# New 303...



## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Got this little bugger at the Syracuse Train Show Sat. The tag said $40, and I looked at it, and put it back. The owner walked up to me and said $30...I took it... At first glance it appeared to be a great-looking loco cosmetically.. Both front steps present, nothing broken, lettering nice, traction tires showed almost zero wear...And the owner said it ran....Right...I got it home, and immediately pulled it apart.. This was one loco that showed almost zero wear where-ever I looked. Brushes were almost at the stock length, springs were good, and no screw holes broken. I re-faced the armature, added new brushes and springs but kept the old one as they were in great nik. The fingers on the e-unit were also very nice, but the drum was dirty and greasy, adding to the sticky unit. I tore it apart, cleaned and polished the drum, cleaned out the drum axle holes, and re-assembled. Bench-tested and it ran flawlessly, smoking up the room!!!!
On the layout was a different story. It barely ran, stopping and starting. I cleaned my tracks, again, and it still bucked.. I took it back to the work table, and polished the pick-up wheels, and returned it to the track. Now it started to run, but it had a nose-up attitude, and kept de-railing on the curves. The draw-bar was a little bent, so I straightened it out... No good, same problems. I then put the tender side by side with a 302 mule tender I use for checking engines, and noticed the hole for the shoulder screw that goes under the engine chassis was too small, compared to the 302 tender. Drilling it out to the same diameter as the 302 tender solved the problem. It is a freakin hot-rod, and it won't stay on the tracks in a curve with my 30b wide open!! Forget to add, the e-unit was still not 100%, so I bent the small finger on the brass arm to engage the teeth on the drum more fully, and that solved THAT problem. There were a few flyer items, but most of the stuff there I already had, and I didn't want to pay the high prices some of the items commanded. I did see 2 complete flyer sets with a 302, 3 cars, track, and transformer going for $69 and $75 bucks, respectfully. Kept walking.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

The tender shell is a little worn, but the one shown is a replacement shell I had on hand, the one that came with the loco was broken, and I didn't notice it until I got home.:smilie_daumenneg:


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Even the white paint inside the stack is perfect. I am always impressed at the values you find. There are no pricing values like that out here in the California meets that I ever see.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

AmFlyer said:


> Even the white paint inside the stack is perfect. I am always impressed at the values you find. There are no pricing values like that out here in the California meets that I ever see.


I try to get the most bang for the buck, and know a good deal when I see it. I jumped on those items all the time... I recently bought a 322 Hudson that looked like it sat at the bottom of a swamp, and my youngest son laughed at me for even considering it!! The wife asked if I could fix all the rust, etc, and I told her yes.. She said buy it.. I'll post pictures of when it's finished. I'm still waiting for a boiler front for it.. I should have taken pictures of it before hand, but it was too embarrassing, lol..


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

The Hudson is my favorite Gilbert engine. Be sure to post the "after" pictures.


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## daveh219 (Sep 16, 2012)

/definitely post pics of the Hudson. I have one I'm working on also...:smilie_daumenpos:


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

I did not do a complete restoration on it, just a tidy up with the usual new parts...


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