Messages

16

Layouts / Terry's American OO layout 1934-40

« on: December 17, 2023, 02:51:46 PM »

I have started the 00 layout. Outside 3rd rail with trains made from 1934-40. My locos are by Lionel, Nason, and Scalecraft. I have cars by the three loco makers and by Famaco and Eastern.

The idea is to build a layout using 1930s techniques. Open framework with handlaid track on ballasted plywood is the start. The track plan is a twice around with the high and low points at the back. This means the forward edge has both loops at the same height so the town-site is flat.

Here's a track plan:

 

I decided to test the trains to make sure they'll go up the grade. The raise is 3" overall - so that's about 1.5" in 10 feet. Overall grade is about 1.25%.

Here's a video of a Nason 4-4-2 Atlantic loco and a Nason Interurban running around the layout. There is a section of temporary track in the back that the trains won't go through.

None of these locos ran after sitting for decades. The original 3rd rail layout was taken apart in the mid 1950s. So far they all run after disassembly, cleaning and lubing.

17

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: December 15, 2023, 06:15:25 PM »

Here's a new 800 Boxcar (on the right):

 

 

The car on the left is my 800a2 Wabash 6399, orange sides, CLIPPED brown roof, type 2 stamping on both ends, wide wheels.

The new car only has lettering on one end. Might be an error as all my cars have stamping on both ends up to the green 800e. Or maybe I should say all cars with type one and type two stamps have lettering on both ends.

Stamp types:

Type 1 No. 800 on right, LL on left.
Type 2 LL on right, No. 800 on left.
Type 3 LL on right, 800 on left. – Some have corp stamps on bottoms.

18

Layouts / Re: Terry's Layout

« on: December 03, 2023, 07:24:47 PM »

I got another 2353 AA set last week and added the two pullman cars to the layout. The single loco wouldn't pull the eight cars, so I cleaned the new 2353P and locked it in reverse. Now I have two double motored A units pulling 8 cars.

Yesterday a freind gave me a newer Lionel Santa Fe Hudson. It's like a 773 with short tender and no added piping.  I had four scale length Lionel Pullman cars from a deal earlier this year. They don't have roadnames so they can run with any loco. Makes for a nice set.

Here's a video of them running under the blue lights:

Both sets are running on full power.

19

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: November 13, 2023, 01:51:56 PM »

Jim - Thanks for the input on the steel 160 bin.

I bought a Ferdinand Strauss Twin Trolleys set at a show on Sunday. The seller had some wonderful English 1 gauge live steam from the 1920s that I find very tempting. Then he put out this much cheaper set which I immediately bought.

 

 

 

Each is about 7 inches long. Only the one with the pole has a motor which is a windup. From searching online, the dummy with the center doors might be a little harder to find as most sets have two of the end door type.

These aren't hard to find.

I think these are from the 1920s, but could be from the late teens. Louis Marx and Henry Katz both got their start working for Strauss. Marx supposedly took over The Ferdinand Strauss Corp in 1927. So these are historical relics too.

20

Collector Corner / Re: Odd 1963 Boxed Lionel 3662 Milk Car set

« on: November 11, 2023, 09:00:49 PM »

Stout Auctions sold a similar car and envelope to the odd set, but with a plain white box in January 2020. The plain white box with rubber stamped number appears similar to the glossy orange box used on the 1964 and later cars, but without the printing. The comparison set in my earlier post is a 1950s set in a classic box.

Here's pictures:

 

 

 

Auction can be seen at:

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/mint-unrun-lionel-postwar-3662-milk-car-and-stand-1089-c-ae248f2bec?objectID=145562008&algIndex=archive_prod&queryID=c560364994d5d3c9adb22a069d2b6754

I found three of the white box sets sold in the last few years. I also found one of the odd boxed sets that sold in August 2023, but without the box inserts and the box had writing on it.

For completness sake, here's a milk car set from the mid 1960s in a glossy orange box. The car platfom and envelope should be the same as the components of the odd boxed set that started this thread.

 

 

21

Collector Corner / Re: Odd 1963 Boxed Lionel 3662 Milk Car set

« on: November 10, 2023, 09:59:30 PM »

Here's a quick comparison of the odd set with a regular set.

