Upgrading the Lionel General 8005 from the Starter Set

Wow.  What a difference!  All that's missing is Buster Keaton!

nice job. really attractive piece.

Bob C.

Nice job! Looks really good.

What paint did you use for the boiler?  Was it a rattle-can or air-brush?  It looks really smooth.

Walmart spay can, no undercoat.

Well done project.

that is a fantastic result with a spray can. I use an airbrush myself because I cant get good results with a can. beside that I do a lot of dinosaur models these days and need the airbrush to capture realistic finishes with many shades of color.

 

Bob C.

A friend of mine owns one... Seeing this makes me wonder if it would be worth it to call him up and see If he'd separate with it.

Here is picture of the smoke stack spark screen I made from a piece of fiberglass window shade screen I had laying around.  It is on the Lionel General 8005 of this thread.

Choo Choo

 

looks neat

Bob C.

Looks better than an 1882!

Coat thickness, prep-work, temperature, and humidity are the keys to nice paint. Try for two thin coats vs one heavy. Too thick is the number one mistake. A thin "tack coat", or "misting" let to dry a minute or 5 can aid against runs if you can't go to two coats easily.

   I never could find reference to an exploded view, instructions, or figure out myself exactly how the stack assembly comes off those Generals. Any ideas?

I managed the rest of the "puzzle" fine (the PW versions aren't real easy). I just couldn't manage to get the stack off and apart. I need to redo a weak smoke resistor.

A note: I don't know how prototypical you intend to be, but while I was entertaining that thought, I learned at least one, maybe both (I think the Texas) had a straight stack originally. I think the funnel was added in a rebuild during the early 1900's.

There is a screw that holds the original stack spark screen in place.  I backed up my homemade one with a plastic disc and glued it in with a little clear silicone caulking. 

Charlie

   Thanks Charlie,  I have had the funnel top off of a Pulmore type before. And I know the power is in the handrails, and that the stack was "an assembly", etc. I've torn one down about 98% & even cut the pilot and added a working front coupler to one. But how the stack actually attaches to the rest of the loco has stumped me the few times I've had them apart. I have never got a shell off 100%. The stack stopped me. Nobody answered when I asked, and the one has weak smoke, not dead yet; so I wait, and ask again every once in a while. I know that one there is a bit different being DC*, but figure the stack mounting hasn't changed, even on non smokers. And with that nice paint job, I figured you had gotten the stack off, to get the boiler off, for spray paint.

* another question as I'm playing with gear sets lately; The square area that makes up the motor mount, is that part of the frame, or a separate piece? And if separate, is it welded/riveted/or screwed onto the frame?

Hey , isn't one of those supposed to be traveling backwards too

Adriatic,

The stack slides out of the front of the boiler.  The 'nose', light bracket, and metal contact for the headlight are all part of this assembly.  If you turn the boiler upside down you can push the assembly out from the inside using the blunt end of a small screwdriver.

 

Thank you too SWANKO.  I did try it, but it seemed too tight. Could be the chrome ones are thicker & the fit tighter. I didn't want to push and break it, if there was just a simple trick to "unlocking" it. Its just an RI&P that retired the old 1872 from its "tree run". But I used "kid gloves"; this was my Grandmothers favorite train. She had "commandeered" all the other "Old Timers" too

"Go ask your Grandmother if we can run one, she will tell me no" 

Poor Gramps .

 

 

 

Question,  I'm actually to going to do this to a general . Does it matter what volts it is? I'm looking  at one for 50 and 100 volts. Which is better?

Awesome work,By the way!

Beautiful!

 

Looks very nice thanks for showing it.

Porter09 posted:

Question,  I'm actually to going to do this to a general . Does it matter what volts it is? I'm looking  at one for 50 and 100 volts. Which is better?

Either really. They are rated at twice what you'll normally feed them. Safe and very safe.

The minimum amps are almost more important. I like using 6amp, but 4a sneaks it's way in places.

In general, overating a bridge rectifier will only make it stay cooler.

Question, would a single pole double throw switch work?

Charlie, your work looks great on these 4-4-0s!  The biggest thing that bothers me about these Lionel engines is that the drive wheels aren't spoked or even appear to look like they are spoked. Talk about a first world problem, ha!

Anyway, if I had one of these 4-4-0s, I'd be tempted to paint the spaces between the spokes a flat black to give the illusion of spoked drive wheels.

@Porter09 No, double pole, double throw to reverse.

You need 2 circuits/2 position or 2 circuit/3 pos (on#1/ off/on#2)... With 3pos sw. you just skip over that "off" or use it as neutral so the lights and/or smoke stay active while parked. (connect smoke/light at motor for off/on by switch, connect at rollers for full time.)

@Porter09  here is Charlie's notes with the dpdt sw. in black so you can see how to wire and why you need the 2p2t.  The lower pics are examples of what happens internally in the sw. by position of the button.

I did eventually get my stack out but I havent finished yet.  I've figured out how to replace the resistor vs the whole stack too  (it's buried and requires resistors long legs to get it in, then trim the legs)

Charlie,

Looks great!  I put TMCC in mine (in the tender with a tether).  One other thing I did is order new rods to connect the wheels since the existing rod only goes to the rear set of drivers.  I put the Coupling Rod ordered from Lionel from their General Engine (I also ordered the 2 extra wheel screws needed from them) on first.  Then I cut down the existing Connecting Rod to fit to the front drive wheel.  This is a cheap upgrade and makes the engine look more realistic.  Of course you can't order anything until Lionel moves their parts center and re-opens.  I'd get you the part numbers, but their site is down.

Compare it to the engine in 6-82442:

James Gang:

To drill the hole on the Connecting Rod, I rolled the wheel screws to the point where the Connecting Rod would be the farthest forward, then pushed the Connecting Rod into the piston all the way.  Then I pulled it back slightly to set where to drill the hole and then cut the rest off so it looked normal.  

Very nice work !!

Excellent. Thanks for sharing this.

Porter09

It is well worth the effort to add weight to the boiler and leading truck with the 4 wheels.  This engine is very light with a small DC motor and needs the extra weight ( I used old tire weight) to have more traction.  It now will pull four cars plus tender now. 

I found mine had trouble with derailing the front wheels and adding a couple of washers helped keep it on the rails.  I glued the tire weight in the boiler and washers on 4 wheel truck with clear silicone caulking.  Alieens glue will work too.

Charlie