# American Flyer cars



## imatt88

OK all,

I guess I've made it to the "big time", huh:laugh:

Anyway, here is some more pics of my latest find

The passenger car, its lighted








Missing wheels on the trucks,








The mail car. Quite the gizmo inside, apparently, it was supposed to grab mail bags as it was going down the track. I'd like to find that setup








Again, missing wheels,








I'm wondering if the caboose was lighted at one time. The hole is there








And lastly, the flatcar. The wheels on this triple axle truck are smaller and narrower than the other cars. Might be harder to find replacements








The couplers are broken on this one. Looks like a small lock washer or something holding the pins in place.

Any suggestions on how to remove those lock washers?

T-Man, I suppose you wouldn't have any extra old wheel sets laying around.......?

Anyway, I've already begun to disassemble the cars and clean them up...

Keep you posted

Cheers, Ian


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## T-Man

OK Matt, the flatcar is just great. A superb find. 
The hole in the caboose is the light socket like the one in the coach . It twist out. 
The coach you need tender wheels. One steel the other plastic mounted on the same axle. They stay on the same side. One truck is isolated and the other is grounded to the frame. The metal wheels are opposite when comparing trucks, that give you your circuit. One wire from the top of the isolated truck to the bulb isolated contact on the bottom.

The baggage car is cool too The trucks are set up like a tender, both isolated.

If you are going to be a bin diver you need to start hoarding trucks. Trucks are always on top of the lists when picking junk boxes.

Reckers decided to take this week off.hwell:
I am sure he can tell you more.


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## imatt88

T-Man,

This is wierd, I just checked the trucks on the pass and mail car, they're all plastic with metal axles

What gives? Not original, maybe?

Cheers, Ian


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## Big Ed

imatt88 said:


> T-Man,
> 
> This is wierd, I just checked the trucks on the pass and mail car, they're all plastic with metal axles
> 
> What gives? Not original, maybe?
> 
> Cheers, Ian


What are you doing fooling around with S junk?

You should have bought a bunch of O stuff to fix.:laugh:

I do like that passenger mail car. (but don't tell anyone)
In you other post I was trying to figure out if it was cracked or made that way. 
Cool the car throws mailbags.:thumbsup: 
Does it work? Did you apply any electric to it yet?
I wonder if you can find a mail bag for it?

Are you sure it throws bags? Or is it for a man?


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## Reckers

Nice find, Matt! The mail car does exactly what you suspected. As the illustrious Timboy pointed out, there is an arrangement that allows it to either snag small plastic mailbags when a button is pushed. It's actually very similar to a mail car I was in just yesterday at a train museum. The bar extends to a pole and snags the "incoming" mail, slinging it into the floor at one end of the (real) car. The outbound mail is just slung out the door by hand.


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## Reckers

Matt, I'm just back in town and catching up on things, but let me know if you need help identifying your stuff. That flat car has a depressed center: it may have originally held a large spool, like a coil of steel or cable.


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## tjcruiser

Reck,

Welcome back! Hope the vaca was a blast. Did ya' spend too much dough?!?

Nice mail car pics. Quite the coincidence ... guys here talkin' mail car ... you showing up with pics. Hmmm.

I'm pretty sure Ian showed a pic a day or two ago of his flatcar ... has a generator mid-length, and a functional swivel-light on one end. Quite nice.

Cheers,

TJ


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## imatt88

Reckers,

Here is a pic of the flatcar









Still have to locate wheels for it, though. 

Cheers, Ian


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## imatt88

Hey all,

Did American Flyer do O and S? I see AF stuff all over eBay that is labeled O scale.

The track I have is 2 rail, how do I know what I'm buying? 

What type trandformer should I buy? I use my Lionel transformer from my Amtrak set to run my Marx and Lionel O stuff, would this work on American Flyer?

So many questions.......


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## Reckers

Matt, I thought you had an additional, unidentified flat car. I have the twin of your 7210 in the basement. If you need help identifying the rest, let me know and I'll be glad to assist. Keep in mind this train is AC---you can use it on a DC setup, but be careful when you get bitten by the bug and start buying engines: some were made DC.

