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Topics - early0electric

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1
General Discussion / Tony Hay
« on: June 23, 2023, 11:04:31 AM »
For those of you who may have not heard, Tony Hay has passed away. He was a long time friend and even longer time seller of trains. His monthly lists helped build train collections and had a finger on the pulse of prices. Sadly missed.

https://www.regerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=28225007

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General Discussion / YORK April 2022
« on: April 19, 2022, 12:32:52 PM »
I will be there, anybody else going?

Mike

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General Discussion / John Desantis
« on: January 04, 2022, 11:42:00 AM »
John's passing brings real sadness to his family, the train collecting community in general and the TCA. I met him on numerous trips to York and was at his house once for a social gathering. Always pleasant, always sharp, always personable. My deepest condolences to his family and such a loss for everyone.

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General Discussion / Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays
« on: December 24, 2021, 03:10:07 PM »
Whether you believe or don't believe, "Best Wishes To All" as the year draws to a close. Hopefully we've all picked up something along the way to add to our collections in-spite of Covid.

Mike

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How To and Technical Information / 156 Pilot truck chipped wheel
« on: May 22, 2021, 01:22:51 PM »
Here's a cheap fix for a chipped wheel on a 156 pilot truck. I recently got a 156 Lionel electric. It runs fine but one of the pilot wheels had a chip in it and it jumps the track. Single original trucks are hard to come by and I didn't feel like spending the money anyway so, I figured out a creative way for a repair. A metal bottle cap and a pair of tin snips worked well. To make a long story short, I made a washer that fits over the hub and is about the same diameter as the wheel. It's a little rough but it's a "prototype" that can be easily made with a punch if you've got the tools. It works well and you still have the look with the original hub. There's a cheap part to make that operators can use.



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Classifieds / train requests
« on: April 12, 2021, 02:19:18 PM »
Terry,
Parts request is a good thing so I figured train requests might also be good. Here is my want/need list. All are Prewar Early Period Lionel O gauge. Granted most are hard to find but you don't know unless you ask:

800 Dark Green boxcar (upgrade)
800 Tall PENN RR boxcar (upgrade)
800 all Orange clipped corner boxcar
700 Green vent
153 Dark Green with wire handrails


Please email me if you have any of these. Condition is important.

Mike

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General Discussion / What to do?
« on: February 14, 2021, 06:54:56 PM »
For the last few years I have been struggling with what to do with some of my trains, or, all of my trains for that matter. Besides my individual pieces I have 20 or so boxed sets, some are still in the original boxes, some have the trains on display and the contents are separate. The reason for this is that I do not have enough shelf space to display my collection. My train collection is entirely early period Lionel O gauge (1915-1925). I also have a paper collection of original catalogs and ads covering the same period although I do have Lionel Paper back to 1900. Do those of you out there that have boxed sets, keep them in their original boxes? Should I box everything back up with the track, directions, rheostats, and so forth? I'm 70, feel 30, but you never know, you know? Every train I have is inventoried, make no mistake about that. Granted, when I'm gone, I'm sure everything will be sold outside of a memento that each of my 6 children will want (maybe). Neither my wife nor any of my children have an interest in my stuff. What I have is "Dad's collection". Should I really be concerned about what happens after I'm gone or should I be thinking, "don't worry about it", and leave "loose ends"? Or, ???, should I be thinking about selling my collection at auction at some point, should I get to it, before I get to the point I don't remember what I've got??? I may have 15-20 or more lucid years, but who knows???

Any thoughts out there? How are your trains stored? What are your plans? Just something we all have to confront at some point.

