laming posted:Shucks, I'm going to FORGET the idea of getting some PW steam engines. I'm gonna' start saving my spare change for something more affordable and practical (can use it daily when the weather's cold). I'm going looking at THIS:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/183479762518
Andre
Its local pickup, mayby you can save on the shipping.
I would wear that everyday...
Since several people has very mentioned that the 2065 was their favorite or one of their favorites, I thought I would test the pulling power of mine. Mine came in a 1954 set, and has lost its Magnetraction. But the heft of this baby Hudson makes it a pretty good puller. Here it is pulling about 12 Postwar cars (9 operating coal dump cars, 2 oil tankers and caboose):
Arnold
Of course, the F3s and GG1s of the early 50s with Magnetraction are much heavier and even better pullers than the baby Hudson. Same is true of the bigger and heavier steam engines of the 1950s.
As an operator, the pulling power of the locomotive is an important feature for me.
laming posted:Well... as I mentioned above... the prices in PW have changed upwards since my last attempt to be involved therein just a couple years or so ago. To wit:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LIONE...047675.c100008.m2219
Badly chipped, some rust pitting, etc. All for a paltry $130.
To put that in perspective, those few short years ago I ended up selling this beauty (including the bottle of smoke pills) for well under $100...
Andre
Yep, over all the prices for pw have elevated a little in the past yr on ebay, but..... there's still some good deals to be had, you gotta keep an eye out and work the system. The way I see it, most of the time on ebay, I treat it like a yard sale or flea market, when I find something I like, I'll contact the seller and try to get them down on their price.
Trussman posted:laming posted:Well... as I mentioned above... the prices in PW have changed upwards since my last attempt to be involved therein just a couple years or so ago. To wit:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LIONE...047675.c100008.m2219
Badly chipped, some rust pitting, etc. All for a paltry $130.
To put that in perspective, those few short years ago I ended up selling this beauty (including the bottle of smoke pills) for well under $100...
Andre
Yep, over all the prices for pw have elevated a little in the past yr on ebay, but..... there's still some good deals to be had, you gotta keep an eye out and work the system. The way I see it, most of the time on ebay, I treat it like a yard sale or flea market, when I find something I like, I'll contact the seller and try to get them down on their price.
Very smart strategy, Trussman.
2343 Santa Fe ABA F3s. My parents bought this freight set when I was four after already having purchased a small steamer set...probably a 2026. I thought these were just fantastic. A great looking layout ensued with dad doing the carpentry and electrical and mom the scenery. These were later sold off when cars and girls were more important...a common story I bet. Later in the 1990s the train bug bit again and I had to have F3s again. At the time I could not find any 2343s that were affordable so I got these 2383s. They are from the late 1950s and have twin vertical motors...great runners but no growl. Fendermain
Arnold D. Cribari posted:Trussman posted:laming posted:Well... as I mentioned above... the prices in PW have changed upwards since my last attempt to be involved therein just a couple years or so ago. To wit:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LIONE...047675.c100008.m2219
Badly chipped, some rust pitting, etc. All for a paltry $130.
To put that in perspective, those few short years ago I ended up selling this beauty (including the bottle of smoke pills) for well under $100...
Andre
Yep, over all the prices for pw have elevated a little in the past yr on ebay, but..... there's still some good deals to be had, you gotta keep an eye out and work the system. The way I see it, most of the time on ebay, I treat it like a yard sale or flea market, when I find something I like, I'll contact the seller and try to get them down on their price.
Very smart strategy, Trussman.
Thanks Arnold. All's they can do is say no or ignore my email. A lot of the times it works, especially if they relisted the auction.
I have to go with the 2321 Fairbanks Morse, in fact all of them
Big John Henry posted:I have to go with the 2321 Fairbanks Morse, in fact all of them
The fairbanks Morse Trainmasters are excellent runners. Very little goes wrong with them and they track well.