TJ, I spent waaay too much! If the GP 7 works, I got a good deal on it: the shop wanted $85 and I bought it for $50. I'm watching 4 of them now on ebay, and I scored a good one if she runs. Mostly, I bought pictures: I wanted to find some of just interesting old stuff to decorate the man cave. My girlfriend bought me a beautiful one of a steamer and cars in silhouette crossing a creek on a trestle during winter. One discovery, though, was a large, framed photo. It was taken from high in a building and showed a harbor with trains in the foreground. The background had old sailing ships and riverboats! I did some investigating on line and found it to be a photo of Mobile, Alabama's harbor---post civil war, most likely pre-1900. One riverboat was famous, the Nettie Quill. She was known as The Queen of Alabama. The steamboats are an assortment of sternwheelers and sidewheelers, so I thought it was quite a find.


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## Big Ed

Reckers said:


> Matt, I thought you had an additional, unidentified flat car. I have the twin of your 7210 in the basement. If you need help identifying the rest, let me know and I'll be glad to assist. Keep in mind this train is AC---you can use it on a DC setup, but be careful when you get bitten by the bug and start buying engines: some were made DC.
> 
> TJ, I spent waaay too much! If the GP 7 works, I got a good deal on it: the shop wanted $85 and I bought it for $50. I'm watching 4 of them now on ebay, and I scored a good one if she runs. Mostly, I bought pictures: I wanted to find some of just interesting old stuff to decorate the man cave. My girlfriend bought me a beautiful one of a steamer and cars in silhouette crossing a creek on a trestle during winter. One discovery, though, was a large, framed photo. It was taken from high in a building and showed a harbor with trains in the foreground. The background had old sailing ships and riverboats! I did some investigating on line and found it to be a photo of Mobile, Alabama's harbor---post civil war, most likely pre-1900. One riverboat was famous, the Nettie Quill. She was known as The Queen of Alabama. The steamboats are an assortment of sternwheelers and sidewheelers, so I thought it was quite a find.


Welcome back but.......,

:ttiwwop:


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## T-Man

Yes, AC is AC.
O and S? The only way is to go with the car ID, but then you already know what it is.


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## tjcruiser

Reck,

Old photo finds sound fabulous ... steamboats and all. Sounds like great decor for the cave. I'll echo Ed's thoughts here, though ... 

Cheers,

TJ


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## imatt88

Question....

What is the white on the outside of the drive wheels on the AF locos that I don't see on the Marx and Lionel steam locos?

It looks cool, but what is it for? SHould the Lionel and Marx Steam engines have it as well?

Just curious


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## Boston&Maine

imatt88 said:


> Question....
> 
> What is the white on the outside of the drive wheels on the AF locos that I don't see on the Marx and Lionel steam locos?
> 
> It looks cool, but what is it for? SHould the Lionel and Marx Steam engines have it as well?
> 
> Just curious


No Lionel locomotives, and I am pretty sure that no Marx locomotives came with this detail... It is simply the way that some railroads painted their locomotives - with a white "rim"...


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## Stillakid

Actually, the white rim is a insulator. It keeps "juice" from reaching the engine. All power for these "Beauties" come thru the tender


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## Big Ed

Stillakid said:


> Actually, the white rim is a insulator. It keeps "juice" from reaching the engine. All power for these "Beauties" come thru the tender



I don't see where the white is?


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## T-Man

*White Walls*










All the way through.


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## Reckers

big ed said:


> Welcome back but.......,
> 
> :ttiwwop:


Here's what my lady bought me for the Man-Cave---very pretty!










The old photo is below---black and white and sort of dark:










Closer:










And some additional Man-Cave acquisitions from the trip:


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## Big Ed

I see now thanks. 
Is that a plastic like material? Do they all have that?
Thats only for the two rail right?


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## Big Ed

I love the one of the old port. 
Old sailing vessels, ferries...history...filled with history.:thumbsup:

How big is that one?


