Anybody else just running pre/postwar Lionel and none of the newer stuff??

[Anonymous]

Is anybody else just turned off by the newer stuff, and by newer I mean with all the electronics and bells and whistles on them. I have owned many newer trains including some real nice ones with sound and TMCC. However for some reason the only ones I run are in my case the pre 1950 Lionel ones I have. These are the 1655 that was my fathers, the 675 that gets most of the run time right now and I am looking at a pair of 2333 SF F3 diesels now. The last of my sound diesels is on ebay now (2380NYC). I just never ran it, prefered to run the old steamers instead. Maybe its the made in the USA thing, although the 2380 was mostly made in the USA, or the nostalgia of the older stuff, I just cant quite put my finger on the exact reason. I know the 675 style steamers are a pain to take apart, but when in tune, they will run like a fine swiss watch. To bad Lionel blew it on the wheel arrangement, but I saw an article in CTT on how to correct that. My layout is a overhead 14' x 30' loop around the ceiling of out living room with a long suspended bridge from one wall to the other. I can smell the ozone and hear the growl of horizontal motor F3's now!!

[rlplionel]

I've been told that my layout is caught in a time-warp. I run pre and postwar trains. Before my purchase of the Lionel Railscope locomotive (the one with the camera), the newest engine in my roster was from 1973.

I have nothing against the newer stuff. I just decided to concentrate on the older trains as a way of limiting the number of trains in my collection.

Robert
http://home.surewest.net/rlplionel/Robert.htm

[LS1Heli]

I used to only run Prewar/Postwar than I broke out of all the "hype" that everyone talks about and now I went from an operation of 100% postwar/prewar to 25% prewar,postwar, MPC and Modern. MPC engines are over 30 years old now. I don't consider something 30yrs old "modern".

[dwiemer]

Mostly my roster is the older pre and post war, but I have added a few of the newer things. I just got the Lionel Docksider and am waiting for the Williams GG1 copy of the 1949 GG1. I like the look and feel of the older ones. Someday, I may get into TMCC, but it ain't any time soon. I started with my Dad's set from the 40's and have completed thre catalog. I will be scenicing my layout for the late 40's and plan to use just the postwar accessories. I will have a place for running the new stuff, but you can keep the bells and whistles.
Dennis

[Frank53]

post war only, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

no wait.

but I did buy a Polar Express set. I really liked the passenger cars.

[Anonymous]

I agree, I love the prewar stuff to run for myself, but when friends come over they love the sound and smoke of the newer stuff.I love the 221, 1668,746 2056 etc and of course my fist Lionel steamer I ever owned my old realiable 2037!!!
[:)]

[Anonymous]

All the steam I'm running is Lionel postwar 1946-mid 50's. Don't mind a few "dings" on a steamer, but like a new look for the only F-7 A/B I have...so I got a new no-frills K-Line for $149. My rolling stock is all new. Joe

[Anonymous]

I am planning to get a nice pair of 2333 Santa Fe F3's and have the shells restored to mint condition by Len Caprelli, I know I spelled his last name wrong, His restorations are just perfect to what the 2333's would have looked like on Christmas morning 1949 and that is what I want. Everything I have so far besides the one diesel I am selling is from the 1949 catalog that I have. Now my wife has a MPC era Chessie diesel and a couple of cars, but those are hers as I dont run them. I handle all the repairs for Charlie Siegles Train City here in Erie, PA where we live so I plan to do the chassis restoration on the 2333's. If anybody needs any repair or repair advice, please dont hesitate to contact me.

[dwiemer]

Hey LGBF7,
I too have the 1949 catalog, mostly, but don't have the diesles from that era. I have considered getting the NYC F3's, but I think I will try to pick up a set of Williams as the post war ones are commanding a high price and they are underpowered. If I were to get a great deal, perhaps I would get them, but for operating, I think i want the new Williams.
Dennis

[msacco]

POstwar forever.
I have some new stuff but they have their share of problems.
Postwar trains just keep running and running. Keep them lubed , change the brushes every once in a while, and replace fingers occassionally and that's really it.
The new stuff will never make it anywhere as long. Many believe someone will be around years from now and offer replacement boards. I seriously doubt it.


MIke S.
Saint James, Long Island , NY

[Anonymous]

New here so, hello! I am just getting back into this and re-discovering what I loved so much about it as a kid. Also, I have two sons who play with very few things that don't involve a computer screen and a game controller. I have the original F3 2333 NYC AA's that my father bought before I was born and most of the rolling stock from '47-'49 time period. I had to send the 2333 powered unit out for overhaul as all that time in the box in the attic has not been kind to her. Can't wait to get that set running again. I spent all day on Christmas Eve cleaning and lubing the rest of the cars and the dummy 2333 unit. Had to replace a bunch of wiring as the insulation was very brittle and cracking on my lighted caboose and several other cars. I did manage to score a 2032 Alco Erie AA set off ebay last week so my boys and I could run trains on Christmas Day. Love that "smell" and have set the layout up on a semi-permanent basis.

