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Gentlemen,

   If any of you Tin Plate owner/runners happen to have an old 800/2800 junk or damaged piece of rolling stocks with Auto Box Couplers on it, that you are not using.  I need a set of Trucks for a Lionel 800/2800 Caboose I picked up at the Monroeville, Pa Train show this weekend.  Thought I had a set from an old Car myself, however the old Lionel Car is actually a 600/2600, so the Trucks and Auto Coupler will be too small to fix the 800/2800 series Caboose.  This particular Lionel Caboose came with only one front Auto Coupler, unfortunately no rear coupler, and it is missing/broken.  Other wise the original Lionel Red Caboose with the light Aqua Blue Roof is in pristine condition.  I know Dave over at Bill & Walts in White Oak, Pa probably has an old damaged car or even a set of Trucks he will sell me, however I thought this would make a good rework type Tin Plate Thread.

PCRR/Dave

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Rob English,

    Can't find my battery charger for the Digital Camera right now and it needs charged or I would have posted the pictures for everyone to see.  This home move has definitely caused some turmoil as to finding things.

Yes it's an original early Caboose with the Peacock (Teal) main roof and Red upper Dormer Roof, definitely a cool looking Lionel Caboose.  The Trucks and Auto-Coupler needed are the standard 800/2800 Auto-Box Coupler, not the latch type coupler.

PCRR/Dave

Bob the Auto Couplers and Trucks I need are like the ones pictured below, on the 800/2800 rolling stock in the old picture below, to match that consist.

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Last edited by Pine Creek Railroad

Dave, there are many types of 2800 series trucks, with at least 3 types of automatic box coupling actuator types.  Take a picture of the BOTTOM of the truck  so that we have a shot at getting the right one for you. Just use your phone, they are good enough to get it these days. We also need to know if the truck is attached by cotter pin or by e-clip.

Malcolm (Popi),

    Thanks much buddy, I definitely still need it!

 

BlueComet400,

   John thanks for looking I really appreciate it!  Check your e-mail about the SS Switches! The new Train Room with the Donovan's Reef Bar Top Layout and Ceiling Shelf layout is coming along, will post more pictures for you when the the Battery Charger for the Digital Camera arrives.

All the best buddy,

PCRR/Dave

Construction on the Donovan's Reef Bar Top Layout Continues.

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Pine Creek Railroad posted:

 

Bob the Auto Couplers and Trucks I need are like the ones pictured below, on the 800/2800 rolling stock in the old picture below, to match that consist.

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Dave after admiring one of your favorite pieces of rolling stock, I picked up one for myself at a show Sunday.....not quit as nice as yours....yet..

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Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Malcolm (Popi),

    Thanks much buddy, I definitely still need it!

 

BlueComet400,

   John thanks for looking I really appreciate it!  Check your e-mail about the SS Switches! The new Train Room with the Donovan's Reef Bar Top Layout and Ceiling Shelf layout is coming along, will post more pictures for you when the the Battery Charger for the Digital Camera arrives.

All the best buddy,

PCRR/Dave

Construction on the Donovan's Reef Bar Top Layout Continues.

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Hey, That has to be a Marx set for Donovan's Reef!

Big Mike G,

   No contact with him as of yet, will keep trying however!

 

Dennis,

John Ford was a Lionel Guy!

 

Steamer,

  Knowing you it will be a beautiful Restoration job, on the big 810 Crane Car.  Better start looking around for the Trucks and Coupler sets, they are actually a little different, the one coupler shaft is actually longer than the other, and maybe hard to find.  The other is standard 800/2800 Truck and Auto Coupler stuff.   Ya got to love those old 800/2800 Crane Cars, still my favorite piece of rolling stock!

PCRR/Dave

The Trucks on the 817  (800/2800) series Caboose sitting on the Hell Gate Bridge are what I am seeking to find, the Auto-Couplers have been broken off this really neat looking Caboose.

