Most likely this pulpwood car that my grandfather had on his HO layout back in the 1950's and 1960's, only known remaining piece of rolling stock left. I did a little update on it a couple years back, but it still needs some work.
Used to be the Rock Island road name on it, I need to find some RI decals.
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
I have an engine so old that I don't know how old it is. Here is a Varney 4-6-0. It no longer runs, but I have it on display.
Roger Hensley= ECI Railroad - http://madisonrails.railfan.net/eci/eci_new.html == Railroads of Madison County - http://madisonrails.railfan.net/ =
The oldest in terms of personal ownership and likelihood of still being used are these. Old, cheap, early Bachmanns bought 1969-70. (Have some older HO as recent pickups) Did fill in the roofwalk holes in the last 4 years on 3 of them.
gmpullman riogrande5761 With all the old codgers on this forum, I'm sure you've picked a topic that will thrill them and not be disappointed. Hey! I Represent That!! Still, as far as the layout goes I'm with Rio Grande in that I have weeded most of the Athearn Blue Box et al out and replaced them with cars having a slightly higher level of detailing. This LMB, New York central H-10a represents what is probably my oldest locomotive, 1962 era. I already replaced the open frame motor with a can motor, then tested with a keep-alive decoder. After I update a few of the details it will be a pretty handsome addition to the roster. Regards, Ed
riogrande5761 With all the old codgers on this forum, I'm sure you've picked a topic that will thrill them and not be disappointed.
Hey! I Represent That!!
Still, as far as the layout goes I'm with Rio Grande in that I have weeded most of the Athearn Blue Box et al out and replaced them with cars having a slightly higher level of detailing.
This LMB, New York central H-10a represents what is probably my oldest locomotive, 1962 era.
I already replaced the open frame motor with a can motor, then tested with a keep-alive decoder. After I update a few of the details it will be a pretty handsome addition to the roster.
Regards, Ed
My oldest piece fits more in the CTT forum, but here it is:
It's a Standard Gauge dual motor Lionel #42 made between '21 and '23. Got it all restored, and it still runs great after almost 100 years! It has an interesting AC/DC power selection switch that you don't see on much of anything, because at the time, Edison and Tesla were still competing on America's power system!
As for my oldest HO piece, I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's my Mantua Shark from 1953.
The 1953 version didn't have any extra weight over the rear truck, and traction was very poor as a result. I added lead in back, powered up the motor with a neodymium cube (with a spring to hold it down from the steel plate frame), rewheeled with PSC nickel silver wheelsets, and added wipers for all wheel pickup. It's a little noisy, but it sure runs nice!
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My oldest equipment would be my Minitrix steamers. All three have been custom painted and heavily modified.
The K4 Pacific was remotored by Max Magliaro and now sports a Faulhaber 1319 coreless motor, Bachmann teder trucks and chassis and an LED headlight. I then converted it to DCC using a digitrax DZ123. This engine only sees ocasional use since Bachmann introduced a far supierior model last year.
My I1sa is a complete Frankenstien but it started out as a Minitrix 2-10-0. I slid the shell back so the steam pipe lined up with te cylinders, replaced the stock tender with a Bachman, which looks closer to the prototype and provides all-wheel pickup and converted it to DCC. It's not much of a puller so I don't often run this one either.
Lastly is my B6sb. this is largely stock except for DCC and tender pickup.
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
S. Connor:
Just curious, what voltage does the engine use?
I've heard that some of the early train sets operated on house voltage. That would have been really interesting if something derailed. I'll bet it kept the cat off the tracks!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
A Sunset Prestige PRR "Modern" K4s from, I think, the early 1980s. I've only owned it since February when I needed a K4s to salvage for parts to make my model of K4s 1361. Otherwise, my PRR N5 cabin cars, though purchased within the last year, I don't think have changed much since Bowser first made them in the early '90s. My decorated Red Caboose X29s are from the late '90s according to the instructions sheets.
Alvie
Great thread! I can't compete with most on this thread, but I still have the first engine (Tyco F3, ATSF in solid blue) that was part of my 1st train set that I received for Christmas while in elementary school in mid 70's. Barely runs, but I will never get rid of it, that engine was the start of it all-40 yrs later.
hon30critter S Connor: I think you might have the record here, so far at least. (I have a cottage that was built in 1910 but it hasn't got any wheels so it doesn't count). You said it still runs well. How is it powered (i.e. electricity, wind up....)? Dave
S Connor:
I think you might have the record here, so far at least. (I have a cottage that was built in 1910 but it hasn't got any wheels so it doesn't count).
You said it still runs well. How is it powered (i.e. electricity, wind up....)?
The oldest equipment I have is my dad's Silver Streak N Scale train set from Life Like in the early 90s. We no longer have the the box, ATSF F7, caboose, and some other things that came with it.
I managed to save the Mobile tank car without the bottom half. A gray 50' reefer Bordens, Indian Red Santa Fe 40' boxcar. All of them are missing brake wheels, trucks, wheels, and some other things.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
This Fleischman switcher and work train is my oldest HO equipment. I got this set around 1958.
