Buy/Make Anything Cool Lately (Tinplate Version)

Trainlover160 posted:

Always glad to help, my train buddy found the new ties on ebay. Saved me from destroying other track.

Mike 

Been working on this a while.  Bought a junker 440 Signal bridge.  ... the idea was to copy (Hojack?) and make some nifty cantilevered signals. Measured twice and cut once, stripping the old paint was a bear, priming, painting.  Rewiring still to come .

But... they turned out pretty well.  Colors are rattle cans from Menards.  the terra cotta is spot on.

I love signals, my layout doesn't have any but I really like them. Nice work. We were "antiquing", more like garage sales but found an Ertl made bank  that ws a freight wagon with  tank in the back. It was the kind of thing I look for now for my layout. Was going to be a beer wagon but ditched the tank, the horses and canopy over the front seat. Just a freight wagon now with my own, smaller horses. Did find a Flying Yankee Lionel 617 set that I like but debating that. Really want it but would have to look at its condition closer especially zinc pest.

Rob English posted:

Been working on this a while.  Bought a junker 440 Signal bridge.  ... the idea was to copy (Hojack?) and make some nifty cantilevered signals. Measured twice and cut once, stripping the old paint was a bear, priming, painting.  Rewiring still to come .

But... they turned out pretty well.  Colors are rattle cans from Menards.  the terra cotta is spot on.

 

 

That was a nifty idea. Looking good...

Mike 

Rob English posted:

Been working on this a while.  Bought a junker 440 Signal bridge.  ... the idea was to copy (Hojack?) and make some nifty cantilevered signals. Measured twice and cut once, stripping the old paint was a bear, priming, painting.  Rewiring still to come .

But... they turned out pretty well.  Colors are rattle cans from Menards.  the terra cotta is spot on.

 

Beautiful job Rob, and love the idea!!.  Makes me want to try myself, however, I cant think of a time that I have ever seen a basket case 440 Signal at a train show or on the internet.

Joe Gozzo

I added the green stripe to my AF engine.  

I ordered some new siderod screws. The wheels seem to bind in one spot. I need to get it on the track and adjust that. Last thing will be making and installing the brass piping below the frame.

George

Gilbert 3/16 O Gauge Pre War. Gorgeous locomotive.

LionelTin posted:

Gilbert 3/16 O Gauge Pre War. Gorgeous locomotive.

Wow - that looks great!  I didn't even know this was out there.  Getting interested in tin and prewar has really broaden my horizon in this hobby.  Love the poxbox drivers.

I have two pre-war AF steamers plus some cars. I really like them.

Well, what the heck Jim and JHZ563.  Let's pour some gasoline on the toy train desire fire. 

Should we try for a conflagration?  Think of it as the Chicago (Flyer) Fire.  

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

Dirty rotten scoundrels!

Rob English posted:

Dirty rotten scoundrels!

 

What he said...! 

Mike 

I've always had a thing for AF prewar.  They made some great trains in addition to the Challenger above.

Dennis Holler posted:

I've always had a thing for AF prewar.  They made some great trains in addition to the Challenger above.

Dennis, these are really nice.  what numbers are they? - I can't tell from the pictures.  They look like they have a postwar vibe as opposed to prewar tin.  (Challenger - what Challenger? I see a northern marked for UP, unless this is a flyer thing I don't know about)

Greg,

 I tend to like the larger, non-streamlined pieces.  And I am steadfastly sticking to O gauge. (For as long as I can hold out)

What are the ones from your picture I put red boxes around?

The last thing is that I prefer 6 and 7 cars or more in my trains as opposed to short 3 car trains.  So if any of these are considered to be better pullers than others please let me know.  

Thank guys and gals

jhz563 posted:

Greg,

 I tend to like the larger, non-streamlined pieces.  And I am steadfastly sticking to O gauge. (For as long as I can hold out)

What are the ones from your picture I put red boxes around?

The last thing is that I prefer 6 and 7 cars or more in my trains as opposed to short 3 car trains.  So if any of these are considered to be better pullers than others please let me know.  

