Dry Gultch? - Lionel DC?

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

A little help out there? I am looking at a Lionel Dry Gulch Set (6-11706) and have a few questions. I read somewhere that Lionel went through a period of testing DC only locos through the early 80’s. I have a handful of questions…

  1. I am under the impression that the Dry Gulch set from '87 or '88 is one of those sets. Is this true?

  2. If so, does that mean these DC sets wont run on our traditional AC three rail layouts?

  3. I know that some of the folks on this board run these sets. How do you run them on your layout?

Any help would be great…Thanks…

2

You would need to ad a full wave rectifier and possibly an E unit (if you want it to reverse).

Here is a “tech note” from Lionel’s web site:

Customer Service, General Tips/FAQ’s, “How to convert a DC locmotive to operate on AC or DC”

3

The 11706, a Service Station set from 1988, included the 18702 4-4-0 General. This loco has a 3-position electronic reverse unit, allowing the loco to operate on AC power.

The Generals that were DC-only included the 8005 ATSF (1053 James Gang set, 80, 82) and the 8410 Redwood Valley Express (1403 same name set, 84-85). They could run on 3-rail track, but you had to use a DC power pack.

4

Thanks guys. There’s always more to learn…