The pot of coffee is always on [even after 2 years have passed]. Come on in. Sweet ice tea too.

[ChiefEagles]

Got 1/2 inch of rain. Not much lightning. It hailed twice. No real damage. The last time it was running off the front stoop roof and looked like some one shoveling it off. It was the size of the ice cubes from the ice maker. Can't believe it did not damage garden. Guess plants too small. Watching the God Father Part III on AMC. Another line headed our way. Chat later.

[1688torpedo]

Hello All! Thanks for the prayers for my Father's Cousin in Connecticut. Hope Chuck has a speedy recovery. He has had it rough lately here. Mitch- That 1688 set is indeed a good buy & was made in the 1941-42 era just before Lionel shut down train production for the war. Usually 1688 sets in that condition will sell for around $ 175.00-$ 225.00 without the set or individual boxes. In order to get the white mildew off the Drive Wheels just spritz them with some WD-40 & that will clean them up very nicely. Looks like the Front Truck needs a new screw also judging from the photo you took of the engine. 1688s will not run well on 022 Switch Tracks as the Wheel Flanges are no match for the 022s. You need prewar 0-27 or Marx switch tracks for 1688s as they will run flawlessly over them. However they do not like 022s or Modern 0-27s as they are a mismatch for a 1688 as well & they do know the difference in switch tracks as well. They do not fool easily.[;)][:P][:)] Also keep both ends of the Armature Shaft oiled but not to excess as they turn at a high RPM & run like a Hemi so be careful if you run it on a tabletop layout & put up a barrier around the perimiter of the layout if you do so. If you need anything for your 1688 just let me know & I'll help you out. P.S. Your set is all original as Black 1688s came in sets with a Brown 2682 Caboose,Silver Sunoco Tank Car,and a Baby Ruth Boxcar with Maroon Roof & no picture of Candy Bar on the side.Plus, your set has Box Couplers instead of Latch Couplers that came on sets made in the late 30's Around 1940 However some of the 1688 sets had a Orange Shell Tank Car,Red Caboose, & Baby Ruth Boxcars with a Picture of the Candy Bar on the sides & a Green,Blue,Peacock, or Aqua Roof. with latch or Box Couplers as that was a Tranisition year for couplers on the 027 sets & a few other details also for the Freight Cars. Also in 1941-42 some of the numbers were changed from the 2600 series back to the 1680 series for the Freight Cars as is the case with your train set here. Take Care all.

[laz 57]

MITCH, Great find at $70 buck you got a steal.
KIETH, 1688 TORPEDO, is the man, GURU, for those engines, have fun with it.

laz57

[mitchelr]

1688torpedo-Keith- Thanks for all the information regarding my 1688 set. I love the looks of the train. It will negotiate the switches, but you are right it doesn't like it. You are also right in that it runs like a scalded dawg. My layout is in a tiny little room and it wraps around the walls with a bridge across the door that fold down so I can get in the room. No worries about it flying off the edge of the table. Thanks for the tip about the WD40 to get rid of the mildew on the wheels. I had noticed the screw missing. Do you know what size screws held in the front truck? Also the whistle is screeching so I think I will open up the tender and lubricate it. My buddy seemed to think it was the only Lionel on the table of a Flyer guy and he really wanted to get rid of it and didn;t know how to price it or just dumped it to get rid of it. I bought it within 15 minutes of getting inside Friday AM in the Silver Hall.

I wonder how the 1688 would make out on Fastrack. I am thinking of getting a loop of Fastrack to put on a platform or run around the Christmas tree?

Thanks again,

Mitch

[tmcc man]

Chief I think we got around 2 inches here, and it is still coming down hard.
Mitch very nice find, I like that set. Keith is the guy to go to for those sets.
Keith prayers for your Father's cousin.

[1688torpedo]

Hello Mitch! I've a couple of original (used screws) for the 1688 front truck. If you want them Just e-mail me & I'll be happy to send them to you for free. So the guy you bought it from did not know how to price it? Whats his name?[;)][:P] Need to know.[:o)][:D] Just kidding. You got the buy of the century though. I bet that even Bruce is not that lucky picking up Corvairs at Bargain Prices[:D][:o)][:P][;)] Colin- Thank You for the prayers for my Father's Cousin. You're a fine young man & I hope you stay that way for the rest of your life. Folks will respect you for it & you'll go a long way in life. Just remember that. Take Care all.

