It looks like a Lionel Dealer Display.  These are very collectible.

If I were you, I would go buy some lottery tickets tonight...lol

Any way to find out if its a dealer display? It is made and wired really nice. It has  a 497 coaling station,362 barrel loader?,3472 milk platform, cattle corral,4 metal lamps,494 beacon,plus some crossing gates etc. Its all a bit rusty and some pieces are broke but i found some parts on e-bay . I'll let ya know how the lotto tickets pan out. LOL

Great score...definitely a keeper in my book...I have a guy out here in Ca that is very god with all things Lionel, engines, rolling stock and transformers...eh has worked on my PW ZWs...contact The Train Tender for some one on the East Coast...Jeff Kane is very knowledgable...

Keep us posted with photos and info as you rejuvenate this great find...amazing what folks will throw away...

jz

Maybe the red and green lights are backwards. Did you check the voltages?

Eddie has a point, is the red light on the left side of the ZW, where is belongs, green on the right side...also lift of the top case...four screws on the top that hold the square top case in place and see what condition the carbon rollers are...they may have worn down or been broken and you may have an internal short...

jz

What a great find!  I can't believe someone actually threw that out!  What a waste of resources.  Probably a disgruntled wife or girlfriend! 

At any rate, enjoy it!  Especially if it turns out to be a dealer display!  Your Christmas came early!

Thanks to all, the red is on the left,green right. This is my first ZW 275 Watt and i don't know alot about them.  My son and i really will have some use for this on our layout.  Right now we have 2 80 watt Lionels and 1 MTHZ750. I will pull the top off tommorow after work and check it out. It was a cool find, the people in the house came out and we talked, she said they couldnt find any of the trains her sons played with and didn't know alot about it but said her boys played with it alot when they were younger and they all said they didn't want it. She was afraid the trash guys wouldnt take it or charge her more to pick it up. Will try to keep an update going Thanks again for all the help.

mch257: As regards the ZW - check to see that the top cover of the ZW may have been removed and then replaced in reverse (front to the back and the back to the front). A way to tell, is to look at the ZW so that the binding post terminals are facing away from you, and the handles, when pulled back, are pointing toward you. Then, from where you stand, the LIONEL "L" logo on top should be readable. The "green" light will be on the right, and the "red" light will be on the left.  If it is not that way, then the top on the case was removed and put back on incorrectly.  When you remove it to check the insides, be sure to reinstall it correctly.

          If on the other hand, the top case section is on correctly, then look for a "Stuck open" circuit breaker. This would allow the red light to stay illuminated, indicating a short circuit. The breakers in the ZW take a lot on abuse, and do wear out. As you were told, the boys played with the trains a lot, and perhaps the breaker went bad and so they lost interest as other "Influences" came into their lives.

          It also does not hurt to look around the insides of the ZW for any obvious items that may show some "Inquisitive" tinkering by the boys. As with all electrical devices, be sure that the plug is removed from the wall socket before removing the cover. And while on the subject of the plug and cord, inspect it for brittle/dryness and cracks in the outer covering, which is a common problem with items this old.  Let us know what you find. Dennis M.

mch257:  Your layout find reminded me of a layout that was printed in the back of some of the Lionel catalogs of old. When I went back to them, your layout was not exact as they did it; but it did have properties that could be called - "variation on a theme".

          If it is not, then perhaps you actually have -"One of the lost dealer displays" that was never listed in past discussions.  It adds to the wonder and excitement of the discussion of dealer display layouts!

          I would replace the track with new tubular "O" gauge track; restore the switch tracks, and freshen up the board, putting back all the old accessories and wiring it up to run!  I'm sure that it would be an exciting project and a rewarding pastime when complete!  Dennis M.

And don't forget the lottery ticket!  

Hi MCH,

One way to help identify if it's a dealer display is the wiring underneath. Many of these layout used what's called bus wiring. There would be common metal strips running under the layout and then feeder wires coming off of those bus bars. Also, if you look closely on most postwar dealer layouts the wood under the layout would have been notched so that the bus bars would lay flat against the underside of the layout. There are a few other tell tales, such as the material used for the grass, the paint colors used on the road, etc. There are certain aspects of this layout that definitely look like a dealer display, but any of those could have been replicated at home. The bus bars would be the first key.  

Hi, Im in White Plains, if you need help with this let me know. I would love to help you. I also work at Toms Trains, part time, and we fix postwar as well as modern..Steve

There have been a number of recommendations in the past of Harry Lutz. Phone 610-442-9620. Harryflutz@aol.com

I saw that Harry attended shows in Allentown, PA and I believe York.  He does repairs and sells refurbed transformers and some parts.  He also provides attractive warranties on what he sells.  If your unit does not appear to be any easy fix, it might be worth a phone call to get some insight and possible repair quotes from Harry.

PS.  Nice find.

Thanks again to all ,this is getting interesting. Even the wife is asking about it! Pulled the top of the ZW and it looks like a roller is missing and the others don't look so good.. as far as the wiring its pretty impresive , whoever did it knew what they were doing.  I've been to Toms a few times. My son and i have only been in NY for a 2 years so we are still  kinda new to the area. Steve{Cincytrains} would like to talk to you about this. I work in North White Plains. Let me know. Started cleaning some of the tracks and will try to power it later this week. Thanks again to all.