My favorite Postwar FM:
One of my best 2065s I bought for $30. Someone had put B&O decals on it and a different number so my antique dealer friend was confused. He told me $30 and it was a deal. Still has the B&O decals bur runs great. I looked at the local 2065 yesterday and I didn't give in. stayed strong.
The FMTM is an admirable beast, and besides the E, one of the few diesels I might actively seek to own vs having one plop into me lap at a price I couldnt refuse. It's just not "thee" fav. or even in my top 5. But a red top would easily make the top ten.
Part of it is that I run on a lot of 0-27. The Tube-O and larger requirement limits one to only 3 lines. The old Berk suffers on the list for that reason as well. The GG-1s can sneak by with guide & hole mods and a "transition car" with an articulated coupler shaft. I sometimes use two Cabooses, one at each end for fast runarounds at a branch lines end without a need to turn the loco around or push or pull backwards to get back to the main. I don't go through the motions often, but like the proto scenereo.. and lots of cabooses 
. But the drawbacks of each of those is size limits use too much for me.
The 2046 Hudson is #4 for me. Taller, heavier, and stronger than the 2037 or 665 by far, it is my favorite on the ceiling because it can pull a 15-20ft train so well.
...
Arnold D. Cribari posted:harmonyards posted:Arnold D. Cribari posted:I hope I get this right this time: the 2046 is identical to the 646 except for the cab number. Is that true?
2046, 2056, & 646 all share the same boiler casting and MOST of the same parts, 646 being the johnny come lately, having the cheapened sheet metal rear truck with ornamental side frames...
Thanks for that information, Harmonyards. I have a 2046 and 646, tend to prefer my 646 because it is in better condition with better magnetraction, but will start running my 2046 some more and look more closely at both engines.
Took a break from the great World Series game on TV tonight and ran my beat up 2046 and tender for a few minutes. I have pretty much ignored it since I bought it a few years ago for very little money, but am happy to report that it runs great and is a very good puller even though it lost its Magnetraction.
If you are an operator and never plan to sell anything like me, I think it's better to have a Postwar engine that's a little beat up with a few nicks (nothing broken) in good working order than one in mint condition. In addition to being much more affordable, the locomotive with a few nicks is more realistic than the one in mint condition. Also when the train is running, you don't even see the nicks!
Arnold D. Cribari posted:Arnold D. Cribari posted:harmonyards posted:Arnold D. Cribari posted:I hope I get this right this time: the 2046 is identical to the 646 except for the cab number. Is that true?
2046, 2056, & 646 all share the same boiler casting and MOST of the same parts, 646 being the johnny come lately, having the cheapened sheet metal rear truck with ornamental side frames...
Thanks for that information, Harmonyards. I have a 2046 and 646, tend to prefer my 646 because it is in better condition with better magnetraction, but will start running my 2046 some more and look more closely at both engines.
Took a break from the great World Series game on TV tonight and ran my beat up 2046 and tender for a few minutes. I have pretty much ignored it since I bought it a few years ago for very little money, but am happy to report that it runs great and is a very good puller even though it lost its Magnetraction.
If you are an operator and never plan to sell anything like me, I think it's better to have a Postwar engine that's a little beat up with a few nicks (nothing broken) in good working order than one in mint condition. In addition to being much more affordable, the locomotive with a few nicks is more realistic than the one in mint condition. Also when the train is running, you don't even see the nicks!
couldn't agree more, I do the same thing myself....get a beater on the cheap, clean it up, dress it up...run it till it melts!..
Arnold D. Cribari posted:Mine at the moment is the Lionel 646 Hudson Steamer shown in the video below:
Why is it my favorite Postwar (PW) engine now? It was made to run perfectly on my 031 curves and through my 022 switches. I bought this 646 Hudson and tender at a train show 2 years ago for about $150, which I think is a great price. I like its size, a little bigger than the 2065 Hudson (that I also love from my childhood) which makes the 646 look more powerful than the 2065, and the detail of the 646 with its metal silver colored handrail is a little better than the 2065.
I also love the beautiful mechanical simplicity of the 646; it is easy to maintain and repair with plenty of available parts.
