Using a Marx motor block outfitted with smoke, a Lionel style pigtail and socket and a chromed pen casing, the formerly clockwork Hafner engine now pulls a long string of Hafner cars effortlessly chuffing smoke along the right of way. A fun yet convoluted project inspired by all the interesting tinkering with tinplate I have read and seen here and elsewhere by Steve Eastman and others..Anyone else convert a clockwork engine to juice? Id love to see them.
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The first photo is a custom Hafner with a Marx motor, the second is a pair of Australian Dolphin floor toys made into a Marx powered double header set. Only the front is powered.
Steve
Great work! Nice photos too.
An operable clockwork Hafner loco with battery power headlight, all original.
In photo below, battery holder and switch are at the front (right), and a bell is in the back of the loco. The bell clapper simply drags along between the rails and the crossties flip it up against the bell.
Very colorful engine & tender. I have both a freight and a passenger set. One of the few if not the only engine to come with both Hafner and Wayandotte names on them. Also came with the Hafner motor we are familiar with and the later cheapened Wyandotte motor.
Steve
The custom decorated Hafner looks like it just came from the assemby line and I like the concept of matching the caboose to the engine as pure eye candy. I bought a pretty beat up clockwork CV for a dummy that I could use for a double headed consist but it's on my to do list. Your example is an incentive to get going.. Ace, I cannot reconcile how pristine your example is of the loco I converted. Even the inside of the shell and clockwork is the best example of a preserved U.S clockwork I have seen. It just amazes me any of these survived at all. Thanks for sharing some of your collections. Any more? The fellow pictured below is an O gauge American Flyer Hiawatha clockwork that I am trying to find the right key for..the key screws into the female threaded motor block but so far, nothing has come up. It came with a articulated tender that fits much like the Marx units with a locking pin. When put together it looks like one unit. Sorry for the crappy image. All I have is a cheapo camera.
I took the photos of that original-condition Hafner loco but the loco belongs to a friend. We gave the loco a trial run just recently. I'd like to get more photos of his extensive collection.
About your missing key ... I acquired a Marx M10000 with the original key stuck in place, and went to some trouble to remove it because it stuck out too far to run the train on my existing layout. I substituted a threaded hex nut which protrudes just enough so I can wind up the motor (slowly) with a slow-geared cordless screwdriver. Maybe you want a key for the sake of original completeness, but for the sake of functionality, I removed mine!
I am pretty sure Grossman part number 30A will work on Hafner also, bit sticks out just a bit further. It will not fit the Flyer motor which is a smaller diameter.
Steve
Thanks for the key tip for Hafner Steve, much appreciated.
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