Thank guys and gals

JHZ563,

You ask what on the surface sounds like a simple question, however we run into the craziness of American Flyer's numbering system.  Here goes:

The top engine and its tender are known as the 4622-6 Combination (1938).

4322-6 Type XV Locomotive (Type XV was used as an Atlantic or a Pacific - confusing eh?)

1623 Type XIII tender

Lower engine and tender are the 1680 Combination  (1936-1937)

1681 Type XII Locomotive  (Type XII boiler casting is what Flyer called their Hudson)

1623 Type XII tender

This is the 3310 engine and tender combination (1934)

3315 Type IX locomotive   (it has a ringing bell and those snazzy brass running boards)

3194 Type IX tender (only available in 1934)

I have changed the display since the photo that I posted was taken.  I am not sure which engine was in front of the 3315.  I can't quite make it out in the photo and I don't remember what I had there.    It is matched up in a box somewhere with appropriate passenger cars.

As far as pulling power; most of these engines are over 75 years old, so I would say that it depends on how well they are maintained and serviced.  I think that with work any of them could pull a consist of the length that you describe.  However, remember that my main interest is collecting and identifying equipment and learning its history.  I am not primarily an operator.  I always consider it a bonus when an example of an engine that I have acquired runs well.  I have raised my standard for buying a prewar engine since I began collecting.  If it doesn't run I will think twice about buying it.  There are still thousands of them out there.  Others might comment on their experience with the pulling power of Flyer engines.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

jhz563 posted:

Dennis Holler posted:

I've always had a thing for AF prewar.  They made some great trains in addition to the Challenger above.

Dennis, these are really nice.  what numbers are they? - I can't tell from the pictures.  They look like they have a postwar vibe as opposed to prewar tin.  (Challenger - what Challenger? I see a northern marked for UP, unless this is a flyer thing I don't know about)

Greg,

 I tend to like the larger, non-streamlined pieces.  And I am steadfastly sticking to O gauge. (For as long as I can hold out)

What are the ones from your picture I put red boxes around?

The last thing is that I prefer 6 and 7 cars or more in my trains as opposed to short 3 car trains.  So if any of these are considered to be better pullers than others please let me know.  

Thank guys and gals

Yeah, Flyer called that Northern a Challenger.  I have the early numbered 806 on the cab(534) catalog number. My engines above are a 559 which was the forefather of the postwar 312 in S gauge and behind that is a 531 Hudson which turn into the S gauge 322. 

These are all called 3/16ths O Flyer by many of us and I've discovered over time that quite a few of us have some 3/16ths O Flyer.  It's unique and interesting to me.

Stole this ETS VW pickup today for $20.  Runs great.

Steve

Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Stole this ETS VW pickup today for $20.  Runs great.

Steve

That is just too cool!

Mike 

Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Stole this ETS VW pickup today for $20.  Runs great.

Steve

Steve, Great find! I used to have the MTH VW Bug. Ihave not been able to find it. I think I sold it years ago. Should have kept it!

Joe

Picked up this neat 263E motor that someone had installed scale drive wheels on.  The cool thing is that they machined the new axles to use the normal steel gear so the motor would operate as original.  Got this and three other prewar motors for about $6. I really wanted to use the motor to build another 263E, but they builder did a nice job on the wheel install.  I might take a look at moving them to something more common like a 249E frame so the 263E can be, well.. a 263E... I'll have to look again, but it almost looks like it has been two railed as well.

Just got this little Lionel Tinplate caboose #1682 that I believe came with the Gunmetal Set. Got this for twelve dollars and it was in pretty good shape with maybe a little cleanup required.

Santa postman has been busy the last few days augmenting the streamliner collection. 

The small Joustra set in the foreground is a life lesson. "Don't bid on french lanquage

auctions when you have been drinking whiskey". All my other Joustra streamliners

are O gauge, no one mentioned they made S gauge too. 

Shown are an Amt 3160 Santa Fe coach, a Marx M10005 in red and silver, a Hafner red and 

chrome set and the Joustra set. 

I found these pieces laying on the ground at a garage sale, the woman said "take them. 

