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Reply to "Building and Evolution of a Fun Action Packed 50’s Era, 027 Layout - Passenger Cars Added and Run"

Post 5      5-27-2016, revised 11-23-2023

Procurement of Light Weight Lionel Steam Locomotives (1977-1980) O27 Track, Marx 1590 Track Switches, Lionel LW Transformers, Switch Transformer, etc. (revised 11-23-2023)

We lived in a rental house at Constant Spring, Jamaica, a suburb of north east of Kingston, Jamaica.  My work was in country about 30 miles west of Kingston Jamaica.  The layout idea was started in late 1976, when acquiring trains and train gear started.   We lived in Jamaica for four years and traveled back to the USA every 6 months and visited family in Texas, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Florida.

In the Pittsburgh Gazette paper want ads for O gauge trains, none were found  but an ad from Dave who wanted to buy Lionel trains was found.  Dave was called and asked if he had any trains to sell and he did.  He had a serious train collection and liked to sell trains he did not need or to raise money to buy more.  This started a series of trips to Dave’s house every 6 months or so.



Light Weight Marx and Lionel 2-4-2 Engines and Coal Tenders, 1977 to 1980

I had a Marx 999 steam locomotive freight set from childhood to start with.

When in Beaumont, TX, on vacation from Jamaica, I saw an ad for a garage sale that had Lionel trains.  I purchased four Lionel 2-4-2 plastic bodied, two way e Units, mostly non-scout engines, like Lionel 248 and 249 with coal tenders for a great price $10.  The non-scout engines, with open frame motors and 2 way e-units run great although they are limited to pulling only 4 or 5 lighter cars which was just fine as I did not have any heavy operating cars like the milk and cattle cars yet.  These four engines were the start of the idea for a turntable along with seeing lots of TT in track plans in books.  I am a dedicated garage sale goer and rarely find Lionel trains but have found a few.

Engines from layout start in 1977 were light weight plastic bodied Lionel 2-4-2’s, and a Marx 999 and later 666.  These engines weigh 2 to 2.5 pounds and do not have Magna-Traction.  They run very well on O27 tracks and Marx 1590 metal frog switches.  They are limited to pulling 4 or 5 light weight cars.



Pictures of three of the Lionel 2-4-2 plastic bodied engines that inspired the turntable.  They are from around 1958 and have good metal 249-100 motors and two way E unit and are good runners and came with small streamlined 1120T coal tenders.  They were all black and I painted them to make them individual in the 1980s.

2-4-2 engine

A sharper picture below

Train Complete 1-17-2015 182

Train Lots 5-10-2016 147


This one is better Lionel 2-4-2, with a die cast body and 3 way e Unit.

Train Lots 5-10-2016 149

On a later trip to Dave's, some cars and Lionel MP 219 AA diesels were also purchased,




O27 Used Track

Track type selection was an easy choice.  Since the layout was to be a portable, operating, smallish, Toy train layout, O27 track was the obvious choice.  O27 will allow more track in a given space.  O27 is easily found, inexpensive and has a low profile (1/4 inch lower track height than O gauge track).  027 also allows the use of the low profile and small foot print, reliable Mark 1590 switches to be used.  Also I already had four Marx 1590 switches and these switches are easy to repair even in place.

I have found I can operate large locomotives like Lionel 2046 and 2055 baby Hudson's, Lionel 561, 0-8-0 switch engine,  Williams F7 ABA, 4032 Santa Fe, Williams BL2 diesel AA, and Lionel, 2-8-4 Lionel Berkshire 756, so 027 track and switches were a good choice for me.


Marx 1590 metal Frog Track Switches

I have settled on Marx 1590 metal frog switches for several reasons.

One;  I had 4 of them from childhood,

Two;   they will pass fat wheel Marx 999 and other engines and I had a lot of Marx,  

Three;  they are easy to buy and inexpensive (most cost $10 a pair) and I need a lot of them (layout now has 31 switches),

Four;   they are reliable, simple and easy to repair if necessary,

Five;   they have metal frogs and not plastic,  

Six;  they have a low profile, take less space than Lionel 1122 switches with huge switch motors sticking out and blend in with the track

Seven;  they do not use continuous power (only powered when switching the track) as they have no lamps, on the switch or on the controller.

Where as the 027 Lionel later #1122 switches, have two # 53 lamps in the switches and controllers that are ON all the time each ( 2 - #53 lamps lighted X .12amp X 14.5 volts = 1.74 watts per switch installed)  X  31 switches now) equals 54 watts for just the Lionel switches #53 lamps.  The Marx 1590 switch only uses power when switching the frogs position.  The Marx switches are operated with mini push button switches mounted on compact active track diagram control panels with most push button switches in place on the track diagram to make finding the correct switch of the 31 easier to find.

You may have noticed all my Marx 1590 switches were painted gray to match my track ballast color.  This was done because several Marx switches I had were bare silver metal with red switch machine boxes and some were all black, some silver and some with red solenoid boxes and it looked better to have them all the same color.  Also by painting them all light gray, the color of my track bed, they blend in with the bed and the switch boxes are less obvious.  I did not go to the trouble to paint fake rail ties on the switches (quite a chore with 31 of them).


