Skip to main content

Obtained a postwar Lionel MKT 600 in the spring. It needed a bit of overhaul, cleaning and repainting. I always liked the gray and yellow version of the 600 and since the frame needed repainting anyway, this was the time to do it. The gray is from Hennings Trains and the yellow is Erie Lackawanna yellow. I added LED lighting with headlight lenses from Trainz. The colored paint was applied using airbrush over lacquer primer. It's not perfect but good enough! The locomotive runs well for something as old as this one,Cleaned FrameRailings PaintedLED's Hot glued in600 MKT rear view closeup600 MKT Front closeup

Attachments

Images (6)
  • Cleaned Frame: Cleaned Frame
  • Railings Painted: Railings painted
  • Chassis Top view riveted: Frame reassembled
  • LED's Hot glued in: Led's hot glued in
  • 600 MKT Front closeup: 600 MKT Front
  • 600 MKT rear view closeup: 600 MKT Back

I have a few Lionel woodside cabooses that I’m always trying different things on as far as details and lighting. I use Atlas trucks and had flicker free lighting. There’s nothing to see as far as an interior. So the only lights are the Tomar lanterns. I have a designated caboose track in the yard. No toggle switch to shut the power off. So they all sit there with their lanterns lit. Certainly not prototypical. I had read many years ago about adding a magnetic latching relay for lighting cars using battery power.  Rivarossi is doing something nowadays with their Magic Wand lighting. I understand a little bit more today than years ago on electronic projects and decided to give it a try. I used a 9v battery for power and a couple of boards and removed the rollers from my trucks. Seems to be very reliable. It’s just a matter of how long the battery lasts.

Attachments

Videos (1)
FullSizeRender

Years ago, I put together a Santa Fe Fast Mail train consist and made a streamlined rider coach to bring up the markers.  Further research told me how the rider coach was almost always a heavyweight combine.  To right this wrong, I sold the streamlined coach at a train show and modified this GGD combine to make a better representation.

It will soon get decals from ProtoCraft, a platform gate from Keil, and RYY markers from Tomar.  It will not be exact, but mighty close...

2606

Attachments

Images (1)
  • 2606
Last edited by Rob Leese

Thanks to the heat, I’ve found myself deep in my postwar Lionel closet and my box of “to do!”  Top of the list now is a couple of 6464’s with rusty wheels and trucks, not severe but definitely not anything I want to admit to, yet! And in a couple other cases, the door guides have spots of rust. My last attempt at rust removal on the door guides removed all the paint too, and the quick fix was to buy a couple of new sets. But I have the old ones, devoid of paint. Can they be satisfactorily repainted? Which shade of black? Protect against future rust how?

For the wheels and trucks-a couple of hours soaking, tooth brush, Dawn and warm water and an open air dry overnight. Will that protect the bluing or a drop of oil on a cotton cloth wiped over the dry assembly (Cotton swab in the hard to reach spots) protect against future rust or recurring rust..or something else?

like so many others, I learn from everyone here and am so grateful for the many topics.

Dick Lawrence

My public service announcement for the day: Always check engine gears and electronics before running them!

This Williams 5207 Hudson came to me from the fine folks at Trainz. Brand new sealed in the plastic. Took the gear box apart (boy, what an over engineered marvel that was taking apart 😂), and low and behold the brass and nylon gears were dry as a bone. Wonder how long that bad boy would've lasted without oil and grease? PXL_20230826_172242173

Attachments

Images (1)
  • PXL_20230826_172242173

I just un-boxed some items picked up from a local online auction.  The description wasn't clear, and the pic was only a box full of pieces and parts, but I took a chance.  It came with a 225E loco and the 2602 baggage that are in pretty rough shape.  I need to find what proper tender came with it.  The other pullman cars and tender are also in rough shape but will make for a great cleaning/restoration project.  My list of things to find to complete the sets increases. Loco 225e with Tender, and 2602 baggage, and 2 x 2442 passenger cars - before cleaning225E missing boiler front - missing gems - missing whistle off shell - CopyLionel 2442 pullman passenger - 1 - CopyLionel 2442 pullman passenger - 2Lionel prewar passenger 2606 baggage - CopyTender that came whith the 225E loco prewar

Attachments

Images (6)
  • Loco 225e with Tender, and 2602 baggage, and 2 x 2442 passenger cars - before cleaning
  • 225E missing boiler front - missing gems - missing whistle off shell - Copy
  • Lionel 2442 pullman passenger - 1
  • Lionel 2442 pullman passenger - 2
  • Lionel prewar passenger 2606 baggage
  • Tender that came whith the 225E loco

PEOPLE  ,  PAINTING ,  PLAYING WITH LIGHT WIRING .20230830_104713

Never worked on one of these Streamliner cars before.

