Yep, I have a couple of MPC-era GP-9s with the infamous "wobble." 
When MPC was King in our store.
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Great pictures Mr. Sutter!!! 
Originally Posted by Tiffany:
Hello guys and gals..........
How good were the MPC 8206 Hudson ? Did they ever come as a set ?
the woman who loves the S.F.5011,2678
Tiffany
Hi Tiffany, one of my favorite MPC sets was the NYC Empire State Express set with a # 8600 Hudson and matching NYC freight cars. This was the first MPC steam locomotive to have Magne-Traction. It is a super locomotive and still sought after.
I remember getting this set, my first complete MPC set with electronic sound of steam and Magne-Traction, boy was I excited.
Steve, Lady and Tex
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Originally Posted by TexSpecial:
Originally Posted by Tiffany:
Hello guys and gals..........
How good were the MPC 8206 Hudson ? Did they ever come as a set ?
the woman who loves the S.F.5011,2678
Tiffany
Hi Tiffany, one of my favorite MPC sets was the NYC Empire State Express set with a # 8600 Hudson and matching NYC freight cars. This was the first MPC steam locomotive to have Magne-Traction. It is a super locomotive and still sought after.
I remember getting this set, my first complete MPC set with electronic sound of steam and Magne-Traction, boy was I excited.
Steve, Lady and Tex
The Empire State Express was the first set I purchased way back in 1976 when I was finally earning enough money to fund my toy train desires. The NYC 8600 Hudson with the silver boiler front looked spectacular and the engine ran as good as it looked. In fact it runs as good today as it did back then. Obviously MPC had solved their wiggle wheel problems on their drivers by the time this engine was manufactured because it is a smooth runner. I still have the entire set and set box too. Great engine and highly recommended.
Jim,
There's all the box cars I need for my collection. 
Originally Posted by ed h:
Originally Posted by Johnsgg1:
added a Lionel electronic reverse unit to the New Englander plastic bodied 2-6-4 K4 type steamer.
Johnsgg1 - Were you able to fit the electronic reverse unit in the loco itself ?
I have an 8001 Plastic K4 that I would like to do this with.
Ed, yes, it fits neatly between the motor and the smoke unit. Shield it from any metal components.
People laughed at me all these years for collecting the high end MPC stuff. I am glad I did, besides Postwar, and the new Postwar Reissue's, You cant beat MPC. I have an almost complete collection of all the limited sets, engines, collector line high end items, and I truly love them all....
Originally Posted by jim sutter:
When MPC was King in our store.
Those truly were the good old days, weren't they, Jimmy?
Originally Posted by ZWPOWER13:
People laughed at me all these years for collecting the high end MPC stuff. I am glad I did, besides Postwar, and the new Postwar Reissue's, You cant beat MPC. I have an almost complete collection of all the limited sets, engines, collector line high end items, and I truly love them all....
Do yourself a favor and don't let to many folks around here know you're a MPC "collector". You'll end up blacklisted for sure. 
Joe
Yes Allan, they truly were. It was a very special time to be in the train business. Back then, people were more into collecting. Today, more people are into operating and that's a good thing too.
Originally Posted by Alan P:
The problematic trucks (again, in my experience) are found under GPs, switchers and 4-axle U-boats. The gears are a mix of plastic and metal and the whole geartrain seemed to have too much play in it. Years of use can make it worse. This is why my beloved 8654 now rides an LTI chassis that uses the postwar F3-style truck/motor. Yes, it's MT, but the real improvement is from the more robust gears and bearings.
Most of the MPC B-B 4-axle units share the postwar 200 series Alco truck. Geenberg Guide calls them "type II" motors. Unfortunately, these MPC motors also share the same problems that their postwar counterparts have. The truck was also used in later postwar switchers. This truck is integrated with the motor field. The frame of the truck is built from sheet metal plates that are stamped together. Over time, the stamped studs loosen and shift. The shift makes the wheel base out of square causing wobbles and sometimes the armature to rub against the field.
The three axle C-truck used for SD18's and U36C's was also the integrated truck/field design. However, this truck is die cast metal rather than steel plates that have been stamped together. Thus, this truck does not suffer from the problems that the four axle B-truck exhibit.
The units that use the 2028 F3 motor that have the motor in a die cast metal housing that is separable from the die cast metal truck block also do not have the problems exhibited by the 200 series Alco motor.
As the the following post shows, even though the loosening of plates can happen, does not mean that it will happen. Many postwar 200 series Alco's and 600 series NW2's continue to give top performance as well as MPC units based upon the same integrated motor/truck design.
I like NW-2 diesels, and these two have been smooth, reliable runners once the traction tire problem was solved with Permatex Ultra Black.