And when I'm in the mood, which is often, I love the sight and smell of the smoke made from smoke pellets, and the smell of the ozone after the train has run for a couple of minutes.
I have other PW locomotives that I treasure, and my favorite PW engine can change from day to day, but my favorite at the moment is the 646.
If you have a favorite PW engine, please tell us what it is and why.
Arnold
Mine would have to be the 2065. Its a nice size for my layout, it runs real smooth and the magne-traction is great for someone like me who likes high speeds. I also really like the light up marker lights, as well as the fact that mine has this nice unique hollow metallicy sound when running that none of my other engines produces. It also reminds me, because of the feedwater heater, of my childhood x1110 that came with my first set from 98 which I had always loved and ran right up until that engine died and I bought my first PW engine (a '48 2026, a close runner up favorite) to replace it, and begun my downward spiral into PW collecting.
Arnold D. Cribari posted:Mine at the moment is the Lionel 646 Hudson Steamer shown in the video below:
Why is it my favorite Postwar (PW) engine now? It was made to run perfectly on my 031 curves and through my 022 switches. I bought this 646 Hudson and tender at a train show 2 years ago for about $150, which I think is a great price. I like its size, a little bigger than the 2065 Hudson (that I also love from my childhood) which makes the 646 look more powerful than the 2065, and the detail of the 646 with its metal silver colored handrail is a little better than the 2065.
I also love the beautiful mechanical simplicity of the 646; it is easy to maintain and repair with plenty of available parts.
And when I'm in the mood, which is often, I love the sight and smell of the smoke made from smoke pellets, and the smell of the ozone after the train has run for a couple of minutes.
I have other PW locomotives that I treasure, and my favorite PW engine can change from day to day, but my favorite at the moment is the 646.
If you have a favorite PW engine, please tell us what it is and why.
Arnold
Mine would have to be the 2065. Its a nice size for my layout, it runs real smooth and the magne-traction is great for someone like me who likes high speeds. I also really like the light up marker lights, as well as the fact that mine has this nice unique hollow metallicy sound when running that none of my other engines produces. It also reminds me, because of the feedwater heater, of my childhood x1110 that came with my first set from 98 which I had always loved and ran right up until that engine died and I bought my first PW engine (a '48 2026, a close runner up favorite) to replace it, and begun my downward spiral into PW collecting.
My favorite is Lionel NYC F3 ABA with screen tops my mother bought in a after Christmas sale at Woolworths 5&10 in the mid 50's. Still have them and they still run.
Dave
david1 posted:My favorite is Lionel NYC F3 ABA with screen tops my mother bought in a after Christmas sale at Woolworths 5&10 in the mid 50's. Still have them and they still run.
Dave
Sounds great Dave... love the memories that get attached to our favorites. Its like we should also add sentimental favorites to the thread.
My dad got me a pair of 2483 santa fes in the mid 1970s from the york meet. They were sweet. Like a dummy i sold them, expecting to get a new pair in better condition (eventually). I can easily buy a mint pair now, but whats missing is having the SAME engines i had as a kid.
I still have some postwar that i got in the 1970s at the detroit toledo TCA meets with my Dad. Those seem to be my favorites even today...
Your in MI ? I'm just on the other side of the Metro, 1st exit past, 1st right, 1st left, 1st left, last right. I could almost hit the old GT line with a rock.
10 to 1 your Dad and my Gramps knew each other if Dad was involved with the TCA during the 70s. Open house meets happened here kinda often. He loved to host, and would travel many hours just to vote, etc.. Times like this I wish the dog hadn't ate his "little black book of names" so I could shock you with an old phone number, lol. Last scrap of numbers I found had the owners of Ye Old Huff N Puff on it among names I didn't know. No telling who elses was in that; Jerry Williams for sure as he tested early carbodies for him while Jerry was choosing the motors for thier upcomming production. I never met him, but met Charles Eames and called Ray "Auntie" (she visited, he didn't talk or come much. Not enough tin? ).