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Need a set of Trucks and Auto-Couplers for an original 817 Lionel Tin Plate Caboose in the pictures.

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Last edited by Pine Creek Railroad

Steamer,

   Dave I will go down and take a picture for you shortly.  The Train Room is coming along!

PCRR/Dave

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Notice the one lone ZW Transformer at the far left end of the Bar Top Layout, specifically for running the original Conventional K-Line Coke Train, remote control is also available thru the DCS side receiver on the Z4K also.  However some people love hands on Conventional old school running!

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Updated with Trucks/Auto Coupler Pictures for Steamer (Dave)

 810 Crane Trucks with Auto-Couplers

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Notice the length of the shaft on the Auto-Coupler on the right side of the picture and compare it with the Auto- Coupler on the left side of the picture.  They should both have the cover Rod portion as on the left side coupler, my father removed mine so I could couple the 810 Crane Car with any of the 600/2600 rolling stock I desired to run with it.  You see I them coupled together in the 1st picture.  Getting these original Auto-Couplers and Trucks maybe a chore.

However MTH remade the 810 Crane Car so you might be able to purchase new Trucks/Auto-Couplers from their Tin Plate parts stock. 

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Last edited by Pine Creek Railroad

Just for clarification these 800 series freights have Manual Box Couplers. At least that how they are described in the collecting community. Auto Box Couplers are on the 2800 series.The MBC have only a couple variations except for the 810 which has a couple more due to cab rotation knob, and duration of production.  The ABC have a number of variation.

There are a couple issues if you want the thing to be right. Your caboose was produced in 1933 give or take 1 year.  This is before box couplers were introduced in 1936... Strictly correctly, your caboose should have Type 3 latch couplers. I can't see in your pic of the bottom whether or not your cab as the correct holes stamped in the frame for MBC. I can see a latch coupler oblong ovoid hole, and the frame is missing all the typical wear patterns that MBC equipped cars have.  Look at the bottom of your 810 to compare the two.  If you want MBC, it could be that you will have to do some drilling... AND you would have to replace the Type 6 truck with Type 7 truck that have the proper coupler shank on them, or contrive a way to attach the coupler to the frame and pray it handles your curves

If you care, and if it was my caboose, I would put on new latch couplers. I looked in my stash of trucks and couplers and was surprised to find that I dont have 2 complete Type 7 truck that I can send to you.... out of the probably 200 trucks!

Bob,

   If this particular Caboose did have Latch Couplers originally, I want to acquire both the Latch Coupler Trucks and the Auto-Coupler Trucks and will switch them when I so desire for running the Caboose.  If I need to re-engineer to accomplish this I am up to that task.  However Lionel made the Latch Couplers so they would also work with the Auto-Couplers to some extent, so the Latch Couplers do hook up with the Auto-Couplers for running both type in a consist.

Thanks for your input I always appreciate it.  

Bob if you have one set of Original Latch Couplers that will fit this Caboose I will purchase them from you!  This Caboose only had one Latch Coupler on it's set of Trucks, from the looks of the Engineering Design.

By the way,  I really like this early Cabooses coloring and it is in great shape, when I happened to notice it at the recent Train Show in Monroeville, I definitely wanted to add it to my Tin Plate Train layout.  Also picked up another 817 Lighted Solid Red Caboose, however I will need to rework the corroded light set up, it is in bad shape. These 2 - 817 Cabooses were nice finds for my consists, I will definitely enjoy running them.

PCRR/Dave

Tin Plate Trains - The real cool stuff!   Ya Got to love the Pre War Toys Engineering, made in the USA.  IMO both the Hell Gate Bridge and the 817 Caboose are Great stuff.

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Last edited by Pine Creek Railroad
Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Big Mike G,

No Surprise today yet, been real bad with the snow here, maybe tomorrow!  Just came back in from removing another 8" of the white stuff from the drive way and the walks.

