebird

Found this lightly used gem at Just Trains of Delaware today. Second pic show where I needed to modify some clearance areas for it to run around some of my corners. Wife wasn't even mad...It's here favorite engine 
















Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


----------



## Desperado

Matt_GNo27 said:


> Damage Free, as in Evans Products Company Damage Free Loader.
> 
> More info here and here.


Thank you!! At my age these things keep me up at night !


----------



## Krieglok

Some new Atlas 60’ passenger cars to go with my MTH CNJ 4-6-0 camel back...

























Tom


----------



## Norton

Took a break from black and graphite steamers and picked up this painted lady. This Lionel Pacific was made around 2002 and features a big Pittman motor. Mods include 4 chuffs, class/marker lenses, shorter drawbar, cab curtains, and cab apron.
I started looking for cars to go with this. I missed the boat on MTH cars. Three dealers showed them in stock but after checking all were sold out. I ended up with some new old stock Lionel cars from 2007. This SS diner is one of them.



















Pete


----------



## Krieglok

I always liked that multicolor B&O scheme on their passenger equipment. Very handsome set there Pete. One of the cars is stainless? 

Tom


----------



## Norton

Sorry Tom. SS = Station Sound, not Stainless Steel. Where MTH puts trackside announcements in the engine, Lionel puts them in one of the cars, most always the diner car sold as a separate sale item in a set.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Ah okay. I never realized that. I like the idea of the separate station sounds in another piece of equipment.

I did a quick search and found nothing in the way of MTH B&O 70’ Madison cars, except for the two car sets that have the Combine and Diner cars. They were really popular...

Tom


----------



## Norton

A few hours after I bought these cars an MTH dealer emailed me that he had a five car set. That was 4 days after I emailed him. Valley Farm Market in Weedville, PA is an MTH dealer. He sells at list or above and is usually one of the last to show items in stock. It might be the last set available other than the two car add ons.

apete


----------



## Krieglok

When it rains, it pours!

Tom


----------



## Booly15

So this is off from the usual, but as I prep my area to get going, I found this which will be my trains workbench, I will be adding a test track will keep all basic needed tools in my train tool box on the bottom shelf, frequently used items on the pegboard, it has a light above and 3 outlets on the left side.


----------



## Millstonemike

Looks to be the same as the Harbor Freight model.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Nice B & O trains Pete. Will be nice to the MTH passenger set when it comes in. You did go ahead and purchase?


----------



## Norton

I wasn’t able to find a complete MTH set before landing a Lionel set. Would have preferred MTH for their better detail and LED lighting but will settle for these for now. Being earlier Lionel they are much better than current cars with figures, windows you see in and decent trucks and couplers.
Pete


----------



## Booly15

Millstonemike said:


> Looks to be the same as the Harbor Freight model.
> 
> View attachment 557536


Yeah it seems to be released under a few different band names, I won't put too much weight on it, but for train work it should be ideal.


----------



## Krieglok

Some new Maine Central Equipment. A Lionel GP7 and an Atlas extended vision caboose...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

My eyes hurt, I don't bring the sunglasses inside as a rule!


----------



## Lehigh74

That GP-7 has a lot of separately applied details Tom. Can see them better in the Friday thread. Looks like a top-of-the-line model. If it was MTH I would say Premier, but I don’t do much modern Lionel so I don’t know which line. Legacy? Vision?


----------



## Krieglok

Bob, It was just released by Lionel. It is Legacy with all the bells and whistle. It runs nice, even in the Bluetooth mode with my cell phone!

It is a paint scheme I was hoping for. I have an undecorated Atlas GP7 I was going to paint in the MEC colors. I had the paint and decals too. Then I saw Lionel offer this. I was lucky as I didn’t preorder but found one for sale at a brick and mortar shop.

The only issue is the air horn location. It should be on the roof of the short hood. I may relocate it. Haven’t decided yet...

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> My eyes hurt, I don't bring the sunglasses inside as a rule!


Yes, very bright. I did adjust the exposure to get the details on the trucks to show up a bit. The hazards of taking pictures with an old iPad....

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Some new rail equipment in gentle tones...for John...😉

A Lionel Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad Alco C-420 and a Lionel L&HR Northeastern style caboose. 

The engine is a Legacy equipped model.

The L&HR once had a branch that ran near my property on its way to a zinc mining operation. I always wanted something in my collection to represent the L&HR as it is local history in my area.


























Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The red is a little bright, but the blue & white is very soothing.


----------



## Krieglok

Yeah, quite a contrast! The caboose would probably look better with some weathering to tone it down a bit...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'll bet in real life that white on the locomotive wasn't white very long.


----------



## J.Albert1949

Krieglock --
Nice L&H stuff.

I worked on the Lehigh & Hudson River in my Campbell Hall days (1985-91). I got taught the L&H by one of the last 3 L&H engineers still working back then.

From Campbell Hall we worked down to Warwick and back. The L&H headquarters building and engine shops were at Warwick yard (the shops were by then converted into a chemical company).

At the time, the Susquehanna was just cleaning up the track between Warwick and Sparta so that they could run through freight over it (this is about the time the Sea-Land stack trains started running). They'd cut down the trees in the middle of the tracks (which had been abandoned for a number of years), but no trains yet.

One day, feeling adventurous, my conductor and I took our engine (GP38) and snuck down from Warwick on the now-cleared tracks to see how far we could get. Must have gone about a mile or so before we came to a bridge which I didn't want to risk going over. That was probably the first engine on that track in at least 9-10 years.

Once they got the track cleaned out, there was an "official opening day" with an OLD Alco switcher (S-1 ?) the Susquehanna had rebuilt and restored in their shops. I think it was the one (the "206" ?) that is now displayed at Maywood NJ (sp?) station.

We towed the switcher and the first revenue cars from Campbell Hall to Warwick. A good-sized train for the Campbell Hall local (about 18 cars), just made it up the grade at Sugarloaf.

When we got there, the press and officials were waiting, they put a sign on the front of the GP38, and our brakemen got out in front and got his picture in the paper!

Looking back, the days I spent on the Campbell Hall local were some of the best of my career...


----------



## Krieglok

Nice. JA, I love hearing railroad history like that. It is amazing how they reopened the line. Today, it is all welded rail and good for 40mph freight. So much railroad history in the area. Maybrook was a big spot in its day. The area had a feeling all its own. Thank you for relating your experiences there...

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'll bet in real life that white on the locomotive wasn't white very long.


They were a very light grey with the blue. They usually looked pretty clean. Once they became part of Conrail, they traveled the system and didn’t receive the care like they did on home rails. The D&H ended up with some and they looked terrible at that point...

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

The L&HR C-420 made me think what a great time this is to be in the model RR hobby. The variety of road names, loco models and color schemes available was probably never as good as it is now. The C-420 looks great in blue and white.

And here is proof that it looked pretty sad when it went to D&H. Looks like it kept the L&HR colors though grossly sun-bleached.

401(L&HR 29;CR 2077) (rrpicturearchives.net)


----------



## Krieglok

I agree, Bob. I never saw the selection of road names and paint schemes when I was younger and modeled HO and N. Custom painting was the norm if you wanted something special. I never thought I would see a commercially produced locomotive in Buffalo Creek or Hoboken Shore Railroad. 

















Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

This one caught my eye and I haven't bought a locomotive lately, so it followed me home. It's the MTH Premier E-4 Hudson upgraded to PS/2. I really like the streamliners, so this one hooked me.


----------



## Lehigh74

I’m not a big fan of streamlined steamers. I do like the N&W 611 and that CNW Hudson looks pretty good too. Wondering if the design was copied from the Zephyr.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks just like the front end of the Zephyr. 
I probably should dust it before any more pictures.


----------



## Krieglok

Sharp looking locomotive. I like the paint scheme. It has that GS-4 look with the skyline boiler that gives it a massive appearacne.
.
Did MTH sell the matching cars for that engine?

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, when you read up on the history of the C&NW E-4, it turns out that it was developed to pull a specific passenger run, but never actually got used for that purpose.  However, I do believe that MTH did have matching passenger car sets.

Chicago and North Western class E-4


----------



## J.Albert1949

That's a snazzy looking engine, gunrunner.

Although I'm not normally drawn to streamlined steam engines, that one has remarkably good "lines", like the "Dreyfus Hudsons" the NYC had on the 20th Century, and the New Haven had with the "i5" engines.

It "suggests streamlining" without trying to hide the reality that underneath, it's a "steam locomotive"...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, this one just caught my eye, it had the right "balance" I guess.

Even though I'm not a NYC man as a rule, I do also have a Dreyfus Hudson just because they're such a cool looking beast.  Of course, I also have stuff like the Reading Crusader and the PRR AeroTrain, again just because they were neat examples of streamlining.


----------



## Desperado

Looks the same as the Milwaukee Road Hiawatha. Same type correct?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

They did have the F7 Hudson. Milwaukee Road class F7










I actually think the Atlantic was the more popular Hiawatha Steam power, you see lots more mention of this locomotive.


----------



## Norton

Pretty sure the Zephyr influenced many first generation streamlined steam engines including the NYC Mercury 4-6-2 and the Commodore Vanderbilt. Later streamliners were more about appearance than drag reduction.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

I like the Hudson more than the Atlantic. The Atlantic is “too” streamlined for me. Definitely for looks. I never understood the idea of streamlining for drag reduction when it came to trains.

I suppose it makes a difference on high speed trains like the ICE or Japan Bullet train, but on a relatively slow steam train, or diesel for that matter, does it make much difference?

My employer has made a point of purchasing “Streamlined” locomotives in their latest deliveries. The streamlining makes for poor peripheral visibility, which is important in commuter rail operations. The engines are streamline designed, yet the cab cars, that are used when the train is operated in reverse, are flat faced. So any consist will spend 50% of its running time pushing a flat faced car...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

At 100 MPH, streamlining probably makes a significant difference in fuel economy.


----------



## Krieglok

Most passenger trains in the US dont go that fast. Economy and the railroad don't make for good partners....

Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

Krieglok said:


> Most passenger trains in the US dont go that fast. ....
> 
> Tom


Except for these streamliners in their day. Built for 100 mph passenger service.


----------



## Desperado

Can you just imagine standing near the tracks when one of these came by at 100mph? The sound, the wind it would create? The drive rod operation - that would just be incredible.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I suspect I wouldn't want to be all that close to a steam engine running at 100+ MPH, if anything comes apart, you're gonna' be *toast*!


----------



## Norton

Back in the day, 20s-30s, when passenger trains had priority over freight, I don’t think 100 mph was all that uncommon. timetables had to be kept and if there was delay time had to be made up.

Pete


----------



## Desperado

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I suspect I wouldn't want to be all that close to a steam engine running at 100+ MPH, if anything comes apart, you're gonna' be *toast*!


I live in northern Ohio. There is a location in a town called Berea at an old train statin turned restaurant. From their parking lot you are literally 8-10ft from the tracks. CSX double track and NS double track. My daughter and I sometimes go there to train watch. It is really a cool spot.


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I suspect I wouldn't want to be all that close to a steam engine running at 100+ MPH, if anything comes apart, you're gonna' be *toast*!


Even at 0 MPH, you can get toasted if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time.


----------



## Krieglok

When we were kids, we used to hangout along the Erie Lackawanna tracks in my town. Some old timer came along and told us that the train would suck us underneath as it passed, if we were standing too close...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Traded a Williams K-4 for this PS/2 MTH M10000 set. After a couple of tweaks, it's happily in revenue service. Eventually, it'll get LED lighting and some passengers. Always liked these, so I jumped on it when I had the chance.


----------



## Krieglok

They are cool trains. I remember reading a story in Trains magazine about how two locomotive technicians changed a headlight bulb on a similar cab by hanging out a cab window while the train moved along at 60 mph in the dark. It was when the M1000 style trains were introduced. It may have been a Santa Fe equivalent…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I've had my eye on these for some time, one finally came along.


----------



## Lehigh74

The M10000 looks great John. Is it the 5V from 2001 or the 3V from 2008? I see the 5V every once in a while. I would like to get the 3V, but have yet to see one for sale at a price I am willing to pay.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It's the 5V model, but since I traded a locomotive that I was selling for $240 for it, I figured I could afford to plop the PS32 board into it if it croaks. I did a little "fine tuning" and added a 3rd pickup roller and a speaker replacement, but it's in great shape cosmetically. I do want to upgrade the headlight and rooftop strobe, and I'll also add LED lighting and some passengers, that will come in time.


----------



## wvgca

this doesn't exactly fit into the 'train' description ... but the last thing added this spring was auto steer for the tractor ...
huh ?? well, there is a lot of electronics involved, and a computer, ideally one with a touchscreen ..
a tilt sensor is added, a direction heading sensor, even a steering adjustment sensor arm ..
best of all, where the commercial versions are upwards of ten grand, this one can be done for a couple of hundred bucks ... a huge saving ...and the software is free, just search for AgOpenGPS and you will find it .. the software is made by a local guy in alberta, and while there are constant changes, it all works ..


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I do want to upgrade the headlight and rooftop strobe


The M10000 is definitely a cool train set. Although arguably aesthetic but also ugly depending on how you look at it the early streamliners were pretty neat overall.

I believe I've read before that the light on the roof was simply a steady bright light beam that shone straight into the air to draw attention to the train vs a strobe light as you might think from more modern trains. A period article located here describes it in one of the paragraphs: Union Pacific M-10000 Streamlined Train (1934-1941), a.k.a. "tin worm"/"tin zip"


----------



## Dano

I finished re-building and re-painting this MTH boxcar the other day and added it to the fleet. MTH didn't seem to care that it was supposed to have a 12 foot door. The door on the other side is latched. I had to remove the ladders and roof walk and do some repositioning of various items just like when these cars were re-built in '79, leaving all the original attachment points visible just like the prototype. Made for easier clean-up!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

santafe158 said:


> The M10000 is definitely a cool train set. Although arguably aesthetic but also ugly depending on how you look at it the early streamliners were pretty neat overall.
> 
> I believe I've read before that the light on the roof was simply a steady bright light beam that shone straight into the air to draw attention to the train vs a strobe light as you might think from more modern trains. A period article located here describes it in one of the paragraphs: Union Pacific M-10000 Streamlined Train (1934-1941), a.k.a. "tin worm"/"tin zip"


Good article, I'll make it a vertical beam.


----------



## Lehigh74

Another good read (although kind of pricy) is _Union Pacific's M-10000_ by Thos. R. Lee.

I've seen some artwork that shows the spot light shining straight up. If I recall correctly, it was done by Lionel for their 751.


----------



## santafe158

> Good article, I'll make it a vertical beam.


I imagine with your background in LED installations, it'll be quite a nice effect!

Bright light beams must have been an idea of what was "modern" at the time. A locally famous skyscraper called the "Guardian Trust Building" (now the Guardian Building) in downtown Detroit used to have a number of light beams that shone straight out from its upper floors sort of like a lighthouse when it was built in the late 1920s. For obvious reasons these disappeared at the beginning of WW2.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Shining big spotlights in the air to attract attention is as old as electricity, so I guess it makes sense. When the M10000 was making it's debut in the 30's, that was all the rage. I'm fairly sure it won't be a big challenge to get an LED shining up. I may put in a switch to switch it to a strobe, just in case I get bored with the top solid light.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

My Strasburg 10-wheeler from Nicholas Smith came in, looks like my Strasburg Woodside passenger cars will have motive power after all.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice looking engine. Steam locomotives always looks best in black. You have the matching cars already?

Tom


----------



## santafe158

A bit of an impulse buy from Pat's Trains that I made last Sunday just arrived this afternoon. A Lionel Legacy Grand Trunk Western 2-8-2 out of the 2017 catalog. Pat has had this one on sale for quite some time and I finally pulled the trigger on it since he was asking far less than the more recent Lionel 2-8-2s are listed for. My brother has been doing a lot of Genealogy research on our family recently and discovered that a couple of our ancestors likely worked for GT and/or CN in Canada and then GTW upon arriving in the U.S. Not a bad excuse to add a nice looking GTW locomotive to the roster in their honor...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Nice looking engine. Steam locomotives always looks best in black. You have the matching cars already?
> 
> Tom


Yep, I have eight of the MTH Strasburg Woodside passenger cars, all I had to pull them was the MTH 4-4-0, which I never thought really looked right. This still isn't a locomotive that's currently in service, but it just looks like it should be pulling those cars.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

santafe158 said:


> A bit of an impulse buy from Pat's Trains that I made last Sunday just arrived this afternoon. A Lionel Legacy Grand Trunk Western 2-8-2 out of the 2017 catalog.


Nice addition, those are good looking models.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Speaking of impulse buys, I was trolling eBay and spotted this one. I wanted a second A5 to double-head them, this scratches that itch. It needs a couple of things, I ordered a rod bolt and bushing that was missing, and I had to fix the front coupler, the knuckle was bent, it got a new one. While I was at it, I dropped a back-EMF cruise module in, that will make it match my other one that already has the cruise..


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice addition, those are good looking models.


Thanks! I agree, also pretty nice runners (assuming this one behaves when I test it later). I've had a PRR version for many years now that I bought off of a friend. It definitely has more mileage on it than most of my other locomotives in the fleet and just keeps on going.

Nice A5, they're definitely nice little engines at the price point they generally sell at. I've liked them since I saw one on the cover of what was probably one of the last K-Line by Lionel catalogs some years ago. Still haven't purchased one myself though... maybe someday.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Jake, too many locomotives, too little time and money!  There's always another one I want...


----------



## santafe158

I think we all have that problem, unfortunately


----------



## Krieglok

No! Not a problem! It’s a blessing! Lol.

Jake, that is a beautiful engine. It is always rewarding to have some personal heritage with a piece of equipment. It makes it that more special!

Tom


----------



## ERIE610

We were at a local Antique Mall a little while back. I came across and bought this K-Line MOW Train Set. This set looks to be All New In The Box. It even had the original K-Line cardboard packing box that all the single boxes fitted into. I could not find hardly any information on this set online. The main box had a J.C. Penny sticker on it and had K-Line, Chapel Hill, N.C. printing on the side of the box. The rolling stock consisted of Engine # 2313, Railcar #6629, Gondola #6522, Spotlight/Generator car #7206, Boom Crane car #6800 & a #6856 Work Caboose, Track & transformer signs, utility poles etc. If anyone has some info on this set please make it known. The K-Line 1921 set, circa 1989, is essentially the same set but is in Pennsylvania livery and seems to be a bit more popular. I did find out that the SF Engine #2313 was offered in 1995. Appreciate any info about this set.


K-LINE 1922 SF WORK HORSE SET


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, one of last year's orders floated in, my METCA PRR G5 4-6-0 arrived. Happy to say it seems 100%. It was a little "jerky" a slow speeds when I first started running it, but after a few laps it runs fine. It just had to get used to it's surroundings I suspect. It's a dark Brunswick Green, pretty attractive even if it probably isn't prototypical. The fanciest paint scheme I've ever seen on a PRR steam locomotive. If Lionel could only get the smoke box colors tamed, they'd be in good shape.


----------



## Krieglok

That is a flashy steam engine John! That is a nice wheel arrangement, just a right size.

What is METCA?



Erie610,

That is cool set. 1995 seems just like yesterday but 1989 is definitely antique! Nice pick up. The colors look nice and bright. Are you going to run it?

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

METCA is part of the TCA. I believe in the past it was a separate organization.


----------



## Krieglok

Okay. I had no idea. Is the engine a Lionel product though?

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, I think the only thing "special" is the paint job. Other than that, it's the same Legacy 10-wheeler that just came out. When I put it next to the Strasburg one I also just got, they're identical except for a couple things like the headlight location and paint.


----------



## santafe158

Great looking paint job but you guys are gonna give the hardcore NYC and PRR fans a stroke with a PRR paint scheme on a model based on a NYC prototype.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's OK, those hardcore fans need to relax anyway.


----------



## Norton

I have been looking for the 3rd Rail version of this engines for over 6 years with little luck other than getting a B Unit. When Lionel cataloged it I put in my pre order and then hoped for the best. I am happy to say it arrived with no issues. No broken or missing parts and all functions seem to work. 
I wished the grays were a bit darker but I am not going to complain, a) because I don't know what the correct color should be and b) if these were painted to match the Dreyfuss, no model done so far matches anyone else's version. Nor do their 20th Century cars.
I was also intially miffed at the lack or rear end detail. Stubs for rear steps and no MU lines. Then realized this has Liondrive and those items would make it difficult to remove the trucks. My only other Lionel F or E unit are some F3s done around 2002. Those have considerably more detail than this E7. No matter that will get rectified in time. 










Pete


----------



## Lehigh74

I don’t follow NYC, but I don’t think I have ever seen that color scheme before. Usually, the lighting strike is the lighter shade. But I looked at some images and there are a few with a similar scheme albeit as you wished with the grays a bit darker.
Looks nice.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added some NYC big iron to my roster, the Lionel Legacy Vision Line Hudson. It's a little dusty from being on someone's shelves for a few years, but otherwise in excellent shape.


----------



## Norton

Nice John. I am surprised the seller didn't dust it off. They are sweet runners.
Lehigh, NYC did 4 A units like this, sometimes referred to as "Beauty Queens". They apparently kept that scheme until retired.










I hope to make a pilot like this one but no luck so far. Neither Keil Line, P&D, nor a Lionel E6 pilot fits. If anyone knows of others that may work please let me know.
Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Norton said:


> View attachment 559953
> 
> 
> I hope to make a pilot like this one but no luck so far. Neither Keil Line, P&D, nor a Lionel E6 pilot fits. If anyone knows of others that may work please let me know.


Are you trying to make a fixed pilot?


----------



## Norton

Yes, fixed pilot with the doors. I have made doors for them in the past. I have no other E7s and this engine differs from both E6s and E8s. These pilots are for an MTH E6. The one with more detail on the left is a Lionel part that is now on the MTH engine. Unfortunately they are both too narrow for this E7.










This is a K-Line E8 with a P&D pilot. The P&D fits the K-Line perfectly.










Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I wonder if one of the detail parts makers has something you could at least start with?


----------



## Desperado

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Added some NYC big iron to my roster, the Lionel Legacy Vision Line Hudson. It's a little dusty from being on someone's shelves for a few years, but otherwise in excellent shape.
> 
> View attachment 559949
> 
> 
> View attachment 559950
> 
> 
> View attachment 559951


Anyone going to comment on the Oscar Myer Weiner-mobile on the turntable in the background in the first pic?


----------



## Krieglok

Nice NYC stuff, guys. We can never have enough of the Central!

Here is my latest buy. A MTH 3rail DB BR44 2-10-0 Decapod. These are very rare and hard to find people willing to sell them. It is from 2010 and is equipped with PS3…

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

That’s a nice looking engine. Lots of action. Great when you can pick up something that’s hard to find.


----------



## Norton

MTH did fine job on those European engines. You certainly have eclectic tastes.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Love the look and the colors of the European locomotives. I have resisted buying any as I know that's another huge money pit if I start doing that!


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks guys. A buddy of mine introduced me to German steam in the form of Roco HO models. The detail was amazing and the red and black paint was very handsome. That was almost 39 years ago. I still have most of the European HO stuff I collected back then.

The MTH BR44 was always a “must have” since I got into O scale. I have another, but it is the scale wheel version and I plan on using three rail track when I build my layout. The scale wheels just didn’t perform well on 3 rail even though it was set up electronically to do so.

The 3 rail version will perform much better and now I can pass the two rail engine onto another collector that uses scale wheels…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have divested myself of all the scale wheel locomotives, they didn't even perform well on Atlas track. Well, no problem with the track, but the switches were a problem. IMO, the switchable stuff from MTH was simply a bad idea! The cheap switching they used has resulted in a lot of service calls for me.


----------



## Krieglok

Yes, the switches I plan on using, Ross, had issues with the scale wheels getting “lost” in the frogs. I figured out a shimming set up but it was way to much work for the number of switches I have Just for one engine and a few scale wheel wagons I have.

It is just easier to swap wheel sets on the freight cars when I can find the correct sizes…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Picked this up NIB on eBay for $20 for the pair, $12 shipping. They're the K-Line KCC series with diecast frames, very nice cars for the price. It just adds a little to my tank car train.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice set with sequential numbers! I like the friction bearing trucks on the rolling advertisement for roller bearings! Nice, bright paint job too.

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

They just caught my eye and I do love the paint job. I guess K-Line wasn't totally into realism with the trucks, I suspect they should have been roller bearing trucks.  I have a number of similar K-Line tank cars, and they're really nice cars, so if I see them at $10, I usually grab them. I have a bunch of the Lionel tank cars of similar vintage, but many of them are virtually all plastic and much lighter than these. I'd gladly replace them with more tankers like these.


----------



## Krieglok

How do the trucks mount? I have a bunch of MTH diecast/sprung roller bearing trucks if you want some!

Tom


----------



## Norton

Picked this K-Line engine up a few weeks ago. I upgraded it to Cruise, replaced the rotten diaphragms, swapped out the pilot with one from P&D and added a two wire tether to tie the chassis and pickup rollers together. Each unit is powered so should have no problem pulling my UP cars, 20 if I have the room. This completes my UP heritage fleet with the three steam engines.









Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> How do the trucks mount? I have a bunch of MTH diecast/sprung roller bearing trucks if you want some!
> 
> Tom


They're classic K-Line mounts, they have a single screw from the top to the truck.


----------



## Krieglok

Beautiful loc! The Pilot work is very impressive. So the pilot is fixed in position now?

Tom


----------



## Norton

Tom, On this engine I screwed the P&D pilot to the frame. The MU and airline are PSC parts added plus a PSC scale coupler. Rear A still has a swinging pilot with claw coupler. On the NYC E8 pictured above I glued the same pilot to the body. The coupler covers are a P&D item made for this pilot. I had to use the coupler cover part to close up the large opening, then cut away the doors.
here is the prototype, actually an E9 without the mars light.









Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Pete, 

So the front truck still pivots enough on the tighter curves with the claw coupler removed? That looks great. P&D lists a number of pilots. Which one did you use?

Tom


----------



## Norton

Tom, the truck is not limited in any way. Also using a screw on replacement I haven’t made any permanent alterations. Next owner can replace the coupler and stock pilot.
I used the F unit passenger pilot 5140 plus the 5141 pilot door now modified. These fit almost perfectly on the K-Line E8s. I know they don’t fit my new Lionel E7, not even close. I can’t speak for any other engines though I think Weaver and MTH E8s are very similar to K-lines.









Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Good point. I never considered the difference in car body widths. I have a couple MTH F units I would consider adding solid pilots to the leading engine. Thanks for the info.

Tom


----------



## Psyrous

New member here and just thought I would say I love flicking through the work here, some beautiful pieces


----------



## Krieglok

Psyrous said:


> New member here and just thought I would say I love flicking through the work here, some beautiful pieces


Welcome! Lots of talent here (me excluded) to admire!

Tom


----------



## Norton

Adding more color to my steam roster. This has been on my radar for some time. AFAIK it was only done once by MTH in the early 2000s and is the only three rail version done by anyone. I saw the prototype pulling a fan trip 50 years ago in Niagara Falls.










Thankfully its running with its 5v boards. I don’t look forward to replacing them as they fit tighter than sardines in the engine.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Cool looking engine. I remember guys on the railroad talking about working those 6060 trips back in the 70’s. The people running the trips were dismayed at the number of people out photographing the engine as opposed to riding behind it. They actually placed tarps on the boiler for an excursion, to discourage photographers. Didn’t work.

The model is certainly different. I like the all weather cabs the Canadian locomotives use. Was the real engine in green when you saw it?

Tom


----------



## Norton

I am not sure of the color Tom. I actually have a photo taken at the time but can’t seem to find it now. I think it was painted like the model though. Don’t recall any tarps. I would have been glad to ride it but the trip began in Toronto and I only learned of it at the last minute. They did some run bys too as I recall. It seem huge standing next to it but now see its dwarfed by the Northerns.
Its now in the Alberta prairies.








Rocky Mountain Rail Society







6060.org





Looking at their website now they have a thumbnail picture taken in the 70s.
For all I know I am in that picture. It appears to be painted with the green.










Pete


----------



## Krieglok

It appeared in a few colors over its service life, but I never saw it in person. They guy who related the tarp story was one of the workers on the steam engine. Once again, I never saw that, nor any photo evidence of it. They did a series of trips, I understand, but I was a little kid back then.

More recently, He also owned a Canadian steam engine that was stored in Buffalo. I believe it was being sold to a Canadian museum. I don’t recall the particulars about that though.

Tom


----------



## WITZ 41

3rd Rail Union Pacific CA-1 w/side door.

Fortunately, most if the missing window glazing were loosing around inside. Easy enough to fix. The white rails need to go. After I do some research I'll re-letter and number to an appropriate later era scheme if I can find evidence of a similar prototype lasting that long...












CNW Twin Cities "400"

Project in progress. Car bodies are Eddy Wichman 401 Models kits. I have MTH 2-Rail 41-n trucks I will mount them on after some modifications. Glass panes from Clover House for the window glazing. Then I'll have lot of detail work to finish the interiors, lighting, couplers, and diaphragms.

The Baggage Tap #7500 without frond end door shown is for the Twin Cities "400". I also have #7502 with front door and diaphragm for the Minnesota "400".










Will.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's an impressive passenger train, sounds like a lot of interior work coming up!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added some heavy iron, but I still have to work out some kinks. This is the Lionel scale T1 Duplex from 2001. I have to have the blind drivers milled so they won't short on Ross switches before I can actually run it on my layout!
The plan is to upgrade it with the RailSounds 6 board I have for Legacy sound, and the Legacy R4LC and Legacy back-EMF motor driver. That will give me a poor man's Legacy locomotive, and I already have all the parts. Of course, it'll get my Legacy Super-Chuffer II and the Chuff-Generator as well. I'm still pondering if I should add ground lights.


----------



## Krieglok

WITZ, nice caboose. It will be interesting to see it after you are finished with it. The passenger cars will be a sight when they are on track. That is one long train!

John, super engine. I have the same one and it was too big for my test track…even on rollers! Mine may be a bit newer, but it could probably be improved with the upgrades you mentioned. I didn’t know about the issue with the drivers shorting on Ross switches…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, I'm not sure there is a newer scale sized T1-Duplex from Lionel. Pretty sure 2000 is the only year they built the scale version. Lionel did a several runs of of the LionMaster semi-scale T1 Duplex after that, but never another scale version.

I can assure you that the big flat flangeless wheels do short on Ross switches, it happens on at least half of mine!


----------



## Krieglok

Ah, okay. It is stored at the moment, so I had no idea since I bought it a while ago. That is quite a bit of work to mill those wheels. Sounds like a big project!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Ah, okay. It is stored at the moment, so I had no idea since I bought it a while ago. That is quite a bit of work to mill those wheels. Sounds like a big project!


I haven't quite decided how to tackle it yet. Since they're captive, removing them will entail quartering them again, my luck with doing that by eye is hit or miss. I'm not sure what the easiest method might end up being to taper the wheels.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added some "little" iron, these came in. They're the MTH 20-5519-1 Premier DD-1 pair, these are the early ones from 2002. Oddly, MTH never ran these again, I would have thought a PS/3 version would have surfaced. Luckly, the 5V board in this set doesn't have the problematic capacitors, and I have high hopes they'll run for a long time. If not, they get the PS32 board.

I gave the set a supercap battery, a new speaker for the supremely fuzzy one I found, and grease and oil. They run great now, a worthwhile addition to the PRR roster.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice electrics! They were used between Manhattan Transfer, Penn Station, and Sunnyside Yard, NY. They were third rail, an oddity for the PRR but not their subsidiary, The Long Island Railroad, who inherited a number, if not all of them.

Now, John. What do the capacitors you mentioned, look like? I am curious if any of my PS2 5v engines have them…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, I like these electrics as I don't have to pretend I have catenary, they didn't use it! 

The "suspect" electrolytic is the largest capacitor on the PS/2 5V board, a 330uf 35V capacitor. The suspect brand is WINCAP, if you see that brand, it's a red flag, at least for me. I've had a ton of those croak on 5V boards, and if I get a 5V board that's still working with the WINCAP brand part there, it gets replaced immediately.


----------



## Krieglok

John, thanks for the info! I may have to learn how to replace capacitors. You have me curious now! I want to dig out the four or five PS2 5v engines I have and see!

Which brand capacitor do you use? Thanks again!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I buy in bulk from Digikey, don't recall the brand, but any quality brand is fine as long as the size and lead spacing is correct.


----------



## Krieglok

Okay. I opened up the Erie K5 tender. From what I can tell, the capacitors are “SunCon” if I am looking at the right component.

Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

If your new to soldering, I suggest looking up a few YouTube videos. It's as much art as it is science.

And if your ordering from Digikey, I recommend adding this *solder wick* to the order for a couple of bucks. The copper braid will absorb most of the solder used on the original part. That will make it easier to remove. Once the braid has wicked the excess solder, you snip off the used end to expose fresh braid.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Mike. I never heard of that material. I have done basic soldering but nothing too advanced or small. The tips will come in handy. Everything is on YouTube!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, this is the problematic capacitor, check for a brand, anything but WINCAP is desired.  FWIW, I doubt solder wick is going to help with this extraction. What I do is spring the two boards as far apart as I can without breaking anything and prop them in that orientation. Then I clip the leads of the cap as short as possible. Finally, I reach in with a long narrow tip soldering iron and hit the far lead and tilt the cap toward the outside of the board. Do the near lead and tilt it the other way. Usually about two cycles and the cap is out. Clean out the holes and solder the new cap in.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks John. I was lucky with this one. I have a PRR Premier 2-8-0, Q2 and a 4-4-2 that are 5 volt. I will be checking them soon.

Thanks for the tip on removing the unwanted capacitor. Your experience is priceless!

Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

gunrunnerjohn said:


> ... Clean out the holes and solder the new cap in.


That's one reason to use solder wick.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Mike, the way the PCB is designed on the 5V board, there is too much copper around the holes for solder wick to work well. What happens is the large copper ground plane sucks the heat out that would be melting the solder pretty effectively. Truthfully, I normally crank up the iron to 600-650F and heat the plugged hole. Then I RAP the board upside down on my bench and the solder flies out. Even that doesn't always work. In that case, I simply heat the existing solder from below and press the cap lead into it on the top and just clear the hole with the lead.


----------



## Millstonemike

Thanks John, another special case.

A couple of years ago a friend gave me in a small soft plastic bottle with a needle applicator; some type of acid acting as a flux. Put a drop on the braid, heat the braid with the iron while holding it to the solder joint This removes virtually all the solder. Many times you can remove the part after the solder has cooled. I've been (de)soldering a long time and this is by far the best desoldering technique I've ever used. I haven't used the vacuum sucker since I got the wick and acid.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Flux will certainly improve the action of the solder wick, that's true.
I've been soldering and desoldering a lot time too.


----------



## Norton

Millstonemike said:


> Thanks John, another special case.
> 
> A couple of years ago a friend gave me in a small soft plastic bottle with a needle applicator; some type of acid acting as a flux. Put a drop on the braid, heat the braid with the iron while holding it to the solder joint This removes virtually all the solder. Many times you can remove the part after the solder has cooled. I've been (de)soldering a long time and this is by far the best desoldering technique I've ever used. I haven't used the vacuum sucker since I got the wick and acid.


Thats why you want to get braid with flux. It is available with and without. If you have braid without flux best to use a rosin flux with it. Both are many times faster at absorbing solder than braid without flux.
One of many from Digikey.





__





1809-10F Techspray | Soldering, Desoldering, Rework Products | DigiKey


Order today, ships today. 1809-10F – Desolder Braid/Wick Rosin, Non Activated (R) Static Dissipative (SD) Yellow 0.055" (1.40mm) 10' (3.048m) from Techspray. Pricing and Availability on millions of electronic components from Digi-Key Electronics.




www.digikey.com





Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

I dip it into my tub of rosin flux when needed.


----------



## Krieglok

I picked up a MTH Erie PA1 from a seller on OGR. It was a limited run of Erie engines sponsored by Mr Muffins. I missed out on the original release, but found a fellow who was selling off some of his Erie collection. Mr Muffins had two road numbers produced. The 853 and 859. I wanted the 859.

The real Erie PA1 859 started life painted in the Erie black and yellow paint scheme. It was involved in a deadly head on collision in the 1950s in Sloatsburg NY. It was rebuilt and eventually received the new Erie two tone green passenger scheme. It labored pulling long distance trains on the Erie mainline and doing duty on commuter runs in NY and NJ for the Erie and later Erie Lackawanna. They even saw service in freight before they were eventually stricken from the roster.

