OGR December 2012 Questions

Hi Chipset,

Let me see if I can answer your questions about the Collector's Gallery column in the December 2012 issue of OGR.

The Conventional Classics GG-1s are traditional Postwar sized electrics that are made to be replicas of the 1947 2332 Green five stripe and 2340 Tuscan five stripe originals. I commented in the article that their appearance was great, but that I was not satisfied with the performance of their mechanicals and electronics. The Postwar style open frame motors that equipped both Contemporary Classics GG-1s were prone to over heat, were noisy by today's standards and required more maintenance on a regular basis than contemporary O gaugers, myself included, were willing to do.  There were also issues with the electronic horn and bell that came with the GG-1 electrics.

Since I already had several Postwar sized GG-1s with Lionel TMCC and MTH DCS Command Control, I was looking for a performance solution that would give me better and more reliable conventional performance for these two very good looking and authentically decorated GG-1s. Adding a command control capability was never a part of this exercise.

I found the solution to my problem on page 98 of the 2012 Lionel Signature Edition Catalog. The page depicted two traditional sized GG-1s, the 6-38234 Pennsylvania Railroad in Silver with a red stripe and the 6-38235 Penn Central in Brunswick Green.  The description provided showed both electrics had just the electronics and

dual motors that I wanted for my Conventional Classics. The 6-38234 and 35 came with two maintenance free can motors with flywheels, RailSounds for conventional operation and an electronic e unit.  Best of all, the chassis that held these goodies fit perfectly with my Conventional Classics GG-1 shells. All I had to do was remove the old chassis, attach the new chassis with four screws and I had a vastly improved GG-1 operationally with the same cosmetics I liked so much originally.

Whoops, got to stop here. Will answer your question about the Burlington diesels after 5 PM.

Hope this helps.

Ed Boyle

I'll answer your prototype questions...

Back in the day, Nickel Plate Road Berks never came anywhere near Horseshoe Curve. They ran on the New York, Chicago & St. Louis railroad, otherwise known as the "Nickel Plate Road" or just NKP. That line ran along the south shore of Lake Erie from Buffalo to Chicago.

The diesel was in the train to help us stretch the coal. We were making a long deadhead move that day from Harrisburg, PA to Conway (Pittsburgh) PA, a distance of over 250 miles. That's a long way to go on one load of coal, so we used the diesel at times to pull some of the weight of the train and just let the 765 drift.

On the climb around the curve, the diesel was idling and not pulling at all. 765 had the whole train - all 18 cars of it. We settled in at 10.9 mph according to the GPS speedo aboard the 765.

Thanks guys!

Ed,

I always enjoy your column, and am looking forward to hearing about those Burlingtons.

Rich,

that article you wrote on operating the NKP on the curve was FANTASTIC.

When I read the part about the request to slow down to give the passengers more time to enjoy the view, I cringed....I kept wondering if the train was going to make it.

Sounds to me you really have to be an "Engineer" to operate a Steam Engine, lots of calculations.

Sounds very challenging and exciting too.

I only rode in a locomotive cab once, when I worked for Union Pacific.

6 hours of total fun from yard at North Platte NE to Omaha....

of course I caught Bronchitis some how along the way and fell badly ill within 24 hrs!

Looking forward to more of both.

Chipset,

In a way, the story about the Lionel Burlington GPs is simpler. I bought the Conventional Classics Lionel GP-7 Passenger Set and really liked it. The Postwar replica GP-7 diesel ran well with its combination of traditional Pullmor motor and modern electronics and the the silver and red streamline O27 coaches looked good.

However, I wanted command control for the set, but was too much of a collector at that point modify the engine from the set.  So I took the "easy" way out , I thought. I bought the 1999 Postwar Celebration Series 6-18892, 2328 Burlington diesel to supplement the the first engine.  Bottom line, they looked so different from each other that I could not substitute one engine for the other, which was not what I wanted, and I wound up getting a second Conventional Classics  Burlington GP-7 to run the set in command control.  Several hundred dollars and some grief later, I have one stock Conventional Classics 2328, one with TMCC in it and one Postwar Celebration Series 2328 to run a five car passenger train! I chronicled this easy way out in the January 2012 issue of OGR.

The Lord only knows what I will do next when I decide to take a short cut like this

Ed Boyle

On the Saturday trip I took there was a Intermodal train on the most outside track. We were right next to it. I later heard some say the modern Intermodal 'ruined' the 765 trip on the curve, mostly photo op wise, and wanted 765 on the curve alone.....but I enjoyed the future vs past aspect of the moment and we were still a good bit faster than the Intermodal train! I really wanted to get up and say thanks Rich....but never was able to......but it was a great trip!

Ed,

what do you think of that PWC 2328?

I am assuming it has Pullmor motors and TMCC correct?

If so, the reason I ask is that I have the PWC Texas Special, which has Pulmor motors and TMCC.

It sure runs and sounds "like" a vintage post war growler, but....I feel it runs very poorly for a TMCC equipped engine.

IMHO, is not combining a Pullmor motor and TMCC kind of like combining bleach and ammonia?

They just don't seem to go well together.

In fact, I thought my 2343's 2353's from the 1950's ran better than that PWC TXSp in conventional mode, and my "can motor" TMCC engines definately run better in TMCC mode than it does in TMCC mode.

Did you experience this as well?

I feel like that PWC TX Special is a shelf queen now, as it just is not fun to run in any mode.

It's probably not broken in yet.

Chipset,

My PWC 2328 runs pretty well in TMCC. But I will say that my Lionel command control engines with can motors run more smoothly. 

The thing is, the PWC 2328runs well enough so that it does not bother me when it is on the track doing its thing.  The 1999 diesel is acceptable in TMCC mode, but the later engines are even smoother, mainly because they have more speed steps and their can motors are more compatible with command control.

My 1999 PWC is definitely NOT a shelf queen and is till enjoyable to run...its just that I have so many Burlingtons now that I took the "easy way" out to get command control for my Burlington set ....Oh Well

Ed Boyle

Ed,

   What maintenance issues are you talking about specifically with the GG-1s? I know you have other Conventional Classics and they have Pullmor motors too. Mine didn't run well either until i took them to my local service station and had them "tuned up."