@Krieglok posted:I understand your confusion. It’s okay. Dallas had suggested I should have my own thread, owing to the work I do, as a compliment on his part about my creations. Very kind of him to do so!
It’s kind of like excellent modelers such as HarmonYards and Others who have their own, on going threads. I am not that good, I just contribute a lot…lol.
Tom
I wouldn't worry about it. At all.......
I've got a 73' center beam flat car going on for conversion to two-rail. That will be #6. That leaves one MTH Auto Rack to do for now. Next step is to start unpacking rolling stock to see what I'm keeping and what I'm getting rid of.
Here’s a 3rd rail diesel getting upgraded with ERR
A bottle of microscale industries liquid decal film waiting to thaw out.
@randr posted:A bottle of microscale industries liquid decal film waiting to thaw out.
.......?......
@Lou1985 posted:Easy one this time. The rear steps on my Lionel Union Pacific E7s have bugged me since I bought them. They are short little nubs so the truck can be turned and popped off (Liondrive) and so the locomotive can go around 036 curves.
I don't care if I have to remove the steps to get the trucks off and if these AA units will go around 036 curves, so I replaced the rear steps. I used the rear steps from MTH F units with some 2mm plastic shims underneath. Looks 100% better and they just bolted on.
Nice!
My workbench has been busy lately:
@Lou1985 posted:My workbench has been busy lately:
Great job on both engines Lou.
Your parts bins must be a sight to behold. Sounds like you have more parts on hand than Lionel and MTH combined. 
Bob
@Lou1985 posted:Easy one this time...............
I don't care if I have to remove the steps to get the trucks off and if these AA units will go around 036 curves, so I replaced the rear steps. I used the rear steps from MTH F units with some 2mm plastic shims underneath. Looks 100% better and they just bolted on.
Yep ........looks better. 
@RSJB18 posted:Great job on both engines Lou.
Your parts bins must be a sight to behold. Sounds like you have more parts on hand than Lionel and MTH combined.
Bob
Only ATSF and SP scale steam parts. None of that east coast junk 😉.
Still have a K Line caboose that took a tumble of the shelf layout, a Z4000 with something blown, a Weaver CNJ RS3 that may need a drive chain, and some standard gauge 2 bay coal loads for a friend.
Cranked out a quickie this afternoon. I had this A-B-B-A set with three of the four having sound. I figured it might as well be unanimous and installed the sound board in the trailing A-Unit that didn't have sound. Now they all have sound and smoke, ready to thunder down the rails. 
Currently working on a MTH RPO car. With how they have the interior done it’s more like a combo baggage/RPO. So figured that’s what im going to do with it. 
Been working on a MTH PS-1 Baldwin AS-616. Upgraded the lights to 3mm white LED's, I think they look better now. I also replaced the stock 1/2 watt speaker with a 2 watt super bass speaker. Removed the PS-1 boards and replaced with a Soundtrax Tsunami2 decoder. Now it has command control with cruise and the sounds are way better in my opinion. Still dialing in some of the functions but it is running great!
PS1 vs Tsunami2
Mounting plate I made out of styrene.
LED lights
New speaker.
Tsunami2 installed
Test run
@Darrell posted:Been working on a MTH PS-1 Baldwin AS-616. Upgraded the lights to 3mm white LED's, I think they look better now. I also replaced the stock 1/2 watt speaker with a 2 watt super bass speaker. Removed the PS-1 boards and replaced with a Soundtrax Tsunami2 decoder. Now it has command control with cruise and the sounds are way better in my opinion. Still dialing in some of the functions but it is running great!
Nice job Darrell. The DCC board is much smaller without the need for power conversion. Sounds good too.
Bob
One truck of my Menards flat car with Army Bus that I've had for a few years just fell off when my grandson lifted off the shelf. I'm trying to figure out how to fix this. You see all the parts in the pic. The truck separated from the rivet (?) the connects the car to the truck.
This Korber Model has been on my work station for several weeks. It's almost ready to take a spot on an industrial spur on my layout. I need to add the steps, some lighting, a sign, and some weathering and it will be finished
@RSJB18 posted:Nice job Darrell. The DCC board is much smaller without the need for power conversion. Sounds good too.
