196
General Discussion / Re: Interesting Auction Items
« on: February 02, 2022, 12:02:05 PM »
Great. You've gotten some good stuff from that auction house.
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
197
Collector Corner / Re: Some Interesting Lionel Items
« on: January 29, 2022, 11:01:45 PM »
I was moving some cars around and found this one:
This car only says "New York Central." EVERY other car and loco I looked at says New York Central Lines like the lower car in the photo above.
This car has stamped brass steps, metal tanks, early 500 series trucks and looks to have had an oil label. I have other green cars with oil labels - all have the same features as this but for the missing Lines.
This car has a bit of masking tape on the bottom that says I bought it in 1985, "No 'Lines"' and some code that means nothing to me today.
This car only says "New York Central." EVERY other car and loco I looked at says New York Central Lines like the lower car in the photo above.
This car has stamped brass steps, metal tanks, early 500 series trucks and looks to have had an oil label. I have other green cars with oil labels - all have the same features as this but for the missing Lines.
This car has a bit of masking tape on the bottom that says I bought it in 1985, "No 'Lines"' and some code that means nothing to me today.
198
Collector Corner / Re: 1947 Lionel 1435WS 2025 Freight Set with Smoke and Whistle
« on: January 28, 2022, 11:47:43 AM »
Here's an interesting fact. . . The $42.50 price of this set would be $514.89 in 2022 dollars.
199
Collector Corner / 1947 Lionel 1435WS 2025 Freight Set with Smoke and Whistle
« on: January 27, 2022, 11:51:09 PM »
1947 Postwar 1435WS freight set with smoke and whistle fresh from the original owner.
This is the first version of the set. The 2025 loco has an aluminum stack and the 2025 number on the boiler front. The box and insert for the loco are missing. The metal 2472 caboose is an early set component. According to the Greenberg sets book, later sets came with plastic cabooses.
The tender is a 2466WX with the extra railings. Oddly, this tender has flying shoe trucks, and is in a box with the American Toys logo. None of the other boxes have the logo. I'd say this was swapped out at some point, but it came from the original owner, and he only had the one set.
The cars are gorgeous. The 2452X gondola is missing the box insert. The 2454 box car is the common Baby Ruth car. All these cars have box inserts rather than coupler protection flaps. Within a few months of this set, the inserts starting being dropped.
This is a neat original train that has never been cleaned. A great example of an early smoking O27 set. It even ran, and the wiring on the tender is still pliable.
Here's some photos:
This is the first version of the set. The 2025 loco has an aluminum stack and the 2025 number on the boiler front. The box and insert for the loco are missing. The metal 2472 caboose is an early set component. According to the Greenberg sets book, later sets came with plastic cabooses.
The tender is a 2466WX with the extra railings. Oddly, this tender has flying shoe trucks, and is in a box with the American Toys logo. None of the other boxes have the logo. I'd say this was swapped out at some point, but it came from the original owner, and he only had the one set.
The cars are gorgeous. The 2452X gondola is missing the box insert. The 2454 box car is the common Baby Ruth car. All these cars have box inserts rather than coupler protection flaps. Within a few months of this set, the inserts starting being dropped.
This is a neat original train that has never been cleaned. A great example of an early smoking O27 set. It even ran, and the wiring on the tender is still pliable.
Here's some photos:
200
How To and Technical Information / Re: Tab removal technique
« on: January 25, 2022, 12:52:39 PM »
I agree with what Jim said. I've never considered heat.
A few points. . .
If you're restoring, you might not need to take everything apart. For example the base of a tank car or to take apart the sides and ends of a box car.
You don't have to bend all the tabs to a 90 degree angle.
Sometimes it's easier and safer to bend one tab out, then move the part to open the tab on the other end.
A really sharp wood chisel works great for getting under tight tabs to bend them up. It will also go right through fingernails and result in a bloodly mess. Always work with the effort pointing away from you so you don't hurt yourself.
I also use small screw drivers, and I have a dental pick that has a knife edge on it.