[1688torpedo]

Hello Mitch! Forgot to answer your question about Fastrack for your 1688. I've no experience with Fastrack. However, Your best bet may be to take the 1688 to a Train Shop or a friend with a Fastrack Layout & see how it runs on it & make your decision based on that. Lots of folks love Fastrack. Others hate it for its noise. I've heard that Most Engines clear Fastrack Switches with no problem & since a 1688 is a little guy they may like Fastrack as well. Give it a try & see. Also, spray some WD-40 on the siderods to help get some of the rust off or use a dremal buffer wheel tool to clean them & chrome polish & you're all set. Take care.

[tschmidt]

Mitch - That's a nice set of cars. It sounds like you got a good deal. i hope it works well for you.

TomS

[tschmidt]

Go Sabres!!! Just watched our Buffalo Sabres win their first playoff game in many years. It was a tough game against Philly and the Philly goaltender was great. It's been fun and exciting all year watching these young guys play hockey.

Now on to Game 2 on Monday...
TomS

[More to restore]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 1688torpedo

1688s will not run well on 022 Switch Tracks as the Wheel Flanges are no match for the 022s. You need prewar 0-27 or Marx switch tracks for 1688s as they will run flawlessly over them. However they do not like 022s or Modern 0-27s as they are a mismatch for a 1688 as well & they do know the difference in switch tracks as well.

Thanks Keith, now I get it...
I recently have put new drive wheels on my 1688E and it drove wobbly over my modern 027 switches. I did understand it, so I started to change the wheel-wheel distance and that worked a bit on negociating the switches better, but the rods started to hit the shell.
Strange though that the 1666E runs perfectly over modern 027 switches and the 1688E not [:(]

[mitchelr]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tschmidt

Go Sabres!!! Just watched our Buffalo Sabres win their first playoff game in many years. It was a tough game against Philly and the Philly goaltender was great. It's been fun and exciting all year watching these young guys play hockey.

Now on to Game 2 on Monday...
TomS

Tom - I was just watching SportsCenter on ESPN. What a hit they put on that kid from Philly. I wonder if he knows his own name yet this morning.[;)] What a great OT win!

Mitch

[mitchelr]

Good morning from Gettysburg. More wet weather on the way, We could use the rain. Hope it dries out soon or I'll have to get some one to bale the grass in the backyard once I get to cut it.

Any of you OTTS guys hear from Spankybird? He hasn't posted in a few days.

Have a great day.

Mitch[8D]

[ChiefEagles]

Goooood Sunday Morning. WE GOT RAIN. More came last night. [:D] Going to "late" church today. Wife's little chimers play then. I have to disassemble tables and etc afterwards. Sausage biscuits and coffeee for breakfast. Will call Chuck's wife this afternoon and get room telephone number. Then we can call him and cheer him up. Chat later. God bless all.

[csxt30]

Good Morning Everyone !! What a day yesterday was ! I went back to hook up my gas gauge, from the big tank repair job last week & got the gauge fixed & went to pull out of the drive, and no brakes !! Spent the rest of the day installing new brake lines & bleeding the brakes. All set again !!
Mitch :nice set you got at York !!
Hope Chuck is doing well .
Hope everyone has a nice day !
Thanks,

[spankybird]

Good Morning All from NE Ohio

where the temp is 51 and going up to 72 with a chance of t-storms this afternoon.

OTTS Meeting this Friday. Anyone wishing to join us can e-mail me for directions. Updates on York and OTTS meetings with MTH and Lionel for the museum.

We had a woman come in and asked if we could design and build a layout for her son’s birthday. So, we have been very busy building this custom layout at the museum. We will post a separate thread on it.

Hope Chuck is doing well.

Pick of the Day


All be safe
Tom

[laz 57]

HI GIZ,
Damp at 49 to get to 70?
They say thinder storms this after but it seems we'll get more rain before that happens.
Got 2+ inches yesterday.
TOM, sounds like you might go into the business of building layouts?
All have a good one.
laz57

[Roger Bielen]

CSX John - good thing you found you had no breaks in the driveway and not at the first intersection you came to.

Rained most of the day yesterday, beautiful today. I just finished aerating the lawn since the ground was soft from the rain.

[mitchelr]

Keith- 1688 Torpedo

I am starting a new topic on replacing drivers on the 1688. Any help would be appreciated.

Mitch

[jefelectric]

Good afternoon all,

Tom, Everyone has been wondering where you were. Now we know, busy building layouts. Maybe while you are at it you can build one for the Chief.

Mitch, Sounds like you are hooked on the 1688! Have fun.

John, I guess the transmission is the only thing left to worry about. Oops, hope I didn't jinx you.

Just had a train wreck. Was running trains with Grandson and went to turn power on to a siding. Hit the wrong switch and sent full track voltage to a conventional trainmaster sitting on another siding which plowed into the back of a freight sitting on the main. It really looked nasty, but could find no damage other than derailed caboose, 2 freight cars & the Trainmaster. Of course it blew the 10A in line fuse I have on the old ZW.

