Operating Accessories- A thing of the past?

I had the unique opportunity recently to purchase many of the Lionel operating accessories originally manufactured in the early 1990's new still in the original shipping boxes. I couldn't pass it up the grandchildren love the interaction, noise and unusual loading actions that seems to entertain them immensely.

falconservice posted:

The passenger platform or boarding zone where the passengers walk from the inside of the station and out to the train, then reverse, is one that has not been produced. 

Andrew 

American Flyer's Guilford Station is one that I would love to see in "O" gauge.  Of all the operating accessories Lionel has ever made, I'm surprised they never made one with "people" moving in and out of a passenger car.

https://youtu.be/7p38pyX3p1s

  I thought someone did a station with a stop and a "vanishing" group of passengers? (into the platform) It may have been a custom I guess.

Maybe you could do a sports team car loading.and use vibrating field players and a coral conveted to look like a station and isle stanchions.

  That buzz of the linear vibration motors was pretty good catch all for the "exciting" din of industrial sounds  

Other toys would likely have had a clicker added .

   I think a crane, any crane, wins the "accessory challenge" via diversity in ability.  I like the culvet loader too.

  There is one item that I was thinking about last night while sitting and quietly running the Christmas Eve. passenger expesses. I was really missing the rhythmic clack of an oil derricks pump and the glowing bubbles dancing in the dark.

Adriatic posted:

  I thought someone did a station with a stop and a "vanishing" group of passengers? (into the platform) It may have been a custom I guess.

Maybe you could do a sports team car loading.and use vibrating field players and a coral conveted to look like a station and isle stanchions.

  That buzz of the linear vibration motors was pretty good catch all for the "exciting" din of industrial sounds  

Other toys would likely have had a clicker added .

   I think a crane, any crane, wins the "accessory challenge" via diversity in ability.  I like the culvet loader too.

  There is one item that I was thinking about last night while sitting and quietly running the Christmas Eve. passenger expesses. I was really missing the rhythmic clack of an oil derricks pump and the glowing bubbles dancing in the dark.

  I thought someone did a station with a stop and a "vanishing" group of passengers? (into the platform) It may have been a custom I guess.

I "think" that disappearing passenger platform was made by MTH.  It's very cool idea! 

Adriatic posted:

  I thought someone did a station with a stop and a "vanishing" group of passengers? (into the platform) It may have been a custom I guess.

Maybe you could do a sports team car loading.and use vibrating field players and a coral conveted to look like a station and isle stanchions.

  That buzz of the linear vibration motors was pretty good catch all for the "exciting" din of industrial sounds  

Other toys would likely have had a clicker added .

   I think a crane, any crane, wins the "accessory challenge" via diversity in ability.  I like the culvet loader too.

  There is one item that I was thinking about last night while sitting and quietly running the Christmas Eve. passenger expesses. I was really missing the rhythmic clack of an oil derricks pump and the glowing bubbles dancing in the dark.

Phil Klopp made his own station with vanishing passengers. When the train approaches, you see passengers on the platform; when the train stops, Phil presses a button that flips the platform (on one side are the passengers and on the other side there are none); when the train pulls away, you see the empty platform.

You can see this custom accessory on my post: Phil Klopp's Magnificent Layout & Model Train Song. I posted it in mid to late November 2017 on this Forum. 

You can also go on YouTube, type in the search box: Arnold Cribari. Then click on the video/song: Who Am I (Rollin' By).

Yes, the MTH station platform with the disappearing passengers is nice, I have one.  But I think the American Flyer version where the passengers actually move in and out of a passenger car is unique.  

Arnold, I must have missed your article.  I'll check it out now.  

Dan Padova posted:

Yes, the MTH station platform with the disappearing passengers is nice, I have one.  But I think the American Flyer version where the passengers actually move in and out of a passenger car is unique.  

Arnold, I must have missed your article.  I'll check it out now.  

Dan, I would love to get your opinion and feedback regarding my video/song on YouTube that you can access on my post about Phil Klopp and my model train song.

By the way, the TCA likes my video/song and posted it, and my article about it, on their e-publication known as e-Train.

Dan, Is that "Fly-ionel" or vintage?

