TOOL TIME . . . . . .Essential tools.

[laz 57]

My favorite tool for working on trains is Budweiser.

GOOD ONE!!!!LOL.  Yea, mines OLD MILWAUKEE.  No power cords just pop the top.

laz57

[Buckeye Riveter]

Perhaps a post on tools we WISH we had? Top of my list would be a lathe and milling machine for metal. I'm waiting for the prices to go below $100! :-)

Also, I drool over a lot of the little expensive tools in the MicroMark catalog.

Dave, I love looking at the MicroMark Catalog.  For those who have not seen the MicroMark Catalog, here is a link:  MICROMARK

[Sturgeon-Phish]

In addition to the power test rig

A place to work on the trains is great, clean, (most of the time) well lit, with a power strip and a scrafical top. 

Yes the indian and not the arrow is important.  We can't all be a Norm Abrahms with every tool imaginable, but the right tools for the job can make a huge difference. 

Jim 

[3railguy]

My favorite tool for working on trains is Budweiser.

[andregg1]

Hi

I don't want to be rude, but the essential tool is "the indian not the arrow"

anyway I use PB screwdrivers, fluke voltimeter, weller pen soldering, small pliers (very old)

panasonic cordless screwdriver, mini lathe, for make my own parts (work like a drill too) and patient. 

[More to restore]

Much great tools have already been named. Personally I would like to add:

-great cooking pot, to remove paint

-Dremel with brass "paintbrush" to clean tinplate metal 

-Badger Airbrush set with compressor to spray paint

-Magnifier (hmmm, I am only 40 and already need one...) 

Lately I bought a large vice and I am very happy with it, great for pressing wheels back on the axle in a controlled manner 

Greetings

Egbert 

[pbjwilson]

The tool I always have close by is a Xuron rail cutter. I use it for cutting and stripping wire, cutting plastic, metal, wood. Great for cutting plastic parts form the sprue on model kits. They seem to never get dull. Nice and light in your hand and require little force to make cuts.

[FJ and G]

Perhaps a post on tools we WISH we had? Top of my list would be a lathe and milling machine for metal. I'm waiting for the prices to go below $100! :-)

Also, I drool over a lot of the little expensive tools in the MicroMark catalog.

[daan]

The most essenstial tool for me must be my electric jigsaw and a box of different blades. I use it for about everything, cutting windows in buildings to benchwork. The second on my list must be the volt/amp meter, digital but capable of measuring up to 10 amps AC voltage. Then of course the obvious things; cordless screwdriver/drill, powerdrill, handdrill, handjigsaw, handsaw, hammer, pliers, liquid nails and other glues, an old stainless steel bucket for mixing paint and sand, a spatula and brush to apply it, scotch pads to clean the track after I made a mess, a soldering station (controllable soldering iron) and last but not least a ruler and a pencil..

I couldn't figure how I should do all the work without a pencil! (about every piece of wood has a scribble or a calculation on the backside )

[c50truck]

I use most, if not all of the tools mentioned above, including the dental picks, (got a set for 2.99 at a tool discounter, great on train repairs, not sure on teeth).

Also I do find my bench drill press, (to take out and replace eyelets), as well as my bench grinder with wire wheels, (to clean up rust), quite helpful.

And 2/3 thirds of the tools I use, including the soldering iron and the Volt/Ohm meter were my Dads. Quality tools, like quality toy trains, are great hand me downs.

Rod L

 

 

[dwiemer]

Don't bother Chief, got some extras, I will send them.  Also have some other goodies I need to send your way.

Dennis

[ChiefEagles]

Great list of tools.  Think I have about all mentioned.  Read over the lsit hurriedly.  One I am going to buy is dentist's pick.  Like used to chip tarter.  Will pick coal, ballast and etc out of engine gears.     

[csxt30]

I use a lot of my Dad's old tools, including this one:

Can't imagine how old this is - when did they stop using braided electrical cords?

That's a nice one Frank !! Looks like it is older than mine, which my Dad also had & I remember him getting it when I was pretty young, in the 1950's !! I think braided cord went out in the 50s !! 

Thanks, John  

[Frank53]

I use a lot of my Dad's old tools, including this one:

Can't imagine how old this is - when did they stop using braided electrical cords?

[otftch]

Give me a set of test wires and a test light and I can figure out anything.

