YardbirdTrains@groups.io

Looking for a set of Varney F Unit front* trucks...

Hey Guys,

Anyone have a couple of Varney F Unit front* trucks

*so this is the truck that's geared that is driven off the rear truck via universal shaft.

Thanks,
Jeff

Re: Hobbyline trains, by the John A. English Co.

#4600

Does anyone know what happened to the old HObbyline dies?

Bob Yarger

On Saturday, November 21, 2020, 05:40:12 AM EST, toptrain2100 via groups.io <toptrain2100@...> wrote:

[Edited Message Follows]

Here is what I found and put together on the HObbyline train sets. It is information on 29 of them and on only two sets #1 and #2 did I not find a set name. I am certain that I don't have them all. 2 have single-digit numbers, 25 of these sets have 3 digit ID numbers. Only 2 have 4 digit ones and they and were the last HObbyline made. Each of these last two sets came with an unassembled boxed kit to add an additional car for those sets. Set 2500 came with a flat car; I think it is Pennsylvania RR. Set 3500 came with a Lehigh New England gondola.

?

My list of HObbyline Train sets.

?

Set number, Set name, Listing what’s in it.

?

#1 1953, no name, PRR H12-44, ACL Gondola, UP flat, NKP box, PRR caboose. auction photo not mine.?

#2 1953, no name, PRR twin FA-1's, 2 gondolas, 2 box cars, 1 flat car, a PRR caboose.

#410 1954 ‘The Commuter”. PRR H12-44 and one H.W. combine, and two-day coaches.

?

411 1955 “The Wall Street”, Lehigh Valley H12-44 diesel, one H.W. combine, and two-day coaches.

?

412 1956 “The Shuttle Bug” NYC 0-4-0t, tank car, box car, caboose.

?

415 1954 “The Suburbanite” UP FM H12-44 diesels, HW combine, two day coaches.

?

416 1955 ”The Prospector” ATSF FM H12-44 diesel, Flat car with loads, Box car, HObbyline Caboose.

?

417 1956 “The Pacemaker” B&O FM H12-44 diesel, hopper car, Box car, Gondola, caboose

?

420 1954 “The Wayfarer” PRR FM H12-44 diesel, gondola, flat car, box car, caboose

?

421 1955 “The Whistle Stopper” C&O FM H12-44 diesel, Gondola, tank car, and HObbyline caboose’.

422 1956 “The Yard Master” PRR 0-4-0 steam loco with hopper, tank car, and caboose.

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( There are two yardmaster sets, 440 is a 4 car set, this 422 a 3 car set.)

?

425 1954 “The Hilltopper”. UP FM H12-44 diesel, Gondola flat and box car.

?

426 1956 “The Hot Shot”. PRR Twin FA-1 diesels black, flat with load, tank car, box car, hopper car, caboose.

?

430 1954-1955 “The Train Maker”. PRR A5 0-4-0 steam loco. HW combine, and two day coaches.

?

431 1956 “The Silver Meteor” PRR Twin FA1 ,3 S.L. pass cars, two Pullmans silver star and silver cloud, and observation Silver Meteor. Pullmans are stream lined with red stripe.

?

440 1954-1955 “The Yard Master”. PRR steam loco, Gondola, Box car, tank car, caboose.

?

446? 1955?“The Ridgerunner”. Alco FA-1 PRR diesel, box car, tank car, flat car with load, hopper car, HObbyline caboose.

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450 1954 “The Metropolitan“, FA-1 twin PRR, combine and three day coaches.?

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451 1955 “Lake Cities Express”. Erie FA1 twin, H.W. one combine, three day coaches. green and gray.

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455 1954 “The Canyon Clipper”. UP FA1 twin H.W. one combine, three day coaches.

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456 1955 “The Trail Blazer”, PRR FA1 twin, S.L. three Pullmans, one Observation.

?

460 1954 “The Growler”. PRR twin FA-1’s, gondola, tank car, two box cars, flat car, UP caboose.

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461 1955 “California Zephyr”. W.P. FA-1 twin. SL cars. 3 Pulman’s, Observation.

462 195? "Royal Blue" B&O FA-1 twin, with HW passenger cars, 1 combine, and 3 day coaches. Not sure about color. Maybe Dark Blue or Blue & Gray.?

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465 1954 “The Mountaineer”.UP twin FA-1’s, gondola, flat car, tank car, two box cars, UP caboose.

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466 1955 “The WP Frontiersman”, WP twin FA-1’s gondola, box, tank, flat with load, hopper, caboose.

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467? 1955 "The Pennsy Frontiersman" .Same as 466 but Pennsy powered. PRR black twin FA-1's, gondola, box, tank, flat, hopper, caboose.