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## T-Man

big ed said:


> I see now thanks.
> Is that a plastic like material? Do they all have that?
> Thats only for the two rail right?


As far as I can tell it is. Any axle on two rail needs an insulator if the wheel is metal and conductive.

I wonder what port it is?


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## Reckers

The photo is 16" x 20", and the port is Mobile, AL. The antique store didn't know, of course, but I looked it over carefully and found two clues. One was an advertisement for beer from a Mobile Brewery---a hint, but not proof. However, the steamboat in the front was on the internet and was famous: her home port was Mobile and she ran upriver and back, mostly carrying cotton.


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## Stillakid

*AF Insulators..............*

The white "insulator" does go all the way thru. There is a center hub, insulator and an outer rim. There were several models of AF steam locomotive thyat came out when the company was going from "Class To Crass", that had plastic wheels, axles and gears. I have one of those and it is strictly, "Crapola!":laugh:

The pic shows the three parts(from evilbay)

View attachment 4795


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## Big Ed

Mobile today











Reckers picture










Notice the Island in both pictures?

Take it out of the frame and see if there's any writing on it.
You can clean the glass while it's out.


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## tjcruiser

Gents,

Great info on the AF insulated wheels. I didn't know that. Jim, your "disected" wheel pics are excellent!

Reck ... nice photo finds. Not knowing Mobile on my end, but knowing a bit about historic ships, I'd peg the date of the photo somewhere around 1880 to 1890 or so.

Ed's "modern" Mobile photo is an interesting juxtaposition (Whooaa ... BIG WORD there, TJ!!! Got a laugh finally being able to use that one!) of old and new. Notice the modern island ... looks like there's one or two old freight ships rotting away on the hard.

Fun stuff, guys ... fun stuff!

TJ


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## imatt88

Thanks for the info guys.:thumbsup:

Nice pics:thumbsup:

Cheers, Ian


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## imatt88

Hey all,

Just a quick question, what would you guys consider the cut off year, or era for buying AF trains?

It seems they must have gone thru the same thing the other train makers went thru, go cheap to save money, and to stay in business...while quality suffered..

It seems the stuff I have is pretty decent quality...what about engines?

Just curious..

Cheers, Ian


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## Reckers

Ian,

I break AF S scale down into segments, in my mind: it's overly-simple, but that also describes my mind. I don't get in the older tin stuff, but I respect it as good for it's time.

The first is "anything old enough to have the link coupler", and this is good stuff. Some is sort of primitive-looking: there's a compressed wood-fiber flat car out there, for example. The later rolling stock of this era are high quality: deep colors and good workmanship. These are often called prewar, but their production straddled the war years. The latches come with and without weights.

Next, we have the switch (post war) to the knuckle coupler. This transition included cars that came with link coupler trucks converted to knuckles, and conversion kits to do the same thing. Eventually, everything went to the real knuckle-coupler, which has springs and moving parts in it. This era is also high-quality.

Around 1960, the company began having financial trouble and quality went down. Colors on the rolling stock became translucent instead of opaque. The Pikemaster coupler is a single-piece, molded-plastic coupler with no moving parts, permanently attached to the truck: it's all molded as one piece. Locomotive quality suffered: instead of screws, tab-and-slot construction reflected a change to a less-durable product. Game Trains were another effort at a less-expensive product.

PS: before you shop for a locomotive, go here and look at the details: 

http://www.americanflyerexpress.com...r-products-directory-steam-locomotives-01.htm

That site has a wealth of information about locomotives and rolling stock.

This one will tell you what features your locomotive has:

http://www.trainweb.org/s-trains/FAQ/locospecs.html



big ed said:


> Mobile today
> 
> 
> View attachment 4797
> 
> 
> 
> Reckers picture
> 
> View attachment 4798
> 
> 
> 
> Notice the Island in both pictures?
> 
> Take it out of the frame and see if there's any writing on it.
> You can clean the glass while it's out.