I added a few details to the MTH model. The Erie two tone green PAs were pretty clean, detail wise, so this one didn’t need much added detail. I installed a firecracker antenna and some MU hoses on the front pilot...

Tom


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## Bryan Moran

Krieglok said:


> I picked up a MTH Erie PA1 from a seller on OGR. It was a limited run of Erie engines sponsored by Mr Muffins. I missed out on the original release, but found a fellow who was selling off some of his Erie collection. Mr Muffins had two road numbers produced. The 853 and 859. I wanted the 859.
> 
> The real Erie PA1 859 started life painted in the Erie black and yellow paint scheme. It was involved in a deadly head on collision in the 1950s in Sloatsburg NY. It was rebuilt and eventually received the new Erie two tone green passenger scheme. It labored pulling long distance trains on the Erie mainline and doing duty on commuter runs in NY and NJ for the Erie and later Erie Lackawanna. They even saw service in freight before they were eventually stricken from the roster.
> 
> I added a few details to the MTH model. The Erie two tone green PAs were pretty clean, detail wise, so this one didn’t need much added detail. I installed a firecracker antenna and some MU hoses on the front pilot...
> 
> Tom
> 
> View attachment 563241
> 
> View attachment 563242
> 
> View attachment 563243


That’s a nice looking locomotive.


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## Krieglok

Bryan Moran said:


> That’s a nice looking locomotive.


Thanks Bryan. It is nice in that the dark green is in fact, dark like it should be. I was a little hesitant with buying this engine as the photos I had seen of it, showed the green as too vivid.

I actually prefer the earlier black and yellow scheme, but the green kinda grows on you!

Tom


----------



## Matt_GNo27

Lionel's Great Northern "flat spot" FreightSounds boxcar.









I've been running it with the flat-spot thumping turned off. It was, by far the most expensive non-locomotive rolling stock that I've purchased, but I liked the idea of adding other sounds besides the GP-9s prime mover—actually the ERR RailSounds F3, since the Williams GP9, er, GP7 has single horns. I also like the prototypical "circus" color scheme.


----------



## santafe158

A couple of Prewar Lionel O gauge sets that I recently acquired for an upcoming Christmas storefront window display project that I'm assisting with (a great excuse to add more trains to the collection...).

The freight set in the foreground is outfit #161 from somewhere between 1917 and 1923. The locomotive and boxcar are restored (quite nicely) and the caboose is still in its original paint. The set behind it is outfit #155 which was offered between 1920 and 1923. I believe this set dates to 1922 or 23 based on the copyright date printed on the box. It is unrestored.

For my project, the cosmetically restored locomotive will receive a modified chassis from a modern Lionel DC powered 2-4-0 steam locomotive (the same basic chassis used in the 1990s 4-4-2 starter locomotives and many others). The modern chassis is nearly identical in dimension but will need some minor refitting to allow the original frame mounts to be used to secure the frame and body shell to the chassis. That way I can run it regularly without putting strain on the original motor which contains several unobtainable parts. It will also allow me to return it to its original chassis easily.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice looking set there Jake! I always liked the old pre-war engines that resembled the old NYC S motors. Really classic. The box looks interesting too.

Tom


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## Norton

Been picking up some passenger cars for my CN U1f mountain.
Weaver RPO, Baggage and Pullman Bradleys With some GGDs trailing.










GGD Observation. Out of range a diner and coaches.









All the cars except the Pullman Bradleys had to be converted from 2 rail to 3 rail.
I have some MTH PRR heavyweight shells that will be selling cheap.

Pete


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## Krieglok

Pete, That is a sharp paint scheme on the CN train. It looks like the green paint is all matching! The cars have great detail too. What does the engine look like?

Tom


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## Norton

Tom, posted earlier, I picked this up a few months ago. AKA Bullet Nose Betty. Then the seller offered me some GGD cars.



















The MTH engine matches the GGD cars better but I prefer the olive Weaver cars. Not sure which is more correct.

Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

That's a really good looking passenger train Pete!


----------



## Norton

I was struck by the colors. I went from no cars to being swamped in the matter of a month. I had no luck finding the MTH cars they made for the engine. Those would have been my first choice being 18” and three rail. The the GGD cars were offered followed by the two Weaver 60 footers. The Weaver Pullman Bradleys came up on OGR. They are probably the nicest passenger cars Weaver ever did. They are plastic but come with lighting and interiors. My Weaver Hiawatha cars have interiors but no lights.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Norton said:


> My Weaver Hiawatha cars have interiors but no lights.


That can be fixed.


----------



## Norton

gunrunnerjohn said:


> That can be fixed.


Thats already been started. First step is to replace the two rail trucks with three rail.










Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, yes, if you're running 3-rail, the 2-rail trucks would be a stumbling block!


----------



## Big Jim

This beauty arrived from the MLRRC a couple of days ago! What a nice job they did! Well done Lads!!!


----------



## Krieglok

Nice reefer! The graphics and details are top notch. I have the same car in REA colors and it is a quality built car…

Tom


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## santafe158

I've continued to fill out my "1921" collection. Most of the items are things that would have been found in a 1921 Lionel (or Ives) catalog. So far I have somewhat of a cross section of Lionel's train offerings although I'm missing the lowest end freight set as well as a couple of mid-level sets. I also threw in an Ives passenger set for something different. 

The set box goes with the small Lionel passenger set nearest the station building. It dates to 1922 or 1923. The lamp posts and crossing sign are MTH replicas that will eventually be replaced with originals. The freight set has a restored locomotive and boxcar although the caboose is original paint. The large Lionel passenger set in the rear has been "restored" although as far as I know, Lionel never painted that series of cars red. The locomotive from that set needs a good bit of mechanical work to get it up and running again, although it's been cosmetically restored in the past.


----------



## Don F

I went to the Kutztown show yesterday with my wife and another couple. It was overcast, but no rain for the time we were there. I picked up 2 Waver 2 bay rib side hoppers, and 2 K Line die cast 2 bay rib side hoppers. I put my loads in the Weaver cars, and the loads in the K Line are plastic inserts with real coal. I'm not sure if coal this large was shipped, but I guess it's possible. It looks more like unprocessed mine run. I will be replacing these with custom loads that scale to chestnut size. There was an Atlas die cast Lehigh Valley 2 bay rib side, that was a little more then I wanted to spend, so I passed on it.


----------



## Krieglok

Great cars, Don. The coal loads look fine to me. I have to do the same thing for my hoppers. I recently picked up a set of six Weaver EL hoppers just like the one you have pictured.

The show sounds like it was fun. I have to start going to some myself…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

A bargain came my way, and even cooler, it was a local train.  This is the MTH 20-2784-1 Red Arrow Liberty Liner, it has station stops from 69th street to Norristown. For $50 I couldn't pass it up! It was billed as having a bad board, but it just needed some TLC to bring it to life.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice! I remember seeing a similar train at the Shade Gap Railway…it wasn’t running when I was there some 30 years ago…

Tom


----------



## santafe158

Funny you acquired that set. The Illinois Railway Museum just hit a milestone in the restoration of their set in that it made its first moves under its own power in quite a few years in the last day or two.


----------



## Krieglok

santafe158 said:


> Funny you acquired that set. The Illinois Railway Museum just hit a milestone in the restoration of their set in that it made its first moves under its own power in quite a few years in the last day or two.


I read that in a FB article today. Modern Interurbans…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

santafe158 said:


> Funny you acquired that set. The Illinois Railway Museum just hit a milestone in the restoration of their set in that it made its first moves under its own power in quite a few years in the last day or two.


I saw that article a couple days before I saw this for sale.


----------



## Booly15

gunrunnerjohn said:


> A bargain came my way, and even cooler, it was a local train.  This is the MTH 20-2784-1 Red Arrow Liberty Liner, it has station stops from 69th street to Norristown. For $50 I couldn't pass it up! It was billed as having a bad board, but it just needed some TLC to bring it to life.
> 
> View attachment 565583


Getting a piece and fixing it up successfully maybe one of the most rewarding parts of our hobby!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Here's a short video of it running on my top loop at one end of the layout. It's a pretty neat little set.


----------



## Lehigh74

Nice set John. I'm kicking myself for not getting it. I saw it a few days ago and I also thought that for $50, you can't lose. I thought about getting it, but it slipped out of my slippery mind. Nice when the announcements are for local places.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, I was stunned it was available a few hours after the posting, I expected to get a rejection when I offered to buy it. No, I didn't dicker on the price!  The good news was, the board wasn't bad, it just needed a battery and a little wiring work. I would have been happy to put the board in for $50, but getting a good board was icing on the cake!


----------



## Lehigh74

Well I can handle the battery/BCR swap, but when it comes to those little wires, I'm not so good. So even if I hadn't missed the boat, it probably would have ended up at your place for a while.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

They were right on top, apparently some of the lighting wires got pinched at some point. It was easy to fix.  I swap out batteries in my PS/2 locomotives whenever I have to open them up for other work.


----------



## Krieglok

My last three engine purchases, two PS1s and a PS2 ran well from the start. I always open them up to install BCRs. All three had pinched wires that were not quite through the insulation yet. The batteries on the PS1 engines were both the old white batteries with the rounded corners. Some light corrosion on one terminal. Both received BCRs. The PS2 had the blue 3v battery pack. It looked okay, but I replaced it with a BCR2….BCRs are all GRJ products!

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

I've always called the 3V ones that John sells Supercap Battery Replacements (SBRs) to distinguish them from the J&W BCRs (for 5v boards) and BCR2s (for 3V boards).


----------



## Jetguy

Latest addition to the fleet MTH 20-3368-1
*MTH London, Midland and Scottish Railway Princess Coronation*


----------



## Krieglok

Wow! That is a difficult engine to come by!

I have seen the carriages for sale now and then but never a British locomotive from MTH.

Great looking engine.

Tom


----------



## Jetguy

Krieglok said:


> Wow! That is a difficult engine to come by!
> 
> I have seen the carriages for sale now and then but never a British locomotive from MTH.
> 
> Great looking engine.
> 
> Tom


So now I'm one looking for LMS carriages. I have the Orient Express set and the add-on set, but that's not correct for this engine.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice locomotive, I have resisted buying the European locomotives since there are so many interesting ones that I'd surely run out of money and space!


----------



## Krieglok

Jetguy said:


> So now I'm one looking for LMS carriages. I have the Orient Express set and the add-on set, but that's not correct for this engine.


I have seen a couple lately, in my internet travels. If I can find them again…let’s see…

Here is a eBay search. A bit pricey…









mth lms: Search Result | eBay


Buy and sell electronics, cars, fashion apparel, collectibles, sporting goods, digital cameras, baby items, coupons, and everything else on eBay, the world's online marketplace



www.ebay.com





Tom


----------



## Big Jim

Here is a little info about the "Duchess" that I learned after buying mine. 
The MTH catalog pictured this engine with the smoke lifters (elephant ears). When mine came without the lifters as advertised, I was a bit upset. After all, they did have them and my green version did come with the lifters. 
Questioning why the difference, I found out that the "Duchess of Sutherland" is indeed correct with no smoke lifters because it is modeled as originally built with only one smoke stack. Thus, no smoke lifters. Later in life the class was rebuilt with twin smokestacks. These engines were equipped with the smoke lifters and MTH modeled those engines with the twin smoke stacks.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> I have seen a couple lately, in my internet travels. If I can find them again…let’s see…
> 
> Here is a eBay search. A bit pricey…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> mth lms: Search Result | eBay
> 
> 
> Buy and sell electronics, cars, fashion apparel, collectibles, sporting goods, digital cameras, baby items, coupons, and everything else on eBay, the world's online marketplace
> 
> 
> 
> www.ebay.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tom


It does say OBO!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

My first 86' boxcar, I couldn't pass it up for $25! I hope I can find another bunch for the same price!


----------



## Krieglok

Nice! They are big cars! I haven’t had the nerve to buy one yet…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I wasn't going to buy into the huge boxcars, but for the price it was hard to pass up. It is truly like-new, not a scratch on it. It also makes it around my whole mainline with room to spare, so I can actually use these.


----------



## Jetguy

Just came yesterday, the 2010 Visionline version Santa Fe 2-10-10-2.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Magnificent beast!


----------



## Millstonemike

I like the green felt ground cover. I once used it on a coffee table setup. The loco is pretty nice too


----------



## Krieglok

That is one huge engine! Amazing how they engineered larger and larger engines before going back to more standard designs…

Tom


----------



## Booly15

Jetguy said:


> Just came yesterday, the 2010 Visionline version Santa Fe 2-10-10-2.
> View attachment 565896


what is the radius of the turn you are taking?


----------



## Jetguy

Booly15 said:


> what is the radius of the turn you are taking?


My table is O72 outside and O60 inside loop. It was running the 72 outer.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It actually doesn't hang out nearly as much as some of the other articulated locomotives, it doesn't look bad on that curve.


----------



## Matt_GNo27

A little over a week ago, I picked up the Williams GN GP30. It was sold as "like new." When I opened it up to wire it in series, I discovered that the front pickup screw and the chassis around that opening had oxidation.









After scraping away the paint, I realized that it was more extensive than it initially appeared, but fortunately it hadn't progressed too far. Here is one side, partially scraped away.









Between scraping, scrubbing with a Scotch Brite pad, and naval jelly, I was able to clean up what I hope is all of the rust. Here it is cleaned up, repainted, and reassembled with MTH cab crew figures added.









It runs well and with the volume pot turned all the way up, the True Blast Plus is plenty loud. (I swapped in the speaker from an ERR RailSounds kit—I think they're "baby fat boys"—and found that it was noticeably quieter than the WBB speaker, so I put the original speaker back in.)

Another recent acquisition was a Lionel 6-17601 Southern Standard O wood-sided caboose. I re-lettered it as Great Northern X582. Yes, it isn't prototypical, but other than a 2-rail brass caboose, I've not seen any prototypical or even close to prototypical wood-sided Great Northern cabooses.


----------



## Krieglok

That is a beautiful engine. The GP30s look great to begin with. The Great Northern paint job looks sharp on that locomotive.

What caused the corrosion in just that one spot, do you think? 

Th caboose looks great to. I always like those offset cupola cabooses. I have some Great Northern engines and a caboose. I have the later blue scheme along with a steel wide vision caboose. A bit later era than your equipment…

Tom


----------



## Jetguy

Krieglok said:


> What caused the corrosion in just that one spot, do you think?
> Tom


I know exactly what caused it and a lot of people downplayed that entire topic.
The telltale is there, the heatshrink over what is likely burned and melted PCV insulation and when it burned, the highly corrosive gas eats any nearby metal and causes exactly what you see.









When the PVC insulation burns away from a derailment short or whatever caused the first form of the failure results in *hydrogen chloride, which is a corrosive, highly toxic gas.* In the atmosphere, it tends to condense and fall downward heavier than air and any exposed metal (that screw, the frame where the paint was scratched) instantly corrodes in a way not typically seen by other methods. Most likely, it looks like the wire rubbed the frame and began to heat and burn the insulation, causing the corrosion, and that in turn could lead to more heating and melting burning more insulation. Again, I'm guess, but either derailment short where the front center roller shorted and so the wire heated starting at the connector, or a frame rub short, and that caused massive current and heating. But the extreme corrosion is caused from the burning insulation on the wire basically producing a cloud of insanely corrosive gas/liquid on the frame and screw in that spot.


----------



## Krieglok

Okay. That is interesting. I wouldn’t know enough about electronics to figure out that cause. I can diagnose corrosion from a leaky battery, but that is the limit of my skills!

At least the damage was reversible.

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, the pinched wire could have figured into the issue as well. If that were grounding, it would obviously be pulling excessive current!


----------



## Millstonemike

Post a pic showing the speaker position and it's housing may help.


----------



## Matt_GNo27

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Well, the pinched wire could have figured into the issue as well. If that were grounding, it would obviously be pulling excessive current!
> 
> View attachment 566115


GRJ, should I replace the wire even if it appears to be intact?




Millstonemike said:


> Post a pic showing the speaker position and it's housing may help.


It's in the same position and housing as the speaker in the WBB GP30 in the original post of this thread. [Trigger warning: Link is to an OGR post.]


----------



## Jetguy

Matt_GNo27 said:


> GRJ, should I replace the wire even if it appears to be intact?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's in the same position and housing as the speaker in the WBB GP30 in the original post of this thread. [Trigger warning: Link is to an OGR post.]


Yes, because if the insulation was burned off and that's why there is heat shrink, then that wire will be brittle and oxidized and prone to breaking.

Again, here is what happened. Someone messed up and either the wire rubbed against the frame edge or the engine derailed and huge current heated and burned the wire. That caused the highly corrosive gas/liquid from the burned off insulation that then rusted the crap out of the screw to the pickup roller and the frame. Obviously, with the kind of corrosion on that screw, that is no longer a good low resistance power connection causing it to heat or just fail to provide power to the train under load. The heat shrink appears to be a bodge fix rather than properly replacing the failed and damaged components (the wire, the ring terminal, the screw). Do it right or this will come back to bite you in the form of a bad connection or another failure. This means the back pickup roller is doing most of the work powering the train and under load or dead spots like switches, you can get stuck if this front pickup roller cannot transfer power properly to the wiring. Again, highly likely, from the picture, they saw the burned wire, put heat shrink to cover the bare wire, without ensuring that the wire now subject to corrosion from the corrosive stuff from burning of the insulation is both brittle from being the hot, and again, likely oxidized as well. Only cutting away the bodged fix is going to tell you for sure and by the time you do that, you might as well just fix it right.

And, try not to use PVC coated wire during the repair. Ideally, given this has to flex as the truck turns around corners, you want a fine stranded super flexible silicone jacket wire anyway.








BNTECHGO 18 Gauge Silicone Wire Kit 7 Color Each 3 ft Flexible 18 AWG Stranded Tinned Copper Wire: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement


BNTECHGO 18 Gauge Silicone Wire Kit 7 Color Each 3 ft Flexible 18 AWG Stranded Tinned Copper Wire: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement



www.amazon.com












I use this ring kit Hilitchi 240Pcs Tin-Plated Copper Non-Insulated Ring Crimp Terminals Assortment Kit Open Barrel Wire Crimp Electric Wire Terminals for Crimp Solid Wires Stranded Wires (M3 M4 M5 M6 M8 M10): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific








I also use heavier wall marine grade heat shrink with hot glue on the inside so as to prevent the heashrink from sliding and give a more robust protection to my connections.

But that's just my method of doing it "right".


----------



## Krieglok

Great info, guys. The trouble shooting and cause and effect is very interesting.

Tom


----------



## Jetguy

Latest addition, customer came into the shop selling off some slightly older engines and sets. This is a MTH Railking PS2 5V set, and as expected it was not without issues. Luckily the capacitors had not blown yet, so installed all new caps (Panasonic low ESR 10K hr rated), BCR to replace the battery, fan smoke motor had failed blowing the FET on the PS2 board. That said, stole the FET transistor from a dead PS2 5V board (my hot air rework solder station paying for itself again!!), replaced the fan motor, new wicks in both smoke units, traction tires replaced, lubed it all up and it runs like new. ABA set and 7 cars for $200 so pretty happy. Also forgot, a rare happening, the 16Ohm speaker was not bad and flaking. This will be the first one of this vintage to not replace that speaker. Also, odometer has just over 400 scale miles on it.
Sorry in advance, my table is a mess as I'm moving stuff and figuring out some new yard tracks and possibly a grade to elevated track.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Jetguy said:


> This is a MTH Railking PS2 5V set, and as expected it was not without issues. Luckily the capacitors had not blown yet, so installed all new caps (Panasonic low ESR 10K hr rated),


I'm curious how you replace ALL the caps, how do you reach the ones in the middle of the top board?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added some small tank cars to add to my tank train, and a couple of cabooses. All NIB, and the price was right at $15/ea


----------



## Desperado

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Added some small tank cars to add to my tank train, and a couple of cabooses. All NIB, and the price was right at $15/ea
> View attachment 566218
> 
> 
> View attachment 566219


Do you ever thin of opening in up the caboose - or other lighted rolling stock - and paint the interiors? I have a few that I want to do that with. I don't like the reflection of the body color in the windows. I have a similar caboose to your NYC and the lighting gives it a pinkish glow.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, I may do that when I install LED lighting, something else I like to do with these. The bulbs are way too bright anyway.


----------



## Jetguy

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'm curious how you replace ALL the caps, how do you reach the ones in the middle of the top board?


I think you mean these 2 pain in the neck buried ones?








#1 I bend over and pull the original capacitors off their leads. I know this sounds crazy, but they just pull right off and leave the leads intact. This is the least intrusive method. Example below is one of them just now bent over and pulled off of the leads.








#2 I then use the soldering iron tip to heat the remaining capacitor lead next to the board and then as soon as the lead wiggles showing the solder is melted, use tweezers to pull out the lead.
#3 I then use my new HAKKO FR-301 desoldering tool to suck out and clear the through holes in the PCB (best tool I have ever used- expensive, but absolutely worth it).
#4 I then cut the leads on the new capacitors long. This allows me to leave a gap between the capacitor and circuit board. This is how I can insert a long thin solder tip and fine solder to solder the lead to board connection of each capacitor. Most installs have enough clearance to allow for the now taller height capacitors. It might not be as pretty as stock, but a working board is a good thing. You might see I cheated and used 330uf for all 3 of the main ones instead of 330 and 2 220s.


----------



## Krieglok

Jetguy, that is one skill I never had or have taken the time to learn. Nice work.

John, are those Railking Tankcars? They are very nice models. I have one I stripped and added end stirrups to. It is going to be repainted soon. I will probably do another American Extracts car, unless I find other suitable decals..










Tom


----------



## Jetguy

Krieglok said:


> Jetguy, that is one skill I never had or have taken the time to learn. Nice work.
> Tom


You should have seen the removing of the super tiny failed smoke fan transistor, not having one fresh on hand, removing it from a dead board without destroying it, and then soldering it to this board for repair. Stolen picture since I didn't take any during, but this is the small transistor (on the left) being replaced. If you sneeze, it's gone.








I learned the skills by watching a few videos and just doing it and failing and winning enough to get better at it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> John, are those Railking Tankcars? They are very nice models. I have one I stripped and added end stirrups to. It is going to be repainted soon. I will probably do another American Extracts car, unless I find other suitable decals..
> 
> View attachment 566234
> 
> 
> Tom


Yep, they are indeed RailKing. I have over 50 of the similar sized tank cars, so when I get a chance to add a few cheap to the tank train, I go for it. Hard to beat NIB for $15, the boxes are already out for recycling. 




Jetguy said:


> I think you mean these 2 pain in the neck buried ones?
> 
> #1 I bend over and pull the original capacitors off their leads. I know this sounds crazy, but they just pull right off and leave the leads intact. This is the least intrusive method. Example below is one of them just now bent over and pulled off of the leads.
> 
> #2 I then use the soldering iron tip to heat the remaining capacitor lead next to the board and then as soon as the lead wiggles showing the solder is melted, use tweezers to pull out the lead.
> #3 I then use my new HAKKO FR-301 desoldering tool to suck out and clear the through holes in the PCB (best tool I have ever used- expensive, but absolutely worth it).
> #4 I then cut the leads on the new capacitors long. This allows me to leave a gap between the capacitor and circuit board. This is how I can insert a long thin solder tip and fine solder to solder the lead to board connection of each capacitor. Most installs have enough clearance to allow for the now taller height capacitors. It might not be as pretty as stock, but a working board is a good thing. You might see I cheated and used 330uf for all 3 of the main ones instead of 330 and 2 220s.


Clever idea leaving the leads long and just soldering them from the top, that option never occurred to me, I'm just too OCD to have thought of that!  I know you can pull them off and then remove the leads, but I never considered your method for sticking the new ones on elevated a bit. I can replace the large 330uf 35V one from the side, that's the one that most frequently fails, at least in my experience.

I solder a lot of the SOT23 components on, so that's no particular challenge to me. I use my hot air tool to remove them if I'm salvaging them. As for the bad one, I just cut the leads at the part body and then sweep the leads off with the iron. If you want a challenge, try putting the PS/2 3V audio amplifier on, it has .5mm pitch leads!


----------



## AMCDave

After Norm C. on Youtube talked about K4Supply decals on a project he was show I ordered some. I did not know about this company before so I ordered two sets. 
The model I applied the decals to is a old AHM/Rivirossi/Pola all plastic 2 rail cars. I pick them up cheap, rebuild the chassis to work better on 3rO and add some Lionel trucks. I am not making contest models....just cars that look good rolling by at 40 smph on the layout. I don't always have the correct trucks but again after weathering....no one notices. I have about 10 more AHM boxcars and a number of gondolas and flats to complete. 
The K4Supply decals were VERY nice. Laid down well, stayed nice and bright.
Thanks for looking!


----------



## Jetguy

Coasterdynamix mine train ride. I've wanted to get one of these for the longest time. Working on adding eddy current braking using copper and magnets. I want to dynamic brake it at the platform, maybe even use a coil or solenoid to stop it, and then another dynamic brake just before the lift ramp so as to gently stop and feed into the chain. I was hoping the larger Cyclone would have come today, but delayed in Fedex.









I've also got a flywheel idea to make the train slower but retain momentum and look more realistic.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, that would probably break the rider's neck if it were real!


----------



## Jetguy

Second one came today. More lights!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks cool, but you have to figure a way to slow down the action, that part looks a bit phony.


----------



## Millstonemike

If you create drag to slow it down during the decent, the coaster won't hurdle the next peak. It has the same problem as our layouts. While the trains may be scale, the trackage lengths are not, much less than scale. So the coaster is seemingly transversing the track much faster than the full size coaster. The initial speed on the decent isn't scale. It's faster than scale. Has to be. As we all know, different weight objects fall at the same rate near earth (appropriately ignoring wind resistance in this case).

Maybe turning the coaster into a linear induction motor transversing the tracks. And create some drag to slow the decent while the linear motor force aids hurdling the next peak. Sadly, I've forgotten all I learned about induction motors. But my university had a linear induction motor on display during engineering "show and tell" day. A G-Scale sized car on 20' of straight track, 2-Rail. It went back and forth like a trolley. Worked quite well. No fancy motor control or electronics required.


----------



## Jetguy

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Looks cool, but you have to figure a way to slow down the action, that part looks a bit phony.


Working on that. Copper strips + magnets = eddy current braking. The cool thing is, it slows down to a slow speed, and then levels off with no or minimal braking. Brake effect is based on how fast you are cutting magnetic field lines. Exactly how the real full sized version does it. Again, correct in that what I would love to do is add a flywheel mass spun up by traction on the rail, however getting that "gearing" right to spin that flywheel, balancing the flywheel, and not increasing drag is a problem. That said, the thing we can do is brake in some slow sections and specifically at 2 critical places- #1 being entrance to the station which is all still slightly sloped just like a real coaster, and then just after release from the station, we can brake at the bottom of that curve before slamming into the lift chain system. Again, the 2 places that will make a difference, a nice smooth brake into the station where I can use a coil or other method to hold the train, use an MP3 module to make passenger announcements, and then pretend load the next passengers and release the train all making this that much more action and sounds.














Eddy current brakes. - K'NEX General Discussion


----------



## santafe158

Millstonemike said:


> While the trains may be scale, the trackage lengths are not, much less than scale.


The force of gravity also doesn't like to scale down 😁


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added some tank cars with a unusual road name. These were made for the Arkema Chemical Company as gifts for customers. As the story goes, the tractor trailer bringing the shipment was involved in an accident and fire. Most of them were scrapped and the remaining ones just got handed around to employees. The salvage company managed to rescue several hundred of these that remained with the truck and sold them. My haul was 18 cars represent three different chemical products, perfect for a unit train. 

Here they are parked in my new freight yard ready to be coupled up and dragged out. I think my landscaping will have to include an Arkema Chemical Factory.


----------



## Lehigh74

Good looking cars John. They will make a nice unit train.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, that's what got me, and I just stuck the F.R.E.D. truck on one of them, completes the picture.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Decided that I would need some trucks to park at the Arkema Chemical Factory, so I ordered some of the new Menards 1951 Fords.


----------



## Jetguy

Deal of the week from the Lionel virtual warehouse sale Legacy Polar Express "refurb" and as near as I can tell, new in the box and no idea why it was a refurb.
My friend emailed me the Lionel announcement of the virtual online sale, and as soon as I saw this near the bottom of the sale web page, I knew it would last all of about a blink of an eye given how many people are also looking for this engine.













They have a sense of humor on the label


----------



## Krieglok

Nice! I was looking for one last year. Settled for the American Flyer set and I added details to the engine.


Tom


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Decided that I would need some trucks to park at the Arkema Chemical Factory, so I ordered some of the new Menards 1951 Fords.
> 
> View attachment 567519


Arkema Chemical must pay well! All the employees have chrome rims on their Fords!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Arkema Chemical must pay well! All the employees have chrome rims on their Fords!


Yep, we're not cheapskates, we pay top dollar!


----------



## DMASSO

Picked up a MTH Morton Salt switcher from Stockyard Express for our club.


----------



## Matt_GNo27

A few weeks ago, I picked up new the unlettered LionChief 0-8-0 #99. Today I finished applying Champ decals and dull-coating it.









Yesterday this Atlas O rebuilt boxcar arrived in the post. I've wanted this color scheme for a while.









And today, this Atlas O reefer arrived. On a some-what recent thread, the OP disparaged Trainz, I thought unfairly. I've purchased a handful of cars from them, some on their old auction site, some directly on their site, and some on Ebay. In my experience, you won't get the lowest price for an item, but it will be reasonable, it will be as-described—usually very good to excellent—and well-packed for shipping. My only complaint, and it is a small one, is that I wish they would USPS instead of FedEx. The latter is generally quicker and more reliable. But, this is the most minor of complaints. I have always been more than satisfied with my Trainz transactions and find them a reliable source for pre-owned train items.









Lastly, several years ago my twin brother gave me a Standard O Santa Fe gondola, which he had picked up on Ebay, but found that it didn't fit well in with his traditional O Santa Fe work train. I was turned off by its ride height and it languished in its box unused. Last week I read @Mixed Freight's post in this thread, and inspired, lowered it in a similar fashion, though since I don't have a load to cover up the metal plate and sheet metal screws, I made some alterations. (I used strips of the plumber's strap as weight in between the chassis and the under-frame and attached the two with 3M double sided, foam tape.) Thank you, @Mixed Freight, for the inspiration and insight!


----------



## Krieglok

Don, the Morton Salt switcher is really great looking. It is a SW1 I presume? The blue look sharp with the logo on the hood.

Matt, the engine looks great. Did you use Testors Dulcote or some other brand? I like the cars too. The gondola looks like a great project. I have been revisiting some of my freight car fleet and culling out the ”high-riders” and slating them for lowering work.

The Trainz mention is interesting. The Fedex shipping does seem a bit clumsy at times. The shipments seem to get mired in Georgia for a couple days. My local Fedex service is great and the items come quickly once they hit the local distribution points. I have just become patient waiting for stuff to arrive, no matter which service I use. It seems, these days, we should be grateful that the item arrives in one piece at the right location, let alone it taking a little time to get there!

Tom


----------



## Matt_GNo27

Krieglok said:


> Matt, the engine looks great. Did you use Testors Dulcote or some other brand? I like the cars too. The gondola looks like a great project. I have been revisiting some of my freight car fleet and culling out the ”high-riders” and slating them for lowering work.
> 
> . . . The Fedex shipping does seem a bit clumsy at times. The shipments seem to get mired in Georgia for a couple days. . . .


Thanks! Yes, Testors Dulcote, but I didn't touch the locomotive, just the tender, and with medium success. I've done two coats and the finish still isn't uniform. I may try a third coat. The rivets under the GN logo decal gave me trouble, and the Solvaset that my local hobby shop recommended was, I think, too strong for the job. It removed the gloss coat where applied and, even though I did my best to be sparing, ruined one of the GN logos, so I had to order a second set of the Champ decals. But, from a distance and/or under low light and/or when the train is moving, my flawed application is hard to detect.

Yes, the FedEx shipments do get mired in Georgia. I've also had them get mired at the local distribution center, on multiple occasions had them mired for days "out for delivery"—they claimed that I wasn't at home, yet no signature was required and I was home and alert for the delivery every time, with my front door open—and had items repeatedly delivered to a neighbor. I wrote to the CEO about the local issues, but did not receive a response. The USPS, on the other hand, has never let me down. Our local postmasters and delivery people are warm, helpful, and more-than-competent.


----------



## Matt_GNo27

P.s. To make room for the afore-pictured rebuilt boxcar and reefer, I need to expand my shelving. I replaced the upper four two-bay shelves on the left side of the bookcase with three-bay shelves.









The actual bookcase shelves are two-deep with locomotives.


----------



## Krieglok

With the Solvaset, you can thin it with water to reduce the volatility for more fragile decals. There are many decal fluids out there. Finding the right one is the trick.

Microscale makes a decal setting system. It works well with various brand decals. 









I haven’t used Champ decals in a while. I didn’t know they were still made…

Tom


----------



## Matt_GNo27

Krieglok said:


> With the Solvaset, you can thin it with water to reduce the volatility for more fragile decals. There are many decal fluids out there. Finding the right one is the trick.
> 
> Microscale makes a decal setting system. It works well with various brand decals.
> 
> I haven’t used Champ decals in a while. I didn’t know they were still made…


I did thin the solution some on my second attempt of the one logo that I messed up, but probably could have further diluted it. On my first attempt with the decals, I followed Champ's instructions to the letter, other than not using their brand of setting agent, which is no longer available. They included putting a small pool of setting agent on the area before placing the decal. With full-strength Solvaset, this stripped the gloss coat and led to the disintegration of the logo decal as I tried to adjust the positioning. Solvaset's instructions say to slide the decal into its final position, but don't prod or blot. I found that it wasn't as successful at pulling the decal snug over the rivets as I'd expected it to be, even when poking pinholes. On my second attempt at the one side, I actually did blot, actually squeezing firmly from the inside and outside of the tender shell, to try to press the air out from around the rivets. That was a bit more successful, but I'm sure risks ruining the decal.

I had read about Microscale's setting fluids, but went with the hobby shop's recommendation, as he's been helpful with advice in the past. Microscale's decals are definitely easier to work with than the old Champs, which are no longer made. Des Plaines Hobbies still has some Champ decals in stock, but I got mine from a seller on Ebay who has a good stock of them.


----------



## Krieglok

I have tried using decal set on the surface before placing the decal. It usually destroyed them before I could get the decal placed.

At this point, I make sure the surface is at least satin or gloss finish. I soak and place the decal. I blot the decal once to pick up excess water, then I place it in its final place. At that point, I blot it to get excess water out from under it. Then let it dry for about 20 minutes.

Then, I apply the Solvaset. I leave it until it dries. At that point you can scan for shiny spots that are tiny air bubbles. I poke the with a pin, or slice with a very sharp razor. Then I hit it with another Solvaset treatment. Once the decals show to be well set, I use Microscale #2 to help hide the film before clear coating.

The issue you encountered may be the using of Solvaset when the decal is wet. The “wetness” may leave the softened decal open to a harsher attack by the setting solution. Try letting them dry a bit before applying Solvaset.

Just an idea…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added some diesel muscle to my roster, saw this like new MTH Premier AC4400CW on OGR for $225, fits right in to pull my modern tank cars.


----------



## Krieglok

Sharp engine. I always like the big UP diesels with the waving flag banner.

It should have some high speed pulling power! I saw a dummy of the same engine on eBay. Two of them together would definitely look like a real unit train

The real roads usually assign two high horsepower units to the important trains…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I don't know about "massive" pulling power, but it didn't break a sweat pulling 18 tank cars.


----------



## Desperado

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I don't know about "massive" pulling power, but it didn't break a sweat pulling 18 tank cars.


....yes, that would be "massive pulling power"! So awesome to see!


----------



## Millstonemike

Tanks  ... for the video.


----------



## santafe158

The little Lionel Prewar 158 locomotive on the left arrived a few days ago, leaving me with only one more locomotive (#154) to acquire to complete my collection of Prewar 150 series locomotives made up to 1923. These were all of the locomotives that were offered in O gauge between about 1917 and 1923. The 158 was the lowest end locomotive they made at about $4.75 in 1921 pricing (almost $73 in 2021 cash). It ran forward only and had dummy headlights. The locomotives gradually got larger (sometimes fairly subtly), had more features and were more detailed as you moved up the line. The 156 was the top of the line in O gauge, priced at $16.25 in 1921 (almost $250 in 2021). It was manually reversible, relatively large in size and had all of the add on details that they had available, including an operating headlight and lead/trailing trucks.

