With a 700e reissue being a bit overkill on a 4x8 layout. We decided to pick up this 2 rail OO set we found locally cheap. Hadn't been run in decades, needs a cowcatcher(its reproduced and already ordered). Since returning home from our day trip to go pick it up in northern Indiana, I have serviced the engine and whistle tender, both run great with very little brush wear if any. But they have been handled enough that the numbers on the side of the cab are all but gone and the tender name lettering is well faded.
The partial oval of original 2 rail track is usable I think, the bakelite roadbed is well warped on nearly every piece, but unlike the 3 rail version, the base of the roadbed is flat and screw holes are provided. So I think once its mounted down to a flat surface, it will be usable again. But unless I find the missing parts and expand my layout top 1/2 foot deeper, its not really usable. A loop of new Gargraves with a 42" diameter is my thought, once they reopen from the virus shut down. I have learned that many early HO scale buildings are actually out of scale and actually OO instead or close enough that they look good, so those mixed with a couple of the smaller Lionel bungalows, maybe one of the Lionel HO scale wig wags to as those were a bit big I think for HO scale. Right now the layout has my O gauge tubular track on it, not going to remove it till I have enough OO track to replace it. It will be a challenge and fun to hunt down stuff in this scale. But I have my train, thats half the battle. Mike the Aspie
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
Yep, I am well aware of the main differance(track gauge), although some of the buildings and such can be used from the UK OO trains. I am going for the classic OO layout and will use some of the small Lionel bungalow buildings, the overscale ones from Ideal and such that fit OO better than HO. I will probably go with Gargraves track as the Lionel does not fit my table space unless I add an extension somehow for the 52" diameter of their track. Here is the offical "before" pic of my layout with the O gauge still in place. I will remove it back to bare "grass" once I have track on hand. I will reuse the tinplate bridge as I think the OO will look splended going over that old tinplate. Mike the Aspie
Got the freight consist cleaned up with some Pledge polish and a soft sock. I swiped the trucks of the extra PRR box car that came with the set to repair the tank car. I managed to screw down a couple pieces of the warped track to get photo ops and test run the Hudson back and forth(its really quiet running and the whistle will run you out of my room!!). Even the Marx Girard depot doesnt look bad scale wise. Now the freight house is huge even for O gauge. I will put it on the shelf when I actually redo the layout. Mike the Aspie
While waiting on track, I dealt with the lack of any road number on the cab. It had be totally worn away from play time many decades ago. Since I plan to buy a full scale version that will carry the common 5342 road number. I used some NYC HO decals from Microscale to renumber her to a different road number. I hope, in time, to have seveal of these Hudsons sitting in an engine facality on one end of my layout.
Man, you sure didn't waste any time getting that thing up and running!
The Girard station looks good alongside the Hudson, like it was made to go with it, and nice job with the HO decals on the cab, they look like they belong there too!
I have nothing else to do, laid off from my job at FCA's Tipton Transmission plant, so I spend my time being safe in my model train room. OO is only slightly larger than HO, so the decals look good, much better than no road number. The replacement cowcatcher will be here on Monday. If only Gargraves would come off lockdown and start shipping orders, then I could run more than 2 feet back and forth. I am taking the 2nd PRR box car, removed its decals(they were mostly gone anyways) and making that car a NKP box car. Cheers Mike
emdmikeI spend my time being safe in my model train room
Now if only we could get paid for it!
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
I am to some degree, between unemployment and the $600 boost from the fed, I am getting basicly what I make when I am working. So for now, we are ok but also watching our spending. I sold some stuff to get this set and have more for sale elsewhere so I can get some more OO.
Yeah, I can dig it, sell off some stuff so you can get more stuff!!!
I've been doin' it too! Ain't it fun?
Looks like I am getting a full scale set, it also needs some work, but once again the price is right. Lacks a motor, needs the coal load in the tender, non whistle version and also has a couple cars lacking trucks. This set is even cheaper than the 004 set I just got. I know of a near mint 003 set, but with a $650 price tag. I really want that really nice set, but not sure thats doable right now. But the cheaper set is very doable, even though I am going to have to find parts.
