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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2020 18:22:04 GMT
Thanks for the add, just found this forum. Life long 3 railer in both O and I have now added Prewar Lionel OO to my modeling mix. I am on the autism spectrum and Lionel is my obsession, has been since Grandpa introduced me to it when I was around 4 or 5 yrs old. I had dad's set from 1949, set 1423w, and a MPC era starter set that I got for my Birthday right after being hooked on the gauge by Grandpa. When I got to be driving age(thankfully I am able to drive), I started doing the repair work for Harmon's Trains in Arcadia, Indiana. I did this for many years, being paid in shop credit which got spent on early Postwar and late Prewar trains. Now I am in the late 40's and still enjoying those 3 rail Lionels. The owner of that shop got me hooked on the smaller OO that Lionel made in the late Prewar era. So I now have a complete 1938 set with 3 rail track and a 003 2 rail scale Hudson that I converted to 3 rail operation. I also recently added a 1946 726 Berkshire to my stable of Postwar power. I also have a nice set of 2343's, a one owner 2035 with its complete set and a pair of custom 2383's painted up for Autism Awareness by CJB custom painting. My current layout is small due to a small layout room. Its a modified 4x8 but I am tearing it down over the winter and rebuilding with a 3' by 39" table along a different wall, with my recreation OO dealer layout as a second level above the O gauge. Attached is a video of my current layout running. The second level is temporary while a friend builds what will go there, hope to have it ready to swap in this weekend or next. Enjoy. Mike the Aspie.
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Post by Adam on Oct 28, 2020 18:25:08 GMT
Welcome to the Forum Mike! Really nice to have you with us.
That is a neat layout.
We all share your passion and enthusiasm for this great hobby.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2020 18:27:48 GMT
Mike thanks for posting the video. We really like your layout. It is nice to have you on the forum.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2020 18:29:56 GMT
Nice layout. You should post up a pic of those custom painted 2383's
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Post by harborbelt70 on Oct 28, 2020 18:43:22 GMT
That's quite a unique story of long-term involvement with the hobby. Welcome aboard and I look forward to reading and seeing more from you.
Personally I am always glad to know that someone with hands-on repair experience is on OGF. My experience is much more limited (command control trains only) and totally unscientific.
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Post by Country Joe on Oct 28, 2020 19:21:06 GMT
Mike, welcome aboard the OGF. That is a pretty cool layout you have, especially the 3 rail OO gauge. 👍
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Post by ptc on Oct 28, 2020 19:22:44 GMT
Great story, Mike, so happy to have you with us.
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Post by josef on Oct 28, 2020 20:02:31 GMT
Thanks for sharing Mike. That is a good looking layout. Great to have you aboard.
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Post by JKP on Oct 28, 2020 20:16:22 GMT
Great video, thanks for posting, It will also be great to see the second level your friend builds and progress of your rebuild this winter
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Post by Adam on Oct 28, 2020 22:20:16 GMT
Mike,
I look forward to seeing your new layout take shape. Threads like that are really enjoyable to me. Everyone has a different way of approaching a new layout and I always learn some new things.
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Post by thebigcrabcake on Oct 28, 2020 22:31:10 GMT
Great video Mike. So glad you are with us on the OGF.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2020 23:28:07 GMT
Thanks guys! I am a wealth of knowledge on fixing late prewar and most postwar Lionel. Never got into the newer command control or the stuff Lionel and others import from the far east. Vintage Lionel with lots of ozone and the smell of hot oil! I dont run the smoke in my steamers that have it as it tends to trigger my asthma. Hence the love of F3s and earlier Lionel steamers without smoke or the bulb smoke units. Another friend of mine and myself are going to start a club just for adults on the spectrum who like to run 3 rail trains in O or OO with a slow shift to just OO once we gather enough track for a small double track 3 rail loop. The lack of track and switches is what hinders that gauge to this very day. Gargraves has track, but no matching switches.
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Post by Yellowstone Special on Oct 29, 2020 3:05:32 GMT
Welcome to the forum, Mike. I’m a modern Lionel guy myself, but enjoyed seeing your layout. 👍
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2020 6:56:40 GMT
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Post by josef on Oct 29, 2020 8:38:24 GMT
My new steed arrived as I was headed out the door for work. So no play time till after shift. Since my wife was up doing the bills, I finished unpacking and got a short run in after opening her up, checking everything over. Only the whistle motor needed a bit of TLC. As you can see the Berk has the big high stack Atomic motor, designed to run cooler than the short stack. Originally done for store display layouts where engines ran long hours and the shorter motors tended to overheat. They were produced on a seperate line/area at Lionel by hand, the snout bearings were line bored and the armatures were balanced to run smoother. While she has the spur gear growl(which I happen to like), she is really smooth without going passenger train speeds. The spur gear style Berk and Turbine drive the front and rear axles unlike the later ones that tend to eat the side rods when pulling heavy loads, these will not do that. Smoke bulb style smoker is just a headlight for me. I dont run smoke since it triggers my asthma most of the time. My trusty 2343's are in the background. They are super clean as well. With the plumet in postwar prices, owning nice clean examples has become much easier on the wallet. I got about 20min of run time in before my wife headed to bed. I will get a video of her running tomorrow. Thanks for the learning lesson. I always wondered how store displays could run all day long, day after day without problems.
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