There was a #153 locomotive that was essentially a reversible #152 type, however it was only made for a year or two between 1924 and 1925. I do have one of those as well that isn't in the photo.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice collection of tinplate there Jake!


----------



## Big Ed

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I don't know about "massive" pulling power, but it didn't break a sweat pulling 18 tank cars.


Running a Fred too. 
What tankers are they John?

Edit, Never mind I see the YouTube title now.
You have another 20?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

These were a special run of tank cars for the chemical company. I found a guy selling the 18 cars, I added the F.R.E.D. after I got them.


----------



## Krieglok

I wonder what they carried? Haz-Mat? Booze?

Tom


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice collection of tinplate there Jake!


Thanks! It's become another dangerous addiction 😁


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

santafe158 said:


> Thanks! It's become another dangerous addiction 😁


I have too many of those already, I've actually resisted buying any tinplate for that reason!


----------



## Bryan Moran

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Added some diesel muscle to my roster, saw this like new MTH Premier AC4400CW on OGR for $225, fits right in to pull my modern tank cars.
> 
> View attachment 567958


Before I got out of Union Pacific I had 3-4 of the "flagged" U.P. locomotives. Iconic and impressive on layouts. That is a beauty and because MTH and Lionel make a lot of U.P., supply helps keep pricing down.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have noticed that UP stuff seems to be priced to move, and there is a lot of it. It's the same with PRR or NYC stuff, the same engine in a more obscure road name commands considerably more money.


----------



## seayakbill

Even though the S&Y RR has been dismantled I have not cut back on purchases the past year. Been all over the board but have purchased quite a few of Lionel Postwar. Here is a Lionel PW 726 Berk in excellent condition on the test track that will eventually be running on the S&Y RR.

Bill


----------



## Booly15

seayakbill said:


> Even though the S&Y RR has been dismantled I have not cut back on purchases the past year. Been all over the board but have purchased quite a few of Lionel Postwar. Here is a Lionel PW 726 Berk in excellent condition on the test track that will eventually be running on the S&Y RR.
> 
> Bill
> 
> 
> View attachment 568698


Always loved the 726, Postwar is my love and always nice to see that it is still in play, no bells and whistles (sort of) but still reliable and filled with memories!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

seayakbill said:


> Here is a Lionel PW 726 Berk in excellent condition on the test track that will eventually be running on the S&Y RR.


That looks like a brand new locomotive, nice score.


----------



## seayakbill

Another item purchased during the past summer while the layout is in hiatus. A Dixie Union Train Shop exclusive, a MTH Covington & Cincinnati trolley. Had it on the test track and everything works A-OK. It eventually will be in revenue service when the S&Y RR is back in operation.


----------



## Barnhartred




----------



## Barnhartred

Picked up 2 new steamers


----------



## Mooner

Williams Bangor & Aroostock BL-2. New old stock from one of dealers in Orange Hall at York. Only have a couple of conventional engines - both Williams - but like them for running around a small layout when the grandkids visit. Don't have to worry about much, just let 'em run. By the way, beautiful day to be at the train swap in York.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Just got back from York, I found the one thing I was really looking for, the Lionel 6-11333 Santa Fe Northern NIB to pull my Lionel Santa Fe passenger cars. Put it on the tracks and the cab light was blinking out a failed main smoke unit fan motor. Boy, I've seen this before on the exact same model, so I immediately pulled it apart and popped an MTH smoke fan motor in, no more blinking.
This is the one with the whistle steam, which as the smoke gadget man, I wanted.


----------



## Krieglok

Is that a scale Northern? I am looking for one too. A big engine, even on your layout!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

It's a scale Northern, but the Lionel model is a smaller version of the Northern, the MTH Premier Northern is actually a bit larger then mine. However, even the Lionel model is a hefty locomotive. Now that it's all running well, I treated it to my YLB and an amber headlight that looks a ton better than the bright white LED that Lionel used.


----------



## seayakbill

Good looking steam GRJ. Big layouts need big steam, it will be a terrific looking passenger train.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Thanks Bill, now I just have to finish replacing the spotted windows in the passenger cars and of course, the LED lighting.


----------



## Lehigh74

A few weeks ago, I was moaning that I was searching in vain for the 2-car sleeper/diner add on set to go with my MTH 18” D&H passenger cars. Shortly after that, I saw a 2-car set on ebay as well as a 5-car set and a full-length vista dome. I was not interested in the full dome since D&H had none of those. I bid on the 2-car set until it reached $211 ($80 more than MSRP in 2001). Someone wanted it a lot more than me. So, I put a bid on the 5-car set and no one else did. Ended up getting it for $30 less than MSRP. It is the same set that I already have, but I’ll use the coaches, vista dome and maybe the baggage car. I thought about changing number plates, but decided I am too lazy even though it doesn’t look too difficult.

When I unpacked the cars, I found two number plates missing which happens sometimes on the ribbed cars. I also found that the truck mount was broken on the vista dome car which I have also seen before. Due to the damage, the seller gave me a partial refund.

I will add passengers and change lighting to LEDs. At the same time, I will repair the truck mount. I may even work up the energy to replace number boards since I have two missing anyway.

The ABA PA1s didn’t look right pulling just 5 cars. Looks much better with 7 or 8.


----------



## Krieglok

Beautiful cars! The truck mount damage is certainly repairable. That or you could just replace the entire floor from a donor car. The MTH site shows the floors as out of stock…☹

Tom


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## gunrunnerjohn

Those don't come often. Maybe I'll buy the dome car from you, I'll pretend they did have dome cars.


----------



## Lehigh74

Tom - I’ll fix the chassis truck mount using styrene. My other set had broken truck mounts which John fixed when he owned it. I later fixed the chassis when it snapped in half.

More Plastic Surgery for D&H Vista Dome Willsboro Point | Model Train Forum

John – I’m keeping the vista dome. The D&H did have a couple of those. It’s the full-length dome that I had no interest in and did not bid on. Now if you need another observation car…


----------



## Barnhartred

I picked up a new transformer and a Christmas train set this weekend







u


----------



## Krieglok

Nice haul. Great transformer and a nice train set. Congratulations!

Tom


----------



## Norton

These arrived while I was away at York. Got them both for the opening price. The Fairlane is a K-Line car that I just learned is model of Henry Ford’s private car. It arrived with a few passengers experiencing a weightless state. Maybe some of Jeff Bezo’s flight crew. They are now in their gravity suits and secure in their seats.










Next up is this MTH UP CA-1 caboose. I had no intention of modeling period UP but after picking up some PFE reefers I needed something appropriate for the end of the train. One of my heritage steam will pull this train. 
I know the markers can be placed at either end of the car but this one came on the end with cupola forward. I moved them to the other end as thats more what I am used to seeing.










Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Great cars. The “Fairlane” is a handsome car with the interior lighting.

I have the same caboose. I didn’t know the markers were able to be adjusted like that.

Making the Conductor and Rear Brakeman breathe the coal smoke from the stove!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Love the passenger car Pete. Curious about the direction the caboose runs in, wouldn't it make more sense to have the stack behind the cupola so smoke didn't blow in underway?


----------



## Norton

I was going by how I see most cabeese oriented, with offset cupola towards the rear. MTH has offered them both ways and Lionel’s have the marker where I put them. While trying to find pics of CA-1s I see one museum has their CA-1 with the markers on the short end. Likely not an issue in the summer anyways.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added another 44-Ton locomotive to the roster, Trainworld was selling them for $149. I'll get a command upgrade...


----------



## Krieglok

A Williams engine? Nice locomotive there.

Are those handrails still fragile? I had a Pennsy version but the handrails would break every time I picked it up. I ended up with a MTH Hoboken Shore 44 tonner instead. I would like to paint one in the old Arcade and Attica scheme if I could find decals…

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Love the passenger car Pete. Curious about the direction the caboose runs in, wouldn't it make more sense to have the stack behind the cupola so smoke didn't blow in underway?


Normally, the stove smoke wouldn’t really enter the caboose. The draft and airflow would carry the smoke over the top. We had one coal stove equipped caboose and a few oil heated hacks and we never had an issue with smoke in either direction the caboose was rolling. Unless the wind was right, you wouldn’t even smell any smoke…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, the handrails are still fragile.


----------



## seayakbill

Another purchase while the S&Y is in rebuild mode. The Lionel Postwar Picatinny Arsenal vulcan switcher. Runs great for a growler, railings are a little less for wear but otherwise in excellent condition.


----------



## Krieglok

Cool! Picatinny Arsenal had miles of track inside their fences. It was a weapons testing and storage facility. I lived near it for years and often drove through the grounds looking for old railroad spurs.

That all ended with 9/11.

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

When the Philly Shipyard was closing in the early 90’s, Picatinny was one of the places folks looked at to continue in civil service.
I wonder if the proximity to Lionel’s early HQ had anything to do with the selection of Picatinny for a road name.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Cool, I have the same locomotive only it's the PWC TMCC version. Still has the growl.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added some tank cars, got a great deal on them and couldn't resist. One even has the F.R.E.D. to complete the train. Pulling them is my Williams 44-Ton locomotive that I upgraded to TMCC a few years back.


----------



## Lehigh74

You seem to be stocking up on tank cars lately.


----------



## Krieglok

I like the plain Jane black tankers the best. They remind me of cars we hauled on a freight railroad I worked at one time. Usually fuel,oil and asphalt products…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I like tank cars, you don't have to worry about cargo.  I got the four 30,000 gal tankers for $75, pretty hard to pass up. The Lionel 6-85087 UTLX 30K Tank Car w/ EOT alone has an MSRP of $119.99, the three-pack was $249.99.


----------



## seayakbill

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I like tank cars, you don't have to worry about cargo.  I got the four 30,000 gal tankers for $75, pretty hard to pass up. The Lionel 6-85087 UTLX 30K Tank Car w/ EOT alone has an MSRP of $119.99, the three-pack was $249.99.


Heck of a great deal. Unit trains of tankers are still pretty common, not sure if they are carrying oil anymore with all the pipelines crossing the USA.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, with all the pipeline cancellations, I suspect quite a few are carrying oil.  I'm currently trying to get an old purchase on the road, I have four Weaver scale 30,000 gallon tank cars with 2-rail trucks, looking for 3-rail trucks with couplers to add to my tank train.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

A new acquisition, and it's a duplicate. It was just too good a deal to pass up! With the Lionel Vision Line Big Boy's selling for $3,000 to $3,500 on eBay, this like new example fell into my lap for $1,750, and it even included the LCS Sensor Track that was supplied with the locomotive. I'm thinking I may be able to find someone with a different road number to trade so I can double-head two Big Boys. Given the fact that the 4014 is probably the most popular, that should work out at some point.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice locomotive. Looks like I might be painting UP boxcars next!

I would love having one, but until I actually build a layout, I am shying away from the really big steam engines. I have a few already (Triplex, SP Cab forward etc) and I want to see if I can get the clearances to run them before buying into more big power.

What is the LCS sensor for?

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Nice locomotive. Looks like I might be painting UP boxcars next!


I actually have at least 30 PFE Reefers, I just have to find them.


Krieglok said:


> What is the LCS sensor for?


LCS is Lionel's Layout Control System
*Introducing LCS | Lionel LCS*
The Sensor Track picks up a transmission from a Legacy engine that has the LCS emitter (Legacy locomotives built after 2010 with the RCMC electronics and all of the Vision Line models). The Sensor track sends the information to the Legacy system and it can do a lot of different things with it. It can trigger commands based on the direction and specific locomotive that crosses the sensor track. It also fills in all the locomotive information on the Legacy command base.


----------



## Firewood

View attachment 570352

Wow - there are 'acquisitions' and then there are 'acquisitions'. Nice going! I assume a Vitamin C train isn't far behind.

FW


----------



## Norton

gunrunnerjohn said:


> A new acquisition, and it's a duplicate. It was just too good a deal to pass up! With the Lionel Vision Line Big Boy's selling for $3,000 to $3,500 on eBay, this like new example fell into my lap for $1,750, and it even included the LCS Sensor Track that was supplied with the locomotive. I'm thinking I may be able to find someone with a different road number to trade so I can double-head two Big Boys. Given the fact that the 4014 is probably the most popular, that should work out at some point.
> View attachment 570352


Not hard to change the numbers. Lionel likely has other number boards and headlights.
This MTH arrived as 4017. The headlight is actually a Lionel part Identical to the MTH headlight.









Pete


----------



## Norton

This has been on my radar for a while. Lionel made around 2002, what I consider their best era. This has a big Pittman with fan smoke. Just needs a cam for four chuffs.









Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Norton said:


> Not hard to change the numbers. Lionel likely has other number boards and headlights.
> This MTH arrived as 4017. The headlight is actually a Lionel part Identical to the MTH headlight.


Yes, but the crew talk all has the road numbers. I don't use it often, but the visitors like it, and I'd want it to match.


Norton said:


> This has been on my radar for a while. Lionel made around 2002, what I consider their best era. This has a big Pittman with fan smoke. Just needs a cam for four chuffs.


Those were good years for Lionel, and they used real motors that didn't blow up your electronics!  It could use a Chuff-Generator for four-chuffs you know.


----------



## Norton

I know John but you can’t or won’t match my price. Well under two bucks Is what it costs me.

Pete


----------



## Millstonemike

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Yes, but the crew talk all has the road numbers. ...


Can't you download the correct sound file for the new number?


----------



## Norton

Millstonemike said:


> Can't you download the correct sound file for the new number?


Its Lionel. You have to swap out the Railsounds Board. Can be done but not for free like MTH. I have come to prefer non road name and cab number specific railsounds engines for this reason.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Norton said:


> This has been on my radar for a while. Lionel made around 2002, what I consider their best era. This has a big Pittman with fan smoke. Just needs a cam for four chuffs.
> View attachment 570387
> 
> 
> Pete


Great acquisition Pete! I have the same locomotive and they are very nice. I added the Elesco feed water pump to mine. It was a missing detail that bugged me.










I repainted a set of MTH Madison cars into the older Erie scheme so the engine would have friends to pull…










Tom


----------



## Norton

Tom, I am thinking of passenger cars. Back burner thing unless something pops up at the right price. I see some painted green with a gray window band. I take it that came along at a later date than the all green cars.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Pete, the cars with the Erie light green window band were definitely pulled by steam toward the end of steam on the Erie. The E8s were delivered in the two tone green scheme in 1948 I believe. The Erie ran the K5s up into 1953 or there abouts. The two tone green scheme was applied to cars at the same time the E8s arrived.

The Erie painted a number of HW coaches with the two tone and later lightweight cars were delivered in the two tone. They ran mixed in consists.

MTH makes the lightweight streamlined cars in the Premier line. If you want heavyweights, you need to do a repaint job.

Tom


----------



## Norton

Thanks Tom. MTH shows a TT heavyweight set 20-40030. If they made it I am sure its rare like the Canadian National cars they did. GGD did a set too. I am in no hurry. Maybe I wil get lucky as I did with the engine.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

They look nice. I am gonna do a couple more HW cars in the two tone scheme. I picked up two streamlined coaches and a baggage car in the two tone colors. They will fit with the PAs and E8 I have. The seller broke up the set as I didn’t want the dome car or the streamlined obs.

My Erie HW cars are a bit dated. They have no interiors and they have the widows with people silhouettes printed on the windows. They were Santa Fe and I just painted them Erie green and decaled them. The hardest part was disassembling the cars and putting them back together again…

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

Another Lionel Postwar acquisition for the Seattle & Yakima RR. A Wabash Geep. For some strange reason the Wabash RR has garnered my attention. The Geep shell is in excellent condition the frame needs some TLC. The Wabash 2339 was a one year only offering from Lionel in 1957, must not have done well in sales. 

Bill


----------



## Krieglok

The Wabash paint scheme is certainly attractive, Bill. What year would that engine have produced?

Here is my side of the trade between me and Bob (Lehigh74) where I sent him a kitbashed Reading caboose. The hopper arrived with MTH trucks, but he also gave me the original Lionel trucks, which I installed.










I do have a small collection of post-war Lionel and this car fits in perfectly…

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

Hi Tom, the Lionel Postwar Wabash 2339 GP-7 was manufactured in 1957.

Bill


----------



## Lehigh74

Yesterday at Allentown, I had two eggs over easy with bacon and toast (hold the home fries). Then I got:

An MTH wood sided caboose that I’ve been looking for to go with my LC+ P&R camelback.








A covered hopper in the LV snowbird scheme. This Lionel model has some very nice brake line details.

















A Weaver LV snowbird caboose. Unfortunately, I already have the same road number on an MTH version of this caboose.









A 6456 LV hopper. I pick up one of these at just about every meet I go to.









An MTH RK Reading boxcar in Crusader paint.









A few crusty passenger cars (603 and 604) to go behind my crusty 152 loco.









And sadly, probably the last transformer I will ever buy that was reconditioned by Harry Lutz. Harry passed away recently. Great guy. I’ll miss seeing him at meets.


----------



## Lehigh74

Also got an NYC covered gon. NYC is not one of my favorite roads, but I liked the look of the covered gon.


----------



## Krieglok

seayakbill said:


> Hi Tom, the Lionel Postwar Wabash 2339 GP-7 was manufactured in 1957.
> 
> Bill


Hi Bill. I am sorry, I didn’t realize that the year was in the text with your photo. My mistake..

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Lehigh74 said:


> Yesterday at Allentown, I had two eggs over easy with bacon and toast (hold the home fries). Then I got:
> 
> An MTH wood sided caboose that I’ve been looking for to go with my LC+ P&R camelback.
> View attachment 570917
> 
> A covered hopper in the LV snowbird scheme. This Lionel model has some very nice brake line details.
> View attachment 570918
> 
> View attachment 570919
> 
> 
> A Weaver LV snowbird caboose. Unfortunately, I already have the same road number on an MTH version of this caboose.
> View attachment 570920
> 
> 
> A 6456 LV hopper. I pick up one of these at just about every meet I go to.
> View attachment 570921
> 
> 
> An MTH RK Reading boxcar in Crusader paint.
> View attachment 570922
> 
> 
> A few crusty passenger cars (603 and 604) to go behind my crusty 152 loco.
> View attachment 570923
> 
> 
> And sadly, probably the last transformer I will ever buy that was reconditioned by Harry Lutz. Harry passed away recently. Great guy. I’ll miss seeing him at meets.
> View attachment 570924


Nice haul there Bob. The bobber is really well done. The LV covered hopper is very nice too. I remember one being parked in the rail yard in Jamestown, NY, for years. It was the same type hopper that was parked there after it was damaged. They eventually cut it up. My mom said they used to call the Lehigh Valley the “Leaky Valley Railroad”…

Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

Nice. Plans for the tinplate - as is or restoral project.


----------



## Lehigh74

Millstonemike said:


> Nice. Plans for the tinplate - as is or restoral project.


As is. I got them to go with this 152.
Lionel 152 - She Goes | Model Train Forum


----------



## seayakbill

Another Wabash Geep has been added to the diesel roster on the S&Y RR. This one is a Lionel GP-9 manufactured in 1985, item number 6-8587. Per Greenberg it is uncataloged, I think it may have been a JC Penny exclusive. Excellent condition and tested A-OK.

Bill


----------



## Lehigh74

I agree with Tom about the Wabash paint scheme. Looks great. I’m going to add that to my list. When I was looking for Trainmasters a few years ago, the MTH PS3 Premier Wabash from the 2018 catalog caught my eye, but alas, it had been cancelled.


----------



## Krieglok

I have been on a GP7/GP9 buying spree lately. I may look for one in Wabash colors. I have one coming that I am converting into a CNJ GP7 with the passenger electric generators on the end of the long hood. I plan on painting it in NJDOT colors…










Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Speaking of GP7/GP9s, two more arrived at the roundhouse.

First is a MTH GP9 in Pennsy colors. It isn’t a real stunner, but it had an appeal for me. Early in my railroad career I had the pleasure of running this particular engine. Back then it looked like this…










Later the locomotive was given to the local railroad historical society. It was refurbished back into the original PRR colors and configuration…










The engine I bought, is a MTH with PS1. Simple and a great runner. I need some detail work, such as removing the steam generator and adding different air horns. I plan on painting the handrails in yellow at the proper locations…



















The other GP is a Chicago and Northwestern GP7. Some 40 years ago, I was riding Amtrak and was waiting for a connection at Union Station, so I headed over to Northwestern Terminal, the large station for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad in Chicago.

While there, I noticed they had a CNW GP7 parked on track “one“ in the station. It was their “yard” power for the terminal, for handling any needed car movements within the yard. What struck me was that we did the same thing in Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, NJ. Our track “one” was the spot we parked extra yard power and light engines destined to be run to various outlying points or assigned to work trains.

For some odd reason, the look of that engine always stuck with me. When I saw the MTH GP in CNW colors, it had to go into the collection. I wish I had taken a photo of the real,engine, but never did. Here is the MTH GP7 with PS3. It is a RailKing edition. I just have to add a couple details and it will be good to go…



















Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom is that a woman engineer in the GP9? 








Also, the front is on the other end of the prototype, they're running long hood forward.


----------



## Krieglok

It looks like the engineer is wearing a helmet, or it is an early attempt my MTH to represent multiracial, non ageism and non sexist employment opportunities on the railroad. 😉

She looks like this….only the hat is black…











Funny you mention the F is missing. The actual locomotive was long hood forward. Why MTH made that choice to omit it, is interesting.

That is on the list of details I need to add or redo…..

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I like granny in the engineer's seat!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Here's my new Legacy Reading Camelback.










One minor complaint and it's common to all of the new sound boards for steam. *No battery option!* With the short spaced rollers, this locomotive loses sound over a number of my switches, especially the double-slip switches! It's a bummer they decided to cheap out on allowing a battery to bridge these sounds.

Going for a short run with my only Reading Heavyweight passenger cars, time to start shopping for some more.


----------



## Lehigh74

Krieglok said:


> Speaking of GP7/GP9s, two more arrived at the roundhouse.
> 
> First is a MTH GP9 in Pennsy colors. It isn’t a real stunner, but it had an appeal for me. Early in my railroad career I had the pleasure of running this particular engine. Back then it looked like this…
> View attachment 571291


I thought it was cool when I saw the full scale loco with the same cab number as one of my MTH models (Reading U30C 6300) at the Reading Historical Society in Hamburg, PA. That is *VERY* cool that you were able to get a model of the exact loco that you ran.


----------



## Millstonemike

Lehigh74 said:


> I thought it was cool when I saw the full scale loco with the same cab number as one of my MTH models (Reading U30C 6300) at the Reading Historical Society in Hamburg, PA. That is *VERY* cool that you were able to get a model of the exact loco that you ran.


What he said.


----------



## Millstonemike

gunrunnerjohn said:


> ...
> One minor complaint and it's common to all of the new sound boards for steam. *No battery option!* With the short spaced rollers, this locomotive loses sound over a number of my switches, especially the double-slip switches! It's a bummer they decided to cheap out on allowing a battery to bridge these sounds.


Tender roller(s) and tether as you've done before? Cap inserted past the rectified DC for the electronics?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'm loath to add a tether, it's so convenient to be able to just hook the drawbar and off you go. Besides, a global cure for this would be useful. I'm going to see if there's a place I could drop a supercap and perhaps an inrush limiter for the charge so as not to upset the board P/S. Since there's a bridge rectifier early in the game, I suspect that might be possible. I'm sure the board electronics mostly runs on 5V or 3.3V.

I know I don't feel like living with this shortcoming, this is one of the reasons I went to the trouble of creating the YLB - RailSounds Battery Replacement (RS-Lite)! Just what I need, another project!


----------



## Madman

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Here's my new Legacy Reading Camelback.
> 
> View attachment 571384
> 
> 
> One minor complaint and it's common to all of the new sound boards for steam. *No battery option!* With the short spaced rollers, this locomotive loses sound over a number of my switches, especially the double-slip switches! It's a bummer they decided to cheap out on allowing a battery to bridge these sounds.
> 
> Going for a short run with my only Reading Heavyweight passenger cars, time to start shopping for some more.



*A child only a mother would love. Sorry John, I just don't like them.*


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Madman said:


> *A child only a mother would love. Sorry John, I just don't like them.*


I don't like you either!  

Just kidding, I get it.  I know a lot of people find the Camelback somewhat ugly, that's the beauty in them.


----------



## Bogomips622

I was warned. I just couldn't help myself. Picked this up at an online auction for 35 USD. Even with shipping I'm pleased, if not for the track alone.









Bill


----------



## Madman

Bogomips622 said:


> I was warned. I just couldn't help myself. Picked this up at an online auction for 35 USD. Even with shipping I'm pleased, if not for the track alone.
> View attachment 571399
> 
> 
> Bill


The Army switcher alone is well worth the $35.00 !


----------



## Bogomips622

Madman said:


> The Army switcher alone is well worth the $35.00 !


That's going to be fun to run. My intention is to have the four seasons in each corner of my layout. Going to get a sheet of plywood tomorrow and just paint it green for now.
Bill


----------



## Millstonemike

gunrunnerjohn said:


> ... I'm going to see if there's a place I could drop a supercap and perhaps an inrush limiter for the charge so as not to upset the board P/S. ...


Thinking out loud ... Perhaps a separate charge circuit for the super cap and a diode into the DC rail. Any time the on-board PS voltage sags, the super cap will hold up the voltage. And the diode insures the on-board PS never sees the super cap as a load.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

An external power supply complicates the picture, there is no common ground for the board DC supply as it goes directly from a bridge rectifier. I actually want to charge the supercap from the on-board supply if possible.

FWIW, my YLB - RailSounds Battery Replacement (RS-Lite) works like you specify, it has a totally independent power source (center rail power). However, in order to make it universal, I had to depend on the specific design characteristics of the old RS4 & 5 battery power circuits and the newer RS-Lite board battery input. I have to go back to the drawing board for this board, but I'll have to invent a place to tap into the board to supply power when the track goes dead.


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Here's my new Legacy Reading Camelback.
> 
> View attachment 571384
> 
> 
> One minor complaint and it's common to all of the new sound boards for steam. *No battery option!* With the short spaced rollers, this locomotive loses sound over a number of my switches, especially the double-slip switches! It's a bummer they decided to cheap out on allowing a battery to bridge these sounds.
> 
> Going for a short run with my only Reading Heavyweight passenger cars, time to start shopping for some more.


It is a nice looking engine, John. The beauty comes in the form of functional mechanics.

I would like to see it run a bit faster!




Bogomips622 said:


> I was warned. I just couldn't help myself. Picked this up at an online auction for 35 USD. Even with shipping I'm pleased, if not for the track alone.
> View attachment 571399
> 
> 
> Bill


Bill, nice haul. It is interesting to see the older stuff come out of hiding, especially around the holidays…

Tom


----------



## Bogomips622

Krieglok said:


> It is a nice looking engine, John. The beauty comes in the form of functional mechanics.
> 
> I would like to see it run a bit faster!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bill, nice haul. It is interesting to see the older stuff come out of hiding, especially around the holidays…
> 
> Tom


Tom, now that I have extra cars and caboose/caboosi I was thinking of just decorating some myself for the holidays.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> It is a nice looking engine, John. The beauty comes in the form of functional mechanics.
> 
> I would like to see it run a bit faster!


If it was running faster, it would be much harder to see in the video!


----------



## Krieglok

Bogomips622 said:


> Tom, now that I have extra cars and caboose/caboosi I was thinking of just decorating some myself for the holidays.


There are many ways of doing that. Depends how you want to do them. Just paint over the original or strip and start from scratch. Decals can be tricky, but it is fun to create your own stuff!



gunrunnerjohn said:


> If it was running faster, it would be much harder to see in the video!


A short action clip wouldn’t hurt!

Tom


----------



## Old_Hobo

My first, and only, Lionel car, but I’m a Scrooge McDuck fan, so…..


----------



## Norton

Bogomips622 said:


> I was warned. I just couldn't help myself. Picked this up at an online auction for 35 USD. Even with shipping I'm pleased, if not for the track alone.
> View attachment 571399
> 
> 
> Bill


Looks like a lot of fun for small money. Do the engines run?

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

A couple new Weaver boxcars. The C&IM car just looked good. Nice paint work.









The Seaboard car has the unusual and dated logo that I thought was cool. The car had two missing stirrups, so I replaced them with pewter details and painted them to match…









Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks good Tom, and you didn't have to paint them!


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Looks good Tom, and you didn't have to paint them!


It does happen now and then!

A couple more cars to decal and yours will be ready!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> A couple more cars to decal and yours will be ready!


OH, GOODY! 😀


----------



## 86TA355SR

…removed image.


----------



## Millstonemike

What is it? For us neophytes - make, model year plz ...


----------



## MichaelE

I think the UP's 9000 series. 1926.


----------



## 86TA355SR

Millstonemike said:


> What is it? For us neophytes - make, model year plz ...


Mike, 

Is there a way to PM you? We use to have that function but I can’t seem to find it anymore?


----------



## Millstonemike

MichaelE said:


> I think the UP's 9000 series. 1926.


I should have been specific  I meant the model type: Lionel, MTH, Big-boy, etc.


----------



## Lehigh74

86TA355SR said:


> Mike,
> 
> Is there a way to PM you? We use to have that function but I can’t seem to find it anymore?


Click on the member and then click on "start a conversation".


----------



## Millstonemike

86TA355SR said:


> Mike,
> 
> Is there a way to PM you? We use to have that function but I can’t seem to find it anymore?


In the MTF forum S/W, a "PM" is called a conversation. Click on a member's avatar. At the bottom of the grey area there's a phrase "Start a Conversation".


----------



## Krieglok

Great looking locomotive…and huge!

Tom


----------



## Dano

Added some colour to my BCIT fleet. Ex CNJ 40 footer.


----------



## Krieglok

Really nice car. The ACI placard is a nice touch…so often overlooked when decaling cars of this era…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Picked up the Bachmann Williams scale 70-Ton Locomotive. Neat little piece, but it needed something. Now it's fully command controlled and I "improved" the headlight and added a command controlled cab light.


----------



## sjm9911

2 $ in the thrift store , lol. It runs ok. A little oil and some cleaning of the wiper pu and its what it is for the 80s trolly. Reverse bumpers work, headlights work, and its running under the tree for now. I didnt have one, and the price was right. Yes, i know its not a clasic collectable, but its still fun.


----------



## Millstonemike

Looks great. For $2, it doesn't have to be a classic.


----------



## sjm9911

The grease was hard, it wasnt moving good, and it didn't have an easy to acess gear box. But it was open underneath. So so motor oil, and running on the tree oval its speeded up a ton. I'll do another round of oil to soften up the grease. Then clean the track, lol. I have no luck with the newer beginner stuff. My Christmas train just stopped, no power, so that was replaced with another 2$ train from somewhere. That blew a traction tire. So now the trolly. I may have to grab something else from the boxes downstairs if my luck dosen't change. Good thing I have tons of stuff to pick from.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

For $2, it was a real find!


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Picked up the Bachmann Williams scale 70-Ton Locomotive. Neat little piece, but it needed something. Now it's fully command controlled and I "improved" the headlight and added a command controlled cab light.


Good looking 70 Tonner John. And on sale at TrainWorld, it's hard to resist. So, I didn't. Mine is on the way. It will join my conventional roster.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Bob, I figured for $160, it was hard to resist, and it's nice having that one in the stable.  Of course, not being much of a conventional runner, I allowed this locomotive to join the exclusive command control club on my RR.


----------



## Lehigh74

Picked up a few preorders from Nicholas Smith a few days ago.

The flat car with M60 tanks looks pretty awesome. I’m a bit leery to run it around the layout though. The antennae stick up very high…a hair higher than the pup trailers on MTH premier flat cars. And those trailers only clear my lowest overpass by a hair. I’ll run it very slowly for the first few passes or I might snap the antennae off.

I like the Westinghouse voltmeter car, but it’s not as interesting as I thought it would be. Since I’m running DCS, the needle on the meter doesn’t move.

Also picked up a Nicholas Smith wood sided reefer while I was there. After a dozen years couped up in its cardboard shipping box, this one is finally free. I’m guessing that these didn’t sell nearly as well as Chris Ganz thought they would.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice cars Bob!

Military vehicles have antennas that are removed during transit. They actually unscrew from their base.

Pretty much the same with the machine guns. Tanks wouldn’t usually be transported with “small arms” attached. They would be installed by armorers when delivered to their assigned units.










The photo gives a good idea of how armor is transported. But, in keeping with the modeling aspect of our O gauge cars and tanks, these would be details that most people needn’t worry about.

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

I like how the tank treads hang over the side of the flat car in photo Tom. The tanks on the MTH car do the same thing. I think Lee complained in one thread that it makes the tanks look too big, but it's OK with me. While I like the detail on the model tanks, I'm kind of wishing that the antennae were not there. They will probably get broken off eventually.


----------



## Lehigh74

Lehigh74 said:


> Good looking 70 Tonner John. And on sale at TrainWorld, it's hard to resist. So, I didn't. Mine is on the way. It will join my conventional roster.


That was quick. A little over 24 hours after I ordered, the loco from TrainWorld was on my doorstep.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks good Bob, a lot like the one I have. 

I added something as well. I just got more cars that Tom painted to add to the four already in house. Here the current collection is in a drive-by.


----------



## Krieglok

Lehigh74 said:


> I like how the tank treads hang over the side of the flat car in photo Tom. The tanks on the MTH car do the same thing. I think Lee complained in one thread that it makes the tanks look too big, but it's OK with me. While I like the detail on the model tanks, I'm kind of wishing that the antennae were not there. They will probably get broken off eventually.


The tanks are on USATC flatcars that were once owned by the Germans for their tanks. The Germans had issues with clearance on their Tiger tanks because the fieldtracks were too wide. They actually installed narrow “ loading tracks” and removed the four outer most road wheels to transport the Tigers by rail. When they arrived at their destination, the tracks were swapped out and the road wheels reinstalled. A lot of labor and complexity the German war machine was known for.

The US Army obviously didn’t have concerns with clearance as I am guessing the clearances were improved after the war, with the rebuilding and modernization of the DB rail system.

You can nip off the antennas just above the base insulators. Or your scenery can do it! Lol.
Your tanks are M60s from the 1980s and 90’s as they have the “reactive armor“ packs on the turrets. They were used in Desert Storm.

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Bob, the 70 toner is impressive. It would be cool if they did one in the old Rahway Valley Railroad, a defunct short line from Northern NJ. They had a couple they used to replace steam…in two colors!

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Looks good Bob, a lot like the one I have.
> 
> I added something as well. I just got more cars that Tom painted to add to the four already in house. Here the current collection is in a drive-by.


John,

They look much better with wheels and being on the rails! They all look the same! Lol.

I could probably decal the next set blindfolded as the location of each decal is permanently etched in my brain!

Thanks for posting the video. I was surprised to see they were delivered so fast, giving the time of year they were in the mail system. You must have been busy reassembling the six cars to get this video up on line!

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

Krieglok said:


> Bob, the 70 toner is impressive. It would be cool if they did one in the old Rahway Valley Railroad, a defunct short line from Northern NJ. They had a couple they used to replace steam…in two colors!
> 
> Tom


Well, I know a guy that is pretty good with spray paint and decals. And the 70 tonner is only 160 at TrainWorld.


----------



## Krieglok

Lehigh74 said:


> Well, I know a guy that is pretty good with spray paint and decals. And the 70 tonner is only 160 at TrainWorld.


Yesssss….I do too! I like to give the commercial interests a chance to produce odd road names once in a while…😉

Tom


----------



## Booly15

You like it, that is all that matters, we can have "classics" that mean more to us then what any price guide says.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I think Tom could knock out that 70-tonner in Rahway Valley Railroad pretty handily.


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I think Tom could knock out that 70-tonner in Rahway Valley Railroad pretty handily.


Thanks John! I just have to find decals. That or do the striping by hand. I know of a modern set of RV boxcar decals, but I am still looking for engine decals….just like Arcade and Attica…just not out there…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Has anyone had some experience doing their own decals on decal printer paper? I tried it on an inkjet years ago, it was a dismal failure. I wonder if decal paper for a laser printer would work better, the water wouldn't bother it.


----------



## Krieglok

I have toyed with the idea of printing my own. It would be another element of the hobby I would need to set up, learn and make room for. Not sure if I want to do that, although there are many decal sets I would like to produce…

Tom


----------



## Jeff T

Finally found an affordable Spirit of the Century Passenger Set!! Really glad to have this set join the stable!

Now to add some lighting for those upper deck passengers!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Those domes are easy to light, there's a nice wide area to put the lights.


----------



## Lehigh74

That’s an interesting set. Kind of a hybrid with detailed observation areas in the domes and tail, but silhouettes for the lower level and part of the obs car. Don’t think I’ve seen anything like that before.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Lehigh74 said:


> That’s an interesting set. Kind of a hybrid with detailed observation areas in the domes and tail, but silhouettes for the lower level and part of the obs car. Don’t think I’ve seen anything like that before.