MTH Railking with different  ( for me )   incadescent light strips .   Changing to GRJ's module with LED light strips.

The incadescencts had the spring and pad type connector for the top tier metal strips with the micro bulbs. The lower cabin had the metal strips with the micro bulbs also.

  Definitely something I had never encountered while doing LED installs on standard Madison and Streamline passenger cars.........kind of fun giving the gray matter a new experience.

Attachments

Images (1)
  • 20230830_104713

PEOPLE  ,  PAINTING ,  PLAYING WITH LIGHT WIRING .

Never worked on one of these Streamliner cars before.

MTH Railking with different  ( for me )   incadescent light strips .   Changing to GRJ's module with LED light strips.

The incadescencts had the spring and pad type connector for the top tier metal strips with the micro bulbs. The lower cabin had the metal strips with the micro bulbs also.

  Definitely something I had never encountered while doing LED installs on standard Madison and Streamline passenger cars.........kind of fun giving the gray matter a new experience.

Dallas, here's my thread on upgrading the Premier versions.

MTH Amtrak Superliner LED Upgrade in Pictures

Dallas, here's my thread on upgrading the Premier versions.

MTH Amtrak Superliner LED Upgrade in Pictures

Looks like your Premier had the same setup inside John.  The one I'm working on is a 1998 30-6503.

I like how you kept your wiring professional looking and retained an easy access to the interior floors.

I eliminated the molex connectors and the spring connectors ..........at the expense of an orderly looking wiring job.    Everything I did was soldered from the truck to the light strips.

Thanks for sharing John.......first time I saw a post on this Amtrak Superliner subject.

Last edited by Dallas Joseph

Looks like your Premier had the same setup inside John.  The one I'm working on is a 1998 30-6503.

I like how you kept your wiring professional looking and retained an easy access to the interior floors.

I eliminated the molex connectors and the spring connectors ..........at the expense of an orderly looking wiring job.    Everything I did was soldered from the truck to the light strips.

Thanks for sharing John.......first time I saw a post on this Amtrak Superliner subject.

I try to have the ability to separate each part of the car, drives me nuts when they're hard-wired together when I'm working on them later.

My current project is a not working K Line shay from ebay. It works now .

DLF-08-29-2023-0057

I verified that the sounds worked, but no motor movement at all. Thought I would just replace the K Line cruise board with a cruise M, but they might be available again in December. Since I have always wanted a shay but they need a bigger layout, cost an arm and a leg, that when I found this one I knew it was mine and could not wait to get it on the layout running! So, I installed a Tsunami2 4400 inside after stripping it of all electronics except the tach board, thinking I might be able to use that if I decide to install a super chuffer. I did not replace the lights with LED's this time around, the dyno light is way cool effect, way better than with LEDs! I even have a firebox flickering glow that's pretty neat also. I found a polar express berk bell that will fit in the yoke, just need to install it and I have to make the two pipes that are missing from the top of the boiler. What I paid for the loco and the upgrades is still less than what they are selling for on ebay so I'm really happy with it so far!



Need to stop buying loco's so I can get my projects list reduced, LOL!

Attachments

Images (1)
  • DLF-08-29-2023-0057
@Mark Boyce posted:

Darrell, it looks and sounds great.  Am I correct that Tsunami is a DCC operated product?

Mark, thank you and yes the Soundtrax Tsumani2 is a DCC decoder, command and sound all on one board. It is the older brother to the Bluenami 4408. It  does not have bluetooth so I use a Digitrax 8 amp DCC system to run it. There is a hobby shop up north in Phoenix that always seems to have them in stock so that is what I use now. There just was no room inside for a Cruise commander and a Sound commander inside the shay, so that was not an option and would have added to the cost of the project.