Marx 1590 Switch Operating Transformer

Switch operation is powered by a single 12 volt, 40 amp or so transformer that has been modified by removing enough of the secondary wire winding to give 14.5 volt output used for only momentary operation for switches and some accessories.  Higher switch voltage was required as it makes the switches snap into the locked position quickly and I have 5 sets of paired Marx switches.  These are switches that only are operated as pairs and use a common push button for each direction for each switch pair.  Thus the paired switches eliminated 10 push button switches and makes the control panel more streamlined.  The higher 14.5 voltage makes these paired switches operate faster.  Two pairs of switches connect the inside loop to the outside loop of the main train board:   two pairs convert the Outside loop from two loops to an L shaped track plan and on pair of switches operate the Wye always in tandem.  Many consider the Marx 1590 switch the best post war switch even though they are lowest cost.



Marx 1590 Switch update 10-9-2017

Marx 1590 switches have one short coming in that they will not pass some Lionel train roller pick-ups without problems (usually the pick-up roller gets stuck) due to large center rail large gap near the frog point.  This problem is easily solved by doing a 50 year widely known old fix.  The fix was to install a 3/4 inch piece of a finish nail (cheaper) or a 027 rail pin in the two center rail ends of switch as shown in the following pictures.  This will fill the center rail gap and keep Lionel pick-up rollers from hanging up or losing contact on Marx 1590 switches.  This modification was made in the first year of the installation of the Marx switches.

The picture below shows the center rail of the straight track with one inserted track pin (or cut off finishing nail) and switch in the straight position.  Note how the pin fills in the straight center rail gap.

IMG_0529


The center rail of the curved track shows the other inserted pin and switch in curved position.  Note how the pin fills in the center rail of the curved section.

IMG_0536

Much more information on the Improving and Repairing Marx 1590 switches is given on this Page1, post 8c.


Lionel LW 125 watt Lighted Single Train Transformers

A Lionel LW single train transformer, (125 watts input but output is probably 95-100 watts) was purchased (to go with the Lionel 1034 transformer I had) for track voltage, and along with several used Marx 1590 switches and used track.  These were purchased from Dave in Pittsburgh, on one of my trips home from Jamaica.

The Lionel LW transformer is unique.  One thing was the power lever is turned counter clockwise to increase voltage which is opposite from other Lionel transformers.  Then, if another transformer is paired with the LW, things get confusing.

The LW is the most powerful single engine transformer Lionel made at 125 watt input or 95-100 watt output.  Per train operated, it is more powerful than the ZW.  Also, if multiple trains are operated with the ZW, if one throttle is changed, the speed of the other trains will changed and I plan on operating multiple trains on this layout.  My layout was designed with two independent, interconnected loops.  Later with the addition of a new train board, a third loop and LW transformer were added.

Since I wanted two operators to be able to share the Control panel, I could use two LWs, with one on each end of the Main Control panel, and the operators would not get in each others way.  It is hard for two operators to share a Lionel ZW transformer.  The LW has a lighted dial and the light intensity goes brighter as the voltage output is increased.  This is great for night operation and to see the indicated voltage output.  The LW is inexpensive to purchase and $35 is the most I paid for any of my three plus spare LW's.  The LW track transformers are used only to run trains, or to operate accessories that require variable track voltage.  They are not used to throw switches or light buildings, etc.

Other single voltage transformers are located under neath the layout and include two 40 watt, a 12 volt AC transformers.  One 12 volt transformer is used for all layout building lights and other lights like street, flood, accessory illumination lights and any accessories that require a constant 12 vac.  The second 12 vac transformer had some secondary wire coils removed to make the output to be 14.5 vac, and is used for all layout Marx switches, some of which are operated in pairs.

Almost all of my switches, track, transformers, accessories, engines and cars etc. were bought used.  I believe in the saying "The second mouse gets the cheese".




Turntable Idea Hatched

The acquiring of 4 additional steam engines accelerated the desire to design and build a turntable for the layout.  I have always considered a turntable as the "Holy Grail" of railroading and always looked for turntables and roundhouses at railroad facilities I passed.  TTs have the advantage of turning around an engine verses a transfer table which can not.  The sketching of a TT, in my proposed layouts, was started and I had no idea of whether to buy one or scratch build one.  A turntable is the single best item to achieve my objective to add interest and action to my train layout.


Procuring Additional Train Gear

Since moving back in the states, lots of trains, track and switches, etc. were purchased at Train Collectors Association (TCA), Great American and Greenberg’s train shows especially in the 80s and 90s.  More were found  in later years at TCA local meets in Louisiana, Alabama and Texas.  Sellers at these meets were often asked if they had any Marx switches and one fellow, at a TCA meet in Shreveport, LA, said he had 16 at home that I could have for free.  This offer was gladly accepted and I paid the postage and that purchase paved the way for the new addition to make the train board an 'L" in 1988.

Some trains were purchased from OGR forum members.

A few engines were procured off eBay but I find bidding leads to high costs in most cases (too many buyers for one item) and shipping costs, but the selection of trains for sale cannot be beat.

I have had more than one acquaintance give me their old family trains when no one in the family wanted them and they did not want to bother with selling them on eBay and wanted a good home for their trains.

Only one locomotive, a K-Line GG-1 was purchased new form K-Line when first issued on a special, as I figured I would never spend hundreds of dollars for a used Lionel GG-1.  Years later the K-Line GG-1 developed the dreadful zinc pest, on the truck side pieces on one side of two trucks, warping them.  Two truck side pieces that fit were purchased from Lionel.

Charlie

Attachments

Images (6)
  • 2-4-2 engine
  • 2-4-2 engine
  • 2-4-2 Southern
  • IMG_0529
  • IMG_0536
  • Marx switchs points and drawing 7-14-2022 2022-07-14 007
Last edited by Choo Choo Charlie

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