Hello- Warning- Newbie on board! ;-)

[Anonymous]

New to the board. Looking for a place to talk about Lionel trains. Can I jump onboard? [8D]

My interest in Lionel trains: I have a large set from the 1950’s that I inherited from my dad. Primarily a Santa Fe freighter set from 1950 that was added onto throughout my dad’s childhood years. It’s all in great shape and I usually set it up around the house during the Christmas holidays. I have acquired a few new cars and track pieces after I inherited it in 1988. I have gone to a few show/swaps and gotten replacement parts for the engines and other accessories. It has over 100 feet of track with many cars and accessories that still operate. It’s a lot of fun to set up and run and brings back many fond childhood memories. I’d like to post some pictures to share when I get the chance.

I was at Al’s Hobbies this week asking about new Lionel stuff. I asked the guy about buying a cheapy engine to pull my old Lionel set around and take the wear off my old Santa Fe F3’s. I was surprised to hear him tell me how the engines in the 50’s were actually “over-engineered” and that the engine should last a lifetime. I then asked him; “My lifetime, or my dads?” Well my dad is gone, but the train still runs. [;)] So as per his recommendations, I will be running my 50+ year old Santa Fe train again this holiday season. [:D]

I’m primarily an HO slot car enthusiast with a large fully landscaped HO racing layout in an addition in my house. (you can see my track link in my profile) We have a club that usually operates around the winter season here in Chicago, with three different large tracks for our local circuit.

Regards,
Scott
Chicago

[Roger Bielen]

Let me be the first to welcome you to the forum and O-gauge railroading.

As to running your '50's vintage engine, as long as it's kept lubricated, not overly, it should have many hours left on it. I'm still using my original 1947 engine that has had enough running time to wear the drive wheels almost razor sharp and has recently been converted to Command Control (TMCC). If you haven't already had it done it might not be a bad idea to have the electrical components, engine and transformer, checked by you local hobby service tech..

Enjoy your trains for many years to come and have a Merry Christmas.

[turbine682]

Welcome aboard! I have a Lionel Turbine 682 (built 54 or 55) that just laughs at pulling 10+ post-war cars a low speeds, soooooo you shouldn't be too concerned about the pulling power of these old behemoths. (Just need to keep your roster well-maintained) A modern Lionel 4-6-2 that came with a boxed set just sat and spun with half the tonnage.

Merry Xmas and Happy Railroading!

[Anonymous]

Hi, Scott!
In my basement, five trains run around the walls, and in the center, a 4 x 14, 4 lane HO slot car track, still under construction. I'll be doing some last minute stuff to have it ready for my Christmas Party on the 27th.
We're running stock Life-Like cars, and everyone's getting Parma 35 ohm controllers and new cars from Santa. Shortly after the new year, I plan on purchasing a Super G+ for ME!
Each lane is powered by an Aurora 20 volt transformer, and I want to set up a computerized lap counter. Do you have a ballpark figure on the cost of a basic setup using photocells?
Good luck with your Dad's trains. I regularly run immediate postwar trains (late 40's), and with regular maintenance, you'll be able to enjoy yours for decades!

Scot

[Big_Boy_4005]

Welcome to our world. It sounds as if the bug has bitten you. Congratulations, you have found the correct forum to discuss your trains. I have been "playing" with Lionel trains for over 30 years.

Ten years ago I had a layout that was on public display. The trains ran 7 days a week, 10 hours a day. That was a true torture test for toy trains. I seriously doubt you will abuse your inheritence as badly as that, but they can wear out even with proper maintainence. The good news is that for almost every moving part, a replacement part is available. Dont' worry, have fun!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. Yep I'll be digging out the train boxes soon once I finish some last minute shopping. I know I'll get buried in that train so gotta make sure the time is there.

Hey Scot!
The track timing software I run is from Trakmate.
www.infoserve.net/oss/slotcar

It is a great piece of software and a 4 lane DOS version is only $50 USD, complete with infra-red sensors. You can also order it for reed switches or dead strip. They also are producing a Windows version for $120. The software is upgradeable and there are a lot of cool options like track relay implement and track call buttons.

Look around while you're there. He sells power supplies and other stuff too. There are some old pictures of my track somewhere in there too. My track has a very elaborate LED timing tower that I built from scratch and is driven by a special version of Trakmate that Daniel wrote for me. You can learn more about it at my HO club web site in my profile. Scot, you can also go to my Motorsports BBS to talk and learn more about HO slot cars if you want.

http://www.planetofspeed.com/discus

Sorry to get off "track" here but had to share the other hobby bug. I'll be back with more train stuff soon. [:)]

Thanks,
Scott

[Big_Boy_4005]

You're forgiven, but watch it.[;)]