I try to twist all tabs when I put things together rather than bending them flat.
When I have to bend the tabs flat, I use a hardwood chopstick. A screw driver can slip and scratch the paint or stab you. A wood stick won't do as much damage.
If you brake a tab, hot melt glue - think glue gun - can be used to glue the parts togther. If you don't have one already, I have really come to hate the thin sticks. Get one with the 1/2 inch diameter glue sticks.
The biggest thing is what Jim said - Go slow.
A few points. . .
If you're restoring, you might not need to take everything apart. For example the base of a tank car or to take apart the sides and ends of a box car.
You don't have to bend all the tabs to a 90 degree angle.
Sometimes it's easier and safer to bend one tab out, then move the part to open the tab on the other end.
A really sharp wood chisel works great for getting under tight tabs to bend them up. It will also go right through fingernails and result in a bloodly mess. Always work with the effort pointing away from you so you don't hurt yourself.
I also use small screw drivers, and I have a dental pick that has a knife edge on it.
I try to twist all tabs when I put things together rather than bending them flat.
When I have to bend the tabs flat, I use a hardwood chopstick. A screw driver can slip and scratch the paint or stab you. A wood stick won't do as much damage.
If you brake a tab, hot melt glue - think glue gun - can be used to glue the parts togther. If you don't have one already, I have really come to hate the thin sticks. Get one with the 1/2 inch diameter glue sticks.
The biggest thing is what Jim said - Go slow.
201
General Discussion / Re: looking for a head light
« on: January 24, 2022, 11:13:04 AM »
Lionel only did the wired ones like you have for a short time in 1927. I don't think repros are made, but all you need is the eyelet to convert one with screw and nut. If you take the insulating disks to a good hardware store they might have a siutable eyelet.
202
General Discussion / Re: looking for a head light
« on: January 24, 2022, 01:39:46 AM »
The strap headlights without threads and nuts are two insulators with a squished eyelet holding them together. One insulator disk on the inside of socket and one on the outside with the tabs from the housing between the outside disk and the socket. The wire is attached to the eyelet.
To age a nickel part you heat it up with the torch and then drop it in vinegar. Just house vinegar of 5% or whatever low amount Heinz is. You should take the bulb socket part out before doing this.
To age a nickel part you heat it up with the torch and then drop it in vinegar. Just house vinegar of 5% or whatever low amount Heinz is. You should take the bulb socket part out before doing this.
203
General Discussion / Re: looking for a head light
« on: January 23, 2022, 07:48:54 PM »
that's a STRAP headlight. You can get reproductions from many parts suppliers.
You can tone down a reproduction with a torch and some vinegar.
Here's a listing on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/363591724753
If you buy a used one, do not go for the ones mounted on a bracket that were used in houses and passenger cars. You cannot get them off the bracket without breaking the tabs.
You can tone down a reproduction with a torch and some vinegar.
Here's a listing on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/363591724753
If you buy a used one, do not go for the ones mounted on a bracket that were used in houses and passenger cars. You cannot get them off the bracket without breaking the tabs.
204
Layouts / Re: Terry's Standard Gauge Layout
« on: January 22, 2022, 11:50:17 PM »
Here's the Bilt Rite backdrops installed in the corner. I tried to get them scanned and then enlarged, but couldn't find a scanner that could do them. I used green sheets from Life-Like above the backdrop because blue looked too bright, and plain green carpet looked too dark. I think this looks OK
Here's some shots of the west end of the layout with the trains back on. I need to iron the felt roadway and put some more cars on.
if you look at the maroon walled 126 station above the blue comet loco, you can see what I did with the box from the backdrop. The figures don't stand on the carpet well so I cut the cardboard to make little platforms at some of the stations. I don't know if it's worth the effort to paint the cardboard.
Here's some shots of the west end of the layout with the trains back on. I need to iron the felt roadway and put some more cars on.
if you look at the maroon walled 126 station above the blue comet loco, you can see what I did with the box from the backdrop. The figures don't stand on the carpet well so I cut the cardboard to make little platforms at some of the stations. I don't know if it's worth the effort to paint the cardboard.
