# New Member Here...



## daveo50 (Mar 13, 2014)

New member here, I thought I would share my story. My guess it's probably similar to some of the stories you have heard but I think it's great going back in time!

My mother moved out of my parents house into an independent living community. My sisters and I are now going through the house preparing it to be sold along with everything left. During my travels through the basement I found my old Lionel train set I got in probably around 1954, it was probably for my 4th or 5th birthday. Everything was there except the transformer and I had to do some research to find out exactly when I would have gotten it as a gift. I remember playing with it and it's remarkable that the Lionel stood the test of time. 

Anyway, I brought it home and took everything out of the box to see what was what. The engine, an 1130 O scale was in remarkably good shape. One of the bosses was broken at the rear which held up the coupler for the tender. I had wrapped electricians tape around it to hold it in place. It had been so long ago that the adhesive on the tape had hardened and covered up some of the 1130 markings on the engine. I spent hours with a q-tip and Goo B Gone slowly cleaning off the adhesive while trying not to damage the numbers. Eventually I got it all cleaned off. I removed the engine shell and throughly cleaned that with a toothbrush and soap, then I glued the damaged boss. With the motor assembly out I disassembled the brushes, cleaned the commutator, resurfaced the brushes and cleaned and lubed all the mechanical parts.

I had remembered what the transformer looked like and found another on ebay. I bought it and by the time it arrived I had the engine reassembled and ready for a test. I had used a meter to verify the motor was good. I assembled a few sections of track and tested the engine. It came to life for the first time in over 50 years! I was excited.

During my evaluation I had seen (and remembered) the tender shell as having a couple of cracks, broken screw bosses, missing screws... and at first looked hopeless. I went ahead and ordered a new reproduction shell. When it arrived I just didn't have the heart to replace the original. So, I thought for a couple of weeks and decided to repair the original. My intent is to give this train set to my Grandsons and I didn't want to give them something new, I wanted to give them my old train set. I had been pretty rough on it over the years but I figured with a little patience I could bring bring everything back to life. After some thought I realized I could easily glue the cracks and came up with a plan to repair the broken screw bosses. What I did was cut some 1/2" lengths of 1/4" OD plastic water tubing (the kind used for your ice maker), then cut one slit lengthwise (make sure it is straight) and slip it over the broken boss. I used super glue to hold it in place. Then I used JB Weld (you can also use a 2 part epoxy) to fill the inside of the tubing. Use a toothpick to coax the air bubbles out. After the JB Weld hardened I redrilled the holes and now had my useable original shell for my tender. It had some battle scars but was fully functional. I was thrilled. 

Now, I had always wanted a whistle tender. But, during the mid 50s I just didn't have the resources for that stuff. So now I have a repro shell with nothing to put it on. I bought a tender, minus the shell on ebay for about $20. When the tender arrived I did an inspection and noticed a few problems. One of the terminals on the brush assembly was almost broken off, the relay contacts looked questionable (bent), one of the springs on one of the roller pick-ups was broken and the spring on the coupler was also broken. I disassembled everything and checked out the motor to make certain the windings were good. Windings checked out so I cleaned the commutator and resurfaced the brushes. Disassembled the relay, cleaned the contacts and readjusted the contacts. Repaired the terminal on the brush assembly, reassembled everything and applied power, the whisle blew strong. I'm now waiting for the parts to repair the roller pick-up on the truck assembly. I was surprised at the issues! I could have ordered a new truck or a serviced tender, but I wanted to go through this myself. 

I had ordered another transformer, one that would blow the whistle. It was a 1033 and,,,, I got a pretty good deal on that one too! I used my meter to check it out and noticed that when the whistle was activated I did not see any DC as I should. What I saw was a large increase in the AC voltage. After a little research I realized the rectifier in the transformer was shorted, so the whistle would never work. I ordered a new stud mount replacement and it took me a couple of hours to replace the 'disc' assembly. Once inside the transformer I realized the circuit breaker had been bypassed. Ordered a modern replacement and am waiting parts.

So, this has so far been quite a project but very enjoyable. I've realized that you don't know what you may be getting on ebay. But I don't think I would have it any other way. I'm fortunate to have the skills to deal with the problems I've encountered, I've also noticed that other kids back then were much more rougher with their trains than I thought I had been with my own. I've washed and lubed everything on the other cars. I need to replace some of the coupler springs and I figure I should be ready to set everything up to run in a month or so. I hope my grandsons will appreciate this. Many of the memories I had forgotten have come back.

I have a question about the track. One of the things I remember back in the day was being frustrated by the track connections. I have bought replacement pins and a tool for crimping the track. But I've also read about the newer 'Fast Track' that Lionel has... I'm wondering if I would be better off just buying a new track layout or is there a chance that with new pins and 'track crimping' the train will run just fine.

Thanks for your time..... I'm enjoying a rebirth almost 60 years ago. 

