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436

Collector Corner / Re: Some Interesting Lionel Items

« on: April 29, 2021, 01:30:32 PM »

Could the base with the extra holes be from a 60 series early semaphore? I don't have one unpacked yet. I think the 65 semaphore has a big base like the bell or thing with two lights.

437

General Discussion / Re: The ebay rant.

« on: April 29, 2021, 11:18:22 AM »

I finally got my money from eBay. They held it since November 10th. I got it April 27th.

Here's what was wrong. . . I had my seller account as a "Sole Proprietor/LLC" with the money going into a bank account in the LLC's name.

I had to change the account type from "Sole Proprietor/LLC" to "Sole Proprietor/LLC." Then I had to delete all the business information except the EIN which is the business's number like a social security number. Then aim the money at my personal bank account.

None of it makes sense.

The other account is and was set up the same way as an Sole Prop/LLC with the LLC bank account and the EIN without a single problem. The only difference is the account without problems has 15 times the sales volume and gets serviced by eBay in the US.

On a good note, I've been enjoying my extra free time.

One other point - I think I forgot to buy the "free" store boxes last quarter with the coupon. I get
twenty-five 16 X 12 X 8 inch boxes which after the coupon costs me about $6. I use enough of them that they are in the house rather than the garage.

438

Collector Corner / Re: Some Interesting Lionel Items

« on: April 29, 2021, 11:01:52 AM »

Those extra holes have to be for a single light bulb. Maybe for an O gauge semaphore like the one they made in standard gauge?

Is the metal the same thickness as the regular units. I can't find my Lioneljr signs, but I think they were thinner?

Here's the postwar version of the sign on a 1045 flagman:

That's thin aluminum with printed - not engraved - lettering.

The man is half blue and half brown. He might have been "repaired" by combining parts from an earlier brown man.

439

Collector Corner / Re: Bild-A-Motor with numbered wheel

« on: April 28, 2021, 09:57:53 PM »

I only have one loco with original wheels. It has the number "12" on both geared wheels, and no number on the plain wheels.

The motor you have looks like a perfect fit for my dark green 9. I bought the 9 set from the original owner's son a few years ago and haven't got around to rewheeling it. I was hoping to find some original wheels.

Here's a shot of the motor and the way the reverse switch indexes with the switch on the body:

Because this is a 9 not a 9U the motor mounts with 4 screws inside the body. A 9U has clips to remove the motor. You can see the number 7 on the armature.

Here's the switch on the outside:

The 381U has the same switch, so does the orange 9U. That reverse switch is also used on the hand reverse 384 and 390 steamers, but the wheels would have threaded holes for valve gear.

440

Collector Corner / Re: Some Interesting Lionel Items

« on: April 28, 2021, 09:42:48 PM »

I went downstairs and looked at my 068 signs. I don't have the early painted ones, but do have 3 types of brass signs. There are two different sized fonts on the look out for locomotive signs. We'll call them large and small letters. Based on mine neither version seems to be harder to find.

Here's the three types I have:

Comparison of lettering sizes:

Based on the signs I have the ones with Made in USA at the top are later and seem to be from 1935/36 at the earliest. All mine have For THE locomotive.

I base the date on the 45/045 gatemen that were introduced in 1935. The first gatemen have darker red and green colors and silver painted lattice posts. Mine does not have the "Made In USA" lettering. Later gatemen have closed silver painted posts with USA lettering. These can have brass or nickel finials, but always have brass signs. The last gateman has a gray painted post with a blackened finial and a brass sign with the USA lettering.

45 gatement with oldest on left.

The gray post gateman has a decal on the toolbox lid and would be a 45N.

Next time it rains we can do the 68 and 69/069.

441

Collector Corner / Re: Bild-A-Motor with numbered wheel

« on: April 28, 2021, 12:42:15 AM »

I thought I answered this questiuon when you posted it.

All the red spoked bild-a-loco wheels should have numbers on them. It's part of the system for putting everything together shown in the instructions.

Is that from a 9U?

442

Collector Corner / Re: Some Interesting Lionel Items

« on: April 28, 2021, 12:39:14 AM »

None of my early trains have painted roof screws. I think the orange 605 cars had painted screws, but they had slots. I don't have enough trains from the late 20s and early 30s to pinpoint a date for painted screws orf the addition of slots. That might be an interesting for a rainy day.

About the 068 warning sign. I know Lionel made litho signs from about 1931 in the Winner, Lionel-Ives and later Lionel JR lines. They also made litho signs for Hafner. Those are white with black lettering. Yours is orange with black lettering. I'll have to dig out a Lionel JR sign so we can check the lettering.

