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I thought this might be an interesting thread. Perhaps to exchange ideas, perhaps parts, comments.

On my list is:

1. Refurbishing a Unique Arts Rock Island diesel. Largely a matter of a good cleaning, going through the electrical system, some lubing. Hasn't run yet since purchasing it. Have to find appropriate set of horns. 

2. Scratch building a steam loco body to fit onto a spare Hornby clockwork frame. Documenting how I did it for a future post.

3. Fitting three LEDS into Marx Wm Crooks, an 0-4-0 and a MPC SW1. Need to fabricate mounts. 

4. Rivet trucks onto four prewar Lionel Baby Ruth boxcars. Repaint one roof.

Whats on your workbench?

Bruce

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I've got two McCoy steam engines, a Chief CleElum 4-6-0 and Little Chief 0-4-0. Inherited from my Grandfather's collection, both badly repainted and some castings suffering from zinc pest. I managed to get all the casting replacements from Bob McCoy Jr., including replacement decals. Both engines are supposed to be gloss black. Would be my first attempt at total strip/repaint with a long list to follow.

I've got a pretty long list:

 

-- Repaint a Williams 381E in gloss black. It's been sandblasted and I have all the trim parts, just need time to do the work. Also needs weights - I haven't been able to find any original or repro weights so will have to make some. 

 

-- Partially restore a CMC/CMT 2-4-0T. It needs a thorough cleaning, some paint work, and possibly some rewiring. 

 

-- Reassemble a 380. Motor is partially apart, needs drivers and gears pressed on, plus some minor body work. Also needs some cosmetic work on the passenger cars that go with it. 

 

-- Repaint the roof on a Lionel Classics 514R. 

 

-- Paint and assemble several project cars.

 

-- Locate parts for, repaint, and reassemble a partial McCoy Cascade that I picked up at a train show last year. I think Bob McCoy Jr. may have the parts; I need to call him. 

 

-- Fix up my #8, which needs a coupler and some general cleaning and fixing.

 

-- Build a 10E from parts. I have the parts, just need to paint the body and put it together. 

 

-- Find and install a headlight socket, and clean up and rewire an 0 gauge American Flyer 3013 boxcab. 

 

That is going to keep my busy for a while. And that's just the tinplate list - I've got an 0 gauge list that's at least twice that. 

Post war 2343

Post war 671

Post war 2025

Pre war 500 series passenger cars, gonna paint em blue to match the

new Lionel Corp Jersey Central Blue Comet cars.

The other postwar items are just mechanical.

My locos put in a lot of miles when we go to shows.

I bring about 20-30 locos so I can switch em out.

 

www.liveauctioneers.comwww.ebay.comwww.oldlioneltrains.com

There are various projects on the windup workbench, but as far as actual restorations... this is on the "To Do" list:

 

Marx Swing Peg CV Project

 

It is a Marx 1935 clockwork swing-peg Commodore Vanderbilt.  In addition to the work needed on the body, the motor won't wind up and run, the key is stuck in the motor and the wheel that has the governor behind it is falling apart from zincpest.  Of all the issues, the wheel is the difficult one: Marx used 10 spoke diecast wheels for a few years, but only used the wheel governor for one - and that wheel is a different casting than the other 3 wheels on the loco, so it is next to impossible to find one.  I think I have a plan to get around it, though.    Should be a fun project!

I have some 10 spoke drivers in the parts box, but none with the posts for the weights.
 
Steve
 
Originally Posted by WindupGuy:

There are various projects on the windup workbench, but as far as actual restorations... this is on the "To Do" list:

 

Marx Swing Peg CV Project

 

It is a Marx 1935 clockwork swing-peg Commodore Vanderbilt.  In addition to the work needed on the body, the motor won't wind up and run, the key is stuck in the motor and the wheel that has the governor behind it is falling apart from zincpest.  Of all the issues, the wheel is the difficult one: Marx used 10 spoke diecast wheels for a few years, but only used the wheel governor for one - and that wheel is a different casting than the other 3 wheels on the loco, so it is next to impossible to find one.  I think I have a plan to get around it, though.    Should be a fun project!

Restore a pair of Liberty Line Standard Gauge BiPolars.

 

Restore an American Flyer Standard Gauge Piper locomotive  

 

Restore and custom paint several American Flyer Standard Gauge Hamiltonian, Pocahontas and Legionnaire passenger cars.

 

Restore and custom paint several Wyandotte, Marx, Girard, Kingsbury and Keystone pressed steel toy cars and buses for use on SGMA layouts.

 

Assemble and custom paint several RichArt O gauge 710 series passenger car kits to match the unique Milwaukee Road (UP) paint scheme, which Dick Mayer custom painted for me on one of his RichArt O gauge BiPolar Cascade engines.  See photo below.

