From Junkbox to Second Life

Here's a Marx E7 that was so bad I had literally cut a section out of it to use on another engine.  After gluing, puttying and priming, it's almost ready for a top coat.  I'll add a photo when it's done.

Well, since no one else has picked up the ball, I'll throw this one out.  Another extreme Marx E7 example, its roof was partly blown out.  I Zona-sawed the roof off another, and here is the result.

Great job.

Always find that bringing something back from the dead is the most fun.

Ron

Thanks for the compliment, Ron.  I agree; rescuing decrepit relics is my favorite part of the hobby.  I usually customize, rather than restore, them. 

Fantastic amazing great job

super super job !!

A fantasy loco made from a GG shell and what was left of a 2056 that was doner to another project. Repairs and a scratch built replacement for a missing door of a cattle car.

           Finally!

Thank you for posting a topic I can post much of my layout and collection into.

Now I just need a new camera  

 This is a one year only 633. very little grill was left. No mounting hole.

 A bit of screen, tin, brass, and solder to hold the frame together. Brass backing performs the holding. Mounted the original screw & tab thru the brass backer. 

I never painted the mesh & frame. Gave it a front coupler, since they came without one, and some frosted windows with a bud car's engineer silhouette.

This was probably the worst one I've tackled. It's just a static display piece now but at least it's not in the garbage.

This Marx Commodore Vanderbilt started as just a shell I found at a flea market. It runs on an extra Marx 666 smoker drive I found. Even the tender is Frankensteined from parts, an 8 wheel plastic shell (with sides sanded smooth to look better with the slab sided CV) on a 4 wheel 6" frame.

Nice job

anyone can toss money & buy a train- I love when one is saved or salvaged, even if it is just a static display.

I second that

I love these things you guys are showing.  Keep 'em coming.  

BTW, thank you Khayden and Terry for your compliments, and all of you for all your "likes"!

Rogerpete, you are right about the money.  These junkers cost very little, sometimes even free.  The biggest expense is paint, and even if three colors are needed, that's only $24 for the DupliColor that I like to use.  Cheap fun.

Here are a Seaboard observation and a whimsical Marx 4-wheel 6-inch tin N&W set made from the ubiquitous 556 caboose, also shown.  The tender is just a stock one repainted for N&W so that any of the Marx 4-wheel steamers could pull the consist.

Great job nice work always love Marx

most of these steamers found their way to me as bare shells. The tender behind my 225E is a mixture of a 1680 frame,busted 2046 shell, and some PVC. The green Prewar passenger cars were a $1 each missing roofs and most of their trucks.but the paint was still good.1664 got a 675 motor, and an unfinished 4-8-4 from two broken 1666 shells.

Steamer, you're having way too much fun there.   Very creative work.  I'd like to see more shots as your 4-8-4 progresses.

Support your local scroungers!  Rail against the throwaway society!

Here, as promised, the loco pictured in my first post.  It didn't come out perfect perfect; I'm not as good at this as I used to be, but it's still gratifying.  Now it's waiting for AMTRAK decals.

What do you do when you have no class lamps left to break off.

One option is to relocate them by drilling holes in the boiler front.

They work now too  

What's more prototypical, placement or a working item ....

Sorry, couldn't resist. Scrape the brain up, I'll wait ....

This one is a 2046 Hudson

I've got a 2025 K-4 with the same "feature". If/when I find the photo I'll add it. 

That tunnel will make a detailed appearance here at some point too.

I've had it since the beginning (my birth) and have begun "saving it" with white glue paper mache, and old brown paper grocery bags (I still have not run out yet), and pulp-paper drink holders from fast food joints which are about the same weight(thickness) as the original pulp. (the good end is showing here this almost bit the dust ) 

yeah I gotta get back on this...

got this trainmaster back on the rails....joe

Nice going, Joe.  That engine is one of the great Postwar ones. 

Come on! That ain't the same engine!

WOW!

Fantastic great job

Very nice work hard to think that was the same engine

I forgot to mention i got the FM from NJCJOE, forum member thanks again joe....i have never had a bad deal from a forum member....joe

Love this thread!

Great work guys!  Keep the pics coming!

Back when I was heaviest in 3 rail, I enjoyed taking PW stuff that was quite "loved" or "neglected"... and cleaning them up and getting them running. 

You did good job. She looks great.

I think I have Joe beat....

This MTH RS3 shell had been in NJ in Hurricane Sandy and now is sitting on a Lionel Drive and frame.

Wow fantastic well done

A Marx tin steamer, detailed, simulated pilot and trailing trucks removed, pilot wheels and brass trim added, custom painted.  American Flyer S-gauge caboose relettered to match, and put on Marx scale wheels.

very nice work

naw...yours still had paint! 

looks great!

 Ok, both of these were near death when I "got" them. The Crusader(really a Marx CV too) wasn't too bad shell wise, and I'll end up posting more on it later, its still not 100% done, and on the backburner now.

  The Commodore Vanderbilt is another story in itself.

  My Grandmothers, it spent years buried in the ground, as a dirt floor garage "ate" it up like slow moving quicksand.

 I unknowingly walked right overtop of it for many years before revealing the box while re-leveling the floor.

  It was pretty at the cab, but the front end was toasty rust. Overall, I'd place it right up there with our "leaders" above.

  I win worst rust , but not by much. And it ran quickly, never needed anything but oil, lock-tite on the wheel splines, and had very nice paint at the rear. So I know those guys worked harder on those by far.

 (but I want to hear about another literally buried find from anyone! )

The first repaint on it was very nice. Too nice.

It no longer looked matched to the other surviving pieces, though they look good too. The gloss on the fresh paint was too much. I tried everything the tone it down. The tender match was just awful. Then one day an attempt to de-gloss went bad. Hurray! a fresh start!

So I repainted again, and tried a technique I thought might work.

Rustoleum!

  The first job was RustO' too, but this time I cured it by putting it in my freezer while wet, and removed it for an hour, twice a day. It took a week to set up well, and spent near a month in the fridge.

 The cold, and moisture condensing on it from being cold, then being to brought to warm air, added a slight cloudiness to the finish, and cut the gloss a bit.

(if you try this, it will look very very "milky" for weeks once your done. Over time(month or so) the cloudiness clears more and more, but not 100%.

 It matches the tender pretty much perfectly now, and the RustO' went on thick enough it looks dipped too. Nobody has ever noticed, or asked about the paint job despite the cab being painted inside too! 

 All trim but the headlight lens is original. For that lens, I ground down a flashlight lens that was also a magnifying lens. I choose it because I loved the look of the flared, mushroom shaped, tin headlights (light bulbs), but hated the way they protrude past the body/housing.

 It's "look" is similar to that of a person with very powerful eyeglasses that make their eyes look much to large. That the only way I can think of to describe it, its cool.  

(boy that old camera was crappy at 3mp)

Great job interesting story too

My hat is off to Lionel tin...well done...also well done to Silver lake, New Haven is my favorite road...joe