It is very unusual, that's for sure.


----------



## Jim Purpura

Finally got the N&W 1218 I’ve seen twice in Roanoke and really increased Erie fleet with Lionel Pacific 2934 camelback 860 and MTH Berkshire Erie set.


----------



## Millstonemike

Santa delivered a few days early?


----------



## Krieglok

Jim,

Great looking set of engines! I have a special liking of all things Erie! The 1218 is a beauty as well!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Jim Purpura said:


> Finally got the N&W 1218 I’ve seen twice in Roanoke and really increased Erie fleet with Lionel Pacific 2934 camelback 860 and MTH Berkshire Erie set.


I'm tempted by the 1218 that Lionel is producing, but since I'm also waiting on the Strasburg #90, I don't think I can stretch the train budget to cover both expensive offerings.  I am a sucker for the big articulated locomotives, nice catch.


----------



## Krieglok

A few new buys. A MTH Erie SW1 switcher, along with three Lionel diecast hoppers, also in Erie colors (Black). The hoppers are heavy and extremely well detailed…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Neat little switcher, I see you're building up the Erie collection.


----------



## Maxum

Santa showed up today with my new Lionel Legacy USRA Pacific in SP markings. It has fairly good detail, but not great detail. The number boards are not illuminated which left me a little disappointed. I'm a little unhappy with Lionel's QC. The smoke fan started to screech after the first minute of operation. One of the number boards was broken off where it glued on to the boiler and you can't close one of the water hatches on the tender all the way. While running it I noticed that I was getting a clicking sound only in right hand curves. After closely looking at the wheels, I found one of the pilot truck wheels had something that looked like it had a small blister on it. I had to get my Dremel out and grind it off. It does run well otherwise and has good sound. For a Lionel steamer it does smoke well with whistle smoke.

I'll be able to fix all the issues, but with what I paid for it I shouldn't have these problems. I'm seriously going to think before I drop that kind of coin on a Lionel locomotive again.


----------



## Maxum

Krieglok said:


> A few new buys. A MTH Erie SW1 switcher, along with three Lionel diecast hoppers, also in Erie colors (Black). The hoppers are heavy and extremely well detailed…
> 
> Tom
> 
> View attachment 573435


Nice SW1. You'll love it. I have one of MTH's SW1's in Southern Pacific markings. It runs and sounds great.


----------



## Millstonemike

Maxum said:


> .... I'll be able to fix all the issues, but with what I paid for it I shouldn't have these problems. I'm seriously going to think before I drop that kind of coin on a Lionel locomotive again.


Have you read through *This Thread*? Owner supplied warranty repairs is becoming a requirement like some other hobbies.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Maxum said:


> Santa showed up today with my new Lionel Legacy USRA Pacific in SP markings. It has fairly good detail, but not great detail. The number boards are not illuminated which left me a little disappointed. I'm a little unhappy with Lionel's QC. The smoke fan started to screech after the first minute of operation. One of the number boards was broken off where it glued on to the boiler and you can't close one of the water hatches on the tender all the way. While running it I noticed that I was getting a clicking sound only in right hand curves. After closely looking at the wheels, I found one of the pilot truck wheels had something that looked like it had a small blister on it. I had to get my Dremel out and grind it off. It does run well otherwise and has good sound. For a Lionel steamer it does smoke well with whistle smoke.
> 
> I'll be able to fix all the issues, but with what I paid for it I shouldn't have these problems. I'm seriously going to think before I drop that kind of coin on a Lionel locomotive again.


I can't believe that Lionel hasn't put the smoke fan problem to bed yet! It does give you pause when you pay four figures for a locomotive and have to fix a bunch of stuff!


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks John and Maxum.

I have a pretty good Erie collection…a close second place to my Pennsy fleet.

Maxum, that is a shame that the new Pacific was less than stellar. It does look really sharp! It is a positive thing that you were able to address the issues it arrived with. I have found that dealing with Lionel when it comes to broken parts or other issues, simply results in a offer to repair after return. They were really no help when it came to simple broken parts which were repairable by myself. 

I have a NYC Legacy 4-6-6T that arrived from a dealer with both pilot ladders broken off. I was able to repair the damage, but that was only after Lionel stated they had no replacement pilots. So why ship it back? Three months later, the replacement pilots appeared on the parts lists, so I bought one and installed it…

Tom


----------



## Maxum

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I can't believe that Lionel hasn't put the smoke fan problem to bed yet! It does give you pause when you pay four figures for a locomotive and have to fix a bunch of stuff!


What's the issue usually? Fan blade rubbing or bearing issue?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The usual issue is the bearings are bad. Many people oil them, but the oilite bearings shouldn't need lubrication, especially from the factory, so I normally replace them.


----------



## Maxum

Thanks GRJ. Maybe I'll hit up Lionel for a new fan motor and just install it myself.


----------



## Norton

Wow, nice stuff here. Lionel came out with a nice Vanderbilt tender on that Pacific Maxum. The ones the older engines got were a bit klugey but this is much closer to the ones SP used. SP offerings are fairly sparse compared what was/is available in HO.
I found this Lionel Dreyfuss at a train show last month. Pretty sure its Korean built or at least built like the Korean engines, like a tank. Already upgraded to four puffs and chuffs. Now starting to add some cars for it. Vitually impossible to find cars that match but the last run of MTH are close If hard to find.










Pete


----------



## Griff151

Got this beautiful thing for Christmas


----------



## Krieglok

Those big old transformers are kind of addictive!

Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

Krieglok said:


> Those big old transformers are kind of addictive!
> 
> Tom
> 
> 
> View attachment 573609


Yes. Was pining for a KW. They're just so "cool". But after my house move, sans a permanent layout going forward, my VW is all I need.


----------



## Griff151

You can say that again.


----------



## Krieglok

Millstonemike said:


> Yes. Was pining for a KW. They're just so "cool". But after my house move, sans a permanent layout going forward, my VW is all I need.


The ZW was a chance purchase. It was in a hobby shop with a $25 price tag on it. It was dirty, but it cleaned up well with a coat of car wax! It works fine although I don’t use it with the more electrically sensitive modern models. The KW was a gift from a friend…


Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

Krieglok said:


> The ZW was a chance purchase. It was in a hobby shop with a $25 price tag on it. It was dirty, but it cleaned up well with a coat of car wax! It works fine although I don’t use it with the more electrically sensitive modern models. The KW was a gift from a friend…
> 
> 
> Tom


Perhaps you saw my VW post. $25 near mint condition. Needed a cord, the "L" label and the green cap for the power light. An additional $10 at a local train show. Very happy with the it


----------



## Madman

No what I added but this is my Christmas layout this year.....


----------



## Millstonemike

G?


----------



## Madman

Millstonemike said:


> G?


Yes. LGB field loco and field railway cars. I've had these for years, and only ran the rolling stock. The loco has never been converted to battery power, so it sat in it's box all those years. At one time I considered building a traction layout in "G" scale in my attic, but my love for Lionel trains and operating accessories won out. 

The loco is a model of an Orenstein & Koppel product.


----------



## Mixed Freight

Just took delivery yesterday of Lionel's new Legacy SW-8 switcher in the Rock Island scheme (Part # 2133610). So far pretty impressed. No broken or missing parts and everything seems to work good so far. The sounds are fantastic, although maybe not quite prototypically perfect (technology still hasn't advanced quite that far, yet!). The actual model is FAR better looking than the picture in their catalog in my opinion. Well, time will tell. If it can keep running good for the next year or two with no problems, there may be another Lionel diesel locomotive in my near future!

Lionel Trains Catalog









Random image courtesy of duckduckgo search.


----------



## Krieglok

Paul, that is a nice paint scheme. Typical railroad style for the period. Great to see more Rock Island engines being produced.

The photo shows the locomotive equipped with rerailing frogs. A cool detail to add to the model!

Tom


----------



## Barnhartred

I added another big boy to my collection now 
I have cab numbers 4018 and cab number 4014. And then I added a Santa Fe 484 steamer made by third rail


----------



## ZGILBERT93

Lionmaster Legacy 3985 Challenger. Weather by Legacy Station. Picked up for $550, pretty sure I got a good deal


----------



## Jeff T

Killer deal on that Challenger!!! Enjoy!!


----------



## Madman

My LC+ K4 arrived today from Grzyboski's. Quite a piece of machinery. Did not come with the typical LC+ remote however, so I used my iPhone to test it. I noticed that if I try to use an automatic station stop, the APP loses contact with the locomotive. So when power is restored the loco gets a full 17 +/- volts. This doesn't happen with my other two LC+ locos when using the hand held remote. Must get a Universal Remote.


----------



## Madman

My 350 Transfer Table is a quarter inch too short to handle this loco..........But I may have a plan..........If I can create a straight through section, so that the loco does not have to be ferried sideways, it may work. But do I have the room ?


----------



## Madman

Problem solved. Originally I had seven tracks leading from the transfer table. Two for locomotives and five for small motorized units. Three were on one side of the table while the other four, all for small motorized units were on the opposite side. I eliminated the four tracks on the "opposite" side and extended the moving part of the transfer table a couple of inches.

As you can see, the front truck can now be supported by the extension. I still have to touch up the paint. The two rails are slipped over the sheet metal end of the moving table and epoxied to it with JB Weld. The end rail is soldered to the two extension rails. Here's the result. Oh, and by eliminating the four short sections of track I now have more real estate to utilize !


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Clever solution, nice job!


----------



## Madman

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Clever solution, nice job!



Thanks John. I was pondering solutions in my mind when I came across a photo of a Big Boy on a turntable. The rear portion of the rear tender truck was hanging off the end of the turntable. Viola ! Instantly my brain went into thinking mode. It usually hurts when that happens.


----------



## Millstonemike

GRJ said best. Great solution.


----------



## Maxum

You're gonna need a bigger table (in my best Roy Scheider from Jaws voice)  Nice job on the work around although.


----------



## Chops

One is reminded of when trains, such as the Hiawatha, were an event. A traveling show. Video superbly shot and edited.


----------



## seayakbill

A couple ancient trollies from David O King. the 47 year old Trollies run great, a nice addition to my trollies accumulation.

Bill


----------



## Maxum

Well, after my recent debacle with a brand new Legacy Pacific, you'd think I was nuts to buy another Legacy locomotive. I spotted this nice looking NIB Consolidated on ebay and couldn't pass it up when the seller knocked another 10% off of an already good price. It's out of Lionel's 2015 catalog. It's a sweet runner with some of the best sounds of any of my Legacy or Premier steam locomotives. One somewhat strange thing I found out about it, it has whistle steam. Lionel's web page on the locomotive makes no mention of the feature. I'm not a fan of the whitewalls, those may need to go. I guess I'll just have to keep the locomotive. 



Running light on a break in run past a stopped Santa Fe passenger train


----------



## Krieglok

Nice Locomotive Maxim. I don’t know if a real SP 2-8-0 would have had the drivers and tender wheels painted white, but you never know. I agree, the engine would look better with black tires and tender wheels…Still a nice engine.

Tom


----------



## CHRlSTIAN

Wrong topic. Sorry.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I made a trade and added a second Vision Line Big Boy to the stable, these will look impressive double-headed with a long line of boxcars. 

I turned this...








Into this...









I have another #4014, so now I have different road numbers.


----------



## Krieglok

Oh God, I will be painting Union Pacific cars next! Nice looking engine that has a good home with broad curves!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I might need another 50 or so PFE reefers to round out the consist!


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> these will look impressive double-headed with a long line of boxcars.


OK. Now you're just showing off.


----------



## Lehigh74

I like the Bee Line box car Christian. Seen plenty of locos in Bee line paint, but I don't think I've seen a box car with the Bee Line logo.


----------



## seayakbill

The MTH BNSF 25th anniversary caboose arrived from Pats Trains. The finishing touch for the BNSF 25th Anniversary ES44AC and boxcars.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Scored a D&H C628, I always liked the paint job on these.  It actually has great sounds as well.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice caboose Bill. I like the MTH bay window cabooses. The details seem a bit more durable than their Lionel counterparts. Neat paint scheme too…

GRJ, is that a MTH product? I have that same model and the D&H locomotives definitely have a great look to them…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, it's a RK scale engine with PS/3.


----------



## Lehigh74

I thought I could blame seayakbill for this since I seemed to remember him posting a photo with the Hershey tank car. I couldn’t find that photo, but maybe I can still blame him since he did post photos of Menards Sinclair tank cars.

I got the Hershey car to go with my candy train. And since I wanted to reduce the shipping to product ratio, I got the others. I haven’t run them yet, but here are my first impressions.

This is my first Menards tank car. The car is very light and I don’t see a good way to add weight. Plastic trucks might be OK. Wheels seem to rotate freely and I won’t need to lube them. Also, you can open the coupler without the need to remove the car from the tracks. Plus, they will make it easy to remove the axles if I need to regauge and to coat the silvery wheels with Neolube.

Two of the three hoppers also had plastic trucks. A few of the axles don’t spin freely so I’ll have to fiddle. They got a bit sloppy with the paint on the gray/green RBMN hopper. I’ll add weight to these and anthracite to the coal loads. Might make a coal load for the LV hopper because the red doors don’t thrill me.


----------



## Lehigh74

I like the D&H C628 John. I've got the PS2 version. Good looking and good running loco.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, a pretty good deal for a scale locomotive with full features. The D&H stuff doesn't come along all that often, so I decided to jump at it.

FWIW, I bought that Menard's Hersey tank car as well. I figure the only way to add weight is to drill a small hole in the bottom and pour in some lead shot chased with some glue. Let it all set up and you're done.


----------



## Baldheaded

I picked up the Lionel Legacy "Hallows Eve" for my 2022 Halloween layout.


----------



## doublelman

Lionel Outfit 1629 Circa 1960


----------



## Millstonemike

Nice, NIB? Destination shelf?

This shows how toy trains changed to meet the changing times from early post war to 1960. An increasing shift from realism towards action toys. The huge influence of the space race and America's emergence as a superpower.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Millstonemike said:


> This shows how toy trains changed to meet the changing times from early post war to 1960. An increasing shift from realism towards action toys. The huge influence of the space race and America's emergence as a superpower.


The space race is still going, I put myself on the list for the UP Rocket Train, I couldn't resist!


----------



## Krieglok

Baldheaded said:


> I picked up the Lionel Legacy "Hallows Eve" for my 2022 Halloween layout.
> 
> View attachment 576222


I am not real big on fantasy schemes, but that camelback looks pretty sharp in those colors with the pinstripes. 1313…The Munster’s house number!



doublelman said:


> Lionel Outfit 1629 Circa 1960
> View attachment 576707
> 
> View attachment 576706


That set is really cool. It is amazing to see a complete set in the original packaging like that. Complete with all the paper work too boot!

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

My display on my unfinished mantle…

MTH locomotives and various cars I have acquired over the last couple weeks. Penn Central, Erie and Erie Lackawanna, plus a string of Weaver private owner two bay covered hoppers and a Intermountain tank car.










Plus an Erie ”high and wide move” featuring a MTH heavy duty flat car…










Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

Looks like you are on another buying spree. Some nice acquisitions there. Really like the 8-axle flat car.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom is going nuts with buying, I should line up some stuff I want to sell!


----------



## Krieglok

Ah, the cars are new. I have had the engines and cabooses for a while.

I am at a standstill with stripping and painting cars. I usually have my stripping tanks outside, but the cold weather causes the isopropyl not to work well. I have a couple tanks inside now, so hopefully I will have some cars to paint and decal instead of buying them already lettered!

Tom


----------



## Madman

Millstonemike said:


> Nice, NIB? Destination shelf?
> 
> This shows how toy trains changed to meet the changing times from early post war to 1960. An increasing shift from realism towards action toys. The huge influence of the space race and America's emergence as a superpower.


I grew up in the fifties. Each year my father would bring home the newest Lionel catalog. I'm not sure if my brother and I understood what was happening at Lionel, other than the emphasis toward space related trains. But looking back its a pity that the quality took a nose dive after, I'd say 1954.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> I am at a standstill with stripping and painting cars. I usually have my stripping tanks outside, but the cold weather causes the isopropyl not to work well. I have a couple tanks inside now, so hopefully I will have some cars to paint and decal instead of buying them already lettered!


I wouldn't think that the stripping inside would be too much of a big deal, Isopropyl Alcohol doesn't really smell that bad as a rule, right?


----------



## wvgca

depends on the ratio ... 50% is half water, so the smell should be mild, if any ... 90% is a little bit stronger, but not really strong ...
once you get into brake fluid or pinesol for stripping the smell is definitely stronger ..
i just have used the 'home brew' stuff, or varieties thereof, none of the fancier stuff


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I wouldn't think that the stripping inside would be too much of a big deal, Isopropyl Alcohol doesn't really smell that bad as a rule, right?


Not so much the smell, but the mess it makes when I scrub off the old paint. They are stripping fine now...
Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, good point about the mess!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Got a pretty good deal on some nice tank cars, $60 for the lot. Three MTH Premier cars and one Lionel. All are excellent and in perfect condition. Beats the crap out of buying stuff with lousy trucks.


----------



## Lehigh74

I've got one of the Naphthalene cars. With all the tank cars you are getting I hope you have a good spill contingency plan.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, if one falls on the floor, it's carpeted, so I just pick it back up and put it on the tracks!


----------



## Big Ed

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Got a pretty good deal on some nice tank cars, $60 for the lot. Three MTH Premier cars and one Lionel. All are excellent and in perfect condition. Beats the crap out of buying stuff with lousy trucks.
> View attachment 576875
> 
> 
> View attachment 576876


Good deal, e bay?
Everyone is posting tankers of all scales, now I have to get a few more. 
Which one is the Lionel?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nope, this one was on OGR in the for-sale forum. The Lionel is the Procor tanker.


----------



## Norton

Madman said:


> I grew up in the fifties. Each year my father would bring home the newest Lionel catalog. I'm not sure if my brother and I understood what was happening at Lionel, other than the emphasis toward space related trains. But looking back its a pity that the quality took a nose dive after, I'd say 1954.


Thats when I started losing interest as well. Back then the Buffalo Model Railroad Club had a huge O scale layout with a tiny HO layout. The trains ran on two rail with an outside rail. I was too small to know what brand trains they were running but expect a few were 700Es with outside pickups. Thats when I started thinking of scale vs toy trains and Lionel was going the other way.

BTW the club still exists today in another location, now with a large HO scale layout and a smaller O scale two rail layout with standard and On30 gauge.

Pete


----------



## Bryan Moran

C&NW has nice colors. I have a few pieces of rolling stock but refuse to purchase any of their locomotives. Nice looking GP though.


----------



## Chow

Togatown said:


> *3360 Burro Crane*
> 
> I've been wanting to add a PW Burro Crane to my collection, but the nice ones always bring stupid money. Happened across this one online and managed to get it for just $ 65. Except for the letter "O" in BURRO smudged on one side, it is in outstanding condition. Runs and all functions work, but I want to dissemble it and service it properly, since it was original owner and stored for many years.
> 
> View attachment 260153


I bought a Burro 3360 and am restoring it. Does anyone have an exploded parts diagram. The reason I ask is that the lever and whatever it is attached to is missing . It comes out the rear of the cab and is supposed to work the cable going to the hook . I need photos of what I am missing . Can anyone help me out ?


----------



## Madman

Hope these help.


----------



## Hotrainewbie

Probably not welcome here since I do ho but this is a museum quality engine for 75 bucks at a train show…


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Hotrainewbie said:


> Probably not welcome here since I do ho but this is a museum quality engine for 75 bucks at a train show…


I guess you're just confused about what scale you model.  HO is down the hall to the right.


----------



## Lehigh74

Hotrainewbie said:


> Probably not welcome here since I do ho but this is a museum quality engine for 75 bucks at a train show…


I know there is a thread for S gauge guys to show off their new acquisitions, but surprisingly, I didn’t find one for HO. You could start one. That loco looks nice and would be a good one to start the thread with.


----------



## Krieglok

If it is a train, it’s welcome here! 

Beautiful engine and great details. Lots of slack in that handbrake chain!

Tom


----------



## Hotrainewbie

Will do


----------



## Bill Webb

Monday, Valentine’s Day, I got a knee replacement so, in celebration, Paula and I had ordered a Santa Fe 2-10-10-2 that Harry Hieke weathered and detailed. The engine arrived about 6:00 PM that night. We opened the box and removed the engine Tuesday, not expecting to be able to run it for awhile. Knee surgery is tough and takes a long time to recover from.

Thursday AM we had to check the train room and wanted the new engine out of the den so about 8:30 we took it out. We all know that a new engine should be oiled before placing it on the tracks for storage so we did.

A few minutes later, it sprang to life smoking from every orifice with the bell swinging and made its way around the track. Lionel did good. No problems so far.

The knee replacement? My surgeon uses a new technique which slides the muscle and tendon aside instead of cutting them. Measurements Tuesday were spectacular and slightly better Thursday despite significant swelling. A retired orthopedic surgeon and good friend helps on the layout and was here yesterday. He had told me what to do to be ready for the surgery… exercises, etc.

Naturally we talked about the knee. He was pretty amazed. “You really don’t need a lot of PT given where it is. Continue the exercise, add one more, and you should be ready to go in no more than three weeks. You can probably stop the Percocet and take some Tylenol if needed.”

This morning, no pain, no meds, time to exercise. If you have a knee problem, check out JiffyKnee and De Menesh Patel on U-tube.

And the new Santa Fe is quite an engine. But still not up to a Y6B or the upcoming A.


----------



## Desperado

Very nice! Weathering looks perfect. I like your use of ballast as well. I hope your knee feels better soon!


----------



## Krieglok

Definitely a great looking locomotive! That is one brute of a steam engine. Looks like you have the perfect railroad to run it on…

Tom


----------



## Bill Webb

Thanks guys. We are having fun learning. Yesterday afternoon, three of us sat down discussing what to do next. We have been working on the engine service area at the far end and are almost ready to come this way.

This end of the layout has not changed much in two years. The kids kept asking, “Where are the buildings,” so we took them out of their boxes and set them out. We are approaching the limit of our comfort zone and are looking at tunnels, mountains, walls, bridges, and vertical space, all with zero experience. Running this engine was fun.

Any volunteers?


----------



## Bill Webb

Sorry, I forgot to mention the knee. And that says it all. How can I forget?

Six days after replacement and it has hardly hurt, just Tylenol today, Walked around the block and my wife said I had to stop. I wanted to keep going. Tomorrow I plan to double the distance.

If you ever need a knee replacement, you might check out this doc.


----------



## sjm9911

Good deal, have fun on the new knee! Lol , you should have took a picture for the what have you added to the roster lately.


----------



## Madman

Finished this yesterday. A bit on the rough side but showing promise.


----------



## sjm9911

That was cool. Maybe donit with less coffee! Lol. Kidding, looked like fun.


----------



## Madman

I'm thinking about powering the magnet separately. I took only three photos while building the beast.


----------



## Madman

The electro-magnet on the crane seems to have lost some of it's gripping power. So I have a smaller magnet that is rated for 12 VDC. Would the smaller magnet be affected, in the long term, by powering with an AC transformer ? And what about the maximum voltage it can take ?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, typically a DC magnet would have more turns than an AC magnet for the same voltage, so I suspect the magnet will work fine on 12 VAC or more, probably even up to 18 VAC. The trick is to try it and see how much heating the voltage you use heats it up.


----------



## Lehigh74

Picked up a few locos from Nicholas Smith yesterday.

I pre-ordered the RS-1 when it was announced. I have a few RS-3s, but this is my first RS-1. And since PRR is one of my railroads, I thought I would grab it. I like the look of RS-3s. The RS-1 has a more purposeful look, more mechanical which I also like. I’m not a fan of plain old DGLE, but it looks right on this loco. I was surprised when I looked this cab number up in the PRR roster to find that there wasn’t a real PRR RS-1 with the number. Maybe it was supposed to be 5630. Unusual for MTH to make mistake like that.









I passed on the SW-1 when it was announced. I figured I already had an SW-1 and didn’t really need another one. But I have been reading a few books on Bethlehem Steel railroading and that put me in the market for a PB&NE loco. This one was listed at Nicholas Smith as a pre-order even though it was delivered last September. I was actually looking for one in the later black and yellow paint scheme, but this scheme is growing on me.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice engines Bob. I have the Atlas RS1 in PRR, but I think the MTH versions are nicer. It looks like MTH transposed the numbers. The PRR RS1 roster numbers were all over the place…










The SW1 is also a sharp engine. It is a interesting paint scheme. I have the SW8 in those colors…









Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

Madman said:


> I'm thinking about powering the magnet separately. I took only three photos while building the beast.


Put a resistor in series with the motor to drop it's voltage.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nix the resistor and use dropping diodes.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

The RS1's are good looking, I might need one of those.


----------



## Millstonemike

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nix the resistor and use dropping diodes.


Most likely you would need a bunch.

The crane uses the same motor in Lionel's OO gauge Hudson. Lets assume the motor inherently draws 1 amp at 14 V (e.g., 14 ohm impedance). A 4 ohm resistor in series would drop the motor voltage to ~ 11 V (10.88). A single resistor would see a ~3 V (3.12V) drop at ~ 3/4 amp (.777 A) and need to dissipate ~2.5 W. A single 5 W resistor would be ~ 1/3" in diameter and < 1" long). It could be placed inside the crane, or possibly, in the controller itself. 

To get the same drop with didoes, you'd need twelve 1-amp diodes. Six 0.5 V drops for times two to drop the AC wave form. If you needed drop more voltage, even more diodes.


----------



## Madman

Millstonemike said:


> Put a resistor in series with the motor to drop it's voltage.


Well, I did it the simple way and separated the magnet from the cranes circuitry.


----------



## Lehigh74

I like your counterweights.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Millstonemike said:


> Most likely you would need a bunch.
> 
> The crane uses the same motor in Lionel's OO gauge Hudson. Lets assume the motor inherently draws 1 amp at 14 V (e.g., 14 ohm impedance). A 4 ohm resistor in series would drop the motor voltage to ~ 11 V (10.88). A single resistor would see a ~3 V (3.12V) drop at ~ 3/4 amp (.777 A) and need to dissipate ~2.5 W. A single 5 W resistor would be ~ 1/3" in diameter and < 1" long). It could be placed inside the crane, or possibly, in the controller itself.
> 
> To get the same drop with didoes, you'd need twelve 1-amp diodes. Six 0.5 V drops for times two to drop the AC wave form. If you needed drop more voltage, even more diodes.


A 5W resistor actually dissipating 2.5 watts will get pretty hot, I measure 200F with a 5W resistor dissipating 2.5 watts. My resistor was a 20 ohm resistor, so I adjusted the voltage to get 2.5 watts.


----------



## Millstonemike

Yes. Dissipating 2.5W is going to generate the same heat inside a device regardless how the voltage is dropped.

But this is a short duration, low duty cycle application.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added a little color to the fleet. This is the PS/3 RS3, I think MTH actually nailed the prime mover sounds on these.  I've always been partial to the D&H paint scheme anyway.


----------



## Krieglok

Sharp! This one isn’t affected by the smoke unit problem, or is it?

Great model anyway. The D&H scheme is always a favorite!

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Added a little color to the fleet. This is the PS/3 RS3, I think MTH actually nailed the prime mover sounds on these.  I've always been partial to the D&H paint scheme anyway.


Nice! I have the PS2 version of that RS-3 as well as the matching dummy from 2011. I had never heard of the D&H before I saw it, but the lightning stripe paint made me a D&H fan. No smoke in the PS2 version. But it does have that nice ALCO sound. Kind of like it wants to fall apart.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Sharp! This one isn’t affected by the smoke unit problem, or is it?
> Tom


Nope, this one was before the screwup, the next run three years later as the one they used the wrong smoke file in.


Lehigh74 said:


> Nice! I have the PS2 version of that RS-3 as well as the matching dummy from 2011. I had never heard of the D&H before I saw it, but the lightning stripe paint made me a D&H fan. No smoke in the PS2 version. But it does have that nice ALCO sound. Kind of like it wants to fall apart.


The PS/3 version improved on the sounds a bunch from my PS/2 version, great sounds.


----------



## Krieglok

Added a Shell, all die cast tank car to the fleet. A MTH product, I back dated it a little by installing friction bearing trucks…


----------



## Madman

Madman said:


> Well, I did it the simple way and separated the magnet from the cranes circuitry.


Someone on Facebook asked about the special section of track that has five rails. It is used with this crane. I couldn't think of who makes it. Does anyone know ?


----------



## Millstonemike

Madman said:


> Someone on Facebook asked about the special section of track that has five rails. It is used with this crane. I couldn't think of who makes it. Does anyone know ?


Gargraves


----------



## Krieglok

Cool.

Tom


----------



## Big Ed

Krieglok said:


> Added a Shell, all die cast tank car to the fleet. A MTH product, I back dated it a little by installing friction bearing trucks…
> View attachment 578090
> 
> View attachment 578089


That is a nice tanker,  Needs some kind of Hazmat placards.


----------



## Krieglok

Big Ed said:


> That is a nice tanker,  Needs some kind of Hazmat placards.


Thank you!

Yes, it does! It says LPG only, so I need to make some tiny placards…

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

MTH Morton Salt SW-1 switcher

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I'm working to add a subway track, so I figured I better get a subway to run on it. I like the MTH subways as they have a nice automatic mode, perfect for an unattended track.


----------



## Millstonemike

Those look nice. I've seen some very old subway cars in NYC, but these must have been before my time.


----------



## Krieglok

A pickup from Allentown? Nice looking set. I like the older subway cars. I actually owned a set long before I collected O scale…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Actually, I found these on eBay. My pickup from Allentown I have to unpack yet, it's some Reading Weaver passenger cars and more shelves for my wall.


----------



## wbrian1

CDNJ said:


> Found the 18 K-line Lackawanna Phoebe Snow 5 Pack. Bought the MTH Primier E8 Lackawanna last month for my birthday. Been a good month.Perfect Timing.
> View attachment 248249
> 
> 
> View attachment 248257
> 
> 
> View attachment 248265


I have attached a message sent to three O gauge forums advising of my attempts to detemine if K Line made 18" extruded aluminum Lackawanna "Phoebe Snow" passenger cars other than ther ones that I have. At a train show yesterday, a fellow train club member gave me the name of a contact of his who is very aware of the K Line production history. I came across some of you postings and decided to contact you as well. I tried to enlarge the photo of your cars, but can't read the lettering designatind car name/number.

My original message posted on this site is as Below:

Checking with Model Train Forum members to see if there is anyone who has a detailed knowledge of the extruded aluminum streamline passenger cars produced by K Line - in particular, the Lackawanna extruded aluminum cars for the "Phoebe Snow" passenger train.

Thus far, my various internet/forum searches and train show explorations have identified six of the 18" aluminum cars for the "Phoebe Snow". They are: Railway Post Office #1819, coach #321, Diner #469,"Tobyhanna" sleeper, "Cohocton" sleeper, and the Tavern Lounge #789. Conversations with other hobbyists point to the possibility that other cars with different names or numbers were made by K Line, but no one has specific information.

For my own interest, I am looking for an 18" extruded aluminum Lackawanna Baggage car (if it exists) to complete the "Phoebe Snow"passenger train.

Thank you

Thanks for the help


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I picked up four of these at Allentown, these are the really nice Weaver 21" cars with full interiors.


----------



## Krieglok

Are those called “Bradley Cars”?

Nice detail with the interiors…

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

Passenger car looks nice John. I like the big windows. Prototypical? I don't remember seeing that type, but then I only ever rode commuter cars into Philly and RDCs into Bethlehem.


----------



## Madman

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I picked up four of these at Allentown, these are the really nice Weaver 21" cars with full interiors.
> 
> View attachment 578296


Looks like a New Haven coach. I don't recall seeing that type on the Reading.


----------



## Lehigh74

I had a pretty good haul at Allentown. In the order I got them….

Weaver Lehigh Valley GP-38. I bought this thinking I would make it into a dummy to go behind my MTH GP-38s. But after looking at the bottom, that won’t be so easy. And it does run well. So, it will probably be added to my conventional roster. Handrail posts are very fragile.









Pere Marquette box car. The vendor had 6 or so Crown Models/Buffalo Creek cars under his table for $15. I was not at all familiar with them, but for $15, I figured I can’t go wrong. This is a custom painted Weaver car and it is quite nice. Excellent paint work. Details better than Railking. After looking into Buffalo Creek, I wish I had gotten all he had.









MTH D&H tank car. MTH Air Products tank car. Price was right.

















MTH B&O E6 ABA set. I’ve been looking for a B&O E6 set. This one is PS3 from 2013. It was returned to Just Trains with very little use (less than an hour). When the salesman saw I was interested, he dropped the price $50 without me even asking and gave me a 90-day warranty.

















Borden’s wood sided reefer. Just last week, I said I would probably only get one of these new MTH reefers at a train meet used. I was half right. Couldn’t resist Elsie.









MTH submarine for my PB&NE SW-1 to pull.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice haul, Bob!

The LV GP38 is very nice. It doesn’t have TMCC?

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

Krieglok said:


> The LV GP38 is very nice. It doesn’t have TMCC?
> 
> Tom


Don't know. i only ran it conventional. Only cost me $50 so i doubt it.
BTW, I didn't see the Arcade and Attica box car, but then I was looking for black Weaver boxes. I didn't know till I looked into the PM box car that I should be looking for white boxes.


----------



## Norton

Lots of nice stuff here. Weaver did a number of Pullman Bradley cars before they shut thier doors. I have some In Milwaukee Road. I discovered that while they have interiors. The seat height is almost to window level so if you put figures in them the heads are above the windows and all you see are legs and butts. Severe plastic surgery required or everyone will have strained necks trying to look out.
I got this a few weeks ago. Its a Weaver E8 that was detailed by the late Bob Milli. I have to say I did not hear of him before acquiring them but he was quite a craftsman. He replaced the cast on detail with wire grabs and added the stacks which I assume were somewhat unique to the CB&Q. Pretty sure its been repainted and lettered as well. Currently conventional with 4 huge can motors of unknown manufacturer. If I can find some cars to go with I will install command. I would like to get some Atlas cars but now finding Zephyr observations are near unobtainium. Late to the party again.










Pete


----------



## seayakbill

Wife had 25 years with Fifth Third bank when she retired. So when these MTH Fifth Third boxcars came out had to get them for her, 

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Lehigh74 said:


> I had a pretty good haul at Allentown.


I'll say! Did you rent a tractor-trailer to haul them home? 😅


----------



## Lehigh74

seayakbill said:


> Wife had 25 years with Fifth Third bank when she retired. So when these MTH Fifth Third boxcars came out had to get them for her,
> 
> Bill


Funny name for a bank. Please explain how it came to be.

My daughter worked for Firstrust bank for a few years. I always think First Rust, not First Trust.


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'll say! Did you rent a tractor-trailer to haul them home? 😅


No. But I did make two trips to the car. Three if you count the trip to the farmers market to get Kiffles.


----------



## lyinel

Just arrived


----------



## Krieglok

Lehigh74 said:


> Don't know. i only ran it conventional. Only cost me $50 so i doubt it.
> BTW, I didn't see the Arcade and Attica box car, but then I was looking for black Weaver boxes. I didn't know till I looked into the PM box car that I should be looking for white boxes.


That’s okay. I only new that Crown produced them. I didn’t think that the boxes would be different…and they definitely are. Thanks anyway!

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Norton said:


> Lots of nice stuff here. Weaver did a number of Pullman Bradley cars before they shut thier doors. I have some In Milwaukee Road. I discovered that while they have interiors. The seat height is almost to window level so if you put figures in them the heads are above the windows and all you see are legs and butts. Severe plastic surgery required or everyone will have strained necks trying to look out.
> I got this a few weeks ago. Its a Weaver E8 that was detailed by the late Bob Milli. I have to say I did not hear of him before acquiring them but he was quite a craftsman. He replaced the cast on detail with wire grabs and added the stacks which I assume were somewhat unique to the CB&Q. Pretty sure its been repainted and lettered as well. Currently conventional with 4 huge can motors of unknown manufacturer. If I can find some cars to go with I will install command. I would like to get some Atlas cars but now finding Zephyr observations are near unobtainium. Late to the party again.
> 
> View attachment 578381
> 
> [


Beautiful engines. Yet again, You embark on a quest to search out and possess the elusive matching coaches!