 

Bob Nelson

 

Dick Meyer and his O gauge tinplate Milwaukee Road Bipolar

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  • Dick Meyer and his O gauge tinplate Milwaukee Road Bipolar
Originally Posted by electroliner:

Bob

The paint job on the BiPolar looks really good. Any closeups?

Bruce


Bruce,

 

Unfortunately, I don't have a closeup but I'll try to find the BiPolar and take several. 

 

You're right.  Dick did a great paint job!  That's him in the photo above.  To match the Milwaukee Road (UP) paint scheme he even painted gray the normally black plated trucks, which required him to build and install special electrical pickups to circumvent the paint on the trucks.    Unfortunately, both Dick and his RichArt assistant, Butch Alvarado (see photo below), died before they had a chance to build me the matching RichArt 710 series passenger cars.  That's why I now need to assemble and paint some of my RichArt 710 series passenger car kits to go with my unique RichArt BiPolar. 

 

The Tinplate World certainly lost two superb craftmen when Dick and Butch passed last year.

 

Bob Nelson

 

Butch Alvarado 001

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  • Butch Alvarado 001

-A 402 E that needs new wheels and rewiring

-a 2333 that needs a new frame - and the frame I bought does not have the slot for the E-unit

-assembling my Marx Santa Fe 21 custom built B unit

-repowering a Consoli family Zephyr with a Williams China drive

-helping some friends turn some Marx six inch cars into an S gauge WWI army train

Hmmm....  Lets see...

257

258 (2)

262

262E

260E

263E

264E (3)

265E (2)

226E (3)

249E (2)

259E (3)

402E

390E

1835E

10E

252

158

616EW set (3)- one is smooth side and four door 617 and red top

636EW set

Blue streak cars

2613/14/15 Blue Comet

2600?01/02 (3 sets)

603/4- bunch of sets

2640/40/41 set

Russian Stalin train

AF O City of Denver

AF O 1681 Hudson

AFO 3020  need some pilot trucks!

 half a dozen AF O 3/16th's engines

 

Oh and finish the bathroom remodel

 

and maybe work on my old 911 some...

 

This critter has been in the roundtoit box since 2005. Made a lot of progress
tonight. The original configuration is a 0-4-2 with the rear truck on a very
long draw bar, strange looking. The motor was dead when I got it so after a little
surgery it has a smoking Marx 333 motor in it, now with a 4-6-2 configuration. Needs a little tidying up, but almost ready.

Here's an e-bay picture of what they were made like.

 

Flyer 629

 

Here's my new improved version.

 

Flyer 629 & 1121, 1936

 

Steve

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  • Flyer 629
  • Flyer 629 & 1121, 1936
Originally Posted by TrainsRMe:

 

 

Roy Boy:  Can't wait to see how that B-unit comes out.  Did you swap out the A-unit's motor for a later motor having rubber traction tires??  My 21 can pull only about 3 cars with the dummy A-unit before the wheels slip.

The A unit is powered by two Williams China drive motors. Since Marx 21's are the same size as Lionel 2333, I could not resist.

Originally Posted by Dennis Holler:

Nice work Jim,   I seem to remember you "saving" a few of these.  Will this one get a full repaint or will you try to maintain the original finish?  Can't wait to see it running on your layout!

Hi Dennis,

 

It will be a full re-paint. Other parts I had to make included complete pilot and trailing trucks. Here are some photos that show the bending brake I used to make the missing wheel shroud and the repro trucks.


 

001

003

013

019

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Images (4)
  • 001
  • 003
  • 013
  • 019
Originally Posted by Jim Kelly-Evans:
Work is progressing on a Boucher 2500 loco & tender that came to me missing key body parts including the cab roof and one complete side of the body, the wheel shroud/ash pan. The photos show the roof and ash pan that I made from sheet steel.

Jim,

 

As usual you are well on your way to completing another beautiful restoration!  Can't wait to see it running on a SGMA layout!  Consider having its SGMA debut at Trainfest 2013 in Milwaukee this coming November!

 

Bob

Originally Posted by navy.seal:
Originally Posted by Jim Kelly-Evans:
Work is progressing on a Boucher 2500 loco & tender that came to me missing key body parts including the cab roof and one complete side of the body, the wheel shroud/ash pan. The photos show the roof and ash pan that I made from sheet steel.

Jim,

 

As usual you are well on your way to completing another beautiful restoration!  Can't wait to see it running on a SGMA layout!  Consider having its SGMA debut at Trainfest 2013 in Milwaukee this coming November!

 

Bob

Bob, I'd really like to join you in Milwaukee...I'll check on it.

 

Dennis, Boucher (and Voltamp) used cast iron frames. Carlisle & Finch used wooden frames. The reason for the wooden frames was to electrically insulate one side of the loco from the other since they ran on two rail track. Voltamp used insulators in the wheel hubs rather than a wooden frame.

Post

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