So far we have gotten 2.2" of rain. We really needed it. That should almost bring us up the normal rainfall level for the year.

[tschmidt]

Good Sunday afternoon everyone. It is rainy here today and cool with temps in the 50's. i am glad that some of you guys who needed rain are getting it. Hopefully it will be enough to help.

Mitch - You're right, that poor guy took a nasty check. I think he still thinks he's on a beach somewhere. I was glad it was a clean hit and not a cheap shot. Are you a Philly fan?

I think I'll watch a little hockey and some F1 racing this afternoon.

Enjoy the day!
TomS

[tschmidt]

Good Sunday afternoon everyone. It is rainy here today and cool with temps in the 50's. i am glad that some of you guys who needed rain are getting it. Hopefully it will be enough to help.

Mitch - You're right, that poor guy took a nasty check. I think he still thinks he's on a beach somewhere. I was glad it was a clean hit and not a cheap shot. Are you a Philly fan?

I think I'll watch a little hockey and some F1 racing this afternoon.

Enjoy the day!
TomS

[tschmidt]

OK, tell me how I wound up putting a double post up of the same thing?[%-)][oops]

TomS

[csxt30]

Roger : Yes, your not kidding !! My driveway is only about a hundred feet from an intersection, too ! Glad you metioned that, as I forgot what could have hapened if I hadn't tried the brakes before going out the driveway ! [:D]
John : Funny you mentioned the transmission going next, cause I overloaded the truck a couple yrs. ago, & it has been slipping ever since !! Just when I start out a little, but I'm used to it now !! I plan on teaching my boy how to change a transmission later !! [:D][:D]
Thanks,

[mitchelr]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tschmidt

OK, tell me how I wound up putting a double post up of the same thing?[%-)][oops]

TomS

TomS,

Beats me. I have done the same thing. Not really a hockey fan. I watch but don't have a favorite team.

It is drying out here. I may get to cut the grass if the sun stays out.

Mitch[:D]

[Anonymous]

OMG YOUR ALL ADULTS THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL A FRIENDLY GATHERING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

[jefelectric]

Colin & Laz, Don't know if you guys are aware of it but a book was written 2002 about the construction and life of the Rockville Bridge. It is by Dan Cupper and is quite interesting. It is loaded with pictures, most in B&W up to the modern era. The present bridge was finished in 1902, it replaced an iron bridge built in 1877. That bridge replaced the first one which was built of wood in 1849.

[ChiefEagles]

QUOTE: Originally posted by spankybird

[We had a woman come in and asked if we could design and build a layout for her son’s birthday. So, we have been very busy building this custom layout at the museum. We will post a separate thread on it.
All be safe
Tom

Tom, new occupation for you. Start building custom layouts. [:)]

Chuckster News: In his own room now. [:D] Has his own morphine pump. [:0] Right side really hurts from broken rib.

Room number is 440-816-8231 Don't be shy, give him a call.

Later.

[mitchelr]

Chief,

Sorry to hear Chuck is hurting. I will keep him in my prayers hoping for a quick recovery. I know he will enjoy calls from members.

Thanks for the update.

Mitch [:D]

[wrmcclellan]

Evening Folks!

I posted the CTT Forum Gang photos we took at York over on the Sunday Photo Fun thread. Sure enjoyed meeting the forumites and getting some time to talk with Bob K, Neil B. and Kent J. of CTT. There was a huge mob to grab buttons when they handed them out at 9 am Friday. Looked like someone stepped on a fire ant mound when they opened the Orange Hall door that was right by the CTT booth.

Had a great time in York as usual. Bought some of Dave Baran's DM&M RR Co. telephone poles for the layout. They are very nice. Ordered a NYC Express Reefer (convert from a troop car) from Weaver (just a few left!). Bought a Weaver NYC MoW crew car (another convert from troop car). Picked up another 3 PW 6656 cattle cars for my Williams UP ALCos unit cattle train I have been assembling the last year or so. Also picked up 3 Lionel NYC milk cars to go with my Lionel milk car train that goes with the CCII Niagara. Hope to get some of this stuff over to the club layout this week and get some photos and video for next Sunday photo fun.

Chief, great news about Chuck. I will give him a day to wear off the morphine effects and give him a call.

Have a great evening all!
Roy

[csxt30]

[#welcome] Back Roy & everyone that went to York !! Nice pctures of the boys on the Photo Fun Page !! I'll have to go someday & meet up with everyone !! You guys are having all the fun !! [:D]
I think I'll wait a bit to call Chuck too . I'm really glad he may be over that illness. Hope he isn't in too much pain, though.
Thanks,