Messages

31

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: July 15, 2023, 08:36:09 PM »

The first recent additions post was on May 5th 2020. That's the black 33 with reversed letter shown with this new black 33.

I've bought at least six 33 locos in the 3 years since May 2020. Now I have thirty-three different variations.

I offered Mark Boyd an in depth article about them, but he says the TCA members aren't interested. I'm going to write a book about the 33 locos. I have all but 3 known variations - dark blue, 1910 round cab, and red no cream stripes. I know people with the blue and red locos, but not with the 1910 round cab. I'll start on the book next year.

32

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: July 13, 2023, 04:40:49 PM »

Here's a milestone - my 33rd 33 loco!  A black 33 with strap headlight, hand reverse and MFG plate on door.  I think black locos were sold with freight sets until about 1917/18 when the freight color changed to a shade of gray. This makes black locos with strap headlights difficult to find.

 

It doesn't look like much, but it's a factory error:

 

It has two light hoods, and one has been drilled out for a binding post. I have a dark loive 33 with two strap light hoods and NO binding post, and the very end of the line 33 locos come without a binding post, but with the hole.

The wiring is all original so the post was installed at the factory. I have other locos that may have come from the factory without binding posts, but were "repaired" by collectors over the years.

This is not as neat as a 1910 round cab or a dark blue 33 -the two locos I know I'm missing,  but still a fun buy. Much cheaper too!

I have one other black 33 with a strap headlight. It's got the lettering reversed on both sides and a corp plate on the end.

 

Terry

33

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: June 29, 2023, 05:20:43 PM »

I got this early stock car today. It has the number and LL stamp on an end with regular wheels. Not dark green, but closer to the normal light green or pea green.

 

Oddly this has painted couplers, and the doors are painted on the pebble stock from the bridge bases.

 

 

Nothing really exciting, but still fun to get.

34

General Discussion / Re: Tony Hay

« on: June 28, 2023, 06:13:40 AM »

I bought trains from him in the 1970s. He was a nice guy and a dealer you never heard complaints about.

35

General Discussion / Re: The ebay rant.

« on: June 11, 2023, 07:01:21 PM »

Jim - the ebay scammer is asking people to contact him directly. Then he gets payment directly from buyers who are chasing the "too good to be true deal."

They create a sense of urgency and then try to get gift cards. Gift cards as good as cash.

It sounds weird, but ~Name Removed~ called me last year because the electric utility had called her and wanted her to get them a Walmart gift card to pay her balance due. She was calling me from Walmart because they wouldn't sell her a gift card when she explained what it was for.

To make this point even harder, she pays the utility 1/12 of her expected annual bill each month automatically from her bank account. Then once a year they reconcile the payments and figure the next year's payments.

With e-gift cards you get a code number that is valid, you need nothing but the number to use them. I get Home Depot gift cards from the coin machine at the grocery store. The machine charges 10% to cash in coins, but issues gift cards for no fee. The first thing I do is take a picture of the number so I don't lose it.

I had a collect call today from someone in jail looking for bail money. I didn't recognize the name so I just hung up. THis was a common scam a few years back.

36

General Discussion / Re: The ebay rant.

« on: June 01, 2023, 04:47:52 PM »

The scammers come and go. What's important is recognizing the threat.

There was a guy years ago in Henderson Nevada who sent an ad in to the TTOS exchange. He pocketed tens of thousands of dollars by advertising somewhat desirable trains at good prices. The stuff wasn't cheap, just really attractivly priced.  Lots of people sent checks.

Here's something I saw today:

 

I knew the box felt smaller. I think the medium flat rate got smaller too, but I don't have any older ones.

37

General Discussion / Re: The ebay rant.

« on: May 28, 2023, 05:15:07 PM »

Here's the scammer that I mentioned a few months back again. I did a video of his listings. They are the same as the last time around. He hacks or steals someone's ebay account and lists a bunch of items with instructions tyo email him to buy it now.

38

General Discussion / Re: Restoring some old prewar Lionel big O gauge

« on: May 06, 2023, 06:13:34 PM »

I throw out the beat up tanks and use the frames for flatcars. I put old toy trucks and such on them.

39

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: April 25, 2023, 03:43:42 PM »

I have the orange roof wabash boxcar with clipped corners. I "overpaid" for it in a Stout auction years ago and have never regretted it.

I bought a bunch o'goodies today from the original owner. Lots 1942 gray items including an 068 warning signal. Some will end up on the layout.

The rush from getting the green 152 is gone so now I'm on the hunt again.

