Hi, all! I'll try to keep it as short as possible but I am super new to this and not really sure how to proceed. In short, husband's been wanting a train around the tree for the last couple years now. This year he mentions he wishes he had kept his from childhood - 1976 or '77 christmas present; ready-to-run Tyco trainset likely from Sears or J.C. Penney; locomotive was red & silver Santa Fe diesel. We had tried a couple relatively cheap Christmas themed trains and they went back to the store. He said he was putting it on the back burner until he could put time into finding the right thing. Well - I found something that is pretty close to his train and in good working order, however there are some things missing. In my research while trying to accomplish this (I'm starting to get hooked on model railroading, can you tell?) I've discovered that we may need the following:
Thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide! I've truly enjoyed reading everyone's questions and answers throughout this forum. Photo album below shows the pieces that came in the eBay lot I purchased as well as a clip of the kind of SUPER SIMPLE donut like layout we're wanting to accomplish. I just wasn't sure what radius I need on those curves!
Images for Operation Nostalgic Tyco Christmas!
to the forum! Your first contributions will be moderated, so please be patient.
Ok, so I looked at the pictures. The clips you refer to are called joiners and you have some on the straight tracks you got in your package. They look fine. You will need some to do a full oval. Go for 18" radius track, code 100 track to be precise. Atlas track is probably the easiest to find. They usually come with joiners.
You have a powerpack, you just need some wire to connect the 12V DC (not the accessories) to the track. You can solder directly to the track, or find a track that is called a terminal track that has two screws to connect the wire to. The power pack might not work...
You can put the track straight on the floor if it's flat. Better: cut a piece of plywood and place the track on it. But it's not necessary. Just avoid putting it on carpet.
Finally: that locomotive is quite old... it might not work. If not, it might be up to the future owner to find a replacement. Tycos were designed to run for about one hour (OK, I'm exagerating a bit!), just enough to satisfy a kid before he turns to the next toy. Any DC locomotive in HO scale should work, but modern couplers won't connect to that rolling stock. Another challenge for the future owner I would say.
Simon
Hi Miss A. Welcome to the group, and model railroading, should you stick with it.
The stuff you bought should work fine for a temporary around-the-tree project, but be aware that it is pretty much toy train set quality, not aimed at the more scale model railroad group. The locomotive may not survive much beyond it's initial task!
If you have a hobby shop that sells model railroad equipment, that would be a good place to go to get some advice and equipment. Poor timing though, with the covid situation.
Your track pieces are yellow brass, long obsolete as they conduct electricity poorly. You would do better with Nickel silver track, Atlas code 100 is popular. It comes in 3 foot sections of "Flex track" easily formed to the desired curve. 18 inch radius is kind of the minimum redius you should try to go with on curves. You'll have to trim the ends to make the joints meet. The connectors are called rail joiners, and come in a packet.
You may get a number of suggestions for what to apply it to as a base. One suggestion is a 4x4 foot piece of 3/4 plywood or wafer with a smooth surface.
As you project proceeds, you'll get plenty of advice here, and if you do get into model railroading as a hobby, theres a lot to learn and share. Keep the questions coming. Dan
Edited in: I thought I was making the first reply, Simon beat mt to it,so excuse the repeats! I'll add this: Don't put the track on even short carpet or rug, it will create fuzz problems.
to the forum. There is another thread about someone who is having problems with his track coming apart under the force of the train. The foam I suggested might not be available in your part of the world.
My Tyco set dated from the 60's. The detailing was poor by today's standards. I still remember my Monon gondola, whose sides must have been a scale 8" thick. I wasn't attached to that set at all, but did have locos from the 1980's that I converted to DCC and are keepers.
I hope this starts your husband on a path to a life long hobby.
Flex track requires cutting the track either with a special tool or regular hand tools and then filing the cut area smooth. I love it and that's all I use but I would not recommend it for this project.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Two questions.
1. How nostalgic is your husband? Does it have to be old Tyco stuff?
2. Are you on a tight budget for this project?
I ask because it would make so much more sense to buy newer equipment of higher quality and reliability. That would include a good DC power pack, some Atlas sectional track, and a good Santa Fe Warbonnet locomotive plus some freight cars.
Rich
Alton Junction
I see a Priority Mail box in the photos. I think she bought it already.
Welcome to the forums.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned, in place of a terminal track, you can buy terminal joiners. They replace two rail joiners and have a section of wire to attach to your power pack. I think they come in pairs, for something this small one pair should do.
If your track is brass and you don't want to purchase better until you know this is going to go over alright, get a track cleaning eraser to clean the track before you put it together and fairly often when set up.
There are a lot of knowledgable folks here giving you advice, I'll leave the rest for you to mull over.