The glass is clean, Ed, and that pic you added is beautiful! Unfortunately, my camera, tripod, and the entertainment center were reflected in my pic. Great shot on your part, though! I'll check the back and see what's written, if anything.


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## Big Ed

Reckers said:


> The glass is clean, Ed, and that pic you added is beautiful! Unfortunately, my camera, tripod, and the entertainment center were reflected in my pic. Great shot on your part, though! I'll check the back and see what's written, if anything.


I just said that to give you an excuse to look for any writing.
If that has been in the frame a while I bet the inside could use cleaning too.

I always take a picture out and examine it. Just make sure you don't "reck" it!

Now onto the engine crossing the bridge in the sunset? Or sunrise?
Nice picture it looks like snow under the bridge huh?
Any info on that one?:thumbsup:


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## Big Ed

Nice sailng vessel too.:thumbsup:

OK Captain TJ.....you know what the name of it is?


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## tjcruiser

big ed said:


> Nice sailng vessel too.:thumbsup:
> 
> OK Captain TJ.....you know what the name of it is?


Looks like a whaler to me. The right type of rig (masts, yards, etc.). False painted gunports on the side. And if I look close, do I see a "cut in" staging area midlength along the bulwarks? That's where they used to bring the whale carcass alongside, and then walk out over the whale on a catwalk staging area to cut it up into blubber strips.

Don't know her name, but whalers where supreme mid 1850's thru 1890 or so.

Cheers,

TJ


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## imatt88

*update*

Hey all,

I finally sat down and went thru the box of AF stuff I picked up a couple of weeks ago,
Here is a couple of pieces of track. I have quite a bit more, but this is pretty much what they all look like.








Overall, the track is in good shape, but dirty and rusty. It must have sat around for a while. But, the good news is, I only had to trash a few pieces.

I'm not sure what these are for...








I believe one of them is an automatic uncoupler(?)

And one of two turnouts. I took this one apart to give it a good cleaning.








The rails are rusty, but I'm hoping its salvagable..

If anyone has some advice on cleaning track, I'm open for suggestions

I'm officially hooked on S scale.....

Cheers, Ian


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## Stillakid

Ian, when you're ready to re-install the rail, leave the bottoms off.

I had to clean(and paint the bases) of 6 - 720 switches. After the paint was dry, I secured the bases to the plates and started working the rails back on, 5 solder joints on the first 3 snapped off. Found out *after* I thought that they were done and ready to be tested. 

On the remaining switches, I kept pressure on the solder joints as I worked the rail back into the slots. No snapped solder joints.

Jim


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## T-Man

Ian,
the two green boxes are the electromagnetic uncouplers. The left is a 153c switch I believe. A Lionel switch that is weight activated.


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## Reckers

tjcruiser said:


> Looks like a whaler to me. The right type of rig (masts, yards, etc.). False painted gunports on the side. And if I look close, do I see a "cut in" staging area midlength along the bulwarks? That's where they used to bring the whale carcass alongside, and then walk out over the whale on a catwalk staging area to cut it up into blubber strips.
> 
> Don't know her name, but whalers where supreme mid 1850's thru 1890 or so.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> TJ


Teej,

I just found this post. *L* I can see the pic better than you can; I believe there are gun muzzles in those ports and the absence of a crow's nest suggests it's not a whaler---that, and it hasn't stunk up my basement!


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## tjcruiser

Reck,

Re: sailing ship. Could be an early warship. Look at the American Flag (if that's what it is) flying off the back. Can you tell anything via number of stripes and/or number of stars, etc.?

TJ


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## tjcruiser

Missing Post ???

Ian, Jim -- I could have sworn I posted a question to you guys last night asking about whether those S rails "slide in to" little grabber feet things on the switches, rather than being fastened with traditional bend-down tabs. Just curious.

But now I'm thinking I must be going nuts! Imagining posts that I never actually post! I'm losing it!!!

TJ


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## Reckers

T-Man said:


> Ian,
> the two green boxes are the electromagnetic uncouplers. The left is a 153c switch I believe. A Lionel switch that is weight activated.


