Williams vs Lionel 2400 cars

[SPFan]

I currently have no Lionel 2400 cars but have the GP7 Conventional Classic set on order. I have read where the current Lionel cars have the vestibule windows filled it. Looking at pictures of the Williams cars it looks like they are open with translucent window material like the PW cars.
How do the Williams cars compare with the original PW cars in size and detail and do they have metal frames and trucks or plastic?

Pete

[ogauge]

I don't know about the Williams cars, but I two am curious about how "original" the new  conventional classics cars will be!

[chuck]

The cars from a few years back had stamped metal frames and diecast trucks with fast angle wheel sets.  I'm not sure if this is still the case since the take over.

[lionelsoni]

My 2432, 2434, and 2435 had silhouettes in the vestibule windows when I bought them new; and the 2436 Summit had translucent vestibule windows but no silhouettes.  A 2436 Mooseheart bought later has open, empty vestibule windows.

[SPFan]

Thanks guys for the info. I am surprised no one has any Williams cars to compare with.

Pete

[okiechoochoo]

I do know Williams cars have metal frames but can't remember for sure about the windows.

[steinmike]

 Pete:

I have a "small fleet" of 42 2400-type cars that I've acquired over the years (don't ask me why, it just happened...) including all three varieties, some post-war 2400's, the MPC / Lionel re-issues, and the Williams reproductions.  The Williams cars are virually identical to the best of the post-war 2400's with dual pickups and they run great paired with the post-war 2400's although the interior lights are brighter.

In comparison, the MPC and Lionel re-issues (including some of their recent cars with dual pickups) are gathering a lot more "box" time than rail time.  I'm gradually refitting most of the earlier MPC re-issues with newer trucks with dual pickups and adding two ounces of weight to improve their track handling since the cars are very light and the truck rivets are not always as tight as could be.

Haven't seen if there are any changes to these cars since Bachmann acquired Williams, but guessing not.  So far have not been dissapointed with any Williams product.

Hope this helps,

Mike     

[lionelsoni]

Mike, while you're adding pickups to passenger cars, I'm taking them off.  I get steadier light by using a single pickup with a rectifier and capacitor.  This also eliminates any danger of burning out the internal wiring between the pickups, which can happen under some circumstances.

[steinmike]

Bob:

I have been tempted to do that as well but was a little leary of putting a rectifier and capacitor in the MPC/Lionel plastic bodied cars with no metal frame (the post-war 2400's are great - as long as the track and the rollers are clean, have no problem with flickering).  If the heat is minimal, please let me know and I'll give this a shot on the next few MPC/Lionel 2400's that come up for maintenance. Would a 50 PIV capacitor be the right thing to use or would this be overkill?

I'm not too worried about the internal wiring in the cars burning out since I have multiple track feeders and three 12 gauge bus wires running under the layout (one for variable AC, one for common, and fixed voltage for accessories) - but your point is well taken.   

Pete: BTW, missed one of your questions - the Williams cars have metal frames, just like the originals.

Regards all,

Mike   

[lionelsoni]

There's no significant heat.  I use 16-volt, 5000-microfarad capacitors from a lot I salvaged years ago.  They tolerate the overvoltage; but I would recommend a prudent 35 volts to anyone else.  I use the little 1.4-ampere bridges so that there is no unbalanced load on the transformer.  The plastic cars are much easier to do because the lamps are already isolated, which is a requirement when using a bridge rectifier.

[SPFan]

 Pete:

I have a "small fleet" of 42 2400-type cars that I've acquired over the years (don't ask me why, it just happened...) including all three varieties, some post-war 2400's, the MPC / Lionel re-issues, and the Williams reproductions.  The Williams cars are virually identical to the best of the post-war 2400's with dual pickups and they run great paired with the post-war 2400's although the interior lights are brighter.

This is what I was beginning to expect. I have been extremely satisfied with the Williams "copies" and was a little surprised when I saw the pics of the LCCA New Haven set. I would prefer Lionel Lines on these cars and hope Lionel does them right with the Conventional Classic series.

Pete

[krapug1]

Another option is the K-Line Streamliner cars that Lionel is still making under the K-Line By Lionel banner. The "steamlighting" feature that K-Line offered works well and the cars stay lit nicely.

These cars are a bit longer than the 2400's, but they are the same height, and most come with full interiors, earlier models have the passenger shiloutes. K-Line made them under about 1 dozen roadnames, with the Union Pacific, Long Island Railroad, and New Haven may personal favorites.
Lionel is offering a re-issue of the New Haven set, with slightly revised livery.

As an example I had a set of the Lionel LTI Union Pacific cars that I sold off when I found the K-Line, City of L.A. set (the matching Alco is well detailed as well).

The 027 sized streamlined cars that MTH offers are a very different animal, the K-Line cars can fit into a fleet of 2400's pretty well.

Ken