Buy anything cool lately?

I've got the plan all ready to go.  When plywood doesn't cost more than the trains, I'll start construction.

@Deuce5150 posted:

I've got the plan all ready to go.  When plywood doesn't cost more than the trains, I'll start construction.

My goodness yes!!!  I built my benchwork last year and had enough lumber already on hand.   Now is a terrible time to have to buy lumber.

Ok, I got this prewar AF baggage car, cool because it has a switch on the side that turns

the lights to the following cars on and off. Never saw one before.

My new Squire Tele is cool!

Williams BL2 GM Demonstrator, liked this model since first seeing it in a Williams catalog.

Looks new, runs great, liking the horn!  Glue gave out on some of the acetate windows, surprised a molded clear plastic part wasn't used.

Purchased from an online auction, good experience, slower pace than the bay.

I purchased a few things lately.

• I bought a MTH premier Wisconsin Central SD35 from @Berwyns Toys and Trains.  It is a really great engine.  Nicely done MTH.
• Trainworld had some blowouts.  I picked up a NYC vision line mail car, $199.  Very cool.  Lionel instructions, very marginal.  Also got a 2 pack of Lionel mail cars, $199.  These are advertised as 21" cars, but seem about the same size as my other 18" cars.
• Also picked up from Trainworld some blowouts on Lionel tank cars with EOT-devices, 2 sets of those, $99 each 2 pack.  I have not opened these yet but these were the first of the blowouts I have seen recently.

Overall very happy with my purchases.

John

@Kelunaboy posted:

Williams BL2 GM Demonstrator, liked this model since first seeing it in a Williams catalog.

Looks new, runs great, liking the horn!  Glue gave out on some of the acetate windows, surprised a molded clear plastic part wasn't used.

Purchased from an online auction, good experience, slower pace than the bay.

Nice! I have two WbB and the MTH Demo version. The colors on the WbB are deeper than the MTH.

MTH Galloping Goose

@Kelunaboy posted:

Williams BL2 GM Demonstrator, liked this model since first seeing it in a Williams catalog.

Looks new, runs great, liking the horn!  Glue gave out on some of the acetate windows, surprised a molded clear plastic part wasn't used.

Purchased from an online auction, good experience, slower pace than the bay.

It really looks great!  I have two MTH BL2s in Western Maryland livery, both bought used.  One is non powered because someone gutted it.  One has the foggy acetate windows and the other has clear plastic.

@RSJB18 posted:

Nice! I have two WbB and the MTH Demo version. The colors on the WbB are deeper than the MTH.

Didn't know MTH made one, now I'll have to put one on my list!

@Kelunaboy posted:

Didn't know MTH made one, now I'll have to put one on my list!

We BL2 fans need to stick together 👍

@Mark Boyce posted:

It really looks great!  I have two MTH BL2s in Western Maryland livery, both bought used.  One is non powered because someone gutted it.  One has the foggy acetate windows and the other has clear plastic.

Clear plastic you say, good to know a part like that exists.

@RSJB18 posted:

We BL2 fans need to stick together 👍

Nice.  I actually won an EBay auction on a MTH BL2 Rock Island PS3 version a few years ago at a great price but then the seller informed me that he made a mistake and didn't have it in inventory   I didn't know sellers could do that!   The weird thing about it is I thought BL2s were ugly.  But when I won the auction, I was excited and now, jilted, I think they are awesome looking.  Reminds me of when we were young and girl turned you down and then you thought she was really special because she turned you down.

Wow one of my pet peeves about the bay - they have all sorts of rules and regs and do not enforce anything. Sellers can claim the item is no longer available with no penalty. Oh well - we all have choices with whom we buy from and sell to. 

Because one can never have enough sinister-looking black tank cars...

These 25,500 gallon tankers came from the Atlas Warehouse Sale, week 10. As described on the site, these are sold without the trucks installed (you can buy trucks along with them, and for another $8, have them installed before shipment). As you can see, I elected to install them myself. Above, you see how they arrived, in clamshell packing without an Atlas-branded outer box. I'll have to make up a custom white-box so they can be carried around.

Oh, and these things are delicate I had to handle them by their end platforms, as the railings and their stand-offs on the side of the tank are fragile as all get-out. I had to break out the superglue on the first car, and there are still a couple of stanchions that were probably missing before they even left the warehouse. Eh, I doubt they'd be visible rolling by in a train anyway...

After assembly, and posed in the sunlight. These would be my second-largest tank cars after the 33,000 gallon cars I have from MTH and AtlasO. One more thing to fiddle with are the trucks on the right-hand car. Somehow they didn't mount quite right and the screw mount is not fully seated into the truck bolster.