Agreed on the green boxes. The thing clamps onto the track; when it's powered up, pushing the Operating button causes the center piece to rise, opening the coupler. Does not work on the molded-plastic Pikemaster stuff, though.

Operating button sold separately, but it's basically a doorbell switch.


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## imatt88

TJ,

Bend down tabs hold the rails in place.

Cheers, Ian


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## Big Ed

big ed said:


> I just said that to give you an excuse to look for any writing.
> If that has been in the frame a while I bet the inside could use cleaning too.
> 
> I always take a picture out and examine it. Just make sure you don't "reck" it!
> 
> Now onto the engine crossing the bridge in the sunset? Or sunrise?
> Nice picture it looks like snow under the bridge huh?
> Any info on that one?:thumbsup:






Reckers said:


> Teej,
> 
> I just found this post. *L* I can see the pic better than you can; I believe there are gun muzzles in those ports and the absence of a crow's nest suggests it's not a whaler---that, and it hasn't stunk up my basement!



How about this question I asked? (in my Alien Green)

Do TJ and me a favor. Take a better picture of the port. Preferable without the glass. 

I know I would like to have a better clearer look.:thumbsup:


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## Big Ed

imatt88 said:


> TJ,
> 
> Bend down tabs hold the rails in place.
> 
> Cheers, Ian



You trashed some rail!

Don't you know? Never throw anything away!

If you had a scrap yard scene you could have placed it on the pile. Cut it up and put in a gondola?


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## imatt88

What? I never trashed any rail.  Who said that??

The only sections of track I had to trash were the ones that were beyond repair.:laugh:

Reckers, is it ok to hit the rails on a wire wheel on a bech grinder? I did it today at work to clean the rust off of the rails. I hope I didn't ruin them


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## T-Man

Beyond repair? ....................................... What does that mean?
Wire wheels are fine. When you need the wheel the protective coating is long gone.


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## Reckers

IMatt, I refer you to Model Railroading rule #1: "What is right for a layout is determined by the owner of the layout: his or her opinion is the only one that matters."

My personal opinion is that the wheel and other relatively harsh measures have their place; that place being the last resort. To cite Timboy's observation about pickup wheels, the first resort is to clean and burnish the metal to a mirror-smooth finish. That would be the ideal process in an ideal world. I don't know that my idealism would hold up against a large tote filled with rusted track, though.

Bob said, "When you need the wheel the protective coating is long gone." I agree with that statement, but would recommend trying a polishing wheel and some polishing compound before going to the wire wheel. The more aggressive the cleaning device, the more micro-scratches it will leave. Think of it this way: cut the cord from a lamp, separate and strip the wire ends and plug it in. Touch both wires to a nickel and you get three results: a spark, a tiny pit in the coin, and a smudge of carbon soot. Those are your enemies.
Transfer the experiment to the nickel-silver surface of your track and consider: you now have a non-conductive carbon spot and a small pit in your track's formerly mirror-smooth surface. Every time the connection is broken between your wheels and your track, you get a spark, a pit, and a carbon-spot. Add to it the oil from your train that gets baked onto the rails and wheels by the heat of the spark and you start a slow buildup of nonconductive surfaces on rails and wheels. A perfectly round, clean smooth wheel on a perfectly clean, smooth rail does not spark because the contact is never broken as the wheel turns.

Now I admit that was very long-winded, but I wanted to illustrate the reason for polishing. The wire wheel is sometimes necessary to compensate for years of neglect. There are times I'd use it, but I'd follow it with the buffing wheel and polishing compound because I prefer running trains to repeatedly cleaning track. Make sense?


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## tjcruiser

Ian -- thanks!

Re: rust ... Another suggestion ...

Though I have NOT tried it with very rusty track (or even moderately rusty track), I have been having good success with using a diluted bath of muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) to remove surface rust on other metal parts. Soak for a few minutes, rub surface gently, rinse thouroughly, dry thouroughly. It's nasty stuff, so work with durable rubber gloves, eye protection, and in a well ventillated space. The nice thing here is that it eats away at the surface rust without being harshly abrasive to the underlying metal.