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

seayakbill said:


> Wife had 25 years with Fifth Third bank when she retired. So when these MTH Fifth Third boxcars came out had to get them for her,
> 
> Bill
> 
> View attachment 578388
> 
> 
> View attachment 578389
> 
> 
> View attachment 578390


Nice looking cars. The blue and white paint is very sharp.

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

lyinel said:


> Just arrived
> 
> View attachment 578425


Nice trolley. The entire scene looks great with the realistic scenery.

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

Lehigh74 said:


> Funny name for a bank. Please explain how it came to be.
> 
> My daughter worked for Firstrust bank for a few years. I always think First Rust, not First Trust.


Hi Bob, 5/3 bank is a large regional bank headquartered in Cincy. Started 162 years ago as the Bank of the Ohio Valley in Cincy. In 1920 it merged with the Fifth National Bank of Cincinnati and the Third National Bank of Cincinnati creating the Fifth Third Bank of Cincinnati.

Bill


----------



## Norton

Krieglok said:


> Beautiful engines. Yet again, You embark on a quest to search out and possess the elusive matching coaches!
> 
> Tom


I did find a set of Erie Heavyweights but still have to pick them up.

Pete


----------



## Wingnut6999

Wow, everyone and there new stuff, and here I am excited I got my first Marx. Lol


----------



## Krieglok

Nice! I like the tank car. I have scale O version of that one.

The Marx equipment looks really sharp!

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Norton said:


> I did find a set of Erie Heavyweights but still have to pick them up.
> 
> Pete


Who made those? Are they the two tone scheme?

Tom


----------



## Bill Webb

We have been adding to the Virginian presence on the layout. Harry Hieke did a first class job on these.


----------



## Big Ed

Krieglok said:


> Added a Shell, all die cast tank car to the fleet. A MTH product, I back dated it a little by installing friction bearing trucks…
> View attachment 578090
> 
> View attachment 578089


Dry transfer placards?




__





O Decal Set Safety Signs & Markings Hazardous Materials Placards 1984+ pkg(2) Microscale 48390 MSI48390


O Decal Set Safety Signs & Markings Hazardous Materials Placards 1984+ pkg(2) Microscale 48390 MSI48390



www.trainmastermodels.com


----------



## Krieglok

Big Ed said:


> Dry transfer placards?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> O Decal Set Safety Signs & Markings Hazardous Materials Placards 1984+ pkg(2) Microscale 48390 MSI48390
> 
> 
> O Decal Set Safety Signs & Markings Hazardous Materials Placards 1984+ pkg(2) Microscale 48390 MSI48390
> 
> 
> 
> www.trainmastermodels.com


Thanks! Those will definitely work. I have a number of tankers that can use them.

Thanks again, Ed!

Tom


----------



## Big Ed

Krieglok said:


> Thanks! Those will definitely work. I have a number of tankers that can use them.
> 
> Thanks again, Ed!
> 
> Tom


I think they are 15 bucks to ship! A deal killer for me.
Look on ebay the same things with shipping are around 15 with the shipping.
Here are some, You would have to ask if you get 2 sheets, Microscale Decal O #48-390 Hazardous Material Placards, US and Canada, 1984+ | eBay
Shop around.


----------



## Krieglok

Okay, thanks again! I buy a lot of parts and decals from Teresa Prantle. They are a great source! Ordered them and some other decals for future projects…

Tom


----------



## Norton

Krieglok said:


> Who made those? Are they the two tone scheme?
> 
> Tom


Tom, They are MTH two tone heavyweights like these. Build date 2017.










Pete


----------



## Norton

Krieglok said:


> Okay, thanks again! I buy a lot of parts and decals from Teresa Prantle. They are a great source! Ordered them and some other decals for future projects…
> 
> Tom


Hopefully you know when ordering from them on eBay that you request a quote for combined ahipping. Putting multiple items in your cart and the shipping prices just add up. They usually reply in a few hours with a much lower shipping cost.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Norton said:


> Hopefully you know when ordering from them on eBay that you request a quote for combined ahipping. Putting multiple items in your cart and the shipping prices just add up. They usually reply in a few hours with a much lower shipping cost.
> 
> Pete


Oh, of course. I assemble my order from them and then request a total. At first, years ago, I just paid them without an invoice, and they refunded all the excess shipping anyways. Now I wait for the invoice.

The Erie cars look great. The ones I repainted into the Erie green scheme have the silhouette windows. I am going to paint a few more and have a couple with the light green window band so they match, window wise.

The Erie did run the various paint scheme together with the heavyweight cars before the end of steam..

Tom


----------



## beachhead2

I keep forgetting about this thread. I have been looking for some GM&O diesels. As usual in this hobby, when it rains it pours. I had a preorder in for Mr. Muffins custom run MTH RS-1. While I was waiting on that, In January, Trainz listed a different MTH RS-1 and an F3 ABA. Now, they're all here and I officially have too much GM&O. 

F3 ABA MTH 20-20157-1 PS2 3v from the 2011 Vol. 1 catalog


















Alco RS-1 MTH 30-20082-1 PS3 from 2012 Vol. 1 catalog









Alco RS-1 MTH 30-20869-1 PS3 2022 custom run still available from Mr. Muffin's


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You may have too much, but they're pretty nice!


----------



## Millstonemike

beachhead2 said:


> I keep forgetting about this thread. I have been looking for some GM&O diesels. As usual in this hobby, when it rains it pours. I had a preorder in for Mr. Muffins custom run MTH RS-1. While I was waiting on that, In January, Trainz listed a different MTH RS-1 and an F3 ABA. Now, they're all here and I officially have too much GM&O.
> 
> F3 ABA MTH 20-20157-1 PS2 3v from the 2011 Vol. 1 catalog
> View attachment 579053
> 
> 
> View attachment 579054
> 
> 
> Alco RS-1 MTH 30-20082-1 PS3 from 2012 Vol. 1 catalog
> View attachment 579055
> 
> 
> Alco RS-1 MTH 30-20869-1 PS3 2022 custom run still available from Mr. Muffin's
> View attachment 579052


Locos are nice. I like the look of your layout. I did the same with the recessed top and finished sides (Danish oil). I hand picked the pieces at Home Depot to get the equivalent of #1 dimensional lumber for the sides.


----------



## Krieglok

The engines look great. The paint schemes are attractive and I can easily understand the tendency for them to multiply in your collection! Lol.

Tom


----------



## beachhead2

Millstonemike said:


> Locos are nice. I like the look of your layout. I did the same with the recessed top and finished sides (Danish oil). I hand picked the pieces at Home Depot to get the equivalent of #1 dimensional lumber for the sides.


Thanks, Mike. Yeah, I used regular 1x pine. Rather than route the tops edges, I just knocked them down with a plane and sanded everything. Then a little stain and poly. I faced screwed with brass screws and finish washers. Super simple but not crude and a decent look. Unfortunately, it's about the only thing I like about the layout!


----------



## Wingnut6999

Went to my local antique place today before work. Saw this bin the last time I was there. 1 Tyco, 1 ahm, 4 Lionel, 2 Marx, 2 flyer, a flyer and Lionel switch control. Cut
















the cords off a couple, not sure how many work. Clean up time when I get them home tonight. Not bad for 20 bucks.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Scored the Weaver Reading Crusader and the matching 5 car 21" passenger cars. I'm working on upgrading the lighting to LED, and then I need to start working on interiors for the passenger cars.


----------



## Krieglok

A whole set, nice! Interesting locomotive with all the streamlining and fluting.

you can never have enough Reading….

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> A whole set, nice! Interesting locomotive with all the streamlining and fluting.
> 
> you can never have enough Reading….
> 
> Tom


Tom, I only bought it because the cars were available. I've seen a few of the Weaver Crusader locomotives, but the cars don't come along nearly as often. I have two friends that have the locomotives and are looking for the cars. I will likely be selling my MTH Crusader set that I upgraded to TMCC once this one is fully upgraded.  I've been keeping my eye out for the whole rig for a few years.


----------



## Midnight Goat

Have been enjoying the trains a lot with my kids lately so added some more rolling stock to the collection. We are Charlotte area transplants from NY so thought it would be fun to add some local flair with the Charlotte Mint and Celanese Chemical cars. The other two AEC cars are just plain fun with the yellow one glowing in the dark. I’ve had my eye on the green tank car for quite a few years after letting one get away at the Charlotte train show a few years ago. The seller was asking 100 which I knew was too much but took a lot of self control not to binge buy it anyway







. Found it for 38 sealed in the box so it turned out to be worth the wait.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice cars! The gold car has a nice local connection. The tank cars are very bright and colorful too. 

It would be cooler if the clear car had glowing liquid inside…sloshing around as it heads down the tracks!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> It would be cooler if the clear car had glowing liquid inside…sloshing around as it heads down the tracks!


I wonder if you could snake a little wire up there and put a couple of lights in the center. The liquid is only in a narrow space, it's a double-walled car.


----------



## seayakbill

MTH Weirton Steel coal hoppers that I picked up at the Mount Hope train meet.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Those are certainly different. I can imagine the prototype wasn't that color for long!


----------



## Krieglok

They are nice, industrial looking hoppers. The stenciled lettering makes the scheme.

We’re the real ones that color?

The Erie Lackawanna learned the hard way when they painted some of their boxcars light grey. It turned out, the rust would show through and stain pretty quickly. They were looking pretty rough after a couple years.

The standard boxcar red paint color was the easy way to hide surface rust…

Tom


----------



## beachhead2

I never thought I'd see Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis diesels. In fact, every time I've mentioned it to someone around town, they told me to forget it. Well, Public Delivery Track did an MTH custom run which I received today.


----------



## Krieglok

Great looking engines! When I was a kid, I learned about the TRRA from the header for the buy/sell ads in Trains Magazine. They used a picture of a TRRA engine in the Ad column…

Tom


----------



## beachhead2

Cool, thanks. They're owned by all Class I railroads (except KCS). Been around a long time.


----------



## seayakbill

Good looking set of switchers.

Bill


----------



## seayakbill

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Those are certainly different. I can imagine the prototype wasn't that color for long!


Weirton Steel started in 1906 in Wheeling, WV and survived many decades but during the steel corps consolidations starting in the 60's Weirton Steel went through a bankruptcy and then numerous buyouts. Weirton Steel in name no longer exists and I have not seen any photos of real deal rolling stock with their name scripted.

Bill


----------



## Millstonemike

A fleet of locos


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Cool, I guess you want to make sure and bought a bunch!


----------



## Krieglok

Like potato chips….can’t have just one…

Tom


----------



## Booly15

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You may have too much, but they're pretty nice!


Too much, is that a thing?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Booly15 said:


> Too much, is that a thing?


Not one that I observe...


----------



## Krieglok

I always liked the old Pullman Standard Chicago and Northwestern Bi-Level gallery cars they used in the Chicago area commuter service. I was offered a MTH Premier set of three coaches and a cab car. A few days later, a MTH PS3 C&NW F7 set came up, so I decided to take that too. I just need to renumber and detail one of the A units for a 1961 rebuild for commuter service.…

























Tom


----------



## Norton

Rode those a few times Tom, back and forth to Great Lakes NTC.
I picked this up a while back and finished putting TMCC in them. Also been building up my roster of California Zephyr cars.









Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Pete. I rode them one time many years ago. I actually had a ride in the cab of the cab car for a spell. I was amazed how much room there was up in the cab. The cars were “gallery cars” with the narrow seating above the lower deck.

Your Burlington Es are immaculate! That is A handsome train with nice detail. The cars are Atlas? Beautiful!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Had a chance to pickup some vehicles for the layout at a good price, so I got them.


----------



## Krieglok

You will need an intermodal facility! Nice trailvans!

Those Corgi buses are cool. I have one from the Public Service in NJ…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I was looking at the Corgi buses, they have nice interiors, but I think I have to drill the rivets out to get inside to add some passengers.  Haven't these guys heard of screws? 😅


----------



## Krieglok

Well, they made as toys originally. There are Gorgi parts dealers that may sell replacement rivets but some other technique may work. Maybe replace them with screws…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

My plan was to see if I could just drill them out and perhaps add screws.


----------



## Krieglok

These. Buses are 1/50 scale I think. They will Look interesting filled with people..

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

Won some bids over the weekend at a local auction for Lionel Postwar locomotives. This AT&SF was one of the diesels that made the trip home to the S&Y RR.

Bill


----------



## Norton

Nice one Bill. Looks like its great shape. Does the bell work?

Pete


----------



## ERIE610

Ah yes, I have one of them SF 623 Switchers. It keeps the Erie 610 Switcher from feeling all alone. The Seaboard 6250 is in repair/rebuild mode at the moment along with some K-Line dual motor Switchers. Those 623 engines run great.


----------



## seayakbill

Norton said:


> Nice one Bill. Looks like its great shape. Does the bell work?
> 
> Pete


Hi Pete, It runs great and is a super strong puller. No scratches would rate it as excellent condition.

Don't know if the bell is operational, running it through my DCS system, don't think I can activate the bell with DCS.

Bill


----------



## Norton

The bell is mechanical, activated by a cam and a spring. It should ring continuously when running regardless of the power supply.
Many had the bell or mechanism removed as it could become annoying.
Mine has a worn cam which does not retract the hammer fully so its not very loud.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

The engine has a nice look to it. Great detail in the molding. I would imagine the bell would drive you nuts after running the engine for a while. I like the heavy duty handrails…

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

Norton said:


> The bell is mechanical, activated by a cam and a spring. It should ring continuously when running regardless of the power supply.
> Many had the bell or mechanism removed as it could become annoying.
> Mine has a worn cam which does not retract the hammer fully so its not very loud.
> 
> Pete


Hi Pete, pulled the shell, looks like the previous owner was one of the folks that the continuous bell annoyed. Bell has been gutted, probably a good thing, I most likely would have done it also.

Bill


----------



## Norton

Still a nice engine Bill. Yours is an early 1949 version with the 622 on the front. I am a fan of NW2s both Post War and modern. Magnetraction evolved over the years. This had the magnetic axles with the least tractive effort. 623s got the bar magnet in the trucks similar to the steam engines.

When that engine was first cataloged it was lettered for New York Central. They never made it like that until around 1996 but I suspect this photo taken in 1939 might have been the inspiration for it.



















Pete


----------



## seayakbill

Another Lionel Postwar NW diesel that I won at a local auction. This Seaboard #602 is another good runner and is also in excellent condition. A little dusty, will need to clean em up a bit. Looks like they were sitting on a shelf for a few years or so.

Bill


----------



## beachhead2

Berwyn's Toys & Trains CB&Q MTH custom run 20-21540-1


----------



## seayakbill

That Burlington paint scheme is one of my favorites. I have the same Geep but is a Lionel with TMCC. Its been running the rails of the S&Y RR for many, many years.

Bill


----------



## beachhead2

Bill, yeah, I resisted for a while. I figured Berwyn's would sell out. But I kept checking back and they still had them. You know how it goes. One day, I had the dough and I checked again. Then I didn't have the dough anymore! 😋


----------



## Krieglok

I added a few cars to my collection. All are relative to the region of Western New York and Western Pennsylvania, where I once lived and worked…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice cars Tom, who's the maker?


----------



## Millstonemike

Krieglok said:


> I added a few cars to my collection. All are relative to the region of Western New York and Western Pennsylvania, where I once lived and worked…
> 
> Tom
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 580920


Recycled a 45 year-old quart of Wolf's head motor oil when I moved last year. Cleaning out the garage, it was sitting there from my brother's muscle car days.


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice cars Tom, who's the maker?


totally forgot that info!

Spencer tank car is Intermountain,

Reefer is a Crown model,

Shawmut hopper is Weaver

Wolfs Head tanker is Atlas

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Wow, quite an assortment of different makers.


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Wow, quite an assortment of different makers.


Just on the spot purchases when they came up for sale. I honestly didn’t even think about the makers when I bought them!

The Wolf’s Head tanker was on my eBay watch list for a little over a month Before one came along that fit my requirements. A few makers produced this scheme and they are all hard to find!

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Millstonemike said:


> Recycled a 45 year-old quart of Wolf's head motor oil when I moved last year. Cleaning out the garage, it was sitting there from my brother's muscle car days.


I think it is still produced sort of…Home

I am guessing they use Middle Eastern tar oil instead of Pennsylvania crude now. No longer based in PA…once owned by Pennzoil …

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

Millstonemike said:


> Recycled a 45 year-old quart of Wolf's head motor oil when I moved last year. Cleaning out the garage, it was sitting there from my brother's muscle car days.


Saw on the American Pickers TV series the guys bidding on a Wolf's Head Oil sign, they paid big bucks for it.

Bill


----------



## Norton

Millstonemike said:


> Recycled a 45 year-old quart of Wolf's head motor oil when I moved last year. Cleaning out the garage, it was sitting there from my brother's muscle car days.


Some friends who owned Hot cars and raced stock cars always used Wolf’s Head. The said it was about the paraffin content that made it better than Texas crude. Don’t recall if it had more or less or what made it a better choice.

Pete


----------



## Norton

A few years Beth offered some unlettered MTH woodside coach cars. She may have intended to get some combines and baggage cars but Lionel picked up the line before that happened and we know what they did to the prices. Since the coaches arrived I was able to find a combine and then a baggage car for repaint. The baggage car just joined the roster. I was able to snag it just before prices skyrocketed. NYC gold passenger car decals are like hens teeth. These are repros made for some Lionel 601-602 pre war cars.










The combine was done a while back.










Pete


----------



## seayakbill

4 Postwar freight cars that I acquired at a recent train meet. Pretty reasonable pricing, $50 for the 4. Three 6464 boxcars and a NW hopper. The NH boxcar needs door guide replacements. pretty rusty, otherwise in pretty good shape once cleaned up. The D&RG and M&StL 6464's are in nice condition. The NW hopper will get a salt load for the Morton Salt facility.

Bill


----------



## Krieglok

Beautiful NYCL cars there Pete. The wood sides really pop in that color paint. Nice job on the decals too.

Your combine reminds me of an ex-Michigan Central wood baggage car the WNYRHS bought from Conrail 40 years ago. It was in mint condition and I did some work, stabilizing the weathered side of the car and painting it. It was stored in Hamburg on a siding. Probably rotted away by now…☹



Bill, I really like the old railroad schemes those cars are painted in. Run of the mill back then, classics now.

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice paint job on those woodside cars Pete.


----------



## Norton

Thanks guys. I have never been able to get an exact match for MTH Pullman green. This is a mix of colors with mostly Tru Color paint. Close enough for me. The base coat is a Tamiya Olive drab, also close but dries flat. Rather than spray gloss for the decals I just went back to my mix which I had used for the combine. It had enough sheen that I was just able to apply the deals without silvering and didn’t even have to apply a clear overcoat.
The baggage car cost me 80 bucks. I was lucky, I know. I really like the new Lionel NYC&HR cars they are doing but six cars would have cost what I paid for 12 GGD aluminum streamliners. Crazy times.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Not so much as an addition as an addition to one that I got a few weeks ago. This is my Weaver Reading Crusader fully command upgraded pulling it's scale cars on it's maiden voyage. Remaining to-do is build interiors for the cars.


----------



## Roy Merritt

I do love a model steam engine with smoke! Great looking train.


----------



## seayakbill

GRJ, good looking passenger train, will be interesting how you do the interior.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Bill, my "plan" is to put a plain floor in and then glue 3D printed seats and tables in the proper position. I'm still working on finding the layout diagrams of the Crusader cars, surely someone has to have them.


----------



## Booly15

seayakbill said:


> 4 Postwar freight cars that I acquired at a recent train meet. Pretty reasonable pricing, $50 for the 4. Three 6464 boxcars and a NW hopper. The NH boxcar needs door guide replacements. pretty rusty, otherwise in pretty good shape once cleaned up. The D&RG and M&StL 6464's are in nice condition. The NW hopper will get a salt load for the Morton Salt facility.
> 
> Bill
> 
> View attachment 580980
> 
> 
> View attachment 580981
> 
> 
> View attachment 580982
> 
> 
> View attachment 580984


I love 6464s my personal addiction.


----------



## Krieglok

I bought a Weaver Central Vermont and a NYC Pacemaker freight car from Public Delivery Track. I ordered it with the diecast trucks and couplers.

I also obtained a MTH Santa Fe box car that needed trucks and couplers installed.

Since two of the cars were in 1970s paint schemes or the maintenance data was from the 70s, I added ACI plates to each side. The “Kar-Trak” system was used by US railroads from 1967 to 1977...









KarTrak - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org






















The New York Central Pacemaker car Is another future project. The paint scheme depicts the car that was in captive service on the NYCS. They normally were not interchanged with other carriers. This explains the lack of dimensional data on the right side of the car sides.










Later, the Pacemaker service declined and the special boxcars were placed in general service. At that point they had dimensional data added as the cars were repainted. Some cars survived in the grey/red scheme in general service with the data added.

I plan on adding the dimensional data to this car, so it can run, historically correct, with other railroad cars in my freight trains…

Tom


----------



## Midnight Goat

Added another fun one to the collection. Will go well with my mint cars


----------



## Norton

Tom, consider painting the ladders on the Pacemaker black. they can be removed from the car by using a small amount of liquid cement on the one peg that is glued inside the car. The other three have no glue. MTH and Atlas cars are correct. Weaver took a shortcut on theirs.


















Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks for the pointers there Pete. I was looking to replicate this car.…










The handrails and grab irons were difficult to determine. They do look like a weathered black. Thanks for the confirmation!

Tom


----------



## Norton

Tom, you won’t have to paint yours but some of the Weavers came with doors painted half gray like the sides. Tru Color Pacemaker Red and Pacemaker Gray are a pretty good match if you pick up a few more of those Pacemakers. I wanted to make a prototypical train and had a few duplicate road numbers so rather that try and strip the existing numbers just repainted the gray.
Besides decals, CDS made Pacemaker boxcar transfers in both white and black. They show up on the bay from time to time.

More info here if you haven’t seen it.


https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/o-scale-road-name-guide-nyc-pacemaker-boxcars



Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Thank you Pete. I liked the OGR article.

K4 makes a couple sets of Pacemaker decals. I never had luck with dry transfers, but would like to try them again...

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Finished the NYCS Pacemaker box car. I took Pete’s suggestion and painted the ladders black as well as adding dimensional data to the car sides. The car now represents a boxcar in interchange service…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks great, the black steps was a nice touch.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks John. I wouldn’t have believed it, but the black ladders were for real. It kind of reminds me of the old AHM HO boxcars, where the added details were black…lol.

Tom


----------



## Norton

Looking good Tom. One down 49 to go.










Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Pete.

It would be a tempting project. The paint availability issue has be backed up on some work I need to do. I may do a Pacemaker with the black lettering though…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I love Unit trains like that, a bunch of those cars would look really good.


----------



## beachhead2

These were just delivered to me yesterday. New MTH Missouri Pacific GP35's (20-21554-1 and 20-21555-1).


----------



## Krieglok

Those are great looking locomotives! I like the added details like the lift rings, grab irons and firecracker antenna. Nice acquisition!

I don’t know why MTH didn’t make roof antennas a standard detail on their premier engines. Some had them, some didn’t.

The only MP loco I have is the GP35 in Union Pacific colors with Missouri Pacific lettering...

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

A few new painted cars….by MTH and Crown Models…

A G&W 40‘ boxcar by Crown…










An MTH premier SP car I bought from a fellow over at the OGR forum…










And finally, another G&W boxcar made by Crown on one of their older style shells with slightly different reporting marks…










Tom


----------



## beachhead2

Krieglok said:


> Those are great looking locomotives! I like the added details like the lift rings, grab irons and firecracker antenna. Nice acquisition!
> 
> I don’t know why MTH didn’t make roof antennas a standard detail on their premier engines. Some had them, some didn’t.
> 
> The only MP loco I have is the GP35 in Union Pacific colors with Missouri Pacific lettering...
> 
> Tom


Tom, I have a GP38-2 in that paint. Is that what you have? If not, I'd like to know the model # so I can look for it. Thanks.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added some turbine power to the stable, for the price it was hard to pass up. 😅


----------



## Krieglok

beachhead2 said:


> Tom, I have a GP38-2 in that paint. Is that what you have? If not, I'd like to know the model # so I can look for it. Thanks.


Ahh, you are right. It is the GP38-2. It has been a while since I looked at it!

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Added some turbine power to the stable, for the price it was hard to pass up. 😅
> View attachment 582795


Who makes that set, John? Great looking details. One locomotive I would like to have…

Tom


----------



## beachhead2

Krieglok said:


> Ahh, you are right. It is the GP38-2. It has been a while since I looked at it!
> 
> Tom


Shucks! I thought I had something new to hunt.


----------



## Krieglok

beachhead2 said:


> Shucks! I thought I had something new to hunt.


Let me check and verify what it is. It is buried in my o scale pile…

it is the GP38-2. I bought it new, three years ago…


Tom


----------



## Norton

Something a little different for me. Picked these two in the foreground up last week. Posted on one of the forums the seller was close to me and the price was right. These are hit at the shows the club sets up at.










Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Who makes that set, John? Great looking details. One locomotive I would like to have…
> 
> Tom


This is an MTH Premier set Tom. I'm also on the hunt for the UP #80 Coal Turbine that MTH made to round out my UP turbine fleet.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Krieglok said:


> Finished the NYCS Pacemaker box car. I took Pete’s suggestion and painted the ladders black as well as adding dimensional data to the car sides. The car now represents a boxcar in interchange service…
> 
> Tom
> 
> View attachment 582251
> 
> View attachment 582250


wow. Your work is better than manufacturer work.


----------



## Bryan Moran

beachhead2 said:


> These were just delivered to me yesterday. New MTH Missouri Pacific GP35's (20-21554-1 and 20-21555-1).
> View attachment 582777


Love them. Wish I could collect MoPac but you have to stop somewhere. I do have Missouri Pacific literature and books. Look like MTH did a good job on those.


----------



## Bryan Moran

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Added some turbine power to the stable, for the price it was hard to pass up. 😅
> View attachment 582795


Impressive, what is the brand and age?


----------



## Bryan Moran

Received my CB & Q Hudson that was recently purchased off a STOUT Auction. I'm happy. It's heavy, well made, shows no wear on rollers or wheels. I paid $485 plus $35.80 shipping on an item I have to believe was what? $1400 new. Appears to be a shelf queen. Once the track is down and electrified, it won't be. 

I now have steam in 2 of my 3 road names, and I don't like steam overall. The only reason is my age, I never saw steam new. I have done some excursions behind steam. I would love to get more steam, perhaps a Milwaukee Road non-Hiawatha, which is my other steam locomotive purchased by my wife for Christmas.


----------



## Bryan Moran




----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Bryan Moran said:


> Impressive, what is the brand and age?


It's an MTH premier, from the late 90's. At $225 I figured it was a pretty good deal.


Bryan Moran said:


> Received my CB & Q Hudson that was recently purchased off a STOUT Auction. I'm happy. It's heavy, well made, shows no wear on rollers or wheels. I paid $485 plus $35.80 shipping on an item I have to believe was what? $1400 new. Appears to be a shelf queen. Once the track is down and electrified, it won't be.
> 
> I now have steam in 2 of my 3 road names, and I don't like steam overall. The only reason is my age, I never saw steam new. I have done some excursions behind steam. I would love to get more steam, perhaps a Milwaukee Road non-Hiawatha, which is my other steam locomotive purchased by my wife for Christmas.


Steam will grow on you, soon you'll be selling diesels.


----------



## Krieglok

Great looking locomotive Bryan. MTH PS1, I presume. A nice running system that can be upgraded if you choose.

My latest buys…all prepainted…

A Weaver Raritan River 50’ car, Two rail, I converted to 3 rail…










A MTH Erie 50’ double door car. It has end doors, but they are not operational like on my Lionel version of the same car…









And finally, a couple more Wolf’s Head Oil tankers to add o the fleet…


















Tom


----------



## Bill Webb

About ten days ago ago Paula and I visited with Don and Julia Jones. Don is disposing of a layout for a friend who recently passed and we were interested in a couple of items.

Our favorite is a MTH Virginian triplex. Paula has requested that the exhaust fan be turned on BEFORE the engine is started up. The two smoke units form clouds when operating.


----------



## Krieglok

That is an impressive piece of machinery! Did you acquire the beast?

I have the black version of the Erie Triplex (MTH O scale) and in HO, also by MTH. It was the second O scale locomotive I ever bought!

Tom


----------



## Bill Webb

Tom we couldn’t pass it up. We are expecting to receive a number of Virginian coal gondolas from Scott Mann in the next few weeks and this engine should do a good job with them.

Now if we can just complete the second level of the layout…


----------



## Millstonemike

Bill Webb said:


> ... Our favorite is a MTH Virginian triplex. ...


----------



## Krieglok

Bill Webb said:


> Tom we couldn’t pass it up. We are expecting to receive a number of Virginian coal gondolas from Scott Mann in the next few weeks and this engine should do a good job with them.
> 
> Now if we can just complete the second level of the layout…


Congratulations are certainly in order! It will be impressive pulling a draft of hoppers!

Tom


----------



## Jetguy

Just snagged this basically brand NOS engine from Lionel Store under "Special Deals"


----------



## seayakbill

A couple more Morton Salt exclusives from Stockyard Express, boxcar & caboose.

Bill


----------



## Millstonemike

Awfully short skirt on that salt girl


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Millstonemike said:


> Awfully short skirt on that salt girl


That was from a time where companies could get away with that sort of advertising. Nowadays in our PC world, it ain't gonna' happen.


----------



## Krieglok

That was the fashion back in the 1940’s. Pretty typical back then. The character was updated many times since 1911. 

Great looking Morton roster, Bill. The graphics are very vibrant. I remember the slogan “When it rains, it pours” having to do with the patented metal spout on the cans and the packaging that helped keep the salt dry.

Jetguy, that is a nice Pacific. Are you going to repaint it?

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> I remember the slogan “When it rains, it pours” having to do with the patented metal spout on the cans and the packaging that helped keep the salt dry.
> Tom


Nope, it was the chemicals they added. 

_In 1911, The Morton® Salt Company began adding magnesium carbonate (an anti-caking agent) to salt which allowed it to pour freely, even in humid weather. (Today, the company uses calcium silicate.) To promote its new free-flowing table salt, the company took inspiration from the old 18th century proverb “It never rains but it pours.” The saying — which means when one bad thing happens, it tends to be followed by other misfortunes that make an already bad situation worse – wasn’t just one that most folks had heard time and time again, it also allowed for a clever play on words (the “it” in the proverb would be their salt, which does pour in rain.) After a bit of tweaking, the now famous “When it rains it pours” was settled upon and advertised. _


----------



## Krieglok

I stand corrected. Wikipedia is a great thing…😉

Anywho, here is my latest locomotive purchase. It is an Atlas Alco C-630 in the Southern Pacific grey and red scheme. One of my favorite Western roads. TMCC equipped.



















Tom


----------



## Desperado

Millstonemike said:


> Awfully short skirt on that salt girl


I believe that's a raincoat.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Desperado said:


> I believe that's a raincoat.


Obviously, the dress is even shorter.


----------



## U235

New to me, MTH PRR FF-1


----------



## Krieglok

U235 said:


> New to me, MTH PRR FF-1
> View attachment 583875


Great looking locomotive. Great acquisition! 

“Big Liz” was too powerful for her intended role. Built in 1917 and cut up for scrap in 1940, after being stored most of its career…

Tom


----------



## Jimofoakcreek

I picked up a couple of hoppers from Menards. The hatches on the BN coveted hopper actually open up.


----------



## beachhead2

New Atlas GP7...


----------



## Krieglok

Jimofoakcreek said:


> I picked up a couple of hoppers from Menards. The hatches on the BN coveted hopper actually open up.
> View attachment 583936


Great looking cars. They really have great graphics. Thanks for sharing!



beachhead2 said:


> New Atlas GP7...
> View attachment 583937
> 
> 
> View attachment 583938
> View attachment 583939
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 583940


Superb GP, Beachhead! The paint scheme and lettering are top notch. One of those schemes you don’t see too often, if at all!

Tom


----------



## Matt_GNo27

This week I picked up an Atlas O 6656-2 Great Northern caboose. It is rated for O36 curves, but adding a #8 washer between each truck and the chassis gives the coupler arms enough clearance to work on O27 curves. IMnotsoHO, the increased ride height isn't noticeable to all but the most discerning rivet counter.

















My current fleet of Great Northern cabooses:


----------



## Krieglok

That is a beautiful caboose, Matt! The red scheme really pops and the detail is amazing. Atlas never fails to satisfy!

My two GN pieces are more the later blue and white scheme...

Tom


----------



## Matt_GNo27

@Krieglok, thanks! Those are gorgeous pieces you have. Is that a Legacy GP9? The Big Sky Blue is slowly growing on me.

I agree, the detail of Atlas's product is excellent and my most recent freight acquisitions have been Atlas pieces. That said, I have mixed feelings about the company. Several years ago at the Amherst show, after commenting on the beauty of their Western Pacific F3, I asked one of the representatives about running Atlas rolling stock on O27. (Several years ago, I started running only scale and scale-sized diesels and freight rolling stock. For steam and passenger cars, I have to stick with semi-scale and baby Madisons.) When I asked him what were the limiting factors were for running four-truck locomotives on O27, the rep's only answer was, "they're not toy trains." When I asked if it was coupler arm swing, distance between cars, clearance of Lionel O27 switches, his only answer was a dismissive, "you are running toy trains, Atlas trains aren't toys." So I only purchase Atlas on the second-hand market.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Matt. Actually, the GP9 is an MTH Premier engine. I bought the GN dummy and swapped a GT powered chassis and transferred all the lights into the GN shell. The caboose is MTH also.

Atlas stuff always has impeccable paint work and details. I am always glad when Atlas produces a caboose that will fit into my collection. I am hoping to have large enough curves to handle stock pieces. If not, I will be doing a lot of modifications!

Tom


----------



## U235

MTH PRR P5A Modified


----------



## Krieglok

Cool. Classic Pennsy power. These are nice engines.

U235, I am just curious but are you aware of the MTH operating systems in their various engines?

There is PS2/5volt and PS2/3volt systems. The PS2/5v uses a 8.4 rechargeable battery. They were used in the early PS2 engines. The battery should be replaced with a BCR like this….



https://www.jandwelectronics.com/bcr



The PS2/3v system uses a 2.4 volt rechargeable battery. The PS2/3v was used from roughly 2004 up until the PS3 system was introduced. Likewise, the PS2/3v battery should be replaced with this…



https://www.jandwelectronics.com/bcr2



Now a point consider when buying older MTH locomotives with the PS2/5volt systems is that there tends to be a high failure rate with certain electrical PCB components that render the engine unrepairable with out an expensive upgrade.

Some 5v engines with this system, run for ever, but many do fail. When I started buying MTH locomotives, I wasn’t aware of this issue. I bought many PS2/5v engines not knowing of their dubious past. None of mine have failed yet, but once I explored the issue, I avoided buying PS2/5v in favor of the later PS2/3v systems.

You can determine which system the engine has by googling MTH and the product number to access MTH online manuals. It will bring you here…





__





20-5510-1 | MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS







mthtrains.com





Click on the support icon and the manual will show as a selection on the left. Open the manual and…

Scroll Down to the battery maintenance section and it will tell you what type battery that particular engine uses. 8.4 is the 5v system and 2.4 is the 3v system…

I hope you find this helpful.


----------



## Lehigh74

I have the same P5a Cab 4777 with the PS2 5V board. I put a BCR in it 2 years ago. I just happened to run it yesterday, checked the ODO (784 miles) and chrono (228 hours). If I recall correctly, John said that the problem is that some if the 5V boards have bad capacitors that take the board with them when they fail. Hopefully the 4777 P5a has good capacitors.


----------



## Krieglok

Yes, some 5 volt engines have problem capacitors, but not all. GRJ mentioned the bad capacitors one time..maybe he can refresh my memory…😉

Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

Krieglok said:


> Yes, some 5 volt engines have problem capacitors, but not all. GRJ mentioned the bad capacitors one time..maybe he can refresh my memory…😉
> 
> Tom


This is *John's Post* on the problematic cap. It's in this very long thread "Show us what you added to your roster lately?" but nearby posts are related to the issue.


----------



## Norton

These are two cars of a ten car set I got a few months ago. Took a while to get home with a little help from my friends.










The Lionel TMCC Pacific I picked up last year.










Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Good old Erie.

When ever I get my Erie train on the rails, it will be mostly the regular green cars, with a sprinkling of two tone cars.

That is the Lionel K-5 is great. That will be an impressive train with the whole set trailing behind the locomotive.

Who made the coaches?

Tom


----------



## Norton

I should have added these are MTH cars from about 5 years ago.

