Penny Trains Toy Trains FTW how battery acid got the engine No idea. You'd think if somebody went to all the effort to do a restoration they'd take better care of their toys. All I know is I got a surprise when I removed the shell after purchasing it to find the motor side frams, the brass window inserts and a few other things etched.
Toy Trains FTW how battery acid got the engine
No idea. You'd think if somebody went to all the effort to do a restoration they'd take better care of their toys. All I know is I got a surprise when I removed the shell after purchasing it to find the motor side frams, the brass window inserts and a few other things etched.
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Awesome setup Becky! That dorfan controller is neat! I too have tried to make an airplane but without any prior knowlegde of aerodynamics lol. i know this is a train forum but i am making a guillows kit thats still in progress, not sure when it will be done... Anyways, im glad i brought back some memories for you Firelock! oh yea Becky, would mind to explain how battery acid got the engine again?
Becky that is so cool! If Castle Frankenstein had a doll house in it I'll bet that's exactly what the inside of it looked like!
I remember staying up all night cutting the heads off matches and gluing them to tissue paper (the gift wrapping kind) and making an "airplane" by the loosest definition of the word!
Anyhoo. If your locomotives never had battery acid leaked all over their supermotor(s), they should run fine on a type T. Photobucket is working today so here's the best pic I have of my power station:
From left to right: 60 watt Type A, 100 watt Type T and 150 watt Type K. Down below there's an AristoCraft DC power unit for the G Scale trains I ran that Christmas. Hiding behind the Dorfan switch controller and the circuit breaker is an air whistle, which is what the button on the edge is for. The structure was a pair of expansion floors for a Playmobil victorian dollhouse.
ToyTrains, you just jogged my memory. I built a Guillows Nieuport 17 when I was in junior high school but didn't even think of trying to put one of those glo-plug 049 engines in it, it looked WAY too flimsy! Tried to get it to fly with the rubber bands that came with it but it wouldn't even get off the ground. Building and flying a balsa model is one of those skills I never mastered.
It did look good when I finished it though. I haven't thought about it in years.
Thanks Becky for letting me know about that. I had my share of burns lol. With that being said i will be looking at getting a no. 95! And Firelock, I agree with you too, it does go with really any vintage items! speaking of stearman biplanes, I have a guillows model of one my grandpa made but was unsuccessful in its maiden flight it is equipped with a cox .049 for anyone interested lol. Oh and Becky, would you think i could get away with running a std gauge on a type T? just for the time being until i could get a different type? Thanks again everyone!
"...it IS a lot of fun getting down on the floor and running the trains the way a kid did 80+ years ago!"
Becky, you just hit the acid test for any great antique, whether it's a toy train, a pocket watch, a flintlock musket (they called 'em firelocks back then) or a Stearman biplane. A great antique is one that grabs you by the collar and pulls you back into its own era, even if you don't realize it's doing so.
What a great hobby this is!
Use the #95 rheostat. Definately DO NOT use the #88, it has no protective cover and the resistor will get very, very hot. Also keep in mind that the #95 has an asbestos insulation blanket under the cover. It's best not to disturb it during maintenance without wearing respiratory protection.
I use several 95's with my prewar trains because I like the idea of running my trains using the high tech that was rather than what we have now. Currently I have a 95 mounted on a small table where I have a circle of O27 running around a small representation of a town. (I'd post a photo here, but Photobucket is down for maintenance!) That layout only has a few lights and acessories and is connected to a type T.
I have another mounted to a small block of wood that I use as my "remote control" for the standard gauge on the floor under the O27. (Again, I'd like to make with the photos here!) The only standard gauge loco I have is a rebuilt #8. It's a bit wobbly and cantankerous (had a rough life) so I need 24 volts down there to get it running with crossing gates, lighted cars signals that draw off track power. So I have a Type K for standard gauge.
And it IS a lot of fun getting down on the floor and running the trains the way a kid did 80+ years ago!
Becky
PS: I did consider finding and using glass jars with lead and zinc plates and a bit of magic sand for power...
Great! Thanks for the info! I appreciate it!
Yes. There are only minor differences among the several Lionel & Ives rheostats, they should all work well for just one train.
Rob
ADCX Rob I prefer the #95 for E-unit equipped locos.
I prefer the #95 for E-unit equipped locos.
ADCX Rob Check here for Lionel rheostats. They are wired in series with the center rail power to the track, from the fixed voltage output of a transformer. A rheostat is a resistor, so it will adjust the available current in a train layout circuit, and the setting for a given speed will vary, sometimes tremendouly, based on the load. A conventional multitap secondary transformer would be a much better choice for your trains... A Type V or Type Z especially.
Check here for Lionel rheostats.
They are wired in series with the center rail power to the track, from the fixed voltage output of a transformer.
A rheostat is a resistor, so it will adjust the available current in a train layout circuit, and the setting for a given speed will vary, sometimes tremendouly, based on the load.
A conventional multitap secondary transformer would be a much better choice for your trains... A Type V or Type Z especially.
Hi! Im just getting into standard gauge trains and I saw some where someone said that they recommend using a rheostat to run the trains. I dont know anything about rheostats but I think they look cool and I want to get one for my collection! So the question is, is there a certain number rheostat that i need to purchase to operate my standard gauge train? How do you hook one up? How does it work? I know that it can finely tune a voltage from a transformer that works by "steps" but thats it. Any info will be greatly appreciated!
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