Buy anything cool lately?

Peter Araujo posted:

This just arrived this week. I've been having a lot of fun running it. Plan on blackening the tires for an excursion appearance.

I've got a MTH Premier version from the late 90's that has been converted to PS2. It's got nickel rimmed drivers. At first I was thinking of blackening the drivers but I think they add to the passenger locomotive look, so I've left them alone.

Nice buy. Scale Southern Pacific GS class Northerns are nice locomotives. 

I want to start a new thread subject "Done anything stupid lately?".      

I was quite pleased with myself about finding three 2-bay offset hoppers in C&O. Only after they all arrived and I unpacked them did I realize that they were all the same road number!  Oh well, I've been doing a lot of decal-ing lately anyway. I only have to change the last digit on two of the three cars.  Not the end of the world - just a little extra work.  Guess I need to pay closer attention. 

Ralph, I wouldn't call that "stupid," but I do wonder if that isn't standard operating procedure. When a company manufactures more than one copy of a railcar, DO they give each one a different number?

Vincent Massi posted:

Ralph, I wouldn't call that "stupid," but I do wonder if that isn't standard operating procedure. When a company manufactures more than one copy of a railcar, DO they give each one a different number?

yes. 

Ralph, I agree with Vincent!  I have a couple pairs of cars with the same road number, but when the train is moving, I can’t focus on the lettering anyway!  LOL. I do agree your renumbering is a great project, and you probably have it down pat!  Excellent job!

Mark Boyce posted:

Ralph, I agree with Vincent!  I have a couple pairs of cars with the same road number, but when the train is moving, I can’t focus on the lettering anyway!  LOL. I do agree your renumbering is a great project, and you probably have it down pat!  Excellent job!

 

 

"but when the train is moving, I can’t focus on the lettering anyway!"

Mark,  my OCD or being too "anal" won't stand for it ! 

Ralph, I do get it about OCD.  I have it too, but I’ve been too busy the last few years, my OCD has gone into remission!  Once I’m fully retired and don’t have responsibilities to my elderly relatives, I expect the OCD will rear it’s head again.  LOL

Finally got out to Hobby Lobby and got my black foam boards. Good timing too. They were 40% off. Pic.......Paul 2

Paul... that's brilliant and thanks for the heads up.  It's been on my list to get some foam board to mock up a raised loop but you made me pull the trigger and get it at 40% off... took their entire stock which wasn't much.

While at that store I, of course, looked around.  Outside of drooling over the air brushes (too soon in this hobby to play with that) I found one thing that can be kit bashed in the future to add more action to the layout.  Also give my kid something to fiddle with and hopefully not break.

That door looks O-gauge enough to me!  Future mountain to city cable car is what I'm envisioning here, if he ever lets me acquisition it.  Kit bashing opportunities are endless... and new topic worthy I suspect.

Kirk

After 5 years of collecting almost exclusively Christmas themed engines and rolling stock, I've started to acquire non-holiday items. Picked up MTH PRR RS-3, several scale PS-1 boxcars of varying RR lines (Burlington Northern, Great Northern, Lackawanna, Chessie, US Army, State of Maine, PRR), Sunoco tank car and the NS Veteran's smoking tank car from MTH. The latter today spurred on by a patriotic flash. Happy Memorial Day.

Congratulations Moon for broadening your horizons!  Pun intended!  LOL

Hi I just received my long awaited Lionel Lion Scale WM 6 pack hoppers. They are nice but out of the 6, 3 of them have problems. The worst one sounded bad from the start, the metal weights are only glued in place. Well they broke free from the bottom and most of the pieces of that form the hopper are loose and free. And those pieces don't even seem to have any glue marks whatsoever. All of these are made here in the US, and are falling apart. Half tempted to send them back or to put them together. If this is what I am to expect of US made products then just keep it made overseas, sorry but no pride is shown in this workmanship.

paulp posted:

Hi I just received my long awaited Lionel Lion Scale WM 6 pack hoppers. They are nice but out of the 6, 3 of them have problems. The worst one sounded bad from the start, the metal weights are only glued in place. Well they broke free from the bottom and most of the pieces of that form the hopper are loose and free. And those pieces don't even seem to have any glue marks whatsoever. All of these are made here in the US, and are falling apart. Half tempted to send them back or to put them together. If this is what I am to expect of US made products then just keep it made overseas, sorry but no pride is shown in this workmanship.

