parts dealers

You may try :

http://www.brasseurelectrictrains.com/

Along with Hennings, The Train Tender is great, http://www.ttender.com/

Steve

Actually, they are all great! Some have their niche! Really, A joy to deal with all of them!

I buy from multiple parts dealers. Most of them have an assortment of older parts, and each has items the others don't.

George Tebolt
S&W
Dr. Tinker
Train Tender
Brasseur
Smitty

All these guys are good.


I have even found some hard to find parts at Trainz. But I have mixed feeling about using them.
In my experience, they just toss all the parts into a single bag. Nothing labeled.
And there is no way of knowing whether the parts you will get are new or used.
They've sent me some unusable parts. They did refund the cost when I complained, but I was still out the shipping.

C W Burfle posted:

I buy from multiple parts dealers. Most of them have an assortment of older parts, and each has items the others don't.

George Tebolt
S&W
Dr. Tinker
Train Tender
Brasseur
Smitty

All these guys are good.


I have even found some hard to find parts at Trainz. But I have mixed feeling about using them.
In my experience, they just toss all the parts into a single bag. Nothing labeled.
And there is no way of knowing whether the parts you will get are new or used.
They've sent me some unusable parts. They did refund the cost when I complained, but I was still out the shipping.

If your going to support/mention a place, how about a website or at least a email so one can also use it. 

If your going to support/mention a place, how about a website or at least a email so one can also use it. 

I've had people here tell me I should learn to use Google when I asked a question.
I don't support anybody.
Looking at this list, most of these people are getting up in years. I wonder how long some of them are going to be around.

George Tebolt
S&W 
Dr. Tinker
Train Tender
Brasseur 
Smitty

And here is my only Flyer parts source  (Train Tender carries a limited selection)

Port Line Hobby

Dr. Tinker has a fantastic inventory.  Download his pdf list.  I always have it up in a Microsoft edge window.  He's got a lot of prewar stuff not on the list.  I'm biased ebcause we live 15 min. apart and he's been my tutor in learnign to do repairs.

I didn't see anything about Olsen's in the responses so far.

ALL the above mentioned folks are good bets. Also do not forget MTH for tinplate parts. Although MTH Parts are specifically made for Lionel Classics, Tinplate Traditions and Lionel Corporation Tinplate products, many are interchangeable with original Lionel prewar trains! Just do a little research beforehand.

My point was mainly for Smitty. You know how many listing for Smitty there is in a search?

My point was mainly for Smitty. You know how many listing for Smitty there is in a search?

I just did a Google search with the terms: "Smitty Lionel Parts".

His site came back at the top of the list, repeated four times.

You could have asked nicely.

My search never even showed him

I buy from Olsen's online and use PayPal checkout. Sharon ships the parts out and I have them inside the week.

George

Mr. Burfle, that is a good list, thanks for posting it. There are lots of other parts dealers out there, but those would be at the top of my list. I also would check eBay, but you have to be creative on your search terms. As far as postwar parts, with enough looking, I think almost everything is still available.  But the post war era ended almost 50 years ago.  As well built as those trains are, it is going to get harder to keep them running as time goes on. There seems to be fewer repo parts all the time, which may not be a bad thing.  

There seems to be fewer repo parts all the time, which may not be a bad thing. 

In my opinion, a lot of today's reproduction parts are not the same quality as what was available in the past 

I don’t know what’s up with Olsen’s. I recently tried calling them a few days in a row at various times, phone just rings, not even an answering machine.

C W Burfle posted:

There seems to be fewer repo parts all the time, which may not be a bad thing. 

In my opinion, a lot of today's reproduction parts are not the same quality as what was available in the past 

I've said this before. MTH copper & brass trim parts are almost all plain sheet steel painted gold or copper colors. I've said before "do the magnet check" and some replied that they are brass & copper plated like some American Flyer prewar trim. That is not correct. "Do the paint thinner test" and along with the thick clear-coat the paint comes off too.

I just like patina. I used to remove the trim from early MTH trains and soak in lacquer thinner to remove the clear-coat and put back on. In a few months they would look similar to the Rich-Art or Varney & Sirus trains. That can't be done now.

And I'm not putting anybody down. Everybody has different taste. Some like very rusty but running old trains and some would rather have the bling of the shinny painted trim. If everybody were the same we wouldn't be individual or human. I'm just giving a "heads up" for people restoring originals. 

For post war parts I use East Coast Train parts.  He runs many shows in my area.  Never had an issue with parts and his repro post-war boxes are spot-on. Some parts are original, most reproductions.

http://www.eastcoasttrainparts.com/

Smoke Stack Lightnin posted:

I don’t know what’s up with Olsen’s. I recently tried calling them a few days in a row at various times, phone just rings, not even an answering machine.

Well, it says this on their website:

I think it is mostly just Sharon doing the work. I can't find it now, but I think it says they are only open three days a week.

George

I've purchased parts from Olsens and East Coast Train Parts too.
Never had a problem.

Some of the parts dealers mentioned here also manufacture reproduction parts.