Bachmann Trains & Accessories

Vintage Model Train Locomotives
How do I find out the worth of a Vintage Lionel Train Set?

I found in my (now deceased) fathers garage a complete Lionel Train Set. Says Die Cast Steam Locomotive. There is a model number of 1492. Also has a Tender that says Jersey Central Lines, Gondola w/canisters, Box Car that reads Erie Lockawana EL 9043, Hopper Red CN, Flat Car w/logs and a caboose.

Model Railroading is a fast growing hobby. Find the group in your area and see what they would pay to get your set.

I think there ought to be some Yahoo! Groups on Model Railroading if you care to check with them.

I know members of 3 groups here in NM who are now getting ready for the fairs with their displays of trains.

Check at your local fair grounds and see if a group lives there, check the State Fair grounds to see if a group lives there. I mean that literally, they “live” in their display buildings working on the set ups 24/7/365 days of the year.

Vintage Model Train Locomotives

Involvement in certain hobbies can be due to all kinds of factors, in some cases it stems from a curiosity point of view, with others it can be because a friend insisted on showing you how, but the urge can also come from a personal need or challenge to create and make something which you know is the only way in which you will obtain that certain something.

From a pure novice point of view, the learning and mastering of hobby metal casting could seem to be an impossibility, simply because of the assumption that there is an awful lot to learn about the subject, and if the truth be known, there probably is, but like many other skills you learn throughout life, the more you do, the better your skills get, a surgeon doesn’t get to learn the intricate art of amputating a leg without first studying and learning about the human body.

Likewise you can’t expect to master the art of hobby metal casting with out at first doing a lot of reading and then applying the knowledge you’ve learnt and combine this together with some solid practice.

If you have just an ounce of practical skill in your body, you will be able to turn that small amount of skill into a valuable resource you’ll be able to use for life.

You could begin your metal casting by using the most basic furnace, equipment & tools, many people who started in this way are now experienced metal casters, and are able to create all manner of things from metal, they have also discovered that sooner or later, other people get to hear about their special talents, and it’s not long before the odd paying job comes in, which helps to make your hobby self sufficient

The type of people that get involved with hobby metal casting range from radio controlled racing car enthusiasts, Go-Kart Builders, antique restorers, vintage motorcycle and car rebuilders, people who build miniature steam engines & aero engines and parts. Some people have found It is even possible to design and build miniature engines that run on gasoline, there are several home trained hobby foundry workers who have undertaken to design & build intricate patterns and cores to cast and build miniature 4 cylinder & V8 engines, real engines that have spark plugs and they run on petrol.

They have managed to make all of the many parts required for these amazing home designed & built projects.

Think you cant do any of those kind of projects? Well think again, because many of the people who build these projects started out just like you, they were eager to learn how to cast metal, they found the

right knowledge, then learnt by doing, soon they found that the things they once thought impossible, were now achievable, that’s the power

of knowledge, belief in your self, and the commitment to get the job done.

Col Croucher.

Need content? You may use this article at your website, or in your newsletter. The only requirement is inclusion of the following sentence – Article by Col Croucher of http://www.myhomefoundry.com – the definitive source for hobby metal casters of all ages. While at the web site you can download a free ebook to learn about & understand hobby metal craft.

I have a question about 3 rail o guage model trains…?

If one doesn’t have all those fancy computer chips and has vintage locomotives from the 50’s that one wouldn’t want to modify, how can one run multiple trains on the same loop? Also, with the three rail, is a reversing loop possible without fancy wiring?
When you are talking about switches, do you mean like an electrical switch, or a turnout? I’m so confused! So, you would have independent “blocks” of track insulated from each other? How does one achieve the insulation?

Loops are no problem with 3-rail, because it’s symmetric (the two outer rails have the same voltage).

To run multiple trains without having to modify the trains you will have to divide your track layout into isolated sections. You will need to think about in which sections of your layout you want to have different trains moving. You will need more than one transformer too – obviously.
The trick is not to connect the transformers directly to the tracks but to use rotary or radio-button switches for each electrical section to choose which of the transformers provides current to it.
That way you can set up a kind of “electrical interlocking” by setting all the sections a train should use to the same transformer.

This type of setup surely has a special name for english speaking model railroaders, unfortunately I only know the german name “Z-Schaltung”. You can find a rough concept draft at http://www.thema-schmalspurbahn.de/elektrik/zschalt/zspic1.gif (“Gleis”=track, “Regler”=controller/transformer).

The best thing about it: if you plan to use a digital control system someday: simply add it as another controller and switch all the track sections to it

Hornby-Dublo vintage model railway Diesel Shunter