Model Train Journal

Happy Friday!!

Not much going on this week.





NS ES44AC 8068 pops out from behind an old barn as it leads 52Z on the Whitethorne District near Elliston, VA


A pair of CSX AC44CWs are seen leading a stack train over Lookout Creek in Chattanooga, TN on the W&A Sub


Everett Railroad 2-6-0 #11 heads back towards Hollidaysburg, PA during one of the Autumn pumpkin patch runs.


With the 'precision railroading' operational program in full swing, leaders like NS SD70M 2617 are getting tougher to find. It's seen leading 201 through Christiansburg, VA


NS SD70M-2 2698 crosses over US 29 as it leads 134 on the Danville District in Ruffin, NC

Not much going on here either. Sarge and I hit the antique mall in Fayetteville, PA. He loaded up on Weaver NYC hoppers, me just this haggard Lionel 2034:



Similar to Christopher's 242 (1962-66) in concept, the 2034 is a weird mutation near the end of the Scout run. Made for one year only, 1952, cast shell, frame motor, with the e-unit lever on the underside. Not too common.

Once this is cleaned up, running, outfitted with an appropriate tender, freight consist, track and tranformer, I've got it penciled in for my niece's four year-old son. These days, with the apparent exception of Christopher's children, train-hound tendencies don't seem to last beyond six to eight years old...got to catch this one while he's still in the wheelhouse.

Healey

Spent a couple days in the Chicago area, and was lucky to bag a few IC SD70's. They were all sent to EJE's Kirk Yard in Gary, IN for PTC upgrades late December, and they have stuck around the area

Matteson, IL





Three train meet at Lavergne on the BNSF Racetrack

My new Lionel DT&I wrecking crane on the job.

One from last week- Jake and I's Western Pacific F3's. Lionel then and now

Nice shot Lucas. Lionel didn't do too bad with those 1950's F3's.

I like those 2-4-2's I have a bunch of them, all mine have the frame motor.

SantaFe158 wrote:Lionel didn't do too bad with those 1950's F3's.

I agree. Postwar Lionel flat doesn't get enough credit, for their beautiful 1/48 diesel models. Especially the early NW-2s, early F3s, and the FM Trainmaster. They're worthy to run with the prewar 700E Hudson, B6 switcher and scale freight cars.

v8vega wrote:I like those 2-4-2's I have a bunch of them, all mine have the frame motor.

Me too. I have a few with the late Scout-type motor with no reverse. (I hate the reverse unit levers sticking out of a hole in the boiler.) Most, however, have standard motors with 3 position reverse.

One engine I've bought a lot of, is the 1101. It's an uncataloged Scout engine, the same as the 1655, but stripped of it's handrails. Beautiful, heavy superstucture casting, equipped with a standard motor with a die-cast frame and 3 position reverse. I've always gotten them cheap. You can put the handrails on yourself, and then you've got a beautiful - albeit small - engine.

These older(1945-49) O27 engines come with third rail sliding pickups that don't work on O gauge track. But, you can replace them with the 1656 roller pickups, and then they'll run on O or O27 gauge. Some of the engines this applies to, are the 1654, 1655, 1665, 1101, 1666, and early 2026.

The 246 is almost identical to the 242, but with magnetraction (may be the only Scout that ever had it). Even as light as the 246 is with its plastic shell, the thing will pull quite a number of cars, especially the smaller, lightweight cars that came in the Scout sets.

My favorite prewar 2-4-2 is the 1664...same shell as the 2-6-2 1666, with a nice set of running gear:



Would love to find one of these in gunmetal.

Healey

healey36 wrote:The 246 is almost identical to the 242, but with magnetraction (may be the only Scout that ever had it).

There's at least two others: the 1120 and 6110 made in 1950. All locomotives made that year had Magne-traction. Neither had headlights, but the 6110 has smoke. Not puffing smoke, but smoke which streamed out because of a special hole in the boiler front.

healey36 wrote:My favorite prewar 2-4-2 is the 1664...same shell as the 2-6-2 1666, with a nice set of running gear...

There's also the O gauge version, the 229. I don't know what colors it came in.

Spent the day Sunday adding the John Will aka Gunrunnerjohn's Chuff Generator to the Super Chuffer mod I did to this J a few years back. Now I have 4 chuffs per revolution on this engine that originally came with 2 chuffs and no puffing smoke.




https://youtu.be/hQfr6W2ozSI

https://youtu.be/xbHqmGWQXqM

https://youtu.be/1LB6UZjGU4A

One of the best upgrades I ever did to my J as well. The upgrade boards make them operate nearly like a Legacy engine.

https://youtu.be/Q7EltoCX3cY

Very nice for both but the whistles are different. ???