Dave


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Welcome to the forum. :smilie_daumenpos:

Good luck with the project. Hope you grandsons will enjoy it as much as you are.

Magic


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## Broketraincollector (Mar 11, 2014)

Great story. Glad your able to do the work yourself to get it running. No clue about your question but sure someone will answer it. Any pictures by chance?


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## Kwikster (Feb 22, 2012)

All of my track is older, from the 50's, had it as long as I've been alive. Belonged to my mom and dad, they each had trains as kids it got passed down. I'd start by cleaning the rail tops, all that needed to perform properly as that's where the wheels make contact. Use ONLY green scotch-brite pads, they are the ones used around the kitchen most dollar/grocery stores have them. Do *NOT* use steel wool, the fibers will get attracted to the motor magnets with disastrous results. Sandpaper is no good, it scratches the rails and will attract dirt more quickly. Once the track is ready, gently bend the center rail (pin end) one direction and one outer rail the opposite way. That'll improve connectivity and help keep it from pulling apart in use. 

When oiling your equipment, use plain ordinary motor oil. You'll be glad you did, many here have been using it for years with good results. Avoid 3-n-1, sewing machine oil, light machine oil, and worst of all the Lionel stuff. It get really gummy/nasty over time, motor oil will not.

Fastrack is a nice system but can be pricy. It's also very noisy compared to tubular track. If you're working on a budget (I know I am) stick with tubular. Either way, both track systems are good.

Here's a good link for you:http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/searchcd1.htm

Carl


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Welcome, sounds if your off to a great start allready! I have the tubular track also, I like it . Kwikster advice is right on the money. Only thing I did differently is add a rust inhibitor / electrical conducting gel to the pins. It will work just fine.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

The pin problem is helped by screwing the track down, and a little spread helps with contact when joining them( as preached by servoguy).

Is you 1130 shell plastic? If not the cast shell is rare. Keep the old track. It should be fine after cleaning.


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

Here is a suggestion to save a lot of time cleaning track. This works well unless the track is very rusty. Bend the pins as Kwikster advises and then assemble the track. Run the train for a while and it will clean the top of the rails. If there are a few rusty spots, use the end of a tie to scrape the rust off. Set the E unit to forward only until the track is clean. I have used this approach and cleaned a lot of corroded O-31 gauge track. I much prefer to run the train to clean track as opposed to using ScotchBrite pads and elbow grease. If I have a track section with corrosion in the open end of the rails, I use a small file to clean the rust out. Also, if I have pins that are very rusty, I may clean them on a wire wheel, but usually this is not necessary. With the rails being bent where the pins are installed, the pins are burnished when they are inserted into the mating track section, and this is usually all the cleaning the pins need.


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

Did you oil both bearings of the whistle motor? The top bearing is clearly visible, but there is a bearing on the lower end of the armature that also needs oil. 

One other thing: You can oil the commutators and it reduces the motor friction significantly. It doesn't affect the electrical operation of the motor. Use motor oil for this.


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## daveo50 (Mar 13, 2014)

Thanks for the responses and tips. I'll have to look a little harder for the second oiling point on the tender motor.

Here are the pictures as requested;



1130 Engine with plastic shell.



6066T or 1130T Coal Tender. I seen it numbered both ways. Original shell, I almost threw it away because of 3 cracks and 4 broken screw bosses.



I used 1/4" plastic water tubing to create a mold around the broken bosses. JB Weld filled in the missing areas and pilot holes were drilled. You have to cut the tubing lengthwise and it slides nicely over the boss.



6032 Gondola. I think the red paint is there to stay.



6034 Box Car.



6037 Red Caboose. Chip in the roof is gone forever.



6646W Coal Tender project.





1033 Transformer Repair - Stud diode upgrade. Still waiting on the circuit breaker to finish the job.

Can't wait to get finished and start running the train.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Nicely done, a sharpie might help hide the red spots.


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## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

After seeing all the pictures if the work you've done I had to roll back and re read the OP. "New member here..." and just your second post. You're way ahead of the pack here keep up the good work.:smilie_daumenpos:


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## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

Welcome Dave. You've got a nice starting set to work with! I also did the diode upgrade on mine. Makes a difference. Good luck. Keep on posting.


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## daveo50 (Mar 13, 2014)

Thanks again for all the tips. The link to olsenstoy.com was a treasure trove of information. I had a hard time trying to find part numbers for some of the stuff I needed, this would have made the parts search much easier.


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## Kwikster (Feb 22, 2012)

I'd also suggest getting a copy of Greenberg's repair manual, then you no longer need to print as much. Olsen's is a great site, but on occasion it will go down for a day or two. 

If your careful, you could make a mold of the good section of the caboose roof and "make" a new one from epoxy, just add some re-enforcement to it. T-man has done it with epoxy on many things. 

Glad you're find our tips helpful, that's why we're all here.