Bob
Thanks, actually easier than doing ERR since sound and control is on one board. There was enough room left I kept the smoke unit in place, if I want to use the proto couplers I have to make and install a small board to operate them. The same circuit can be used to turn on the smoke also so it is on the list of things to do. I was able to get a Digitrax 8 amp starter set for under $400 and wired it thru a DPDT switch to the layout so I can go back to DCS/TMCC when needed. The Digitrax throttle is wireless and has 2 speed knobs, makes is really easy to run 2 trains at once and can address over 9000 locomotives! The command station only runs 100 loco's and throttles, although they do have one that runs 400 loco's and throttles. My collection is nowhere near that big so it should cover all my needs in the future.
@Darrell posted:Been working on a MTH PS-1 Baldwin AS-616. Upgraded the lights to 3mm white LED's, I think they look better now. I also replaced the stock 1/2 watt speaker with a 2 watt super bass speaker. Removed the PS-1 boards and replaced with a Soundtrax Tsunami2 decoder. Now it has command control with cruise and the sounds are way better in my opinion. Still dialing in some of the functions but it is running great!
PS1 vs Tsunami2
Mounting plate I made out of styrene.
LED lights
New speaker.
Tsunami2 installed
Test run
Hi @Darrell;
Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake (and I apologize for that)...but please allow me to ask a few questions regarding your conversion.
But before I do that, let me say your conversion is super sweet! And the sounds coming from the engine are really great. Really nice job!
Okay...on to my questions.....
With your success in converting the O scale MTH PS1 to Soundtrax electronics components; am I to understand there is (or has always been?) a digital engine control system alternative to MTH DCS and Lionel TMCC/ERR?
With the demise of MTH and their complete lack of PS engine conversion kits through Parts, and Electric Rail Roads limited sound track availability on their conversion kits; do us model railroader have another avenue for either replacing dead electronics that can't be repaired or upgrading conventional engines to digital?
Also, does your converted engine require another/different controller that's different from DCS/TMCC?
This is very exciting to me because I have several engines that either need to be upgraded from PS1 or converted to Command Control.
@Junior, I'm still learning about DCC and o scale and will answer as best I can.
DCC is a standard maintained by the NMRA, it is the command system in all the other scales, from Z to G. The decoders made for G scale will also work for O scale. 2 rail O scale has been using DCC for years, not really new as such. Yes, you will need another command system, DCC is not compatible with DCS/TMCC. I use a DPDT switch to select either DCC or DCS/TMCC to the rails on my layout. There are many manufacturers out there, I use the Digitrax 8 amp starter set and a $30 180 watt DC power supply from Amazon. The best part is everybody's decoders will work with any of the DCC command systems on the market. One remote to run them all!
If you don't want to buy another system, Soundtrax should be releasing the 4 amp Blunami this year. This is the same as the Tsunami2 boards I use plus Bluetooth, runs with an app on the iphone, not sure if they will work on AC power, will probably need DC power or add a rectifier to the loco. Or go dead rail, there are folks here that are doing that.
I have so far converted a RMT Bang and a MTH PS-1 loco to DCC, all you need is a loco with DC can style motors. I have seen where universal motors were made to work on DC power but I think it is easier to send the loco to Frank Timko and have can motors installed. AC only motors will not work and would have to be replaced.
But, yes, we have choices other than MTH or Lionel for command systems.
@ToledoEd posted:One truck of my Menards flat car with Army Bus that I've had for a few years just fell off when my grandson lifted off the shelf. I'm trying to figure out how to fix this. You see all the parts in the pic. The truck separated from the rivet (?) the connects the car to the truck.
This looks similar to some of my Lionel trucks Ed.
Find the two screws for the loose side plate and attach to the truck /coupler body with the wheel carrier and wheels. At that point you have to have the existing rivet drilled out. A LARGE rivet * then needs to be used to secure the truck to the chassis.
* Or a screw or nut could be glued or soldered to the underside of the truck/ coupler . Then the wheel carrier with wheels can be attached to the truck body. Then a nut or screw with probably a washer could be run down through the chassis to the truck.
Good luck on this one Ed.
@Darrell posted:@Junior, I'm still learning about DCC and o scale and will answer as best I can.
DCC is a standard maintained by the NMRA, it is the command system in all the other scales, from Z to G. The decoders made for G scale will also work for O scale. 2 rail O scale has been using DCC for years, not really new as such. Yes, you will need another command system, DCC is not compatible with DCS/TMCC. I use a DPDT switch to select either DCC or DCS/TMCC to the rails on my layout. There are many manufacturers out there, I use the Digitrax 8 amp starter set and a $30 180 watt DC power supply from Amazon. The best part is everybody's decoders will work with any of the DCC command systems on the market. One remote to run them all!