I have really missed this for many years and it may be a "mid-life crisis" thing but I am looking forward to expanding my collection and my layout. Great stuff here, glad I found it.

[csxt30]

[#welcome][#welcome] dkvt87 ! Glad to see you here & lots of frienfly info here !
Don't forget to come on over to the Coffee Pot & Sunday Photo Fun !
Thanks, John

[andregg1]

Hi to all
I like to run postwar train and some new stuff but still made in USA like some weaver. the rest look good but ..............too much plastic , rubber tires (I hate rubber tires) and low mantenance maybe I am crazy but I like when is time to clean the motors and gear put new grease...etc, like my baby.....
Andre.

[Anonymous]

I never considered the 2333 underpowered, while they wont pull what a magnetration unit will, the demand less power and when in full tune will pull almost as much. If one of the two motors is underperforming it will dramaticly decrease the units pulling ablity!! When I overhaul a set of 2333's for the shop I do the repair work for I pull the whole truck assembly apart, the only thing that doenst get removed are the wheels and axles. I soak the trucks in a bath of wd40 to loosen up the years of dried up grease and varnish in the bearings, I then blow out the trucks with compressed air and set them aside to dry and be regreased. I fully disassemble the motors including removal of the armatures from the motors and clean and re oil everything there, new brushes are installed, eunit is cleaned and fingers adjust or replaced, the shell is hand cleaned and buffed with armor all or cleaned and degreased to be sent off for profesional repainting if that is what is required by the owner of the trains. When reassembled the units will run and pull beautifully and will handle a normal consist of silver dawn series cars easily up and down hills.

[Anonymous]

I'm a strictly prewar and postwar guy. While I have a large operating layout, I'm very much a collector and so that contributes alot to my hard-line attitude. If I was strictly an operator, things might be different. The new stuff is nice, but it just doesn't interest me. There's just something special about the old models that more recent offerings don't have. I'm sure all you fellow prewar and postwar enthusiasts know exactly what I mean! The only modern O gauge pieces I own are a James Gang 4-4-0 and some assorted MPC cars that I've picked up cheap over the years, but they never get used on my layout and are strictly reserved for duties such as running around the Christmas tree or on my display at train shows. However, I also have a large collection of modern HO and a layout for it which I enjoy very much, but it's completely tech-free and I have no desire to get DCC or anything like that. Even with that, my biggest love is still the old toy trains of yesteryear.

[Anonymous]

Like you, I am only interested in post war or older. I once made the mistake of buying a Beep. It was a nice little unit but it had no soul. It worked perfectly but didn't 'sound like a toy train' when it ran.

Lately I've been leaving post war Lionel and gravitating towards Marx 6" tin, Hafner and Unigue lines and Lionel prewar.

You can keep the circuit boards. I'll take tin litho any day.

Jeff

[tsgtbob]

Yup, I guess I fall into the postwar only catagory too. I had some of the newer stuff, and, coming from the HO, and later the 2 rail O world, all that blasted noise is just too much! The newest that I run is a C&O SD-18 and a K-line MP-15, and a pair of Williams PA-1s. I actually prefer the MPC era stuff, as far as diesels go! They run just as well as the 1950's era locos, and are considerable cheaper to buy.
For that matter, I have to work with digital stuff all day, why would I want to aggrivate myself by dealing with it in my hobby?

[msacco]

Really good point tsgtBob about working with digital stuff all the time.
Postwar is like a portal to a simpler time.
Dang! I was just running my 2025 and it's runs so smoothly and like all open frame motors, just has that great smell. Makes me really wish I was a kid during the POstwar years.

Mike S.

[JamesPH1966]

My new layout will be pretty much all pre- and post-war, Lionel and Marx. The only "modern" stuff will be MPC, Williams, and other "traditional" (no DCS/TMCC) items (i.e. K-Line Plymouths, Lionel Docksiders and "Post War Celebration" etc.).

BTW - The Lionel #248 I got for Christmas runs like a beast!

[jakeoregano]

Hi all. New to the site. I thought I'd comment on this forum. I too am a pre and post war buff. There is something about the old trains that the new stuff doesn't have for me. Maybe it's the nostagia. I inheirited a few sets of trains from my granddad over 30 years ago, and I remember watching them for hours as a kid. I've added to my running collection over the last few years, all pre and post war to about 1952. My favorite train is my 2332 GG-1. When I first saw it as a 5 year old on christmas, I was hooked for life. To me that is the classic toy train.

For me, running these trains is for the sound and smell and memories. I like scale/accurate (HO), but the simplicity of throwing up some three rail track and a couple of accessories to get things going can't be beat for fun.