My oldest would be an Akane 2-8-8-4 Missabe M3/4 Yellowstone given to me in 1966 as a birthday present. It's gone through some re-building, a can motor and conversion to a "never was" Rio Grande 3900 articulated (Rio Grande actually used these Missabe locos during the winters of WWII, so I'm not THAT far off, prototypically). The loco is built like a tank, still runs like a Swiss watch and will haul anything one wants to put behind it. I like it so much I found two more at swap meets.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
My oldest would be a trainset from ahm from late 70's. still have all the cars i belive. The engine a gp-18 has been repowered with a athearn bb frame and motor.
Modeling on the cheap
David:
I love the scratch build!
MisterBeasley This, to the best of my recollection, is my original HO train. It's all Athearn equipment. The engine, a GP9, no longer runs by itelf, but it's a sound dummy and runs as part of a consist. This stuff is from the early 1960s, but the scene is on my present-day layout. I do have some older equipment, bought used back then, but I can't put a date on it.
This, to the best of my recollection, is my original HO train.
It's all Athearn equipment. The engine, a GP9, no longer runs by itelf, but it's a sound dummy and runs as part of a consist.
This stuff is from the early 1960s, but the scene is on my present-day layout. I do have some older equipment, bought used back then, but I can't put a date on it.
Cool also to see a Revelle engine house and Campbell Swift packing plant. Lots of other neat stuff from the early 60s that I can't make out.
Well, I don't have lot of photos handy, but here are a few:
Varney metal reefer - I have about 30-40 of these Varney metal freight cars, A few not built yet, all from the late 50's and early 60's.
Athearn metal freight cars, again, late 50's early 60's, some from my fathers collection, about 30 or so of these as well, again some built, some not yet.
Original Globe/Athearn passenger cars, some built, some not, early 50's, about 6-8 of these early ones, and about 200 Athearn passenger cars from the 60's and 70's.
60's and early 70's production blue box freight cars - these piggybacks have been kit bashed to be more correct - without getting real OCD - about 70 of these piggy backs on the layout.
Lots of Silver Streak wood kits going back as far as the 60's, Athearn metal crane, Roundhouse metal cars, etc.
Too much to even think of photographing......
Sheldon
SovietP36 Here's a discussion tab for you to show off your oldest model railroad equipment-- enjoy!
Here's a discussion tab for you to show off your oldest model railroad equipment-- enjoy!
This is an Ambroid 1 of 5000 kit that I built in 1963. Still running on my layout.
This is a pure scratch build I did in 1964.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
For my HO rolling stock, it would be my Athearn Amtrak "SDP40F" (actually an FP45) that I've had since about 1982. Still runs great as you can see in the video below.
watch?v=SdsQu8yUx M
Kevin
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
My oldest rolling stock is an "all Metal", 250 ton, Athearn Crane made in 1951 according to the instruction sheet that came with the kit. It has operating 3 sheves with cable. Its really heavy too, just like its prototype.
Neat stuff everybody!
I have a penchant for the older stuff, purely for nostalgic purposes. I don't have a lot of it, but I find it very rewarding IMHO to revive an old piece of rolling stock and get it detailed and running properly.
riogrande5761With all the old codgers on this forum, I'm sure you've picked a topic that will thrill them and not be disappointed.
Two HO reefers which were given to me decades ago as a teen by an older modeler who was getting rid of stuff. One is a "pure" paper sided reefer with wood floor and roof. The other is also paper sided (and ended) but the paper is embossed so it looks liked scribed siding.
I assume both are pre World War II.
Both cars have really nice lettering schemes which is the only reason I still run them. Detail on the floor is a lump or two of something that I guess looked like airbrake stuff at the time. The trucks were rather crude and did not run well on NMRA standards track so I replaced them, as well as the Baker couplers.
My oldest running locomotive is also a Mantua 4-6-2 - mine came with metal tender but plastic cab so I assume it is not the earliest run which had a metal cab, but pre 1960 when they went with a plastic tender and perhaps plastic pilot. It runs very smoothly and pulls like the very Dickens. Whether I bother to convert it to DCC or not is questionable.
Dave Nelson
The ancient Tyco streamliner passenger cars on the left are older than my Athearn equipment above, but I got them all used so I can't actually date them.
I've got 5 of them - 2 coaches, a baggage car, dining car and the observation car.
Here they are after the custom paint job.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
RastafarrModel Power Sharknose Diesel
Russell
With all the old codgers on this forum, I'm sure you've picked a topic that will thrill them and not be disappointed. Some of them probably have old rolling stock going back to the Triassic period on the geologic time scale. In my case, I've been selling off a lot of my older equipment and replacing it with much of the newer more accurate rolling stock so I'm not really in the running. I'd be lucky if I had some old Athearn freight cars from the 1970's at best, but probably 1980's since I didn't get back in to HO until around 1983/84.
Edit: Hold the phone, I forgot about the O-27 Lionel Hudson steam engine I still have as a momento. I got that for Christmas when I was 4 years old in 1963. My dad bought it used and I think it was actually a few years old at that point, made around 1958/59. So my oldest train is the Lionel Hudson - missing some wheels and I am not even sure if I have the tender. Still, imagine there are some who have items much older than that.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I have a Model Power RS11 that my late wife gave as a Christmas gift in '71.45 years later it still runs and still has its original X2F couplers. I should locate it (its in one of my storage totes) and put in a display case.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I have a lot of Athearn/MDC BB kit cars from the '70s. With KDs and IM wheelsets, a bit of weathering and a Dull-Cote spray, these cars will last "forever"......
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central