Mike

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Collector Corner / DSS Outfit
« on: October 23, 2020, 12:19:29 PM »
Bear with me here as there is a lot of info to pass along. Outside of my unboxed QUAKER 728 outfit I have a boxed Butler Brothers early O gauge outfit. It is Lionel Outfit 1520, similar to Lionel Outfit 162 minus 2 pieces of straight track.  Outfit 162 was last cataloged in 1923 as were the 601 Pullman and 602 baggage. Outfit 1520 was cataloged in a Butler Brothers catalog of Nov 1926. The Butler Bothers number was 1F3378 as shown in the catalog cut and on the Outfit box. Also stamped on the box is 2F3390, apparently another Butler Brothers number which I have been so far unable to locate. The contents overflow the original box. I have tried to make everything fit but but the room is just not there. Were parts of this packaged separate or did the box lid not completely close?? Who knows? Nobody alive now that would have that info. The outfit is in excellent condition, complete with instructions, bulb holder, interior boxes and track. Pasted inside the lid are labels from the manufacturer (not Lionel) in regards to the labels on the box. No company is identified but definitely some supplier to either Butler or Lionel. The instructions date to 1925. the box info dates to 1925-26. So it seems Lionel still had an inventory of 601's and 602's 3 years after they stopped cataloging these items!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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General Discussion / Nothing to say
« on: September 28, 2020, 03:05:35 PM »
Hey! All of you lying in the weeds out there. I don't know if you're working or retired or what but I'm sure you've got something to say or contribute. You may not think it's so but posts keep this site going. I find it more informative than the TCA site (Should I even say that???). It doesn't have to be rare or earth shattering or whatever but post something. You can post either about what you collect, a recent find, some history, some estate sale, somebody you knew who collected trains, it doesn't matter. You don't have to post every day or every week. There's no competition here for who has the most posts. It's all informal and informational and besides, you may make a new friend...Mike

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Collector Corner / Kokomo Electricar
« on: September 09, 2020, 09:22:07 AM »
Wasn't quite sure where to put this, but this seemed almost logical. Nice catalog for sale on eBay showing multiple American Flyer sets and toys but what I found of interest is this electric race car set showing the power derived from a fence. Not sure how that is accomplished, but an interesting toy.
 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1928-Co-Op-Electric-Supply-Advertising-Catalog-Chicago-Toys-Model-Trains-Rare/293717667814?hash=item4462efefe6:g:AIgAAOSwzM5fT6Sa

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Collector Corner / In the beginning...
« on: August 26, 2020, 03:07:56 PM »
When I was growing up we didn't have much, but I loved trains. There are pictures of me in my crib with train books. I had rubber trains, wooden trains, wind up trains, and more. My first electric train was a red MARX Commodore Vanderbilt with 3 red cars, a hand me down from an older cousin of mine. I still have the loco although repainted way back when. I had dreams of being a railroad engineer. I had an engineers outfit and used to sit at the desk I had at home and pretend I was an engineer on a run. My first Lionel was an HO set with a AEC switcher. I hated it and traded it to a friend of mine for a 2025 set. He had painted the wheels gold and the coal on the tender gold and the inside of the gondola gold. I remember removing as much of it as I could but it's still there and I still have it displayed prominently on my workbench. Not all of us were born with a silver spoon.

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Collector Corner / Train Tragedies or Repainted Wrecks
« on: August 26, 2020, 09:04:54 AM »
I'm sure everyone has a few pieces in their collection they would like to upgrade for one reason or another. Here's a rare 800 boxcar in dark green that was over-painted silver. As you can tell, I'm not too adept at removing over-paint. I tried brake fluid, alcohol, thinner, acetone, and what else I can't remember. Nonetheless, I have a dark green 800, not the best but it'll do until I can find a better one, if at all.
 

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Layouts / Mike's layout
« on: August 07, 2020, 02:40:04 PM »
Nothing fancy, nothing special. I'd like to have bigger but this works for me. I change it out for Christmas. My Grand Daughter used to be here pre-Covid 19 and help me set it up. Hopefully that will happen again.
 


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Collector Corner / Catalog Cuts
« on: July 31, 2020, 12:54:50 PM »
Here's a couple of interesting catalog cuts from a 1929 UNION HARDWARE & METAL catalog. I say 1929 based on the other Lionel equipment shown. Anyway, just more road names never produced, at least not that I know of.
   

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Collector Corner / Madison Hardware Sticker
« on: July 20, 2020, 05:51:03 PM »
I recently saw one of these up on eBay and was reminded that I have one stuck inside a manufacturing 154 that was stamped 152, with no reverse that apparently was brought in for repair. Hopefully what was repaired was not an indication of the repair work at Madison. It has new rollers but they don't turn and grooves are severely cut in them. Still having trouble getting down to acceptable file size for this site.

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