# Look What I found



## hjstr6 (Jul 12, 2019)

I found this on facebook market place and picked it up this weekend . There was only one picture listed and it was not very good so I went to see for myself. Wow! The owner wanted 150.00. As I unpacked the box I was amazed. The items were in tact but will need refurbishing. I know this will take some time but will enjoy sharing it with all of you. I will post my progress. My wife just loves all this stuff on our dining room table.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Nice find, that should keep you busy over the winter. The good thing about those items, is that all of them can be made to operate again due to the repair parts available for them. Good luck and keep us posted as you dig into them.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Yep nice, did you try to offer less?
The way they were just tossed into the box says a lot about the seller and trains.


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

I am back temporarily. There are some interesting details in the mix. First there is a 736 MoPac operating stock car but no stock yard. Next all the track clips such as the 707 for the 758A Sam, the 696 track trip for the Bell Danger Signal and the 690 track power clip are all there. Other items are the Water Tank is early production because it has the old style control button. The uncoupler is the less common yellow version. Both the 758A and the more desirable 752A have white control buttons. I have seen a few white buttons for Sam but that is the first one I have seen with a 752A. Those die cast signs are from the #30 Highway Sign set, variation A. There should be 5 yellow and 3 white. I posted pictures of an all white sign variation of the #30 set last week.


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## hjstr6 (Jul 12, 2019)

Unfortunately I did not show everything but I do have a stockyard and a complete herd. I already have a stockyard with a 736 stock car. It is not my top priority so I will refurbish it when I have time. Thank you for your input.


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Just for info that is the 4 rail fence variation which is less common than the 3 rail fence variation. It looks in good shape, just a careful cleaning and reinstalling the windows needed.


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## AFGP9 (Apr 8, 2015)

Great purchase. Good mixture. Nothing there that can't be made to operate again. $150 was a good price I think. That 4 rail stock yard is indeed hard to come by. I have 4 of those stock yards but only one is a 4 rail fence and it needs a little work. So I guess that means the chances of finding a 4 fence stock yard are 1 in 4??


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## Chaostrain (Jan 27, 2015)

Nice find. I look forward to seeing them restored.

I look through fb market place and craigslist all the time for HO. We've come up with hundreds of dollars worth of stuff for free and hundreds more for practically free.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Cool!


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

Nice find. :thumbsup:


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## Mikeh49 (Sep 20, 2015)

I had those telephone poles when I was a kid!


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## leona1 (Sep 18, 2019)

I know this may not be the proper place to ask this----does anybody know where I can purchase S scale decals of Pennsylvania diesel locomotives. email me at [email protected]. I hope I didn't break any rules here. So in advance---Thanks, leona1


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Welcome to the forum. What kind of diesel locomotive. PA or what.


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## shaker281 (Jun 22, 2019)

Yeah, that looks like a box full of fun for $150! Lots of good stuff there. Looking forward to seeing the progress.


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## hjstr6 (Jul 12, 2019)

One of the locos is a 290 body shell only. Thank you for your welcome. The date stamped on the inside of the shell is February 1950. The other loco is a complete 290. I have not cracked it open yet to see what date is stamped on the inside. The tender has no other distinguishing marks other than American flyer on the side. I am not that experienced yet to be able to distinguish between different models. I'm sure there was a ton of 290s made.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

hjstr6 said:


> One of the locos is a 290 body shell only. Thank you for your welcome. The date stamped on the inside of the shell is February 1950. The other loco is a complete 290. I have not cracked it open yet to see what date is stamped on the inside. The tender has no other distinguishing marks other than American flyer on the side. I am not that experienced yet to be able to distinguish between different models. I'm sure there was a ton of 290s made.


The tender for a 290 should only have American Flyer on the side, no heralds.


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## hjstr6 (Jul 12, 2019)

Well, I decided to work on the 752a seaboard coal loader. I dismantle all the components from the metal base because I wanted to be bead blast all the rust and paint off the base surface. I purchase black crackle paint and green accessory paint from port line hobbies to maintain the original finish. with some trial-and-error I was able to get it pretty close.I cleaned and polished all the component pieces. I repainted the tower, chute, clamshell, and storage bin. Upon reassembly I had some issues with the clamshell. Thank-you Cramden and Trackman for your help. Some things just work on gravity. My next project will be the 290 locomotive.


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## dooper (Nov 9, 2015)

very nice


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## AFGP9 (Apr 8, 2015)

Good job on the coal loader!


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Your coal loader looks great. Good job. I have a 290 that needs to be repainted.
Lots of paint flaking. I will get to it someday.


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## hjstr6 (Jul 12, 2019)

Mopac, send it to me. Remove whistle, bell and lens, and I will be happy to bead blast the exterior and even paint if you want. Without paint, turnaround could be less than 24H. Here are some pics of a 290 I recently finished. Just awaiting dry transfers.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

That looks great. That's what mine needs. My tender looks great, so it needs nothing.
When I get to mine I will see if offer is still good. Thanks for the offer. Very nice of you.