Again ... this is NOT a specific endorsement for track cleaning ... but just a thought based upon my other experience with the acid.

(OK ... I see that coming ... "TJ's been getting off on acid again!" ... Dohh!)

TJ


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## imatt88

TJ, your quite the character...:laugh:

Reck,

I polished the turnout rail on the wire wheel at work, and it seemed to work ok. It definately showed all the imperfections in that old track, thats for sure.
It was nice and shiny when I was done
T-Man,

Some of the track was bent and twisted, and the rails on a few were flatened like something was dropped on them. The track was not taken care of very well.
I'm not sure of how to repair track with damage like that.

I wish I could have saved it all.

Anyway, next on the list is to pick up a locomotive and get the rest of the track cleaned up, and pick up a transformer.

Keep you posted:thumbsup:

Cheers, Ian


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## Big Ed

imatt88 said:


> TJ, your quite the character...:laugh:
> 
> Reck,
> 
> I polished the turnout rail on the wire wheel at work, and it seemed to work ok. It definately showed all the imperfections in that old track, thats for sure.
> It was nice and shiny when I was done
> T-Man,
> 
> Some of the track was bent and twisted, and the rails on a few were flatened like something was dropped on them. The track was not taken care of very well.
> I'm not sure of how to repair track with damage like that.
> 
> I wish I could have saved it all.
> 
> Anyway, next on the list is to pick up a locomotive and get the rest of the track cleaned up, and pick up a transformer.
> 
> Keep you posted:thumbsup:
> 
> Cheers, Ian


That sounds like good track for a wreck scene.
And YOU threw it away!


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## Big Ed

tjcruiser said:


> Ian -- thanks!
> 
> Re: rust ... Another suggestion ...
> 
> Though I have NOT tried it with very rusty track (or even moderately rusty track), I have been having good success with using a diluted bath of muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) to remove surface rust on other metal parts. Soak for a few minutes, rub surface gently, rinse thouroughly, dry thouroughly. It's nasty stuff, so work with durable rubber gloves, eye protection, and in a well ventillated space. The nice thing here is that it eats away at the surface rust without being harshly abrasive to the underlying metal.
> 
> Again ... this is NOT a specific endorsement for track cleaning ... but just a thought based upon my other experience with the acid.
> 
> (OK ... I see that coming ... "TJ's been getting off on acid again!" ... Dohh!)
> 
> TJ



Please all who try TJ's way with the acid. Wear the proper glasses (goggles are better) and the proper gloves. An apron made for working with the acid would be nice too.
I used to haul all kinds of acid and this (as with most corrosives) is nasty stuff. I am glad we don't haul it. We do a little caustic every once and a while but that's it.

My skin is itching just writing about it.

Be very careful!

A little definition for you's,

Muriatic Acid is a strong, corrosive, inorganic acid (HCl), manufactured by absorbing hydrogen chloride in water. It is one of the most corrosive of acids, and is particularly destructive to cellulose, breaking the cellulose chain into even smaller units, resulting ultimately in its complete hydrolysis. It is the same chemical as Hydrochloric Acid.
Uses include cleaning brick, etching concrete, cleaning metal and for swimming pool maintenance. Will attack varnish, fabrics, metals, plastics, most paints and many other materials. Can be diluted with water. 

Nasty stuff!


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## tjcruiser

Have you guys all seen the classic space-horror movie "Alien". You know that scene where they cut up one of the alien babies and it spill acid blood inside the space ship ... then, they all watch in horror as the puddle of acid blood eats its way down through about 3 or 4 decks within the spaceship?

Now ... got that in your head?

OK ... now go back and re-read Ed's very pertinent words of caution re: muriatic acid.

Well said, Ed.

I use the stuff, but it IS nasty.

Cheers,

TJ


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## SkyArcher

I usually use Evapo-Rust to remove rust. Actually, it doesn't remove all rust, it changes the rust to some kind of black oxide. I've never tried it on a track tho so it may still need to be removed. Evapo-Rust is environmentally (and humanly) friendly. I get mine at AutoZone.


