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All my life I've been told that Marx 3/16' are really s-gauge on s-gauge wheels.  I need a couple of covered hoppers that I can find in s-gauge and I can get trucks and couplers from Grossman and can convert them.

I have a couple of questins:

1. has anyone here actually done this?

2. does it look good?

3. what issues will I encounter if I do this?

Thanks.



Tom Taylor

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I was thinking of going the other way and take an old Lionel boxcar that is an actual 3/16 scale and replacing the O gauge trucks with American Flyer S gauge trucks. The only problem is that the center of the S gauge truck will have to be mounted about a quarter inch towards the ends of the boxcar. This will require reworking the underside of the boxcar maybe adding a new bolster to mount the S gauge trucks.

I was thinking of going the other way and take an old Lionel boxcar that is an actual 3/16 scale and replacing the O gauge trucks with American Flyer S gauge trucks. The only problem is that the center of the S gauge truck will have to be mounted about a quarter inch towards the ends of the boxcar. This will require reworking the underside of the boxcar maybe adding a new bolster to mount the S gauge trucks.

Fender washers make good bolsters. You can vary the thickness as required. When the car is running, no one will see the underside.

In 2003 K-Line started making S gauge cars using the molds/dies from the old Marx "3/16" scale cars. The run on a new design sprung diecast truck. There were a total of 42 different cars made plus some special runs for advertisers. These cars are usually available on auction sites.The S gauge OB's are distinctive, they are purple and yellow.

@AmFlyer posted:

In 2003 K-Line started making S gauge cars using the molds/dies from the old Marx "3/16" scale cars. The run on a new design sprung diecast truck. There were a total of 42 different cars made plus some special runs for advertisers. These cars are usually available on auction sites.The S gauge OB's are distinctive, they are purple and yellow.

Those Marx molds were not 3/16" size. They were from the Marx deluxe plastic line, which is larger than true 3/16" size. That's probably why they did not sell as well as K-Line would have liked.

In general, American Flyer operators are much fussier about keeping to scale sizing than post war three rail operators.

Marx 3/16" size cars are almost all tinplate, with the exception of a hopper, and maybe a closed door boxcar and a closed door stock car, all in the basic plastic (non-deluxe) line.

The trucks look like those made by American Models.

Last edited by RoyBoy

I am aware the K-Line cars are not really 3/16 scale, that is why I put it in quotes. I think they might be the same combination of scales as the K-Line S gauge Big Boy. The k-Line cars never appealed to me so I never purchased any. However these cars have come up on other forums recently so I purchased the K-Line #018 UP box car to do direct comparison measurements and photos. Also if my guess on size is correct I can run it behind 4014 and it will look ok.

The Gilbert box cars are not the best for comparison since they are based on a late '20s, early 30s X29 car as used on the PRR. The internal height of those cars was only 8'-7". The American Models cars are models of an early 1940's car with a 10'-0" inside height. I will put a picture in a separate post and I should have the K-Line car by this weekend.

I was thinking of going the other way and take an old Lionel boxcar that is an actual 3/16 scale and replacing the O gauge trucks with American Flyer S gauge trucks. The only problem is that the center of the S gauge truck will have to be mounted about a quarter inch towards the ends of the boxcar. This will require reworking the underside of the boxcar maybe adding a new bolster to mount the S gauge trucks.

John,

I've used the Lionel cars with a Flyer frame and trucks which eliminates the whole problem of locating the trucks in a Lionel frame.  The photo shows a typical AF by Lionel boxcar, the converted car and an American Models car.  They play well together.

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  • blobid0

I purchased the Lionel boxcar on the right for almost nothing thinking that I would use the trucks. Then I discovered that the proportions were consistent with 3/16" scale. The boxcar looks ridiculous next to a 1/4" scale boxcar. It also looks silly all by itself because it is quite out of proportion to the trucks. And as I look at it, It appears that the bolsters are set for S gauge, so American Flyer trucks will be easy to install once I find some. On the side of the little car it says BLT 1-91 Lionel. Does that mean that it was built in 1991? I get the idea that Lionel wanted to build a cheap toy, but really, What were they thinking?

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  • mceclip0: 1/4" scale boxcar next to 3/16" scale boxcar

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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