2500 1957 “The Rocky Mountain”, Union Pacific 0-4-0t saddle tank, box car, tank car, UP caboose

?

3500 1957 “Allegheny”, PRR 0-4-0 yard bird, box car, tank car, box car, hopper car, gondola car, flat car, PRR caboose.

Re: WTB Athearn Motor

#4599

Can probably help you.? please contact me off list:

cghappel2001 at yahoo dot com

Chuck Happel

Re: WTB Athearn Motor

toptrain2100

#4598

al do you have a photo?
frank

Re: The Very Rare B&O saddle tank 0-4-0t # 62 locomotive and New Haven #60 .

toptrain2100

#4597

A few more new one locos.
frank, toptrain1@...

Re: The Very Rare B&O saddle tank 0-4-0t # 62 locomotive and New Haven #60 .

toptrain2100

#4596

Other New One locos.
frank toptrain1@...

The Very Rare B&O saddle tank 0-4-0t # 62 locomotive and New Haven #60 .

toptrain2100

#4595

These two were made in Japan by New One Model Toy Co. There is no known retailer or distributor for these two. B&O #62 came to me from a good friend Ken from of all places a suburb of London England, Catford.The New Haven from a smaller train show in New Jersey. Yes HOTCO the HO Train Company, Nat Polk, Aristo-Craft, Silvine, GHC, and a few I can't recall all have had New One build locomotives and cars for them, A Canadian company Pacific Pike had wood car kits made by them as well as some early brass locos.?
frank toptrain1@...

Another Source for Commonwealth Tender Trucks

#4594

Hello list,

I just received my order of HO tender trucks from Rapido.

The trucks are arranged so all wheels can pick up power. ?The down side is there are small plastic tubes sticking up.

With my scale rule and tired eyes, the overall wheelbase is 108 scale inches (9 scale feet). ?

My initial plan for these is to put them under an MDC/Roundhouse Santa Fe Atlantic tender that I kitbashed into a 9000 gallon tender. ?I also have a few B&O engines and tenders that these might work under as well.?

Doug Kisala

WTB Athearn Motor

#4593

I'm looking for an Athearn motor pn 84001 with flywheels that would have been in
the geared GP 9 of about 1975.

Thanks.

Alan

Athearn Metal Streamlined Passenger Trucks

#4590

I am looking to get one (1) Athearn METAL streamlined passenger truck. Of course I'll buy the pair if you, the seller, do not want to breathe pair up. I do not need a truck with a Talgo coupler mount. I need the trick for the rear of an observation car, hence no Tango mounted coupler.
Please contact me off-list if you can help.

Re: Looking for a Mantua bearing

#4586

Fred,

Yes, I have checked eBay.  In fact, Mantua bearing is one of my saved searches but all it has turned up so far is axle bearings.

John Bopp

Re: Looking for a Mantua bearing

#4585

Hi there.?? Maybe you already checked EBAY but I had great success recently with a traction tire for my ancient Tyco (Mantua) 0-4-0 Shifter.?? I just received my package this week and installed it on the slotted drive wheel.?

For the first time in about 40 years I had the pleasure to see the very first loco my Dad gave me for Christmas in 1971 running around my track.? And, it's still not a very smooth runner!?? There is a lot of play in the drive axle bearings and it stalls at slower speeds even with squeaky clean commutator, track and wheels.?? But I hope to apply all the loco-tuning skills I've learned and make it hum.? Maybe I'll try a can motor upgrade for the experience.

Good luck!

Fred Hanes

San Jose, CA

Re: Valve Gear Needed

#4584

Better yet go to the Precision Scale website. They have several catalogs of different scales. Quick and good service too.

??

Show quoted text

On Thu, Apr 9, 2020 at 6:35 PM Bob Yarger via <bobyar2001=[email protected]> wrote:

Possibilities:

Bob Yarger

On Thursday, April 9, 2020, 07:53:42 PM EDT, Deane Mellander via <ebtnut=[email protected]> wrote:

I'm in the process of trying to mate an IHC mechanisim to a Rivarossi B&O 2-10-2 superstructure to get a good-running model with proper driver size.? The IHC mech comes with Walschearts valve gear, but the B&O used Baker long frame gear on their locos.? The Rivarossi valve gear parts are a bit crude.? IIRC, Kemtron once made a lost wax Baker valve gear kit.? Anyone have a lead on same?

?