I have an old City Station with sounds and station stop that is pretty cool

 It doesn't work very well with modern items though. It keeps a few volts at the track to hold the mechanical e units in "on" without reversing or dropping into nuetral and new units only need a few volts to keep rolling, so they don't ever really stop 100%, but my old trains love it.

Rich883 posted:

...

What I don’t get is with all the tech we have today with Lionel legacy and MTH DCS, Bluetooth audio, WiFi control apps, and the amazing detail on many trains today, we have operating accessories with detail and technology from the 1940’s.  There could be many very cool operating accessories with today’s tech and manufacturing capabilities but instead we get reissues from the early 20th century.

...

Every so often, we get a glimpse of what a modern-day operating accessory should look like... such as the rotary coal tipple.  And then when Lionel attempts to re-issue the accessory (years after the first production run), they reportedly can't find a Chinese manufacturing factory willing to build the thing without breaking the bank.    Sign of the times, I guess.  Barring few exceptions, either stuff gets made "cheaply" today, or it doesn't get made at all. 

Oh yes... and speaking of things being made cheaply... you wouldn't believe the hassles we went through getting accessories to work properly on my new layout.  Even something as "simple" as the 3 different Sunoco oil tank farms were a royal nuisance.  Either the lighting didn't work right, or the units didn't match up properly when creating the "back-to-back, side-by-side appearance" suggested in the catalogs when building a set of connected tanks.   The catalogs do their job creating wonderful images of "how great it's gonna be".  And then Lionel's Chinese factories crank out junk like there's no tomorrow... delivering enthusiasts a harsh dose of reality that grossly falls short of the high expectations set in the catalog(s).  Sad but very true.

By the time my new layout was completed recently, we literally had a box-load of operating accessories that didn't make it onto the layout, because they were DOA right out of the box.  The poor quality goes way beyond locomotives today.  Operating accessories are often riddled with problems ranging from complete DOA's to operational glitches that need HOURS of fine-tuning to get consistent performance.    With perseverance and a bit of luck, you can get to a rewarding point where stuff eventually works.  And then you've gotta cross your fingers, and hope things stay that way for more than a few minutes!!! 

Adriatic posted:

Dan, Is that "Fly-ionel" or vintage?

I have an old City Station with sounds and station stop that is pretty cool

 It doesn't work very well with modern items though. It keeps a few volts at the track to hold the mechanical e units in "on" without reversing or dropping into nuetral and new units only need a few volts to keep rolling, so they don't ever really stop 100%, but my old trains love it.

The American Flyer animated passenger station was not reissued by Lionel/American Flyer as far as I know. 

https://youtu.be/7p38pyX3p1s

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Dan Padova posted:

Yes, the MTH station platform with the disappearing passengers is nice, I have one.  But I think the American Flyer version where the passengers actually move in and out of a passenger car is unique.  

Arnold, I must have missed your article.  I'll check it out now.  

Dan, I would love to get your opinion and feedback regarding my video/song on YouTube that you can access on my post about Phil Klopp and my model train song.

By the way, the TCA likes my video/song and posted it, and my article about it, on their e-publication known as e-Train.

Arnold, nicely done.  

Dan Padova posted:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Dan Padova posted:

Yes, the MTH station platform with the disappearing passengers is nice, I have one.  But I think the American Flyer version where the passengers actually move in and out of a passenger car is unique.  

Arnold, I must have missed your article.  I'll check it out now.  

Dan, I would love to get your opinion and feedback regarding my video/song on YouTube that you can access on my post about Phil Klopp and my model train song.

By the way, the TCA likes my video/song and posted it, and my article about it, on their e-publication known as e-Train.

Arnold, nicely done.  

So glad, Dan, that you enjoyed the video/song. I would like nothing better than for you to share it with anyone you think will get a kick out of it.

I have a bunch of accessories on my layout. Some I have repainted or reworked a bit to make them more realistic. I think K-line had some that were more true to scale . I have their speeder house with the small turntable that my grand kids like to run. Heck I still get a kick out of them and i'm in my 80th year.

