Dirt Cheap Trains & Accessories

Nice work Arnold.

Note here for those that like to scratch build that Northeasten Scale Lumber Company should be back up and running by mid October.

Lou N

Has anyone done the following: repaired and/or restored old, broken and beat up trains and accessories bought for very little money that now run well and are beautiful collectibles?

If so, you can post them here and tell what you did to make them that way.

I have bought broken accessories and paid someone else to fix them. For instance, this water tower with the operating water pump inside that did not work when I bought it, and is now one of my favorite accessories:

Here's a better picture of the Lionel #31 water tower:

I enjoy a thousand dollar locomotive as well as the next guy/gal but under the table finds are my true first love when it comes to train collecting. I get the greatest kick from finding two or three or more pieces in poor repair and taking the best from each to make a near excellent piece for the layout. On occasion I may end up with parts to make a second to sell cheap to a friend. Most of my operating accessories are from under the table finds.   j 

Love under the table prewar junk. Picked up a 252 engine with a broken frame (motor mount broke/missing) and bad wheels for $20.00. It was apart and all there. The frame took me about a year to find as the 252 had two different frame types. Still have the engine and it is slated to be overhauled this winter

Arnold, That water tower is a #38 and is a really rare and valuable accessory.  I love that #38 water tower and have a couple on my layout.

Carl C posted:

Arnold, That water tower is a #38 and is a really rare and valuable accessory.  I love that #38 water tower and have a couple on my layout.

 

 

 

 

 

I stand corrected, thanks Carl.

Incidentally, the problem with it when I bought it was the tubing inside was blocked (like an artery blockage for a cardiac patient, LOL), and the motor for the pump was frozen figuratively.

My train doctor repair guy substituted new tubing, maybe aquarium tubing, and somehow unfroze the motor.

To avoid having the tubing becoming blocked again,  I now use distilled water, and run the accessory at least once every other day for at least a few seconds. Works like a charm.

I have to say, those in this hobby that can turn junk into treasure are the ones I most admire. Maybe that is because it's something I have little natural talent in doing.

A couple of times, for an easy fix, I did succeed in fixing something that didn't initially work, and I was euphoric when I did so.

Once I bought a Postwar Dispatch Board at a train show.  This accessory is something that I always wanted as a child, never got and never even asked for, maybe because I consider it to be one of the dumbest, grossly out of scale accessories ever made. It should be inside an even more gigantic train station, not sitting on the train table outside the station.

Anyway, I got the Dispatch Board dirt cheap, and when I got it home and hooked it up, it didn't work. I took it apart with trepidation, because when I've tried to fix other train related items in the past, sometimes I've made them worse.

This time, when I took it apart, I removed a lot of dirt, grime and debris, including a couple of dead insects! Then, I sprayed a tiny bit of WD40 in the mechanism, and Voila, it worked!

Here it is:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I have to say, those in this hobby that can turn junk into treasure are the ones I most admire. Maybe that is because it's something I have little natural talent in doing.

A couple of times, for an easy fix, I did succeed in fixing something that didn't initially work, and I was euphoric when I did so.

Once I bought a Postwar Dispatch Board at a train show.  This accessory is something that I always wanted as a child, never got and never even asked for, maybe because I consider it to be one of the dumbest, grossly out of scale accessories ever made. It should be inside an even more gigantic train station, not sitting on the train table outside the station.

Anyway, I got the Dispatch Board dirt cheap, and when I got it home and hooked it up, it didn't work. I took it apart with trepidation, because when I've tried to fix other train related items in the past, sometimes I've made them worse.

This time, when I took it apart, I removed a lot of dirt, grime and debris, including a couple of dead insects! Then, I sprayed a tiny bit of WD40 in the mechanism, and Voila, it worked!

Here it is:

I still have mine from when I was a child when it came out (My wife says I m still a child).

Replace the man in the late 80's and it still works. Great item!

I see from your Profile, RonH, that you like resurrecting the dead, bringing Frankenstein trains back to life.

And I'm sure there are others on this Forum that are very good at that and love doing it. Bravo to all of you that do!

I thought of changing the title of this Post to "Resurrection Monday," the idea being to discuss the broken junk bought on a Sunday train show that was fixed and brought back to life on Monday. What do you folks think?

Concerning the Postwar Lionel Operating Dispatch Board, IMO the charm of it is the green color of the Board, the giant blue man, the way the accessory lights up, and especially the way the giant man runs back and forth as the name of the arriving/departing trains change.

Maybe I also love it because of its goofiness.

Does anyone know if they have seen this Dispatch Board inside a big model of a train station (maybe Grand Central or Penn Station) on a layout, and when you peak inside the station, you can see the dispatch board operating? That would be so cool.

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I see from your Profile, RonH, that you like resurrecting the dead, bringing Frankenstein trains back to life.

And I'm sure there are others on this Forum that are very good at that and love doing it. Bravo to all of you that do!

I thought of changing the title of this Post to "Resurrection Monday," the idea being to discuss the broken junk bought on a Sunday train show that was fixed and brought back to life on Monday. What do you folks think?

Thank you Arnold, there are a lot of us (types) out there. Making something out of old stuff is the best, plus it helps keep the people selling replacement parts in business. I will be posting on your “Resurrection Monday” post. Great title and a lot of fun. Love seeing other people’s work.

Arnold, do you have a operating news stand? Don't see one on the layout. Don

Yes, Don, it was given to me as a Christmas gift in my childhood, and was one of my mother's favorites. Here it is:

That's funny, it was my Mom's favorite also. Don

K line farm house with smoke unit so smoke comes out of chimney, that was inexpensive to the best of my recollection, which I got either at a local hobby shop or train show 15 to 20 years ago:

And this HO switch tower was dirt cheap:

I find used HO structures tend to be cheaper and can look pretty good on an O Gauge layout if they are placed at least a few feet away from the observer, providing forced perspective. 

Arnold

Well another great topic, Arnold!!

I have repaired some operating accessories.  I have four that I bought and have parts, just not the time to fix.  Actually I have two 364 log loaders, a 397 coal loader, and a gantry crane.  I have two MTH F3 A-B-A sets that I am going to combine into good ones.  On one someone did a marginal job on a repaint and repair of cracked shells, but the 4 motors run fine.  I want to take the motors out of one A unit to put in a great looking set that has only one powered A unit and one non powered.  The other two motors and wiring are to go in a BL2 that someone repainted, but stripped making it non powered.  I got the BL2 and one of the log loaders for nothing.  The other items were at low cost.  Chances are I won't get to these until I retire, but that won't be long.

Mark, Your list keeps growing for when you retire! LOL

Yes Mike, I had better retire soon or I will run out of time to do it all!  LOL