Model Train Journal

Been awhile since I've been down to the basement. Here's one from the archives:



A Lionel 253 which I restored to its original peacock/orange livery, including an orange stripe around the base which was done on some versions. It turned out pretty well, although the shade of peacock seems a bit off to me. I used Charles Wood colors at the time, which could be a mixed bag when it came to matching the original.

I seem to recall that in one of Peter Riddle's books he provided a wiring diagram for directional lighting. I should pull that out and give it a try sometime.

Healey

Nice stuff. Hope to see more.

healey36 wrote:A Lionel 253 which I restored to its original peacock/orange livery, including an orange stripe around the base which was done on some versions. It turned out pretty well, although the shade of peacock seems a bit off to me. I used Charles Wood colors at the time, which could be a mixed bag when it came to matching the original.

Healey

You nailed it, Healey! Everyone else is wrong.

I think the orange stripes were originally used on "store" sets, aka Macy's or Sears (plus other large retailers of the day).

Yes, typically on "specials" made for various retailers or promotional runs. Some retailers, such as Macy's, had unique paint colors in the early days, theirs being a dark red.

Wayne, that 253 in the upper left-hand corner looks more like Apple Green than Peacock. I'll have to pull the Greenberg book out, but I think Peacock was the most common color. My favorite color for Lionel prewar electric-type tinplate locomotives is orange, but those are tough to find.

healey36 wrote: My favorite color for Lionel prewar electric-type tinplate locomotives is orange, but those are tough to find.

Not tough for you, just load your spray gun with orange paint.

Might be fun to cook up some new tinplate trains. Paint them anything you like.

webenda wrote:

Wayne, nice shot BTW. Do you have a "permanent" layout outside, or is this just an occasional loop-of-track set up for photo-ops? Whichever, it looks like fun.

The reason I ask is that I've been thinking of building a big loop of O-gauge in the garden, along the lines of this guy's creation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=hYmGcoUfa5g&feature=emb_logo

A pretty substantial set-up, elevated for good sighting and access.

Healey

healey36 wrote:Wayne, nice shot BTW. Do you have a "permanent" layout outside, or is this just an occasional loop-of-track set up for photo-ops? Whichever, it looks like fun. Healey

No outside layout.

The layout in the image was set up to determine the feasibility if operating a layout outdoors in summer (It has reached 112 °F in July.) I had a digital thermometer set up next to the track (analog thermometers go right past their max temperature reading.) The digital reading was 147 °F at the time the photo was taken. I had a picture of the train with thermometer but can't find it right now.

The trains and roadbed are made of ABS plastic, which has no melting point. ABS becomes soft at 221 °F and continues getting softer until 446 °F where it flows as a liquid. So, the test passed the feasibility test but I never bought more track to achieve my goal of wider radius and longer trains. The test setup was in the sun for only two hours.

This is what I have now, a portable layout that hangs on a wall when not in use.

I can't run long enough trains to find out how many cars an engine can pull.

Some of my cars have trouble negotiating the curves.


But I do have fun with it.

You might notice that the event for the observer is parallel with the x axis but the same event for the engineer is tilted.
That is easily explained. While the observer's rest frame has space and time axes that meet at right angles, the engineer's moving frame is drawn with axes that meet at an acute angle. The frames are actually equivalent. The asymmetry is due to unavoidable distortions in how spacetime coordinates can map onto a Cartesian plane, and should be considered no stranger than the manner in which, on a Mercator projection of the Earth, the relative sizes of land masses near the poles (Greenland and Antarctica) are highly exaggerated relative to land masses near the Equator.

Wayne,
All very interesting but I don't see a GG1. I see an Alco type road switcher. I think. ??? Maybe the heat got to it.

Interesting, about ABS plastic. Is this what G gauge trains, which are forced to operate outdoors in sunlight, are molded of? I've noticed that more recent model kits I've bought are ABS. High impact styrene certainly doesn't do well, in the sun.

rogruth wrote:Wayne,
All very interesting but I don't see a GG1. I see an Alco type road switcher. I think. ??? Maybe the heat got to it.

Roger, Dark green with gold striping, back of the loop just ahead of the red 2817 caboose.

Wayne, you need a tunnel for the layout.

Healey

webenda wrote:

healey36 wrote: My favorite color for Lionel prewar electric-type tinplate locomotives is orange, but those are tough to find.

Not tough for you, just load your spray gun with orange paint.

I only consider repainting beaters anymore. Somehow I began to find nicks and scratches endearing over the years. I have this pair of rough Flyer passenger cars I was going to strip and repaint/re-decal to match the baggage car, but I'm having trouble pulling the trigger on that. I've lost it...

healey36 wrote:

rogruth wrote:Wayne,
All very interesting but I don't see a GG1. I see an Alco type road switcher. I think. ??? Maybe the heat got to it.

Roger, Dark green with gold striping, back of the loop just ahead of the red 2817 caboose.

Wayne, you need a tunnel for the layout.

Healey

OK. Hard for me to see.
The Alco looks as if it is on a flatcar.