I have at least a dozen of the green 068 warning signs. I have one with orange lattice post. The 068 seems to be one of the things Lionel was really consistant about. Any 068 that isn't green with a brass engraved sign is a great find.

443

Layouts / Re: Terry's Standard Gauge Layout

« on: April 26, 2021, 04:43:17 PM »

I only plan on running one layout at a time. When I did Thom's layout you could run almost 40 trains at once. Too loud to talk, and when there was a problem, it was hard to figure out what it was.

444

Layouts / Re: Terry's Standard Gauge Layout

« on: April 26, 2021, 11:04:53 AM »

I still have to vacuum the O gauge layout, and hook up the new transformers. It will get done in the next few weeks.

445

Layouts / Re: Terry's Standard Gauge Layout

« on: April 26, 2021, 12:24:33 AM »

I spent the day in the garage cutting wood for the Marklin and 00 layouts. Then I went downstairs and ran a train.

1929 Lionel outfit 340E going around on the upper layout. Tunnel is a 140. Power station is 840. Cardboard mountains in background are copies of the mountains included in the 199 Scenic Railway cataloged from 1924-28.

That's running at top speed. The motor has oil wicks on both ends of each axel and on both ends of the armature shaft. It's also got a resisitor in the line so it runs slow. That's as fast as it goes. That motor and frame was in the mohave 318E loco that my dad and I ran at displays. It was modified so we could just let it go and not pay attention to it. I need to clean the brushes so it stops whining. That motor is 93 years old.

446

General Discussion / Re: Track Cleaning?

« on: April 22, 2021, 11:21:20 AM »

Here's an article in the LA club newsletter about cleaning track. Starts on page 4.

http://ttos-sw.org/newsletters/SWD%20Limited%20Jan%20Feb%20Mar%202020.pdf

447

General Discussion / Re: Did you run your trains today?

« on: April 22, 2021, 11:18:22 AM »

I sell MPC freight cars for $3 each/ six or more $2 each. They have plastic needle bearing trucks that roll well with metal wheels. The MPC plastic trucks require a rivet for mounting. (I think it's actually called an eyelet?) Figure out how to mount them and you can easily get free rolling trucks.

6465 tank cars have sheetmetal steps. Check to make sure the steps aren't causing the problem.

448

General Discussion / Re: Interesting Auction Items

« on: April 20, 2021, 01:44:14 PM »

The car Jim shared is the normally seen black car with plates. It has blackened trim and later frame/truck assemblies than the 2816 above. ALL of the nickel plate cars in RS colors I've seen have trim and trucks like Jim's car. I'm not going to say it's fake without holding it in my hand, but the fact the guy has other repainted and mucked with with 2800 series cars in his other auctions, does NOT increase the chances of this car being original.

Paul bought the set with the 2816 so we can find out what it is. He won't use the forum because I won't let him post pictures bigger than 180KB each, but I'll get some pictures when he gets it.

449

Layouts / Re: Terry's Standard Gauge Layout

« on: April 20, 2021, 09:45:53 AM »

I like the frontage on the layout. The more areas you can stand at are better.

Jim -- I hope my trains run that well.

I've been so frustrated with the layout progress. Either the dog is messing with me or I have ghosts down there. Tools just disappear. Some one hid the drill from me and I spent an hour looking for it. Yesterday I spent 20 minutes looking for the hook-blade knife, then just hacked off the carpet with a straight razor. I measure and then go upstairs to cut wood outside and then come back and it's too short. Or it's too long.

I have cases of track, but no 42" curve track. I unpacked a bunch of accessories just to get boxes emptied. I "borrowed" some from a friend.

Saturday afternoon, I put the upper level together where I'm going to use the 1930s Lionel rubber roadbed. I could only find straight roadbed. $*&^*% I'll just run it to make sure it clears the 140 tunnel.

I have a repainted 8 with a great looking motor for testing. The repro wheels are warped. The black 318 has worse original wheels. The ghost or dog hid the mohave 318. Those are the only small locos I have. Everything else I have is bigger.

I have bags of reproduction wheels and a press to put them on. Can't loose the press, and it has the wheel pressing parts mounted to it. So that means I can't find the wheels.

Friday night I sat down at my work desk to check out a postwar 2023 alco I bought for resale. I have a computer over the desk I watch TV shows on as I work. The ghost has allowed Windows 10 to update and the new version has no sound.

I put together the Marklin layout wood so I can sort boxes into the underside to get them out of the way.