post 121
Hi Ed
That is a nice old timer. It looks to be a Aristo-Craft Thomas Rogers.
frank
Hi Ed
That is a nice old timer. It looks to be a Aristo-Craft Thomas Rogers.
frank
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Oldies but Goodies. The Old Stuff.
- Thread starter toptrain1
- Start date
It's a crystallization of the zinc metal used in earlier Marklin, Lionel, Varney, Rivarossi and others. It's sometimes called zinc pest or zinc mites>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_pest When you collect old school trains, the sight of it can stop your heart as there is no cure.
post 124 A few old VARNEY tank cars
A few old VARNEY tank cars.
KOPPERS CHEMICALS KPCX 2103
GATX 1005
Their is a Black Koppers chemical tank car I'm looking for. It is lettered the same on the left side and has a large seal on the right.
frank
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ATHEARN Crane
Here is an ATHEARN Crane that I've had for about fifty years which is riding on a pair of ATHEARN sprung six-wheel Buckeye trucks. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for another fifty years that the trucks don't develope the dreaded "ZAMAC disease." I had another pair of trucks still in the box, but they disintegrated into a hundred pieces the moment I pulled them out of the box.
Here is an ATHEARN Crane that I've had for about fifty years which is riding on a pair of ATHEARN sprung six-wheel Buckeye trucks. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for another fifty years that the trucks don't develope the dreaded "ZAMAC disease." I had another pair of trucks still in the box, but they disintegrated into a hundred pieces the moment I pulled them out of the box.
Hi Ed
I have a pair off those trucks on Penn Line long haul tender and they are lasting. I keep them oiled because of the steel springs. I had a old die cast crane that fell apart. All parts didn't go bad. I still have a lot is needed by someone. That's where the trucks came from. Nice picture Ed.
frank
I have a pair off those trucks on Penn Line long haul tender and they are lasting. I keep them oiled because of the steel springs. I had a old die cast crane that fell apart. All parts didn't go bad. I still have a lot is needed by someone. That's where the trucks came from. Nice picture Ed.
frank
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That Zamac disease is kinda' funny....The little 0-4-0 has just fallen apart...A 4-6-2 - same make, same purchase date, is holding up....Go figure....
GUS, I to have experanced this. frank
Gus : This thread holds a few reports on this Zamac deteration problum. Their is no desease only bad casting. Older Varney and Aristo Craft, HO products seam to lead the way with this problum. Being a CNJ modler Aristo Craft's 4-6-0 camelback was a beautfull well detailed model. Out of the 6 I have owned only one, the last aquired was any good. It I sold from fear of loosing another.
***Each company had their own mixture of metals to make their casting metal. Varney and Aristo Craft HO were cast half a world appart but suffered simulary. Athearn early cast metal had this problum. Not in a large extent like V and AC. From my experance Athearn did make early cast metal cars. I think I have one, and it's OK. But I only have one. That statement should say alot for a person always trying to aquire these cars. Now Model Diecasting early cast freight cars were plaged with this problum. I would open a unbuilt kit to find half the castings gone.
***I have 5 or 6 of the old metal MDC cars that are still in good shape. I also have 5 or 6 old Mantua Reefers with cast ends and roofs. Only one of these cars had this problum. I need a end for one of my reefers. It is a very hard to find Collage Inn soup reefer. I got this as a new unbuilt kit. I was forced to substitute cast hatches to replace missing ones. I used selley castings.
*** Penn Line used more lead in their casting metal and avoided many problums. So don't eat Penn Line products. Also be carefull when handling unpainted castings. With John English-Hobbyline products the part that the most pieved me was the USRA light Pacific drivers. Only the last two that I aquired were clean of this problum. I have their photos in this forum. My USRA light Mikaod's and PRR A5's are problum free.
***Guss now you know some of my experences with this problum.
Like I said it is not a desease but a product of poor workmanship.
Frank
Gus : This thread holds a few reports on this Zamac deteration problum. Their is no desease only bad casting. Older Varney and Aristo Craft, HO products seam to lead the way with this problum. Being a CNJ modler Aristo Craft's 4-6-0 camelback was a beautfull well detailed model. Out of the 6 I have owned only one, the last aquired was any good. It I sold from fear of loosing another.
***Each company had their own mixture of metals to make their casting metal. Varney and Aristo Craft HO were cast half a world appart but suffered simulary. Athearn early cast metal had this problum. Not in a large extent like V and AC. From my experance Athearn did make early cast metal cars. I think I have one, and it's OK. But I only have one. That statement should say alot for a person always trying to aquire these cars. Now Model Diecasting early cast freight cars were plaged with this problum. I would open a unbuilt kit to find half the castings gone.
