OK, back to topic: I ended up picking up a Chessie System 4-4-2, with a sound system added for a whopping $95! Also, metal wheels for lead and trailing truck and metal wheels on the tender. Cleaned the wheels a little to test it, but will likely be adding power pick ups to improve power pick up.
My first job was with Norfolk Southern based in Roanoke. I had a lot of time in the Roanoke Car Shops during my brief time there, but I gained an appreciation for the N&W that stays with me to this day. We often ride the Strasburg Rail Road and now that ex N&W 475 is carrying the LIRR G-5's 3 chime Pennsy whistle, it is becoming one of our favorite locomotives. Sorry, that hooter whistle is not a pretty sound from 10 feet away in an open car!
Even if all they do is cosmetic restoration, having the three classes together in one spot will make for an excellent display: the J, the A and a Y.
On my first garden railroad, I used LGB track. The trouble is the joiners do loosen up over time and you lose the connections. I would recommend making a mechanical connection, rather than relying on the friction between the joiners and the rails, to maintain contact. Folks have soldered jumpers, others use clamps such as split jaw or hillmans. I have used the Aristocraft joiners, but they fail over time.
They didn't go to the ECLSTS in 2014, and I think they were not there in 2013, either. I remember the last couple of times they had a booth there, their trains made slow, lazy loops with music being pumped through the speakers, rather than train sounds.
Any recommendations for stationary rollers? I have several engines that I'd like to be able to run for testing purposes on rollers. Has anyone used the Bachmann or Accucraft rollers? Thoughts?
You are right. I would expect the Big Boy to be re-issed. Maybe the Daylight and the Hudson. I would love to see them do the N&W J, based on the 4 coupled drive they used for the other northerns.
You're right, brass track seems like the way they should keep it. The USA starter set is probably one of the best out there, since you don't get a watered down locomotive.
Considering Trainworld is selling that loco for $99, and a power pack is $60, you could buy a lot of track for the difference. And Jonathan runs the website, Scott is running the company.
I have also heard that PGN is not going to try and cut the dealers out this go-around. That's probably the reason your see the $449 price.
Du: The problems I had with my Atlantic in the early 90s kept me away from all of the manufacturers except LGB until 1998, when I got an Aristo FA-FB.
First things first: What power supply do you have?
Second: set up a test track and check the locomotive works. I assume you know these are DC trains and will not work with LIONEL Ac power supplies, etc.
Once you know the locomotive will work, then you can use plastic compatible oil to lightly oil all the moving surfaces.
If the Hartland 2-6-0 is like their x-4-x coupled locomotives, it has a vertially split gearbox. While not impossible to disassemble, the old addage applies "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
I don;t have any of these cars, but I do have the aristo heavyweight passenger cars, 12 of them, most with the 3 axle trucks. I am thinking it might make sense for me to swap out to ball bearings eventually. Do you have any experience with those cars and installing ball bearings?
You can't have steam specials clogging up the national system, Chuck! 40-50 MPH is not going to cut it when you have intercity trains running 125-150 MPH!
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Lionel 4-4-2 Atlantic
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OK, back to topic: I ended up picking up a Chessie System 4-4-2, with a sound system added for a whopping $95! Also, metal wheels for lead and trailing truck and metal wheels on the tender. Cleaned the wheels a little to test it, but will likely be adding power pick ups to improve power pick up.