My experience has been that the MPC era freight cars are more colorful than just about any I have come across..A lot of them are under ballasted, and require additional weight to avoid tip overs. The motors are cheaply made and the plastic gears leave a lot to be desired. Like anything there are some exceptions but they are prone to these issues, at least in my experience they have been..
Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has.
I can tell you that 8900 prrr diesel switcher 8902,8903 steam engines where dc normally you can tell like above says there very cheap looking
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guitarman1994 How do you tell the difference between the AC and DC powered locos? Brody
How do you tell the difference between the AC and DC powered locos?
Brody
I do believe some of the MPC stuff with Pullmor motors were designed to run on AC or DC. I have some C&NW GP something A-A unit that is labeled on the box as AC and DC. There were some stuff that ran on cheap type DC power packs only. The engine it self was a cheap plastic steam engine. When you run it on AC, it makes a very angry sound and doesn't move.
It what is said above. Becarfull what you buy. There some good stuff and bad. If you educate yourself, you will know. Diesels are basicly no frills engines. You don't get any horns or bells. Even the 0-4-0 steam switchers are some darn good engines. Its just that the tenders are kind of cheap and light.
"I would still run my postwar, but I would feel better if i had trains that I wouldn't need to worry about as much. Would MPC trains be a good idea?"
I'm not sure why you think you have to "Worry so much" about your postwar Lionel. Especially when you already know that they are rugged enough to "run and run and run."
As for whether MPC would be right for you, it depends on what you like. I have mainly postwar, but I also have a couple of MPC locomotives and cars in the collection. One thing that may or may not be a concern for you is that not many MPC locomotives have MagneTraction; MPC went heavily into traction tires during the Seventies. And all the traction tires on all my MPC locomotives are shot and need replacement.
Other than that, I agree completely with what Sir James has said. Much of MPC's output was closely copied from postwar originals, but there were some really shoddy cheap products as well. The "MPC" label by itself doesn't tell you much one way or the other -- you'll have to look carefully and familiarize yourself with the MPC lineup before buying.
A lot of MPC trains were made from postwar dies and blueprints. Exact copies in many cases.
However keep in mind that they also made some pretty cheap sets as well. So chose wisely, many an MPC item is a bargain.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
Howdy all,
I love my postwar trains. They run and run and run. Almost all of my trains are postwar era except for my dad's old train set. He had the Santa Fe 8351 Alco freight set which he got in 1974, I believe. This got me wondering. Is it worth getting more MPC trains? Do they run better than postwar era trains? I love running trains, but I want trains to just run and not worry about breaking as much. I do not want to damage my postwar trains.
I would still run my postwar, but I would feel better if i had trains that I wouldn't need to worry about as much. Would MPC trains be a good idea?
Thanks,
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