***I have 5 or 6 of the old metal MDC cars that are still in good shape. I also have 5 or 6 old Mantua Reefers with cast ends and roofs. Only one of these cars had this problum. I need a end for one of my reefers. It is a very hard to find Collage Inn soup reefer. I got this as a new unbuilt kit. I was forced to substitute cast hatches to replace missing ones. I used selley castings.
*** Penn Line used more lead in their casting metal and avoided many problums. So don't eat Penn Line products. Also be carefull when handling unpainted castings. With John English-Hobbyline products the part that the most pieved me was the USRA light Pacific drivers. Only the last two that I aquired were clean of this problum. I have their photos in this forum. My USRA light Mikaod's and PRR A5's are problum free.
***Guss now you know some of my experences with this problum.
Like I said it is not a desease but a product of poor workmanship.
Frank
post 129
Varney Metal bodied ART reefers.
The ART reefer. American-Refigerator-Transit Co. ART #24248. This is a Mopack-Wabash ART reefer. These railroads leased this particular reefer for use on the roads. Other railroads also leased from ARTCo. This is a Varney metal reefer. I have a few others that were made by TrainMinature. The ART reefers were more common out on the western roads with the MDT reefers the common one back east.
frank
opps forgot, posted this back on 11-25-07
Varney Metal bodied ART reefers.
The ART reefer. American-Refigerator-Transit Co. ART #24248. This is a Mopack-Wabash ART reefer. These railroads leased this particular reefer for use on the roads. Other railroads also leased from ARTCo. This is a Varney metal reefer. I have a few others that were made by TrainMinature. The ART reefers were more common out on the western roads with the MDT reefers the common one back east.
frank
opps forgot, posted this back on 11-25-07
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post 130
My John English Pacific
My John English Pacific ( one of two )
My John English Pacific
My John English Pacific ( one of two )
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more old stuff!
this is an interesting thread. It is surprising how much of this old stuff is out there.
My name is Bill Nelson, and I live in Clarksville Tn. most of my stuff is shown in my thread
Eastern Tn logging on the DG CC & W RR 1928 over in the logging mining and industrial subdivision.
including some old stuff. I haven't set out to collect old stuff but stuff happens. the first picture is a side rod diesel . Back in the 60's a friend of my father saw my layout, and later brought me a box of stuff. He had been a very early Ho modeler. Most of the stuff was too crude to be of use or even interest. but this little locomotive became the only diesel to ever be painted in my RR's colors (reporting marks were never added to protect the guilty).
It ran , and well , until a few years ago when the motor died. The manufacturor is unknown, and I have seen two or three others, but they had varying deregres of ZAMAC Cancer. This locomotive preceeds NMRA standards, and oddly has scale wheel profiles. because of this it tended to fall in the flangways @ switch points, as the tread wasn't wide enough to span the gap. I had some dual gauge switches once that I had acidently built the standard gauge flange ways to HON3 standards. other standard gauge engines bumped through those switches, but his one didn't. I am currently searching for a good way to replace the motor, and since the frame is thin, considering narrowing it to HOn3, where it would be happier, due to Hon3's finer wheel standards.
Next is a sadly abused Varney 4-6-0, missing its motor, some crank pins main rods, and a tender truck. I have no idea how or why this entered my possesion. Behind it is an orphan tender, its origin unknown until today, but after looking at this thread, it apears to have come from an Aristo-Craft Thomas Roger's 2-6-0. I have been planning to make this into a water car to supply the logging camps for longer than I can remember.
The two of the kits I bought at swap meets with the original intent of finnishing the partly built cars, but resisted when I realized how old the kits were. The ore car doesn't fit. The O scale car is an ammazing kit. I'm studying it with the idea of scratchbuilding some similar cars, if I could ever find an O scale Rivarossi Genoa.
Bill Nelson
this is an interesting thread. It is surprising how much of this old stuff is out there.
My name is Bill Nelson, and I live in Clarksville Tn. most of my stuff is shown in my thread
Eastern Tn logging on the DG CC & W RR 1928 over in the logging mining and industrial subdivision.including some old stuff. I haven't set out to collect old stuff but stuff happens. the first picture is a side rod diesel . Back in the 60's a friend of my father saw my layout, and later brought me a box of stuff. He had been a very early Ho modeler. Most of the stuff was too crude to be of use or even interest. but this little locomotive became the only diesel to ever be painted in my RR's colors (reporting marks were never added to protect the guilty).