Pete


----------



## Bryan Moran




----------



## Bryan Moran




----------



## Bryan Moran

Received my December 2021 due Lionel Legacy SD45 with the rear coupler loose. Parts appear to be present but a little nervous about re-installation. Detail is excellent, this is the flagship Milwaukee Road freight hauler. I ordered this 18 months ago I think, I forgot about it and gave up on it.


----------



## Norton

Added some more power to the Kodak fleet. MTH Alco RS1. This and a 80 tonner reside in a museum about 20 miles from me and both run pulling tourists on a few mile run to another museum featuring trolleys.










Current fleet. The MP15s also ran at Kodak. MTH 40 tonner and K-Line MP15.





































Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice Kodak fleet.


----------



## Lehigh74

The RS1 looks a lot like my Suzie-Q RS3. Same colors, but the Suzie-Q has more yellow.


----------



## Krieglok

Bryan Moran said:


> Received my December 2021 due Lionel Legacy SD45 with the rear coupler loose. Parts appear to be present but a little nervous about re-installation. Detail is excellent, this is the flagship Milwaukee Road freight hauler. I ordered this 18 months ago I think, I forgot about it and gave up on it.


Looks like a screw and spring may have fallen out? At least it isn’t damaged, just apart.




Norton said:


> Added some more power to the Kodak fleet. MTH Alco RS1. This and a 80 tonner reside in a museum about 20 miles from me and both run pulling tourists on a few mile run to another museum featuring trolleys.
> 
> View attachment 584360
> 
> 
> Current fleet. The MP15s also ran at Kodak. MTH 40 tonner and K-Line MP15.
> 
> View attachment 584361
> 
> 
> View attachment 584362
> 
> 
> View attachment 584363
> 
> 
> View attachment 584364
> 
> 
> Pete


Pete, very interesting roster and collection. Many years ago, I inquired about hiring out with the KPRy, but they were well staffed at the time.

The railroad is all gone now, right? Amazing how the film industry went from boom to bust in such a short time.

The RS1 is really sharp. They are all really nice models.

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

Krieglok said:


> Amazing how the film industry went from boom to bust in such a short time.
> 
> Tom


Done in by digital cameras. And digital cameras were more or less done in by smart phones.


----------



## Norton

Tom, pretty sure railroad operations ceased just a few years ago at the plant. A number of years ago, not sure what year to be exact, they handed over operations to the Genesee and Wyoming which served as at least one of their interchanges with the rest of the world. They continued servicing the power plant there with coal. That ended when the power plant converted to natural gas. 
To be honest I have no idea what they do at Kodak any more at least in Rochester. Very little if any film and paper production. Work force is less than a tenth what it was 30 years ago.

Pete


----------



## Norton

Lehigh74 said:


> Done in by digital cameras. And digital cameras were more or less done in by smart phones.


Ironically the digital camera was invented by a Kodak engineer in the 70s. Lack of foresight led to their demise, not unlike many other companies. Xerox developed the GUI, Graphical User Interface, years before Apple.

Pete


----------



## Millstonemike

Lehigh74 said:


> Done in by digital cameras. And digital cameras were more or less done in by smart phones.


Oddly, Kodak invented the first digital camera. And they let Fuji Film in the American market when they declined to be a Superbowl sponsor and Fuji won the bid. In '98, going on a ski trip I had to buy film. The local drugstore chain only carried Fuji Film. All this despite Paul Simon's best efforts.


----------



## seayakbill

Picked-up these GM&O Alco PA's last week at a local auction. In like new condition, powerful and very smooth pulling a heavy load.

Bill


----------



## Matt Kramer

I picked up this postwar NYC 2344 F3 yesterday from a local hobby shop. It's in great shape, just a little dusty & dirty... looks like it's sat for a long time. Zero scratches on the front pilot. The body is in excellent condition. Very low miles on it and the horn works great. I'm pretty sure I'm the first owner to take the body off. My weekend will consist of carefully cleaning and servicing it.


----------



## Bryan Moran

seayakbill said:


> Picked-up these GM&O Alco PA's last week at a local auction. In like new condition, powerful and very smooth pulling a heavy load.
> 
> Bill
> 
> View attachment 584397
> 
> 
> View attachment 584398
> 
> 
> View attachment 584399


Great looking. What’s the manufacturer?


----------



## Millstonemike

Nice. There's *This B Unit on eBay*. It's is labeled as a 2354 B. Based on Tandem Associates info, I believe it is the 2344C B unit as TA doesn't list a B unit for the 2354. That may keep the price down a bit (currently $41 high bid). The eBay bids for a 2344 C B unit are $200+.


----------



## Matt Kramer

Added another postwar F3 to the roster just now. The FedEx truck just arrived with a delivery from Trainz... It looks to be in beautiful shape. Runs great too. I'm debating on whether to repaint the front pilot.


----------



## Millstonemike

Millstonemike said:


> Nice. There's *This B Unit on eBay*. It's is labeled as a 2354 B. Based on Tandem Associates info, I believe it is the 2344C B unit as TA doesn't list a B unit for the 2354. That may keep the price down a bit (currently $41 high bid). The eBay bids for a 2344 C B unit are $200+.
> 
> View attachment 584494


And This *Lionel 2344 C* came up as I was searching to see if Williams ever made an F3 B in New York Central. Looks to be in better shape than the eBay offer.


----------



## Krieglok

Nice F units, and in very nice condition.

The pilot doesn’t look that bad. Going either way, repaint or leave original, would be fine.

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Went on a B&O buying spree.

I bought two GP9s in B&O blue, with the scheme that was after the grey/blue scheme and before the B&O Royal Blue with the large yellow “B&O” on the hoods. I am planning on painting another GP9 in the later scheme that existed before the Chessie scheme came on the scene.

The first engine is a Lionel with TMCC. Nice details and great paintwork. This engine needs a bit of work, especially on the smoke fan unit. The smoke works then stops and I get the flashing cab light code…3…for smoke fan issues.










The second GP9 is an Atlas product. An older TMCC edition. It runs nice, but the sound is a bit tinny. I plan on painting the handrails and trucks Royal Blue to match the engine hood color.










The B&O was a local railroad where I grew up. I watched the engines over the years, slowly transition from B&O blue to the Chessie vermilion, blue and yellow…

Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

Handsome duo. And kids ridding the B&O is an American pastime.


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks. Picking up a couple Geeps in Chessie colors too…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, you simply have to get a layout built to run all this stuff!


----------



## Krieglok

I know. Just at that point where we don’t know if we are moving to a new place when I retire in a year and a half. I hope to get a temporary layout up in the meantime. I have other stuff I am liquidating to make room, so things aren’t happening too fast…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Toss a loop of track on the floor!  I did that for some time.


----------



## Krieglok

I have three K-9 Godzillas that would trample or attack anything on the floor….lol.

Tom


----------



## Millstonemike

Krieglok said:


> I have three K-9 Godzillas that would trample or attack anything on the floor….lol.
> 
> Tom


So, no need for an alarm system


----------



## Krieglok

Millstonemike said:


> So, no need for an alarm system


Definitely. One barks, one attacks and one just sleeps through it all…

Tom


----------



## Madman

Just received this;










It's the K-Line smoking model. Running it with my LC+ locos, the cupola gets rather hot, almost to the point that touching it would startle one when picking it up. Should it get this hot ? Track voltage is around 17 volts.


----------



## Lehigh74

I haven’t seen it in person, but I’ve seen photos of cabooses with incandescent lights that were meant to operate with a conventional loco that melted near the bulb when they had the constant full voltage used with TMCC/DSC/LC+ locos.

Might be a good idea to switch that one over to LED lighting or turn the light off.


----------



## Norton

If the caboose is plastic it can be a problem. Too much heat will warp the plastic. BTDT. I turn the smoke off on my plastic cabeese now. Only use on the diecast ones.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You can open it up and add a series diode for the smoke unit, then it will run much cooler in command mode. Later K-Line cabooses had a TMCC/CONV switch that added the diode.


----------



## Millstonemike

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You can open it up and add a series diode for the smoke unit, then it will run much cooler in command mode. Later K-Line cabooses had a TMCC/CONV switch that added the diode.


What amp capacity for the diode. I could mail Madman a 5 amp diode from my parts supplies.


----------



## Millstonemike

Norton said:


> Ironically the digital camera was invented by a Kodak engineer in the 70s. Lack of foresight led to their demise, not unlike many other companies. Xerox developed the GUI, Graphical User Interface, years before Apple.
> 
> Pete


Must have been writing my post as you were posting yours  

Here's a shot of 4 BNSF Evo 44s in the "Kodachrome" colors.


----------



## Madman

One of my son-in-laws gifted me this today. I was a Seabee, in MCB-7, and served in Vietnam 1968/69.


----------



## Norton

Thats pretty cool. Did your son make the decals or are they available somewhere?
Closer inspection, looks like they are hand painted. Talent must run in the family.
Pete


----------



## Madman

Norton said:


> Thats pretty cool. Did your son make the decals or are they available somewhere?
> Closer inspection, looks like they are hand painted. Talent must run in the family.
> Pete


My son-in-law knew somebody that was very artistic. The Seabee, Can Do ( the Seabee motto ) the O in Seaboard and the 7 with the hammer were hand painted.


----------



## PRR1361

An engineering failure, but a beautiful model.


----------



## Matt Kramer

The F3 collection continues to grow... FedEx delivered this yesterday. It's in excellent shape with ultra low miles on it. 1984 MPC era with Magnetraction. I'm really starting to love the simplicity of Postwar, MPC, etc. Fun to tinker with. I'm thinking about adding a Postwar horn to it just for the heck of it.


----------



## Madman

PRR1361 said:


> View attachment 584679
> 
> View attachment 584680
> 
> 
> An engineering failure, but a beautiful model.


*The model or the prototype ?*


----------



## Millstonemike

Matt Kramer said:


> The F3 collection continues to grow... FedEx delivered this yesterday. It's in excellent shape with ultra low miles on it. 1984 MPC era with Magnetraction. I'm really starting to love the simplicity of Postwar, MPC, etc. Fun to tinker with. I'm thinking about adding a Postwar horn to it just for the heck of it.
> View attachment 584682


They are sharp.

*Ttender.com* also has the reproduction horn (Original part # 2023-34). And you may also need items like the relay and battery holder (not sure what the MPC loco has in it). East Coast Train Parts also has the reproduction horn. You can verify with *East Coast Train Parts* by phone.


----------



## seayakbill

Bryan Moran said:


> Great looking. What’s the manufacturer?


Brian, the GM&O Alcos were manufactured by Williams.

Bill


----------



## Matt Kramer

And another F3 for the fleet; delivered to me today by USPS... Classic postwar Santa Fe 2353. Cosmetically and mechanically in beautiful shape. Horn needs a little work. This unit will be pulled apart, serviced & lubed over the weekend.


----------



## PRR1361

Madman said:


> *The model or the prototype ?*


The prototype.


----------



## seayakbill

Matt Kramer said:


> And another F3 for the fleet; delivered to me today by USPS... Classic postwar Santa Fe 2353. Cosmetically and mechanically in beautiful shape. Horn needs a little work. This unit will be pulled apart, serviced & lubed over the weekend.
> View attachment 584706


Very nice AT&SF F units

Bill


----------



## seayakbill

I acquired a couple more Postwar boxcars last week.

a 6464 Western Pacific yellow feather
a 6468 New Haven double door boxcar

Both in excellent condition.

Bill


----------



## Krieglok

Yes, nice F units! They look great and there is nothing better than getting them back into perfect condition with some work. Enjoy!

Bill, those Postwar cars are nice. Lots of fine detail markings on them, especially on the NH car…

Tom


----------



## SF Gal

I am just loving this thread, so much detail can be found in O scale...some really nice stuff....some "TooNice" to take out of a display case to run it!!! Thanks to all who share their stuff...NEATO!


----------



## Krieglok

Stay tuned to this channel! More to come!


Tom


----------



## bobfett

Just won this on ebay on Father's Day: Frank's Roundhouse circus stock car with qsi calliope sounds. I've been looking for it for quite some time. It combines some great memories for me: my father loved model trains and passed that love on to me; my father-in-law loved automated musical instruments--he had player pianos, orchestrions, and built his own calliope. Good memories. 

Bob


----------



## Krieglok

Nice car! It is really great when you can get a hold of a piece that you really want.

It would be cool if you could post a video with sound. I would love to hear it!

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

bobfett said:


> Just won this on ebay on Father's Day: Frank's Roundhouse circus stock car with qsi calliope sounds. I've been looking for it for quite some time. It combines some great memories for me: my father loved model trains and passed that love on to me; my father-in-law loved automated musical instruments--he had player pianos, orchestrions, and built his own calliope. Good memories.
> 
> Bob
> 
> View attachment 584828


Neat sound car, I have their cattle car with sound. Franks Roundhouse released some very nice freight cars using the KMT tooling.

Bill


----------



## BigGRacing

Madman said:


> I was a Seabee, in MCB-7,


Good morning Madman,
I use to see the Seabee area when I was on base in Peurto Rico all the time. Is that Seaboard line actually affiliated with the Military or just some similarities ?
Gary


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added to my fleet of PRR boxcars, four more arrived from Tom.  I'm getting quite a string of these assembled!


----------



## Krieglok

I was wondering when they would surface!

I figured you would have a police escort from your vacation spot back to your house once the tracking showed they were delivered! lol….

I demand a video of all the cars together behind a nice PRR locomotive! 😉

The next set getting finished now…

Tom


----------



## PRR1361

Are these X29s or?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> I was wondering when they would surface!
> 
> I figured you would have a police escort from your vacation spot back to your house once the tracking showed they were delivered! lol….
> 
> I demand a video of all the cars together behind a nice PRR locomotive! 😉
> 
> The next set getting finished now…
> 
> Tom


When the last bunch is in, you are promised a video of the whole shooting match!


----------



## Chaostrain

Madman said:


> One of my son-in-laws gifted me this today. I was a Seabee, in MCB-7, and served in Vietnam 1968/69.
> View attachment 584661
> View attachment 584662
> View attachment 584663
> View attachment 584664


These are really cool and very well done. I was in MCB-40 from 75-80.


----------



## Krieglok

PRR1361 said:


> Are these X29s or?


No, they are just AAR 40’ steel cars. 1937 model. There were many variations, especially with door widths…

A close match to the PRR X-43b…










or X-43c…













gunrunnerjohn said:


> When the last bunch is in, you are promised a video of the whole shooting match!


Choose the locomotive wisely! It will be an historic event! 😉

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Choose the locomotive wisely! It will be an historic event! 😉


GG1? 🙃


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> GG1? 🙃


Perhaps…perhaps…or two….

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Maybe I'll double-head my PRR H10's, they should be able to pull 19 cars.


----------



## Krieglok

I may sneak a Weaver car painted the same way, into the next shipment to make an even 20...🤫

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> I may sneak a Weaver car painted the same way, into the next shipment to make an even 20...🤫


Well, I won't say a thing!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Added a little "light" hardware to the stable, I picked up this Lionel Atlantic cheap because "It didn't run". He was certainly telling the truth! It was a bit of a mess inside, but none of the major stuff was dead. Someone had attempted (and failed) to upgrade it to an LED headlight. That appeared to be what started it down the road to ruin. Somewhere along the line a bunch of other wiring got screwed up as well. Both the front and rear R2LC lighting triacs were blown, and the rear one isn't even used in this model! 

The magnet ring was loose on the flywheel, and the flywheel was pushed in so far that I couldn't get the wheel puller under it. Finally got the flywheel off and replaced it with one with a working magnet ring. I have to be careful as motors for the Lionel Atlantic locomotives are no longer available, so you have to pull the worm and put it on another motor for a replacement.

The Odyssey DCDS had a dead short across the rails, I thought it was a goner for sure! Turns out someone removed it from the heatsink and when they replaced it, they didn't put the insulating hardware in, so the FET's were directly shorted across track power, needless to say it won't run that way! Mounted it correctly with the insulating hardware, and we were back in business.

So, I fixed the DCDS mounting, replaced the flywheel/magnet ring, rewired the chuff switch, rewired the class lights and headlights, replaced the lighting triacs, dressed up some other wiring, and it's once again alive. 

The bonus is that it really is cosmetically very good, so it was a worthwhile investment after all.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Madman said:


> My son-in-law knew somebody that was very artistic. The Seabee, Can Do ( the Seabee motto ) the O in Seaboard and the 7 with the hammer were hand painted.


Thank you for your service. Those Seaboards look great.


----------



## Bryan Moran

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Added to my fleet of PRR boxcars, four more arrived from Tom.  I'm getting quite a string of these assembled!
> 
> View attachment 584841


Beautiful. Some of us (me) can’t get enough Tuscan Red box cars while others want more color.


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Added a little "light" hardware to the stable, I picked up this Lionel Atlantic cheap because "It didn't run". He was certainly telling the truth! It was a bit of a mess inside, but none of the major stuff was dead. Someone had attempted (and failed) to upgrade it to an LED headlight. That appeared to be what started it down the road to ruin. Somewhere along the line a bunch of other wiring got screwed up as well. Both the front and rear R2LC lighting triacs were blown, and the rear one isn't even used in this model!
> 
> The magnet ring was loose on the flywheel, and the flywheel was pushed in so far that I couldn't get the wheel puller under it. Finally got the flywheel off and replaced it with one with a working magnet ring. I have to be careful as motors for the Lionel Atlantic locomotives are no longer available, so you have to pull the worm and put it on another motor for a replacement.
> 
> The Odyssey DCDS had a dead short across the rails, I thought it was a goner for sure! Turns out someone removed it from the heatsink and when they replaced it, they didn't put the insulating hardware in, so the FET's were directly shorted across track power, needless to say it won't run that way! Mounted it correctly with the insulating hardware, and we were back in business.
> 
> So, I fixed the DCDS mounting, replaced the flywheel/magnet ring, rewired the chuff switch, rewired the class lights and headlights, replaced the lighting triacs, dressed up some other wiring, and it's once again alive.
> 
> The bonus is that it really is cosmetically very good, so it was a worthwhile investment after all.
> 
> View attachment 584911
> View attachment 584912


Those Atlantics are always a favorite. The engine looks new, and now being a good runner, a great save!
I envy your ability to troubleshoot and repair the electronics on these models…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Those Atlantics are always a favorite. The engine looks new, and now being a good runner, a great save!
> I envy your ability to troubleshoot and repair the electronics on these models…


Tom, we all have our talents, and I sure don't have some that you have!


----------



## bobfett

Krieglok said:


> Nice car! It is really great when you can get a hold of a piece that you really want.
> 
> It would be cool if you could post a video with sound. I would love to hear it!
> 
> Tom


Hi Tom,

I took a video last night but have found posting same is not as easy as posting photos. i"ll work o it and see what I can do.

Bob


----------



## bobfett

seayakbill said:


> Neat sound car, I have their cattle car with sound. Franks Roundhouse released some very nice freight cars using the KMT tooling.
> 
> Bill


Hi Bill,

Yes, the FRH cars are very nice. I have many of their freight cars, several sets of passenger cars, and several sound cars.

Bob


----------



## RotarySirloin

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I have to be careful as motors for the Lionel Atlantic locomotives are no longer available, so you have to pull the worm and put it on another motor for a replacement.


I purchased one during the 2020 parts sale, I may have taken the last one, sorry about that! Did you have any trouble re assembling yours and having it shutter while moving? I'm currently having that problem with mine after installing the new motor. Only seems to do it in forward...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Mine is running fine now, I had to install a gasket for the smoke funnel, it was leaking too much smoke under the shell. The only thing I don't like is it doesn't have smoke at idle and leaves the smoke heater on, that's a recipe for cooking the smoke wick. I may have to fix that as well.


----------



## Madman

Chaostrain said:


> These are really cool and very well done. I was in MCB-40 from 75-80.



Where did you serve ?


----------



## Chaostrain

Madman said:


> Where did you serve ?


I was home ported in Port Hueneme, CA. My whole time was sea duty, so I was deployed to several locations.


----------



## Madman

I was stationed at Port Hueneme from November '67 to April '68. I attended the Construction Schools there. We barracked at Point Magu and were taken to Port Hueneme by bus each day. While stationed at PH I was able to see a bit of California. For a city kid, growing up on the east coast, it was quite an adventure.

After graduating from the school I was given orders to report to MCB-7 at Davisville, RI. We trained for combat at Camp Leguene and did an amphibious landing on Block Island off the coast of RI. Then in June we were sent to Dong Ha, where we poured more concrete than I care to remember.....LOL A couple of detachments were made to Con Tien, Qua Viet, Quang Tri and somewhere on Route 9 toward Laos.

We returned home in April of '69. I did only one tour to Vietnam.


----------



## Krieglok

Picked up a Weaver BCK Graphics Buffalo and Susquehanna Railway box car. The car had a rather hokey slogan “Seasons Geetings” painted on the side.

I removed the slogan and touched up the paint. Next will be some light weathering…










Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Pretty good touch up job, I can't even tell where the removed text was!


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Pretty good touch up job, I can't even tell where the removed text was!


Thanks John. To me, it sticks out like a sore thumb!

I have a few more cars that had/have Christmas themed sayings on their sides. I am removing them and and repainting the spots. They will get Some light weathering or a thin wash of dark paint…

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

I had never heard of the B&S until today. I like the wood sided car.


----------



## Krieglok

Lehigh74 said:


> I had never heard of the B&S until today. I like the wood sided car.


The B&S ran through my hometown on its way to Buffalo NY. The line through my town was built in 1906. It was operated shortly as the Wellsville and Buffalo before being torn up in 1916. It was the last railroad built into Buffalo and the first to abandoned.

The B&S continued on minus the Buffalo Line until their take over by the B&O. Eventually the B&O portions were taken over by the WAG, Wellsville Addison and Galeton, which operated the remnants until the late 1970s. The entire railroad is now gone…










Tom


----------



## Spence

Bryan Moran said:


> Beautiful. Some of us (me) can’t get enough Tuscan Red box cars while others want more color.


Very nice additions to the fleet.


----------



## Spence

Krieglok said:


> Those Atlantics are always a favorite. The engine looks new, and now being a good runner, a great save!
> I envy your ability to troubleshoot and repair the electronics on these models…
> 
> Tom


Nice little engine.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Thanks John. To me, it sticks out like a sore thumb!


OK, I'll guess the graphic was on the door.


----------



## Millstonemike

I'm thinking it was an inch Southwest of the red B&S logo and Tom is unhappy with the green paint over.


----------



## Krieglok

Millstonemike said:


> I'm thinking it was an inch Southwest of the red B&S logo and Tom is unhappy with the green paint over.


Pretty much correct. Actually the two panels to the left of the logo. The paint was pretty close, but the texture is a bit different. I just need to lightly sand it and repaint…

Tom


----------



## papa3rail

I just received this from Grzyboski’s for my NYC freight train or consist if you prefer.


----------



## Norton

Lionel did a fine job on these. One of the few accurate versions of the NYC bay windows.

Pete


----------



## Krieglok

I have the boxcar red version. I suppose it was an earlier paint scheme for the NYC…

Tom


----------



## PRR1361

gunrunnerjohn said:


> The Odyssey DCDS had a dead short across the rails, I thought it was a goner for sure! Turns out someone removed it from the heatsink and when they replaced it, they didn't put the insulating hardware in, so the FET's were directly shorted across track power, needless to say it won't run that way! Mounted it correctly with the insulating hardware, and we were back in business.


So I’ve worked on a few different TMCC models over the years with modular electronics like the DCDR, DCDS, or CC-M but I’ve never noticed any insulating hardware. Was this specific to a certain version of the DCDS, or was it just a situation where the solder mask side of the PCB was touching a metal bracket?


----------



## PRR1361

New favorite…









Fresh from Hennings Trains.


----------



## Norton

DCDRsmha


PRR1361 said:


> So I’ve worked on a few different TMCC models over the years with modular electronics like the DCDR, DCDS, or CC-M but I’ve never noticed any insulating hardware. Was this specific to a certain version of the DCDS, or was it just a situation where the solder mask side of the PCB was touching a metal bracket?


DCDRs have insulating mica and plastic shoulder washers on their metal backed triacs. ERR Cruise Ms have plastic triacs which don’t require the insulators. No DCDSs handy but presume if they are metal backed they have insulators.

Pete


----------



## Millstonemike

In general, once you full-wave rectify the track AC, nothing post rectification can be electrically connected back to the track AC. It will short.


----------



## PRR1361

Norton said:


> DCDRsmha
> 
> DCDRs have insulating mica and plastic shoulder washers on their metal backed triacs. ERR Cruise Ms have plastic triacs which don’t require the insulators. No DCDSs handy but presume if they are metal backed they have insulators.
> 
> Pete












We're talking about these right?


----------



## PRR1361

Ok, I just metered this DCDR out, and a spare DCDS I had here too. The triacs on the DCDR have no continuity to the metal backing. However the ones on the DCDS do.










DCDS on left


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

PRR1361 said:


> So I’ve worked on a few different TMCC models over the years with modular electronics like the DCDR, DCDS, or CC-M but I’ve never noticed any insulating hardware. Was this specific to a certain version of the DCDS, or was it just a situation where the solder mask side of the PCB was touching a metal bracket?


The Lionel Odyssey DCDS, both the TMCC version and the early Legacy version have insulating hardware on the TO220 driver FET's. If you leave it off, you will not be moving, but you will be popping breakers/fuses. As you correctly observe, the original TMCC DCDR (non-cruise) triacs do not need insulating hardware.


----------



## Krieglok

PRR1361 said:


> New favorite…
> View attachment 585456
> 
> 
> Fresh from Hennings Trains.


Interesting that it has the Hancock Air Whistle. Nice detail.

Many engines owned by Bethlehem Steel used these air horns. They sounded like small steam engine whistles.

What does the horn sound like on the model?

Tom


----------



## PRR1361

Krieglok said:


> Interesting that it has the Hancock Air Whistle. Nice detail.
> 
> Many engines owned by Bethlehem Steel used these air horns. They sounded like small steam engine whistles.
> 
> What does the horn sound like on the model?
> 
> Tom


You can hear it here at about the 1:15 mark or so and again near the end.


----------



## Krieglok

Cool! Thats exactly what they sounded like!

Tom


----------



## santafe158

I've been trying to be good about not buying anything new since I've got one of the Lionel Vision Class A locomotives on order, but after a bit of a promotion at work I figured I might as well celebrate... I've had my eye on the 1990 remake of the Lionel 700E Hudson for awhile and finally picked one up. They're not quite the scale models that the originals were, but they were made about 20 miles from where I grew up and are a little less of a financial gamble than the zinc-pest plagued originals. Pretty cool in my mind even if the scale models of today are far superior in detailing and accuracy (generally). Sometimes it's nice to reflect upon where we started.


----------



## Norton

They may be slightly dated but still a striking model. I don’t think they give anything away to the original. I like to upgrade older models but mine will stay as it came from the factory. 
If you plan to run yours, best to open it up and replace the grease in the gearbox. Whatever Lionel used in the 1990s turns to concrete with time.

Pete


----------



## santafe158

Norton said:


> They may be slightly dated but still a striking model. I don’t think they give anything away to the original. I like to upgrade older models but mine will stay as it came from the factory.
> If you plan to run yours, best to open it up and replace the grease in the gearbox. Whatever Lionel used in the 1990s turns to concrete with time.
> 
> Pete


I'll definitely be giving it a good once over before running it. From what the listing claims, it's never been run. We'll see when it arrives. Regardless, I doubt it's ever been serviced.

As to the 1990 model vs the 1937-42 model, they took some liberties with the 1990 model to allow it to run on tighter curves vs the O-72 requirement of the original. Nothing horrific, but ever so slightly less prototypical than the original was. I have one of the separate sale scale pilot trucks on order also to replace the non-scale original. That was the most glaring issue, which I assume is why the separate truck was later offered. The other major modification being the tender drawbar setup, with the 1990 model spacing things apart more than the original double-drawbar (as per the prototype) setup. That one I'll probably leave alone as part of the model's history.


----------



## Matt Kramer

Two new arrivals this weekend... MPC era New York Central and Southern Pacific AA F3 units, both with double motors and Magnetraction. They're in beautiful shape with low miles and run great. There was a small short in the NYC engine which was a two minute fix. I'm really enjoying these MPC F3s a little too much... Four more road names will be arriving this week! Stay tuned!😉


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Those look brand new Matt, nice pickup!


----------



## Matt Kramer

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Those look brand new Matt, nice pickup!


Thanks John; I'm finding myself enjoying the old familiar buzz of e-units again! 😄


----------



## Krieglok

Nice engines! I can understand how they are easy to accumulate in multiple numbers...lol.

What year would these engines been produced? Do they use a battery? I recall some old Lionel locomotives being restored and some of the restoration involved cleaning up damage from leaked batteries…

Tom


----------



## Matt Kramer

Krieglok said:


> Nice engines! I can understand how they are easy to accumulate in multiple numbers...lol.
> 
> What year would these engines been produced? Do they use a battery? I recall some old Lionel locomotives being restored and some of the restoration involved cleaning up damage from leaked batteries…
> 
> Tom


I think the NYC is from around 1983 and the SP is from '78 or '79. These MPC engines have no horn or sound of any kind in them. I might change that though. 😉


----------



## santafe158

It arrived today... looks much better out of the box  Perhaps not as technically advanced as the models of modern times, but still quite a looker.

Runs quite nicely too after a quick servicing along with a bit of cussing while trying to get all the detail parts that connect between the boiler and frame fed back into their proper positions....


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks brand new Jake, nice pickup.


----------



## santafe158

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Looks brand new Jake, nice pickup.


Looks like it was likely out of the box as a static display at some point as the manual and the little display plaque that would have come with it wasn't included, but otherwise unrun.


----------



## Norton

This arrived yesterday. I am a fan of smaller locomotives. It was advertised as not working so the price was right. It arrived with a bag of parts, not extra replacements but parts broken off. Today its running thanks to a lot of help from my friends including forum member Lou1985. Its a very smooth runner and has already become a favorite.










Pete


----------



## Matt Kramer

The 1970s MPC F3 parade continues... These all showed up on the front doorstep over the past couple of days. The Rio Grande is a single motor unit; I may convert it to dual motors. The PRR and New Haven all have dual motors w/traction tires. These are all in great shape with low miles on them. My weekend project will be sitting in air conditioned comfort (supposed to be 105 over the weekend here in California) and lubing them up. I'm really liking the charm of these basic engines; but the only thing I don't like is the blank number boards. Time to order some number decals I suppose. Two more road names are in transit and arriving next week. Stay tuned! 😉


----------



## Lehigh74

Matt - You can make your own number boards using clear mailing labels.
Using Clear Mailing Labels to Renumber Placards | Model Train Forum


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I make number boards with Microsoft Word and common 20# bond paper. Print the label in the correct size in reverse colors, white on black, and cut to size. If they're on the outside, spray them with a couple of coats of clearcoat to protect them.


----------



## Krieglok

Norton said:


> This arrived yesterday. I am a fan of smaller locomotives. It was advertised as not working so the price was right. It arrived with a bag of parts, not extra replacements but parts broken off. Today its running thanks to a lot of help from my friends including forum member Lou1985. Its a very smooth runner and has already become a favorite.
> 
> View attachment 585960
> 
> 
> Pete


I love those 0-4-0s! Nice to see a NYC with a radial boiler instead of a Belpair firebox. Nice save!



Matt Kramer said:


> The 1970s MPC F3 parade continues... These all showed up on the front doorstep over the past couple of days. The Rio Grande is a single motor unit; I may convert it to dual motors. The PRR and New Haven all have dual motors w/traction tires. These are all in great shape with low miles on them. My weekend project will be sitting in air conditioned comfort (supposed to be 105 over the weekend here in California) and lubing them up. I'm really liking the charm of these basic engines; but the only thing I don't like is the blank number boards. Time to order some number decals I suppose. Two more road names are in transit and arriving next week. Stay tuned! 😉
> View attachment 585965
> View attachment 585966
> View attachment 585967


More great looking F units. The hints from Bob and John about making the number boards sound very useful. I may have to give that a try!

Tom


----------



## Norton

Another option is use dry transfers. Woodland scenics offers many font styles.

Tom, lack of a Belpair boiler is good. Also good is the fact that MTH lettered the tender NYC Lines as I don’t think any 0-4-0s made it into the parent company into the 19 teens. So its a bit of a fantasy engine. Fall back plan is to reletter it for either South Buffalo or Buffalo Creek which did have engines like this including the slope back tenders.










Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Cool photo, Pete.

That may be a future project!

Tom


----------



## Jimofoakcreek

I just added two Menards coal hoppers, a CNW and a Milwaukee Road. I really like these hoppers from Menards. At under $25 each with rebate these Menards cars are awesome buys IMHO.


----------



## Matt Kramer

My MPC F3 parade marches on... FedEx delivered this _*factory sealed*_ Lionel 6-1350 Canadian Pacific Service Station Set time capsule today. I was very reluctant to open it, but after almost 50 years, I think she's ready to finally ready to stretch her legs. I have yet to fire her up, but everything looks like it's in good shape; although the hopper needs her brake wheel glued back on.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Wow, you lost a bunch of value just popping open the box! 😅 Interesting there's no numbers on the number boards...


----------



## Krieglok

Nah, just save the box if you may want to sell the train in the future. Otherwise, don’t worry about it! Have fun running them and admiring them…they are too nice to keep out of view!

Tom


----------



## santafe158

That CP scheme is a good one. Nice find!

I added the last piece to the puzzle... after acquiring my 1-700E Hudson a week or so ago, I decided it needed the proper train to pull and picked up the "Lionel Classics" remake of the 1937 "Rail Chief" cars originally cataloged with the 700E Hudson. A good looking train with the classic semi-tinplate look that I love.


----------



## Xrperry

I bought a bowser challenger and tender a while back. Ho scale


----------



## Krieglok

santafe158 said:


> That CP scheme is a good one. Nice find!
> 
> I added the last piece to the puzzle... after acquiring my 1-700E Hudson a week or so ago, I decided it needed the proper train to pull and picked up the "Lionel Classics" remake of the 1937 "Rail Chief" cars originally cataloged with the 700E Hudson. A good looking train with the classic semi-tinplate look that I love.
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 586331


Jake, the skirted cars are definitely handsome, especially in that color. Nice detail, yet durable…



Xrperry said:


> I bought a bowser challenger and tender a while back. Ho scale
> View attachment 586332
> View attachment 586333


Were those engines kits? The only metal Bowser engine I had was the Baby Trainmaster shell they made. I was never good with kits and painting back then. I tried a couple Roundhouse steam engine kits but never completed them…

Tom


----------



## Norton

santafe158 said:


> That CP scheme is a good one. Nice find!
> 
> I added the last piece to the puzzle... after acquiring my 1-700E Hudson a week or so ago, I decided it needed the proper train to pull and picked up the "Lionel Classics" remake of the 1937 "Rail Chief" cars originally cataloged with the 700E Hudson. A good looking train with the classic semi-tinplate look that I love.
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 586331


Jake, are those cars pre war, modern Lionel or MTH? MTH did an American Legacy set in the early 2000s with those cars and a car J1 Hudson.

Pete


----------



## santafe158

Norton said:


> Jake, are those cars pre war, modern Lionel or MTH? MTH did an American Legacy set in the early 2000s with those cars and a car J1 Hudson.
> 
> Pete


I believe these cars were cataloged by Lionel in or around 1990 to go with the 1-700E locomotives (just as they were originally cataloged in 1937). They were marketed in the “Lionel Classics” line offered in those days which mostly consisted of repro tinplate items. I’m not positive but I seem to recall that these were produced by Mike Wolf before MTH went big time or some variation of that?


----------



## Matt Kramer

And another MPC F3 came in the mail yesterday... the PRR Brunswick green F3. This one also is in excellent shape and was ran very little. The opaque windows on this particular model really I'm not really a fan of. Greenberg says it was an ordering error on Lionel's part and they should've been clear instead. I have a set of clear ones laying around here somewhere; I might do some corrective surgery later on. Otherwise, she runs great. I have another MPC era F3 set to be delivered Monday, and it will be my last one! I really need work on the layout & get this track screwed down and everything wired!!!😄


----------



## Jimofoakcreek

I added a Lionel Rotating Beacon from around the mid- 1980s. Bought it from Trainz.com, C9 Like New. Lionel 6-12720 Operating Beacon Rotary Red/Green. Great price too.


----------



## Matt Kramer

The final addition in my parade of MPC era F3s is this new and never ran Preamble Express. It runs super quiet and looks really good in the red, white and blue paint scheme. Lionel's paint masking techniques weren't the greatest back in the day, but that's part of the charm of MPC I suppose!


