Topics

31

How To and Technical Information / parts diagram for prewar Lionel 259E

« on: February 08, 2021, 07:53:57 AM »

I'm having allot of trouble finding drive wheels for a Lionel 259E. Lionel use to swap parts around allot between there products. I'm thinking that asking the net for drive wheels for a 259 Locomotive does nit get a hit because the parts number for these wheels is another locomotive. Any information you can provide may help.

My parts guy for many years I think is having problems. He did send me a Lionel 1700 diagram that identified every part in the 1700's. So I know there's a book somewhere with these part numbers in it.

32

General Discussion / Restoring more prewar Lionel

« on: February 01, 2021, 08:17:50 AM »

I have the paint all blasted off the Lionel 259e. It's ready for paint. I still need the wheels & gears. Waiting on my parts guy? And the weather needs to warm up and the wind needs to lay down. Wish I had a paint room. I ask the wife if I could use the extra bathroom but all I got was a nasty frown. So I guess that's out!

The last Lionel 1700 I got on EBay has a super good motor with a working E-Unit? But the bodies are a mess. Someone pained over rusty bodies with super hard paint, 2 of the 6 frames are badly bent. I used 60 LBS of blasting material and still could not get all the rust and paint off. Had the air compressor turned up to 100LBS. So it's a wire wheel now.

The power unit body is the worse? The two extra 1701's I got are worse then the power unit's body.

I told myself all morning this is why I do this work. But as long as I'm in the mancave I'm safe!

33

General Discussion / Did you run your trains today?

« on: January 27, 2021, 04:39:22 AM »

Got up at 6:00 AM to do my care duties for my wife. She went back to bed. I went to the mancave and ran the 675 & 224. Wonder what it is that makes one so calm watching trains go around & round? It’s like watch fish in a fish tank.

These two postwar Lionel engines have almost the same motor and they seem to run real smooth. The 224 is pulling modern passenger cars & the 675 is pulling modern freight cars.

Coffee & Ozone in the morning.

I love toys

34

General Discussion / Double heading postwar Lionel

« on: January 18, 2021, 04:49:18 AM »

Sense I've been running my postwar Lionel steamers and giving the modern engine a rest.  I thought I'd like to double head a couple postwar Lionel. I thought maybe a 224 & a 675. I think they have the same motor. I have a couple of those. I made a coupler for a couple of MTH Mikado's back in 2012. They looked great running around the layout. However I sold them back in 2013. Some times I get brain farts that make me do stupid things. Sure wish I had all the MTH I sold back then

Anyway - I did a search to see if there was any information that maybe someone had put out on the net showing how they did it. The MTH was easy but the old Lionel don't really have the steam chest for it. The first thing that came up on the internet search was a guy named dsmith. He had a super coupler made up that attached to the pilot wheels. I have everything except a extra set of pilot wheels. I'll call my friend in New York today and order a set of 224 pilot wheels. This should be a fun project. 

On the 10th post on the following link you will see pictures of the coupler build.

He posted an article in Classic toy train back in 2010. http://cs.trains.com/ctt/f/95/t/172006.aspx

35

General Discussion / Next Lionel tintype project

« on: January 14, 2021, 01:32:31 PM »

I think these are the cars Starfire was talking about that are pulled by a Lionel prewar 258E?

Got these in the mail today. Still struggling with the Lionel 259E but I'm getting there. That's what I'll use to put these red cars.

36

General Discussion / Lionel 259E motor ?

« on: January 13, 2021, 04:56:22 AM »

I guess I’ve gotten into something I’ve not seen before. When I got the Lionel 259E delivered the other day I gave it a bath in mineral spirits for get the 80 plus years of crud off of it. There was something that I think may be white grease that was like super glue. Very hard and a real problem to get off. After cleaning the motor up a piece of E-unit fell out. That’s not a good sign. The next thing after cleaning I removed the e-unit. There was no drum. I have a new e-unit but really wanted to repair the old one? I spread the e-unit to get the fingers out and that’s when I saw the drum laying in the bottom of the motor. The fingers look pretty good. I looked for a new drum in the parts supply and I don’t have any. Now it’s the wait for the mailman and a parts order. Seemed like a good time to use the new E-unit. I installed the wires as I took the old ones off. Got all the soldering done. Gave it a test. All I got was a light?

Good time to mention it seemed to me that the brush holder was upside down. The only way I could get the brush plate on was to have it upside down. I think that’s the way Lionel made this motor. I fumbled with this until I reached a major frustration level. The world being like it is today and America being in such a mess I’m out in the mancave so I can get comfortable with life today? Now I have a motor that will not run, a sick dog, a sick wife and a sick 259e?

I’m having a bottle of Merlot wine for breakfast today

Little side information here. I have a good neighbor that has a killer postwar Lionel train collection. His stuff was not gotten on ebay and he repairs it. He gets the super perfect postwar big dollar stuff with the original box?  I’ve not seem him in a long time and my emails are not answered? He only lives 2 blocks away. His wife drove by yesterday while I was helping another neighbor fix a door. She said my friend had CV-19. Been in the hospital sense late August. She said he almost didn’t make it. He will come home on Saturday. It’s getting so life is a real struggle. I sure miss the America I grew up in!

