OK well not NEW... but new to me.

Now for the back story..

I cant realy say I am new to the 3rd rail crowd.. I had some as a kid, and my stepfather collected them for years, so I grew up with a celler full of trains. Well I moved into HO, and wile I have never done a lot of building... I have been a model railroader for ever!! Well 10 years ago, my stepdad passed away, and my mother sold off most of the trains at that time. A few were left over, and stashed away. Well Mom passed a few months ago, and she had left all the leftover stuff to me. One thing was this layout table...




He did not build it. He got it allready built back in Im guessing the mid 70's. I have no idea when it was built, or by who. I remeber it being old back then, and looking at some of the wiring I am assuming it was pretty old at that time.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: s1120,

Sorry about your mom. It's nice to have something from the past to remember those who are important to you. The layout looks interesting. Have fun with it. Welcome to the forum!

Here is the underside of the layout....







And here is a wiring diagram that is under where the transformer was...

quote:

I have no idea when it was built, or by who.

Its possible that you Dad bought it from a local hobby shop that was getting rid of it after the Christmas season.

I have thought that Bill. That it was some kinda display layout.

My sympathies to you and your family on your Mom's passing.

Is that Lionel Super O track? Sure looks like it. Do you still have the accessories and transformers? It would be great to resurrect it and improve it, just a bit. Looks like a great way to get back into O gauge.

Why did she wait to give it to you?

quote:

Originally posted by pennsydave:
My sympathies to you and your family on your Mom's passing.

Is that Lionel Super O track? Sure looks like it. Do you still have the accessories and transformers? It would be great to resurrect it and improve it, just a bit. Looks like a great way to get back into O gauge.

Why did she wait to give it to you?

Thanks.

Not sure about the track. It does have strange uncouplers though. Not the normal stule, these have extra rails running the lenght of them.

Transformers are gone. I do have one 1033 [I think thats the number?] but the big one was sold. As for the assys... Nope there gone. All I realy remember was a guard shack on the front. I will defently get one of them, and I THINK it had a log loader in the back, but Im not clear. It was a long time ago

I don't think that's Super O - check out the turnouts, I think those are O22's. Looks more like regular Lionel track with extra ties. Still, it's a great starting point if you wish to refurbish it. Can you give us any close-up shots or tracks and turnouts?

Oh, and I also got some trains also. Have not picked them all up, so not sure whats all there yet. I grabbed one box, and it just had some bitsa stuff in it. A few old locomotives, in need of repair, and a hand full of broken down cars.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. John:
I don't think that's Super O - check out the turnouts, I think those are O22's. Looks more like regular Lionel track with extra ties. Still, it's a great starting point if you wish to refurbish it. Can you give us any close-up shots or tracks and turnouts?

The two powerd turnouts on the sides are 022's The manual ones in the center, I have no idea. And ya... it seems to have add on ties. I dont belive they are built onto the track.


I will try to get some closeups of the decoupler tracks.

That's a great diagram, in itself. It might be the work of your step-dad. I would definitely try to preserve it in a plastic sleeve, after making a few photocopies.

Interesting stuff. Had never heard of a Jefferson transformer as noted in the diagram, then found this site: http://www.roger-russell.com/jeffers/jeftran.htm

quote:

Originally posted by Arthur P. Bloom:
That's a great diagram, in itself. It might be the work of your step-dad. I would definitely try to preserve it in a plastic sleeve, after making a few photocopies.

Its glued to the table. To heavy to move to the copyer.


Here is a shot of the decouplers... Ive never seen a style like this any other place..

I spent about a hour with a 3M pad cleaning the rails. Got them looking pretty good!!! Now I have to find some of the asseries that were on it!!

I remember this being a crossing guard...



Not sure what was hear. The base seems the same as the crossing guard. Maybe a single post??



And any idea what the small little switch on the right could have been for???




And thanks for all the help so far!!! I got to figure out how to wire this thing now!!!

S1120,
First off sorry for your mom. Second, I would start out slow and maybe check and rewire the feeds to the track. It is hard to tell from the picture but for some reason when I first saw the underside of the layout I thought to myself that wiring looks old and brittle.

Ya, it is old. Im going to redo it for sure. Lot of feeders, and jumpers. Gotta do some studying on how these were wired. Try to get a handle on it.

quote:

And any idea what the small little switch on the right could have been for???

I'll take a guess. I haven't had mine out in years but as I recall that's the button that goes with my coal conveyor belt accessory, or whatever it's called.

- walt

According to the schematic there was a 97 coal elevator and a magnetic crane. The controller on the left should have an on/off knob to turn on the coal hoist and a push button to release the coal into a dump car.

The five rail track is a prewar and early postwar uncouple/unload track. This is what was used with coil couplers. Magnetic couplers were introduced sometime after 1945.

I lover the track plan. I have a 4X8 section under my layout for an HO set up and I think I will mimic this layout, if possible.

Thanks for sharing...