Don't you ever wonder, considering they weren't cheap to begin with, just how a full-scale set could wind up with the living bat-snot beat out of it?
Makes no sense. Not to me anyway. Even as a kid I babied my trains.
Even the semi scale set for over $30 dollers back then. Thats in 1940 dollers. I know in '49 when my grandpa got my father's set, it was $29.95 and was a bottom end O27 starter set. That was a week's pay for my grandpa, and he worked for Frigidare, then a division of General Motors. He had a good job and good income by the standards of that era. So a 30-40 doller set at the tail end of the great depression is very expensive. The full scale 2 rail set was $42.45, came without a transfomer, just train and a circle of track. The Semi Scale set was roughly $35. Price varied a bit depending if you got a whistling tender or not as that added expense and the set would include a whistle/direction controler as the transfomers of the day didn't have that many times. So any OO set was expensive back then and most of the time are expensive today. But well worth the money for those that take up the challenge to model in a seldom seen scale/gauge. Mike
I like your train!! It tells a story about the history of model trains, and I like things like that. Why didn't 00 catch on in the U.S.? Boggles the mind. Your thread made me think about " what ever happened to TT scale "? Well, it's alive and well in Europe.
I think this is part of the reason why I like Postwar Lionel and American Flyer as much as I do: not only are they fun to operate, but they tell a story about the history of model trains. They are a link in the chain.
Paul
also, consider this Train was being manufactured around the same time as the 700e. That is mind blowing!!
Good morning Mike,
Nice to see your interest in Lionel OO gauge and neat display you have for your train.
Why don't you send me some pictures of the Hudson and tender and a freight car or two passing either the Marx freight station (green and cream) or the Girard station. We may get something for Photo Album in a future issue.
If you have questions about what I would like to get, please email me direct at rcarp@classictoytrains.com
Good luck and stay healthy,
Roger Carp
Senior editor
As soon as I either rebuilt the table for the vintage track or get my Gargraves track, I will email you some nice hi resolution pics Rodger. I also picked up a 003 set that needs a bit of rehab to bring it back to life again. But thats part of the fun of vintage trains. Taking ones that someone might just toss in the trash, find the parts and put them back to running order. I know the ozone that came out of the motors of this set was massive and wonderful when they came to life after so many years of storage in a box. Mike
It does seem to be a bit limiting with only one type of locomotive and only three freight cars and a caboose.
There are some British OO scale items that might be able to be used, particularly freight cars. While the majority of British freight vehicles are small four wheel wagons, they do have container cars. These are not just HO with different lettering, despite the gauge. The container cars I have seen are really good die castings, with plastic containers, all to 1/76 scale.
https://www.hattons.co.uk/463654/hornby_r6927_kfa_intermodal_wagon_in_touax_livery_with_maritime_and_hyundai_containers/stockdetail.aspx
You would need to alter the gauge to 19mm, of course.
It might be possible to fit axles with 19mm gauge wheels into the existing trucks, or just fit new trucks and couplers to suit the Lionel vehicles.
More difficult would be converting a locomotive, but here is one that might deserve conversion.
http://www.modelrailoffers.co.uk/p/37892/MR-101-MR-Bachmann-USA-0-6-0T-Steam-Locomotive-number-1968
As can be seen, this is a WWII US Army loco (which seems appropriate to run with 1940 models).
This would take more skill to convert, since the axles would have to be changed and the quartering of the wheels maintained, and to ensure clearance, the cylinders would probably have to be moved apart very slightly.
But it is a scale model of a USA prototype in 1/76 scale, and would provide a switcher, something needed for an operating layout.
This might be an alternative,
http://www.modelrailoffers.co.uk/p/53714/MR-108-MR-Bachmann-USA-0-6-0T-Steam-Locomotive-number-72-KWVR
Of course, these are 12v DC so you might need some careful wiring and isolated sections to run both together.
Another option is that there is a die-cast kit available from the Wills company. This could be completeted with 19mm gauge axles.
