Lionel Dealer Display Layouts, Factory Layouts and Postwar Layouts

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A couple of prewar items.

These are the pre resto shots

Lionel had quite the display department production. One was just a diagram to have you make your own double track inclined plane to show magne-traction at work. A lot of them from the late 50's and 60's were cardboard (i.e swinging lantern display) and did not survive well if at all. Osterhoff's book has a fairly complete listing with no pictures describing (somewhat) many displays. I would love to see a book dedicated and more in depth than Carp's book on them. I am hopeful that the new display book will help fulfill this. I reproduce some display that I have only seen pictures of, and the hardest part is the graphics.

 I thought the one I saw was a bit faster than I might want to see as an adult, but the motor may have been different/replaced also.

 This one is pretty close at 46-48rpm on a HVAC service tachometer (after 2 gears, and at the metal "grip wheel". And it was the slower of the two I had.

I couldn't get the tach read wheel near the center gear. The motor before gearing is 3300 rpm at 118v. A generic industrial open frame ac fan and accessory motor likely rated about 3500 at 120v. 

Definitely too slow? 

Dayton ggear motor is what I am using on my roadway. For proper running needs to be a clockwise motor (most are counter clockwise) but thek make one that can be wired both direction. Zoro is the company that carries these. I will post some pics of construction.

Yep Andrew, that is the one. Had some mods by previous (young) owner but have corrected these and returned to original specs. Hopefully will be running trains on it in the next week. Then I have to move it up into the train room----that will be the challenge!! 

Could you post some photos of the construction of the mountain on it? I'm building a replica display, and that's the thing holding me up at the moment. Also, what paints do you use when restoring the mountains on displays from the mid-1950s like that one (I'm working on a D-148)

On the D63 they used screen wire as seen with this interior shot. The would construct the screen over the 1x1" supports at various heights, placed wads of brown kraft paper for height variance and laid the felt over it after was soaked in hide glue and stapled down. The hide glue dries hard and I have used this technique. I actually got sme casein based paints of earth tones to paint the felt once dry. This is a picture of a D63 from the backside.

There are interior shots of tunnel from D147. They stopped using wire and just laid sheets of kraft paper with mor wooden supports (dowel and square here. Then same felt technique. This later paper only construction is not as robust and collapses over time but was less expensive and Lionel never intended for these to last these long

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Thanks for those photos! On the later layouts with the Kraft paper instead of screen, is there still balled Kraft paper above the main layer and below the felt? Or is it just the dowels and single layer of paper that gave shape?

Yes, they still used some wadded up paper for terrain enhancement.

I also collect dealer layouts from Arnold Rapido fromthe 1960's . two are seen here and I have  a total of 5. Take up a lot less room and they were as innovative in N gauge as Lionel was in O gauge!

Not sure where pics went--will try and reload!

Those were really neat. Never got to see one operate though.

I don't think I saw actually moving trains in N gauge till the late 80's.

Only on the shelves of O collectors during the 60s & 70s.

 I saw more ooo and early Z.

Great article in the latest issue of the other train mag on Lionel Dealer Displays. They spotlight a gentleman who has a veritable museum in his house of Lionel Dealer Displays and a multitude of complete PW sets.

I'll have to check that out. Is it on newsstands yet? Also, they have a special issue coming soon on dealer displays

Jagrick, all the photos you had posted in here are now gone, is it possible to rehost or repost them? 

Not sure why pics above went away??

Where are the pictures going??

Considering building a modern D63 layout.

Is there a system for Fastrack that will produce the On/Off power distribution &

automatic switch functions?

Seems to be a forum-wide problem today.

What magazine will that be in?

Classic Toy Trains, September 2015 issue.

 There are accessory activators for FT or you can modify track for isolated rail activation (not too hard if I remember right). There are also Lionel motion sensors that look like trackside electrical boxes, that can trigger whatever idea you may have.

 Not being in a train makes most trackside electrical tricks, pretty easy.

Exactly what your turning off and on doesn't even matter much as relays can pull off a lot of neat tricks.

Fastrack? Really?

Use Lionel tinplate track if you're doing a 50's-style display layout.

I think he's doing his own unique thing, just incorporating ideas and elements he likes.

(that was my first thought too though)

Agreed. Sounds like the special issue on Dealer Displays and Layouts (due out in October) will be fairly comprehensive and cover the topic from different angles.

Hope so, I enjoy reproducing and researching the dealer stuff. Just finished a D187 with a new set of jigs I made. Got all the stuff together to make the D63 roadway, just need the time now. Hope to start another lazy susan display to sell

That display always makes me laugh when it spins!

Display when finished

Those Lazy Susan displays are really fun.

Took years to finally get answer on how they were constructed--they are rare displays. 

RE: Those dead-end sidings mentioned above.

Yeah, I've got one on mine. I'm building the D-105 (a 5x9 two-level layout) and there's a siding that dead ends just inside of the lower tunnel portal. Siding used as it frequently was to display the milk car and cattle car & platforms. I'm actually wiring it so you can turn power on/off to the siding as needed.

  I was a commercial art major, but didn't make a career of it.

I find these displays that are "more ad, than layout" are very interesting. I did similar static displays for company sales teams decades ago. They really are a lot of fun to build.  

 The first I saw one was on a tmcc video with Neil Young.

I thought it was a test track he made. Just one more bright idea of his 

 I also figured it was two motors with a digital sync as he made everything digital, even a "live" band   (I'm a pre tmcc fan, seen him play a dozen+ times over...[ha! I said Decade already too])

I had no idea it was a PW display he was running till a few years ago.

  So,..What is the lazy susan's designs premise?

    Is the rolling stock held in place? Or is it well synced motors?

I just let my jaw drop and drool, all thought ceases oh oh... pretty!.

 If you see me stuck like this at a show someday, just wet my tongue if the drool stops. And don't worry, it's kinda why I'm there .