If you don't want to buy another system, Soundtrax should be releasing the 4 amp Blunami this year. This is the same as the Tsunami2 boards I use plus Bluetooth, runs with an app on the iphone, not sure if they will work on AC power, will probably need DC power or add a rectifier to the loco. Or go dead rail, there are folks here that are doing that.
I have so far converted a RMT Bang and a MTH PS-1 loco to DCC, all you need is a loco with DC can style motors. I have seen where universal motors were made to work on DC power but I think it is easier to send the loco to Frank Timko and have can motors installed. AC only motors will not work and would have to be replaced.
But, yes, we have choices other than MTH or Lionel for command systems.
Ah! Something new to dig into. Thanks for the quick response @Darrell.
I was kind-of-aware of DCC but never really looked into it for 3-rail use (although I knew PS3 engines supported DCC. Funny...I always wondered if MTH was planning a transition away from DCS to tried-and-true DCC ).
Only drawback I can see (without too much thought for now) is it would be an "all or nothing" for running DCC-equipped engines. DCS and TMCC can (and do on my layout) coexist. DCC probably would not be able to (coexist).
Not a real fan of Bluetooth for running trains because I really don't like running trains off of my phone. I prefer the handheld remotes and do have several brand new/in the box remote's as backups.
Never the less, DCC looks intriguing. I will definitely have to read up on that command system.
Thanks again....
@ToledoEd posted:One truck of my Menards flat car with Army Bus that I've had for a few years just fell off when my grandson lifted off the shelf. I'm trying to figure out how to fix this. You see all the parts in the pic. The truck separated from the rivet (?) the connects the car to the truck.
I had the same thing happen on a Lionel car. I used wellbond glue, As good as new and that car ran very well on the layout'... Any metal glue would work...
@ToledoEd posted:One truck of my Menards flat car with Army Bus that I've had for a few years just fell off when my grandson lifted off the shelf. I'm trying to figure out how to fix this. You see all the parts in the pic. The truck separated from the rivet (?) the connects the car to the truck.
Problem solved with Gorilla Epoxy. Once I discovered the truck does not spin independently from the rivet assembly, but the whole assemble moves, I simply epoxied the truck to the rivet assembly, careful not to glue the assembly to the car 
, problem fixed.
Hi Toledo ED I believe your c clip is missing that fell off the truck, just look at the other one and you'll see how to repair it, you can buy C clips kit from harbor freight!
Alan
Thanks Alan. I did look and no c-clip on either and I couldn't push the truck down far enough to provide a "grab" for the c-clip. Epoxy seems to have worked.
The GM&O had one solid red Alco FA, and one (temporarily) solid red Alco PA. I am attempting to do both as a powered/dummy pair. Both require removal of the dynamic brakes, and the R-O-W PA snout needed a bit of "de-UP-ing".
Wms FA. Ah, plastic:
R-O-W PA. Ah, fooey, brass. The big UP number boxes and class lights are being filled in (brass backing; epoxy fill).
I have a pair of brass earlier-style streamlined number boards to go on the side of the nose.
Fortunately, the GM&O's PA's also had dual headlights. So, no fill-in there. It will also have a fixed pilot and scale coupler.
Drats! I spoke too soon. The epoxy didn't work. No room for a c-clamp...it's now headed to the back shop on my layout.
YW Great glad you figured it out!
Alan
@Dallas Joseph posted:This looks similar to some of my Lionel trucks Ed.
Find the two screws for the loose side plate and attach to the truck /coupler body with the wheel carrier and wheels. At that point you have to have the existing rivet drilled out. A LARGE rivet * then needs to be used to secure the truck to the chassis.
* Or a screw or nut could be glued or soldered to the underside of the truck/ coupler . Then the wheel carrier with wheels can be attached to the truck body. Then a nut or screw with probably a washer could be run down through the chassis to the truck.
Good luck on this one Ed.
Thanks Dallas...I'll try the nut/bolt solution. I have taken the side plate off.
Added LED(s) to the #53 switcher. Thanks for all the posts on utube showing how this is done. I used the 5mm warm white LED(s) with resistor and a 1N4007 diode. The LED(s) and diodes are from Amazon. Photo below shows taping the wires to the body and testing the circuit.
@SIRT posted:One of many new scenes for the new layout.
SIRT, now that is very unique. Is the railroad declaring imminent domain?