Years ago Lionel made the operation water tank, I believe is the # 138, it works like this: you fill   the tank with about 3oz.  of distilled water or so, then, you park a steam locomotive with the water hash of the tender as close as you can to the water spout of the tank and press the push bottom of the tank and you can see the water level in tank  "going down" like the tender is getting full of water, very nice accessory, a lot of people get a kick out of it; unfortunately, Lionel used a very unreliable gear pump, peace of junk, I order one about tree years ago or so, it cost me about $25.00 and it work only one week, pump works but it does not pump the water at all, I found a real miniature water pump with impeller not gear in Amazon for $.10.oo, I retrofit my tank with this pump and works great, end of the problems for ever.

Churu posted:

Years ago Lionel made the operation water tank, I believe is the # 138, it works like this: you fill   the tank with about 3oz.  of distilled water or so, then, you park a steam locomotive with the water hash of the tender as close as you can to the water spout of the tank and press the push bottom of the tank and you can see the water level in tank  "going down" like the tender is getting full of water, very nice accessory, a lot of people get a kick out of it; unfortunately, Lionel used a very unreliable gear pump, peace of junk, I order one about tree years ago or so, it cost me about $25.00 and it work only one week, pump works but it does not pump the water at all, I found a real miniature water pump with impeller not gear in Amazon for $.10.oo, I retrofit my tank with this pump and works great, end of the problems for ever.

As I mentioned recently in another post, the postwar #38 water tower using real water is one of my favorite Lionel accessories. Original water pump in mine works fine provided directions are followed: drain all water before storing it for extended period of time, use distilled water as Churu said, and periodically clean it by mixing warm water and dish washing liquid outside the accessory and cycling the warm soapy water several times through the accessory. Then, drain the warm soapy water and put in the distilled water.

The lowering of the water level when operating the accessory is very visible when a couple of drops of blue dye is added to the 7 ounces of distilled water. I only add the dye when I have an audience, after which I drain it and flush it out using the warm soapy water. When I have no audience, I use plain distilled water. I also run the accessory for at least a few seconds every day.

Accessories make a layout more fun. You can actually load or unload cargo from your rolling stock. If I ever get a new layout built, I plan to have the Rotary Coal Tipple, Command-Control Gantry Crane with Sounds, Intermodal Crane, Nuclear Power Plant, Culvert Loader/Unloader, Milk Car (still one of my favorite accessories), and a few others. The only things I want Lionel to make are a new Intermodal Crane with Command-Control and Sounds and a new Rotary Coal Tipple. I plan on using Lionel Legacy and LCS to run all my accessories.

Not for me in the sense that I have many accessories on my layout, but yes for me in the sense that all of mine are old (Postwar). Here are a few of mine:

@Rich883 posted:

Dan,

I agree with you everyone has their own style for their layout, I respect that.  If you want a post war style toy train layout, enjoy.

What I don’t get is with all the tech we have today with Lionel legacy and MTH DCS, Bluetooth audio, WiFi control apps, and the amazing detail on many trains today, we have operating accessories with detail and technology from the 1940’s.  There could be many very cool operating accessories with today’s tech and manufacturing capabilities but instead we get reissues from the early 20th century.

The barrel loader was pretty cool when my dad was a kid ( I am 50) but pretty lame by todays standards.

Aw come on.  The barrel loader was one of the first accessories I purchased with savings from my allowance.  $7.95 if memory serves.  It did not matter if half the time the barrels danced off the line and occasionally (often) did not go in the gondola, it was fun.

Personally, I get enough realism when I walk out the door in the morning.

Like the hobbyists who want to operate their layout with trains performing a realistic purpose, I provided action accessories as reasons to keep trains busy with realistic assignments.  My L-shaped layout includes:  Barrel Loading Ramp, AF Oil Drum  Loader, Oil Derricks, Culvert Loader & Unloader, Sawmill, Operating Switch Tower, Gateman, News Stand, Refreshment Stand, a Passenger Loading Platform, and a Watchman Shanty.

Because of space limitations, my modest-size industrial district can't include pieces I'd love to place there: several operating coal accessories, Forklift Lumber Unloader (one of my favorites), the ultra-cool Rotary Tipple, and the MTH Coal Loader (which I would install at the edge of my layout with a coal barge in position below).

Non-train related action accessories include:  Band Stand, several City Park pieces, Postman/dogs, K-Line Diner, and the iconic MTH city accessories (Gas Station, Mel's Drive In, Car Wash, Fire Station). I passed on the carnival rides -- no space for them. 