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## tjcruiser

Neat ... never heard of it.

Will EvapoRust-coated metal conduct electricity???

TJ


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## SkyArcher

I don't know. I usually use Evapo Rust to prep old rusty parts before I repaint them.

http://www.evapo-rust.com/


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## Reckers

Don't tell Timboy. He'll spray his track with it!


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## SkyArcher

I'd try it but I don't have any rusty track


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## imatt88

I got a whole box!:laugh:


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## Reckers

Ian's cornered the market on rusty track!:laugh::laugh::laugh: Where does one purchase that magical paint?


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## SkyArcher

Ian, I'd try Evapo Rust on the track. I've gotten amazing results in removing surface rust. Of course not so much if you have some serious corrosion going on. The Evapo Rust link shows some chain stores that carry it. I pay about $8 for a quart at AutoZone.

BTW Don't spray it on, soak the track overnight and rinse in water and dry immediately.


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## Reckers

Sounds good----thanks for the tip!


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## imatt88

Sky,

It actually seems like surface rust. I really think that the track just sat for yearshwell:

I'll have to check around to see if I can find some:thumbsup:

Chees, Ian


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## imatt88

Hey all,

Can anyone recommend a good transformer for running S scale? 

I've seen a bunch of different types on eBay, but I'm not sure which one I should buy..

Thanks, Ian


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## Stillakid

Ian, most basic sets came with a American Flyer 1 1/2B, 50 watt transformer. Remember, that transformer was for a really basic set. 

You can use your Lionel transformer as long as it's A/C. I'd get something with more than 50 watts if you're going to add more engines and accessories.

Are you shopping for a transformer before you find your engine? Or, did you "snag" one?

Jim


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## imatt88

Jim,

No, I haven't got one yet, but I've been looking around to see whats available.

I figure I'd buy an engine first, then look for a transformer:thumbsup:


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## Reckers

Ian, I'd go on ebay and look for any ac transformer of 100 watts or more. Jim is right that 50 will be enough for a starter set, but as you enlarge you'll find the 100 was worth the slight increase in price. The AF ones on ebay aren't very expensive.


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## T-Man

Most AF tables are powered by Lionel transformers anyway.
Either manufacturer works. We won't hold it against you, just don't tell if you buy Lionel that's spelled L, I, O, N, E L. Good stuff, always hurts the pocketbook.


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## imatt88

:laugh:


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## Reckers

I do own a Lionel tranny. I keep it as a doorstop---my assortment of AF's make it redundant.


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## T-Man

:laugh::laugh:

The Comeback Kid.


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## imatt88

:thumbsup:


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## Reckers

*grins*...who, me?


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## flyernut

imatt88 said:


> Hey all,
> 
> Can anyone recommend a good transformer for running S scale?
> 
> I've seen a bunch of different types on eBay, but I'm not sure which one I should buy..
> 
> Thanks, Ian


I run two Lionels. The one I run locos is a VW. It looks the same as a ZW but lower on the watts. If I were you, I'd get a ZW. Lots of power, and right now they're cheap to pick up.


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## imatt88

flyer,

I'll keep that in mind:thumbsup:

Here is some progress pics on the turnouts.
This is how they looked before disassembly and cleanup..
This one had some body work that needed to be done








and after the rails and turnout were cleaned and reassembled








Still don't know if they work. I will put power to them someday

Slowly but surely..


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## flyernut

imatt88 said:


> flyer,
> 
> I'll keep that in mind:thumbsup:
> 
> Here is some progress pics on the turnouts.
> This is how they looked before disassembly and cleanup..
> This one had some body work that needed to be done
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and after the rails and turnout were cleaned and reassembled
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Still don't know if they work. I will put power to them someday
> 
> Slowly but surely..


Nice job on that switch. I have rebuilt about 3 pairs of them so when the time comes to power them up and you have a problem, post it.


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## imatt88

You bet I will.:thumbsup: Thanks


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