@SIRT posted:One of many new scenes for the new layout.
A unique scene, SIRT.
I do suggest that your contractor starts demo from the top floors down, however.
On second thought, watching the building collapse down on itself would be great to watch!
Thanks for sharing.
When my Lionel 3927 track cleaning car gave up the ghost several months back, I decided to build myself a new one (the 3927 track cleaning car also used to spark a LOT at the pickup roller; which I was not happy about 
).
Unlike the electrical engineers that contribute so generously to this forum (you KNOW who you are! ), my projects are built using readily available off-the-shelf items (no designing and building circuit boards from scratch for me...I just dont have the knowledge or experience ).
Anyway....below is my new track cleaning car that I cobbled together using one of my Lionel MPC box cars.
The car consists of an AC-to-DC buck converter, a 12VDC N20 1,000 RPM motor, a mini polishing pad with arbor, a shaft coupler, a bronze collar bushing. add-on Lionel pick-up rollers, stick-on tire weights, silicone wire, various TINY metric screws and nuts, some sheet brass to build the mounting bracket and the box car.
The parts list might make you think it's pretty complex to build, but as you can see the assembly is pretty straight forward.
Here it is in operation. It's a bit noisy but no worse than the 3927 car.
The car does a pretty good job cleaning the track. And no more dreaded sparks!
Hope you like!
Lionel H16-44 that won't move. And a Legacy GP-7 that makes noise and doesn't move. The former hasn't been powered up in the last 15 years and the latter I acquired "lightly used" and didn't bother to test when I received it. So I get some troubleshooting fun.
Junior's track cleaning car is a work of art!
This JLC UP H7 arrived a bit worse for wear. Apparently it was in a flood and then suffered from poor packing when shipped. A number of cosmetic parts were replaced including the steam chest and headlight plus a few flexible pipes. Also the AC regulator was binned, smoke unit rewired and the 2 lobe cam replaced by a 4 lobe.
Pete
@Norton posted:This JLC UP H7 arrived a bit worse for wear. Apparently it was in a flood and then suffered from poor packing when shipped. A number of cosmetic parts were replaced including the steam chest and headlight plus a few flexible pipes. Also the AC regulator was binned, smoke unit rewired and the 2 lobe cam replaced by a 4 lobe.
Pete
Very impressive, Norton...as always!
Is that a factory smoke unit or a Super Chuffer?
@Berkshire President posted:Very impressive, Norton...as always!
Is that a factory smoke unit or a Super Chuffer?
Thank you Pres. its the original semi smart smoke unit with the 8 ohm resistor replaced by a 22 ohm, on board circuitry bypassed, and the resistor wired directly to the R2LC.
The 4 lobe cam actuates the micro switch wired to a DPDT reed relay which drives the fan motor and chuff in on the R2LC.
Pete
Looks really, really good Pete. Thanks for sharing!
Don't you hate it when something other than trains are on the work bench? Several projects have been occupying space since mid November. We had our house re-sided so the number signs had to be repainted (they were light blue). A real PITA keeping the lettering clean. I won't get into the other projects related to the siding job. My garage looked like a war zone.
Then I was asked to fix my mother-in-law's vacuum......
Hiding under the white towel in the back is what I was getting to...
I upgraded these ATSF F3s with ERR boards and LED lighting last year. Several lingering issues need to be addressed which will be my next project.
Bob
My Rail King PS1 Challenger never smoked very well. It easily ran at 11 volts which wasn’t enough to stoke the smoke unit.
So today I wired the 2 motors in series. The result is it runs at 16 volts.
I was getting too much smoke at 16 volts so I added a buck converter to knock it down to 13 volts DC. This is the same buck converter Junior used in his track cleaning car.
@RSJB18 posted:Don't you hate it when something other than trains are on the work bench? Several projects have been occupying space since mid November. We had our house re-sided so the number signs had to be repainted (they were light blue). A real PITA keeping the lettering clean. I won't get into the other projects related to the siding job. My garage looked like a war zone.
Then I was asked to fix my mother-in-law's vacuum......
Hiding under the white towel in the back is what I was getting to...
I upgraded these ATSF F3s with ERR boards and LED lighting last year. Several lingering issues need to be addressed which will be my next project.
Bob
Glad to see your energy level is still way up there Bob.
Not to worry about the lettering Bob.........at 75 feet from the road it should look perfect and most importantly READABLE.