It ran , and well , until a few years ago when the motor died. The manufacturor is unknown, and I have seen two or three others, but they had varying deregres of ZAMAC Cancer. This locomotive preceeds NMRA standards, and oddly has scale wheel profiles. because of this it tended to fall in the flangways @ switch points, as the tread wasn't wide enough to span the gap. I had some dual gauge switches once that I had acidently built the standard gauge flange ways to HON3 standards. other standard gauge engines bumped through those switches, but his one didn't. I am currently searching for a good way to replace the motor, and since the frame is thin, considering narrowing it to HOn3, where it would be happier, due to Hon3's finer wheel standards.
Next is a sadly abused Varney 4-6-0, missing its motor, some crank pins main rods, and a tender truck. I have no idea how or why this entered my possesion. Behind it is an orphan tender, its origin unknown until today, but after looking at this thread, it apears to have come from an Aristo-Craft Thomas Roger's 2-6-0. I have been planning to make this into a water car to supply the logging camps for longer than I can remember.
The two of the kits I bought at swap meets with the original intent of finnishing the partly built cars, but resisted when I realized how old the kits were. The ore car doesn't fit. The O scale car is an ammazing kit. I'm studying it with the idea of scratchbuilding some similar cars, if I could ever find an O scale Rivarossi Genoa.
Bill Nelson
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Bill - that little industrial diesel is the Robico/Lindsay "Stubby", the prototype of which was built by Vulcan Iron Works (represented in Walthers' Cornerstone series of structures) for operation in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The model dates from the mid 1950's and was one of several tiny industrial gasoline/diesel locomotives uniquely offered in that period. Incidentally, the smallest of them was probably Penn Line's "Midget", which purportedly could run on an incredibly small circle of track where the rim of a .25 cent piece served as the inner rail of the track loop!
CNJ999
CNJ999
2nd mystery solved!
Thanks!
I was disappointed when I found out it's motor died. The end of the motor is a little cylinder that clamps into the frame. I'm going to have to disassemble the motor, use the end of the frame and the armature, so I can clamp the shaft and gear in the frame to get the right spacing in the worm& gear. I have a tiny can motor that will fit, but I'm going to have to link two shafts that are not parralell. I may have to resort to some kind of rubber band transmission.
Bill Nelson
Thanks!
I was disappointed when I found out it's motor died. The end of the motor is a little cylinder that clamps into the frame. I'm going to have to disassemble the motor, use the end of the frame and the armature, so I can clamp the shaft and gear in the frame to get the right spacing in the worm& gear. I have a tiny can motor that will fit, but I'm going to have to link two shafts that are not parralell. I may have to resort to some kind of rubber band transmission.
Bill Nelson
re motor
Bill post or send a photo of the motor next to a ruler to give a size referance. Maybe someone can help.
frank toptrain1@aol.com
Bill I looked at stubby info and the only motors like that that I have are in two Alco PAs that I have and they are used and running. I will ask around.
* Also after Lindsay stopped making trains Kemtron started making that little diesel. It was in the Walter's catalogs for a few years as Kemtron.
frank
Bill post or send a photo of the motor next to a ruler to give a size referance. Maybe someone can help.
frank toptrain1@aol.com
Bill I looked at stubby info and the only motors like that that I have are in two Alco PAs that I have and they are used and running. I will ask around.
* Also after Lindsay stopped making trains Kemtron started making that little diesel. It was in the Walter's catalogs for a few years as Kemtron.
frank
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MDC 36' Old time passenger cars
post 135
Here is the 1987 Freedom Train set. I don't have the full baggage.
frank
post 135
Here is the 1987 Freedom Train set. I don't have the full baggage.
frank
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The stubbies motor!
took me a while to find the stubbies motor. I have a lot of project trays that can be stowed in the closet when clearing the workbench for a different project.
Naturaly , the motor was not in the locomotive shops tray, with the two disassembled Brass Consolidations (an NWSL Sierra 18- which is an odd creature with tiny little drivers, and isn't much larger than a mantua 4-4-0, and a fine looking PFM MA & PA engine. The Sierra unit was getting re shopped after thirty five years service, and the PFM unit has just recently landed in my posession from the collection of a freind who had gone to O scale.
In any case the motor wasn't there, as that would make sence, it was over in the car shops tray with about ten Plastic truss rod flat cars that look like they are decendants of the old AHM flats.
These are in the car shops to get KDs and new better wheel sets, and get converted to log cars (ading rails to the deck for a barnhardt loader, and bark debris.) as well as a stack of Titchy train group wooden Hoppers, that are getting built moddified into narrow gauge cars.
Here are the pictures. I'm not totaly given up on this motor yet; I have attempted to clean the brushes and comutator with Tunner cleaner. Next I have to drop the bruses clean them manually, and see if I can manually clean the comutator.
