# need some help, please guyz



## JRossman72 (Jul 9, 2011)

my wife was at a garage sale sat. and picked me up a lionel 8351 alco. its blue and silver. she doesnt know anything about this stuff. she gave $5 for it and i need some replacement parts. i need to know is there someplace that has a breakdown of engines, so i can order some parts, or refrence #'s. any help would be great, really love this hobby after just getting started. thanx jason


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Well, let's start with the GP-7 User's Manual which covers your model.

Also, look at post #8 in this thread: http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=6197

It appears that T-Man tracked down the documentation for that locomotive in the Lionel Supplements. You select the supplement you want from the drop-down and download it as a PDF. I believe this locomotive appears in the first one on the list, 1-9.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

You might give us an idea of what the issues with this engine are to start.

To speed this process along, here's all the pages you should need for your locomotive. Print these each on a full sheet of paper and you have a maintenance manual for your locomotive. You can start picking parts.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Hope it works out. Please posts some pictures, diagrams are ok but nothing beats the real thing. We have not had a good " Lionel supplement" posts in a while. Thanks John! :thumbsup:


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Once you find those older Lionel pieces in the supplements, they have pretty good detail for a lot of them.


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## JRossman72 (Jul 9, 2011)

thanks guyz for all the help, i happened to go to a shop yesterday when i was out of town for work. took my engine by this shop and talked to him. I replaced 1 part and re-solidered a couple wires and now she's running, i get a pic when my son goes to bed. Now i need some help finding a shell for a marx 1095 santa fe, anybody know of a website that sells parts for marx. thanx again jason


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## jreid (May 9, 2011)

Ebay.com sells a lot of Marx shells etc.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

JRossman72 said:


> anybody know of a website that sells parts for marx. thanx again jason


Here's a few, though I don't know if they would have a shell ...

The Train Tender, www.ttender.com

Olsens, http://pictures.olsenstoy.com//default.htm

Mike's, http://mikestrainsandhobbies.com/

TJ


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## JRossman72 (Jul 9, 2011)

thanx, i start emailing asap


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Somewhere we were compiling a list of parts vendors, but I can't find the sticky that I thought was made with the list, maybe TJ remembers where that thread is.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

I think here, John ... T-Man's "find a manual" thread in the O section:

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=5946

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I knew it was somewhere.  We need one just for parts vendors.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

The "main" parts post is number six. You made a great list so I linked it from there. 

number 6

Johns page of parts

I couldn't lose that one!


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I knew it was somewhere.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

I stickied that thread with John's list.

:thumbsup:

So, now that thread and T's "manual" thread are both stickied in the O section.

TJ


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## JRossman72 (Jul 9, 2011)

hey got a ?, what cars and engines all fit on fastrack, like lionel, williams. dont own any any atlas or k-line, stuff like that. just dont want to buy something that doesnt fit. i only have lionel and marx right now.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Just beware of two rail O scale. The couplers are smaller( to scale) .The truck axles are narrower. Just check the couplers.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

All three rail track is created equal, at least in theory.  In actual practice, I have the Lionel tubular track in O27 and O31, and O36 Fastrack. I've found locomotives that don't do well on a particular track type, and it's not always the same. I have a Williams GG-1 that runs like a deer on the O31 track, but has problems on the Fastrack O36. OTOH, I have a couple of locomotives that like the Fastrack and aren't that reliable on the O31.

As far as what's supposed to be compatible, any 3-rail locomotive should work on any 3-rail track, keeping in mind the turn radius requirements of the specific locomotive or rolling stock.


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## Dave Sams (Nov 24, 2010)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> All three rail track is created equal, at least in theory. .
> 
> As far as what's supposed to be compatible, any 3-rail locomotive should work on any 3-rail track, keeping in mind the turn radius requirements of the specific locomotive or rolling stock.


Theory is the operative here. 



For Christmas, I bought myself a MTH loco. The shop said it would work on 027 track. The box said 031.

It shorted out on the switches and would not cross my 90* crossing.

Luckily, they took it back.

I'm staying with postwar.


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## jreid (May 9, 2011)

I have found that the older Marx trains dont like the Fastrack uncoupler, although I know it wont uncouple them, the pick up lifts off of the center rail when passing over the uncoupler and the E unit says REVERSE, I have also found that some trains have too deep wheel flanges for o27, In other words it just doesnt always work the way we want.
That is why you see many layouts with both Fastrack and three rail tubular on them.


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

The early metal Marx switches will work with anything. They don't have anything that is sensitive to the size of the flanges. If you want to run prewar, postwar, Marx fat wheels and anything else all on the same layout, use these switches.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Dave Sams said:


> Theory is the operative here.


You betcha' Red Rider.


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## JRossman72 (Jul 9, 2011)

ya, i really like my lionel engines, but i wasnt sure if the cars would all hook up or look odd if some were alot smaller than others.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Well, there are several sizes of O-scale, somewhere there is a post that has all the different types of cars lined up. You can get a pretty odd looking assortment and have it all called O-scale.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

That O-scale comparison thread is here ... (it's a Sticky in the O section, John) ...

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=5126

TJ


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## JRossman72 (Jul 9, 2011)

hey guyz, here's what i picked up at local show, I need some help. the cars have no markings and i would like to find out some info on them. the guy said they were williams but not sure. they are for my son for xmas, and now i have to find a dummy engine for him. the gp-38 is for the family. i got a pretty good deal on it, he had it marked at 125 and i offered him 85. a little supprised but he took it. any help with the cars would be great.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Well, they look a little like Williams, but then looking at the bottom would be more instructive, Williams have some unique truck couplers.

Obviously, someone was loose with a can of blue paint.


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