Buy anything cool lately?

I just picked up a set of METCA exclusive hoppers today.

Realized that I am on a K-Line kick, especially twins.   Now have two Mikado (B&O, SOU), two Allegheny (C&O, Virginian), and a pair of A units (B&O).  All TMCC and all now have cruise m or K-Line cruise. The AA units will need an upgrade eventually from its misbehaving K-Line cruise.

I found this in a used book store today, I doubt it'd ever been read.

New Lionel SW1200 (Mr. Muffin's Custom Run) Rock Island switcher. Very nice!

VERY cool!  I love that Rock Island switcher.

Awaiting pre-order for the MTH Maine Central drop bottom gondola, but in the meantime added the B&M version over the weekend. Impromptu buy from New Hampshire dealer on Friday night and had it Monday morning - great service. I really like the heft of the MTH Premier rolling stock. Always feels solid. MEC should be a beauty, too.

I picked up a B&A caboose to go with the B&A Berkshire I showed in April. I found it on an internet search on Brady’s Trains out of PA.

Well, just taking a break from staining the deck. Came down to the cool basement to run trains for some therapy. Here's another shot of my Woodland Scenics engineer figures. The previous photo of them didn't turn out so well. 😉

@Yellowstone Special posted:

Well, just taking a break from staining the deck. Came down to the cool basement to run trains for some therapy. Here's another shot of my Woodland Scenics engineer figures. The previous photo of them didn't turn out so well. 😉

Vern, swabbing the deck doesn't sound like much fun! ;-) Nice to take a break with some train action. That Geep 7 looks awesome with the engineers on it! Nicely done photo, too! Looks like the guy in the peach shirt is trying to take a nap. LoL Happy Thursday!

Thanks, Scott. Fortunately, it isn’t a huge deck, but I still do it in increments. 😉 I think the guy in the peach shirt IS sleeping! 😂.

Thank you for giving me the idea to get these guys.

While not as exciting as some earlier post, added another SP piggyback to the fleet

This Williams 9632 Pennsylvania Sharknose arrived on my doorstep today, along with an MTH N-8 Pennsylvania caboose to run with it. Until now I had only 3 LionChief/LionChief Plus locomotives, so I hesitated about diving into something transformer-controlled. But the AA pair of sharknose units that I really want cost over 10 times what this single unit cost. I read here that Williams engines can be jack rabbits, and I like to be able to run slow.  I was also concerned because the website didn't say whether this even has a horn, and I could tell it only has a dummy coupler on the rear because it was originally part of an ABA set. I hooked it up to my new refurbished Lionel 1033 transformer, putting it on the B-U posts as I read here. It runs great, and can even start slower than my LionChief Santa Fe FT, and it doesn't die out when going over the switches slowly like the other engines. This frees me up to an entire range of more economical engines that look great. Question: I am ok with the 3 position forward-neutral-reverse, but turning the lever to Whistle just makes the engine go faster. Does this engine not have a horn? I didn't even try switching to the A-U posts to see if a higher voltage does anything because I like the slow starts and the high range is plenty fast enough. It didn't come with a manual and I can't find any database for Williams engines. A Worthpoint webpage says it has dual motors with flywheels and a 6 amp electronic reverse unit, but no mention of sound. Don't need a horn, but is that normal to go faster on the whistle lever if there's no horn?

Got this Lionel 6-24574 Union Pacific E7 AA set for a great deal. It was mint and un-run till I pulled it out of the box. TMCC, Odyssey, and Railsounds 5.0 with 8 RPM levels. Pretty nice locomotive set.

@Lou1985 posted:

Got this Lionel 6-24574 Union Pacific E7 AA set for a great deal. It was mint and un-run till I pulled it out of the box. TMCC, Odyssey, and Railsounds 5.0 with 8 RPM levels. Pretty nice locomotive set.

Lou, beautiful model from 2006! Lionel made great quality highly detailed models for a reasonable price during this time period. Congratulations, nice find! Simulated Mars light too.

@Lou1985 Beauty of UP set! Totally agree with Scott’s comment above, I really like Lionel’s  late TMCC and early Legacy from  03/04 to around 2010. The way the lighted number board and MARS light(or gyralight?) surround the slightly brighter headlight is very well done.  Awesome buy!

@NS1975 very cool Rock Island SW1200! Looks like it’s a really well done model! How does it run? Has me really excited for my PB&NE SW1200, which will be my first diesel yard switcher, to arrive!