Is that primer in the first pic? Good idea.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Here is pic of my flaking paint. And the nice tender.
I got this from a forum member here. He told me paint was bad
but I got it cheap.


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## hjstr6 (Jul 12, 2019)

No that is not primer that's what it looks like when it comes out of the bead blaster. After that primer and black satin paint. That's exactly how the paint looked like on my 290. The tender was even worse.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Here's one of the many 290's I have, and I've restored this one.. Sand-blast, new satin black paint, and new dry rub transfers. You can also send me your shells Al, but I don't do any blasting doing the winter, I save all my blasting for the summer...And it runs better than it looks, pictures don't do it justice.


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## hjstr6 (Jul 12, 2019)

If that pic does not do it justice then it must be phenomenal. Great job! I personally hate to remove the original paint but sometimes it is a must.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I usually like the original paint better. But like mine, sometimes it needs to be repainted.
I thought I could live with the paint, but I can't. Good looking redo flyernut. Looks great.

I bought 2 1948 302s with the metal handrails from flyernut. One he had repainted and
new cab numbers and lettering. I love them both. I bought the second one because it
had original paint. Its just something in my head. A good repaint will look better than
an original.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I usually like the original paint better. But like mine, sometimes it needs to be repainted.
I thought I could live with the paint, but I can't. Good looking redo flyernut. Looks great.

I bought 2 1948 302s with the metal handrails from flyernut. One he had repainted and
new cab numbers and lettering. I love them both. I bought the second one because it
had original paint. Its just something in my head. A good repaint will look better than
an original.

Sorry for the double post. Not sure how that happened.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

hjstr6 said:


> If that pic does not do it justice then it must be phenomenal. Great job! I personally hate to remove the original paint but sometimes it is a must.


Thanks for the kind words.. The engine and tender look like they just came out of the box, if I may say so myself.. I don't do restorations anymore for a customer.. I had a guy come to me with a large box of engine parts and tenders, a 321 and a 300. He said make them run, here's a bunch of parts.. It took me 3-4 weeks, hunting down parts, cleaning, rebuilding, re-painting, sand-blasting, re-quartering, and anything else you could possibly name. When they were done, they were drop dead gorgeous, and ran as new. I had over $100 dollars in parts in them both, plus parts I had on hand, and over 15 hours of labor in them. My wife and myself even drove over 200 miles round-trip to hand deliver them to the guy. When we got there I ran them for him, and they performed flawlessly. He took them both, put them on a shelf in another room, and came back with the cash for the work. He handed me the money and then started to berate me in front of my wife, saying "I ruined his trains, they looked too good." I was ready to cold-cock this guy but the wife pulled me away, and we left..This jerk owed me more money than I charged him. The shops around here get between $25 and $40 bucks a hour for repairs, and they will not do any type of restorations because of the work involved, it's not cost effective for the customer, and I can see why..If I do any more restorations, it's $100 bucks UP FRONT, period, plus any parts.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

mopac said:


> I usually like the original paint better. But like mine, sometimes it needs to be repainted.
> I thought I could live with the paint, but I can't. Good looking redo flyernut. Looks great.
> 
> I bought 2 1948 302s with the metal handrails from flyernut. One he had repainted and
> ...


Brain fart, I get MANY of them,lol... I just bought another 4-piece boiler 302 today. Winter work.. I love the 4-piece boiler 302's, I buy them anytime I see them, IF the price is right.:smilie_daumenpos:


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

flyernut said:


> Thanks for the kind words.. The engine and tender look like they just came out of the box, if I may say so myself.. I don't do restorations anymore for a customer.. I had a guy come to me with a large box of engine parts and tenders, a 321 and a 300. He said make them run, here's a bunch of parts.. It took me 3-4 weeks, hunting down parts, cleaning, rebuilding, re-painting, sand-blasting, re-quartering, and anything else you could possibly name. When they were done, they were drop dead gorgeous, and ran as new. I had over $100 dollars in parts in them both, plus parts I had on hand, and over 15 hours of labor in them. My wife and myself even drove over 200 miles round-trip to hand deliver them to the guy. When we got there I ran them for him, and they performed flawlessly. He took them both, put them on a shelf in another room, and came back with the cash for the work. He handed me the money and then started to berate me in front of my wife, saying "I ruined his trains, they looked too good." I was ready to cold-cock this guy but the wife pulled me away, and we left..This jerk owed me more money than I charged him. The shops around here get between $25 and $40 bucks a hour for repairs, and they will not do any type of restorations because of the work involved, it's not cost effective for the customer, and I can see why..If I do any more restorations, it's $100 bucks UP FRONT, period, plus any parts.


Let me re-phrase my statement.. For my buddies here, I can do it for free, just parts, and shipping. All I ask for is a donation to keep on doing the free work, and to help pay for parts not on hand.


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## hjstr6 (Jul 12, 2019)

That's an awful story. From looking at your pics I can tell you take great pride in your work. That guy was a real sphincter.


