2014 Lionel Heavyweight Overhaul

Nice job! Look forward to its finish.

Very nice project!  Where did you get the interior?  What did you use to cut the pieces off?

Thanks all.  The interior came from Lionel ($15.00).  I just ordered the interiors for a more modern Lionel NYC heavyweight set.  Because the new interiors serve as the backings for the frame screws, I had to remove the old backings from the older model vestibules.  I used a plastic cutter/burner. 

I'm not familiar with that tool.  Do you have a link for it?

 

Also, clever of you to adapt a newer product to retrofit to an older model.

 

Do the seats/chairs and the people line-up well with the windows in your model as well as they do in the newer version?

 

Thanks for the reply to my earlier question.

I am looking forward to seeing the completion of this project. Nice work.

I like this project because I am in the process of doing something similar.  I am going to upgrade a bunch of my Weaver streamliners with interiors so this thread is inspiring me!

 

Alan

Thanks everyone.  I will post more pics when the LED lighting arrives.  Mr. Carl, the burner I used is called a “hot knife”, which is used for cutting foam, plastics, etc (see pic below).  Also, the seats and people lineup well with the windows because Lionel’s heavyweight shells have not changed.  Just make sure you get the appropriate interior for each heavyweight (ex. buy an observation interior for an observation car, etc.)

 

Thanks for the explanation and the photo.

 

I'm trying to decide if I want to update a number of 15" streamline cars with interiors and lose the window silhouettes, and your techniques may well be very useful for what I'm considering.

These projects are a lot of fun.  I enjoy making the interiors and doing them in good detail.  Yours looks very good.  I'm doing a rather different heavyweight now I had to shorten to 14.5 inches and make a special roof and interior.  They are nice to work on with that plastic body.    

Very nicely done!

 

Peter

Thanks, Mr. Peter.

 

Mr. Carl, please post photos if you decide to update your 15" streamline cars.  I want to do the same with mine and would love to see how you decide to update yours. 

 

Mr. Willis, please, if possible, post pictures of your heavyweights.  I would love to get ideas.

I'll definitely post pictures of the project if/when undertaken.  For example, LIONEL will sell the interiors used in their 18" cars.  I'd need to shorten them, but would the figures "line-up" with the windows with just one or two cuts?  If not, how many cuts will be necessary? 

 

What other manufacturers offer for sale their interiors in 15" cars?

 

I've added the standard dome interior that LIONEL uses now in a PW 2531 observation car with an offset dome ala the CZ obs car.  So when the time comes to add a dome to other cars with a custom cut offset opening, it can be done with an interior.

 

I'll be following your heavyweight project.  Thanks for sharing.  Frankly, such threads are my favorites, by far.

1/5/2015 Update: I received the LED light strips yesterday and have finished the observation.  One down, four to go (six if I decide to add lighting to the baggage car).  I have yet to decided on the baggage car.  I originally did not want the baggage car illuminated.  Any suggestions?  Thanks.  Tyler. 

 

 

 

Tyler, your observation car turned out great!!!  The lighting looks just right for illuminating the interior you created. 

 

Suggestion:  edit the thread's title to include the date of the update.  Let's viewers know there's new info/photo/etc.

What an improvement!!!!. You do great work, Tyler.

Thanks Pingman and Passenger Train Collector!

That is fine workmanship! Thanks for posting!

 

My memory is a bit fuzzy about lights in baggage cars. Lionel postwar streamliners didn't have lights. But a baggage crew needed lights to load and unload baggage after dark. I'm certain they couldn't rely on lights at stations and along platforms.

 

Maybe you could use fewer LED light strips so the baggage car would look different than the rest of the train. Install them on the ceiling above the side doors and at each end door.

 

Speaking for others, we would really like to see a video of this train running at nught. The man smoking a cigar on the observation deck would look great going away!

That's really excellent work!  Would you happen to have the Lionel part numbers for the interiors!  I want to try my hand at something like that.

Thanks for posting this!

Jon

Wow, Tyler!  What a difference!  Exceptional job making an older car look so much better.  The lighting looks great.  Where did the light strips come from and what is the voltage.  Do the run on direct 18 volts from the track?

 

I especially like the man smoking the cigar on the rear platform.

 

Thanks for sharing,

Don

 

 

Tyler,

Great job! That is an interesting project. One I might try in the future. Thanks for posting and please continue to post your progress on the remaining cars. 

Spectacular!

Can you share the part numbers for the interiors you used?

Well done!

fantastic job!

Very nice indeed! Having done some minor upgrades including figures and lighting I can appreciate the amount of time that went into this. One question though, did the interiors come painted or did you do that? My Lionel heavyweights have generic gray plastic interiors, eg seats and walls.

 

Pete

I have never been able to figure out what the best practice for the LED voltage. I looked at the picture and it looks like 12v. Did you step the power down? I have been using 24vac relays on another project so I would have thought 24v would be what is needed. I see bags of LED's on ebay and have been temped but I don't what to buy a bag of items not needed. Any LED advice would be greatly appreciated. 

At least one forum member offers a circuit to drive these. You are correct that most of these LED strips are made for 12V DC. I have made my own circuits, both constant voltage. The first puts out 9 volts and will drive any strip up to and including 21" long (longer even if required). I found 12 volts to be too bright. 9 volts is less bright but I still add a ~50 ohm resistor to lower the brightness even more. This is good if you run command.

The second circuit puts out 3 volts. This will work for both conventional and command but requires you short out two of the three LEDs in a group. Still fairly bright though. About the same intensity as the incandescent bulbs they replace. If it wasn't so tedious to short the LEDs out that would be my preferred circuit. The 9 volt circuit is no more complicated to make but requires no modification of the LED strips.

Google LM78L09 for 9 volts circuits and LM317L for a device to make a 3 volt regulator if you want to try and roll your own.

 

Pete

First of all, thanks for all the compliments!  I definitely enjoy running these with the upgraded interiors and lighting. 

 

ReadingFan.  Yes, I will be sure to post a night video.  And, I like your idea about making the baggage car lighting different by using less LEDs.   

 

Looney Tunes and CentralFan1976, I used the following interiors:

 

6205663005 – INTERIOR / COACH / C&A

6205714005 – INTERIOR / COMBINE / NYC 20TH / VAN TWILLER

6205717005 – INTERIOR / OBSERVATION / NYC / CATSKILL VALLEY

6205720005 – INTERIOR / SLEEPER / NYC / POPLAR

 

Norton, the interiors came painted.  The hardest part about finding interiors is finding interiors that are the same color.  Lionel has made multiple interiors.  I think they have green, blue, light brown, dark brown, etc...

 

DGJONES and moe321, I am not an LED expert.  I purchased the light strips and the seller assured me that they were rated 12 – 18v.  They work great in conventional and command mode.  No problems as of yet.

 

I will be sure to post more pics and videos.  Thanks again.  Tyler.