Have been picking up a few cars here and there, gotta love pre-war!
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Yes, the colors, the construction, the sounds. Just makes you smile, doesn't it? 
I agree, just picked up a 2816 black hopper, a 2600 series Shell tanker and a 600 series yellow gondola, from BArry's train shop, one of the employees pointed out a box of "tin junk". Maybe in his eyes....I passed up a 253 in light green with two coaches and an observation, 609 and 609, they needed a bit of help, especially the loco, it needed rewiring for the directional switch, had an amateur job. Might email Mike and ask him to put it aside for me, the price was pretty good.
Brad,
Real nice Pre-war Tin, looks good.
Luke,
Go back and look that "junk" over real close, it might be worth having.
PCRR/Dave
Originally Posted by Pine Creek Railroad:
Brad,
Real nice Pre-war Tin, looks good.
Luke,
Go back and look that "junk" over real close, it might be worth having.
PCRR/Dave
agreed, and I definatly would go back fot the "junk"
Guys, I used the word "junk" as said to me by a person who has to reset his locos to run them. I love the old stuff, and if I could find a good source for prewar O gauge wheels and learn to quarter them, I would be happy. Of course, the electric locos don't need quartering. I have about six prewar steamers, nothing spectacular, but nice condition. No 763 or 700E's, just a 259, 260 262 263 1666, 238E and a 1668. Have a mixed bag of cars, mostly in decent condition. I am amazed how well the bigger steamers run on small transformers, don't have to fire up the Z4000. I would also like to learn how to mix gunmetal paint and have it look good. Have a good weekend, everyone.
Brad
That big transformer looks awesome 
Originally Posted by Train Doctor:
I am amazed how well the bigger steamers run on small transformers, don't have to fire up the Z4000. I would also like to learn how to mix gunmetal paint and have it look good. Have a good weekend, everyone.
The beauty of prewar. They had enough windings to make that happen! I have locos that I barely crack the throttle on a 45 watt xformer and they rocket off... in Standard gauge!
Gunmetal paint? Look good? Can't be done accurately anymore. There is a fundamental change preventing it. Now... after saying that, there is a reasonable facsimile of the later lighter gunmetal. I tis a spray bomb, Rustoleum, called Metallic Charcoal... but the sheen is off... it doesn't lay down as smooth as the prewar paint.
Thats a Z and yes she is a big transformer.Originally Posted by pennsyk4:
Brad
That big transformer looks awesome
Brad,
The old Z is definitely a way cool retro-transformer. Make sure to set up a breaker system for her, always pays to be careful. A plug bar with a light breaker built in, and if you are going to run DCS with that beautiful Tin, 10 Amp Scott breakers for protecting the TIU. Great looking old Z Transformer!
Rob English,
I use the Rustolum on rolling stock that I rebuild from time to time, you are absolutely correct, no original type sheen darn it any way.
PCRR/Dave
Originally Posted by pennsyk4:
Brad
That big transformer looks awesome
I'll second that. That's why I like my Vs
Dave, I am a relatively newcomer when it comes to toy trains, would you be kind enough to breakdown the suggestions that you made regarding the "Z"? I really appreciate the advice!
Regards,
Brad
Originally Posted by Pine Creek Railroad:
Brad,
The old Z is definitely a way cool retro-transformer. Make sure to set up a breaker system for her, always pays to be careful. A plug bar with a light breaker built in, and if you are going to run DCS with that beautiful Tin, 10 Amp Scott breakers for protecting the TIU. Great looking old Z Transformer.
PCRR/Dave
Brad,
I forgot you were real new at the hobby,
To safe guard your set up from fires, especially with the old Z transformer,
purchase an industrial Plug bar unit , they usually have 6 plugs in the Bar, and have, the push button breaker, molded into the Plug Bar. Plug your Z Transformer into the Plug bar and your plug bar into your 110 house receptical. This built in breaker on the plug bar will pop out, shutting down the Z transformer, if it ever over heats, safe guarding your home. After shutting your transformer off, you then reset the breaker on the plug bar, by pushing it back in.
If you are planning to run MTH DCS, you will also need a 10 Amp Breaker Bank, I purchase these from Scotts Odds & Ends and have them mailed directly to the house.
These breakers should be placed between the DCS TIU and your old Z transformer,
because the old Z transformer has old time, very slow blowing internal breakers, that take a long long time to pop, damage would occur to the modern DCS TIU if there are no 10 Amp Breakers safeguarding the TIU.
These breakers safe guard your TIU from big time electrical damage. If they ever pop from a derailment, which they will sometime, you lower the power all the way on your Z transformer, and reset the breaker button by pushing it back down into place.
Brad if you are planning to run DCS, purchase the OGR Video Guide to DCS and Barry's DCS O Gauge Companion, 2nd Addition, watch the OGR DCS Video Guide,
Rich Melvin does a great educational visual job showing how to set up a DCS layout. Barry's DCS O Gauge Companion is the best educational information ever compiled, read it and work from it track side, as you construct your DCS layout.
PCRR/Dave
Dave thank you very much for breaking that down, good suggestions and I will be starting off with a plug bar, right now I am just unplugging the transformer after each use.
Regards,
Brad
I have my Vs and my R plugged into a plug bar, and on a seperate breaker in the main box, so when I leave the basement I turn the breaker off, there is no power to the layout.
Steamer,
That is actually a great idea, my Grandfather use to set up all our transformers in this manner, he did not trust the old transformers at all.
PCRR/Dave