( didn't realize Oreck vacuums needed fixing 
)
What are the lingering issues on the F3s ?
@Dallas Joseph posted:Glad to see your energy level is still way up there Bob.
Not to worry about the lettering Bob.........at 75 feet from the road it should look perfect and most importantly READABLE.
( didn't realize Oreck vacuums needed fixing
What are the lingering issues on the F3s ?
Thanks Dallas.
The F3s have a few bugs. The dummy lighting needs a better common connection, and the powered unit stops unexpectedly....
As for the Oreck.... the handle broke and so far the parts are very hard to find. The company went bankrupt several years ago the parts are harder to find than PS3 boards. 🤣🤣🤣
Doing a little work on the Lionel Polar Road K4.. Working on Pat's fix for the loose intermediate gear shaft.
@RSJB18 posted:Don't you hate it when something other than trains are on the work bench? Several projects have been occupying space since mid November. We had our house re-sided so the number signs had to be repainted (they were light blue). A real PITA keeping the lettering clean. I won't get into the other projects related to the siding job. My garage looked like a war zone.
Then I was asked to fix my mother-in-law's vacuum......
Hiding under the white towel in the back is what I was getting to...
I upgraded these ATSF F3s with ERR boards and LED lighting last year. Several lingering issues need to be addressed which will be my next project.
Bob
That’s what you get for being so talented Bob.
@Dallas Joseph posted:Glad to see your energy level is still way up there Bob.
Not to worry about the lettering Bob.........at 75 feet from the road it should look perfect and most importantly READABLE.
( didn't realize Oreck vacuums needed fixing
What are the lingering issues on the F3s ?
Absolutely on readability!
I didn’t realize Oreck’s needed fixing either!! 😆
I spent the weekend working on a Lionel Legacy Lionmaster Challenger I bought second hand. The encoder ring was deformed and the engine had some performance issues. With some help from people on this forum I figured out how to fix it and the locomotive runs great now!
@Norton posted:This JLC UP H7 arrived a bit worse for wear. Apparently it was in a flood and then suffered from poor packing when shipped. A number of cosmetic parts were replaced including the steam chest and headlight plus a few flexible pipes. Also the AC regulator was binned, smoke unit rewired and the 2 lobe cam replaced by a 4 lobe.
Pete
Nicely done Pete. From the looks of how it runs , I'd say you sure know how to revive a zuffering locomotive. Nice.
@Obsidian posted:Added "real coal" to my Lionel TMCC B&O EM-1 and C&O 2-6-6-2
Really nice.
What did you use?
John
@Obsidian posted:Added "real coal" to my Lionel TMCC B&O EM-1 and C&O 2-6-6-2
I miss my TMCC NKP 2-6-6-2......lack of chuffs and all.
My new (used, but new to me) UP Legacy Lionmaster Challenger was back on the bench this weekend. The locomotive started slipping on the curves and I realized the front truck wasn't spinning. Turns out to be a loose pinion gear on the front motor. Added some loctite and good as new.
Locomotive still makes some odd sounds so I'll keep an eye on it, it is missing one of the screws that hold the rear motor to the truck so I think that is the cause. Ordered a few screws from lionel to see if that helps.
I have a couple of Menards lighted vehicles that I want to put on the layout. Now that the sign and vacuum are off my bench, I can get back to important stuff.
I started by testing the lights on both on the bench. The REA truck was fine but the '48 Ford was a different story. I didn't know Menards put smoke units in their cars.......
When I opened it up I found that the mfr didn't insulate any of the wiring. I'm sure the supply wire splices were touching, causing the short. So now I'm replacing the LED's and rewiring the truck.
To be continued....
Bob
If the Ford was new then that is really poor quality control. However, with your electrical prowess you will make “short”work of this.
Jay
@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:If the Ford was new then that is really poor quality control. However, with your electrical prowess you will make “short”work of this.
Jay
I was a freebie with a recent freight car purchase otherwise I'd ask for a refund from Menards. It's an easy fix and I'm going to add a few details since it's a plain black truck.
Thanks
@RSJB18 posted:I have a couple of Menards lighted vehicles that I want to put on the layout. Now that the sign and vacuum are off my bench, I can get back to important stuff.
I started by testing the lights on both on the bench. The REA truck was fine but the '48 Ford was a different story. I didn't know Menards put smoke units in their cars......
To be continued....
Bob
Nice vehicles Bob .
Are you sure that wasn't exhaust smoke at the back of the 48 Ford Bob ?
@Dallas Joseph posted:Nice vehicles Bob .
Are you sure that wasn't exhaust smoke at the back of the 48 Ford Bob ?
If only.....🤣🤣🤣🤣
I put the new lights in my 48 Ford. I also added a driver.....cause Tesla wasn't around in 48.....🤣🤣
After testing for pix I blacked out the back of the lights.
Been wanting to add command and sound to my Weaver RS-3. I could never find a way to squeeze command and sound in, it was always one or the other. Here's what it looks like with ERR cruise commander, it is a tight fit to say the least.
Although it ran well, I was always disappointed with the lack of sounds. Since I discovered that DCC can work in O gauge 3 rail locomotives I decided to install a Soundtrax Tsunami2 TSU-4400 into my RS-3.
As you can see the decoder and speaker fit with lots of spare room!
I also upgraded to LED lights.
The test run went great! It runs and sounds fantastic, I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out!
Installed 3mm warm white LED's in the Lionel 44 ton switcher. The LED's have a 1K ohm resistor and diode in the circuit and are taped into the shell behind the original lense. Should use less power and no heat. 
I bought one of these https://www.menards.com/main/g...70157374-c-13318.htm
Within 10 minutes of opening the package, the coupler fell apart.
Also, two of the little plastic things that are supposed to hold the rope tight are missing.
I'm not happy at all.
But...
Any tips on holding the spring (inside the coupler) back far enough so that I can jimmy the coupler together? Or do I just buy another $30 $14-3/4" flatcar to get another coupler? 
Well, my dad and I were able, via a LOT of trial and error, to compress the spring enough to put the coupler back together. The rivets holding the top of the drawbar into the coupler had failed, so the drawbar had bent downwards and popped out. The drop of glue judiciously applied to each rivet will, hopefully, keep it together.
The 1948 M&Ms van will probably go into the bin or for sale; replaced by a 1947 Menards or 1948 (lighted) Pepsi van.
Added to my bench today is a pair of Lionel 6672’s, complete with some rust on the trucks and wheels, and some missing parts, which are replaceable. The problem is the “white” body shell. In addition to the bottom being sloppily painted flat black and chipping, it has a strong yellowing tint to it. Was it really white originally? Is the yellowness a problem of too much sunshine? I even thought of tobacco smoke, but warm water and Dove hasn’t been a lot of help. Any thoughts?
rich
Hi well I would have guessed age of the paint and also possibly discoloration due to Sun making color fad to the color you're seeing.
There is a car on Ebay so you can see the color looks white to me!
p.s. if you think it's due to smoke damage cigarettes you can wash the cars with Windex which has ammonia in it and will clean the smoke off completely, but you might have to clean more than ounce, I recommend using paper towels they will turn dark brown if it was smoke was as I had said! good luck and please shoe us pictures after the cleaning!
EBAY LINK REMOVED per TOS
Alan
@Rich posted:... has a strong yellowing tint to it. Was it really white originally? Is the yellowness a problem of too much sunshine? I even thought of tobacco smoke, ...
I offer this as 'related' experience. I have seven Lionel 9802 Miller (white) boxcars. They are cast white plastic with red lettering. One of them never came out of the box until a week ago, another couple of them were stored in a newspaper & cardboard boxes under the train table, and the others ran on my grandfathers basement table (no sun) for years and they also sat collecting dust on the table for 5~10 years after his passing. Only the 'still in the box' boxcar is clean and probably still shows the 'original white', but even that one has roughly one (only one) shade of age/yellow/tobacco/fade to it. The others all have a slightly irregular/non-uniform color/cast/fade to them that shows plainly to the naked eye but my phone camera doesn't pick up. I have gently cleaned a few of them to look a bit better, but they have not returned to the "boxed white". One of them had dirt/grease fingerprints (likely they are mine from decades ago 
) that I scrubbed and 409'd and hot water/dawn/brushed vigorously - but it still has a faded yellow-ish tint to it, and one of my prints is still noticeable.
Thanks Alan. I have several 3462, 3472 to compare to, and these 6600’s have considerably more yellowing, so I guess it’s a difference in how they have been stored or displayed, and also the composition of the plastic.
Dick
Thanks Woodsy. I was reluctant to try Windex because I don’t have any previous experience with it on Lionel paint, but it will be my next step
rich
@Rich posted:... I was reluctant to try Windex because I don’t have any previous experience with it on Lionel paint...