One extra bit about these. I was originally going to get a DOWX 17,600 gallon car two weeks prior. Now, these cars are production samples and such, and are in limited supply. I had one carbody and one set of trucks in my cart, but during the account-creation process, the car was sold out from under me, and when I finalized my purchase, I was only charged for the trucks. Rather than cancel the order, I figured something else would show up on a subsequent sale, and two weeks later the 25,500 gallon tankers showed up. I liked the bigger cars more than the 17600 gallon models (of which I already have four) so I immediately sprung for two of them. at $35 for the bodies and another $27 for the trucks (only had to buy one this time), these represented a substantial discount from MSRP.

The only thing I wonder about is if the PLMX (Prairie Malt, Ltd) roadname was actually a retail release?  If so, anyone have a product number I can plug into my inventory. My invoice only shows the reporting marks and car number as its product number.

2024 edit: Added comic-style links to my subsequent acquisitions in this thread and others.

_{(Nav links redacted...Forum rule disallows crosslinking one's posts within a thread)}

@RailRide posted:

Because one can never have enough sinister-looking black tank cars...

These 25,500 gallon tankers came from the Atlas Warehouse Sale, week 10. As described on the site, these are sold without the trucks installed (you can buy trucks along with them, and for another $8, have them installed before shipment). As you can see, I elected to install them myself. Above, you see how they arrived, in clamshell packing without an Atlas-branded outer box. I'll have to make up a custom white-box so they can be carried around.

Oh, and these things are delicate I had to handle them by their end platforms, as the railings and their stand-offs on the side of the tank are fragile as all get-out. I had to break out the superglue on the first car, and there are still a couple of stanchions that were probably missing before they even left the warehouse. Eh, I doubt they'd be visible rolling by in a train anyway...

After assembly, and posed in the sunlight. These would be my second-largest tank cars after the 33,000 gallon cars I have from MTH and AtlasO. One more thing to fiddle with are the trucks on the right-hand car. Somehow they didn't mount quite right and the screw mount is not fully seated into the truck bolster.

One extra bit about these. I was originally going to get a DOWX 17,600 gallon car two weeks prior. Now, these cars are production samples and such, and are in limited supply. I had one carbody and one set of trucks in my cart, but during the account-creation process, the car was sold out from under me, and when I finalized my purchase, I was only charged for the trucks. Rather than cancel the order, I figured something else would show up on a subsequent sale, and two weeks later the 25,500 gallon tankers showed up. I liked the bigger cars more than the 17600 gallon models (of which I already have four) so I immediately sprung for two of them. at $35 for the bodies and another $27 for the trucks (only had to buy one this time), these represented a substantial discount from MSRP.

The only thing I wonder about is if the PLMX (Prairie Malt, Ltd) roadname was actually a retail release?  If so, anyone have a product number I can plug into my inventory. My invoice only shows the reporting marks and car number as its product number.

YEah I missed out on that. I didn't pull the trigger fast enough! oh well!

@RSJB18 posted:

Nice! I have two WbB and the MTH Demo version. The colors on the WbB are deeper than the MTH.

Take a look at the prototype currently being operated. 

@Pingman posted:

Take a look at the prototype currently being operated.

This came across my Facebook feed this morning (talk about timing!!!) - something for all you BL fans in the upper mid-west...

http://www.hoosiervalley.org/n...W0OmFjyGFBmmNI8wPc60

I put in a pre order for one of these to go with my LIRR RS3 pre order. Can’t wait to get them -

https://www.trainworld.com/man...land-trainworld-c67/

All of my previous engines have been MTH so this is my first Lionel engine but it was a must for me. Finally arrived Friday but then yesterday I took it out for a mini photo shoot.

Well, i finally bought something!  Lionel aluminum pass cars, set of 6, made in 1979 and were basically NOS that a friend of mine bought and then switched to HO.  PRR ones.  They had never been run! I always wanted a Congressional set and these are a repeat of the 55-56 set.  Like new in the boxes.  Heres a short video, im a runner not a collector!  First run i only had 5 cars up.  

Had to add my 209 New Haven Alco from 1958, Bought on ebay from a young kid looking for gas money, Wish he had the dummy, but didn't have, the best part is $36.00 bucks, inside is in great shape. Runs great and horn works well. Had for a few years.

A few days ago I got an email from Gryzboski's that I had an order coming. Mr Brown dropped it off Saturday. Today was the first day I had a chance to see what came. I was surprised when I opened the box. There was an engine I actually forgot I had ordered along with a tank car and a convention flat from one of the train clubs ( a 16 wheen flat car with a slab of marble ) and to finish it off another three pack of stock cars. Now to find a place to store them LOL. Pics..............Paul 2

Excellent surprise, Paul!  It looks great!