I'm just happy that after all these years of wanting one that would run on my 042 and 031 curves, I now have one!

@Darrell posted:

Mark, thank you and yes the Soundtrax Tsumani2 is a DCC decoder, command and sound all on one board. It is the older brother to the Bluenami 4408. It  does not have bluetooth so I use a Digitrax 8 amp DCC system to run it. There is a hobby shop up north in Phoenix that always seems to have them in stock so that is what I use now. There just was no room inside for a Cruise commander and a Sound commander inside the shay, so that was not an option and would have added to the cost of the project.

I'm just happy that after all these years of wanting one that would run on my 042 and 031 curves, I now have one!

Darrell, having a hobby shop that has the Tsunami decoders in stock almost all the time is a big plus when compared to other systems that are only available once in a while.  I'm not naming any names here. 

Years ago, I made and printed decal sets for GARX insulated boxcars (the boxcars Atlas makes for the HO people but not us) **snarky voice inserted**.  Today I discovered how K4 Decals is making these same sets for QA&P Rwy.  Many other major railroads leased these cars which carried GARX reporting marks and numbers but sported the leasing railroad’s logo. For my next major project I have been buying Atlas Napierville Junction 50’ PS-1 cushion cars for very reasonable prices, and all the while thinking I would have to print more decals. Not so!  Later, I will need to buy short shanked couplers for the Atlas trucks since GARX cars were not cushion cars, and the Napierville Jct. models have simulated cushioned shanks.
   Side thought: I remember working in East yard as a new hire and watching a load get kicked fairly swiftly into a cushion car…everything on the track moved with the force of the joint except the body of that cushion car. Then very slowly the body crept to get in line with its underframe. It looked weird.
Pictures later this year.
K4 is “the Bomb”.

I need some 763e parts advice.  I bid on an item in a local online auction that seemed to contain a prewar 268w tender, and the 618 caboose, 810 Crane, and 812 gondola.  The pic also showed an outline of a loco in the corner of the pic so I took a chance.  There were some neat old items so I was willing to pay a bit more hoping that I would be redeemed.   When I went to retrieve the box, I found it included the 763E, and also some neat old accessories including a 6457 caboose and 2671w tender in really nice condition.  I ended up paying $260 for the lot.   

However, the 763e loco has two driver wheels with broken flanges, the lead truck wheels are chipped and cracked, and the trailing truck wheels are notched and one of the spoked wheels has dissolved around the axel.  Wondering if it got dropped or something.  It clearly hasn't been run as the driver wheels turn but seem to be really gummed up. Other than that, it looks to be in great shape.

Questions:

  1. How do I go about finding replacement driver wheels/rims?
  2. How does one replace driver wheels on a loco like this?
  3. How do I go about finding the replacement wheels for the trucks?
  4. Are there wheels from other Lionel locos that will work?


Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

Also, the loco, tender, and cars all seem so large in comparison to other Lionel prewar tinplate items (comparing my Lionel #2657 caboose to the #617).  Why is that?  When I first took the items out of the box I thought they might be standard gauge.  The tender wheels are huge!AUCTIO~1Lionel prewar 268w vanderbilt tenderLionel prewar 763E - 1Lionel prewar 763E with 268w tender, 817 Caboose, 810 Crane, 812 gondola - came with Lionel 6457 Caboose, and 2671w tenderLionel prewar 763ELionel prewar 810 Crane and 812 Gondola - missing break wheelLionel prewar 817 CabooseUnderside of Lionel prewar 763E

Attachments

Images (8)
  • AUCTIO~1
  • Lionel prewar 763E - 1
  • Lionel prewar 763E
  • Underside of Lionel prewar 763E
  • Lionel prewar 268w vanderbilt tender
  • Lionel prewar 763E with 268w tender, 817 Caboose, 810 Crane, 812 gondola - came with Lionel 6457 Caboose, and 2671w tender
  • Lionel prewar 810 Crane and 812 Gondola - missing break wheel
  • Lionel prewar 817 Caboose

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Ste 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×