Anyone have these? Like them? The lead car has power and they all light up - right?
Do they have a horn and/or bell sound?
Ponz
|
Anyone have these? Like them? The lead car has power and they all light up - right?
Do they have a horn and/or bell sound?
Ponz
Replies sorted oldest to newest
I like the set. They are very simple. They are smaller extrusions than the Williams set. The lead unit has a single power truck with a Lionel pull-mor motor. Side frames are off NW2s I believe. They do not have sound. Mine came in the original set box an is numbered. It was also offered in PC and PRR but I have never seen one of those sets for sale.
For comparison, the Williams set is shown below:
@GG1 4877 posted:
I like the set. They are very simple. They are smaller extrusions than the Williams set. The lead unit has a single power truck with a Lionel pull-mor motor. Side frames are off NW2s I believe. They do not have sound. Mine came in the original set box an is numbered. It was also offered in PC and PRR but I have never seen one of those sets for sale.For comparison, the Williams set is shown below:
I like the Williams better - thanks
Personally I am a fan of the Welz set from a collectability standpoint. Elliot Welz who is also known for his near perfect Lionel restoration work made these sets and similar Amfleet cars in the 1980's. They are not as refined as the Williams sets, but they the just have a nice feel and the pantographs are much more realistic.
The Williams sets are certainly better runners with dual vertical can motors in the lead unit. Mine are from just before the Bachmann purchase and have the Trueblast II sounds. Generic 5 chime horn with the long-long-short-long grade crossing pattern and bell. The only caveat is that they all use the same frame as the power unit so they don't take to grades well.
@GG1 4877 posted:Personally I am a fan of the Welz set from a collectability standpoint. Elliot Welz who is also known for his near perfect Lionel restoration work made these sets and similar Amfleet cars in the 1980's. They are not as refined as the Williams sets, but they the just have a nice feel and the pantographs are much more realistic.
The Williams sets are certainly better runners with dual vertical can motors in the lead unit. Mine are from just before the Bachmann purchase and have the Trueblast II sounds. Generic 5 chime horn with the long-long-short-long grade crossing pattern and bell. The only caveat is that they all use the same frame as the power unit so they don't take to grades well.
I punched tickets between NY and DC between 1974 and 1987 and have ridden the Metroliners many times.
Decisions, decisions...
You could always go the route I did and get a set of both?
I saw the original Metroliners in service twice. Once on the far track stopped at Metropark Station when my family was waiting for a lowly clocker and then once when they ran on the Keystone Corridor after rebuilding right around the spot US30 crosses under near Lancaster. I was young, but they still left an impression.
I'm waiting for my favorite manufacturer to announce scale ones. (I have no insider knowledge of when or if that will happen at this time)
@GG1 4877 posted:You could always go the route I did and get a set of both?
I saw the original Metroliners in service twice. Once on the far track stopped at Metropark Station when my family was waiting for a lowly clocker and then once when they ran on the Keystone Corridor after rebuilding right around the spot US30 crosses under near Lancaster. I was young, but they still left an impression.
I'm waiting for my favorite manufacturer to announce scale ones. (I have no insider knowledge of when or if that will happen at this time)
I can't find the Williams anywhere
Ponz, if you would like to visit Phoenix in November, we have a Williams four car set in our fall TCA Desert Division auction.
There are currently two sets for sale on Ebay. Reasonable prices, considering their rarity. There is also a set of his Amtrak coaches. Watch the descriptions. They are not always accurate when people sell these.
Even up til today, these cars look really good, however performance wise could be improved. Be careful of the delicate faively pantographs, there are no known parts. Make sure they are complete and packed well before purchasing the set.
@Arthur P. Bloom posted:There are currently two sets for sale on Ebay. Reasonable prices, considering their rarity. There is also a set of his Amtrak coaches. Watch the descriptions. They are not always accurate when people sell these.
I found one set of the Welz over there but not the Williams.
Ponz
@GG1 4877 posted:
I like the set. They are very simple. They are smaller extrusions than the Williams set. The lead unit has a single power truck with a Lionel pull-mor motor. Side frames are off NW2s I believe. They do not have sound. Mine came in the original set box an is numbered. It was also offered in PC and PRR but I have never seen one of those sets for sale.
Any idea if it's possible to replace the pullmor with a DC can motor (physically, not worried about the electronics)? Just picked up a set of these which look like they've been in the boxes since they were almost new (boxes are padded with pages from the 1983 Star-Ledger), and was wondering how upgradable they are to more modern controls. Obviously an AC Commander would work, but Mabuchi can motors cost next to nothing, and the DC controls are much better than AC.
Wonder how many of these were made? My set is 627. Would have loved a PRR set, but they're next to impossible to find.
If you are wondering about the number of Metroliner sets made, the short answer is each car of the first 26 sets was stamped with the letter of the alphabet corresponding to the order in which the set was made. Then Mr. Welz started to assign serial numbers to the sets. It has been said that the first 26 sets are worth more to collectors than the subsequent numbered sets.
I am not sure if he used the same scheme to serialize the Amfleet car sets.
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership