Model Railroading...Anyone?

I picked up my dads 1947 Lionel O Gauge train today along with all its parts and accessories. He got it to run a little at their house, but by the time I got home a hour later, the train wont run. Now Im pulling apart this thing trying to figure it out an not electrocute myself. Its pretty fun. I had no clue what these things were worth! Anyone else do this?

There's a difference between TOY trains (Lionel, American Flyer) and MODEL trains (most everything else that adheres rigidly to scale). Can't help you on the Lionel front as I'm a scale railroader. However, there is a huge world of Lionel folks out there. My local railroad hobby shop does repairs on them and I've got a Lionel store in my hometown. Value shouldn't be too hard to figure out; just look on Ebay. Mint in the box is worth far more than stuff that has been played with and has a broken or missing part.

As I am a "sampler platter", "Jack-of-all-trades" kind of guy, I have, since the birth of my first son, purchased trains in O, HO, and N-scales. I believe I find the Lionel product the most interesting because of it's size, nice detail, and robust construction. Also, my grandpa had some that I remember from childhood. Unfortunately, it takes a huge amount of space to construct a reasonably interesting layout in O-gauge, hence my progression to N-scale. All the stuff is wicked expensive IMO.

Yea, it cost me 5 bucks to ASK a question at the train shop in town here. The prices are so high for old Lionel stuff (by my standards). Right now I am having trouble getting the juice from the transformer to the tracks.

Oh and my bad David, I am new to these things and thought it was just one hobby. Model stuff is sooo involved. Holy cow.

I've got a Lionel set. Cast iron steam locomotive that my parents bought used for me when I was 7 (I'm the same age as MARGIE), and some plastic diesel ones. The "new" diesel stuff is 40 years old. I haven't taken it out in a couple decades now. Anyway, you are wiring it up right, aren't you? It is low voltage AC based, and goes center to outside on the track. Are the tracks aluminum or steel? What tdoes the transformer look like? Some have a lot of connections and some only have two. If you have a lot of connections, you need the correct 2 for the track. A DVM on the track set on AC volts should show you something. Probably 0-12 or 18 volts, depending on the throttle, but I don't recall exactly.

Oh, and it's called "027" if you have the 3 rail track, not "O guage," as that's different.

Dr Hess, it is a 1033 90 watt Transformer. Their are 2 wired connections that clip on to the track. I saw them work today... but now, nothing. The transformer clicks and gets warm when plugged in. I cant seem to find any good troubleshooting on this, even though it was the most popular transformer from the 40's-mid 50's. Their are 3 rails on the track, but I was told that it was O and not 027.

Yeah, the Addam's Family train set was really cool. He had that excellent 4 track control transformer. I almost bought one of those once. I have a 2 track control and some single track controls.

Well, far as I know, the 3 rail tracks are 027. Now, there are some Lionel locomotives that are actually bigger than others, and I think they are a bigger scale, but use the same tracks. Anyway, you have a short somewhere. Disconnect all the wires from the transform. It should not click (that's the circuit breaker) and it should not get warm. If it clicks and gets warm with nothing connected, then there is a short inside the transformer, but I doubt that.

First check which terminals you are connected to. You should have the two wires on Terminals U & A or U & B, One is higher voltage. If you are on a&b ou U & U you have shorted the transformer and will pop the breaker. Also make sure all the track is clean. Sometimes I have bought used track and had bits of old tinsel that shorted out the track and popped the breaker.

O scale is also three rail. The biggest difference is that O-27 is a sligtly scaled down version to make tighter 27 inch diameter curves.

I'm looking at a new Lionel 3 track O set at work. It is even sporting our company logo and products on the cars.

If the transformer is "clicking", you have a short. Start with just the transformer and the clip and see if it trips. If yes, the problem is in the transformer or clip. If not, the problem is probably in a section of track.

The center rail is insulated from the rest of the track with black plastic insulators. My guess is one of them has fallen out or failed. Hook up one piece of track and test it. Then plug in the next piece, and so on. One of the pieces will probably make the transform kick out. That's your problem piece. Replace or repair.