That’s a shame. Probably an easy fix BUT you should send them back. We can’t keep fixing their problems. The pictures show much more than a simple piece falling off. 

Paul, that is something I would not want to happen to me after waiting so long for those cars. I too have a bunch of the Lionscale cars I have been waiting for. I would either call the dealer you got them through to see if they can help you but also contact Lionel about the problem.....Paul 2

Well that kind a kills the made in America quality.

Please remember that Ross switches made in America are the best you can buy. They operate flawlessly on my layout.  And Mianne bechwork also Anerican is top notch. I think.from my experience that your observation is not on made in America,  but rather made by Lionel . That said I just got a prewar Lionel that runs like clockwork.  So maybe it is Lionel today that is the issue. 

Please see attached my Lionel 700 Electric Engine. It is 1915 and I got it recently on Ebay in a box with American Flyer O gauge freight cars. Please expand the picture to see its numbering, etc.  I have also attached a video of it running . It is over 100 years old and yet runs like it is brand new. It was very dusty inside, and I did clean out grease and added very fine oil. But its type 1 motor hums. And it has the "L" marked  typed 1 pickup assembly on red felt ( I mention for those interested) .

Lionel 700 Electric 1915

Old Lionel posted:

Please see attached my Lionel 700 Electric Engine. It is 1915 and I got it recently on Ebay in a box with American Flyer O gauge freight cars. Please expand the picture to see its numbering, etc.  I have also attached a video of it running . It is over 100 years old and yet runs like it is brand new. It was very dusty inside, and I did clean out grease and added very fine oil. But its type 1 motor hums. And it has the "L" marked  typed 1 pickup assembly on red felt ( I mention for those interested) .

PERFECT!

Just got my first "scale" Lionel freight car:

It's #6-27356, and the details are unbelievable; seems everything (except maybe the air hoses) that could possibly been added was done so...and it rolls smooth as silk. 

Question: this doesn't have those terrible-looking  uncoupler "tack tabs" on the bottom of the trucks:  when were they discontinued?

A beautiful model... 

Mark in Oregon

PS: please forgive the lousy photograph... 

Scale is the way to go. The detail you can get currently is simply amazing. My layout is mostly scale ( people and vehicles are a mixed "scale " size. ). But I compared my MTH AEM 7 to a picture I have of the actual,  and every hose etc. is there.   I love your new box car,  it looks terrific. Enjoy !!!!!!

Old Lionel posted:

Scale is the way to go. The detail you can get currently is simply amazing. My layout is mostly scale ( people and vehicles are a mixed "scale " size. ). But I compared my MTH AEM 7 to a picture I have of the actual,  and every hose etc. is there.   I love your new box car,  it looks terrific. Enjoy !!!!!!

Thanks.

I've been involved in "scale" modeling since the very early '70's; in fact, I had a similarly-decorated car in N scale at one time, so by getting this it seems I've come "full circle". The level of detail on this thing really blew me away; it matches the nice K-Line and Atlas hoppers I've recently acquired. Not your "grandfather's Lionel", that's for sure! I really had no idea...

Mark in Oregon

Strummer posted:

Just got my first "scale" Lionel freight car:

It's #6-27356, and the details are unbelievable; seems everything (except maybe the air hoses) that could possibly been added was done so...and it rolls smooth as silk. 

Question: this doesn't have those terrible-looking  uncoupler "tack tabs" on the bottom of the trucks:  when were they discontinued?

A beautiful model... 

Mark in Oregon

PS: please forgive the lousy photograph... 

No-tack couplers have been around off and on in  different forms "forever". My old fav are these Lionel for the finger tab (1956 #6414 autoloader here) We called them "plate or tab couplers" because a plate vs tack was used below the axles. Higher drag because of blunt axle vs needle point, fast angle, etc. Low slung, solid looking though; low "ground clearance". My new age favs are these MTH open via very small tab slide behind the brake hose, aritculated shaft, and sprung.

  Kline's passenger car I have are nice, but no uncoupling by finger unless they are small fingers with a bit of a nail; a little plate down low is all there is.