I met Harry at York. He would be the go to guy in your area for the ZW.

Rob

email me off line, dayton92@verizon.net I will meet you or you can stop over. I live near the Stop and Shop in North White Plains..So we are really close.

If the red light is coming on as soon as you plug in the ZW replace the CIRCUIT BREAKER. This is a $10 fix for the part.

If the green light comes on dim for a few seconds then goes to Red look for a broken wire on the back of the binding posts shorted to ground.

This is a good site for ZW checking and repair. http://www.tranz4mr.com/site/ZW_Page.html

That is where I would start.

Nice find! Most likely a new set of rollers and a proper inspection will fix the ZW.

Just scuff some rust off of the top of the rails with a 3M like pad-fine.

One common for everything.

Looks like you need a bumper trolley of MOW car.

Googled the dealer address, just a house now. Interesting back story to research.

Have fun!!

please take apicture of the back side of the layout so we can see if it's a dealer display or not. thanx!

This "John's Trains" must have been run out of somone's home. I live in the area (45 yrs and counting), and the noted address is (and always has been) a residential block.

The only storefronts in the area that could have been dedicated to hobby/train items would have been on White Plains Road, and the last of those, Bronx Model Trains (near Burke Ave), closed up in the 1990's or so (in its waning years not only did it not have its name on the storefront, but was only open for a couple of hours each evening after his tire-repair shop on the city line closed for the day). Prior to that, the last place on the same street that may that carried "hobby/ model construction supplies" vanished long before I was born (and that was secondhand info at that ).

Ironically, the owner of Bronx Model Trains was named "John", but I don't think he ever had a residence in the borough.

---PCJ

After a lucky find like that, it's hard to pass by the dumpsters without sneaking a peek ... 

Heres a pic my friend took curbside waiting for the trashman!

bulk trash find update,,,, Zw now operational, 50$ fix ,banjo signal fixed. And more parts are coming. Thanks to all who helped.  Need to clean some more track and will run some trains on it.

Awesome find!

I have found some amazing things by dumpster diving and on large item night.

I once found an American Flyer set in the local town dump.

brought it home lubed it up and she ran around our Christmas tree for 20 years.

mch257:

E-mail your pics to Roger Carp at CCT.  He is the defacto expert on dealer displays.

His E-mail is in any issue of CTT.

Roger will answer, he and I have "talked" a few times together.

mch257,

Very nice find! I am looking forward to seeing the layout come back to life! The ZW and banjo signal fixes are a very good start.

eddie may be right.

the red and green lens may be reversed.

BUT, Ive also seen the entire cover

on backwards when people pull it and put

it back wrong.

chck to see the cover is on with Logo

facing you as you work the controls

 How about give the fellas at OGR World Headquarters a shot at identifying it first?

Several of them could qualify as 'expert' in the field too...

Any more updates..Glad to see your getting bugs worked out. Nice find..

I'll take any help in trying to find out if it is a dealer display. A few people i showed pics to said it looks like one.  BUT?  I sent pics to a few train stores and am waiting for replys. If any one on the site needs more info let me know. I'm still trying to find out about John's Trains from the Bronx,NY. . All in all my son and i have been having fun cleaning and parts hunting! Train show in CT. This weekend. thanks again for all the help.

Looks like Bell wiring underneath; too new to be a genuine dealer display. 

In terms of identifying your bulk find, I think the thoughtful post from Chris has it right.  It is not an original dealer display, but it is an excellent postwar layout that appears to be heavily influenced by Lionel offerings to the dealers.

Looks like it will be fun to run, plus the detective and repair work to get all the pieces and have them operate correctly will be quite enjoyable as well.  The process might make a neat story for OGR.  Hmmm. Why not contact Allan about it?

Trying to figure a way to make it a Collector's Gallery.

Ed Boyle

Terrific find! Maybe you can merge it with your current layout! 

Hey, I am serious about helping you write up your find for an article in OGR.

Please contact Allan and me. You are living this experience and we can put it into print. Remember, a lot more more folks read OGR, either in print or digitally, than people who will see your find on the Forum. 

Heck, we even PAY for features we use in OGR

Our e mail addresses are absurdly easy to find. Mine is; ed@ogaugerr.com and Allan's is; editor@ogaugerr.com.

Ed Boyle

While not an expert, I would also agree it is not an original display. I studied a bunch of them for the last 6 months before building my "postwar inspired dealer display" layout.  The roadbed that is characteristic of the postwar dealer layouts is not present. I also don't recognize the track plan as anything I have seen in Roger Carp's book ( I'm sure there are a bunch he didn't mention though).   I also don't think Lionel would have a gang car/trolley track using a 110 trestle set

Original or not, it's still a really cool find & has that postwar look for sure!

Just want to thank all for your replys, Lehighline's remarks make alot of sense. Ed i sent you a e-mail about OGR. Thanks and wow! This is all great my son {11} and i are having a blast with all this!  Trains have been a real big part of my sons life and mine, we've come along way together, won't get into details but its all good. Will keep posting updates as we move along. Gotta go clean some track!

I'll be on the lookout for an "upcoming feature story" from OGR!!!

Well done, esp in acting so promptly in getting the layout.

You know, somebody somewhere had a lotta love for someone as your pics show.

In a way, you are preserving history!!

Thanks Rufus, We will put it to good use. We will see what happens.... to be continued