Would any Life-Like trains that aren’t part of the Proto series be worth keeping for any reason? I have a bunch of Life-Like freight cars and locomotives (along with some cheap Bachmann stuff) that I am thinking of probably selling, except I don’t know about the locomotives though since they don’t run correctly on my layout with code 83 track and their big flanges.
Gidday, at the risk of appearing very rude while I wouldn’t give you a “red cent” for your locomotives, I do, from time to time and only if the price is right, buy old Life-Like freight cars for kitbashing purposes.
Is it worth it, probably not, but I do have fun. (still needs weathering.)
Cheers, the Bear.
Keep them all. The are great for practicing painting with.
I have one Life like loco left It came from my first train set. Kept for sentimental reasons only
Park these locomotives in the backshop area. It makes your layout look like it has more locomotives than it really does.
LION has built a subway layout and him has no use for all of his older locomotives. Him is building a static display on some table space under another part of the layout. Him will model there NY Penn Station and will show off his old passenger car fleet there. There will also be a locomotive yard to display the Old Power.
LION will tear up some of the good older locomotives which him cannot use, him will put the motors in some of his subway cars to make better pullers out of them. Some subway trains have only one power car. LION will remove one of the power trucks, replacing it with at trailer truck, and then use a harvested motor to apply power to a second car on that train.
When NYCT gets done with equipment is is good only for fishes. Same too old LIfe-Like and Bachman.
Install decoders in a couple of the locos, and stage a Gomez Addams style collision!
Ok, my previous post was rude. We do save all model trains donated to the rail museum, and I’ve given quite a few of these as well as old Model Power and other more toylike trains to visitors who have small children but not much income. Actually, as our layout at home took shape, we ended up with about five totes of old rolling stock and locos that had no use to us. We took them to the museum as well, and I’ve given most of that stuff away too. That was mostly blue box Athearn, Roundhouse, and Atlas Roco stuff. Much of it was broken cars, and Roco diesel parts. We get cash donations for most of it, but we don’t require it.
-Stan
Some ot the LL rolling stock is better detailed than the others. I have made some very nice models by adding grab irons, replacing stirrup steps. mounting Kadee couplers after cutting off the truck mounted ones, adding metal wheels & weathering. May seem like a lot to go thru, but they compare to a $40 car when finished.
Hi,
I agree with the previous posters - in that the life-like stuff is good for practice in painting and kitbashing.
Mobilman44
The cars I usually put BB trucks under and body mount. The engines are only good for static models or air brush testing.
Sentimental reasons - I have a few pieces from the early 70’s I’ve kept. I don;t run them, they just sit in their boxes. Shells you don’t care about are always good for paint practice. As mentioned, some of the rolling stock just need better wheels and body mount couplers - I have a couple of the cabooses which are correct Northeaster style cabooses, they have kadees, metal wheelsets, and were repainted. Close up the detail liek the rivet heads is obviously courser than the Proto version of it, but at normal viewing distance they look fine.
Sometimes you may want to kitbash somethign that otherwise isn;t available - parts of the LL loco shells might be the thing you need.
–Randy
I read many years ago that old subway cars from NYC were sunk in the ocean well off the coast because they promote coral reef growth in the at the bottom of the ocean. Apparently coral and other sea life grows on and around the shells of subway cars quite well.