                                                                                   Ed

[kpolak]

A small set of pliers, and cutters, with a wide flat (1/4-inch wide) face, also a hand held sheet metal break.  The break works great for straightening those Geep handrails, and the aluminum doors on the operating milk cars.  Remember to protect the face on the break or you'll get knurling on whatever you are clamping.

Kurt

[Roger Bielen]

It depends what phase of a project I'm in.  If benchwork, a powered mitre saw, a cordless drill and level.  For wiring I have a small pair of wire stripper/cutter than are invaluable and a VOM.  With the current activity of redoing passenger cars, a good used tooth brush and an aluminum, through away, roasting pan.

As I said, it all depends what today's job is.

[Frank53]

This little level has earned it's pay with me.

Most of teh work I have done on my layout is either ascending or descending due to the small space I have to work with. I have to keep the trackside industries fully upright. I have no idea where my Dad got it, but I know it sat around his workbench for a long time.

[Dave Farquhar]

My wife thinks I use vise grips for everything. They're great for holding a piece while I work on it, as a clamp in a pinch, for clamping onto the sides of stripped screws for removal, for yanking out track pins, and I'm sure I use them for at least 50 other things too.

[dwiemer]

A great little screw driver that I got from The Train-Station. it has phillips head on one side, and slot on the other.  The heads are made specifically for the Lionel screws and it fits about everything.  Another must have is the Dremel Tool, great for cutting track and cleaning up some corrosion.

Dennis

[lionelsoni]

For those who speak only Lionel, "base" is American Flyer for "transformer common".

[Sturgeon-Phish]

This is my power unit when working on trains or accesories.  It is an 8B 100 watt transformer with built in breaker, with a voltmeter and ammeter on the track terminals.  The power clips are color codeed and are base white, red track (variable) and two black 15volt, one is continious, the other black clip is 15volt connected to the pushbutton PBNO switch.  There is a wooden dowel to hold the clips when not in use to prevent shorting things out.  This is mounted on a piece of plywood so it is portable, so after working on a loco on the bench, I can move the rig to the test track an see how the loco works on the track with a load, if in spec.  In the picture the rig is attached to my test track.

Jim 

[Frank53]

Is that how you do that!!!!!!

that be it - would never get all these deck slats the same size without it!

[Buckeye Riveter]

For scratchbuilding structures from wood slatting - this is the cat's butt:

The "Chopper" lets you set up and cut equal length slats at a number of different angles - really great for making loading docks or structures with slatted siding.

Is that how you do that!!!!!!

[A&Y Ry]

Mini needle-nosed vise grip pliers, long-nosed pliers, lineman's pliers. diagonal pliers, umpteen scredrivers of all sizes, Weller soldering gun, 4 oz. ballpeen hammer, awl, wire stripper, many sizes of clamps and wooden spring-loaded clothespins, spray bottles, several drills, Moto Tool, spiral saw, allen wrenches, AC volt and amp meters, vise, table-mounted lighted magnifier, hot wire cutter,razor knives, hobby knife, razor saw, mini-files,metal straight edges, and asprin,etc, for "train-back" and "train-neck" (for after working under layout).

[dougdagrump]

To me, the 2 most essential tools are knowledge and a sense of humor. All the conventional tools I've used have just been pulled from my tool box. And I really can't pick any that were "essential" But knowledge is the one thing that moves me forward when I'm in a jam or can't figure something out. I ask a question here and get the right answer much more often than not. When I can't seem to do anything right, a strong sense of humor comes in handy. Otherwise, my train room would have a lot of holes in the walls from things being thrown at a high velocity.

Jim 

And if none of the above work "One Big Hammer".

[cnw1995]

A small pair of needlenose pliers - I use them for everything - grabbing, adjusting, bending.

A small regular screwdriver with a flared head. It can work on both smallest and the largest screws and leverage things open too.

A surgical scapel - it's more than five years old and still extremely sharp. I use it to mark or nick very delicate items.

[Frank53]

For scratchbuilding structures from wood slatting - this is the cat's butt:

The "Chopper" lets you set up and cut equal length slats at a number of different angles - really great for making loading docks or structures with slatted siding.

[Anonymous]

A foam engine cradle.  No need to buy a fancy one.  Start with a cheap piece of 6" X 6" X 18" cushion foam.  Just cut out a central channel roughly 3" X 3" X 14" with a sharp box knife.  Neatness doesn't count either, just as long as you don't cut through the sides.

This jig comes in handy for any number of jobs.  Soldering, disassembly, lubrication, etc.  It holds the work steady and saves the finish.

Bruce Webster