----------



## Millstonemike

Matt Kramer said:


> The final addition in my parade of MPC era ...


There's the equivalent steam contingent.  A nice summary *Here By Trainz*.


----------



## Matt Kramer

Millstonemike said:


> There's the equivalent steam contingent.  A nice summary *Here By Trainz*.


Don't give me any ideas!


----------



## Millstonemike

Matt Kramer said:


> Don't give me any ideas!


Aah, gee ... too late


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Picked up a LionChief Plus 2.0 RS-3, decent little rig. It actually gives up very little over a Legacy version, I think maybe Lionel is going to wake up to that fact and start reducing the features.

Fan driven smoke, directional lighting with Rule-17 dimming, automatic cab light, full Railsounds, electrocouplers, cruise control, etc. It even has the selectable horn and bell feature. The one thing I do notice is the bulletproof handrails, not quite prototypical. However, that will come in handy for our modular club outings, I'm always looking for stuff that I don't have to handle too carefully.

It does need a motor shield to hide the big motor that the engineer has his elbow on, I might add that.


----------



## seayakbill

A couple of the Menards Dodge Sweptwing pick-ups have arrived.

Bill


----------



## Millstonemike

Horace and John would be proud. Did they call it a "tonneau" cover back then?


----------



## Farmboy856

beachhead2 said:


> I never thought I'd see Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis diesels. In fact, every time I've mentioned it to someone around town, they told me to forget it. Well, Public Delivery Track did an MTH custom run which I received today.
> View attachment 579747
> View attachment 579748
> View attachment 579749


Those are really nice-looking engines!


----------



## seayakbill

beachhead2 said:


> I never thought I'd see Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis diesels. In fact, every time I've mentioned it to someone around town, they told me to forget it. Well, Public Delivery Track did an MTH custom run which I received today.
> View attachment 579747
> View attachment 579748
> View attachment 579749


And the real deal TRRA switchers. I took these photos a few years ago when I was in St Louis,

Bill


----------



## J.Albert1949

Those Dodge pickups are _snazzy...!_


----------



## Krieglok

A couple new items…

A CNJ Caboose to go with my Frankenstein CNJ GP7. It is the classic CNJ North Eastern design. The hack is a Lionel product…











The other item is a B&O TOFC I found on eBay for about 1/3rd the going rate for these cars. It is in perfect shape. Just needed a cleaning with some hot water and a toothbrush. An MTH car…



























Tom


----------



## seayakbill

A couple more Morton Salt hoppers showed up this past week. The Morton Salt facility must be expecting an increase in shipments. A Menards yellow covered hopper and a MTH cyndrical hopper.

Bill


----------



## Krieglok

I like the MTH dark blue hopper. Morton is a busy shipper for your railroad! I like the Canadian grain hopper too.

They say that if you see a lot of salt hoppers on the railroad, it’s going to be a harsh winter…

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

My second B&O flat car arrived. Another nice MTH product with slightly different B&O trailers and a second road number…


















Tom


----------



## seayakbill

The B&O flats with B&O pups are very nice. To bad the ugly, rusty & boring shipping containers replaced the RR trailers.

Bill


----------



## Krieglok

seayakbill said:


> The B&O flats with B&O pups are very nice. To bad the ugly, rusty & boring shipping containers replaced the RR trailers.
> 
> Bill


Same with boxcars….the old names of many railroads replaced by graffiti covered modern boxes…

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

A new RR begins operation on the S&Y RR. The Monon with a MTH Premier F-3 and caboose to begin revenue service.

Bill


----------



## Norton

Picked ip these Weaver crates having been a fan of Weaver for many years. I had the flat for a while with the intention of adding it to the TOFC fleet but now this will its load. The crates made me realize what could be done with a laser cutter. All the detail parts that could be custom made for a particular scene.









Also finishing up this Hudson. It arrived as a parts donor. Shell and frame only, no motor, tender or electronics and painted gray. I picked up a Williams scale tender to go with it for small money as it was painted for CP.
i decided I would not put command in it for the times you just want to see a train run around the tree or layout with no noise. I did experiment by putting in a buck boost convertor board for the lighting. It now is fully bright at 5v track voltage and stays constant to 20v.

5v









20v









Pete


----------



## Millstonemike

Norton said:


> Picked ip these Weaver crates having been a fan of Weaver for many years. I had the flat for a while with the intention of adding it to the TOFC fleet but now this will its load. The crates made me realize what could be done with a laser cutter. All the detail parts that could be custom made for a particular scene.
> View attachment 587291
> 
> 
> Also finishing up this Hudson. It arrived as a parts donor. Shell and frame only, no motor, tender or electronics and painted gray. I picked up a Williams scale tender to go with it for small money as it was painted for CP.
> i decided I would not put command in it for the times you just want to see a train run around the tree or layout with no noise. I did experiment by putting in a buck boost convertor board for the lighting. It now is fully bright at 5v track voltage and stays constant to 20v.
> 
> 5v
> View attachment 587292
> 
> 
> 20v
> View attachment 587293
> 
> 
> Pete


Nice Loco. Should look great around the tree. 

I had thought about buck-boost but decided it was overkill for lights. Conventional postwar transformers start out at ~6 V as soon as you move the throttle up from stop. With a full wave bridge rectifier and a decent size bypass capacitor, you have plenty of regulated voltage for LEDs. Perhaps enough for 6 V incandescent bulbs as well.

I'll be back to boost-buck converters for home grown sound. I have mini chip based amp modules that can blast dozens of watts (true rms). But the max wattage an amp can deliver is limited by the DC voltage it is fed. So buck-boost is the way to go if you want a loud horn, whistle, etc.


----------



## Norton

The buck boost was more of an experiment plus they are cheap nowadays and simpler than putting a zener diode and resistor on a perf board. Also I used a 12v bulb as it was my only 2.4 mm I had handy So I needed something with a constant output above and below 12v. This engine may get a command upgrade some year but I am in no rush.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Picked up the Amtrak Cab Car, finally found one at a more reasonable price than the $$350-450 they were going for!
















Kinda' cool they have a simple circuit to reverse the lighting from headlights to markers just based on the car motion, and here I thought I might have to upgrade it to command.


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Picked up the Amtrak Cab Car, finally found one at a more reasonable price than the $$350-450 they were going for!
> View attachment 587310
> View attachment 587311
> 
> 
> Kinda' cool they have a simple circuit to reverse the lighting from headlights to markers just based on the car motion, and here I thought I might have to upgrade it to command.


Nice! I have been looking for one of those for a while! If you see another, grab it for me!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> Nice! I have been looking for one of those for a while! If you see another, grab it for me!
> 
> Tom


For some reason, several showed up on eBay at more reasonable prices, I've had a search there for several years. I actually missed another new one for $80, that would have been an even better deal!

I looked now, and other than the several that have sold, they've disappeared again. Very odd...


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> For some reason, several showed up on eBay at more reasonable prices, I've had a search there for several years. I actually missed another new one for $80, that would have been an even better deal!
> 
> I looked now, and other than the several that have sold, they've disappeared again. Very odd...


 John, 
I just bought one after making an offer to the seller. It was cheap since it is missing the “simple reverse unit” that switches the markers and headlight depending on direction.

would it be possible to fabricate one?

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> John,
> I just bought one after making an offer to the seller. It was cheap since it is missing the “simple reverse unit” that switches the markers and headlight depending on direction.
> 
> would it be possible to fabricate one?
> 
> Tom


Lionel doesn't list any parts for this unit, so I think my inclination would be to turn it into a command unit with a TMCC RCDR receiver. That would be the most direct method with existing parts. You configure it with the same TMCC ID as the engine and it'll follow that lead.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

This is the Lionel 6-84945 PRSL E6 Atlantic, it's a project that has been months in the making.  I traded for this a few months ago, I gave him a working TMCC PRSL E6 Atlantic. The previous owner who obviously wasn't a train person, chopped the rods up because it "wasn't running right". Well, the reason it wasn't running right was the motor was shot. When I went to look for parts, you can't buy either the motor or the running gear parts! Add to that the cylinders were all beat up for some reason, and it was kind of a mess. OTOH, shell, tender, electronics and smoke units were all fine. So, the quest for parts started. 

I got a scrap conventional Atlantic for the motor and hopefully the drive rods & running gear. Well, the rods and running gear didn't work on this locomotive, even though Lionel claimed they were the same parts! However the motor did work, and I also got the cylinders and a couple other small parts to start the assembly process. A friend Pat, aka Harmonyards, said he had some MTH rods and running gear that could be adapted, so I sent the chassis down to him. All was well, that looks great, probably better than the Lionel stuff. Sadly, on the return trip, the motor got whacked and the shaft was bent! RATS! Pat came to the rescue again and moved the worm gear, to a new motor. Got that and installed it. I figured I was at home base. Oddly, although it ran pretty well, it seemed to start off with a bigger speed step and it only had 2-chuffs/rev! 

After more head scratching, it was finally determined that I had a 2-lead worm instead of the correct 1-lead worm gear. The angle of threads on the worm was indeed different, it's a wonder it ran fine in the locomotive! Keep in mind that Lionel listed the motor as the same out of stock Atlantic motor, obviously that was not correct. OK, I had the original worm from the dead Legacy motor. Before it hit the can, I had cut the shaft and then saved the worm. I sent that one back to Pat, and he equipped it with a set screw and slightly milled out the hole, just enough for a nice and easy friction fit on the shaft. Slipped that worm on and what do you know, the locomotive has 4-chuffs and runs like a Legacy locomotive! I still wonder if it was worth the effort, but at least it's finally a working locomotive again!


----------



## seayakbill

gunrunnerjohn said:


> This is the Lionel 6-84945 PRSL E6 Atlantic, it's a project that has been months in the making.  I traded for this a few months ago, I gave him a working TMCC PRSL E6 Atlantic. The previous owner who obviously wasn't a train person, chopped the rods up because it "wasn't running right". Well, the reason it wasn't running right was the motor was shot. When I went to look for parts, you can't buy either the motor or the running gear parts! Add to that the cylinders were all beat up for some reason, and it was kind of a mess. OTOH, shell, tender, electronics and smoke units were all fine. So, the quest for parts started.
> 
> I got a scrap conventional Atlantic for the motor and hopefully the drive rods & running gear. Well, the rods and running gear didn't work on this locomotive, even though Lionel claimed they were the same parts! However the motor did work, and I also got the cylinders and a couple other small parts to start the assembly process. A friend Pat, aka Harmonyards, said he had some MTH rods and running gear that could be adapted, so I sent the chassis down to him. All was well, that looks great, probably better than the Lionel stuff. Sadly, on the return trip, the motor got whacked and the shaft was bent! RATS! Pat came to the rescue again and moved the worm gear, to a new motor. Got that and installed it. I figured I was at home base. Oddly, although it ran pretty well, it seemed to start off with a bigger speed step and it only had 2-chuffs/rev!
> 
> After more head scratching, it was finally determined that I had a 2-lead worm instead of the correct 1-lead worm gear. The angle of threads on the worm was indeed different, it's a wonder it ran fine in the locomotive! Keep in mind that Lionel listed the motor as the same out of stock Atlantic motor, obviously that was not correct. OK, I had the original worm from the dead Legacy motor. Before it hit the can, I had cut the shaft and then saved the worm. I sent that one back to Pat, and he equipped it with a set screw and slightly milled out the hole, just enough for a nice and easy friction fit on the shaft. Slipped that worm on and what do you know, the locomotive has 4-chuffs and runs like a Legacy locomotive! I still wonder if it was worth the effort, but at least it's finally a working locomotive again!
> 
> View attachment 587339


GRJ, you certainly went the extra mile to get this steamer back on the rails. In the process you probably picked up some additional need to know info on the Lionel Atlantic.

Bill


----------



## seayakbill

Picked up a few of the tiny Lionel Postwar flatcars with loads at an auction, stamped steel and diecast types. I don't why, but at $9.00 each for the 7 I figured what the heck. The two flats with Range Patrol trucks were the main focus of my bids.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

seayakbill said:


> GRJ, you certainly went the extra mile to get this steamer back on the rails. In the process you probably picked up some additional need to know info on the Lionel Atlantic.
> 
> Bill


I think the primary thing I picked up is the fact that many parts are no longer available for the Atlantic, even recent Legacy versions! However, I also know where to get them modified if need be.


----------



## seayakbill

Received this from Pats Trains, the just released Union Pacific route grain hopper. Fantastic paint and graphics, hi-lights the Denver to Kansas City route that the Big Boy travelled.

Bill


----------



## Booly15

seayakbill said:


> Picked up a few of the tiny Lionel Postwar flatcars with loads at an auction, stamped steel and diecast types. I don't why, but at $9.00 each for the 7 I figured what the heck. The two flats with Range Patrol trucks were the main focus of my bids.
> 
> Bill
> 
> View attachment 587366
> 
> 
> View attachment 587367
> 
> 
> View attachment 587368
> 
> 
> View attachment 587369


w


----------



## Booly15

Booly15 said:


> w


Sorry goofed there, what is the Lionel engine in the first photo?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice car Bill, that's a really attractive paint scheme.


----------



## seayakbill

Booly15 said:


> Sorry goofed there, what is the Lionel engine in the first photo?


That is a the Lionel Lines Beep manufactured by Ready Made Trucks, not to be confused with Walters RMT Beeps. The Lionel Lines Beep came attached to a Ready Made Trucks flatbed but a power unit was also offered as a separate purchase. When Richard Kughn owner of Lionel Trains heard that there was a power unit offered for the Lionel Lines Beep all Hell broke loose.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Just wrapped up upgrading this little jewel that I recently got. This was two dummy units, the previous owner had taken two sets and swapped shells of the dummy to have two powered units and gave me the dummies. They were a nice looking set, so I decided to pickup the parts and make one of the dummies back into a powered unit. All the parts were available on Lionel, trucks, motors, and the matching sound board.

The end result is I have a powered/dummy set again.


----------



## seayakbill

Nice set of Katy's.

Bill


----------



## santafe158

These were recently saved from the attic of an abandoned house in Detroit that a crew was in the process of cleaning out so that its new owner can begin renovation work. A friend was able to rescue them for me at a very fair price. Both sets have a bit of damage from poor storage conditions, but considering they spent the last 15 years in the attic of an abandoned house after the homeowner passed away, they're in pretty good shape. The M10000 set appears to have been restored at some point as best I can tell. It was pretty well done though because it's fairly hard to notice. It's missing one of the vestibules, but I have one on the way to replace it. A bit of minor tuneup work got the motor back in working order last night. The Flying Yankee is also in fair shape, although one of the cars took a bit of a beating while stored. The roof of the powered unit appears to have been stripped of its paint or is an unpainted replacement for the original, but otherwise it's all there and is also in great working order. That set was promised to my brother as he's been looking for a nice example for awhile. After working on it, I was bitten by the "have to have one" bug and have another one ordered through eBay for my own collection.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice find, they're pretty cool. I have the MTH M10000 in PS/2, it's a neat piece.


----------



## seayakbill

santafe158 said:


> These were recently saved from the attic of an abandoned house in Detroit that a crew was in the process of cleaning out so that its new owner can begin renovation work. A friend was able to rescue them for me at a very fair price. Both sets have a bit of damage from poor storage conditions, but considering they spent the last 15 years in the attic of an abandoned house after the homeowner passed away, they're in pretty good shape. The M10000 set appears to have been restored at some point as best I can tell. It was pretty well done though because it's fairly hard to notice. It's missing one of the vestibules, but I have one on the way to replace it. A bit of minor tuneup work got the motor back in working order last night. The Flying Yankee is also in fair shape, although one of the cars took a bit of a beating while stored. The roof of the powered unit appears to have been stripped of its paint or is an unpainted replacement for the original, but otherwise it's all there and is also in great working order. That set was promised to my brother as he's been looking for a nice example for awhile. After working on it, I was bitten by the "have to have one" bug and have another one ordered through eBay for my own collection.
> 
> View attachment 587730


Two nice sets from the Lionel Prewar era. There is still a lot of Pre & Post war Lionel stored away waiting to be found.

Bill


----------



## seayakbill

Another new item from Pats Trains. The ACL flatcar with Cheerwine pup trailers. I purchase Cheerwine soda at the local Rural King Farm supply store. For those who have never heard of Rural King it is a Midwest chain that carries farm supplies, guns, and outdoor stuff.

Bill


----------



## Krieglok

Bill, who made those cars? They have great detail. They look like MTH…

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

Krieglok said:


> Bill, who made those cars? They have great detail. They look like MTH…
> 
> Tom


Hi Tom, yep just recently released from MTH.

Bill


----------



## Krieglok

seayakbill said:


> Hi Tom, yep just recently released from MTH.
> 
> Bill


Okay. I have a couple B&O flats with the 20 footers. They are the square versions. Your new trailers have the rounded end, making them look more vintage. Nice.

Tom


----------



## Norton

Picked up a couple of Crown single sheath boxcars. I found they are the same size at the Atlas versions. Just added some weight and now they are ready for revenue service.










With my last acquisition of Weaver crates I started looking for more and came across these AHM cars.
I had some AHM HO way back in the day and didn’t even realize they made O scale. Trucks and couplers are pretty funky all plastic and their couplers would only mate with other AHM. I am guessing late ‘60s early ‘70s.
Trucks and couplers replaced with Weaver plastic that I had taken off their cars for diecast. Then weight was added. At 9 bucks a car they were worth the upgrade.










Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Nice boxcars. I like the simpler, older schemes.

When I was a kid, I knew a guy who modeled O scale and all his stuff was old Atlas and AHM. That was 40 years ago.

I have the O scale 0-8-0 Rivarossi made for AHM as well as an extensive collection of old AHM HO from the late 60’s and 70’s. It far out numbers my modern o scale collection. GG1s, steam engines, diesels and passenger and freight cars…all with horn hook couplers!

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

Norton said:


> Picked up a couple of Crown single sheath boxcars. I found they are the same size at the Atlas versions. Just added some weight and now they are ready for revenue service.
> 
> View attachment 587836
> 
> 
> With my last acquisition of Weaver crates I started looking for more and came across these AHM cars.
> I had some AHM HO way back in the day and didn’t even realize they made O scale. Trucks and couplers are pretty funky all plastic and their couplers would only mate with other AHM. I am guessing late ‘60s early ‘70s.
> Trucks and couplers replaced with Weaver plastic that I had taken off their cars for diecast. Then weight was added. At 9 bucks a car they were worth the upgrade.
> 
> View attachment 587837
> 
> 
> Pete


Pete, the flats with lumber loads look terrific. Nice conversion.

Bill


----------



## Norton

Krieglok said:


> Nice boxcars. I like the simpler, older schemes.
> 
> Tom


Tom, while searching on single sheath I found Atlas did one for WAG.









Atlas “O” WAG #7017 USRA Single-Sheathed Box Car 6472-1 (T) | eBay


Atlas Freight Car. All cancellations must have a valid explanation as to why it needs to be cancelled! Local Pickup no longer available!



www.ebay.com





Pete


----------



## Krieglok

Thanks Pete. That’s one I don’t have!

Tom


----------



## seayakbill

Photos of the Lionel Postwar AT&SF ABA F units I purchased at last weeks Marion train meet. They look pretty good for 70 some years of handling & running. A few scratches on the silver but overall the paint looks OK. Excellent and powerful, have it pulling a string of 6464 boxcars with no problem. Meeting up with a K-Line AT&SF SD-75 on the S&Y RR.

Bill


----------



## Bryan Moran

seayakbill said:


> Another new item from Pats Trains. The ACL flatcar with Cheerwine pup trailers. I purchase Cheerwine soda at the local Rural King Farm supply store. For those who have never heard of Rural King it is a Midwest chain that carries farm supplies, guns, and outdoor stuff.
> 
> Bill
> 
> View attachment 587794
> 
> 
> View attachment 587795


Yes, MTH and Berwyn's in Chicago has several that I want. Good to see your HD level photos.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Stopped in to Caboose Stop on Friday just when the new Atlas auto carriers came in. I don't do a lot of modern but at $130 total w taxes, I got a lot of O Scale-ness. I think I am going to put graffiti decals on them.


----------



## Krieglok

Bill, those vintage F units look great. I have been looking for some postwar Santa Fe Fs with the appropriate matching passenger train. Still researching it..

Bryan, those auto racks look sharp. How long are they when they are put together? They definitely need some graffiti to break up the huge sides! I wish someone would do a 1970’s open style auto rack car. I was thinking of kitbashing a couple…

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

I filled out my B&O F3 roster with a couple new MTH F3 locomotives. The A unit is powered and the B unit is a dummy. The previously painted, more modern F3, completes the trio. They are mainly freight units as they lack any steam heating capabilities… 

Tom


----------



## Bryan Moran

Bryan Moran said:


> View attachment 588123
> 
> 
> Stopped in to Caboose Stop on Friday just when the new Atlas auto carriers came in. I don't do a lot of modern but at $130 total w taxes, I got a lot of O Scale-ness. I think I am going to put graffiti decals on them.
> 
> View attachment 588124


Absolutely! That was my idea as well, to add Graffiti. This model TTX is described as "faded" from Atlas. I have a Graffiti sheet in the shop I have had for years. I have never done decaling, and I suppose it's risky on a "new" model but I see these articulated auto transports all the time with graffiti on them.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Bryan Moran said:


> I have never done decaling, and I suppose it's risky on a "new" model but I see these articulated auto transports all the time with graffiti on them.


You can usually remove decals that don't work out without too much risk, it's probably the lowest risk way to add your graffiti.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

An unexpected arrival showed up, a gift. It was a bit of "assembly required", but all the parts were there. This is the Lionel 6-84268 Legacy SD40 Western Maryland. Even though the color is quite wrong, the price was right.


----------



## J.Albert1949

The SD40 looks great, "wrong colors" and all...!


----------



## Norton

Big fan of that B&O Royal blue Tom. If a set of E8s come up at the right price I may have to get them.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Picked up the MTH Premier Q2 with a bad board and stuck one I had handy into it. It runs OK, but the articulated locomotives require a special 5V FLASH board, so I'll have to retrofit the PS32 board, that's more work. So, as you can see, no articulated chuffing, but that will happen when I get some time...


----------



## U235

MTH PRR L1s heavy mikado


----------



## U235

3rd rail PRR O-1


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Picked up the MTH Premier Q2 with a bad board and stuck one I had handy into it. It runs OK, but the articulated locomotives require a special 5V FLASH board, so I'll have to retrofit the PS32 board, that's more work. So, as you can see, no articulated chuffing, but that will happen when I get some time...


I miss it already! Never saw it run… Enjoy that 23 pound monster!

Tom


----------



## Krieglok

U235 said:


> View attachment 588314
> 
> MTH PRR L1s heavy mikado


Great looking engine!

They do have a weak spot that you should be careful of. The valve gear hangers are a bit fragile and break in half if they are handled roughly. I have three of these engines and one required a repair using JB Weld as the part is not available from MTH. 

They are still great Locomotives…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> They do have a weak spot that you should be careful of. The valve gear hangers are a bit fragile and break in half if they are handled roughly. I have three of these engines and one required a repair using JB Weld as the part is not available from MTH.


Hmm, I'll make sure to handle the valve gear gently! It's back on the bench getting a PS/2 3V board so it'll have the right articulated sounds. The PS32 board is too tall to fit there, and the connectors aren't in the same places, so that would require lengthening some wires as well. I'll also add a tender roller since it only has two fairly closely spaced rollers.


----------



## Krieglok

John, I was talking about the MTH PRR L1. I had one that snapped the valve gear hanger. Fixed it, but I am keeping it.

The Q2 was mechanically sound. I would have disclosed any defects before selling! 😊 maybe…lol

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, glad to hear the Q2 doesn't have a weakness. Well, maybe the 5V board that I'm replacing...


----------



## Bryan Moran

Received my Golden Gate Milwaukee Road Tip Top Lounge yesterday. Interesting mix up on my part. I wanted the end of car Sky Top Car but I did not know what it was called, so I ordered the Tip Top Lounge car thinking that was it. I spent the last 2 years waiting for the iconic end of car Sky Top car and passed on getting some MTH and Lionel ones on ebay. 

Well - I can't be happier for my mistake. This is a cool car that Milwaukee Road placed in the center of consists. Kitchen in the middle. Built in 1947, I can run it with my Hiawatha steam or any of my later Milwaukee Road Diesels.

I have no other passenger cars coming from Golden Gate. Too expensive for me. But this one is nice and will be mixed in with my MTH Premier and Lionel mix. I have 18" and 21".


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Great looking car Bryan, imagine what the whole set looked like!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> The Q2 was mechanically sound. I would have disclosed any defects before selling! 😊 maybe…lol


I finished fitting the 3V board so I had the proper sounds, and I also added a pickup roller to the tender, now it has almost two feet between rollers, I think that fixes any switch issues.


----------



## Dano

I have finished my rendition of Canadian Nationals CLC CFA, CFB freight units and took them out for a spin.




Up-dated with a pic of the cab roof modded and the vents and antenna added.


----------



## Millstonemike

Bryan Moran said:


> View attachment 588123
> 
> 
> Stopped in to Caboose Stop on Friday just when the new Atlas auto carriers came in. I don't do a lot of modern but at $130 total w taxes, I got a lot of O Scale-ness. I think I am going to put graffiti decals on them.
> 
> View attachment 588124


This *YouTube Video* shows a gent adding graffiti to an Atlas boxcar. If it helps ...


----------



## Booly15

U235 said:


> View attachment 588314
> 
> MTH PRR L1s heavy mikado


Beautiful piece, what did you use for ballast there, I am approaching that point


----------



## Jub

We had a package arrive today. MISB and still in the factory shipper.
























We’re super excited about the new arrivals. We are hoping to have this pull our passenger consist.


----------



## Booly15

Jub said:


> We had a package arrive today. MISB and still in the factory shipper.
> View attachment 588799
> 
> View attachment 588797
> 
> View attachment 588798
> 
> We’re super excited about the new arrivals. We are hoping to have this pull our passenger consist.
> View attachment 588797
> View attachment 588798
> View attachment 588799


Nice are you gonna run em or store em?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Booly15 said:


> Nice are you gonna run em or store em?


My question as well, first thing I do with a new arrival is take it out of the box!


----------



## Booly15

Picked up a few pieces at a local auction, I'm more postwar then MPC, but I do like a few of pieces from that period, including these...


----------



## Millstonemike

Very nice. The William's diesels are noted for their pulling power and long-term reliability.

Your F7s are listed in Williams 2000-2001 catalog. In addition to the pic below, here's the *Catalog's Link* from the Backman website.

I have an ABA in SP Daylight with dual motors in both A units also listed in the that catalog . And 7 matching Williams Crown Edition extruded aluminum passenger cars from the early 80's. And a matching Williams GS-4. I'm hoping to run that on my seasonal layout this holiday season.

Alas, all that is actually for sale as I'm focused on Pre-War tinplate.


----------



## Jub

Booly15 said:


> Nice are you gonna run em or store em?


Running them this weekend. Too busy with other things until then.


----------



## Lehigh74

I picked up a few preorders from Nicholas Smith the other day. An SD-9 and an R50B. Also, got a used BAR box car for my red, white and blue train. The SD-9 is quite plain. Not even an F for the front. Not sure if that’s prototypical PRR or skimping on Railking products. Seemed like all new faces at Nicholas Smith. I was told Joey left in the spring.


----------



## Krieglok

A couple of favorites. I have a PRR SD9 in my collections every since I was a kid. The first was an Athearn HO model, then a Railking SD9. 

They were purchased by the PRR with the idea of running them on one of their western mainline divisions in Indiana that had some sort of a long ruling grade…

They were setup for long hood forward...

The BAR boxcar is another lifelong favorite. I have a few in O scale and I have an AHM HO version from the 1970’s. My brother bought it for me as a Christmas gift back then. The car cost .99 cents plus tax! I still have the car and the box it came in…

The reefer looks great too. I have seen pictures of PRR trains pulling solid blocks of those type cars with a cabin car on the hind end..

Tom


----------



## TomW2034

My UP 9000, a 4-12-2, was just delivered:


----------



## Lehigh74

TomW2034 said:


> My UP 9000, a 4-12-2, was just delivered:


Very nice! I was wondering how well it would handle your curves, but when I look closely, I can see light under the wheels on axles 2, 3, 4 and 6.


----------



## TomW2034

Thanks! The catalog specified O-72 curves which I have. To be honest, with that many blind flanges I think it could probably run on a tighter curve.

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Sometimes the blind drivers short going around things like curved switches.


----------



## Jimofoakcreek

I just bought a used Lionel U.P. 2-8-0 Consolidation 6-28038. I think it was released by Lionel in 2001. It’s not in new condition but still very nice. Three of the stanchions on the upper handrails on the tender were broken. I made a repair by gluing them together. It turned out OK.

The new 2022 Lionel 2-8-0 Consolidations that were just released recently don’t seem to have any more separately added details than mine. They are selling for around $750. My engine was around one third of that. Of course the electronics on the new ones are more advanced. I run mine in conventional mode and am very happy.


----------



## Donnie Kennedy

Just got a nice clean Lionel 624 switcher that I serviced and she's running smooth.
The Lionel Lines aluminum passenger cars were absolute concrete sleds. My f3 2344 had a hard time pulling them. Got the wheels and trucks all cleaned and oiled. Rewired one of the cars. All bulbs working. Lightly polished and they're running smooth again!


----------



## Millstonemike

A couple of years ago I had researched the extruded aluminum passengers. At the time I concluded all the brands got the ~ 15" cars from the same South Korea mfg.


----------



## Donnie Kennedy

Millstonemike said:


> A couple of years ago I had researched the extruded aluminum passengers. At the time I concluded all the brands got the ~ 15" cars from the same South Korea mfg.
> 
> View attachment 589322


Wow. Even the postwar? That's what those are. I figured it was good ol American rust and corrosion freezing them up


----------



## Millstonemike

Donnie Kennedy said:


> Wow. Even the postwar? That's what those are. I figured it was good ol American rust and corrosion freezing them up


I don't know about the Lionel's post war extruded aluminum cars. MPC or later for the Lionel in my picture as Lionel didn't render a postwar SP Daylight edition. The Williams car is early 1980s, Crown Edition.

Note: Lionel made two postwar versions: full fluted (as in your cars) and ones with a flat panel. See the *Tandem Associates Link* on your cars.


----------



## Norton

Nice find Donnie. 624s are sweet runners and the 15” cars are classy. All Postwar Lionel is US made but as Mike says everyone has made the 15” cars. My CP set is a mix of Lionel and Williams. They are pretty much identical.

Pete


----------



## Donnie Kennedy

Norton said:


> Nice find Donnie. 624s are sweet runners and the 15” cars are classy. All Postwar Lionel is US made but as Mike says everyone has made the 15” cars. My CP set is a mix of Lionel and Williams. They are pretty much identical.
> 
> Pete


I agree that the cars are very sharp. They are a perfect example of postwar classic. They look great behind my 2344 AA engines. Couldn't be happier with the switcher. Especially since I live in Ohio! I believe it's an early version from 1952 because it's got the ten stanchions holding the handrails. Really nice smooth low speed runner.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I bought these two for the running gear, I need a few of the little K-Line motorized unit drive blocks, both powered and unpowered. However, the Plymouth was so cute that after I got it running, I don't have the heart to rip it apart! 😉 I may try to trade it for several non-working K-Line pieces to get what I need.


----------



## Krieglok

I like that little engine, John. Nice detail…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, I'm eyeing up one of my Plymouth engines to upgrade to TMCC, it'll be a tight squeeze.


----------



## Madman

Donnie Kennedy said:


> Wow. Even the postwar? That's what those are. I figured it was good ol American rust and corrosion freezing them up


Anything from Lionel in the post-war period was made here. Most MPC stuff was also made here.


----------



## Donnie Kennedy

Madman said:


> Anything from Lionel in the post-war period was made here. Most MPC stuff was also made here.


Thank you for the info. That's what I thought, but I'm always learning new things in this hobby.


----------



## seayakbill

I was at a local auction last week and picked up a few items. One item is the Lionel Postwar AT&SF reefer. Typically the blue script on these reefers don't hold up up after 70 years of handling but this guy has survived and looks darn near in like new condition. Had to bid on it and won the auction at $12.50.

Bill


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That reefer is in exceptional condition, obviously not handled a lot in it's illustrious life.


----------



## seayakbill

Another item that I picked up at the local auction is what I think was the Lionel PW 2028 Pennsy GP-7. The reason I say I think its the 2028 is that there is zero lettering on the shell and looks like there never was. If a previous owner had removed the lettering it was done to perfection. The locomotive has the usual dust in the difficult to get to places from being a 70 year old locomotive. The Geep runs great, hard to figure out what I have.

Any of the PW experts ever heard of an unlettered 2028 and was the original lettering heat stamped or painted ?

Bill


----------



## Millstonemike

I wouldn't know. But the Tandem Associates write-up might hold some clues ...


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

My guess is someone painted it.


----------



## santafe158

The proper Tandem & Associates link says that the lettering would have been rubber stamped and was easily worn off. Likely the case for your locomotive. Looks like an unpainted plastic shell based on the "gloss" finish. Probably even easier to rub lettering off bare plastic than if it was painted.






LIONEL TRAINS 2028 DIESEL


Identification details about the Lionel Trains 2028 Diesel that Lionel made during the Post-war period.



www.tandem-associates.com





Another website that reports the same.





Motive Power - Diesels - GP7 / GP9 - 2028 Pennsylvania - Lionel Trains Library







postwarlionel.com


----------



## RotarySirloin

Found this on a whim at a local shop yesterday. Been looking for this for a while! Going to do some LED upgrades for the tail light and interior lighting.


----------



## seayakbill

santafe158 said:


> The proper Tandem & Associates link says that the lettering would have been rubber stamped and was easily worn off. Likely the case for your locomotive. Looks like an unpainted plastic shell based on the "gloss" finish. Probably even easier to rub lettering off bare plastic than if it was painted.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> LIONEL TRAINS 2028 DIESEL
> 
> 
> Identification details about the Lionel Trains 2028 Diesel that Lionel made during the Post-war period.
> 
> 
> 
> www.tandem-associates.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Another website that reports the same.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Motive Power - Diesels - GP7 / GP9 - 2028 Pennsylvania - Lionel Trains Library
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> postwarlionel.com


Thanks for the info guys. Looks like a candidate for a winter painting project.

Bill


----------



## seayakbill

RotarySirloin said:


> Found this on a whim at a local shop yesterday. Been looking for this for a while! Going to do some LED upgrades for the tail light and interior lighting.
> View attachment 590098


Very cool, where is Batman ?


----------



## Krieglok

My new used MTH Lackawanna Trainmaster. This one is a dummy and will be paired up with my powered MTH Trainmaster. The caboose is a scratch built DL&W steel caboose made by Malcolm Byrd…


















Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

I've got a Railking powered/dummy pair of Lackawanna Trainmasters. Same great Lackawanna paint scheme, but the premier version definitely looks nicer.


----------



## Donnie Kennedy

So, I took a chance on an MPC 8477 NYC GP9. Got it at a reasonable price on the Bay. Figured I'd take a chance on her since she's built pretty close to postwar specs. Pullmor type 1 with magentraction Took her apart and cleaned, greased, and oiled her up! Nice and smooth running. Glad I took a chance. I'm thinking the right mpc era products are pretty darn nice.


----------



## Millstonemike

None of your links are working for me.


----------



## Lehigh74

Very nice loco Donnie. But then, I may be biased since I have the same model. My wife got it for me as a Christmas present when it first came out. It saw a lot of run time back in the day. Still works fine though it doesn't see much track time these days.


----------



## Donnie Kennedy

Millstonemike said:


> None of your links are working for me.


Fixed!


----------



## seayakbill

Donnie Kennedy said:


> View attachment 590180
> 
> View attachment 590181
> 
> View attachment 590182
> 
> View attachment 590183
> 
> So, I took a chance on an MPC 8477 NYC GP9. Got it at a reasonable price on the Bay. Figured I'd take a chance on her since she's built pretty close to postwar specs. Pullmor type 1 with magentraction Took her apart and cleaned, greased, and oiled her up! Nice and smooth running. Glad I took a chance. I'm thinking the right mpc era products are pretty darn nice.


Yep, the early MPC with Pulmore motors are an exceptional value.


----------



## seayakbill

A couple more items from the local auction a couple weeks ago. Pullman heavyweights in olive green. These will be assigned to my Lionel Prewar 763-E Hudson. The diaphrams are a close fit.


