Do You Have an Operating Accessory Based Layout ?

Thanks Dan.

the catenary towers are tinplate traditions MTH telegraph poles modified with a (K&S) square brass tube set horizontally and a smaller connective brass tube slightly bent at the tips soldered to horozontal square tube at a fortyfive ish degree angle to the vertical post  And yes, very Live power to run my electrics. Made a pilot model and went from there assembly line production. The under side of the square tubing horozontal has a soldered at 90 degrees  O scale track standard end of track connector clip through which I run inverted  code 100 scale Rail. Modified the Lionel electrics to pick up overhead juice.  

The good news is my buddy that I sold everything to years back recently gave more half of them back to me. I am in the process of cleaning them up. If I can get the original but newly  modified old layout built again I will use them again.

i will look for assembly  photos on old PC and share.

have a good week.

leroof

I have the 1950's culvert loader and unloader, horse corral, milk car, freight station and two rotating beacons. For new stuff I have two of the Williams log cars that tip logs off the car and the MTH water tower.  I do have the Kline Gist Mill, the fisherman with the trestle, the car dealership (rotating cars), the burning  building,  the Lionel swing set, and an operating saw mill.  I only have two cars that require the unloading track (Lionel Merchandise box car and 1954 milk car.)  I have utilized ERR kits (my units were prototypes engineered by Jon Z) for the B&O signalman Caboose, 2 BoxCars, and the Hood Milk car.  With these and the Williams log car I do not need any special track and I have a use for my TMCC handhelds. 

Leroof posted:

Thanks Dan.

the catenary towers are tinplate traditions MTH telegraph poles modified with a (K&S) square brass tube set horizontally and a smaller connective brass tube slightly bent at the tips soldered to horozontal square tube at a fortyfive ish degree angle to the vertical post  And yes, very Live power to run my electrics. Made a pilot model and went from there assembly line production. The under side of the square tubing horozontal has a soldered at 90 degrees  O scale track standard end of track connector clip through which I run inverted  code 100 scale Rail. Modified the Lionel electrics to pick up overhead juice.  

The good news is my buddy that I sold everything to years back recently gave more half of them back to me. I am in the process of cleaning them up. If I can get the original but newly  modified old layout built again I will use them again.

i will look for assembly  photos on old PC and share.

have a good week.

leroof

Great news !   Looking forward to progress reports.

winrose46 posted:

I have the 1950's culvert loader and unloader, horse corral, milk car, freight station and two rotating beacons. For new stuff I have two of the Williams log cars that tip logs off the car and the MTH water tower.  I do have the Kline Gist Mill, the fisherman with the trestle, the car dealership (rotating cars), the burning  building,  the Lionel swing set, and an operating saw mill.  I only have two cars that require the unloading track (Lionel Merchandise box car and 1954 milk car.)  I have utilized ERR kits (my units were prototypes engineered by Jon Z) for the B&O signalman Caboose, 2 BoxCars, and the Hood Milk car.  With these and the Williams log car I do not need any special track and I have a use for my TMCC handhelds. 

I also have the K-Line Fisherman on the Trestle.  It's still in it's box awaiting my layout build.  I would love to see one of these in action.  Do you have a video of yours that you can share ?

What delightful photos! My layout follows a theme - and the operating accessories fit into that theme, be they semaphores, blinking water towers, rotating beacons and coal loaders. I also have static displays that feature parts of accessories that do not operate - like the infrastructure for a gold mine and a farm.

Dan, I am still in the track laying stage and I have to decide to I reduce the thickness of the track support going up to the 2nd level or put in on the 3rd level to transition to the 4th level currently just being started.

Definitely a vote for accessories here. It’s what makes Lionel and Flyer so unique. Especially on this side of the pond.

People are normally very surprised by the operating accessories.  The fact that most of them are powered which they wouldn’t expect. A bit like a 50’s American Cadillac vs a British Morris Minor. 

That’s not to say we’re not trying to do realistic scenery. 

There were some items that are quintessentially Lionel. That we just had to have. Such as the Hellgate Bridge.

 Nick 

I love operating accessories; that's one of the reasons I gave up on HO.  The Postwar ones can be touchy, but it made a world of difference for me when I made the switch from the pressure plate contactors to using insulated rails for signals and crossing gates, etc.  Others that I like because they tend to work flawlessly for me are the 264 lumber forklift and the 282R gantry crane which I still say is one of the best "play value" accessories.  Have to occasionally adjust my barrel ramp and coal accessories are, well, coal accessories.  Some of the vibration motors still give me trouble like on the old banjo signals which I've always liked, but always had trouble with; may break down and get an MTH remake.