Value on Lionel stuff runs from reasonable to ridiculous. When I was managing the hobby shop, we carried stuff from $10 cars to $4000 engines. Their better cars were in the $30-$100 range 10 years ago. The limited production stuff was outrageous.

The difference between "O" and "O27" track is the height of the rail. "O" is taller and a little fatter and has black cross ties. "O27" has brown cross ties. They aren't compatible with each other, but most Lionel cars and engines will run on both. The "O27" will be a good bit cheaper.

Any other questions, give me a shout. I sold this stuff for 12 years.

Thanks toyman! Are the insulators the black squares that are in the middle? Did I mention that I am new to this!

The train is a 726 RR Berkshire if that helps. I cant get it to work on any track, so I am guessing transformer. It has a really hollow sounding pop/click when the wires are even touched while its on.

They would be the insulators. Sounds like something is shorting inside. If I remember right they are fairly simple inside so it may not hurt to open it up and see if anything is corroded or touching. Good luck, they can be alot of fun. I just started building my Christmas layout today

No offense taken, Cole. Most people start out with either Lionel stuff as kids or the cheaper/crappier entry level HO scale "layout in a box" stuff. I've developed a little disdain for the Lionel world for a few reasons: 1) it's populated with 'collectors' vs railroad enthusiasts that prize obtaining over using, 2) the ones that do run trains tend to run them at unrealistic speeds that make them look more like NASCAR trains than real trains, 3) I just can't get past the 3rd rail. I think Lionel is a great entry level vehicle for kids, but when you get older, for the same money you can buy much better stuff in other scales. Of course, that's just my opinion, one that is similar to my inability to understand why people still buy Saabs and DSM's.

The one good thing about Lionel/027 is that it's generally trouble-free running, which is why it's good for beginners. Smaller gauge stuff can be much more finicky because of being made to run at 'crawl' speeds. The smaller the track, the fussier it can be to make run well.

Proof that larger doesn't mean less detail, there is G scale ('garden): They will set you back a good chunk and make most any Lionel look affordable. Scale size comparisons for the uninitiated: Choosing a gauge to settle on is probably best decided by the space available, and the age of the participants. Pre-teen kids usually require 'bigger is better' with HO being the minimum size I'd go unless they are the rare type that really excels at treating tiny things with respect. No kids? Then pick whatever you want. I don't recommend beginners build large layouts; you can hone your skills easily on something small, and small doesn't have to be boring. An extreme example is this O scale narrow gauge layout (On30) this guy did for 'practice'; it's got a high level of detail in a space that will surprise you if you watch it to the end: Owen's Quarry Branch

I have Lionel HOs, yes, Lionel HO. They were made for a very short time in the late 50's or early 60's. My uncle bought them new and I inherited them in the 70's.

On an interesting side note, he was the first car guy I knew. Around 1971 or so, he knocked the back out of my grandfather's two car garage and made it a four. He was a member of the Early Ford V-8 Club and had a '36 Ford Rumble Seat Coupe and a '39 Mercury, both stock originals, plus he always had a really cool new cars, like Galaxy convertibles and big engined, big bodied Chryslers. The toy cars the he bought me to play with were a Mercer Raceabout, a Stutz Bearcat and a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.

Back to trains, I could never wrap my head around the three rail Lionels. They looked so wrong that I never had any interest in them.

I also have a small set of N gauge. I probably played with that set most when I was a kid.

I have a little N-gauge set that I bought at a big discount at a local department store. A hobbyist friend turned me on to it as it actually came with a very nice little loco and speed controller.

I used to work in a big open office and I had it set up to run around my computer monitors on my cubicle desk to generate a little white noise and drown out my neighbors. It even had a tunnel and a little causeway I built out of some office supplies and material samples to make a grade to get the tracks up and over the monitor cables.

I've threatened my wife that I'm going to build a setup when I retire.