205
Collector Corner / Re: Some Interesting Lionel Items
« on: January 22, 2022, 10:11:31 PM »
This is my favorite thread on the forum. Probably because I've seen most everything and so something odd stands out. Here's a car I got a few weeks ago:
The car in the front is missing the lettering in the white stripe. The other side has the lettering like the car in the rear. An interesting factor error.
The car in the front is missing the lettering in the white stripe. The other side has the lettering like the car in the rear. An interesting factor error.
206
Collector Corner / Re: American Flyer tin Litho Burlington Zephyr With Mechanical Whistle 1936
« on: January 16, 2022, 05:44:47 PM »
I like the long straights too. I bought this house to get them.
The whistle makes three short toots and then a long toot. 0 for short; - for long.
0 0 0 – Flagman protect front of train.
Or if it's a long and then 3 shorts it's
– 0 0 0 Flagman protect rear of train.
Interesting. I would think they would make it give a grade crossing code.
The whistle makes three short toots and then a long toot. 0 for short; - for long.
0 0 0 – Flagman protect front of train.
Or if it's a long and then 3 shorts it's
– 0 0 0 Flagman protect rear of train.
Interesting. I would think they would make it give a grade crossing code.
207
Collector Corner / American Flyer tin Litho Burlington Zephyr With Mechanical Whistle 1936
« on: January 15, 2022, 07:01:10 PM »
I got this neat set months ago, and just now got around to it. The tin litho Zephyrs came in a few different versions - wind up or electric, and with or without a mechanical whistle. This has a mechanical whistle that tweets as the train runs. (The whistle is explainedin the video below.)
This set has the power car with a rear truck, and only one truck on the observation. Earlier sets have only a motor on the power car, and two trucks on the observation.
The boxes shown in the back are sleeves for the cars. Numbers are 555 for the observation and 584 for the coaches. The setbox label is not readable, but the number ends in a 3 or an 8.
Here's a video of the train running with the mechanical whistle explained:
The clunk just before the loco comes into view at the far end of the layout is the gears hitting the Lionel 072 switch frog. This has wheel gears like Marx, and does not like Lionel switches. At slow speeds it will get through the switches with a bit of noise. At higher speeds it derails.
This set has the power car with a rear truck, and only one truck on the observation. Earlier sets have only a motor on the power car, and two trucks on the observation.
The boxes shown in the back are sleeves for the cars. Numbers are 555 for the observation and 584 for the coaches. The setbox label is not readable, but the number ends in a 3 or an 8.
Here's a video of the train running with the mechanical whistle explained:
The clunk just before the loco comes into view at the far end of the layout is the gears hitting the Lionel 072 switch frog. This has wheel gears like Marx, and does not like Lionel switches. At slow speeds it will get through the switches with a bit of noise. At higher speeds it derails.
208
Collector Corner / unlettered olive 601/602 cars
« on: January 12, 2022, 08:41:02 PM »
Thewre are a few sets of unlettered olive 601/602 cars out there. I have a set that came from Lou Redman's collection. I think Mike has a set too.
Here's a video with a set on the shelf at the 6:30 mark.
Interesting. . .
Here's a video with a set on the shelf at the 6:30 mark.
Interesting. . .
209
General Discussion / Re: Interesting Auction Items
« on: January 11, 2022, 01:17:02 PM »
Mike - those might be from the Porter radios and record players made in the early 1960s.
210
Collector Corner / Re: 1942 freight outfit #8037
« on: January 08, 2022, 11:30:09 AM »
I had a near mint 763E years ago. It came with the madison cars on my layout. I sold it because my dad had one on the layout, and it would just end up looking the same after a few years.
The owner said he never ran it because he didn't have room for the 072 track. He ran the 226E instead.
The owner said he never ran it because he didn't have room for the 072 track. He ran the 226E instead.