New unique acquisition engine today - Restoration completed!

great find!

It is an interesting marriage of stuff. I have not determined the motor type yet, the shell is most likely a 3251 Ives, the reverse unit is Marx and plenty of home made parts.

Jeff, nice find! Can't wait to see it in person.

Bob

Jeff,

   Now that old custom Tin looks pretty darn nice to me, after you and Steve get done with it, please post the restoration job so we can see it.

PCRR/Dave

Neat find!

Very nice. Enjoy your new purchase.

Very Nice! I love kit bashers.

One question: How did you get the 2,600 cars home?!

So after bugging Steve during the week we got together today to do some planning on this restoration/modification of this engine and some passenger cars to got with it. We found out that it is and Ives Engine with some brass drivers, Ives motor, Marx E-unit, postwar couplers, and what seemed like 10 gallons of house paint. The 2630 passenger cars and observation were fitted with postwar couplers sometime in the past so they were the perfect fit for this engine. We went about stripping parts, organizing parts, and then stripping old paint. Steve is a really patient teacher and I am very grateful for his help on this project. We got a lot done today so I am attaching some pictures and will update with some more over the next couple of days.

There has been more progress been made during the week so here are some more teaser shots. I am going to have to write an article for Steve for our club newsletter for sure.

Can't wait to see how this turns out!

handyandy,

   You and me both this looks like a real nice restoration on a serious custom piece of Tin Plate.

PCRR/Dave

And Jeff thinks he's getting this back

Hopefully some day but probably not right away......I kinda figured that one....

The only thing holding up it being done is the decals. Hopefully they will be here by Saturday. I actually test ran the whole outfit yesterday.

Steve

Awesome.

Here is the video that shows what we started with to what we ended up with:

Jeff,

That is an interesting find! The end result is beautiful! Enjoy!

Awesome Restoration!  A Very interesting set!

That's wild! I can't figure out why someone would have put the articulated "porches" on an NYC S-2 model, but looks great going through the curves!!!

Makes for a very cool old train set.

Andy,  I suspect that what you call the articulated front porch on Jeff's loco was someone's attempt to emulate the pilot trucks on the Standard Gauge Ives 3245 short hood:

That particular design is not one Ives used in O Gauge, and evidently this creative individual decided to build a "what-could-have-been"!

I agree with you completely, I love watching these go around sharp corners, it looks like the front pilot truck heads off in a different direction while the cab keeps going straight, then the cab abruptly changes direction to catch up... I also find that "front porch" to be an irresistable place for some kind of action - Obi Wan in this case.. now that looks cool going around corners!  With Jeff's loco, the effect is even more so!

Jeff and Steve, I just want to say, what a great project and superb results!  A nicely matched set - in your beautiful paint job but also in proportions, that stretched loco with the long cars go very well together.  Long may she run.

Nice restoration of a great engine but, I think, I would have dumped the articulated units. I dos make it look like an alligator, though.

Couple of questions - 

since you were starting out with a hybrid set there, what did you end up using for couplers to make them all compatible?

and along the same lines, what are you doing for decals?  Ives, Lionel, or something generic?

again, well done!

thanks! 

those turned out fantastic! but now I want to do a set of those cars in that color scheme.

The original builder used postwar Lionel knuckle couplers on the engine and had converted the passenger cars to postwar trucks so our decision to keep them that was easy. The decals Steve purchased online from a vendor that makes them for Lionel and other stuff.

Jeff & Steve,

    Simply fantastic Tin, I would like to have one just like it, but you have the only one,

great stuff.  I love one of a kind originals!  Jeff you actually believed you were going to get that great piece of Tin back at no cost, what is the rescue price on a Papa Steve original!  6 figure min.

PCRR/Dave

Thanks!

Jeff, from your original post it didn't sound like these came together as a set.  But since the previous owner had already put matching couplers on everything, including the engine, it certainly makes sense to keep them that way.

I have used those self-adhesive decals also, they are very handy to use and are nice and crisp.

Nicely done!

d

You are correct that these are not from any kind of same set. At the meet these were being sold off due to the original owner had passed away and the funds were going to the spouse. I saw the engine and stayed the whole meet to bid on and get it. The three passenger cars were from the same seller/lot so I decided to bid on them just because. After I won both auctions that is when Steve said they would be a great set together and we chose paint colors and the rest is history.