Good luck,
Richard
I think everyone has covered everything so far. One thing I would suggest, if this is to be a temporary under the tree layout, is to use roadbed track - track with plastic roadbed attached. It will stay together better for a temporary layout. Otherwise, I hope this is a wonderful present and you all have a great Christmas.
BigDaddy I see a Priority Mail box in the photos. I think she bought it already.
Oh the memories! I had many of those same items under the tree in 1977, too.
Gary
Hello Miss Argentina.
to the Model Railroader forums!
I am also assembling a Tyco train set from my youthful memories... here is what I am doing, and I know a lot of this might not work for you.
Track: I opted for Kato Unitrack and a Kato powerpack. Their HM-1 is the set with everything. This is a very high quality oval of track that will have none of the problems of old train set track or power packs.
This track has the rail joiners and the terminal track built in. The radius are a little larger than traditional train set track, but that is better.
For the locomotive, I bought the good old Tyco Santa Fe #4015 locomotive and the matching Santa Fe caboose.
The locomotive has been retrofitted with a chassis from a different manufacturer for smoother and more reliable operation. This might be beyond what you want to do.
For the freight cars, I have collected the examples that I remember. The Ralston Purina, Heinz 57, Western Maryland Tractor Flat, Santa Fe Piggyback, and Old Dutch Cleanser freight cars.
The train cars that bring back memories for your husband will be different from mine. These five are the only ones that I want. I know I had a lot more Tyco train cars than these, but they are the ones that are meaningful.
I have improved all of the freight cars with body mounted couplers and high quality wheelsets for excellent reliability. Again, this is probably more effort than you need to expend.
I hope something here helped.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Thanks, everyone, for the advice! 1. He's not too nostalgic- we don't have to stick with Tyco at all, but what's in the picture is what I already bought because it's the core of the set he showed me was like his. So yeah - if I got the wrong thing oh well!! Got it on eBay and it has been tested and seller said runs well on a layout, so we'll see. Package is not quite yet in hand.
2. If we're talking model railroading budgeting, then yes I'm on a tight budget. Lol I've been blown away at the prices and the insane layouts people have. Amazing. But I've been fascinated by miniatures since a child. Honestly - I would love to not spend more than $50-60 more for this little project.
Thanks for the input and clarification on so many things, all. The good thing is I'm not waiting til Christmas morning to surprise him, hoping it will all magically come together. Heard of some horror stories there. So he'll be getting it early which will give him more time to play. I just want to go ahead and order or pick up whatever I need to in order to finish it off now. You all have been a great help - I'm sure I'll have more questions!
This thread makes me remember my original Tyco train set that got me started. Yeah, the old red and silver Santa Fe loco gave it up pretty quickly, and the rest of it's long gone, but whenever I see a green Tyco Burlington Northern box car on Ebay or somewhere, it takes me right back!
There's a place for this old nostalgic, not so accurate or detailed train set stuff. sometimes it just makes you smile.
The red and silver Santa Fe Tyco loco was my Dad's, that pulled the passenger train. Mine was the blue and yellow Santa Fe loco - the first train that was truly mine, given to me, not just stuff my parents had that I was allowed to run. The year I got it, I think it would have been 72 or 73, I set it up on the dining room table even though we had the usual train layout set up in the family room like always. I didn't get to have it there for long - we needed the table for guests. But that was my first moment with a proper scale train set that was all mine.
As you move more into the 70's, that's when the Tyco stuff got cheaper and less reliable. Those early 70's F units we had ran many many miles with no problem. First thing to fail actually were the rubber traction tires - mainly because most of the year they were stored in the attic which got very hot over the Summer. One of the last things we bought in the mid 70's was the Life Like Teakettle 0-4-0 - that one didn't last one season, truly one of those "life measured in hours" locos, the side rods fell off and the motor melted. It became a stationary prop.
While the nostalgia is good, I would heed some of the previous advice - the roadbed track (which is the track that comes mounted to palstic 'roadbed') will be much more reliable, not only are there the metal joiners ont he rails, but there are also clips ont he palstic part of most of it which holds it together so that just running the train around won't make the track come part. And it keeps the train slightly up off the floor - even with a tile floor and not carpet, the loco will want to suck in every little spec of dust. Kato is the best, but expensive. Atlas and Bachmann both make the same sort of thing. With the basically 4x4 area, you will need to use 18" radius curves. You'll be able to have one straight piece of track on each of the 4 sides, that's about it. You'll need 12 curved pieces for the full circle, in the Bachmann line the terminal piece is a curve, so you need 11 curve pieces plus one terminal track, which has the wires to connect to the power pack.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
MissArgentina Thanks for the input and clarification on so many things, all. The good thing is I'm not waiting til Christmas morning to surprise him, hoping it will all magically come together. Heard of some horror stories there. So he'll be getting it early which will give him more time to play. I just want to go ahead and order or pick up whatever I need to in order to finish it off now. You all have been a great help - I'm sure I'll have more questions!