Carl


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## daveo50 (Mar 13, 2014)

Kwikster, that is an interesting idea to recast the missing chip. I would need a donor shell to make a mold of the area needed for the chip. I've read a little about silicon mold putty and I think it would be fairly straight forward to make the mold. Placing the broken part into the new mold and pouring in a resin or epoxy would fill in the missing plastic and serve to bond it to the shell.

What I'm unsure of is any leakage of the resin between the mold surface and part surface. The repaired area would then need to be painted to match the red color of the shell. Any suggestions on paint matching?

Anybody care to comment?? I think it would be a great way to fix missing chips on some of these cars.


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## BWA (Jun 16, 2012)

Working on that very project right now. Cut the whole roof end off an unsalvageable caboose. Might get some rubber on it this weekend. Will try and take some pics as I go.

I have extensive molding experience (made resin parts for slot cars for 14 years), so, if you have any questions, ask away.

Not sure if this page will open up, but, this is some of the stuff I used to do.
bwaslotcars

BWA, I used to make Slot Car parts for a living, but, I'm much better now...........


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I use brass tubing for repairs of shell screw posts that have been destroyed. Yes, JB Weld figures prominently into any repair as well.


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## daveo50 (Mar 13, 2014)

@BWA - I'm interested in how your project works out. I have an extra caboose but I don't want to damage the shell. I thought that by using the putty to make the mold I could just form it around the section I'm missing the piece and then put my damaged shell in and fill the missing material with epoxy or resin. I was concerned that some of the epoxy would seep between the part and mold. I have virtually no experience with plastic molding except I used to work on huge plastic injection molding machines.

You sure have a lot of stuff on that website.

Anyway, please keep me posted on your project.

@Gunrunnerjohn - I had thought about it for awhile before I came up with the plastic tubing idea. Brass tubing would work too, are you using a dremel to cut the slot? One of my bosses didn't have much left, it was broken off down to the point where the boss is attached to the shell.


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## BWA (Jun 16, 2012)

That's not the way to do it, you need to take a mold from a none broken one (you can do this without damaging the original part, or, the paint).

Once you have the mold, you can make as many repair parts as you need.

After you mold the part, just trim to fit the broken area, and glue it on.


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## daveo50 (Mar 13, 2014)

Ok, I understand making the mold from a good part. That is what I was thinking, maybe I wasn't clear enough in my post. I planned on making a mold from a good shell. Then I was going to fit my broken shell in the mold. The only part that wouldn't be there is the missing chip. My idea was to fill in that part with resin or epoxy. I don't know how you could make a new piece and then glue it in place, the surfaces would not match up well. 

What do you think??


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## BWA (Jun 16, 2012)

That was the "trim to fit" part from my previous post.

You have to massage the broken part to have a nice clean straight edge, and, then trim the fresh molded part to match.


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## Kwikster (Feb 22, 2012)

You should be able use the method you're thinking about Dave. I'd think about drilling some small holes and inserting brass wire as a reinforcement to the repair point. A careful alignment would work, and minor work to smooth the area followed with paint and it'll be fine.

Carl


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## jimtone (Nov 11, 2014)

*plastic repairs*

Is there any info about repairing a missing roof chip like the OP shows in photo of his caboose? I have several Marx cars with that same damge and would like to make a professional repair if I could find a tutorial?


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

Welcome to the forum Dave. I don't know how far from Indiana you are, but I would suggest going to I Love Toy Trains store in Michigan City, IN to get your tubular track. If you go on Saturday there is a Lionel train tech there to help you.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Guys, you did notice that it was a four year old thread, right? FWIW, he hasn't been here in years!

_Last Activity: 02-05-2015 09:29 AM
Join Date: 03-12-2014_


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

jimtone said:


> Is there any info about repairing a missing roof chip like the OP shows in photo of his caboose? I have several Marx cars with that same damge and would like to make a professional repair if I could find a tutorial?


Check out T mans threads I am sure there is one for this repair using epoxy. I have no time to look.
Maybe he will chime in.

T man
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/member.php?u=352


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

............I knew that John.........:goofball:hwell:


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

There are two ways to repair chipped roofs. With an old shell you cut out a part and epoxy it to the new. It helps if you cut the chip roof square. Another way is using a plaster mold of a good section of roof. Then sit the bad shell in the mold and just add the epoxy to fill in the area.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

T-Man said:


> There are two ways to repair chipped roofs. With an old shell you cut out a part and epoxy it to the new. It helps if you cut the chip roof square. Another way is using a plaster mold of a good section of roof. Then sit the bad shell in the mold and just add the epoxy to fill in the area.


You had a thread with pictures right?
Though I forgot about your picture problem, man that s u c k s as I went through a bunch of your fix it threads and all the pictures were missing! It really made the whole thread useless in some degree as the pictures really showed how you did it.

You can fix them all right? Go back and find your pictures and replace them?
Though it might take you 10 years doing it !


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