40

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: April 24, 2023, 04:54:46 PM »

I don't have that caboose. How many cabooses did you look at to find that one? A thousand? Five thousand? Well worth the effort.

The 154 is just a late body 154. The one with the screws parallel to the rails. Or am I missing something.   I have 5 early body - 4 dark green and an olive, but only 2 late body ones one each dark green and olive.  Maybe they made them for fewer years, or maybe just fewer changes.

The 150 in gray is neat. There's probably just a handful of those around.

41

General Discussion / Re: Terry’s unboxing video

« on: April 19, 2023, 12:54:29 PM »

Great video.  I subscribed to your channel. I used to get paid by youtube, but haven't seen money in years. Now you need a thousand subscribers.

I did that once with a black 238E. Back in the 1980s the trains and parts weren't plentiful so you'd grab whetever you saw at the meets. It was cheap at $20. The lead truck is unique to the 238E, so are some of the siderods.

In the mid 1970s my dad bought a 51 steam loco in a pieces from Bill Tunstall. Bill was the president of TCA national at the time. Bill told my dad all he needed was some wheels.

Months later, we went to a toy show and a man was bragging that he had mostly everything Lionel made.  My dad asked him for wheels, and the man said yes. My dad gave him a $20 bill and his address. The wheels came in a few weeks later.

I put thew loco together using the exploded diagrams in the Lionel catalogs. (Bruce Greenberg was selling a set of Lionbel catalogs from the teens back then.) It took me about 6 hours to figure out the assembly and get it toghether. It even runs.

 

Terry

PS here's one of my videos with 3.1 MILLION views. I don't get paid for it because I don't have 1000 subscribers. It's a different account than the train account so please take a minute to subscribe. Maybe I can get a few dollars.

42

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: April 08, 2023, 02:42:17 PM »

Mike - you'll have to start buying other trains. 

If I was going to buy other trains, I'd start buying American made live steam locos from 1880-1910. They fascinate me and are relatively cheap.

Or I'd collect Hillclimbers. None of the hillclimbers are worth a grand and there is a wide variety of them.

43

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: April 07, 2023, 12:35:51 PM »

Running it up on me!

Thanks for saving your money for York.  I'll say a wish that you find something good.

The comments on the video seem to be that the 2332 GG1s are worth more than $75 each. The last one I had went for $100.  I sold a red brushplate  loco for $150 on ebay about a year ago.  I can't see why anyone would want a beat up single motor for $100, when they can get a K-line loco with TMCC and two motors new in the box for a few dollars more.

I do have a 2332 with 3 madison cars downstairs, but my grandfather bought the set for my dad in 1949.

44

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: April 05, 2023, 10:53:12 PM »

I saw this lot of Lionel trains on Liveauctions a few weeks ago:

 

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/148026245_lionel-o-gauge-model-train-assortment

Thinking there was something good there, I got more photos from the auction house. After looking at the additional photos, I decided I wanted the neat little loco.  I took into account the 20% buyer's premium and the $180-240 shipping estimate the auction house gave me, and with a consideration of how much I could get for the unwanted junk in the lot I bid.

My goal was to get the little green loco for less than $1500. (I paid $1650 decades ago for the pea green 38, and have NEVER regretted spending the money.)

I got this big box in the mail:

 

 

My freind has been telling me I should do some train videos with me talking because you can make money doing youtube videos. So I had him come obver and I unboxed the lot with the camera rolling.

Here's the video:

Here's the Pea Green 152:

 

152j1 Pea green, stamped brass handrails and brass tone strap headlight, type 5 motor with brush tubes, black fiber with corp plate. Holes for 153 reverse.

The dark green 152 with brass trim turned out to be an overlooked variation. I wouldn't have bought thisw because of the condition, but since it came with the other one I'll keep it.


 

152g2 Dark green, stamped brass handrails and brass toine headlight, and  type 5 motor with brush tubes, black fiber with corp plate. Holes for 153 reverse.

Mike found the odd green 153 a few month ago and we were curious about the color shades.  This pea green 152 engine is a little different shade than the 38, but is almost an exact match for the 821 stock car. That's a very late 821 with slots in the trucks and unpainted door handles.

Here's some color comparison shots of the 152 and other items.

 

 

 

I think I did good.

45

Collector Corner / Re: TIN PLATE TOWER

« on: March 28, 2023, 01:18:37 PM »

Looks like a German semaphore missing the arms. You can see the levers at the base and the hole near the top for the semaphore blades. Wires would connect the blades to the levers.

My impression is it's too heavy to be Kibri so either Marklin or Bing. Probably made between 1915 and 35.

Here's an ebay listing with simnilar signals.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225474377956