A few quick differences stand out other than the packaging:

• The car in the odd set has no build date and plastic trucks.
• Regular set platform has Lionel information stamped into the metal on the underside. The platform in the odd set does not. 
• The regular parts envelope was stapled shut, has a different font and specifies 3662 car. Odd envelope specifies 3662-70 car, and was glued shut. (I'm not sure staple was put in at factory, we'd have to check some other milk cars.)

 

Here's some comparison photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I remember an article about this odd box. Maybe in Classic Toy Trains or in The Atlantic Division Express. That was a while ago and all I remember is the look of the box and maybe it was Madison Hardware.

22

Collector Corner / Odd 1963 Boxed Lionel 3662 Milk Car set

« on: November 10, 2023, 09:47:33 PM »

I got this interesting milk car set the other day. Box is different and has prewar or early postwar label. The car and platform are brand new and unused. The parts envelope is sealed. The outer box is clean.

It's sad no one ever got to play with this fun car, but the condition makes it easier to understand.

Here's an unboxing of the set:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this set was put togther by Madison Hardware in late 1963. The box was made in Brooklyn in September 1963. 

I think I have the cardboard peices and the parts in the box correctly. Nothing would be damaged with it packed this way, and the cardboard has marks from the staples and the car rubbing against it.

I'll add a reply with comparison photos to regular car set.

23

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: October 28, 2023, 02:59:07 PM »

That's neat. The TCA blue covered book shows a type F on page 219. It has a similar top to mine, or the 106 in your catalog segment. The F is not listed as cataloged until 1931 so that might be an error.

I bought this today:

 

 

 

Gordon Wilson and I play a game to see who can find the rarest train at each train meet.  This little bin would surely have won if Gordon had made it to the meet.

It's a 160 bin that was packed with a 3659 dump car in 1947 because Lionel had no bakalite bins. It's actually an unfinished tray from a dump car. It's the 2nd I've had and maybe the 5th I've seen.

Paul W~~ and I used to play Most interesting item found in the bottom of the box.  This tray would be a good story, but not in my top three finds. 

24

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: October 27, 2023, 02:41:59 AM »

I need to do an LA show. I visit collectors over there when I go to the shows. Last time was the TCA convention in 2021.

It seems like the online auctions go in waves. Maybe that's a good thing as it allows for the saving of money to buy better items. 

I talked with a guy a few weeks ago with a mid-teens Lionel passenger set, and asked what else he had.  He texted me photos of the control board. I spotted the gem below and told him it was a shame it was repainted because otherwise I'd buy it.  He said he didn't want to throw it out because it's so old, so he sent it to me as a gift.

 

 

 

 

Packed it was 11 pounds.

It's a slate top transformer. I think Type K from 1914-18 or so. There should be a decal on the top under the control lever.  Neat.

25

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: October 23, 2023, 01:54:20 PM »

The olive 150 is wonderful. I have a bunch of odd colored 150 locos, but not that one. Now I know to look for it.

The 153 is neat too. I have a 153 in gray that has no hand reverse as the holes have paint in them. I think it's a 152 with the wrong number on the side.

Great Finds. It's sad to go all the way to a train meet and only bring back a few items, but you get to socialize and the items are special. I'm always dumbstruck when people show me the milk car they got at York.

26

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: October 07, 2023, 05:48:02 PM »

Here's my new 706 with gold vents. I wasn't going to buy one of these because everytime I saw them for sale they were expensive. At this point, I'd rather put the money toward buying a neat trolley, than get another dark loco. I paid $650 all in for this auction lot:

 

The yellow loco is a MTH and the Marx locos are common. Maybe $150 back for them

 

 
The Lionel 249E is in great shape, and the tender is cleaner. It's a 1939 era loco that came with low coupler 2651 series cars or maybe the 2717 litho cars in an uncataloged set. Easily worth $125.

Here's the 706:

 

 

 

The camera really picks up the dirt. The lettering is quite nice though. If the other items sell for what I expect, I'll have $375 into it. A fantastic price. I'm happy.

