Greetings everyone! My name is Willian and I’m new here. I have been a fan of model railroading for a very long time but I’ve nver had the budget or space. I have a set of Lionel trains from the late 70’s or early 80s.(plastic) O scale.
But I also have a set of my Dads trains and tracks from the 50s. And today while riding through my neighborhood I made the best discovery imaginable. I noticed some O scale track sticking out of a box of trash in front of this house. So I pulled over to investigate and I am pleased to announce I have saved a Lionel 2046 engine and its 2046W Coal Car from the dump!! This find has renewed my interest in this hobby and I am seeking any advice or help for the refurbishment of these classic toys. I will post pics later.
William: congratulations on your find & [#welcome] to the CTT forum here. That sure was a good find ! [:D] Be sure & let us know how it comes ! Tomorrow is Sunday Photo Fun, be sure & stop by & Happy New Year ! [:D]
I f you need parts, here is one of many places to locate them ! http://www.olsenstoytrainparts.com/
Welcome William!! Nice find! It’s not everyday that you can find toytrains in the trash. Probably someones wife did some new year’s cleaning in the house when no-one was at home… Lucky you.
Ok … here are the pics. I’m no Ansel Adams…and the batteries in my digital camera were getting weak. I also found a local model railroading club that I can go to for help and to run these trains again once they are back in working order. http://www.amroc.org/
Looks like a good find indeed - wish I had your luck! If you look around on the website there’s a section on cleaning and servicing “finds” like this which might be of use. I’d aim for getting it cleaned up and running first, then decide whether to restore or leave it as it is.
Well I got brave enough to open the Engine. I don’t think anyone ever did maintenance on this train! [:(] The smoke maker was almost a solid white mass off … whatever it is. There was a wire creating a short since it was right up against the little electric spindle(?) that is for the reverse switch. All the wiring is original and rotting. At the rear motor axle was a good bit of metal shavings…obvious that the engine had never been properly lubricated. I guess its a good thing I have a degree in electronics serviceing and repair. LOL [:D]
Way to go! That is an absolutely incredible find! Best of luck to you in your future endeavors in the hobby! May this be the start of great things to come!
Richard Kughn got his first Lionel train set out of a trash can. He eventually became president of Lionel.
A friend of mine got started in the hobby when a neighbor of his was going to throw away some old toy trains and he decided to rescue them. Today, he has an amazing collection with almost every train manufacturered by Lionel in the postwar era, plus an enormous amount of Marx and many other great pieces.
I’m not sure if it’s common practice to rewire, but judging by the recent post on fires it might not be a bad idea. If you use wire of the same gauge as the original you should have no problems. Good luck!
The smoke maker was almost a solid white mass off … whatever it is
It’s smoke pellets all melted into one lump. You can heat it and remelt and pour the stuff out. If you try to take it apart as it is you’ll break the filiment inside… Under the filiment is a wad of asbestos cloth. If you’re squimish about exposure you can replace it with some fiberglass from wall insulation.
The element is a ceramic spacer and mica disk with nichrome wire wrapped on it and fastened to brass solder tabs. If it’s shot repacements are available.
Thank you for rescueing the train from the garbage. Who would do a thing like that anyway ( throwing an electric train away like that) Whoever did this has no soul.
I think someone died recently and the family was disposing of stuff they considered junk. They also threw out a Telegraph training device…called an Instructograph. Its electric and even has the paper reel that simulated morse code. I snagged that as well. I have no idea where to take it or if I should put it on ebay.
Congratulations on your find. I think we’ve all dreamed of doing so at some point. As long as the loco needs an overhaul, you might want to consider restoring the outside as well. Remove the rust from the side rods and repaint/renumber the shell.
