Lionel accsessories and comedy

You do mean CULVERT?

I am also a huge fan of Stephen Colbert!

Didn't Cobert used to make talking stations?

Jon 

i,m having a problem with the lionel culvert loader. the claw/hook won't hold the culvert to load the culvert into the culvert car. there is no you tube video showing how to fix this problem! this is my first operating accessory from lionel............i hope it won't be my last......................roger

Lionel Should of never changed the original design. They should of just put a large can motor instead of the vibrotor motors in the bases, Kind of like Stan Roy use to do. I will stick with my postwar ones.

Nicholas Smith in Broomall, or Charles Ro in MA.

Is there a link to see the video? I'd like to see it. 

The video is on Lionels website under Service documents.  Go Under Customer Service/Repair & Service/ Service documents.  Then search on 6-37971 or 6-37972 and you will see the link to the video at bottom.

I got both the Bethlehem Steel Loader & Unloader.  I like the way they look and growing up in Bethlehem PA I thought they were cool.  However Lionel has some quality issues on these.  I returned 2 unloaders before i got one that didn't have pieces falling off.  They have a couple of issues.

1.  The instructions do not match the way it actually works (confirmed with Lionel).  The way it actually works is the house light comes on the moment power is applied.  Then when car goes under the girder, it breaks the optical beam and lights continually flash and motor starts IF you have switch on.  Not sure what the point of the sensor is though.  Since the switch controls when the lights flash and motor runs, its kind of useless.  I mean you would never have the switch on all the time because as your whole train was moving through the unloader to line up the car it would start because the beam would be broken. 

2.  The main issue they are having is ambient light is tricking the sensor into thinking no car is in loader and it doesn't run or stops and starts.  Both unts did the same thing.  Bad design.  Lionel gives no real solution, just basically to change lighting conditions and paint sides of sensor. 

3.  For the unloader the issue Mike was having in the video was caused by the culvert not being centered against the gates, so it flips the culvert to the side instead of straight.  Mike was incorrect in trying to adjust the cherry switches.  Just give the horizontal beam the motor rides on a little twist until the motor is centered between the gates.  Mine drops them perfect now.

4.  The little metals signs that read Bethlehem Steel fall off.  This is beacuse Lionel used the same house mold as the conventional version where "Lionel Culvert Co" is raised letters in the plastic.  the only area the sticky sign has to adheare to is the tiny raised outline around the raised letters.  Since there almost no surafce to stick to, they fall off in shipping.  What's funny is the tape is so strong that when it sticks to a fully flat surface its is hard to get off.  So they fall on the black base and you bend them trying to pry them off.  The worst part is you can't buy them separate.  You have to buy the whole house to get a new sign.  I returned mine to get one that still had sign attached.

5.  The final thing I found was with the loader.  On the way back to pick up a new culvert it would jam against the culvert instead of the claw riding up and over the culvert.  I found out the culverts that come with the loader and unloader have chamfered smooth edges, so it doesn't jam.  But the culverts that come with the cars (Bethlehem steel) have sharp edges!  So the plastic claw doesn't ride up over but gets caught.  Now comon.  Obviously we bought the Bethlehem steel cars to go with the loader and unloader why would they do that?  

So that a lots of issues with a brand new accessory of this price. But you can get them working with a little patience and tweaking.  Hope this helps someone else trying to figure these out.

Quality is getting worse it seems.  I mean even the box had Bethlehem spelled as Bethleham!

Check out the video <Video> Lionel Culvert Loader/Unloader thread by CandO

Redball

LOL, I read this post and was immediately hooked.  I bet a Colbert accessory would be a hoot!

Jim

KOOLjock1:

    No, Noma made the talking stations. Colbert made bubbling water towers, etc.

John Knapp

Erie, not Eerie

Colbert made a variety of accessories. For a while their boxes looked very similar to Lionel's. I am under the impression Lionel went after them, forcing them to stop.

Some American Flyer accessories were actually made by Colbert.

I don't think train equipment was Colbert's main product line. I know they made resistors. Lionel was a customer, buying the resistors for ZW type "R" from them.

C W Burfle:

     It was actually The Colber Corporation, according to my bubbling water tower, and they WERE close to Lionel, being headquartered in nearby Irvington, NJ.

John Knapp

Erie, not Eerie

My mistake.

I guess there is no relationship to that guy on Comedy Central at 11:30 Monday thru Thursday.

C W Burfle:

     I wouldn't know, I am not allowed to stay up that late!

John Knapp

Erie, not Eerie

The show is repeated at 6:30 (EST) the following day.

By the way, all the posts preceeding your correction, including your first post in this thread, had the "t" on the end.

C W Burfle:

    You learn something every day!

John Knapp

Erie, not Eerie

I purchased the Bethlehem Steel loader and unloader. As mentioned By SandJam above the Bethlehem Steel sign had fallen off the loader during shipping and was just sitting in the bottom of the bag. I stuck it back on and just noticed last week that it has fallen of again. Maybe I will try some Walther's Goo to hold it on since it will fill in the void created by the raised outlines. Shoould only require a couple of small drops. Other than the sign I have no complaints regarding the loader. I have yet to even apply power to the unloader so fingers are crossed that this will work as good as the loader did.

I am glad I purchased the Bethlehem Steel versions though. To me they look better than the standard red models of the same units.

Strogey, I too went with the Bethlehem Steel version. I'm going to change my signage to Lionel Steel.

Here is my Bethlehem Loader/Unloader in action...