I liked the screened ones best. I thought they had a slightly crude, near homespun look, but preferred the open mesh look. I was always looking in and feeling for the heat rising from them. (I'm easily amused )
I skipped my #3 because it is an MPC RI&P, but the magnetraction General could fill it's shoes enough to retire the RIP chrome one to a shelf till Christmas.... because as "Super Bob" pointed out, it wouldn't quite be the same. I still have the original gunfighter car from the PW set, but the set ended up "elsewhere" due to unforeseen circumstances. I had no say in it.
Hi Adriatic... yes MICHIGAN...
We knew Floyd Scrace, my Dad and i went to his house once (warren and southfield) and got a pair of long island mpc gp20s and several new standard O mpc cars... GT reefer, GT gondola, UP box car, and a few others. I remember at speed, those cars would lean thru the super o curves!
Also a name in your book would have been Art McWood. He was a friend of my dads and huge collector and got us in the TCA in the mid 1970s. Art had a detailed document of every variation of every 6464, 9200, 9700, and 9400 box car at that time including club cars. I remember a distinct glow off that document like it was the power to unlock the universe!
We collected 9700 and 9400 box cars. They were about $8 per car from Charlie Ro. I remember my dad getting a 6464725 NH and 6464450 GN box car in like new 1966 production with AAR trucks for 35bucks. I loved those cars and he eventually sold them, so i have love lost stories too.
One of my treasures also was a like new sheriff and outlaw car, which i still have... back in the day at the toledo meets i remember guy selling mint postwar military and space cars... i got quite a few of them, still have them.
When i drive by toledo today, i look at that Laskey exit and remember going to so many meets in toledo...
Adriatic posted:Your in MI ? I'm just on the other side of the Metro, 1st exit past, 1st right, 1st left, 1st left, last right. I could almost hit the old GT line with a rock.
Metro as in airport? I was actually looking at GT track lines trying to figure this out... didnt see any by metro airport!
I am out west of Ann Arbor...
Ecorse & Beech Daily(&94) near the old Clark oil storage tanks. The line (if going east) is S of 94, goes across the N. end of Metro, parallel to Ecorse Rd./94 into Allen Park at 94 & Southfield, where I used to roam the woods and tracks around the Giant Tire as a kid. Last I was working & driving , I was in the Dex. area once a month at least. Plymouth Trains is where I liked shopping when I started to take my old track off the floor for the first time (2011). I just needed some odd parts, but listened to ...Dave (?..it's been a while) talking trains and models till he closed for dinner a few times. That got me engrossed in it all deeply again for the first time since my teens. Later, after finding some unused S-O in the attic, I bought what I needed for an oval at an A2 show. I think there are about 7 members here that live about a stone throw from Metro.
I know the area well... i drive i94 everyday. I see lots of CP on that line now...
G'morning Bob. I figured you did take 94 E at sometime or another . It used to be Grand Trunk. Today?..? Amtrack uses another line just S. of Mi. Ave.
Yeah, lots of CN & Norfolk, but I see a bit of everything it seems. Do you watch the Holiday Train pass? They sometimes stop unannounced behind Thunderbowl (Allen Rd & Outer Drive, Allen Prk)
I hung those yellow exhaust hoses hanging in your F.D. and did a bunch of mahogany finishing in the area too. My last ticket was there, lol. (DOT # fell off 
)
Another favorite, my Mighty Mouse, #2035:
Here it is pulling heavy Postwar coal dump cars with ease:
It hugs the rails the way a MiniCooper hugs the road. I don't think it's ever derailed. Great on sharp 031 curves. Arnold
I still say the Berkshires are my favorites...but this 2065 I acquired last December is a close second ! This item was a consignment at a shop that was closing...not bad for 76.00 dollars plus tax !
laming posted:
Now why is it, that when I've tried to sell off my really nice PW stuff, I have to post it a rock bottom prices and then dicker even lower to move it... and now all the items I could be interested in are going for prices WAY above what I was able to sell off for???