Even tough my boxcar is only worth a dozen dollars, I was hesitant to be too rough with it for fear of spoiling the lettering. The first time I used windex I diluted it 50/50 with water. It got some grunge off, but not all of it. Then I went full strength, but only briefly. Again, it removed another 'measure', but not all of it. Then it was full strength till I was satisfied. Just take it in baby steps.
I'm cleaning and rebuilding dozens of engines, operating cars/accessories, and rolling freight after decades of cardboard and newsprint storage to get them back to "good-as-they-can-be" running condition, because good as new isn't possible . None of my kit is minty or 'excellent' condition, but I still want to be gentle with them
EDIT: in fact if you search "lionel 9802" on the e-b@y, you'll see some of the different 'whites' of the same car.
I went through the same thing as you about 6 months ago restoring my stored collection. I ended up using Dawn diluted with distilled water, cleaning with a softish tooth brush, and then a distilled water rinse followed by a very soft cloth (I used tea towels I steal from my wife's stash). I don't remember if Dawn comes in different strengths, but if it does choose the mildest. I was able to clean the grunge off really well. I did go more gently around the decals, and luckily never did any damage.
Today on the work bench is something a little unusual, an American Flyer Prewar standard gauge switch. I'm in the process of rewiring, cleaning and repainting some of the parts. This should be an interesting addition to my floor layout.
@texgeekboy posted:... followed by a very soft cloth (I used tea towels I steal from my wife's stash). ...
What is it with our dear wives and their tea towels/dish cloths? I love my wife through and through, but my "bull in the china shop" still doesn't understand why the dish towels must remain clean and neatly displayed on the oven handle. She loves me enough that she retired a few older faded beach towels and cotton t-shirts and even made a space in a cabinet for "His Towels" so long as I understood that I was forbidden opening "Her" drawer of kitchen towels.
Actually I can understand why she doesn't want me touching them. I wouldn't want to use them after I'm through with them either!
The K-Line MP-15 really runs fast and a slower speed would seem better however this one did not have the "serial/parallel switch. There was a lot of discussion about rewiring and the sharing or lack thereof of the load on the traction motors so I did not want to make the choice permanent. There was a little bit of room between the fuel tank and the e-unit cut out switch and a mini toggle just fits. (it would have been better to more accurately check the room inside!). I drilled a 1/4" hole in the chassis and then slotted the hole for the final position. Soldering to the tiny lugs was a pain. My old Weller gun was too large and the pencil iron was too weak so the soldering appearance was a little messy but it works. (For some reason that picture did not take) Now either serial or parallel operation is possible. Pulling three heavy cars up a steep grade in parallel mode seems OK and the lights are brighter now.
Continuing with some customization of my MTH 3R 19th century cars. Just adding some details to their standard boxcars, like tack boards, brake wheels and turnbuckles on the truss rods.
I also add some strip styrene to alter the look of the car slightly, to eliminate the cookie cutter appearance. A few grab irons and some poling pockets (brass and styrene) round out the enhancements.
The LS&MS car reflects some of the improvements in a finished state. This car is also riding on a pair of Wiseman archbar trucks assembled with MTH 3R wheel sets and Weaver couplers. I am still working on refining the coupler set up as the stock Weaver coupler shanks are just a bit too long.
Tom
@Krieglok posted:Continuing with some customization of my MTH 3R 19th century cars...
DANG! those look great!
ALSO on the workbench - Pullmor motor tune-ups. I am in the midst of bringing dozens of postwar engines back to life. I wish I had taken some before pics of this one, but some of the armatures were in a really lousy way - filthy, rusty, dust/dry greasy resin/goo packed. I don't know how they operated all they did was grunt for me until I rebuilt them.
A little mineral spirit bath, some compressed air to blow out the gunky schmutz and expedite the evaporation of the mineral spirits, several seconds with a brass brush in the dremel tool and then polish the commutator plate with a fiberglass pencil has them looking like, well... not new, but pretty darn good. And with a fresh pair of brushes they purr as smooth as a pullmor can purr
Fiberglass Cleaning Brush Pencil
EDIT: also used the fiberglass pencil on the e-units. MUCH easier than a e-unit rebuild (as long as the contact fingers are still good)
A few years ago I purchased a K-line caboose 611-1751 NYC with the intent of repainting for the home RR. After the repaint, the caboose sat until actual trains could be run. This caboose is lighted with a single pickup roller and works as well as can be expected in regard to lighting and not derailing. However there was a annoying tendency for the pickup roller to short circuit when passing over the 3424 track clips for the automated brakeman car. The short was sufficient to halt the locomotives. The problem with the original caboose roller is that it's a very small diameter and just long enough to simultaneously contact the center rail and the track clip (which is grounded). Chamfering the roller was not an option since the roller support bracket ends would still contact the track clip.
