Nice job on the homemade Mercury Capsule cars.
The Lionel car is a favorite of mine. I've run across quite a few of them missing the capsules. I see complete ones on EBay, but not too often at the train shows I've attended. The capsules and the metal plates that hold them have been reproduced. The first repros were probably done around 20 years ago, so they could have the look of age to them. The price on the reproductions was through the roof for a while, but I see that Train Tender has them for $7.50 each now.
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An animated auto loader.
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I love what you guys have done. This is nowhere near as creative, simply added the details that MTH "forgot"on their TOFC flats. Like Lee above I used square styrene for stakes and sheet styrene for the sides of the guardrails. Each stake had to be tapered to fit in the pockets. To simulate wood rails the sides were scraped with a razor saw. Lionel ramps were added and the cars lowered to bring them closer in height to Lionel and Weaver cars. So far I have done 6 cars.
Pete
Pete
very nice! I like the old school Razor saw method to make styrene look like wood thats been around for years thanks for posting it. I checked lionel still sells the piggyback ramps but I cannot find any piggyback ACF hitches. Does MTH sell those and the wheel chocks separate? Thanks you did a great job!
Thanks Lee. I think at one time Lionel sold the hitches but no more. I have not checked to see if MTH sells them. The chocks should be easy to make. I suspect a plain platform with a hole in would work for a hitch as its mostly covered by the trailer.
192 stakes and counting. I no longer buy MTH flats unless they are close to free.
Pete
As requested, a few more pictures of the auto loader.
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Here's my home made version of Walt Disneys favorite rail car, The Retlaw 101 from Disneyland!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tnW91BU2tUsYHmds8
And here is it being pulled by his favorite loco, my home made E.P. Ripley.
Made this Milwaukee Road open air car from a LaBelle wood coach kit. The Milwaukee used them in summer across the Cascade Mountains. Working electric marker lights and full interior. It's not Lionel but these are wonderful kits and fun to bash or build as is. I used Atlas metal trucks. Please click on picture to enlarge. Don
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Scale Rail
Very nice open car and great job. Car looks real in that super picture. I bet that was a fun and rewarding project.
Charlie
I have really been enjoying every ones homemade cars: keep them coming. Homemaking cars has been one of the more enjoyable parts of the hobby for me.
A homemade aquarium Car was made by cutting out the windows of a small Lionel box car like Gold Bullion car in a prior post. A Lionel Aquarium car sea background was purchased at a train show but one can be made from parchment paper. Plastic fish were cut out of clear plastic from old toy boxes and colored with Sharpies. The fish were suspended from the roof with 4 lb fish reel clear leader line and glued to the fish and roof with glass clear cement. This allows the fish to wiggle and move with the train motion. Lights were added to the roof and a pickup made.
This is my favorite early home made car I have built. The action of the swinging fish is great when the car is moving and it has a smallish 027 size.
I have since purchased a Lionel Aquarium car but run this homemade one more often.
Charlie