Howdy,
Keven showed KATO track which is a good idea for around a tree. Reason being it has a plastic base that elevates the track up off of any carpet etc. This is good if the track is on the floor, carpet or no, because it helps prevent fuzz or animal hair etc from getting into the wheels and especially the motor.
One thing about KATO Unitrack is it comes in a wide variety of curves, from sharp curves to broader or gentle curves. If you really want a circle and not a rectangle, you can get larger curves such as 24" radius, or 26 or even 28. Many hobby shops and online model train dealers carry it. It is a little more expensive that Tyco, but it shouldn't cost an arm and a leg for a circle of it.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
MissArgentina Thanks, everyone, for the advice! 1. He's not too nostalgic- we don't have to stick with Tyco at all, but what's in the picture is what I already bought because it's the core of the set he showed me was like his. So yeah - if I got the wrong thing oh well!! Got it on eBay and it has been tested and seller said runs well on a layout, so we'll see. Package is not quite yet in hand. 2. If we're talking model railroading budgeting, then yes I'm on a tight budget. Lol I've been blown away at the prices and the insane layouts people have. Amazing. But I've been fascinated by miniatures since a child. Honestly - I would love to not spend more than $50-60 more for this little project.
Regarding your budget of $50 to $60, that's about what I started out with when I got into HO scale modeling. My cumulative spending on this hobby, some 17 years later, would have been enough to buy a new car. So, in some ways, you better hope that your hubby doesn't get too enthusiastic about his new hobby.
Well not sure if it was the right way to go, but for now its the way I went! We have a 4x4 piece of ply, we've got cork, we've got sheet insulation (we build theater sets) so we can mount whatever we need to. And I was able to get it cheap - I think that was the deciding factor. Yes it's code 100 but I think we've established this train ain't supposed to be high end, maw. So...Atlas code 100 nickel-silver 18 degree curves and straight terminal track. Got it for a steal. I'm going to see what happens with conductivity patching it with the brass stuff that's coming with the train. If need be we'll snag 3 pieces of silver nickel straight-aways. So I'll document the whole thing and share our nostalgic adventures of this kiddie railway with you! I hope the process makes us smile and not curse! (also I feel a little guilty because I kinda think this will be a present for me too in a sense). Stay tuned!
Claudia
MissArgentinaI've been fascinated by miniatures since a child.
Me too. Do you dabble in miniatures in other ways than Model Railroading?
MissArgentinaWhat is rerailer track?
A rerailer is a track with wedges leading into it. It is designed to guide dragging equipment back onto the rails.
They work occassionally at best. They also look like car crossings, so that can be fun.
MissArgentina I hope the process makes us smile and not curse! (also I feel a little guilty because I kinda think this will be a present for me too in a sense). Stay tuned! Claudia
I hope the process makes us smile and not curse! (also I feel a little guilty because I kinda think this will be a present for me too in a sense). Stay tuned!
Claudia, this will be a present for you too???
And your budget is $50 to $60?
What is wrong with you, girl?
You gotta set your sights higher than that.
By the way, and don't get me wrong, Claudia is a very nice name. But I was sorta hoping that it would be Evita.
Nobody is telling her to get DCC?
Inside joke Claudia, it won't fit the budget, that's as much as you need to know.
SeeYou190
Had that car, too.
A rerailer track makes it simple to put cars on the track. Isn't it a rule that a derailement never happens right before the rerailer?
It's not that hard to put a car on the tracks but in your case, the top of the rail is going to be on a level with you big toe nail.
garya SeeYou190 Had that car, too.
The one in the picture was a lucky find on ebay. The seller had the description wrong. It was an ancient Tyco red box model that had never been out of the package. It is in pristine condition.
It was less than $10.00 including shipping!
Hi all! Well everything came in, I wrapped it up real pretty-like, and he's getting it set up with no issues until...It was actually a NEW piece I ordered that gave out. It's the straight terminal track from Atlas. one of the contact screws is spinning spinning spinning in it's nut/rivet/hole/? They're both spinning together non-stop and it's so tiny everything We've tried has not worked. (For the record I did suggest setting up the terminal and transformer first). Suggestions? Anyone had this issue?
If you have any white Teflon tape, also called "thread tape", laying around, wrap a thin piece around the screw and try that method. Since the screw is so small, it will be a bit delicate to apply, but it should work.