So after 25+ years of wanting a big train set, I didn’t quite get one as big as I remember Grandpa’s being, but I did just purchase some 1980’s Penn Pass car set (6) on ebay, hope to have soon. Now I just need everything else!
I’m thinking of just getting a new starter set off the self type, right now most likely the Penn Flyer. I have some very basic, and probably stupid questions.
what does the engine #'s mean? Like 4-4-2, 0-8-0, etc
Will this starter set be big enough, ie will it pull all 6 cars?
how hard to add A) 2nd turn around or B) Turn off to store the unused cars
This will mostly just be a Christmas setup, all though our new house will have an unused family room, that may get a year-round tree in it.
Sorry for the basic questions, I couldn’t find info in a FAQ, or google, I’m sure I’m looking for the wrong terms.
Thanks for any help
4-4-2 means 4 pilot wheels, 4 drive wheels, 2 trailing wheels
0-8-0 would mean just 8 driving wheels. The nomenclature is only used to describe steam engines.
Any starter set steam engine should be able to pull 6 cars unless you add steep grades.
The advantage of O gauge (unlike HO and N) is that the engine and cars are relatively easy to remove and turn around by hand. That is why even kids as young as 4 can usually be taught to remove and replace cars. If you add a siding to park the cars and / or a reverse loop it is even easier.
I would agree with everything Jim has said here, one recommendation is to turn off power to the track when removing/adding cars, this reduces the chance that you will cause a short and potentially damage the track, car, engine, transformer… better yet to just turn everything off.
Lionel also makes an upgraded starter engine called the Mikado, you can find this engine in some sets and it comes equipped with TMCC (Command Control) and features the sounds and everything else. I saw this set at the LHS a couple days ago (Train Depot in Mount Airy, MD) and he’s running 20% off sets right now at $445 I think before discount that is a pretty good deal. I was thinking of picking it up and swapping the shells with my B&O but then figured it wouldn’t be worth it as the crew talk and tower COM wouldn’t be correct.
Thanks! I kinda figured the #'s were wheels, just couldn’t make sence of it, I thought drive wheels vs ‘dummy’ wheels, but couldn’t figure why the 3 sets, didn’t think front & back.
So I see the Penn Flyer currently has a 4-4-2, and a bridge piece in the kit, but looks like on Lionel’s new '08 Catalog the new engine will be a 0-8-0, don’t see a bridge. Which would be better for my cars do you think?
I assume the CW# is wattage, higher is better? I believe the current set is a 80, the new set says 40. So makes me want to get a set sooner than later, for a bridge & bigger transformer.
Don’t think an expensive set is in the budget, The wife said I can get my cars, I didn’t tell her they were almost $200 [:O] So another $150-200 tops on a set to run it on. Maybe if the kids really get into it we’ll upgrade later.
On a side note, we are cleaning out her parents house/property after her dad just passed last year, I came accross what looks like 1, may 2 Lionel trains, only one transformer & some track. Sadly it was stored in an outside shed [:O] so not directly rained on, but weathered none the less. there seems to be rust on most of the wheels, are these worth anything to anybody (ie ebay) or are they completely trash? There’s 1 steam loco, missing the front wheels, 1 santa fe loco, 2 boxcars, 1 red cabose, a few other utility cars. Not sure if they are fixable, or even worth fixing. I can take pics later if that helps.
To keep down costs you can get another Lionel CW80 transformer. For motive power you may want to look at Williams Trains, same size as Lionel but has a lower price tag and in my opion better quality. A Williams GP-9 diesel or SD-45 would be a good match for most passenger cars.
The 0-8-0 is a switcher, which wouldn’t have been used to pull passenger cars, other than forming a train. I would go with the 4-4-2
There were problems with older CW-80s, I think the only difference between the CW80 and the new set transformer is the CW-80 had an extra set of binding posts that could be used for powering accessories.
[quote user=“bryanw20”]
Don’t think an expensive set is in the budget, The wife said I can get my cars, I didn’t tell her they were almost $200 [:O] So another $150-200 tops on a set to run it on. Maybe if the kids really get into it we’ll upgrade later.
On a side note, we are cleaning out her parents house/property after her dad just passed last year, I came accross what looks like 1, may 2 Lionel trains, only one transformer & some track. Sadly it was stored in an outside shed [:O] so not directly rained on, but weathered none the less. there seems to be rust on most of the wheels, are these worth anything to anybody (ie ebay) or are they completely trash? There’s 1 steam loco, missing the front wheels, 1 santa fe loco, 2 boxcars, 1 red cabose, a few other utility cars. Not sure if they are fixable, or even worth fixing. I can take pics later if tha
Bryan, if you can post the numbers on the sides of the locomotives and cars from the shed, we can probably give you some useful comments about what you have there.