37

General Discussion / What is this American Flyer O Gauge

« on: January 07, 2021, 10:18:09 AM »

A family member found this American Flyer Boxcab while cleaning out a house in Dunedin Florida.  It was in the attic along with many Lionel trains. I cleaned it up, had to put new wheels on it which are Lionel. The large gears also had to be replaced. They are also Lionel. It runs real well. but will lock up sometimes. I probably should have also replaced the bushings as well.

I took three pictures of the bottom but they where to fuzzy to post. I'll try again later.

38

General Discussion / Starting my 6th Lionel 1700 streamline Jr. Chrome & Orange

« on: January 02, 2021, 12:51:25 PM »

I have the 1702 completed. Today, after 19 days, USPS delivered the 1700 car body with the opening in the top for the go lever. Plus another 1702. All I need is a 1701. I will also need a motor. Think I'll use a cheap motor this time but it will be a Lionel.

The 1700 I got today has the front of the power car frame cut off? Not sure what I'll do here. make a brass front end of cut an extra 1702 frame to make a 1700 frame.

39

General Discussion / Standard gauge & O gauge track?

« on: January 01, 2021, 05:11:36 AM »

I just saw a video of a guy that has track that is Standard Gauge & O Gauge. I don’t know if he made it or bought but I was really blown away. Plus he has a super layout of Lionel & Marx!

Check this out? He can run O gauge or Standard gauge on the same track.

40

General Discussion / Lionel 1700 getting a 229E motor

« on: December 30, 2020, 02:28:15 PM »

I bought a Lionel 229 motor to put in a 1700 that I got with out a motor. I found the video on you tube under 'Lionel 1700 powered by Marx'.

I tried to make a bracket for the 229 motor this morning but it's allot harder than I thought it would be. Plus I can't find my wire bender which I think is causing the most trouble. I found half the bender but the base is lost in the mancave tools somewhere. Server me right for not putting the tools back where you got then. I'll bet my father is laughing at me right now. He told me and told me. Put the damn tools back then you are done then you will have them when you need them!!!!
I got one side of the bracket done and it's great but I can't match it to the other side?

I took a break and will give it a go tomorrow!

41

General Discussion / MTH Mikado's double headed

« on: December 26, 2020, 04:59:47 AM »

I hope I don't get in trouble with the Forum management with this video. Starting in the very late 1980's I bought some MTH engines. I think Mike Wolf did allot for O gauge trains. He got Lionel to step up and start making more modern and scale trains. Big down side was MTH back then required rechargeable batteries to support the sound systems. Try to run a MTH engine with a dead battery was expensive. I know that from personal experience. I have always been a fan of the Mikado. I had two of the Railking Mikado's. This is a video of my Mike's double headed.

42

General Discussion / My prewar at my daughters house

« on: December 26, 2020, 04:26:33 AM »

My years ago when my brain was not working well I was thinning out my train collection. My daughter's husbands brother has a contract with a bank where he cleans out the banks houses that the bank has gotten back. In the attic was found allot of prewar trains is great condition. Currently they are 36 miles south of my house on shelves I put for her train collection.

43

Collector Corner / Running 1700E's on Christmas day 2020

« on: December 25, 2020, 10:13:47 AM »

I thought I'd make a video of a couple of my restored Lionel 1700's running today. I thought I have a train running around the Christmas tree this year. However USPS took 17 days for my Lionel track EBay order to go from Garret Indiana to Indianapolis. That's a total of 146 miles. 17 days? Things are really a mess. The track has never arrived. So I went to the mancave and ran them on the garage layout.

First thing was I had to clean the track as they would not run. Then the Orange & Brown 1700 ran fine. However the chrome & red just sat there. Light didn't even light up? I just went through the motor. New E-Unit. New wiring? Tested the motor by itself and it ran fine? I'm not use to a repair before you can run trains. I pulled the motor out and put another motor in from the silver set. Now it runs. I have the chrome set pulling extra cars as I have two chrome & red sets. You can tell the longer set runs slower and is pulling 1 extra volt? Also the chrome & red set would derail coming back from the garage door? Prewar trains are allot of trouble! Turns out the vestibule where it attaches to the power unit was warped up. So the movement was sticky causing the derailment. Fixed now. I'm sure all the prewar guys on this forum already know how to avoid these problems.

Anyway - Merry Christmas to all and I hope you enjoy my 1700's.

44

General Discussion / So much information here

« on: December 21, 2020, 04:57:45 AM »

This morning it's to cold for the garage (mancave). I went through allot of this forums threads. I was so impressed with all the prewar layouts and the amount of items you guys have. Some of the layouts where packed with the most interesting trains and accessories. Marx, Lionel, and things I've never heard of. I'm sure glad Terry put a note in a purchase I got from him inviting me to come to the forum.

jack

45

General Discussion / Lionel streamline on ebay

« on: December 10, 2020, 02:46:48 AM »

I like this one allot!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lionel-Jr-1689E-1689t-1673-1674-1675-set-prewar-265-249-261-260-262e-238/233739493014?hash=item366bf59e96:g:2LYAAOSwxlJfLYFN