When I got home I found it on the internet. This has to be one of the most insidious

devices ever devised to torture parents. Now I know why it is incomplete, broken and 

she gave it to me. It is a lionel railroad crossing savings bank. When a child puts a coin

in it, the lights flash, bells go off, and it whistles. Give one of these to the kids of the

neighbor you dislike along with a couple hundred pennies. 

There is a youtube video of it. 

Just type in lionel savings bank on youtube, turn up the volume and stand back

Just finished restoring this Lionel 814r.

George

beautiful George! I'd been happy with the "before"

Steve, looks like we need to get the 084 out again soon! Very nice!

POC914NUT posted:

Steve, looks like we need to get the 084 out again soon! Very nice!

Eric, I’m ready. It hits the walls on my layout.

Steve

Did you make the o84 as I know they didn't sell it I had to make mine. Whether that's the standard gauge of the O gauge Hiawatha can't wait to see it

Joe Gozzo

Trainlover160 posted:

Did you make the o84 as I know they didn't sell it I had to make mine. Whether that's the standard gauge of the O gauge Hiawatha can't wait to see it

Joe Gozzo

Joe, the Hiawatha is Standard Gauge. Eric has some 84” track to throw down on tables at the SW meet.

Steve

Another junker refurbished. The cream color is a Rustoleum rattle can. The photo doesn't show the color quite right, the "brown" is actually a custom match Lionel #150 red rattle can left over from a resto.  Them cows will get googly eyed when climbing aboard

Rob English posted:

Been working on this a while.  Bought a junker 440 Signal bridge.  ... the idea was to copy (Hojack?) and make some nifty cantilevered signals. Measured twice and cut once, stripping the old paint was a bear, priming, painting.  Rewiring still to come .

But... they turned out pretty well.  Colors are rattle cans from Menards.  the terra cotta is spot on.

 

I think thats a great idea and job !   I just might have to make one for myself.

Two interesting Bing items I picked up recently; a Bing station "facade" and a Bing crane. After receiving the station and researching it, I came to the realization that it is supposed to have a train shed (canopy) behind it, see attached photo from the internet. But it also works well as a "flat". Posed with these items in two of the photos is my Marklin CS66/13020 electric loco.

John S - nice finds!  That Marklin engine is interesting, I have never seen a 4-4-2 electric before.

Recently I picked up this Flyer set, which I will admit I know little about and would love some more info

Three of the four cars had working lights bulbs!  The one that didn't was missing the bulb, and it has a darker colored roof that doesn't match the other three.  The curly Q couplers are kinda neat, it's shame they don't really mate with anything else.

The engine light bulb is out but otherwise the loco is in good shape.  Even the brush plate has been recently cleaned when I received it. 

Neat find- Prewar Flyer is very cool. Looking in Greenberg's guide to American Flyer Prewar O Gauge (page 62), it appears your new engine is a  1938 4615-4 / 4315-4 Type XVI locomotive with 3301 Type VI tender. Would have been easier if they just put numbers on the engines! I'm not a Prewar Flyer expert, but that appears to be it based on the photo in the book.

John Smatlak posted:

Neat find- Prewar Flyer is very cool. Looking in Greenberg's guide to American Flyer Prewar O Gauge (page 62), it appears your new engine is a  1938 4615-4 / 4315-4 Type XVI locomotive with 3301 Type VI tender. Would have been easier if they just put numbers on the engines! I'm not a Prewar Flyer expert, but that appears to be it based on the photo in the book.

Thanks a bunch John!  I don’t have that guide and my online searches weren’t turning up anything helpful.

Robert S. Butler posted:

Well, what the heck Jim and JHZ563.  Let's pour some gasoline on the toy train desire fire. 

What is that silver piece in the middle? Absolutely gorgeous! Stoke my desire-fire more! 

SteamWolf posted:

Robert S. Butler posted:

Well, what the heck Jim and JHZ563.  Let's pour some gasoline on the toy train desire fire. 

What is that silver piece in the middle? Absolutely gorgeous! Stoke my desire-fire more! 

American Flyer Aeolus, 1935