Over the years I have seen a number of home-made conversions of Lionel Standard Gauge #8 locomotives; there seems to be no end to the creativity of what people can do with these little box cabs.
Last year I saw one for sale and I asked Arno about it, and he filled me in on the Franklin Shelly "Poor Man's Presidents Special":
In the 1950's and 60's, Standard Gauge parts were scarce. Because the Lionel 8 was an inexpensive and ubiquitous loco, they were often poached for motors and wheels to repair the larger, more valuable Lionel locomotives, leaving many empty No. 8 cab shells in junk boxes.
The American Flyer Presidents Special was a rare and expensive train, but it was found that the unused No. 8 shells could be used to make a small version of the Flyer 2-B-2 (4-4-4) loco.
Many of these were handmade, but in 1978 Franklin Shelly began making a conversion kit, consisting of a special frame and diecast pilot trucks with wheels and trim that mimic the Presidents Special. Shelly had Dick Trickel cast the diecast parts for the kits. Shelly sold these kits at York up until the early 1990's.
Buyers of the kits could use most any Standard Gauge motor in the PMPS, but during the 1980's Jerry Williams was making his twin-can, worm-drive Standard Gauge motor unit and these were popular to use in the No. 8 conversions.
david
