Thanks for the info!I obtained my 1666 from Trainz for a decent price but the tender was missing.
philo426 Yes I was thinking of getting a 2056 if I can find one at a bargain price
Yes I was thinking of getting a 2056 if I can find one at a bargain price
I've got one of those too, and it's a great engine! A good solid puller and pretty awesome looking on the tracks. I call mine "The Bruiser!"
Interestingly it's, well I won't say scarce, but Lionel only made them for one year only, 1952. It was kind of a dodge around Korean War era price controls and was made without Magne-Traction since Lionel couldn't get the magnets at the time. It doesn't miss the Magne-Traction though, it'll pull a fifteen car freight consist with no problems.
A very good and historic piece to have. For what it's worth I paid $150 for the one I've got at a train show several years ago. Money well spent.
Be patient, they're out there. And like most post-wars I've seen the prices are getting very reasonable as the demand drops. OK, there's some hard-head exhibitors at train shows who still think it's the 1990's but they're in the minority.
I should add though that the only post-wars that are still bringing the big bucks are the ones that are in brand-new condition and with the original box and papers. If they've got wear on them, no.
Hey, even prices on Lionel 736 Berkshires with wear on them are slowly dropping.
PS: A good place to look for post-wars is https://www.trainz.com. They have a pretty good selection of post-wars (depending on availability of course) and the prices are very reasonable. Personally I don't like to mail order certain items preferring to see them before I spend the money (I'm very patient, I do my post-war shopping at train shows) but trainz.com has an excellent reputation so I wouldn't have any worries about buying from them if I was so inclined. At the moment I'm not looking for anything in particular anyway.
https://www.trainz.com
You know, one thing I've really been having fun with is a Lionel 2035 from 1950. I wanted one after seeing Becky's on one of her videos. I finally found a decent one at a train show earlier this year. Heavy and chunky I call it "The Blockbuster" And I just love that thing to death! What a dramatic little beast!
Got it cheap too, which makes it even better!
So true
philo426 Me too just love the motion and the noise with trouble Free operation.
Me too just love the motion and the noise with trouble Free operation.
You know, I've got modern MTH and Lionel steamers with the synchronized "chug-chug" and smoke which is nice but in fact I can really do without it. The dramatic motion of a steam engines machinery and plain old whistle is all I need. The post-wars I've been getting lately more than fill the bill.
philo426 Yes that is a good option if your track is not really set up for reverse operation.
Yes that is a good option if your track is not really set up for reverse operation.
Right, to minimise hassles I run on closed loops with no switches and hardly ever run anything in reverse anyway.
That works too, although I haven't needed to do so.
What I have done is taken post-wars with blown E-units and hard-wired the pick-ups directly to the motors. They ran forward-only but at least they ran!
Or, you pull the boards entirely and hot wire the motors for 3 rail DC operation which is what I had to do with my PS2 locomotives after they lost their minds.
Same me, different spelling!
Yes go for the tried and true easily repairable option.
philo426 Yes because electronics can fail and if you can't switch it over to conventional control You end up with attractive loco shaped paperweights.
Yes because electronics can fail and if you can't switch it over to conventional control You end up with attractive loco shaped paperweights.
There it is. You can bring them back to conventional control life with a Dallee Electronics drop-in E-unit board, I've done it on two dead engines (not Lion Chiefs) and it's not hard, the directions are easy to follow.
The boards cost $99.95 for twin-motor engines, $59.95 for single motor engines, and are good for either AC or DC motors. Very reasonable in my opinion. It's a lot better than the paperweight option!
At any rate I'm only purchasing post-war or MPC era engines for the forseeable future, I've got all the cool modern stuff the previous eras I mentioned didn't cover that I need. Unless one comes along I didn't KNOW I needed!
philo426 What do you think of the Lion Chief system?
What do you think of the Lion Chief system?
This may get me in trouble but...
Honestly, not very much. I don't like the remote-only method of control, nor do I like the lack of a transformer. As I understand it the Lion Chief starter sets use a power pack that plugs into a wall socket and a cable that plugs directly into the track.
In my opinion, and I realise I'm a fossil, the more you complicate things with electronics the greater the chances of failure. Circuit boards can last 20+ years or they can blow tomorrow, you just never know.
I've seen Lion Chief engines for sale as separate items which looked pretty good, but with no conventional control option I'm not interested.
As far as I'm concerned starter sets should be packaged as conventional transformer control, there's much less to go wrong. The end user can build on that foundation or not as they choose. If I was shopping for a starter set for someone I'd be on the lookout for an older "New Old Stock" conventional control set.
However, I have no problem with Lion Chief+, those have a conventional control option which plain Lion Chief doesn't have. I have a Lion Chief+ engine and I'm very happy with it.
Art YoungI wish someone still made the Bantams. They were the PERFECT starter sets.
Absolutely! A great entry-level package and better than anyone elses, simple and reliable with good track and transformer and no "gee-whiz" electronics to confuse a beginner. The buyer could build on it (which I did) or use it once a year around the Christmas tree if that's all that was needed.
I wish they'd bring it back as well but I'm not holding my breath.
Yes the performance is remarkable given their entry level price point
I wish someone still made the Bantams. They were the PERFECT starter sets. Scale engines and cars can always come later if the owner decides to go that way, but traditional size is forever!
Yes the tank superstructure is totally scratch built by me out of 80 styrene,along with the kit based turrets and other details.
Yes Colts modular manufacturing process allowed the quick change out of cylinder or barrell possible.
pennytrains Actually that's a bit better firing rate than I suspected. I always heard that a trained man could only fire three "aimed shots" per minute with a muzzle loader.
Actually that's a bit better firing rate than I suspected. I always heard that a trained man could only fire three "aimed shots" per minute with a muzzle loader.
Three shots a minute was pretty much the case with the rifled muskets of the Civil War period. There was a slight bit of resistance ramming the Minie' balls down the rifled barrel which slowed the process somewhat.
Smoothbore muskets with their undersized bullets could be loaded more quickly since there was less resistance in the ramming process.
philo426 Thanks!it is actually a Russian design and features 3 T-28 tank turrets.
Thanks!it is actually a Russian design and features 3 T-28 tank turrets.
Interesting! It's a beast anyway you look at it!
philo426 You ought to o try loading a 1851 Navy fast...not really happening..
You ought to o try loading a 1851 Navy fast...not really happening..
I've got one of those too. Yep, no way to speed up the process.
One thing that was done back in the old days was to carry spare loaded cylinders. If you've ever seen the film "Gettysburg" during the fight for Little Round Top you can see Jeff Daniels (as Colonel Chamberlain) reloading his Colt 1860 Army revolver in just that manner.
philo426 Ok sounds good!
Ok sounds good!
Just in case anyone's curious here's that nice young Mr. Brandon demonstrating the military method of loading a Brown Bess. He takes his time with the demonstration but be advised in the 18th Century soldiers were trained to do this in fifteen seconds. Yes, it can be done. I tried it once myself, but only once. There's no reason to do it now strictly for safety reasons, especially with live ammo. (Unless you're a re-enactor doing it with blank loads.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YleUgqTFHHQ
By the way, great job on that armored "tank" car! It looks a lot like something the Germans had during WW2.
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