Number 8153 Reading from 1981-82 and 8770 from 1977-78, formerly EMD Demonstrator blue custom painted in E-L by the late Howard Lott of Binghamton, NY.
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Originally Posted by ZWPOWER13:
Originally Posted by JC642:
Originally Posted by ZWPOWER13:
People laughed at me all these years for collecting the high end MPC stuff. I am glad I did, besides Postwar, and the new Postwar Reissue's, You cant beat MPC. I have an almost complete collection of all the limited sets, engines, collector line high end items, and I truly love them all....
Do yourself a favor and don't let to many folks around here know you're a MPC "collector". You'll end up blacklisted for sure.
Joe
I dont care who knows!! Haha, MPC will run forever just like Postwar if you take care of it...Getting close to completing my collection, just picked up 1 of 3 sets left so I can have ALL the Limited Edition Sets...Not bad, considering its still mostly sealed and for under 200 bucks!!!! Lots of bargains still out there!!!!
The Reading Quaker City Limited Set!
Originally Posted by Glenn Fresch:
The Reading Quaker City Limited Set!
Bingo!
Definitely one of my 2-3 favorite MPC sets.
Originally Posted by WBC:
Most of the MPC B-B 4-axle units share the postwar 200 series Alco truck. Geenberg Guide calls them "type II" motors. Unfortunately, these MPC motors also share the same problems that their postwar counterparts have. The truck was also used in later postwar switchers. This truck is integrated with the motor field. The frame of the truck is built from sheet metal plates that are stamped together. Over time, the stamped studs loosen and shift. The shift makes the wheel base out of square causing wobbles and sometimes the armature to rub against the field.
Originally Posted by CSXJOE:
Imagine, toys that were decorated for hard liquor, beer and cigarettes, try to find those now in today's PC world.
Maybe in a few years we will have cars decorated for shipment of legalized pot.
Originally Posted by illinoiscentral:
Tanqueray Gin Reefer.
THAT'S one of the 9800-series reefers.
Beauties, all.
quote:The MPC 8010-100/8021-100 & 8030-100 motor trucks are vast improvements over the 200 series truck. The bearing design is much better, and the frames are steel instead of aluminum(I have yet to see an MPC motor that needs restaking).
I agree with Rob's assessment.
For those who don't like plastic parts:
I have rebuilt several of those style power trucks, which have plastic bearings on one side, and sintered bearings on the other. In each case, the plastic bearing was fine, but the sintered bearing was so worn, that the hole was egg shaped , and had to be replaced.
IMHO, the dummy truck is also an improvement over the 1055 style collector truck. On the original truck, the edge of the metal frame served as a bearing for the wheel/axle assembly, and was subject to wear. On severely worn trucks. the wheel flanges would rub on the plastic part of the truck frame.
In the modern era, they folded over the end of the metal frame to create a larger bearing surface for the wheel/axle assembly.
The MPC years were pretty cool. My favorites were the coke set, 8303 blue 2-4-2, and the GG1's. There was a lot if other interesting stuff as well.
Originally Posted by barrister2u:
Originally Posted by CSXJOE:
Imagine, toys that were decorated for hard liquor, beer and cigarettes, try to find those now in today's PC world.
Maybe in a few years we will have cars decorated for shipment of legalized pot.
Er... Would they be called 'Reefers?'
STOP IT LIAM! It's not safe...
Jon 
Ironically, some of the 1970s/80s Lionel MPC is getting hard to find. I've been looking for the Union Pacific Thunder Freight set 6-1151 for quite some time now & have not seen it in a long time. It was catalouged from 1981-82. I would like to find one mint in the box if possible too. Lionel sure did make some very nice & colorful trains back then.
About a year ago I picked up this unusual uncataloged set from 1981.
Has an 8904 loco (which normally is Wabash) with a NY, NH and Hartford tender (from the New Englander set), a plated Penzoil tankcar and the 9376 Soo Line boxcar which came only in this set.
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Topic re-opened per request by "ACE"....
Thanks,
Alan
This is my favorite. I got it for $150 at a train show. It had never been run, and was in the original box with the gantry crane (in the background), track and transformer.
My second favorite is the 8652/8777/8653 Santa Fe F-3s. I bought the whole set here on the forum from VinceL for $125. Had to put a truck on the powered unit, as the nylon gears fell off the first time I ran it. Sidelined for a short somewhere within.
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ADCX Rob posted:Originally Posted by WBC:The MPC 8010-100/8021-100 & 8030-100 motor trucks are vast improvements over the 200 series truck. The bearing design is much better, and the frames are steel instead of aluminum(I have yet to see an MPC motor that needs restaking).