Thanks for the help and advise. I really would like a K4, I kinda remember big news about one being redone and being shown off/run around at the horseshoe curve when I was a kid (15 min from my house). But $4-600 is a bit pricey for a starter.
For now I’ll do a Penny Flyer, and add a passing loop on the longside. In the future I might get complicated and soficastated, but for now a Christmas setup is all I need.
I love Google, I just found a pic, not mine, but I have at least 1 if not several of me in front of this Loco!
I’m assuming at the price you paid that these are not large passenger cars. But if they are 18" or larger I doubt the Pennsy Flyer engine would handle 6 of them without some difficulty. Just something to consider.
"…I doubt the Pennsy Flyer engine would handle 6 of them without some difficulty. Just something to consider…"
On the contrary Bruce! [;)] My little Pennsy 4-4-2 is able to pull 10-15 traditonal size cars on 0-27 curves! Dont let the small size fool you, those are powerful engines for their size!
Now if this gentleman had 10 or 15 of the 18 in. aluminum cars on 0-27 or 0-31 curves, I could see a reason to be uneasy, but I think he will be just fine as long as he doesnt overdue it on one engine.
I don’t think they are that big, here’s what I won, you can even tell me if I paid too much (or got a deal) or just about right. I might feel bad, but it’s what i wanted
I’m working on taking pics of the found ones, they look pretty bad/sad.
Looks like it was 2 sets, 2 transformers, lots of rusted track, 2 remote switches, all runied.
Maybe look into the MTH 2-8-0 PRR starter freight set. You should have less than $300 in it, and you will have a complete freight and passenger set. It has full sound, killer steam, and speed control and will pull every one of the cars if you wanted it too.
There is also a 16031 diner that matches those cars. These are modern-era 2400-type O27 streamliners made by Lionel Trains Inc., the predecessor of the current Lionel management.
Having a second pickup added is a mixed blessing. It does help to reduce flicker, as the seller claimed. But it also increases the load on the locomotive and can create problems running over block gaps with some fancy wiring schemes. I generally remove second pickups and put rectifier-capacitor circuits in my passenger cars to handle the flicker.
I agree in part. A long string of the traditional sized cars found in the Flyer set probably pose no problem. Those things are so light, my 60 trolley could probably pull 20 of them if it had a coupler [;)] While I’ve never tested my engines limits ( I have the Flyer set too ) it seemed to do a great job for a starter set. On the other hand the considerable drag produced by 6, 18" cars could overwhelm the tiny 4-4-2’s ability to haul without wheel slippage. Of course this can lead to premature traction tire failure, not to mention overtaxing the motor. My only concern for Bryan was that he might have more cars than the engine could safely handle without imploding prematurely. From the pictures he posted it seems I worried over nothing. I’m pretty sure those are 15" cars.
Bruce Webster
P.S. Bryan, I think you did OK on the deal. Welcome back to the wonderful world of O.
Thanks, my personal experiance so far is with the traditional Christmas tree HO sets you get at wally for <$50 maybe even $20. Plug n play. I’m hoping for simple with this set, just larger, just not as big as Grandpa’s was, I’m guessing his was at least G scale, I seem to think the green pass cars were 6 to 8" tall, but I was so young, like 5, or 6 and never saw it again as he died, and that was my mom’s dad, and dad divorced and re-married when I was 3.
I did order a Penn Flyer set, found it for $140 + $25 shipping, seems average, little less than most places. The description says it has the bridge & 4-4-2 engine, guess the “new” '08 won’t be out until later.
I finally posted pics of the cars, they are large I didn’t have time to shrink or crop them yet.
The Loco #'s have faded off, one side might read 2000, 2020 or 2030? The bottom says S-2 Turbo Loco, Lionel, Ny NY.
The Penn tenders on the bottom says 2671W
The Lionel tender on the bottom says 2020W (probably matches loco?)
2 yellow boxcars, the man s missing on the other, AT & SF 63132
White freight caboose? D.L & ? 2419
white/gray freight car 2461
Santa Fe Loco 2333-20
That’s a 2020, a model of the one-off PRR S2 steam turbine and a Lionel icon. The model is greatly reduced in size compared to a true scale model. The 2020W tender probably came with it; but the 2671W was also used with the S2 models.
The caboose is DL&W (Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western). It is a work caboose, often paired with a crane as a crane tender.
The 2333 is the first Lionel F3 Diesel-electric and very important historically. The same number was used for a New York Central F3 model at the same time.
The S2 is a nice loco. If you could get someone knowledgeable to take a peak at it you might find it runs great with just a little lubrication (free or very low cost). I hired someone to fix mine (new wiring, new reverse unit and complete overhaul) for about $200 (He actually did two engines for $250 total but the second was in better shape). Folks here can comment on wether I got a deal or not. It was worth it to me to get a strong hauler running. I believe I’ve seen that engine for sell in decent running condition for about $250 or more.
