Cute little red and cream no8 passenger set I put together

This video is brutal, as is all my photo related stuff, but shows how slow she'll roll and how nice the set looks together perhaps.  If you can dig it.

great looking set!

William, the #8 loco was most frequently sold with the 337 and 338 passenger cars as a 2-car set from the factory, so you are right on.  They look to be in very nice original shape, congratulations.  

I have a soft spot for these smaller vintage sets as well, they can actually look better on most layouts than the big sets like the state cars; and it is also very possible to find them in great shape for prices at or below the prices for reproductions.  A much more satisfying experience, in my view.

I suspect you will find the same to be true of the 500 series freights, and i share your "just one of each" philosophy.  It will be a fun collecting project to decide which colors you want, and then be looking for a nice one to come along.  Having all the cars be in about the same condition, has seemed to me to be one of the more important considerations; that way they look good together, like your red #8 and coaches.

nice going.

I once had a small but nice original boxed collection of #8, #10 and #318 sets (both freight and passenger) back in the mid-1970's. Some engines were rewheeled and some diecast headlamp housings replaced, but all had original paint and ran well with little maintenance.

Later, my OCD kicked in and I started buying new and shiny "Lionel Classics" and later MTH "Tinplate Traditions". I sold the original sets, although I later had some regrets about doing so! 

It has been almost forty-years since I owned those wonderful original sets, and I now own an MTH SG Blue Comet, an MTH state set, two MTH 408E's, a Lionel Classic 2-400E and a green Brute and matching 4-car showroom set. Also a five-car MTH 200 series work train with a powered 219 crane car! And a Lionel Classics trolley/trailer set.

When raising my family in the 1970's on limited resources, to say the least, those things were truly "pie in the sky", and my small original standard gauge collection gave me great pleasure!

I picked up this maroon no8 for fun.  It was $80.  Runs great.  Even better than the red one.  Needs a pantagraph.  I'm thinking of getting a nice no8 olive shell and trying to put one together.  Not cost effective I'm sure, but it may be fun.  The 500 cars were on the same truck, but required a signature.  I was on the phone with one of my best customers and missed the guy by ten seconds,  Actually, if I'd have whistled, I would have them now.  Was looking forward to playing with them this weekend.  Monday will be here soon enough.  Thanks for your feedback.  It is much appreciated. 

 I'm thinking of getting a nice no8 olive shell and trying to put one together.  Not cost effective I'm sure, but it may be fun.  

not cost effective, but it is fun. I've rebuilt several steamers that way, and the hunt for the parts is part of my fun of the hobby.

Yes, I like the direction this part of the hobby is taking me.  It lends itself to a style I like, that I call elegant simplicity.  Something basic, but done very well.  I'm going to go ahead and get that 2014 book for $100 that has been suggested to me.  The history, I'm sure, is fascinating in itself.  I would love to see photos of your completed projects Steamer.  I'm sure there are good stories behind them.  As always, cheers! 

Price is never too much if you are happy with it!

 I would love to see photos of your completed projects Steamer.

sure thing, glad to share. 

first is my gunmetal 225E that started as a bare shell in an e bay junk auction, along with a Postwar 1666 shell,1684 shell, and a 1666 tender.

I haver another gunmetal 225E shell I picked up for one of the 225E tags, but it has a big chunk broke out in the window area.

The 225E tender came from a 1130 shell,PVC pipe, and a pair of six wheel Prewar trucks. Just need to get around to getting some paint and decals.

The Postwar 1666 that started as a shell with the 225E.

The 1664 was a bare shell picked up for $5 at a flea market.Added a 675 motor.

I bought my 736 without a tender from a friend, and took two 1130 shells and some six wheels LTI trucks.

My 224E was a bare shell picked up at a show.

This is a C&O Greenbrier project that has been gathering dust for a while. 

Not a lot of $$ in any of these, which hunting for bargains is part of it. 

this is the 1st std loco I bought when I got back into std gauge,in 2000,,love the color tho

very nice!

William, if you're going to start putting together #8's from parts, at some point you will run into the major variation between early and late #8's.  I'm on vacation and away from my books and trains, or I would give you photos and page references.

The earliest 8 had the early super motor with the large gear on the drive wheels. This gear caused problems with the loco going through switches and track crossings.  So a few years later Lionel changed the super motor, put in extra reduction gears, and did away with the big gear.  But to do so, they lengthened the super motor slightly.  The later super motor has a longer wheelbase, longer spacing between the axles.

The #8 frame and shell were designed for the first motor: the springs and journal covers line up exactly over the ends of the wheel axles.  But when they put the new, longer wheelbase motor in the loco, the frame details no longer lined up.  Lionel figured it was close enough for a toy, and they never retooled the 8's shell and frame to match the new motor.

Looks like the photos of the 8's posted so far in this thread are all the later type; if you look closely, the drive wheel spacing is a little bit wider than the journals.  The photos of the red and black #8's clearly show this. Not sure about the maroon one, hard to tell from slight angle of the photo, it may be an early, where the journals line up right over the exact center of the drive wheels? Or not?

The way the two motors mount in the frame is slightly different; so the frames are not interchangeable.  When you are collecting parts, if you have a newer super motor (which is preferable, as it goes through switches), don't get stuck with one of the earlier frames, they are not compatible.  It happened to me, which is how I learned about this; my restoration project suddenly expanded into finding all the parts for both versions.

As far as I know, the cab shell is the same on both versions.  The new Greenberg Lionel Standard Gauge book that you're thinking of getting goes into this, with photos.

david

Hi david - the first thing I noticed on the maroon is that the frame is much bigger and fully encases the motor.  It is definitely different.  That and the nickel trim makes me think this is the earlier style and the red guy is the newer style.  I really appreciate the input.  I know I can read all I want, but experience like yours and other forumites is invaluable.

William,

David (hojak) is correct. Matching original patina is almost impossible. You were extremely lucky. I hope your future endeavors turn out as well, congratulations. 

William,

I agree with David (hojak) on this as well. Many collectors find it easier to install loops without switches. In doing this you do not limit your choices of engines.

Art,

You and I are the same age. Doesn't it feel good to be so special and unique. So much so that we can do as we like. We earned that right. I still enjoy vintage 1910-1935 Std Gauge.

Dave,

When you're ready, I can help you. It's not as costly as you think.

God Bless,

"Pappy"

Double heading my no8s with a mixed passenger consist.  I really like how the red cars light up.  I hooked up a powermaster so this is the view from my lazyboy.  Just havin' fun.

Pappy:

I still remember the thrill of finding those smaller sets in their original boxes, some with pretty nice track!

It was fun to watch my Mojave #8 and my two Peacock #10's, my gray #318 (large gears and combo couplers) and my pea green 318 (late version) run on the original track and with an original button-type transformer with cloth AC cord! 

I really loved those sets at a time, when on a teacher's salary and with three young children, a state set or Blue Comet was truly unattainable! 

I miss those 100 series and 500 series freights and those 332 series passenger cars.

I had a fireman acquaintance that re-wheeled a couple of engines at his firehall between fire calls!

Ah, memories! 

He used a vise and custom wood-block "cups" to press the wheels on the axles, and a punch and hammer to "pean" the gears onto the drive wheels.

Captain Mack loved to restore, repair and repaint tinplate trains - he is missed! 

When he died, he was given a FULL fireman's funeral with honors! 

In my initial reply on this thread, I did NOT intend in any manner of speaking, to demean the smaller original sets. On the contrary, I still find them both mechanically and visually PLEASING! 

It is truly a testament to Lionel's quality construction that these wonderful artifacts still run so well with a little maintenance!