Buy anything cool lately?

Got this handy little tool on the advice of another forum member..

https://www.micromark.com/Micro-Mark-UncoupleLITE_2

@MainLine Steam posted:

Don't post in this thread very often, but so excited about the purchase that arrived today, just had to.  I was able to buy 2 (yes 2 from the same seller on that auction site) coaches for my K-Line 18" El Capitan Consist of Std Height cars.  This set has been my holy grail.  I was able to purchase the base 4 car set (K-4630T) from an OGR member a few months back.  It is not the rarest, or most valuable K-Line aluminum set, but it checks all the boxes for me.  I prefer 18" cars, I like the shiny finish, and this is as shiny as they get.  Don't get me wrong the ESE and CZ sets are wonderful, but these ATSF cars have the smooth (mirror finish) roof and skirting to mimic PS cars instead of Budd cars.

Jim, Oh oh, you got the extruded aluminum K-Line bug!!! LoL They are beautiful, and nothing wrong with ATSF, I have my fair share, too. Bummer that K-Line made some bad business decisions and got swallowed by Lionel.

@MainLine Steam posted:

The car you have with the spring loaded skirts was the last run of K-Line 15" ESE cars.  The earlier cars, as you mentioned, did not have them.  One thing to note is these later 15" ESE cars included some car names which were not available previously.  Also some of these cars like the one you show, have gray doors instead of shiny ones.

Maybe you are aware of this but K-Line actually did make a 15" CZ baggage car.  The one I found is Silver Bear.  They are hard to find and so comand a high price for a 15" car.

Please let me know if Trainz has these replacement parts.  I also need a few.  Thank you.

HI Jim, Trainz does not have any of the skirt replacement parts. I want to keep the K-Line RPO/Baggage car so I will find a solution and let you know what I find.

Okay, somebody stop me! LoL I purchased and received another locomotive. Lionel Legacy Western Pacific #3002 GP35 from the 2014 catalog. Slightly used, but runs and looks great. I wanted another small locomotive for switching around the layout, and still capable of mainline.

Here's some photos and a video.

This might be the biggest loco I own now.... It is a Scale Craft Kit built 4-8-4 produced right around 1950 with an unknown quantity sold and then later marketed by CLW also in the 50's. Think I've seen adds at late as 1961.

This one needs a lot of work but seems mostly complete.  Wheels are free but have a few pinch spots int eh side rods I can clean up.  It is sprung with shim springs.  It's about 28 inches long and will weigh a ton once all back together and running.  This beast is already making my new track loops inadequate!

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Jim, Oh oh, you got the extruded aluminum K-Line bug!!! LoL They are beautiful, and nothing wrong with ATSF, I have my fair share, too. Bummer that K-Line made some bad business decisions and got swallowed by Lionel.

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.  I DO BIG TIME.

Here are 2 pictures of the corner shelf in my Living Room (never would have gotten away with this when I was married).  Note the earlier manufactured ESE RPO and the CZ Baggage.  And yes the Skytop Lounge was never hauled by SP, but they are my favorite EMD F-unit paint scheme and my favorite Observation Car.

BTW I am also a car guy.  If you wondering why I would have a diecast Corvair, my first car was the coupe version, the same color as the convertible.

@Dennis Holler posted:

This might be the biggest loco I own now.... It is a Scale Craft Kit built 4-8-4 produced right around 1950 with an unknown quantity sold and then later marketed by CLW also in the 50's. Think I've seen adds at late as 1961.

This one needs a lot of work but seems mostly complete.  Wheels are free but have a few pinch spots int eh side rods I can clean up.  It is sprung with shim springs.  It's about 28 inches long and will weigh a ton once all back together and running.  This beast is already making my new track loops inadequate!

In its current condition it reminds my of what a lot of the Northerns sitting in "Midwestern Town Parks" looked like by the late 70's.  Including the rod just hanging there. It was kinda heartbreaking if you were a railfan.