Just getting (today) my first Atlas engine- a NOS PRR RS-1.  I have heard about the great detail on Atlas engines, and am anxious to add one to my roster.

I'll update w/ pictures on the layout soon.

@Apples55 posted:

This came across my Facebook feed this morning (talk about timing!!!) - something for all you BL fans in the upper mid-west...

http://www.hoosiervalley.org/n...W0OmFjyGFBmmNI8wPc60

Thanks for sharing this Paul. I was wondering what was going to happen to them after the Saratoga shut down.

Bob

Here are a couple of things the postman dropped off last week. A very colorful hafner streamliner on my messy layout and what I thought was my holy grail, a NIB 216 alco. Unfortunately it was misrepresented online, it is a 2009 lionel chinese remake for the LCCA that I was unaware of. Seller did not mention any of that in their auction and won't respond to my emails.

Ordered and received components for @gunrunnerjohn lighting modules using his Osh Park PCB for use in on-going LIONEL 15" passenger car projects.  Waiting on the boards from OP and pots from China.  Everything else was purchased from Digi-Key

Also added PTC's for circuit protection and  connectors suggested by GRJ for solderless connections; eBay item #231639548157 JST XH 2.5-2 Pin Battery Connector Plug Female & Male with 120MM Wire.

FWIW, when I put connectors on the lighting modules, I typically use two different styles so you can't mix up the AC and DC.  For the .1" spacing, I use JST-EH series connectors for DC and JST-XH series connectors for AC.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

FWIW, when I put connectors on the lighting modules, I typically use two different styles so you can't mix up the AC and DC.  For the .1" spacing, I use JST-EH series connectors for DC and JST-XH series connectors for AC.

Not sure why the EH series is so much more $$$ than the XH; but, very good practice to use different connectors for AC and DC on the board--thanks for the tip GRJ.

In lieu of different series connectors, I will use some permanent marker/paint to avoid a cross-connection.

Just acquired this scale PRR E7 at my first reasonably large train show in 15 months. The seller thought it was early Williams, but I don't think so.  I think it is Samhongsa from 1990 imported by Key Imports, but I could be wrong. Note that the paint scheme is true prototypical. This was the PRR's first passenger diesel and they chose to paint the 5900 number above the stripes.

It's also possible that this is a custom brass shell mounted on Williams or someone else's 6 wheel trucks.  There are no descriptive marks and I'm not about to take it apart.

I think that some of those brass shells were powered by Overland.

Would greatly appreciate any comments.

P.S.  Train communication antennae looked dreadful so I took them off

Lew Schneider a k a lewrail@comcast.net

@pennsydave posted:

Well, i finally bought something!  Lionel aluminum pass cars, set of 6, made in 1979 and were basically NOS that a friend of mine bought and then switched to HO.  PRR ones.  They had never been run! I always wanted a Congressional set and these are a repeat of the 55-56 set.  Like new in the boxes.  Heres a short video, im a runner not a collector!  First run i only had 5 cars up.  

That’s one of my favorite sets, Dave - the first real passenger cars I purchased when they came out (there were a couple of additional cars issued after ‘79 ).

While I love the GG1 and used one to pull my set, the original engine I purchased for the set was the MPC Pennsy Tuscan F3’s.

I’m awaiting the new legacy Pennsy E7’s and, when they arrive, I’ll have to pull my cars off the wall and give them a tour of my layout!!!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

FWIW, when I put connectors on the lighting modules, I typically use two different styles so you can't mix up the AC and DC.  For the .1" spacing, I use JST-EH series connectors for DC and JST-XH series connectors for AC.

Made an offer on eBay for EH connectors (item  181431004416) which was accepted.

Pandemic has to end. I can’t afford it! Bring back the train shows! Better deals. But no shows hasn’t stopped me...

@Trainbros89 posted:

The un-shrouded "J" was good looking engine!

Ron

I don't know what I got.   LOL. A large package arrived from Mario's today that I didn't purchase. My birthday is coming up in about 13 days. I've been ordered to keep my nose away from it.  

I found these in a hobby shop north of here this afternoon.

The top on the WC63 model needs to come off as the supports are way too high. The .50 caliber has to go as well.
Then the markings need to be changed.

The book is fascinating.

Picked up the "Pink Lady" today from Bill over at Ready 2 Roll Trains in South Florida. Beautiful Engine.

Just arrived from Mr. Muffin's: MTH DL-109/100 (20-21374-1)

GM&O "The Rebel"