I placed a rotating turntable inside a Studebaker dealership building to show a Stude Golden Hawk in rotation and installed Yard Lights at the adjacent used car lot. I consider them operating accessories too. I selected lighted (but otherwise non-operating) residential buildings in suburban and downtown locations; including a repurposed Municipal Building as the office, studio, and microwave tower of KLIO-FM ("Golden Oldies for Golden Agers").

On the upper level, I placed 35 DEPT 56 North Pole Village lighted porcelain buildings, some of which are cleverly animated (such as the Naughty or Nice Detective Agency and the Polar Ice Skating Rink).

On previous layouts, I installed the Nuclear Power Station, the Rocket Launcher, the Oil Field with bubbling tubes, a Coal Ramp, and an Operating Freight Building with its two moving baggage carts.

One can't have too many operating accessories! See the attached photos.

A self-analysis of my psycho-emotional status ...
My layout is tightly fitted into an L-shaped addition to our house, which can't be enlarged. It cramps my style!  As compensation for limited space for trains, yards, a roundhouse and turntable, and more -- I have "overdone" action accessories.

Mike Mottler         LCCA 12394

Think of what could be possible if the folks at Hallmark that produce their animated Christmas decorations got in on the action!

To each his own, but I think that less can be more when it comes to operating accessories as well as other things on a layout. IMO, too much clutter on a layout can be a negative,

I have way more operating accessories than those currently on my layout. One solution can be to rotate them. In other words, every 6 months to one year, replace certain operating accessories with other structures. I recently did this by removing a few operating accessories  and putting in their place Plasticville structures and scenery.

I agree that operating accessories are charming, crowd pleasers and can add purpose to a layout. Some of my favorite layouts have operating accessories with realistic scenery. Arnold

I love Lionel post war operating accessories and currently have 17 on the layout. Culvert loader/unloader set, magnetic gantry crane, bascule bridge, coal loaders, oil derricks, rocket launcher, log loader, milk car (of course) icing station etc.

BUT, for some unknown reason, I rarely operate them. I guess I rather run trains and work on the layout

I like some operating accessories on the layout. I prefer them to be s-l-o-w-e-d down a bit now that the electronic technology is there. Make them a realistic scale size so they can blend into the scenery.

IMO MTH newer versions of classic Lionel designs were/are on the right track, no pun intended.

And of course MTH's most recent water tower which is a significant improvement over the original:

Lastly, while not an operating accessory persay. Slowing down the dump cars is good too. No catapulting load:

Thanks for sharing your modern, slowed down, operating accessories, Rick, which I had not seen in action before. Very nice.

I love operating accessories and every catalog I hope I see something new and unique, but alas I am usually disappointed.  I think they are probably a profit loss to Lionel and they most likely cost a lot to design and manufacture and then everyone balks at the prices.  So they will throw in an occasional reissue of any older accessory.   But they are what attracted to to Lionel trains.  I remember going through the catalogs as a kid.   The old 027 Lionel operating drawbridge with Bell was amazing to me as a kid.  As other have said though, they do take up tons of space.  I jammed as many as I could when I built my layout, but still had space issues.  If you enjoy Lionel accessories here is a video of just them that I made on my layout.

Enjoy!

O Gauge Operating Accessories - YouTube

I think operating accessories will always be a part of our O gauge world.  I don’t have many and wish I had room for more, but what I do have was heavily used by my kids (when they were young) and I. The absolute best one is my tinplate gantry crane. Not only does this thing have special sentimental value but practically every kid that ever visited my layout had a blast loading and unloading gondolas.  As much as I’ve veered into more realism on my layout, I will never remove this and the other operating accessories (as well as my childhood plasticvile structures). Then again, I’m the kind of hobbyist that has no problem running my beloved tinplate alongside scale model subway trains.

....from the layout I just took down.......and, many of them will find a home on the new layout......

.....you might say that I am fond of operating accessories......

Peter

Operating accessories bring great life to layouts and I am a fan. I designed and built several for my layout. The auto carrier is a favorite for layout visitors.

I still like 'em too.

@Rich883 posted:

Good question Dennis.  For me I like animation, and have some on the layout, but operating accessories just seem like out of date toys when you compare them to the detail of today’s trains and many structures.

For those who don't think postwar operating accessories are "real" enough, I'll post back a photo of a railroad track with a middle rail when I come across one.  Black "Phantom Rails" as well.