@John's Trains posted:

This Williams 9632 Pennsylvania Sharknose arrived on my doorstep today, along with an MTH N-8 Pennsylvania caboose to run with it. Until now I had only 3 LionChief/LionChief Plus locomotives, so I hesitated about diving into something transformer-controlled. But the AA pair of sharknose units that I really want cost over 10 times what this single unit cost. I read here that Williams engines can be jack rabbits, and I like to be able to run slow.  I was also concerned because the website didn't say whether this even has a horn, and I could tell it only has a dummy coupler on the rear because it was originally part of an ABA set. I hooked it up to my new refurbished Lionel 1033 transformer, putting it on the B-U posts as I read here. It runs great, and can even start slower than my LionChief Santa Fe FT, and it doesn't die out when going over the switches slowly like the other engines. This frees me up to an entire range of more economical engines that look great. Question: I am ok with the 3 position forward-neutral-reverse, but turning the lever to Whistle just makes the engine go faster. Does this engine not have a horn? I didn't even try switching to the A-U posts to see if a higher voltage does anything because I like the slow starts and the high range is plenty fast enough. It didn't come with a manual and I can't find any database for Williams engines. A Worthpoint webpage says it has dual motors with flywheels and a 6 amp electronic reverse unit, but no mention of sound. Don't need a horn, but is that normal to go faster on the whistle lever if there's no horn?

John, I believe Williams put the horn in the dummy A unit of an A-A set.  If I remember correctly the older transformers sent an increased voltage necessary to operate the horn or whistle circuit when the whistle button was pushed.  Without that circuit the engine would speed up due to the increased voltage.

Here’s some rolling stock I’ve acquired over the passed 2 weeks and some York stuff:

Arrived in the mail yesterday- first pink grain hopper! Love the Lionscale line, a nice PS2-CD 4740 Klemme CO-OP

Pairing nicely w/ the above, this vera nicely weathered Soo PS4750 from a Mr. muffins auction came last week

Next-My first Atlas O “Premier” train arrived on Tuesday- TTX 50’ Hi Cube!

both of these might as well be from York-
MTH Railgon 52’6” coil gondola(MTHRRC) I bought there. However, I forgot where the white MTH Conrail coil car was as 6pm rolled around. Luckily, I posted a WTB and a forum member came to the rescue !

Last but certainly not least- Atlas O Conrail 60’ boxcar and die cast Weaver trucks from Mr. Muffins!

special Thanks   to @Jeff78rr and @brianel_k-lineguy  who helped verify this was a prototypical model(former Erie-Lackawanna) on the Real trains forum!

@John's Trains posted:

This Williams 9632 Pennsylvania Sharknose arrived on my doorstep today, along with an MTH N-8 Pennsylvania caboose to run with it. Until now I had only 3 LionChief/LionChief Plus locomotives, so I hesitated about diving into something transformer-controlled. But the AA pair of sharknose units that I really want cost over 10 times what this single unit cost. I read here that Williams engines can be jack rabbits, and I like to be able to run slow.  I was also concerned because the website didn't say whether this even has a horn, and I could tell it only has a dummy coupler on the rear because it was originally part of an ABA set. I hooked it up to my new refurbished Lionel 1033 transformer, putting it on the B-U posts as I read here. It runs great, and can even start slower than my LionChief Santa Fe FT, and it doesn't die out when going over the switches slowly like the other engines. This frees me up to an entire range of more economical engines that look great. Question: I am ok with the 3 position forward-neutral-reverse, but turning the lever to Whistle just makes the engine go faster. Does this engine not have a horn? I didn't even try switching to the A-U posts to see if a higher voltage does anything because I like the slow starts and the high range is plenty fast enough. It didn't come with a manual and I can't find any database for Williams engines. A Worthpoint webpage says it has dual motors with flywheels and a 6 amp electronic reverse unit, but no mention of sound. Don't need a horn, but is that normal to go faster on the whistle lever if there's no horn?

Nice loco. I have a Williams NYC shark AA set. IIRC the horn is in the dummy unit as Joe mentioned. I can check mine if you like.

For the speed issue, you can wire the motors in series to slow it down. I've done all of my Williams engines and it makes a big difference.

Bob

@John's Trains awesome to hear that your Pennsy works well at low speeds and that your enjoying it!

regarding the horn- when you activate the horn on your transformer whether by turning the handle or pressing a button, a small amount of DC + is superimposed onto the track and it’s that positive DC voltage that activates the horn(if a loco has a bell and you have a bell button negative DC voltage activates that). It’s like that for postwar locos and modern conventional electronic horns, such as Williams true blast. See the thread below for sone good info

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...-operate-on-dc-power

Regarding the increase in speed, iirc, when I would apply the DC to my postwar 2056(horn in the tender) it would speed up. Again, iirc, my Powered units w/ horn:  RMT buddies, K-line by Lionel box Cab, Williams Amtrak GP7 w/ true blast, etc... also speed up somewhat when the DC voltage is applied to sound the horn.