# Finally got a AF 293 bought



## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

For over a year now I have been watching for a nice 293.
I think I found it and have paid for it. I have not received it.
I do not know if it is a set, but it comes with 4 very nice cars.
Cars are a 940 Wabash hopper, 633 B&O boxcar, 904 caboose,
and a nice black tanker (might be Shell)( not a good angle pic).
All knuckle couplers. The locomotive has very nice paint. I doubt
I could find better. Tender looks new and has the coal pusher
and the light posts on rear. Cab numbers and graphics look nice.
Smoke stack has white paint so 1953 or later. White stripe is good. Here is something different. Loco is tested and runs forward and reverse. Light works. Did not mention smoke so it
will need attention. LOL, I hope it has a smoke unit. Like I said
pics were not good angle. No pics from the bottom. Loco looks
very lightly used. Seller appears to not be a AF seller. Did not
list car numbers. Seller wanted 140.00 plus shipping. Did not
list "or make offer" but I sent him an offer anyway. Thought I
was fair and offered 110.00 plus shipping. He accepted that. I
will show pics after I receive items. Wish me luck.


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## BrokeCurmudgeon (Feb 8, 2016)

Congratulations Mopac! I am looking forward to the photos. However, I thought that you were seeing a doc for this addiction!:laugh:


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Broke, the doctor can not watch me 24/7.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Hey, the long wait is over.:appl: I think you'll enjoy the 293, good runners and Pullmor. The smoke unit might be dry or the seller didn't run it long enough but it came with one. Another plus for you is the 5 wire is direct to the engine unless you got a 53 version but most are direct wired with a gray, yellow, and black harness and a single direct black wire, IIRC. Need pics when it arrives. Broke, what we have a Doc can't cure.:laugh::laugh:


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

cramden, the seller pics were very clear just not of the right stuff. Loco looks to be direct wired. I did not know that 293s came direct wired.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Sometime around 54-55 Gilbert started to direct wire the steam locos which I guess cut out a few steps in production and overall cost. Eventually they went to the 2 wire plug to the tender when they moved the 4 position reverse unit(that became a 2 position unit,) to the back of the cab.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Direct wired should be ok. I have started putting my AF stuff in these baseball card
boxes that I found at a card shop. Boxes have 3 rows, each row will hold a pacific
with tender. My northern does not fit. I have to take tender loose. Boxes are heavy
cardboard and work great. 3 bucks a piece. Trying to just have one locomotive per
box. I got some labels that I list what is inside. So each box has a locomotive and
4 boxcars, gondolas, whatever. I think 3 caboose will fit in a row.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Direct wired work good, no more broken harness wires. The drawback is when working on them they are a little awkward being that they're connected.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

You'll like the 293. I have 3 of them, and they all run and look great. Any problems, you know where to send it. I just finished up 3 locos for a member, a circus engine/tender, a 302AC, and a 290.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Thanks for the offer flyernut. I am hoping I don't need to send it to you.

I do need to get to about half of my locos. I have not even touched them since I got them.
I am too dang slow. I want to learn to rebuild the wheels. I know there are 3 parts to them. I would like to put some new rims on some of them. Some of my worn rims are on my 282 I had as a kid. I didn't get to run it much because of a bad armature. I think
my uncle ran the snot out of it. And then if I am changing rims I might as well get
some pulmor rims. I don't think they are that expensive, I am out of train money again.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I was looking at some old posts and saw this one. LOL, this is not good. I do not remember if I got this loco or not.
I bought a nice 293 from flyernut. I got that one. And the post says I paid for it. I do not remember getting this 293.
Bought the one from flyernut because I did not think I had a 293. Damn, now I have to go start digging. I have no
idea where to start. I wish ebay purchase list went back further. I did not post any pics in this thread. So who knows.


