Lionel Blue Chip Animated Gondola

Lionel has made several motorized gondolas.  They are much nicer than the gear driven ones. I don't think that the parts are inter-changeable. I bought two of the

Blue chip cars at a close out sale and repainted them in road names I wanted.

Looking at Lionel's web site, the only one I could find was the Blue Chip car. How fast will the characters move? I'm sure I'd have to do some modification, or I could just repaint the body in ACME colors and switch the figures. I'm gonna check the site again. But it seams the blue chip one has the better price anyway.

I had one of the older mechanically driven "cop and Hobo" gondolas out on my layout a while back. (I also have an original Postwar one. )
I thought the mechanically driven one worked just fine. If anything, The guys moved too fast.

Maybe they changed the gearing?

Otherwise: that's what makes horse races!

They must have changed the gearing. At about 75 mph they walk around the car. Which might be ok if it wasn't the Roadrunner and Coyote...... They look like slow motion.

Charlie, Try putting a diode and a cap in line on the power wire. Might perk the old boys up a bit, might not, depends on the setup in that car.

If it stops moving totally, turn the diode around, No telling which way the current flows without a meter.

Use a non polarized Cap if possible, otherwise the positive leg goes to the banded end of the diode. If the diode faces away from the motor, put the + side of the cap to the frame and the - leg to the diode non banded end.

The one I have is gear driven from the truck. I was trying to find someone with the blue chip motorized version to see if the speed was better. With the gear driven, at least one released in 96, at 75 mph the figures walk around the car.

I have the vibrotor gondolas from the Postwar and MPC era. They actually work the best,

Anyway, I dont have the blue chip car, but I do have the Lionel Postwar Celebration Series/Conventional Classics Animated motorized gondola with the can motor, and its not that great. Its SLOW! Lionel should of left the original vibrotor motor in this. The figures barely move, it seems the little can motor is just too small. I would imagine the blue chip car is the same.

Here is the photo of the PWC #3444 with the "new" motorized parts.

http://www.lionel.com/Customer...66627b1e3f2f16396d2c

Thanks that's what I needed to know. It's probably a  waste of money to pick one up. Maybe an older vibrator model. Do they move pretty good?

I have one made in 1957, it still works well at higher voltages, but it's very loud.

The postwar #3444 or MPC #9307 run very well. A little noisy,but the figures move! The higher the voltage, the faster they go. You can probably buy a junker 3444 and restore it to what you want.