Thought PW prices were way down? I'm not seeing lower prices.
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat. In the midst of the August doldrums I bet you could find a 2056 (non-magnetraction, but better looking black steel side frames that are less susceptible to stripping out) for about $100. Try to catch a "Buy it Now" or find an auction that DOESN'T end on Sunday night.
Bob:
THAT is a superb 2065! Looks brand new in the pictures, and smokes like a freight train! (Yup, pun intended.) No kidding though, that is a SERIOUS smoker! Is the smoke unit box stock? Thanks for posting that video!
Ted:
Thanks for your reply to my post. You're probably right. This is very likely the absolute worst time of the year to be cost-figuring what a move to PW-type layout would entail. I suspect Christmas season is PW's best season for the sellers.
Andre
laming posted:Bob:
THAT is a superb 2065! Looks brand new in the pictures, and smokes like a freight train! (Yup, pun intended.) No kidding though, that is a SERIOUS smoker! Is the smoke unit box stock? Thanks for posting that video!
Ted:
Thanks Andre....yes it’s stock (pill type)
Another one of my favorites is the lowly 520 Box Cab electric. I don't know what it is about that set, but I love it.
My favorite is the Lionel 44 Ton Center Cab, because it was my father's favorite. He purchased it for Christmas (our Christmas Garden) when I was just a little over a year old, and it was our first Lionel purchase (our first train was an American Flyer). Here it is after repairing a loose power truck 7 years ago. Our Christmas Garden was never this expansive when I was a kid (how I miss those days!).
Take care, Joe.
My 1954 American Flyer 466 Comet Alco PA. I got one like this for Xmas' 1954.
george posted:Another one of my favorites is the lowly 520 Box Cab electric. I don't know what it is about that set, but I love it.
Absolutely! I love the 520.
I put together my own set acquiring one car at a time. But...still looking for that very elusive Chun King boxcar! 
My favourite PW engine is the 1958 212 Alco USMC...I got it at Christmas 1959...with set 1591 USMC land and sea limited.....still have the set...it started the Lionel collection I have today....
Joe Rampolla posted:My favorite is the Lionel 44 Ton Center Cab, because it was my father's favorite. He purchased it for Christmas (our Christmas Garden) when I was just a little over a year old, and it was our first Lionel purchase (our first train was an American Flyer). Here it is after repairing a loose power truck 7 years ago. Our Christmas Garden was never this expansive when I was a kid (how I miss those days!).
Take care, Joe.
Very nice Postwar layout, Joe. What road name is that silver 44 tonner? Is is Burlington Northern?
Arnold D. Cribari posted:Joe Rampolla posted:My favorite is the Lionel 44 Ton Center Cab, because it was my father's favorite. He purchased it for Christmas (our Christmas Garden) when I was just a little over a year old, and it was our first Lionel purchase (our first train was an American Flyer). Here it is after repairing a loose power truck 7 years ago. Our Christmas Garden was never this expansive when I was a kid (how I miss those days!).
Take care, Joe.
Very nice Postwar layout, Joe. What road name is that silver 44 tonner? Is is Burlington Northern?
Oh, I see it's GE.
I think it should be a Burlington if original. But Joe is an awsome customizer and mechanical craftsman. His Snoopy mine layout makes me think he's a retired elf from the North Pole ... so basically; no tellin'
I'm a 520 fan as well 
.
Arnold D. Cribari posted:Very nice Postwar layout, Joe. What road name is that silver 44 tonner? Is is Burlington Northern?
Thanks! Yes, Burlington Northern.
Adriatic posted:...... His Snoopy mine layout makes me think he's a retired elf from the North Pole ... so basically; no tellin'
Perhaps an elf, but I'll never be able to retire! (Thanks for the compliments, but my stuff is rather basic.)
Years ago I was enamered with the high end F3’s, Hudson’s, etc. Although I still love those engines the last few years some of the cheaper engines have been intriguing. The 520, the forty-four tonners, the geeps, the Navy and Army motorized units were all nice pieces.
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