----------



## Donnie Kennedy

I had purchased the 1-700e a little over a month ago. Decided it needed the reporduction freight cars as well. I'm really impressed with the quality of these cars. They're all a nice heavy diecast except for the boxcar is a nice quality bakelite type plastic. Probably the nicest set I have.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Picked up the Lionel C&O Yellowbelly Hudson. It's slated to get a full upgrade, Pittman motor, Cruise, fan driven smoke, etc. I have a nice string of K-Line C&O heavyweights for it to pull.


----------



## seayakbill

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Picked up the Lionel C&O Yellowbelly Hudson. It's slated to get a full upgrade, Pittman motor, Cruise, fan driven smoke, etc. I have a nice string of K-Line C&O heavyweights for it to pull.
> View attachment 590442


Cool, it is a good looking steamer. Been running mine for a couple months now, your upgrades will make it a terrific running steamer.


----------



## seayakbill

Donnie Kennedy said:


> View attachment 590415
> 
> View attachment 590414
> 
> View attachment 590412
> 
> View attachment 590411
> 
> View attachment 590413
> 
> I had purchased the 1-700e a little over a month ago. Decided it needed the reporduction freight cars as well. I'm really impressed with the quality of these cars. They're all a nice heavy diecast except for the boxcar is a nice quality bakelite type plastic. Probably the nicest set I have.


Very nice, the reproduction freight cars are a perfect addition for the Hudson.


----------



## Norton

Donnie Kennedy said:


> View attachment 590415
> 
> View attachment 590414
> 
> View attachment 590412
> 
> View attachment 590411
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 590413
> 
> I had purchased the 1-700e a little over a month ago. Decided it needed the reporduction freight cars as well. I'm really impressed with the quality of these cars. They're all a nice heavy diecast except for the boxcar is a nice quality bakelite type plastic. Probably the nicest set I have.


Donnie, I take it those are all Lionel cars? They also made two cars not made in the pre war era, a Lackawanna Reefer and C&O Stock Car equally well made.
Also most everyone else made these cars including Williams in brass, MTH, and K-Line along with their scale Hudsons. A classic set for sure.

Pete


----------



## Donnie Kennedy

Norton said:


> Donnie, I take it those are all Lionel cars? They also made two cars not made in the pre war era, a Lackawanna Reefer and C&O Stock Car equally well made.
> Also most everyone else made these cars including Williams in brass, MTH, and K-Line along with their scale Hudsons. A classic set for sure.
> 
> Pete


Yes those are the Lionel versions. I've got my eye on the other two cars for the future!


----------



## Millstonemike

seayakbill said:


> Very nice, the reproduction freight cars are a perfect addition for the Hudson.


What are the "reproduction freight cars." When were they made and what era do they copy?


----------



## Donnie Kennedy

Millstonemike said:


> What are the "reproduction freight cars." When were they made and what era do they copy?


Hi Mike. These were the reproduction of the 1937-41 prewar freight semi scale cars that came with the 700e. The originals came with actual scale couplers specifically for the 700e. They were diecast and the boxcars were bakelite plastic. Others would come with box couplers for locos like the 763e. The cars I bought were LTI area 1990-91. They were made for the 1-700e LTI made in 1990. Here's the YouTube link for the prewar. Hope this helps!


----------



## seayakbill

A couple Lionel Postwar 6424 auto flats with original autos that I picked up at the Great Berea Train meet.


----------



## Desperado

Love the refinery!


----------



## Krieglok

Finished painting some boxcars…Weaver and MTH…

























Also bought a couple factory painted cars, a boxcar…










And finally, a Weaver Reefer that was factory painted but weathered by me…


















Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Gee Tom, I guess I have to find more boxcars!


----------



## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Gee Tom, I guess I have to find more boxcars!


I just bought six Weaver and four MTH boxcars. All being stripped at this time!

I still owe you one more Pennsy boxcar😉

Tom


----------



## SF Gal

Love the India Steam ship boxcar, very unique, very cool.


----------



## Krieglok

SF Gal said:


> Love the India Steam ship boxcar, very unique, very cool.


Thanks! I want to paint some Santa Fe box cars soon.

I am looking for another India Steamship car. I want to paint the brown ends and roof, like on the actual cars…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> I still owe you one more Pennsy boxcar😉


That's why my train looks too short!


----------



## Chaostrain

gunrunnerjohn said:


> That's why my train looks too short!


I agree, it does look too short, the 2nd and 3rd steamers could use smoke too, but, it's still looking good. Nothing to be ashamed of, for sure.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, the trailing engines have smoke, but they don't have fan driven smoke, so it's not that impressive.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Chaostrain said:


> I agree, it does look too short, the 2nd and 3rd steamers could use smoke too, but, it's still looking good. Nothing to be ashamed of, for sure.


Here you go, I filled up the smoke and took them for a quick spin.


----------



## Chaostrain

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Here you go, I filled up the smoke and took them for a quick spin.


Very cool, thank you!


----------



## Krieglok

Picked up a couple Atlas tank cars. They have very delicate corner steps and I need to fabricate a couple for replacements.


















Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice, different legends, not your run of the mill.


----------



## Desperado

Very nice! Always liked the Atlas. Love the true scale and detail. Is there any downside to Atlas (other than price)?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Well, a lot of Atlas rolling stock has a lot of fragile detail, more so than other brands. While that really looks good, it can get broken in handling.

For Atlas engines, I personally avoid them, and I hate working on them! It seems pretty clear to me that Atlas put very little though into the maintainability of their powered equipment. There are some that aren't super difficult, but a majority of them are more difficult to service than either Lionel or MTH equipment.


----------



## Krieglok

I agree. The fragility of their products definitely needs to be a consideration. I have numerous Reefers and the stirrups snap off if you look at them funny. 

The tank cars had a couple broken stirrups and a broken brake wheel shaft. The brake wheel was an easy fix. The stirrups are thin and a peculiar shape that takes a bit of effort to duplicate them.

Atlas does have a pretty decent parts site and I have been able to find most of the parts I need to replace.

I think Atlas O scale is rooted in the fact that they are a fine scale models. Their models reflect that, as opposed to MTH, Lionel and others that are descended from the “toy side” of the tracks, and their models are a bit more durable, detail wise…

Tom


----------



## Bigfoot21075

THIS magically found its way to my train room. Broadway Limited 6937 N USRA Heavy Pacific 4-6-2, NYC 4930, Pacemaker Red, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC ...

Broadway Limited 6937 N USRA Heavy Pacific 4-6-2, NYC 4930, Pacemaker Red, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC


----------



## Desperado

Bigfoot21075 said:


> THIS magically found its way to my train room. Broadway Limited 6937 N USRA Heavy Pacific 4-6-2, NYC 4930, Pacemaker Red, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC ...
> 
> Broadway Limited 6937 N USRA Heavy Pacific 4-6-2, NYC 4930, Pacemaker Red, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC


WOW! That's awesome!!!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Bigfoot21075 said:


> Broadway Limited 6937 N USRA Heavy Pacific 4-6-2, NYC 4930, Pacemaker Red, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC


I'm surprised you can run that on O-gauge track, I'd think it would fall through the rails!


----------



## Dano

i have finished some mods to this baggage/dorm car and put her back in service.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Dano said:


> i have finished some mods to this baggage/dorm car and put her back in service.
> View attachment 591172
> View attachment 591173


Doesn't even look like the same car. Incredible work.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Krieglok said:


> Finished painting some boxcars…Weaver and MTH…
> View attachment 590828
> 
> View attachment 590830
> 
> View attachment 590829
> 
> 
> Also bought a couple factory painted cars, a boxcar…
> 
> View attachment 590831
> 
> 
> And finally, a Weaver Reefer that was factory painted but weathered by me…
> 
> View attachment 590832
> 
> View attachment 590833
> 
> 
> Tom


My choice would be the Chicago and Great Western, a solid Iowa and Granger road name, but of course they all look good. I will eventually get around to buying a few C&GW rolling stock items.


----------



## Bryan Moran

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Well, a lot of Atlas rolling stock has a lot of fragile detail, more so than other brands. While that really looks good, it can get broken in handling.
> 
> For Atlas engines, I personally avoid them, and I hate working on them! It seems pretty clear to me that Atlas put very little though into the maintainability of their powered equipment. There are some that aren't super difficult, but a majority of them are more difficult to service than either Lionel or MTH equipment.


I'm sorry to hear that you don't like Atlas engines. I hardly ever pull the bodies off my locomotives, except MTH for battery work. 

I am a big fan of Atlas rolling stock. More than any other manufacturer, they seek out the odd interesting rolling stock, have some real good molds in my opinion and even their TRAINMAN "Rail King" level cars impress me with O scale dimensions and nice colors and detail.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Bryan Moran said:


> I'm sorry to hear that you don't like Atlas engines. I hardly ever pull the bodies off my locomotives, except MTH for battery work.


I have no problem with them until they need service, many of the locomotives were never designed for ease of service! There are certain models from any manufacturer that are harder to maintain than others, it just that Atlas has way more examples of difficult to service engine models.

I like the look of much of the Atlas rolling stock, just a lot of it has very delicate detail that is easy to break during normal handling. I only have a couple Atlas engines, but I have quite a bit of their rolling stock, I just know to be careful with it.


----------



## Krieglok

I screwed up this post…. So I will use the empty space to highlight a few custom paint jobs for some friends..

The two ATSF cabooses are slightly different from each other.

The AFT tool car is a kitbashed GGD combine…




























Tom


----------



## Krieglok

Dano said:


> i have finished some mods to this baggage/dorm car and put her back in service.
> View attachment 591172
> View attachment 591173


Great looking cars. The letter board and stripe give the car a simple but sharp appearance…




Bryan Moran said:


> My choice would be the Chicago and Great Western, a solid Iowa and Granger road name, but of course they all look good. I will eventually get around to buying a few C&GW rolling stock items.


I have quite a few Mid-west based roadnames I have painted. I also have a ton of decal sets in waiting! The CGW car has a slight error on one side. I will probably do another using the second set on the sheet..




gunrunnerjohn said:


> I have no problem with them until they need service, many of the locomotives were never designed for ease of service! There are certain models from any manufacturer that are harder to maintain than others, it just that Atlas has way more examples of difficult to service engine models.
> 
> I like the look of much of the Atlas rolling stock, just a lot of it has very delicate detail that is easy to break during normal handling. I only have a couple Atlas engines, but I have quite a bit of their rolling stock, I just know to be careful with it.


 [/QUOTE]

I really like Atlas products, but they are definitely delicate. Put them on the layout and don’t touch them again!

Like John says, just be mindful when handling the cars.

I actually have the some issue with some Weaver cars with their delicate stirrups. They break easily while stripping and reassembling the cars…

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> I actually have the some issue with some Weaver cars with their delicate stirrups. They break easily while stripping and reassembling the cars…


Yep, Weaver cars also are very fragile. I have some Weaver tank cars, the trim breaks if you sneeze around them.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Got my last U30C unless they make a different Rock Island version then I have - MTH Premier Milwaukee Road powered 2.0 to go with a non powered Lionel U30C I picked up 2 years ago. 

I now have an MTH Premier U30C for Burlington Route in Chinese Red, a Lionel U30C Burlington Route in Chinese Red - both powered, the single Rock Island U30C, the 2 Milwaukee Road and for extra measure I have a Williams U33C, so 6 is enough.


----------



## Krieglok

That is a great looking U-Boat! I have a few six axle GEs in different roadnames (D&H, PRR and a NJDOT/EL)

I have a couple Burlington GPs in the red/grey scheme. I always like the way they looked. I am a bit of a Milwaukee fan too, but I only have electric locomotives and no diesels…yet...

Tom


----------



## Lehigh74

York Haul

A few Baby Ruth boxcars, an MTH Clark boxcar, an Atlantic tank car (with fragile/broken grab rails), a Crown Models REA wood side reefer, MTH modern tank car, MTH Transformer car, MTH PRR crane car and a Peter Lerro print.

I’m hoping the crane car can be run on my layout. I have a premier crane car that won’t clear overpasses when the boom is raised high enough for it the clear on the side.

I also picked up some parts from MTH including an EL RS3 shell that I will swap out on my Reading RS3 on occasion.

Met Peter Lerro’s dad (same name) and had an interesting conversation. He said that when Pete was in grade school, his teacher said that he needed to concentrate more on his studies and less on drawing pictures of trains in class.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I like the Alcohol car, that's one I haven't seen before.


----------



## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I like the Alcohol car, that's one I haven't seen before.


Yep. The colors on that one grabbed me. A lot of detailed lettering for a Railking. Its 30-73578, 2020V2.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

That's probably why, I haven't seen any of the new ones lately.


----------



## santafe158

Picked this little MTH reproduction Lionel set up on eBay a couple of weeks ago. Although a very simple set, they did a nice job replicating a very rare early Prewar set pretty much as it was (aside from the Phillips head screws....). It should go well with the pre-1923 O gauge Lionel products I acquired over the last couple of years for the holiday exhibit that a coworker and I assembled for the Christmas event at the museum I work at. If I recall correctly, Lionel originally cataloged this "Armored Train Set" between 1917 and 1921.


----------



## beachhead2

This ended up being my lone York purchase. A prewar, American Flyer, tin, litho bridge. It needs a bath but it's in very nice shape and they're typically missing the ramps. I'm happy I didn't walk out empty handed!


----------



## Millstonemike

beachhead2 said:


> This ended up being my lone York purchase. A prewar, American Flyer, tin, litho bridge. It needs a bath but it's in very nice shape and they're typically missing the ramps. I'm happy I didn't walk out empty handed!
> View attachment 591582
> 
> 
> View attachment 591583


Very nice. I'm resigned to seasonal layout after I moved 2 years ago. But I could see my tinplate running over that bridge on my old layout.

I picked up an American Flyer/Gilbert station for my Christmas layout at a local train show beginning of Oct.. Its base is a very heavy gauge steel. It was badly rusted and needed sand blasting. For $10, right up my alley. Painted it Christmas colors matching my other restored accessories.


----------



## beachhead2

Millstonemike said:


> Very nice. I'm resigned to seasonal layout after I moved 2 years ago. But I could see my tinplate running over that bridge on my old layout.
> 
> I picked up an American Flyer/Gilbert station for my Christmas layout at a local train show beginning of Oct.. Its base is a very heavy gauge steel. It was badly rusted and needed sand blasting. For $10, right up my alley. Painted it Christmas colors matching my other restored accessories.


That's what I'm going to use it for, my Christmas layout. I need to find one of those stations too. Nice.


----------



## seayakbill

New freight car for my RJ Corman work train. The covered gondola was done by Lionel for the LCCA.


----------



## Madman




----------



## Madman




----------



## KBeyer

Picked up several Lionel boxcars from the late 1990's. I believe Lionel advertised these as "new era" 6464 boxcars with numbers on the car indicating the year made and number in the series: 6464-196, 6464-296, etc. These were produced 1996-1999 with three cars issued per year, and two "extra" cars in 1997. I like these cars. They have full columns of rivets on the sides, metal door guides, attractive pain schemes reminiscent of mid-century, and Lionel's die-cast sprung trucks. They can generally be had for $15 - $25 each.


----------



## Millstonemike

Very nice. Metal trucks too.


----------



## Krieglok

Delving into the Rock Island a bit…

An Atlas F3 I picked up cheap. It had damage to the rear ladders and both couplers and loose car body windows . Fixed all that...


















Also a Lionel Legacy GP7 in Rock Island colors…












also picked up a Rock Island WV caboose, to match…










Tom


----------



## Norton

Been adding to my single sheath boxcar fleet. This is my third Crown boxcar with a different road number. They match up well with Atlas. Also another Weaver MDT reefer. Found the boxcar at York and the reefer at the Syracuse show this past weekend. Both at 20 bucks. Just added weight so they are ready to roll.










Pete


----------



## ERIE610

I had a B Day last week. The family got me the following presents. Some Menards rolling stock. Shown below.
Also received 4 of the 6 Denver Die cast+ 51 Ford pickups with whitewall tires. Picture of a white one is shown below. I do not think these Denver Die Cast+ 51 Ford trucks even made it into the Menards online catalog. 
It was a nice B Day for sure. Had some delicious BBQ at a local BBQ joint to boot.


----------



## Bryan Moran

Krieglok said:


> Delving into the Rock Island a bit…
> 
> An Atlas F3 I picked up cheap. It had damage to the rear ladders and both couplers and loose car body windows . Fixed all that...
> 
> View attachment 592297
> 
> View attachment 592298
> 
> 
> Also a Lionel Legacy GP7 in Rock Island colors…
> 
> View attachment 592305
> 
> 
> 
> 
> also picked up a Rock Island WV caboose, to match…
> 
> View attachment 592306
> 
> 
> Tom


Yeah Tom! Going to make a Rock Island man of you yet! I just bid on ebay for the above noted caboose. But, as is typical of me, I may already have it or one very similar. I have the ubiquitous MTH F3 set of the Atlas you have above. I hemmed and hawed when TRAINZ had several of the Atlas F3's on eBay and their site about 3 months ago and just said NO, I'll stick with my MTH PS 1.0's. I have an ABA, 2 powered. But your crisp HD photography shows these Atlas models to be nicely detailed, probably better then the MTH versions. 

I have several GP's in the Rock Island and just put an older MTH PS 1.0 RTR on ebay. That Legacy version looks awesome, better detailed then most. I have several MTH and a Williams, not nearly as detailed and feature laden.


----------



## Bryan Moran

KBeyer said:


> Picked up several Lionel boxcars from the late 1990's. I believe Lionel advertised these as "new era" 6464 boxcars with numbers on the car indicating the year made and number in the series: 6464-196, 6464-296, etc. These were produced 1996-1999 with three cars issued per year, and two "extra" cars in 1997. I like these cars. They have full columns of rivets on the sides, metal door guides, attractive pain schemes reminiscent of mid-century, and Lionel's die-cast sprung trucks. They can generally be had for $15 - $25 each.
> 
> View attachment 592021
> 
> 
> View attachment 592022


These are a great value and really nicely detailed for the era. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## seayakbill

A pair of Atlas Trainman Rainier boxcars join the beer fleet on the S&Y RR


----------



## Krieglok

Bryan Moran said:


> Yeah Tom! Going to make a Rock Island man of you yet! I just bid on ebay for the above noted caboose. But, as is typical of me, I may already have it or one very similar. I have the ubiquitous MTH F3 set of the Atlas you have above. I hemmed and hawed when TRAINZ had several of the Atlas F3's on eBay and their site about 3 months ago and just said NO, I'll stick with my MTH PS 1.0's. I have an ABA, 2 powered. But your crisp HD photography shows these Atlas models to be nicely detailed, probably better then the MTH versions.
> 
> I have several GP's in the Rock Island and just put an older MTH PS 1.0 RTR on ebay. That Legacy version looks awesome, better detailed then most. I have several MTH and a Williams, not nearly as detailed and feature laden.


Thanks Bryan. The Atlas engine is nice, but the typical Atlas details that are terribly fragile. The rear steps are plastic, and one was broken off. I repaired it, but I have some metal versions I am going to fit to the engine, instead.

I picked up the Lionel dummy RI Geep 9 to go with the other unit. The Geeps and the F3 are all TMCC, so they could run together in theory.

I have painted five RI boxcar too! The last one will be a OB car, hopefully finishing this weekend..




seayakbill said:


> A pair of Atlas Trainman Rainier boxcars join the beer fleet on the S&Y RR
> 
> View attachment 592992
> 
> 
> View attachment 592993


 Bill, those reefers have a nice, modern look to them. It seems many billboard reefers are a bit “busy” looking, but these are great looking...

Tom


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## jrnyfilms

I've been working on my new layout and building a three set wrecking crane train. I've learned a lot of new skills doing this. From cutting plastic to learning how to fill gaps. First I bought a used MTH premier crane car, then a old MTH 70 ft. combo car and last, a Lionel all metal tank car from the late 40's. I cut the combo car body in half and added the extra end back on a much smaller body. This is the crane tender. Crew quarters and LED lighting were added inside. I installed wood decking for the crane arm. Painted the set a flat black and lettered all cars. Still need to install windows and a few other details but am pleased with the set and small cost. ScaleRail/Don


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## Krieglok

jrnyfilms said:


> I've been working on my new layout and building a three set wrecking crane train. I've learned a lot of new skills doing this. From cutting plastic to learning how to fill gaps. First I bought a used MTH premier crane car, then a old MTH 70 ft. combo car and last, a Lionel all metal tank car from the late 40's. I cut the combo car body in half and added the extra end back on a much smaller body. This is the crane tender. Crew quarters and LED lighting were added inside. I installed wood decking for the crane arm. Painted the set a flat black and lettered all cars. Still need to install windows and a few other details but am pleased with the set and small cost. ScaleRail/Don
> View attachment 593247
> View attachment 593248
> View attachment 593249
> View attachment 593247
> View attachment 593248
> View attachment 593249
> View attachment 593247
> View attachment 593248
> View attachment 593249


Great looking wreck train, Don. I like the markings on the crane. Just right. Wreckers were always a side interest of mine.

The boom car is definitely unique. Is that a prototypical design or a freelance design? Either way, it definitely looks like something a railroad would create. Very nice.

Amazing how many passenger cars, especially Pullman cars, ended up in work train service.

Tom


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## jrnyfilms

It's freelance. I figured if there was a big wreck way out from a city, a crew would need to have something like this. Don


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## seayakbill

Madman said:


>


Neat video, the steamer zips right along.


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## seayakbill

jrnyfilms said:


> I've been working on my new layout and building a three set wrecking crane train. I've learned a lot of new skills doing this. From cutting plastic to learning how to fill gaps. First I bought a used MTH premier crane car, then a old MTH 70 ft. combo car and last, a Lionel all metal tank car from the late 40's. I cut the combo car body in half and added the extra end back on a much smaller body. This is the crane tender. Crew quarters and LED lighting were added inside. I installed wood decking for the crane arm. Painted the set a flat black and lettered all cars. Still need to install windows and a few other details but am pleased with the set and small cost. ScaleRail/Don
> View attachment 593247
> View attachment 593248
> View attachment 593249
> View attachment 593247
> View attachment 593248
> View attachment 593249
> View attachment 593247
> View attachment 593248
> View attachment 593249


Terrific modeling for the work train.


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## jrnyfilms

Also building lots and lots of new overhead wire poles. It will all be a working system. Don


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## gunrunnerjohn

Love the catenary, keep those pictures coming!


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## jrnyfilms

Thanks gunrunner john, and *Krieglok. I've seen crane car tenders with shorty cabooses on them but what would you do if you were out in the "field" for days? This set will live most likely on a siding most of it's life. I just like to imagine "what if's" Don







*


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## Millstonemike

Is this all one car? What minimum curve would be required?


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## Lehigh74

Millstonemike said:


> Is this all one car? What minimum curve would be required?
> 
> View attachment 593428


He said it is a kitbashed MTH premier passenger car so O42.


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## jrnyfilms

I have added two small GE electric steeple cabs to what will be my electric short line to mines. They will help out the two Westinghouse electrics that work the line. The short line will connect to the Milwaukee Road main. After many tries I made the cabs to fit on Williams 44 ton locos. Sold one to a guys that super detailed the kit and won first prize at the National O scale convention. Traction division. Don


jrnyfilms said:


> Thanks gunrunner john, and *Krieglok. I've seen crane car tenders with shorty cabooses on them but what would you do if you were out in the "field" for days? This set will live most likely on a siding most of it's life. I just like to imagine "what if's" Don
> View attachment 593405
> *


Maybe this cut in half combo car wasn't my idea. Just found this photo. Don
View attachment 593426



Millstonemike said:


> Is this all one car? What minimum curve would be required?
> 
> View attachment 593428


All one MTH 70ft combo car. I use a minimum of 072. Don


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## jrnyfilms

Millstonemike said:


> Is this all one car? What minimum curve would be required?
> 
> View attachment 593428


Minimum of 072. It looks longer than it is. It was a MTH 70ft combo car. Don


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## Lehigh74

jrnyfilms said:


> Minimum of 072. It looks longer than it is. It was a MTH 70ft combo car. Don


Minimum curve for MTH premier passenger cars is O42.


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## jrnyfilms

Thanks Bob, I know those cars can made a 042 curve, I should have said, for me the minimum is 072 because I think they look better with less overhang. Don


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## Krieglok

Finally bought a Lionel Legacy GP30 in the N&W scheme. This engine has the high short hood, which gives it a unique appearance.

The N&W was one of a couple railroads that had a contractual agreement with the Engineer’s union, to provide locomotives that normally operated long hood forward or if they ran short hoot first, they would be equipped with a high hood for better protection in collisions, especially at grade crossings. The Southern Railway had a similar agreement. While both roads did operated low short hood units, the high short hood engines were more the norm…


















Tom


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## Lehigh74

Unique is right. I don't remember ever seeing a GP30 with high short hood.


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## Krieglok

Lehigh74 said:


> Unique is right. I don't remember ever seeing a GP30 with high short hood.


The few I ever saw were in black with NW on the sides…on the ex Nickel Plate Road out of Buffalo. The blue was before my time…






















Tom


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## Jub

Picked a box for the Christmas train today


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## Krieglok

Nice graphics! Enjoy!

Tom


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## seayakbill

A couple Lionel / LOTS Robin Hood Beer boxcars that I acquired in an auction last week. All of the cars in this auction lot were LOTS club cars, the scale cars were new and still in their shipping cartons.


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## Krieglok

More cars with wonderful graphics. The printing on the cars is perfect. The details are excellent too. The side grab irons and roof walk really make the car! Nice stuff, Bill!

Tom


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## Jeff T

Nice detail on those cars Bill!!


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## Jeff T

I picked up the early Legacy CN SD40 a few weeks ago. It needed a good cleaning, could still use more. Opened the smoke unit and everything was burnt to the resistor. Chip in the roof, one of the number boards is out...
All in all, perfect candidate to run at our club open houses and on the traveling layout. Don't have to worry too much about those little fingers!!


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## seayakbill

Jeff and Tom, a total of 6 Lionel / LOTS cars in the lot. My winning bid was $75, typically LOTS club cars sell for $75 to $90 when first offered by the club, so ended up with 6 for the price of one.


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## Krieglok

Nice engine, Jeff. Looks fine to me.

I like how the CN put their airhorns back by the exhaust stack. This way the heat keeps them from clogging with snow in the winter time. Most railroads in the north never learn this lesson. Failed horns are not fun!

Tom


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## Krieglok

A new MTH PRR H3 2-8-0 with a PS2/3v operating system. Needed a BCR2 and some minor sprucing up…


















Tom


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## seayakbill

Krieglok said:


> A new MTH PRR H3 2-8-0 with a PS2/3v operating system. Needed a BRC2 and some minor sprucing up…
> 
> View attachment 594954
> 
> View attachment 594955
> 
> 
> Tom


Good looking steamer Tom.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Krieglok said:


> A new MTH PRR H3 2-8-0 with a PS2/3v operating system. Needed a BCR2 and some minor sprucing up…
> 
> View attachment 594954
> 
> 
> Tom


I really like the look of the boiler on this one, it actually looks round like the real prototype.


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## Krieglok

It has a tiny Belpair firebox, hard to see but definitely PRR! These H3s are nice compact engines. I am curious to see how they pull…

Tom


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## gunrunnerjohn

Tom, I was referring to the overall look especially the front of the boiler. It's cool when you see daylight through there like a real steam locomotive.


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## Krieglok

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Tom, I was referring to the overall look especially the front of the boiler. It's cool when you see daylight through there like a real steam locomotive.


Oh okay, I got it now. They definitely are decent models!

Tom


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## TJSmith

*Just got a Lionel Legacy NYC Atlantic. A very sweet engine.*


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## seayakbill

Another of the Lionel / LOTS scale freight cars that was in my winning bid.


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## Spence

seayakbill said:


> Another of the Lionel / LOTS scale freight cars that was in my winning bid.
> 
> View attachment 595045
> 
> 
> View attachment 595046


Nice looking box car. I've never seen one with those markings.


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## Lehigh74

My daughter got me a box car for Father’s Day, but I already had it and didn’t want another. I finally took it back to Nicholas Smith today and returned it for store credit. I picked up three Nicholas Smith Lionel woodsided reefers ($10 each) plus a used MTH RK Goetz Brewing woodsided reefer for the exact amount of the store credit.


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## Krieglok

seayakbill said:


> Another of the Lionel / LOTS scale freight cars that was in my winning bid.
> 
> View attachment 595045
> 
> 
> View attachment 595046


Always a favorite scheme. I have seen the potato cars in both B&A and NH. I don’t know if the Maine Central had them too or not, but their successor, MMA, painted modern cars in the red, white and blue scheme. Nice car, Bill.



Lehigh74 said:


> My daughter got me a box car for Father’s Day, but I already had it and didn’t want another. I finally took it back to Nicholas Smith today and returned it for store credit. I picked up three Nicholas Smith Lionel woodsided reefers ($10 each) plus a used MTH RK Goetz Brewing woodsided reefer for the exact amount of the store credit.
> View attachment 595066
> 
> View attachment 595067


Nice swap Bob. Your daughter must have given you a really nice car for you to be able to exchange it for four other cars!

Getting cars as gifts is awkward. It is like getting a book or clothes for a gift…maybe not your style.

Tom


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## seayakbill

Lehigh74 said:


> My daughter got me a box car for Father’s Day, but I already had it and didn’t want another. I finally took it back to Nicholas Smith today and returned it for store credit. I picked up three Nicholas Smith Lionel woodsided reefers ($10 each) plus a used MTH RK Goetz Brewing woodsided reefer for the exact amount of the store credit.
> View attachment 595066
> 
> View attachment 595067


Very colorful freight cars, certainly will be eye catchers on the layout.


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## Lehigh74

Krieglok said:


> Nice swap Bob. Your daughter must have given you a really nice car for you to be able to exchange it for four other cars!
> 
> Getting cars as gifts is awkward. It is like getting a book or clothes for a gift…maybe not your style.
> 
> Tom


My daughter does well in picking train gifts for me, but I already had this one (a DNC box car with crates full of ballots hidden inside). A funny car, but I didn’t need two of them.

The Nicholas Smith cars were only $10 each. I think Chris Ganz is tired of having them in the back and after 12 years he has priced them to move.


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## seayakbill

A couple more of the scale Lionel / LOTS rolling stock I won at an auction a couple weeks ago. A pair of Virginian coal hoppers, one with a ETD.


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## Jeff T

I don't have a single car with ETD. That will have to change! Nice Bill!!


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## gunrunnerjohn

Not long ago I managed to score a few of the MTH EOT trucks over on OGR. They've been scarce as hen's teeth, so I was happy to find a few.


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## Krieglok

Nice cars Bill.

The EOTs are interesting and right at home on any modern train. I have only one MTH EOT truck, still in the package. I have some modern intermodal cars that will be followed up by the EOT, but cabooses will still rule the roost with me…

Tom


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## seayakbill

I bought a few of the MTH separate sale ETD from Jimmy at Jims Train Shop many years ago when he still had his shop in PA. Very easy to switch out on MTH modern freight cars.


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## 9daytonas

This is the first of two locomotives I bought from Mike Wolf's collection that were recently sold at auction. Took a gamble, but would love to hear what you think!


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## Krieglok

Nice snag. It’s nice to get something better than expected!

Rebuilt as an SD40-3. Newer electronics and traction control. Great sound and it looks like it is all there. The BNSF units look great too, as does the scenery work you have started.

Thanks for posting!

Tom


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## Jeff T

Found a Lionel #28039 UP 2-8-0 Consolidation on FB Marketplace near me. Somewhere along the line a previous owner upgraded it to TMCC and RailSounds! Could still use Cruise though!

And I need to see why there is nothing from the smoke unit!

Update: She smokes!! Resistor was toast!!


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, that model had a puffer mechanical smoke unit, so don't expect clouds of smoke.  It's pretty easy to add cruise using the ERR Cruise Commander M board to replace the old Lionel DCDR. One wire to serial data and plug the two plugs in and it's ready.


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## Lehigh74

A couple of Christmas presents that I picked up at Henning’s Trains last month and handed to my wife to give to me on Sunday. The 33000 gallon tanker is Atlas Master. When I opened it up, I thought it looked too long for my layout, but it’s the same length as a premier passenger car so it should be fine. The Schlitz tanker is Atlas Premier. Although the price is 35% more than what MTH asked a few years ago, it grabbed my eye so I went for it. I’m thinking that Atlas will recoup what they spent for MTH tooling in no time.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Love the beer car!


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## seayakbill

I have the beer tanker in the Olympia Beer script, they are very cool.


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## seayakbill

The last Lionel / LOTS freight car I got at an auction a few weeks ago. I nice group of 6 LOTS cars for $75, I like these type of deals. This one is the NYC auto loader, the Lionel Postwar Fords I added to the car.


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## Krieglok

I picked up a Lionel 2-6-0 with the idea of back dating the model to a early 1900’s look. It was going to need more work than I planned, so I will leave it and improve it as it sits.

Part of the project was researching as to which prototype Lionel based their model upon. It turns out, it is a Boston and Maine B-15 series engine. Built around 1905, they worked in commuter service around Boston, Massachusetts up into the early 1950’s.

Here is the engine I bought…










It will look something like this after it is relettered and some B&M details and piping...










Tom


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## J.Albert1949

Tom wrote:
_"Lionel based their model upon. It turns out, it is a Boston and Maine B-15 series engine"_

If you ever get up to the Danbury Railway Museum, they have this (not sure if it's the same, but very similar):


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## Krieglok

J.Albert1949 said:


> Tom wrote:
> _"Lionel based their model upon. It turns out, it is a Boston and Maine B-15 series engine"_
> 
> If you ever get up to the Danbury Railway Museum, they have this (not sure if it's the same, but very similar):
> View attachment 595969
> 
> 
> View attachment 595970


Yes! Definitly the same engine. I forgotten they had one…

I was up there a few years ago, when my son played in a hockey tournament in Danbury. I did a brisk walk around the equipment and then met up with an older fellow who was in charge of the FL9 they were restoring. He took me all through the engine, showing me the third rail gear and the related relays and electronics. We were in the cab and he was showing me the brake stand. It was a 24RL Brake and independent. They had no handles for the brake valves.

I departed and when I returned home, I packed up two train brake handles, two independents handles and a few EMD reversers I had in my garage. We returned the next weekend for another tournament and I dropped the handles off at the front desk. The fellow I had met and I spoke with originally, wasn’t there that day. Later, He sent me a letter thanking me for the handles and they felt the engine was now complete!

About six months later, he passed away before I ever returned to Danbury. He was a long retired New Haven Engineer.

Tom


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## Krieglok

J Albert, it is the same class engine. There are minor differences in some of the details, but it is the right one.

Tonight, I did some number and lettering removal. I added some minor details and touched up some of the black paint. Next step will be decaling and weathering….


















Tom


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## J.Albert1949

Tom wrote:
_"I did a brisk walk around the equipment and then met up with an older fellow who was in charge of the FL9 they were restoring."_
_"The fellow I had met and I spoke with originally, wasn’t there that day. Later, He sent me a letter thanking me for the handles and they felt the engine was now complete!_
_About six months later, he passed away before I ever returned to Danbury. He was a long retired New Haven Engineer."_

I'll reckon that it was Pete McLachlan that you spoke to. He hired out into engine service back around 1959, and when I was a brand-new fireman in 1979, he was one of the first engineers I worked with.

See this post:


Peter C. McLachlan, RIP - RAILROAD.NET


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## Krieglok

J.Albert1949 said:


> Tom wrote:
> _"I did a brisk walk around the equipment and then met up with an older fellow who was in charge of the FL9 they were restoring."_
> _"The fellow I had met and I spoke with originally, wasn’t there that day. Later, He sent me a letter thanking me for the handles and they felt the engine was now complete!_
> _About six months later, he passed away before I ever returned to Danbury. He was a long retired New Haven Engineer."_
> 
> I'll reckon that it was Pete McLachlan that you spoke to. He hired out into engine service back around 1959, and when I was a brand-new fireman in 1979, he was one of the first engineers I worked with.
> 
> See this post:
> 
> 
> Peter C. McLachlan, RIP - RAILROAD.NET


Thanks for the link. I read about his passing on the DRM Facebook page. He told me a story about running some FL9s on a extra move over some line and the third rail shoes were all damaged somehow. He was certainly a nice guy.

Tom


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## Krieglok

The lettering is finished. Weathering will be next…



























Tom


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## Norton

You nailed it again Tom. Where did you find the decals?

Pete


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## Krieglok

Thanks Pete. I used Tichy decals. They sell a set for B&M steam. The logo on the tender is actually from a 1/32 scale set of B&M boxcar decals made by K4. The tender logo in the Tichy set didn’t set properly, so I removed it and used the K4 decal instead…

Tom


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