Most of the MPC B-B 4-axle units share the postwar 200 series Alco truck. Geenberg Guide calls them "type II" motors. Unfortunately, these MPC motors also share the same problems that their postwar counterparts have. The truck was also used in later postwar switchers. This truck is integrated with the motor field. The frame of the truck is built from sheet metal plates that are stamped together. Over time, the stamped studs loosen and shift. The shift makes the wheel base out of square causing wobbles and sometimes the armature to rub against the field.
Rob,
I'm glad you chimed in. After, some Doctors consultation from you. I've rebuilt 4 of the 8030 motors. Brass worm gear and metal drive gear. Been , putting miles on them....the growl is great
OGR Ad Man posted:Topic re-opened per request by "ACE"....
Thanks,
Alan
Alan, Thank you for opening the topic again - provides interesting reading and info
I liquidated a large collection last year that had quite a lot of MPC. I got to test run everything, and I must say I have a new appreciation for this era. Yes, there are some things in the line that were just plain junk, but some others were pretty nice, and had that postwar quality about them. Below are a few that I had to resist hard not to purchase for myself;
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The only MPC stuff I have consists of a 1975 Milwaukee road service station set. The decals on the noses of the locos are a pain in the neck, but replacements are available for very little money. I'm impressed with the quality and love the vibrant graphics. I also have a southern pacific f3 ab set that I suspect has MPC an MPC power chassis and it can pull a fair bit of weight. I hope to acquire more in the future.
I was brought up on postwar, but the MPC high end stuff to me is irresistable. The graphics are sharp and the colors crisp and bold. Even the postwar remakes look better and when they stayed with the original blueprint and quality standards, they ran just as good. I prefer and run mostly MPC and LTI products. The FARR engines are beautiful and great runners. And I don't have to worry about burning up the smoke unit. The large UP and SP passenger cars with F3 engines as well. Some of my favorite cars came in sets only. Several high end tank cars, box cars, reefer and flat cars, I continue to pick up just to add them to my train. A 40+ car train is no problem with the fast angle wheels and light weight cars.
Now with the prices so low, I pick up items I would never had considered in the past. Paying $1500 to $2000 or more for an engine would give me endless heartburn especially if it got stuck in reverse.
I love my MPC ABA F3 Amtrak, F3A Preamble Express, Chessie U36B.
Before MPC us Lionel folks were on hard times. The last Lionel "catalog" was a couple pages and a rerun of the year before. Nothing new for years. When MPC came along it was a breath of fresh air. All the 6464 type box cars you wanted for around $7. A new little dockside steamer, even a new GP-20. Scale standard "O" cars with metal sprung truck and speaking of trucks, fast angle wheels that rolled like crazy. Baby Madison cars, a Gold GP-7 and the promise of a new track system called Trutrack. Lionel never made it but it looked like a winner. You could buy a powered F-3 for $55 and a dummy B unit for $35. It was an exciting fun time. Don
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I guess we forget,just how much stuff they made,,,impressive
Timothy Sprague posted:I liquidated a large collection last year that had quite a lot of MPC. I got to test run everything, and I must say I have a new appreciation for this era. Yes, there are some things in the line that were just plain junk, but some others were pretty nice, and had that postwar quality about them. Below are a few that I had to resist hard not to purchase for myself;
You made a mistake. 
Other than the Crescent (I have a later version) I would have kept all of these. They really are nice. With the two F-3 sets I'd mate the shells with TMCC-RailSounds-directional/constant lighting-electrocoupler equipped later versions of the chassis (I've done a number of these conversions) to upgrade the engines to command control/railsounds. Those Pennsy and SP versions are gorgeous in person. The Gt. Northern and Daylight steamers would be good candidates for ERR upgrades, also.
Terry, there was much more. FM Trainmaster's in SP and other roads. Railscope way ahead of it's time, Camera in the nose of a GP-9. Their version of Little Joes, GE locos for the first time. Our TCA and TTOS members couldn't buy enough. The strangest set was a freight Alco double "A" Southern Pacific Daylight set with metal F-3 trucks pulling passenger cars. It was all fun. Don
Don, they made TruTrack, some pieces at least. It had aluminum rail and didn't work very well from what I've read. Which is a shame because it was a nice-looking track system with the optional roadbed.
scale rail posted:.......The strangest set was a freight Alco double "A" Southern Pacific Daylight set with metal F-3 trucks pulling passenger cars. It was all fun. Don
But not too strange in the world of trains then (and not a single person ever mentioned the trucks on the set I had! ). Very nice looking set and a lot of fun. They looked great pulling a set of Lionel's small Daylight Madison cars. Lionel nailed the colors.