I was able to remedy this situation by changing out the original roller for one with a larger diameter but chamfered ends. That way the ends of the roller and the support bracket ends avoid contact with the track clip and no short circuits occur. The original roller pin was reinstalled. 
@Victor Bertolina posted:The K-Line MP-15 really runs fast and a slower speed would seem better however this one did not have the "serial/parallel switch....
I have a K-Line MP-15 with the series/parallel switch, and in parallel it still wont run as slow as my postwar F-3 or 2065 loco. I wish there was a way to slow it down a little more. It pulls almost as much as the magnetraction F-3, it just wants to race
D500, Yes I think you need tie downs. I would leave it the color it is as if it just came from the factory. 😆
@Victor Bertolina posted:A few years ago I purchased a K-line caboose 611-1751 NYC with the intent of repainting for the home RR. After the repaint, the caboose sat until actual trains could be run. This caboose is lighted with a single pickup roller and works as well as can be expected in regard to lighting and not derailing. However there was a annoying tendency for the pickup roller to short circuit when passing over the 3424 track clips for the automated brakeman car. The short was sufficient to halt the locomotives. The problem with the original caboose roller is that it's a very small diameter and just long enough to simultaneously contact the center rail and the track clip (which is grounded). Chamfering the roller was not an option since the roller support bracket ends would still contact the track clip.
I was able to remedy this situation by changing out the original roller for one with a larger diameter but chamfered ends. That way the ends of the roller and the support bracket ends avoid contact with the track clip and no short circuits occur. The original roller pin was reinstalled. 
@Victor Bertolina.....
Really nice job . Did you have the replacement roller on hand or did you purchase it from some where?
Hi https://ogrforum.com/member/junior
I had the roller. I had purchased a box of trucks and parts on ebay. The pickup roller was on a part in the box. It looked like the correct size and turned out to work well.
@woodsyT posted:I have a K-Line MP-15 with the series/parallel switch, and in parallel it still wont run as slow as my postwar F-3 or 2065 loco. I wish there was a way to slow it down a little more. It pulls almost as much as the magnetraction F-3, it just wants to race
It will run slower in series. Parallel sends full voltage to both motors. Series sends it through one motor and then the second.
All of my K-lines are series wired and they are more manageable. Certainly not Legacy worthy.....
Bob
I have a bunch of old Chooch decals that I bought as a lot several years ago. I found a small set of B&O letters that fit the doors of my '48 Ford.
It's ready for the layout now!
Had this Ives 1125 for a decade. Ordered a repro pilot years ago and immediately lost it. Found it today looking for something else. Time to get it done.
@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:Had this Ives 1125 for a decade. Ordered a repro pilot years ago and immediately lost it. Found it today looking for something else. Time to get it done.
But did you find what you were originally looking for? 
@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:Had this Ives 1125 for a decade. Ordered a repro pilot years ago and immediately lost it. Found it today looking for something else. Time to get it done.
Steve,
I'll bet that you found it in the last place that you looked.
@Victor Bertolina posted:Hi https://ogrforum.com/member/junior
I had the roller. I had purchased a box of trucks and parts on ebay. The pickup roller was on a part in the box. It looked like the correct size and turned out to work well.
Just proves the old adage...."One man's trash is another man's treasure"!
@Lionelski posted:Steve,
I'll bet that you found it in the last place that you looked.
Isn't that where we find everything!?
@RSJB18 posted:But did you find what you were originally looking for?
Yes
Lionchief Hudson smoke unit sounds like a meat grinder and is not producing smoke. Going to do the ol' smoke unit replacement job once the part comes in. Just bought a Hakko so I'm not mad I get to test it out
@D500 posted:I became the proud owner of a dead mouse last week.
New flatcar load. Needs tie-downs.
Should I paint and weather?
Maybe a couple bullet hole decals wouldbe good.
@woodsyT posted:Yes, yes. 👍 I meant to say series, it's worse in parallel.
I shouldn't post when I'm 🥱sleepy 😉
Lol.🤣🤣
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