Anyway, these are just some ideas...
Peter
Part of it not catching was Lionel went with AC power, and even 3 rail track in that first year. All the other brands like Scale-Craft/Scale Models, Nason and such were 2 rail DC with 24 volt motors before the war transition to a standard 12volts after the war. When Lionel went HO they first used Rivarossi, then Athearn, but many where the early Hi-F rubber band drive and not the gear drive that put Athearn on the map. OO was the pinicale for HO smaller scale quality and detail in something other than O or Std gauge. Sadly never to return.
Back prewar the challenge was to get a good enough motor that was small enough for HO. It was much easier to fit in OO. This is one reason some of the earliest HO models are Reading prototypes with their huge Wooten fireboxes that could accomidate a larger motor. Hence the Mantua HO models of that era. With NY and NJ being a hotbed of OO activity and Josh Cowen being envious of what Scale Craft was doing, along with some influence by the head of one of the prominant NY model railroad clubs, pushed Lionel into the OO direction. Despite HO coming on strong and growing stronger by the year. I think had Lionel went with DC power 2 rail and AC power 3 rail from the start, or only 2 rail DC with a greater selection of track and rolling stock. They might have changed the course of things. The Hudson was great for a first year model, but more was needed quicker than Lionel could come up with on such short notice. The fact that they pulled off the full scale Hudson before the semi scale in such a short time is impressive in itself. Mike
New pic time. By Sunday this will be an operating layout with a folded dogbone track plan. Its just temporary as a new 3x8 table is being built by a friend here shortly for me. The extra track this set up will require will be reused in a recreation of the 1938 dealership display layout. It is small enough to fit in our Jeep Wrangler TJ or YJ to take to shows. I am using 3 rail Lionel track instead of the Gargraves as one, its a tighter radius and fits my space better and Gargraves is out of stock and shut down right now. I pick up the rest of my track tomorrow. What is nice, is the 3 rail track can be wired to run 2 rail trains. Just have to make a minor modification to any stock power feeder sections. In time, I plan to get a 3 rail version of the Hudson and sell the 2 rail ones. I also got a NOS armature for my Hudson, runs perfect now. In its past it was run dry and it got very hot. Cooked the windings and hogged out the bearing in the bakelite brush plate. I swapped the brush plate with the one in the whistle tender. I also drilled out the bearing and fitted it with a brass sleeve so the whistle armature doesn't chatter. Works perfectly for whistle duty. My 004 Hudson still needs a motor and an E unit so I sent its frame off to a gentleman in Arizona to straighten the warp in it. Pics and video link on Sunday once I have trains running. Mikie
The fun began after a road trip up north to buy some 3 rail Lionel track for this train. Now we are going in circles and filling the room with ozone!! Had a few teething issues, you can see the sparks from the pilot truck/crosshead area. This normally does not touch, but I found a wheel loose on the axle. So I swapped in the whole truck from my parts engine. That fixed that issue. The right rear corner of this old table is raised up, so if I add the 2 bay hopper to the train, she wants to slip out or climb the rail at that rear corner. The new table will correct this issue(The Hudson does fine on the rest of the loop with the 4 car train). These cars are very heavy, the body/frame/trucks are all diecast metal! I am running on just the outer two rails as my current engines are 2 rail models. Lionel offered the Hudson and freight cars for 2 or 3 rail. I am not using the power feeder track as that would need a modification for 2 rail power(seperating the outer rail buss bar). Enjoy the video!
Looks good Mike!
Regards, Roy
Thank you! And the engine selection is not that limiting, I have a set of non powered NYC F3's that I will make powered using NWSL ON3 Stanton trucks once I find out what the wheel base is of them in mm instead of scale feet/inches. There was much more than Lionel in American OO back in the day, Nason and Scale-Craft were a couple other large companies that had locomotive kits. I picked up a pair of 3 rail switches tonight off ebay. So more stuff for the growing railroad. Mike
Runs like a champ!
Woo-hoo! Look at that thing go!
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