Lionel Standard Gauge Commodore Vanderbilt Tender Zinc Pest

Sounds like a good candidate for a 3D printed part??…..evidently there’s a 3D “request” thingy here on this forum??…..I’d consult with the experts there, surrender the part that’s going south to have a STL file ( I believe that’s the “lingo”) and have the part produced in plastic, and never look back,……😁

Pat  

@macdaddy posted:

Just checking to see if anyone else is experiencing zinc pest on the rear section of the Lionel Standard Gauge Commodore Vanderbilt tender from 2002. The rear section is die cast, and I have two of them

and they are both experiencing zinc pest.

Another dreaded trip to the basement...

Looked at mine - hard to tell if it's uneven paint (wishful thinking) or zinc pest.  No cracking or crazing, and it feels solid.  Here's a pic, but you really need to look closely to see anything.  IMO, it doesn't look much different than a typical paint job on a die-cast steamer. 

Is this similar to what you're experiencing?

Please post a pic of one or both of yours.

I don't think it is zinc pest.  Mine is same way.  They did sort of a sloppy casting job on those end pieces and painted right over them as is.  It is solid and not cracking.  I see this on a lot of modern standard gauge and it's just casting not smoothed out. 

@Sean's Train Depot posted:

I don't think it is zinc pest.  Mine is same way.  They did sort of a sloppy casting job on those end pieces and painted right over them as is.  It is solid and not cracking.  I see this on a lot of modern standard gauge and it's just casting not smoothed out.

Thanks.  Based on the condition of mine, that sounds plausible.

Hopefully @macdaddy will post pics of his.

Mine is the same way. That engine was all about hurting MTH, so it was rushed to market. MTH had done all the work on the design and for the first time was going to offer 6 wheel drivers for Standard Gauge. Lionel obtained the drawings and beat MTH to the market with MTH's own design. Had MTH made it we would have seen better quality, cruise control, multiple colors that would have matched the Lionel pre-war O-Gauge Vanderbilts. Not just drab gray but the Blue Streak and the Red Comet. It would have been great.
Scott Smith

According to the Korean court records, a designer (or designers) who worked for multiple vendors, including Samhongsa and Korea Brass, provided the same drawings and specifications to both MTH's and Lionel's manufacturers, without either firm knowing this.  Lionel has always claimed they had no knowledge of this, and MTH certainly didn't.  So to state that Lionel "obtained the drawings" doesn't jibe with the court records and creates a bad impression that is potentially false.  Both Samhongsa and Korea Brass produced some beautiful models, and MTH's attempt to blame this episode on Lionel's nefarious intent never gained any traction in the eventual multiple court proceedings stateside, their initial court victory having been thrown out on appeal.  Just telling the story as it appeared in the courts.  Parenthetically, companies and designers working this way in Asia was apparently common practice, but not necessarily legal. Getting paid twice for the same work is a good deal, but only legal if a contract allows it.

@Landsteiner posted:

According to the Korean court records, a designer who worked for multiple vendors, including Samhongsa and Korea Brass, provided the same drawings and specifications to both MTH and Lionel's manufacturers, without either firm knowing this.  Lionel has always claimed they had no knowledge of this, and MTH certainly didn't.  So to state that Lionel "obtained the drawings" doesn't jibe with the court records.  Both Samhongsa and Korea Brass produced some beautiful models, and MTH's attempt to blame this episode on Lionel's nefarious intent never gained any traction in the eventual multiple court proceedings stateside, their initial court victory having been thrown out on appeal.  Just telling the story as it appeared in the courts.

Nice, but my information came from a former Lionel employee.
Scott Smith

"Nice, but my information came from a former Lionel employee."

So does mine, along with court proceedings.  We'll never know for sure, so following what the bankruptcy court decided in the end makes most sense.  MTH's lawyers never did turn up any evidence that Lionel employees knew about the events in Korea.  There were no admissions of misconduct/illegal behavior and a relatively small settlement (sealed but alleged to be less than 1/3 of the original amount) was made and both companies went about their business.  Lionel was mostly relieved and MTH mostly not happy, but both survived.  When Lionel had new leadership, they made peace and MTH licensed Lionel's trademarks and trade dress, the latter of which they had been exploiting for many years.

BTW, I own the prototype passenger cars (unpainted) for the Vanderbilt set.
Scott Smith