Scenic Express had a 15% off sale over the weekend so I decided to stock pile a few things for later. Pic.......Paul 2

In my opinion you can never have enough trees and bushes.  Really adds to a layout.  Nice purchase Paul2 and at sale price as well.  Well done !!!!

Mooner posted:

After 5 years of collecting almost exclusively Christmas themed engines and rolling stock, I've started to acquire non-holiday items. Picked up MTH PRR RS-3, several scale PS-1 boxcars of varying RR lines (Burlington Northern, Great Northern, Lackawanna, Chessie, US Army, State of Maine, PRR), Sunoco tank car and the NS Veteran's smoking tank car from MTH. The latter today spurred on by a patriotic flash. Happy Memorial Day.

 

And the MTH Railking PPR RS-3 arrived today looking sharp. One of the pickup rollers must be pinched as it doesn't freely turn even after lubrication. I'll have to set up a test track this weekend to give it a run as we took down our layout this month to rebuild again in the fall. In the meantime, I've been adding more scale rolling stock with another PS-1 (Union Pacific) and 3 steel sided reefers (Canadian National, Pacific Fruit, Great Northern).  Probably cool it on new additions until York or Allentown in the fall although if I can find a reasonably priced NS Heritage PS-1  boxcar my wife would be happy. Big fan of horses.

With my birthday right around the corner, I decided to add this guy to the fleet. Hopefully it will be here on or just before my birthday.

Wednesday I found myself in the Baltimore area and decided to drop in on M.B. Klein. Besides some scenery I couldn't leave without this TTX 50' double door boxcar by MTH. Do we ever have enough box cars?

My next "victim" arrived - this Lionel NYC F7. It's a dummy unit but is equipped with TMCC/Legacy so it has headlight, smoke unit and coil couplers. It will be repainted so NYC fans take one last look! It's tempting to turn it into a Penn central unit since it's already black but I already have PC F units and this is destined to become another of my B&O "blue dip" schemes. I keep making more work for myself!

That TTX double door is a great acquisition !!! The engine a bit of work !!!

Ralph M posted:

 

 

Ralph I don't like diesels and I don't like New York Central, but that is one nice-looking NYC diesel you have there.

Old Lionel posted:

In my opinion you can never have enough trees and bushes.  Really adds to a layout.  Nice purchase Paul2 and at sale price as well.  Well done !!!!

I have to say, I fully agree with you. In my experience, foliage is not the place to skimp on substance, effort, or spending. Of course, I am biased in that regard because my whole life has been spent in the Midwest and Atlantic - New England areas of the USA, so I model what I have seen personally.

Of course, that also means, if I may add as a kind of  footnote, that I have never been to a desert area, so I do not make any attempt to model such real-estate.

FrankM

Moonson, those are the most realistic-looking trees I have ever seen on a lay-out.

Latest in my lineup of "big steam I didn't really need" (y'know, after the Big Boy and Allegheny):

Honestly, the one YouTube video of this sold me based purely on the sound package. Mr Muffin's steam sale at the time didn't hurt either This class is supposedly the largest 4-8-4s ever built, which only added to the attraction.

To give you an idea of it's size, the ruler in the foreground is 24", 

---PCJ

It is a beauty. Mth detail as well.  Enjoy !!!

Ralph M posted:

My next "victim" arrived - this Lionel NYC F7. It's a dummy unit but is equipped with TMCC/Legacy so it has headlight, smoke unit and coil couplers. It will be repainted so NYC fans take one last look! It's tempting to turn it into a Penn central unit since it's already black but I already have PC F units and this is destined to become another of my B&O "blue dip" schemes. I keep making more work for myself!

That's a tough call Ralph. 5-Stripe NYC or Blue Dip B&O. Love 'em both but I'd keep this one NYC.

Bob

I think I just bought a Weaver T1.... lol

Moonson, great scenery. You capture everything with great detail.

Today the mail person dropped off another package. Even though it is a railking car I had to have it after I saw it on Mr Muffins site. Growing up in Niagara Falls New York there was a Great Lakes Carbon Plant so I had to have it for Nostalgic reasons. Pic............Paul 2

Saturday the postal worker dropped off this from Mr Muffin. Back during the weekend he had a short 20% off deal on Korber kits so I got this to add to my Menards Power and Light building as its head office. Pics......Paul 2

Very nice compliment to your Menards Power Company. 

That’s a great idea to add an office to your power station.