Okay folks, why does this freight set fascinate me? I'm an O gauger..

It is a nice looking set. In my experience, running the set my Dad has in his collection, once you add the heavy Dummy B unit, heavy operating baggage, and die cast flat cars, the poor Alco can barely pull the set!

This set is before gilbert began installing pull more tires on their engines.

quote:

Originally posted by FlyerMike:
It is a nice looking set. In my experience, running the set my Dad has in his collection, once you add the heavy Dummy B unit, heavy operating baggage, and die cast flat cars, the poor Alco can barely pull the set!

This set is before gilbert began installing pull more tires on their engines.

Your Dad's 360 must be in poor operating condition, both my 360's pull like bears, one train that I run is 360 PA 2 364 PB's and a 473 PA dummy A 718,732,660,661x3,663. It pulls it at a good clip@ 15V. Like anything keep your engines well tuned and lubed and the wheels and track clean. Keep youe car wheels cleaned and oiled........

Alright Mr. Burdge, if you'll make yourself comfortable and tell us exactly how long you've been having these "S" gauge fantasies? There's really nothing wrong with you for your interest in model railroading is shared by many and is considered a very healthy pasttime. That you have latent "S" gauge tendencies only shows that you subconsiously harbor an exquisitely refined taste for the finer aspects of your endeavors. I would recommend, if at all possible, that you obtain this set along with the necessary components to facilitate movement and indulge and explore your inner cravings. You may discover that you may be an "S" gauger in an "O" gauger's body. Should such be the case, I am glad to inform you that there is much available to satisfy your urges at varying degrees of cost and the group therapy you may require can be found right here on this forum.

(Dr.) Goldie--- Gilbertologist

Dr. Goldie

Well.......ummmm......I have these dreams....chuff chuff chuff....

It was my wife's AF that got me back into trains. We sold it and her G gauge and decided to go into O gauge, at the time that's where the variety was. My only real regret is the 0-8-0 we had, nothing quite like in in O gauge.

When I become interested in the Virginian I did look at the American Models FM Train Masters, but by that time I already had too much invested in O.

I have the same type of dreams, only mine is about any steam engine with the choo choo unit. Then, my adopted grandmother gave me 2 of them, and it got worse. I had to put a small loop of s gauge track on my layout just to fix this. Now I'm back to normal running O.

I am a discovered AF a little more than two years ago. I had a chance to buy a boxed Challenger Set. The other day I found a 326 Hudson. I have been looking at AF for some time. The choo choo really gets you. I have owned and operated Lionel O gauge for over 50 years. But I have to give it to AF. The sets they produced between 1953 and 1958 give lionel a run for the money. Just compare their 1955 326 hudson set and heavyweights to Lionels 773 hudson set and heavyweights. Both sets are great. AF is pleasing to the eye. Lionel may be more depedable.

Big John, growing up with AF from 1947 to 1957 and winding up with a Lionel Train Shop and Service Center in 1990 I can speak from both experiences. Yes, Lionel trains were operationally more dependable. That is of course because of the electrical pickup via the spring loaded rollers and the return through the wheels of the locomotive. Gilbert on the other hand chose a very bad system which used the wheels on the tender or spring loaded slide buttons on the GP-7 or Alco's to pickup the electric and return it. Any dirt would destroy continuity forcing the horizontally mounted E-Units to rotate into a neutral position. All my engines ran with the mechanical E-Units locked in forward. Of course reverse loops were always a problem, but the two rail track was nice compared to Lionel's three rail track. All in all you are correct they gave Lionel a run for their money, but they should have used the locomotive wheels as pickups which was detailed in an article written for an issue of Toy Trains. Jerry

All Flyer Diesels have the same wear issue causing performance to degrade over time.

The problem stems from the wheels on one side of the motor chassis being used for electrical pickup. Current flows through the axle into the cast aluminum chassis causing arcing. This arcing pits and wears the chassis axle holes over time.

Proper lubrication will slow the process, but not eliminate it. Axle bushings, on some early models, also slows the problem as they were made from sintered steel, but still wear.

The only remedy is to replace or add bushings. Brass bushings work the best. Properly done, it will improve performance and can last 20 or more years.

In addition to the wear on the axle holes, the gears will also wear as the problem gets worse and will also cause the armature and field to heat up and eventually fail.

quote:

Okay folks, why does this freight set fascinate me? I'm an O gauger..

To get back to the positives....

A key reason why this set and others like it look great is because they are scale portioned and its engine and rolling stock all are modeled fairly closely to known prototypes. Gilbert ALCo sets have a sleek appearance because the passenger cars are not overly foreshortened. A Gilbert 12" passenger car is the equivalent of 18" in O. The ALCo PA passenger and freight sets from 1954 - 59 are among the more handsome of the postwar period and, when 'in tune', are great fun to run.

Maintanance of the ALCos and GP7s can become troublesome over time, as RFGCO has stated. However, Jerry has overstated the operational difficulties for the steam engines, IMHO. Keeping the tender wheels (and sliders, if present) clean will do the trick. After a half century, the occasional wiring harness between engine and tender may need repair or replacement, but anyone handy with a small soldering iron can handle that. It would be a shame to deprive oneself of one of the great glories of postwar toy train railroading -- a Gilbert diecast steam locomotive with smoke and choo-choo -- because of some misplaced pessimism.

Bob Bubeck