Looks to be plain old Lionel tubular track with home made ties. It would be cool to obtain the same accesories that were once there and ressurect the layout as it once was. Good Luck and welcome back to O gauge....

quote:

Originally posted by DennisB:
According to the schematic there was a 97 coal elevator and a magnetic crane. The controller on the left should have an on/off knob to turn on the coal hoist and a push button to release the coal into a dump car.

The five rail track is a prewar and early postwar uncouple/unload track. This is what was used with coil couplers. Magnetic couplers were introduced sometime after 1945.

Cool. Thanks!!! Got some more studying to do!!!!!

So with that uncouplers only work with the real old pre/post war cars??? Should I upgrade to the newer style??

quote:

Originally posted by stevin:
Looks to be plain old Lionel tubular track with home made ties. It would be cool to obtain the same accesories that were once there and ressurect the layout as it once was. Good Luck and welcome back to O gauge....

Ya, thats what I am planning to do. Im sure it will take some searching to find stuff in my price range though!!!

Realy looking foward to getting it going. Its a real look back to when I was a kid. And being im 43 now, with two young kids of my own now [3 and 7] it will be cool to have them play with the same stuff I did as a kid!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Farmer_Bill:
Interesting stuff. Had never heard of a Jefferson transformer as noted in the diagram, then found this site: http://www.roger-russell.com/jeffers/jeftran.htm

Very cool site!!

None of those ring a bell with me, so Im guessing that it was long gone before my stepdad got the layout.

for the acessoryies, I would guess, the Rectangle hole in the scenery was for the coal elevator

and the square was for the magnetoic crane... the early magnetic crane with the metal base and not the more common magnetic crane that has the rail wheels to glide up and down rails.

quote:

So with that uncouplers only work with the real old pre/post war cars??? Should I upgrade to the newer style??

Yes, that track will only uncouple old style coil couplers. However, it will still unload or operate any operating car that has sliding shoes. Instead of replacing it, you could always add a modern uncouple/unload track.

Dennis

quote:

Originally posted by prrhorseshoecurve:


for the acessoryies, I would guess, the Rectangle hole in the scenery was for the coal elevator

and the square was for the magnetoic crane... the early magnetic crane with the metal base and not the more common magnetic crane that has the rail wheels to glide up and down rails.

OK, cool thanks!!!

Is there a model number for that crane??

OK, well I did a quick cob together wireing to see how it worked. I have a few dead spots I need to work on. The track over the bridge is dead, and the locomotive stops. Also the one switch up front stops the train also. Other then that, it seems OK. I will probably pull up that back track and replace or clean all the pins, the switch I dont know... I might have to replace it. Can anyone tell by looking at it what kinda switch it is? Its the one on the mainline behind where the transformer is.



BTW I got another few boxes comeing from the house in the next day or two. We will see whats in them!!!

quote:

Originally posted by s1120:

quote:

Originally posted by Farmer_Bill:
Interesting stuff. Had never heard of a Jefferson transformer as noted in the diagram, then found this site: http://www.roger-russell.com/jeffers/jeftran.htm

Very cool site!!

None of those ring a bell with me, so Im guessing that it was long gone before my stepdad got the layout.

Well I was wrong......





There is no brand name on it, but sure looks like the ones on that site! I have no idea if it works or not... not sure I want to try.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by s1120:
I spent about a hour with a 3M pad cleaning the rails. Got them looking pretty good!!! Now I have to find some of the asseries that were on it!!

Not sure what was hear. The base seems the same as the crossing guard. Maybe a single post??



This was probably a location of a #153 block signal or #151 semaphore signal.

BTW, the crane number is #165. The uncoupling/unloading tracks are RCS's. You could replace them with UCS's if you have cars with center plungers or later magnetic couplers.

Peter

Thanks for the info PDX. I only have a few cars now, and some are bolth styles..

So the old style coil trucks will not work on the new style uncouplers??? Im guessing the "Coil cars" are the ones that have the copper wiring wrapped around the drawbar right??

You are correct about the coil couplers. As long as you replace the uncouplers with ones that have the extra rails in them like a UCS track the older coil couplers will work. Coil couplers use the shoe on the bottom of the truck to take power from the appropiate extra rail.The bonus here is that a UCS track will also allow uncoupling with magnetic couplers (either postwar or modern thumbtack style). UCS style tracks have shorter extra rails with a magnet in the middle.

Peter

quote:

Originally posted by pdx1955:
You are correct about the coil couplers. As long as you replace the uncouplers with ones that have the extra rails in them like a UCS track the older coil couplers will work. Coil couplers use the shoe on the bottom of the truck to take power from the appropiate extra rail.The bonus here is that a UCS track will also allow uncoupling with magnetic couplers (either postwar or modern thumbtack style). UCS style tracks have shorter extra rails with a magnet in the middle.

Peter

OK, thanks!!

YAAA... got some new stuff for the layout!!

Picked up a copple of Kline box cars that I found on sale, and a nice 48 Ford pickup in o scale. Im on my way.

Picked up a Lionel gateman shack at a train show, so thats one step to getting this layout back to its former self!!!Hoping to get some more new track soon, and start retracking the layout.