Bill Lenoir's Aero train

[Carey Williams]

Hello all....Bill Lenoir played a major force in,shaping the early O scale world ...building for manufactures early on and custom building pieces for high end customers in later years. Here is Bill's Aero Train #96 ..( of roughly 200 total trains / engines built by Bill 1932- 80's. )
All scratch built ...unfortunately the obsevation is missing as are two wheel sets to complete the 4th and 5th,cars ..please see link for video. Dating back to,late 1955 / early 56. Full interiors and lights ..and Bill's signature engineer and fireman .

Cheers Carey,

https://youtu.be/0yM2Jobi1ns

for photos please see link
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/bil ... ain-1955-6

[E7]

Looks like a fairly nice model of railroading's version of the Edsel. I saw the real thing when I was a kid, and thought it was stupid looking, even back then. My opinion hasn't changed.

Rich

[ScaleCraft]

Here is Bill's Aero Train #96 ..( of roughly 200 total trains / engines built by Bill 1932- 80's. )
All scratch built ...unfortunately the obsevation is missing as are two wheel sets to complete the 4th and 5th,cars ..please see link for video. Dating back to,late 1955 / early 56. Full interiors and lights ..and Bill's signature engineer and fireman .

Cheers Carey,

Strange phraseology. So this is #96 of roughly 200 total trains, 1932-1980's. Sorted out a bit towards the end, with dating back to 1955/early 1956. You're not trying to say Old Bill made roughly 200 Aero Train sets, right?
I remember them as new. And the commentary about GM using their schoolbus body assembly line to put railroad wheelsets under. I never rode on one, folks I have talked to that did at one point or another, commented on similarities in roughness of ride and overall noise level to.....a schoolbus.

[bob turner]

Bill's book - a "must" for serious O Scalers - is available from Billy Davis. Lenoir has photos of each of his 200 models - mostly steam, and rarely duplicated.

I am with E7 - except that I think that travesty that hauls passengers in and out of Portland is uglier than the Aero Train by a huge mile! Whoever designed that should get the piglet of the century award.

[Carey Williams]

Hello Bob

Yes Bill only made the one Aero- train ...no need for more ..

Unique page in rail history ..

Cheers Carey

[De Bruin]

Fabulous model Carey. I applaud anyone brave enough to take on building one of the late fifties experimental lightweights.
After MTH did their turn on the Aero-train I hoped they'd take a run at the FM Speed Merchant- Talgo sets or Baldwin-Maybach Train-X.
Ditto the hybrid "Roger Williams" RDC's.
Pretty sure that ain't happening.

[bob turner]

Like the Aero Train - only two potential customers.

[ScaleCraft]

Like the Aero Train - only two potential customers.

Or the PRR Turbine...one customer. Unless you think about the model done years ago in "ATSF" with photo...and the clowns that thought Santa Fe had one.....

But LIONEL made thousands and thousands of them!

[De Bruin]

Like the Aero Train - only two potential customers.

Actually I believe the Aerotrain auditioned short term in regular service assignments for three different carriers before winding up on the Rock Island. UP on it's City of Las Vegas, PRR on a NY to Pittsburgh run (where it was nick-named "The Reynolds Wrap") and NYC Chicago to Detroit. In each case the respective road's herald was applied on the pilot below the locomotive's belt rail. The PRR service may account for MTH's whack at these, given all the "SPF's" out there. Though not a fan of MTH it's a nicely done model in my opinion, albeit a bitch to two rail correctly from what I understand.

I also like the look of the NYC's Xplorer in that blue and yellow. Ditto all of the New Haven experimentals, albeit the B&M sole Talgo with FM Speed Merchants on each end is my favorite. Just so strange looking.

[bob turner]

What I meant was - customers for the model.
Yes, I know Lionel did the UP Streamliner - but the real one was so small on five foot track they enlarged it. And I don’t think it sold as well as some other offerings of the time.