Steamer,

 Dave did you see the pictures I posted of the 810 Trucks and Auto-Couplers for ya?

PCRR/Dave

yes I did...thanks! The end of my frame looks to be missing an end piece, so I should be able to adapt what ever trucks I may be able to come up with. That's on the list for the next show. The outside of the body and roof have been brush painted. So much for keeping the original paint. But may have to do some custom paint on this one?

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Last edited by Steamer

and the $32 box of K4 parts from the show started like this.....

 

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and about 30 minutes resulted in this....

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2025 is 97% complete and running.....only needing a proper single axle trailing truck (instead of the cheep two axle type that was in the parts pile), the smoke unit reinstalled and a new wire for the headlight.

The seller said the motor tried to run but he thought one of the gears was stripped. I got it running but it locked up like a bad gear. I pulled the armature and found this little guy...

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the screw jammed the armature. now it's running like a Lionel should. The E Unit is even working (sometimes)

and here's what's left of 2035

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the Magnatraction motor is missing the E Unit, and the drivers are damaged from improper pulling, but I have a complete six drivered motor on hand......but...this one may get some customizing.....

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Steamer,

   Dave after looking at your 810 Crane Car parts, who ever did the brush paint job should  be horse whipped.  However maybe Marty F got his blasting operation set up and you can send the parts to him for complete paint blast cleaning operation, prior to doing a beautiful paint job on her.  I would try for a couple new sets of Trucks & Auto-Couplers from MTH for sure.  After doing the Reproduction of the 810 Crane car they should have the parts you need to rebuild your original 810 Crane Car.  

Have fun with your Crane Car restoration!

PCRR/Dave

Yep there are 4 Crane Cars on that Legacy Shay driven work Train Consist, the custom made American Flyer Mini Crane Car out front, the Lionel 810 original Crane Care and 2 - 2660 Crane Cars being pulled.  Ya as boy I liked Crane Cars the very best, and still do!

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Big Mike G,

   I will keep an eye out for the Postman!

If I can not find the Trucks I will eventually call Train Tender, was hoping to find somebody in my area who has an old piece of rolling stock or somebody on the OGR who has a car I can get from them with the right Trucks and Auto-Couplers.  Man this stuff use to be all over the place, now I have to look around pretty hard to find what I want.

PCRR/Dave

 

Last edited by Pine Creek Railroad

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Bob,

   If this particular Caboose did have Latch Couplers originally, I want to acquire both the Latch Coupler Trucks and the Auto-Coupler Trucks and will switch them when I so desire for running the Caboose.  If I need to re-engineer to accomplish this I am up to that task.  However Lionel made the Latch Couplers so they would also work with the Auto-Couplers to some extent, so the Latch Couplers do hook up with the Auto-Couplers for running both type in a consist.

Thanks for your input I always appreciate it.  

Bob if you have one set of Original Latch Couplers that will fit this Caboose I will purchase them from you!  This Caboose only had one Latch Coupler on it's set of Trucks, from the looks of the Engineering Design.

By the way,  I really like this early Cabooses coloring and it is in great shape, when I happened to notice it at the recent Train Show in Monroeville, I definitely wanted to add it to my Tin Plate Train layout.  Also picked up another 817 Lighted Solid Red Caboose, however I will need to rework the corroded light set up, it is in bad shape. These 2 - 817 Cabooses were nice finds for my consists, I will definitely enjoy running them.

PCRR/Dave

 

The trucks on it now are correct type for latch.  They are NOT truck mounted, they are frame mounted through the oblong hole.  No guarantees that they won't break when you twist them to lock them in the mounting hole.

PM me your address and Ill send you some originals of the right type (type1) they have been tumbled and are too shiny for me. Id ask that you cover the freight to The Burgh.

I used to go to our headquarters in Monroeville/Plum and I would go to Atrias for dinner in Murrysville. We'd often go dahntahn and eat at some fantastic places.  Gotta love the Burgh!

 

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