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## AFGP9 (Apr 8, 2015)

Flyernut that's what happens all too often now days. You do a guy a good turn and good job, he turns on you. 
I missed a 4 piece boiler 302 at a local large antique mall recently. This place has 4 AF train vendors in it so I check them from time to time. The other day I walked in and there sitting on the counter was this 302. Of course I inquired about it. Turns out a guy was there checking all 4 vendors too and had picked this 302 out of one of the cases and was looking at the others. I found the guy and tried to buy it for more than he was going to spend but no dice. Timing. 

Since I know you have that Nova, I have a story you can relate to. 
When I was fooling with muscle cars and restorations I also redid Holley carburetors. I know a plater so besides making things right mechanically, they got re-plated too. A guy brought me a Holley off his 396/375 hp Chevelle he was cosmetically restoring. He wanted this Holley to look and perform like new. I always got half of my money up front since I had to pay the plater. After getting the carb back from the plater, it was assembled with all new Holley parts where needed, tested and adjusted on one of my engines. It performed and looked like it did when new. When the owner saw the Holley plating color he threw a fit saying I had ruined it's originality! All Holleys turn a grayish color after running on an engine for a while. I asked him if he had ever seen a new in the box Holley and he said no. I told him that was what they looked like new. He owed me $250 for the balance, he refused to pay. All factory Holleys have a car manufacturer part number and date code stamped on the air horn besides the Holley series number if they were really factory installed which this one had. I told him it was either pay the balance owed or I could easily sell his carburetor for way more than he owed me. He paid. 
After that I changed my way of describing what would happen on a rebuild. I also began charging more since I was getting little more than beer money for labor trying to be a nice guy. 

Kenny


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

flyernut said:


> Thanks for the kind words.. The engine and tender look like they just came out of the box, if I may say so myself.. I don't do restorations anymore for a customer.. I had a guy come to me with a large box of engine parts and tenders, a 321 and a 300. He said make them run, here's a bunch of parts.. It took me 3-4 weeks, hunting down parts, cleaning, rebuilding, re-painting, sand-blasting, re-quartering, and anything else you could possibly name. When they were done, they were drop dead gorgeous, and ran as new. I had over $100 dollars in parts in them both, plus parts I had on hand, and over 15 hours of labor in them. My wife and myself even drove over 200 miles round-trip to hand deliver them to the guy. When we got there I ran them for him, and they performed flawlessly. He took them both, put them on a shelf in another room, and came back with the cash for the work. He handed me the money and then started to berate me in front of my wife, saying "I ruined his trains, they looked too good." I was ready to cold-cock this guy but the wife pulled me away, and we left..This jerk owed me more money than I charged him. The shops around here get between $25 and $40 bucks a hour for repairs, and they will not do any type of restorations because of the work involved, it's not cost effective for the customer, and I can see why..If I do any more restorations, it's $100 bucks UP FRONT, period, plus any parts.


Your getting too old to clock anyone. 
Should have gave him his money back and took a big hammer to the trains ! And then wiped them down with a wire brush! 

Was he serious?


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Big Ed said:


> Your getting too old to clock anyone.
> Should have gave him his money back and took a big hammer to the trains ! And then wiped them down with a wire brush!
> 
> Was he serious?


Dead serious!!.. And I saw him at a train show in Syracuse NY, and he wouldn't make eye contact with me. I told my older son who the person was and he said he would take care of the situation.. I told him it wouldn't be worth the trouble. And I even gave this fool a break on some of my cousin's train collection!!.. And you're right, I'm too old now to do any clocking...But past histories and the scars would say other-wise. You'd think I was a retired MMA fighter with all my surgeries...5 on my feet, 3 on my knee, both hips replaced, spleen taken out, surgeries on both elbows, broken fingers, stitches in my eyebrows, and a broken nose..and there's even more... Poor defense,lol!!!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

flyernut said:


> Dead serious!!.. And I saw him at a train show in Syracuse NY, and he wouldn't make eye contact with me. I told my older son who the person was and he said he would take care of the situation.. I told him it wouldn't be worth the trouble. And I even gave this fool a break on some of my cousin's train collection!!.. And you're right, I'm too old now to do any clocking...But past histories and the scars would say other-wise. You'd think I was a retired MMA fighter with all my surgeries...5 on my feet, 3 on my knee, both hips replaced, spleen taken out, surgeries on both elbows, broken fingers, stitches in my eyebrows, and a broken nose..and there's even more... Poor defense,lol!!!



Damn.....you sound like Frankenstein. 

Well, you know who won't get anything anymore.
An A hole huh?
Some people just plain s uck! :smokin:


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Big Ed said:


> Damn.....you sound like Frankenstein.
> 
> Well, you know who won't get anything anymore.
> An A hole huh?
> Some people just plain s uck! :smokin:


Yep, some people do just plain suck, but the wonderful people here, I love!!:smilie_daumenpos:


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