This is an odd little motor, note besides it being tiny, the armature is scrw wound! this in a motor that may be older than I am.
Bill Nelson
took me a while to find the stubbies motor. I have a lot of project trays that can be stowed in the closet when clearing the workbench for a different project.
Naturaly , the motor was not in the locomotive shops tray, with the two disassembled Brass Consolidations (an NWSL Sierra 18- which is an odd creature with tiny little drivers, and isn't much larger than a mantua 4-4-0, and a fine looking PFM MA & PA engine. The Sierra unit was getting re shopped after thirty five years service, and the PFM unit has just recently landed in my posession from the collection of a freind who had gone to O scale.
In any case the motor wasn't there, as that would make sence, it was over in the car shops tray with about ten Plastic truss rod flat cars that look like they are decendants of the old AHM flats.
These are in the car shops to get KDs and new better wheel sets, and get converted to log cars (ading rails to the deck for a barnhardt loader, and bark debris.) as well as a stack of Titchy train group wooden Hoppers, that are getting built moddified into narrow gauge cars.
Here are the pictures. I'm not totaly given up on this motor yet; I have attempted to clean the brushes and comutator with Tunner cleaner. Next I have to drop the bruses clean them manually, and see if I can manually clean the comutator.
This is an odd little motor, note besides it being tiny, the armature is scrw wound! this in a motor that may be older than I am.
Bill Nelson
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*****more old stuff *****
* In the world of old stuff, things are always changing. Old stuff things are reliative. You have this, and it makes that. To Explane. Being 63 ( this ), old stuff for me are things I have from the 50s and 60s ( that ). Also pictures of things I've seen from the 40s ( more that ). It is what I relate to. For a person in his 20s and 30s ( this ), old stuff isn't as old, but is just as old ( that ). We don't live in our past, but it is nice to look back. A old thing will bring back visions of places, and faces that were lost to time. Their is more to collecting, then just getting stuff.
frank
* In the world of old stuff, things are always changing. Old stuff things are reliative. You have this, and it makes that. To Explane. Being 63 ( this ), old stuff for me are things I have from the 50s and 60s ( that ). Also pictures of things I've seen from the 40s ( more that ). It is what I relate to. For a person in his 20s and 30s ( this ), old stuff isn't as old, but is just as old ( that ). We don't live in our past, but it is nice to look back. A old thing will bring back visions of places, and faces that were lost to time. Their is more to collecting, then just getting stuff.
frank
Thanks guys.
Once again, a forum has lit a fire under my dead *** and caused me to get something done.
I took the motor from my stubby, which was laying on the workbench and removed and polished the business end of the brushes.
then I took some Tuner cleaner and squirted it into the brush holes. The fluid that came out the side of the frame was blackish grey in color. it was cruddy enough I wiped it off the RR room floor (not exactly clean) so it wouldn't leave a spot.
I assembled it, and after a little tweeking of the brush springs it runs ! The low speed of this motor is quite good , although it fairly screams at full throttle.
I'm going to have to replace the wire for the insulated side pick ups it's down to one strand @ the solder joint at the brush spring, but it appears that the little stubby is alive again!
I'ts going to take all my stregnth to resist trying to convert this to HOn3. It looks lie very little frame narrowing would be needed, but with my luck the wheel centers would break when I tried to press them inn on the axle.
That is a shame, as the near scale wheel proflie would be much happier with track built to HOn3 standards.
We have a club open house this weekend, and lots of work to do to get ready, so it may be a while before this critter goes back together, I'll report in when it is together and working.
Bill Nelson
Once again, a forum has lit a fire under my dead *** and caused me to get something done.
I took the motor from my stubby, which was laying on the workbench and removed and polished the business end of the brushes.
then I took some Tuner cleaner and squirted it into the brush holes. The fluid that came out the side of the frame was blackish grey in color. it was cruddy enough I wiped it off the RR room floor (not exactly clean) so it wouldn't leave a spot.
I assembled it, and after a little tweeking of the brush springs it runs ! The low speed of this motor is quite good , although it fairly screams at full throttle.
I'm going to have to replace the wire for the insulated side pick ups it's down to one strand @ the solder joint at the brush spring, but it appears that the little stubby is alive again!
I'ts going to take all my stregnth to resist trying to convert this to HOn3. It looks lie very little frame narrowing would be needed, but with my luck the wheel centers would break when I tried to press them inn on the axle.
That is a shame, as the near scale wheel proflie would be much happier with track built to HOn3 standards.
We have a club open house this weekend, and lots of work to do to get ready, so it may be a while before this critter goes back together, I'll report in when it is together and working.
Bill Nelson