What's Your Oldest Locomotive?

Does the 38 run?  I don't see her sitting on rails.

It can hardly get out of it's own way but it does run.  I recall removing years of crud by blasting the motor with brake cleaner to initially coax it back to life.  Unfortunately I don't have anything permanent in a SG layout.

 

Bruce

I have a #38, also, that just crawls. It might have to give up its armature to get a 380 moving. The 380 would move but the brush holders disintegrated on me last week.

Nice video of a cool engine...Very appropriate to have the Electric Light Orchestra's "It's a Living Thing."

 

Tom

Thanks for the info, Robert. I've seen the same model with the later smoke stack and the different steam dome, but I never saw the one with the covered main drive wheels. So my loco is somewhere in between. Good to know. Thanks again

My oldest locomotive is a Wabash F3A, that my parents bought me for X-mas when I was 2 years old.  She is still one of my most powerful F3's and I have since added on 2 F3B's, and additional F3A and 3 additional passenger cars to run with her.  She's the motivation behind me coming back to O Gauge Railroading.  She's 58 years old.

It looks like you have kept her in nice shape, too, all those years!

THANKS

Maroon #8. I believe the 1926 version.

I have a beat up Lionel #5 steam locomotive and some very old Marklin and Bing 1 gauge rolling stock from the 1900-1910 era. all in need of restoration.

Lionel 153 with 607 & 608 Coaches.

Coincidentally, I have thought of cannibalizing the 38 for the same reason...to revive my 380.

 

Bruce 

I am dropping off the 38 motor at my "repairman's" house on Sunday. He is a
funny, little guy but does good work so I will let you know how it goes.
then I will have a 38 shell to fill !!

On Fri, Mar 13, 2015 at 7:48 PM, O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum <
alerts@hoop.la> wrote:

Here it is.  I am not sure of the exact vintage.  Late twenties to early thirties.  Got three matching passenger cars too.

 

 

Bob,

  Nice looking engine.

     Tom

The predecessor To Marx trains, was Joy Line.  I think they were first made in 1928,

with a diecast engine.  Mine is a later, early thirties?, red stamped steel engine with

the three very short Joy Line passenger cars.  The Marx #999 was first made in 1941

with a perforated pilot (easily broken off). I have one.  I have one of those stamped steel #898 Marx engines in a 3/16th set with a car only made in 1941, so the #898 has to be from 1941, also, and they were used in 3/16ths sets before the #999 became

available.

Are all of those 2-rail or 3-rail?

  Tom

My oldest 2 515 katz ,54 dorfan , lionel and what looks like a ives clockwork stamped gpr 4 1911 934 on motor. What's with the 5R with the hoge (there form of actavation track)

1952 Lionel Hudson cab #2056 runs and smokes like a champ

The April 4, 1911 date on the Ives motor is the date of their Patent.  I believe the other number stamped under it is the year of production - it looks like a 1924 model to me.

Nice collection of trains! 

Can you post a picture of the wooden box?   Never seen one of those. 

 

My oldest engine is a standard gauge electric with 3 passenger cars from about 1925.  It has been packed away for so many years that I have forgotten the model.  I know that the box says Lionel.  Then comes my 1950 Scout.

 

Norm

Lionel #5 Spcl. 1910. Still runs.

This is kind of in response to popi's 384E.  This is my 384E.  I was waiting to take a better picture, but who am I kidding, I've never taken a good photo in my life.  This engine is a honey.  It's the all black version, no green stripe, all copper trim.  So that makes it 1929.  I love this engine.  The best running machine I've ever seen.  I have a pair of red and cream 337, 338s to run with her, but she really shines pulling five 500 freights.  This engine is so cool, I honestly feel it is a blessing to have her.  Not my oldest, but might be my favorite old bird in the nest.  Long may she run.   

I have a total of three postwar Lionel locos at present, and plan to add a few more, as resources permit. They are 1666, 675, and 2065. They span about nine years of the postwar period from 1946 through 1955, as best I can tell. I have included a picture of all three lined up on my work bench. I plan to get 681, 2056 and 224 when I can. I am running O27 track and switches and all these locos negotiate the curves nicely. I am an operator so I don't like to collect or pay for original boxes, paper, etc...

 

I like these locos, 'cause they're getting to be antiques...like me...but everything on them still works...

Most of my locomotives are around 80 years old...may have mentioned this before, hope we all work so well when we are that age.

 

I see a postwar Pennsy cabin car in the background that deserves to be on the main line! 

 

Tom

All my stuff belongs on the main line. But we are in the process of getting ready to relocate...good size spare room of course! I have all the track and most of the cork roadbed I need, so all my equipment will be earning its keep soon!

Lionel 33 from ~ 1926:

hello

I have 2 392e standard gauge eng's 500 fright cars and 4 standard gauge passenger cars

kevin

bdobson,

   I did not see your post asking for a picture of the original 1900's wooden box before, I will take a couple pictures and post them as soon as I can.

PCRR/Dave

 

Here are the pictures of the original Lionel wooden box my Father's 263E work train came in, back in the early 1900.  Still not in bad shape after the Admiral ordered the Train flown to Guadalcanal during WWII, for our SeaBee's & Marines Christmas celebration.  Part of the old leather handle is now trapped under the black electric tape, securing it forever, before the leather carrying handle totally rotted away, from jungle rot.

Dave,

What exactly do you mean by "pre-production"  in your descriptions?

 

Does the wooden box have the "Lionel" name anywhere on it?  or any other markings verifying that it came from Lionel?

 

Ives,

   It did at one time have all the Lionel name and Train numbers on it, they all came off due to the trip over seas, the original Lionel individual card board boxes fell apart when I was a boy also.  When Lionel 1st started producing trains, my Grandfather ordered the 263E work train set in 1900, before they went into production, he got the pre-production 263E 1st work train ever made, delivered to him before the other 263E's came on the market.  The actual 263E did not appear on the market or go fully into production until a couple years later.  The train was actually a engineering model that Lionel probably did not mean to sell, and somebody, delivered the train set early, more than likely because my Grandfather was friends with the boss at the Lionel Company.

PCRR/Dave

Pine Creek Dave - why was the set shipped to Guadalcanal?  That's a heck of a story.  Please elaborate.

I believe that my oldest locomotive would be the 726 Berkshire with the cast railing stanchions and smoke bulb smoke unit. I believe that it was manufactured in 1946.  That would make it 69 years old. I have some tinplate cars from the late 20's or early 30's but they just stay put away.

William 1,

   Actually that would probably make a good thread of it's own, my Father and my Uncle Scotty were best friends, and part of the crew on Guadalcanal fighting and building an air strip, so the Air Marines could land.  The Admiral eventually needed a moral booster for his men, it was more than just bad there on that landing strip, as my Uncle Scotty told us, it was beyond Hell.  Sometime I will post the actual event for you to read, and why the Lionel Train was sent for.

PCRR/Dave

   

Wonderful piece of history you have there. There are things we come across in life that have unimaginable stories behind them, and this is definitely high in that category.

 

please do!

I'll be watchin' for it too. Let me know if you can remember to.