As a kid I was totally immersed in trains from age two, right up to 12 when I got into BMX. I sold all my Lionel & American Flyer in the 90's(right before eBay got big :( ), and finally sold all my HO and N scale a few years ago(it filled a whole pallet when I shipped it out). I still have a small Z scale set out in the garage.

From what I'm seeing, the old Lionel stuff is actuall down in price from 10-15 years ago.

In reply to Cole_Trickle:

The pop/click sound you hear is the overload circuit tripping. It's protecting the transformer from a short. If it's doing that with nothing hooked up, the the transformer is shorted internally. If it only makes the pop/click when hooked up the the track, the problem is in the track clip, or a section of the track. If it only makes the pop/click when the engine in on the track, then the problem is in the engine. You just need to work through it step by step.

The track insulators are a little black plastic square that is crimped around the center rail at the cross ties. There has to be one at every cross tie. As the track ages, the crimps loosen up and the insulators can fall out or get worn through causing the track to short.

If you decide to go into the engine, be careful. On the steam engines, the drive rod assembles can be fairly complicated. All the little slides the go into the body can be a pain to get back into the right place. The transformers are usually fairly simple unless you have one of the monsters. Be careful with the plastics on this stuff too, most of it is Bakelite and after 50+ years very fragile. A lot of the parts are available, but you will pay through the nose for them.

Here is a little info on the engine. Like I said earlier, value on Lionel stuff is all over the place and very dependent on condition. The engine listed here is about $675.

In reply to ddavidv:

We're not all bad people. I've always like Lionel since I was a kid. My uncle and his f-i-l both had huge layouts they'd build every Christmas. When we got married my wife got me a set to go around the tree. It keeps expanding withinexpensive cars and accessories I pick up at shows, most that need a little TLC. It now takes over the living room at Christmas and anytime people come over it gets run non stop. Last Thaksgiving my nephews kept it going almost 10 hours, stopping just to eat and add smoke fliud.

I had a HO layout when I was a kid. Still have the important parts packed away in a box. I also have some N gauge stuff that I bought about 10 years ago when I started a small switching layout. It is also all in a box. We also have a Lionel O27 (cheap plastic from the early 90's) that we put under the Christmas tree every year.

Good luck getting yours up and running again.

Wow! Thanks guys! Ive got some tinkering to do this morning. I hope to get all the issues resolved and have a decent looking layout so I can post some pictures.

I grew up with both Lionel and HO scale stuff.

Lionel has a novelty factor that a lot of people can appreciate. While yes the 3 rail looks bizarre and is still a good starter for amateurs, it has come a looooong way than it used to be. They're more sophisticated and more realistic. They are DCC ready and have a lot of electronic features. The operating accessories are half the fun of Lionel stuff too. With companies like MTH out there, they give Lionel a run for the money with Quality and Realism. Their operating accessories are also pretty cool. I have seen very realistic O scale layouts using Lionel Trains, so I wouldn't go so far to say Lionel are "Toy Trains", because they've come a long way from that.

HO scale is for more serious people. I have a lot of HO scale put away for when I own a home with a basement. You can build a layout twice the size for half the cost of O scale. I tried to start building a layout once, but it just proved to be more expensive than I could afford.

I will say that there is a lot of people out there that just want to collect Lionel, so older stuff has a tendency to get really expensive. However the new stuff isnt cheap. Same with MTHs stuff too. I've seen steam locomotives go for $1200 brand new.

I have an entire collection of postwar Lionel stuff that I'm going to inherit as soon as my uncle gives up. There is a lot of stuff and when I get it, I actually plan to build an elaborate O scale setup.

Anyone on this forum who has even a passing interest in model railroading needs to read Sam Posey's book Playing With Trains. It's a great look at the hobby, and a good insight into Sam himself, including racing references and his problems with Parkinson's.

This link (a model railroader's review of Posey's book) has a couple of shots of Sam's layout. Man, I wish I could make scenery like model railroad guys do. I could build the greatest slot car track on Earth.

http://www.modelrailforum.com/forums/index.php?autocom=custom&page=playing_with_trains