[Anonymous]

All I own is pre and postwar lionel and Marx trains. The new stuff just dosent hold a candle to them. The new trains are ok if you like non-tinkering hobbies. I enjoy the sight and sounds of an era gone bye.

[Anonymous]

I love this post !!! No Ch-ionel locos on my pike. I didn't realize there were so many of you guys out there. Keep these replies coming!

Smoke pill smoke and ozone, does it get any better?

Does anybody enjoy the "smell" that seems to be generated by a 1950's era postwar freight car in it's original (non musty) box? I can't be the only one that notices the smell.

Rich

[mersenne6]

Just Ives, Bing, and prewar Flyer here.....

[Anonymous]

Interesting topic! I'm curious... what is the age mix of the respondants? I'm 34, love running post-war, love ozone, etc. BUT, can't say that I'd ever only run Pre/Post war. Wondering if it's an age thing? No offense to you "older" boys with kid hearts! [;)]
Greg

[Anonymous]

I"m 62, run Post war only - (the 3 or 4 cars from MPC were mistakes from e-bay - I didn't read the fine print close enough to see they were characterized wrong) the sight of my Southern ABA,(yes I found a B unit), or My Texas Special ABB - with a long string of 6464's or silver pullmans and the smell of ozone, and the look of Super O. Definitely Hobby Heaven!! Somehow, MPC got to be too plastic, and the later stuff, too much glitter and bells, and the price has moved it out of the toy market - IMHO

[jakeoregano]

Hi all. Currently I only have pre and post war Lionel, an old American Flyer set, and an old marx tin litho set. I really like the look, feel and smell of the old stuff. It's probably a nostagia thing for sure, since I grew up with the old trains. Keep 'm clean and lubed and they will usually run with no issues. The marx is my train of choice for my Christmas oval, cuz it'll run forever, and it just looks like it belongs under the tree.

I also have a set of 2343's that I just really like to watch run. These old trains are meant to be played with. That's the fun of them to me.

I will say this though: I'm planning a permanent layout now, and I'm really partial to Pennsy electrics (I have 3 post war GG-1's that run, and am building one from parts), so I'd like to model part of the PRR rail, concentrating on the electrics (I will run some steam too). There are a few electrics that have only been made recently such as MTH's FF2 and both Lionel and MTH's BB1's/3's, and MTH's DD-1. I plan on acquiring these over time to run on my layout. However, it won't really be prototypical, just my own vision of the PRR. The newer stuff will afford me some of the realism I want, but the older stuff is just plain fun to watch run.

BTW, I'm 39.

Dwayne.

[Dave Farquhar]

On my layout right now: A Marx 391 pulling a consist of 6-inch cars, and a prewar AF 3110 pulling AF, Ives, and Dorfan cars. I like watching them race on two loops. Sometimes I let the AF win. I don't think anything can beat that 391 in a fair race.

I have a VERY small amount of modern stuff--like, the Polar Express set and one K-Line Heinz boxcar done up in the postwar PRR billboard style. I prefer the older stuff. I'm 31. But I grew up with my Dad's postwar O27 Lionels, so I've always gravitated towards stuff that's O gauge and older than me.

And yes, I associate the smell of ozone with very pleasant memories.

[JamesPH1966]

Already gave my $.02 awhile ago, but here's an update:

I recently was planning to spend some $ and looked long and hard at lots of modern stuff and when it came down to actually spending cash I bought a post-war Lionel 2034, a pre-war Lionel set led by a 1666 in basically mint shape (the boxes are ratty, but the cars are perfect), and - just to be "modern" - a "New Marx" Thor powered unit (I hadn't seen one for sale in years an lo-and-behold, found one a M B Klein in Baltimore!). I also found a pre-war Flyer O 90 degree crossover in my travels.

Not only am I sticking to mostly pre/post war, looks like I'm technically a "O27-Gauger"...

[Anonymous]

Yep, me 2... I like being able to sit down infront of the TV one night, and take my postwar 2020 lionel apart, down to the armature and driveshaft... (and put it back together and it run just as new)

I have one new lionel engine that is a pain to take apart, and once i do, all i see is a circuit board... No fun..

[Anonymous]

Postwar rules! My granddaughter likes to run 'em and I like to repair 'em.

I continue to be amazed at what the old Lionel engineering and design staff managed to accomplish with nothing more sophisticated than a copper-oxide rectifier and a "slugged" relay.

Admittedly, the new electronic stuff is impressive to watch, but it's too expensive, too tempermental, and too fragile for me.

Not to mention being totally inscrutable, as one might expect given the principal country of manufacture....

Postwar trains take me back to the most pleasant memories of my childhood. The modern stuff merely takes me back to the bank for another personal loan.

wolverine49