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Mopac, I may not always be able to immediately locate a specific item in my collection but at least I have an accurate computerized inventory of everything I have. I hope you are not looking for a ghost item.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I really do not remember. I am going to go to What have you added thread and see if I posted pics.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I did find pics of the engine in that thread. So I did get it. I have a habit of buying things and then put it away.
The 293 was bought in 2017. LOL, it looks nice. Just did not remember it. LOL, somewhere I have a SD card with the pics of it. On the old MTF forum I knew how to transfer a pic from one post to another. This new one I don't.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Here it is. I figured it out. It looks fairly nice.



https://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachments/img_0556-jpg.458940/


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Then you have two. At least you can look for it with confidence.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I have got to go through everything and get inventory list up to date. Not having it
up to date is what causes things like this. I really have no idea how many Glbert
locomotives I have. I just know I have more than I need. Might need to thin the
herd. Hate to get rid of anything though. Isn't more better?


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

More trains is always better! That is why I have two engines and 4 cars on order from the Lionel AF catalog and 10 freight cars on order from the final MTH AF catalog. one of the cars on order from the Lionel catalog is the 2020 Christmas boxcar.
Best get started on the inventory update, do the easy items first. Add to it as time permits when you can go through other boxes. I know I would be in a world of hurt without my inventories. Including all the trains, Snow Village, AHL trucks, 1/64 cars and Plasticville it is 60 pages. Likely the same as you with all your HO and collectible cars.


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## AFGP9 (Apr 8, 2015)

Mopac, I think you got that 293 at a good price since it came with cars. Enjoy! Too many trains is not enough! More is better for sure. My 293 hasn't seen the light of day in I don't know how long. That direct wiring is nice but can make doing any tender work a pain. As to an accurate inventory, I am guilty of that too. I started reboxing my inventory from unmarked cardboard boxes and into those stackable Sterlite clear containers that are like a drawer a while back but somehow got "sidetracked". Now what I have is another unfinished project. 
Tom, I have a computer list as well but if it isn't up to date, might as well not have one. I keep a written list which matches the computer list so actually I have 2 inaccurate lists. A fine mess I got myself into. So between KleerPac article hunting and inventory updating, I have made no headway in either. Plus, I have to stop all side activity and run trains once in a while to get the train room smoked up for my AF smoke fix. To paraphrase Robert Duvall in Apocolypse Now, I Love the smell of AF smoke in the morning------actually all the time. 

Kenny


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

AFGP9 said:


> Mopac, I think you got that 293 at a good price since it came with cars. Enjoy! Too many trains is not enough! More is better for sure. My 293 hasn't seen the light of day in I don't know how long. That direct wiring is nice but can make doing any tender work a pain. As to an accurate inventory, I am guilty of that too. I started reboxing my inventory from unmarked cardboard boxes and into those stackable Sterlite clear containers that are like a drawer a while back but somehow got "sidetracked". Now what I have is another unfinished project.
> Tom, I have a computer list as well but if it isn't up to date, might as well not have one. I keep a written list which matches the computer list so actually I have 2 inaccurate lists. A fine mess I got myself into. So between KleerPac article hunting and inventory updating, I have made no headway in either. Plus, I have to stop all side activity and run trains once in a while to get the train room smoked up for my AF smoke fix. To paraphrase Robert Duvall in Apocolypse Now, I Love the smell of AF smoke in the morning------actually all the time.
> 
> Kenny


I just watched "Apocolypse Now, Re-Dux", 2 nights ago...I had several friends serve on PBR's in Viet Nam, front gun tub, dual .50's.


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## AFGP9 (Apr 8, 2015)

That is quite the coincidence. I mention the movie and you just watched it. Dual .50's is quite the fire power. I had a friend who was a helicopter door gunner in Viet Nam. Another friend's son did the same job in Iraq. Both were impressed with the .50 cal's fire power. 

Kenny


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

AFGP9 said:


> That is quite the coincidence. I mention the movie and you just watched it. Dual .50's is quite the fire power. I had a friend who was a helicopter door gunner in Viet Nam. Another friend's son did the same job in Iraq. Both were impressed with the .50 cal's fire power.
> 
> Kenny


"Ma Deuce"..After a stint on the PBR, my buddy was assigned to a Huey as a door-gunner.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

I was a US Army-trained armorer, I repaired M-16's, 1911 .45 cal. pistol, M-79 grenade launchers, and M-60 machine guns, aka the "hog" or "pig".


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## AFGP9 (Apr 8, 2015)

Now that would have been an interesting job. Especially once repaired you would have to take those weapons for a "test drive". 

Kenny


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