Thanks, Deane

Re: Valve Gear Needed

#4583

Possibilities:

Bob Yarger

On Thursday, April 9, 2020, 07:53:42 PM EDT, Deane Mellander via groups.io <ebtnut@...> wrote:

I'm in the process of trying to mate an IHC mechanisim to a Rivarossi B&O 2-10-2 superstructure to get a good-running model with proper driver size.? The IHC mech comes with Walschearts valve gear, but the B&O used Baker long frame gear on their locos.? The Rivarossi valve gear parts are a bit crude.? IIRC, Kemtron once made a lost wax Baker valve gear kit.? Anyone have a lead on same?

?

Thanks, Deane

Valve Gear Needed

#4582

I'm in the process of trying to mate an IHC mechanisim to a Rivarossi B&O 2-10-2 superstructure to get a good-running model with proper driver size.? The IHC mech comes with Walschearts valve gear, but the B&O used Baker long frame gear on their locos.? The Rivarossi valve gear parts are a bit crude.? IIRC, Kemtron once made a lost wax Baker valve gear kit.? Anyone have a lead on same?

?

Thanks, Deane

Looking for a Mantua bearing

#4581

During these stay at home times I’m trying to catch up on some incomplete and long delayed projects.? One of them is to get a Mantua Reading Atlantic running well.? I bought it a couple years back because it was nicely built.? These locos had a factory assembled idler gear box and I had high hopes for it as a runner, but unfortunately it’s pretty bad.? It’s very noisy and rough running.? When I run it upside down in a cradle I can see the gearbox shaking and feel it vibrating.

The Mantua kit instructions include this admonition, “The gear box unit is factory-built because its accurate assembly is essential to proper operation.? Not that we don’t trust you!? But do us a favor and DON’T take it apart.”?

Well, the statute of limitations on that has long expired and, in any case, I’m pretty fearless about these kinds of things so I figured I’d dig into it and see if I could improve it.? But, in the meantime I bought a bunch of old Mantua parts including one of these gearboxes apart.? My plan was to work on this spare and if I got it running well that would be an improvement for the loco and if I couldn’t, then I wouldn’t be any worse off.? Unfortunately this gearbox is missing an essential part, one of the brass worm shaft bearings.

This bearing is spherical with flat ends.? The diameter is 0.250”, length over flats 0.189” and the bore fits a 3/32” shaft.? P/N is 6303.? A P/N that I think is pre-war is X-086-e.? It is not the same as the similar, but smaller, M0293 used in the logger and 90s era power drive locos.? P/N 6388, used on the General in the late 50s, is dimensionally about the same and might work in a pinch.

If anyone has a spare of these, not worn out, that they would be willing to part with, please contact me off list at jbopp007 “at” gmail dotcom.

And, if anyone has any sage advice on getting this loco to run well, I’d be glad to hear it!

John Bopp

Re: Mantua 4-4-2 Representing B&O A3a 1430

#4580

Bob, list,

The answer depends.? Mantua described them as 80 inch drivers.? With my scale rule, they measure 76 inches.??

Doug Kisala

On Thursday, March 26, 2020, 06:31:46 PM PDT, Bob Yarger via Groups.Io <bobyar2001@...> wrote:

What diameter are those Mantua drivers?

Bob Yarger

On Thursday, March 26, 2020, 08:32:49 PM EDT, Doug Kisala via Groups.Io <dougkisala@...> wrote:

Hello list,

For an alternative subject line, try "I didn't know a trailing truck could get magnetized." ?Read on. :).?

Most of my B&O passenger engines are Pacifics. ?I recently got this Mantua 4-4-2 painted to represent B&O A3a 1430.

The Mantua model is painted to represent 1430 as she looked right after delivery in 1910.?

I replaced the model's tender trucks (deep flanges) with Kadee Andrews trucks....not accurate (ie coil springs, not leaf springs), but they pick up electricity really well when fitted with Bowser's 33" wheelsets. ?I also replaced the lead truck (deep flanges) with a Bowser lead truck frame and some of my remaining Bowser 33" brass wheelsets modified with the insulated wheel replaced by a plastic one. ?

This model has the open frame motor, and I was able to connect a Digitrax DZ125 decoder and have it run well. ?

Now for my trailing truck adventure. ?The model came with a trailing truck with a sheet metal frame representing an inside bearing truck. ?It may not have started out magnetized, but as I was reassembling the model after adding Bowser's K4s/E6s valve gear kit and the decoder, I found out that my trailing truck was attracted to the model's motor.?

The brass trailing truck is a Hodges from (I think) Greenway Products that didn't quite fit. ?The black Hodges trailing truck is a part from Shapeways.com. ?

I still need to work on the model's boiler front and add a B&O headlight and a number plate, but for now the model is running nicely with a mixed group of 5 passenger cars.

Doug Kisala

Re: Mantua 4-4-2 Representing B&O A3a 1430

#4579