John

Currently my “The 48 Club” Super O layout is Postwar accessory focused. My grandkids and I just really enjoy all the action they provide. Currently I have the Automatic Gateman (145), Ice Depot (352), Water Tower (38), Milk Car (3362), Portal Gantry Crane (282), Barrel Car (3562) and Loader (362), Circus Car (3363), Horse Car (3356), Culvert Loader (342) and Unloader (345), Oil Derrick (455) along with several Beacons (394), Floodlights and Crossing Gate. Unfortunately I couldn’t accommodate the New Stand (128), Passenger Station (133), Freight Station (356), Coal Ramp (456), Coal Loader (397) and Coal Elevator (97) that are in storage.

Accessories to me are one of the main reasons I chose three rail O Gauge over two rail O Scale trains. Having trains as a child I always wanted a layout with "the big four" consisting of the #97 coal loader, the #164 log loader, the #182 magnetic crane and the Bascule Bridge. Additionally, the culvert loader and unloader as well as the other coal and log loaders add incredible interest to my layout. Then, you add in the fire station, car wash and drive in from MTH plus numerous K-Line and American Flyer log and coal loaders plus Gabe the Lamplighter and you end up with a lot more fun than just seeing trains go round. When kids come to see the layout they want to test their ability to use the cranes and the barrel and drum loaders. Oh, I forgot the K-Line auto dealer and the Lionel Hobby shop. More fun. So these accessories are not "scale". So what, the kids could care less. They just want to pick up that steel and put it in the gondola!

@Rich Wiemann posted:

Currently my “The 48 Club” Super O layout is Postwar accessory focused. My grandkids and I just really enjoy all the action they provide. Currently I have the Automatic Gateman (145), Ice Depot (352), Water Tower (38), Milk Car (3362), Portal Gantry Crane (282), Barrel Car (3562) and Loader (362), Circus Car (3363), Horse Car (3356), Culvert Loader (342) and Unloader (345), Oil Derrick (455) along with several Beacons (394), Floodlights and Crossing Gate. Unfortunately I couldn’t accommodate the New Stand (128), Passenger Station (133), Freight Station (356), Coal Ramp (456), Coal Loader (397) and Coal Elevator (97).

Nice collection Rich.  I like the track too.  What kind is it?

John

@Craftech posted:

Nice collection Rich.  I like the track too.  What kind is it?

John

John thank you….its Lionel Super O, the best looking track made IMHO.

I'll second that opinion Rich!

I think there are a few reasons we don’t see as many new accessories today:

1).   The emergence of scale-like layouts, which limits the market;

2). The high cost of specialized molds and tooling, which in most cases cannot be painted in 50 different road names, and

3)  The high number of them already on the market.    Postwar accessories seem to have a higher survival rate than the trains of the same era.  It also helps that many were made of unpainted plastic which  makes it easier to maintain a nice look.  For example,  most 445 switch towers and 132 stop stations I see are Excellent or will easily clean up to that level.    I recently picked up a 128 newsstand, like new in the box, for $35 on eBay.

Only a few like the 350 transfer table and 497 coaling station are hard to find in decent shape.   The 415 Diesel Fueling Station is a tougher one too.    It didn’t sell well and the metal base on most found today are rusted or badly scratched.

My favorite operating accessory is my $10 homemade turntable, and it is not "A thing of the Past" around here.  The turntable can reverse (not possible with a Transfer Table) and/or transfer locomotives to the round house.  It also is "much used" verses others comments on not using many of their accessories much.  Also by building a turntable the "hard to find" and "costs too much" comments do not apply.

It is also easy to build.  Details on OGR topic below on page 1, post 9.

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...ra-027-layout?page=1

Charlie

Love it Charlie!

I can't imagine 3 rail O scale without operating accessories, it's part of the charm for me.

The Operating Milk Platforms are the most popular operating accessories on my layout, by far.  Every time the grands come to operate trains, both Milk Platforms get a work out.  That is the major reason I added a second platform when I recently added a Wye to the layout.

Milk cars and platforms are very simple, reliable and fool proof to operate.

The second milk platform and cattle pen were added when the Wye was added in 2020.  All are close to the edge of the layout and the control panels.

Charlie