Here's the auction:

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/158630882_train-engine-lot

The set was well packed, and they followed my instructiuon to wrap the loco so it was not in contact with bubble wrap. It took me a month to get this set! It was worth waiting for.

27

Collector Corner / 1932 Lionel Standard Set 370E

« on: September 07, 2023, 05:29:45 PM »

I bought this wonderful set earlier this week from the original owner's son. He lives in Tucson and called about old Lionel Standard Gauge trains. He said there was a steam loco and three cars plus some other cars including a floodlight car. When he told what he wanted, I asked him to send me some pictures with his cell phone. He wanted a lot, but he said the trains were gorgeous. If he was down the street from me, I would have went over without thinking, but he's a 200+ mile round trip.

When his granddaughter sent me the photos a few days later, I called to set up a meeting time.  I told him if both sides of the trains looked like the sides in the pictures and there was no casting damage I'd pay his price.

He came back with his price was just for the loco, and wanted a higher price for all the trains. When I balked, he said he had someone else interested in the trains. I told him he should see the other guy and then call me.

Another few days later and he was back. He said the other collector had offered him $300 more than my topline price, but he'd sell me the trains if I'd raise my offer by $200. I figured he was lying and I could talk him down a few hundred and get back to where I wanted to be so I made an appointment.

Call me stupid, but once I saw the set, I wasn't leaving without it.

 

A gorgeous set with a few original owner changes - The loco has a chugger unit added, the tender has an early banana whistle unit added, and the observation deck has been cut so a coupler could be added.  One original pilot wheel deteriorated, and has been replaced by a turned steel wheel. The boiler front has expanded and won't open without breaking.

I oiled the set and put it on the track. It runs great. Here's a video of it running alongside my other 392E pulling a bunch of 500 series freight cars:

This 1932 set comes with the new for '32 392E steamer, the 384T tender with green stripes, and passenger cars 310 baggage, 309 pullman, and 312 observation in two tone brown. These cars are called "Baby State Cars."

 

Car boxes are all dated 1931, loco box dated 1932, tender box not dated. Note tender box has X. This might refer to a different drawbar for the 392E loco rather than the 384?

28

General Discussion / Re: Interesting Auction Items

« on: August 23, 2023, 03:02:36 PM »

I've got great deals from him in the past because he's focused on whatever he collects and lists the rest in large bundles. He never responded to my questions so I bought the 50 loco, and got it today. It's repainted. It also was just wrapped in a single sheet of small bubble wrap and then put in a large box where it bounced it way across the country first by Fedex, then by USPS to my place.

I never use the Fedex/USPS shipping option because I think it increases the chances of damage.

Here's what it looks like now:

 

 

It will be back in the mail to him tomorrow.

I get upset with buyers who don't take the time to read my descriptions. Last month one lazy buyer cost me $62 in round trip shipping. 

But I missed out on a late 42 in this dark olive color a while back because I thought it was repainted and someone else grabbed it.

With ebay there is no risk involved, so I might as well buy it.  If it's not as described return it with a not as described claim so I get postage both ways back. I could also have returned this as damaged and gotten shipping both ways back too!

This is the third or fourth time I've returned ebay purchases because they weren't as described. That's in 25 years of buying on ebay.

29

General Discussion / Re: Interesting Auction Items

« on: August 13, 2023, 10:49:01 PM »

I'm looking at this 50 loco on ebay:

 

Here's auction:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/394800057632

I think that's repainted. What do you think?

I don't want to bid and then send it back. But at the same time, I missed out on a late 42 in that color because I thpught it was repainted. The seller won't answer questions or send more photos.

Here's something else that's neat. Rare large window 6250 Seaboard switcher cab:

 

I had a 624 switcher with the same broken out window touched up to make a large window years ago. He says it's a factory replacement shell made from defective shell. I don't remember how many stantions the 624 had.

here's the listing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305070873635

30

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: August 04, 2023, 05:40:17 AM »

The green 150 set is nice. That same seller had a nice race car set. Just one car and an oval of track. That's where your instructions came from.

I haven't bought anything in a while. I upgraded a boxcar, but nothing interesting.