I also refuse to outgrow toy trains. and dogs.  but what is keeping you from restoring it  I'm sorry to pick on you but that beauty needs some love.

@Guttersnipe posted:

I also refuse to outgrow toy trains. and dogs.  but what is keeping you from restoring it  I'm sorry to pick on you but that beauty needs some love.

I just received it, I can’t post a picture of something cool I just got until itis restored or fixed completely? I do have a habit of picking them up quicker than I work on them you know!!! Plus pretty much no one else posts any old scale stuff like this either lol. Funny thing is this one is more complete and in better condition than a lot of old ones I pick up!! If I can focus on it at some point it will get some love.

Sometime it do get overwhelming

The first time I saw one of these MTH RK fire cars in a LHS I thought it was cool but I the price kept it on the shelf.  The appearance of some K-Line FDNY fire cars on ebay renewed interest in this type of car but talk about prohibitive prices.  The FDNY cars were going for near a hundred dollars. i intended to turn my old Lionel Track Maintenance Car into a fire fighting car.  I was going to switch out the workman on the upper level with one of those fire fighting seats with nozzle and use Pat's spring "water hose" to connect it to a water tanker and run them together.  Well I found this one on the Bay for $25 and won the auction.  The price tag on it is $49.99 not so high, I don't remember the livery of the first one I saw in that hobby shop but maybe the livery was carrying a premium thus putting it in th$70 range that I thought was too high.

I don't run much Pennsy but the yellow car could definitely work on my Alaska Railroad or even a general MOW fire car. Now I just have to figure out how to strip the lettering and logos without harming the paint.

Oops, Stockyard Express happened again.  you know how it is, go for one thing (the PUP trailers), check to see if they have a second (the Toys R Us trailer), and then somehow find a third thing.

I went into my storage a realized i had more than one ZW

I bought this Marshall Fields car. It's another custom run from Berwyn's Hobby. The Fields store on State Street is a national landmark. Marshall Field and his one time partner John Shedd have left a legacy in the city of Chicago by sponsoring the creation of the Art Institute, Field Museum of Natural History, and John G Shedd Aquarium.

I used to buy my Mom Christmas and birthday presents from Fields. So a lot of memories for me associated with the brand.

Finally got a Dreyfus.  Williams Crown Edition.  This is my first "brass" model.  Looks great, but getting it to run was a little work.  See part 2 of checking out a new engine.

That do seem to be aproblem with brass

@coach joe posted:

The first time I saw one of these MTH RK fire cars in a LHS I thought it was cool but I the price kept it on the shelf.  The appearance of some K-Line FDNY fire cars on ebay renewed interest in this type of car but talk about prohibitive prices.  The FDNY cars were going for near a hundred dollars. i intended to turn my old Lionel Track Maintenance Car into a fire fighting car.  I was going to switch out the workman on the upper level with one of those fire fighting seats with nozzle and use Pat's spring "water hose" to connect it to a water tanker and run them together.  Well I found this one on the Bay for $25 and won the auction.  The price tag on it is $49.99 not so high, I don't remember the livery of the first one I saw in that hobby shop but maybe the livery was carrying a premium thus putting it in th$70 range that I thought was too high.

I don't run much Pennsy but the yellow car could definitely work on my Alaska Railroad or even a general MOW fire car. Now I just have to figure out how to strip the lettering and logos without harming the paint.

I looked back. In 4/23 I paid $65 for the PRR FIRE CAR. I couldn’t find my purchase of the NYFD one.

I upgraded my Unique Art collection and added several new pieces; including Ernie the baggage handler.

@pennsyfan posted:

I upgraded my Unique Art collection and added several new pieces; including Ernie the baggage handler.

That is a amazing collection Bob !

Nice Job !

@pennsyfan posted:

I upgraded my Unique Art collection and added several new pieces; including Ernie the baggage handler.

WOW! Impressive collection Bob.