Fantastic work I’m very grateful for you to be able to work on this and all the love and effort you’ve put into it! I’m excited to run it on my layout once again instead of it being a shelf warmer
OH MAN ... in the opening shot I said ... How can he ever put that together again ..Look at all those little screws and nuts and bolts ... Guy is unbelievable
A magnificent video and once again very well presented. The Penn Line engine is a classic. I love old school trains for their character, uniqueness, and dependability. I personally would have kept it original, but what you were able to accomplish by blending "Old with the New" adds to many possibilities and excitement to the rails. Thank you for sharing another amazing video.
I always love watching you work on stuff. The videos are very informative. I have learned quite a few things about steam locomotives from them. You should invest in an ultra sonic cleaning machine due to the number of items that you work on that need cleaning. :)
Nice to see a beautiful steamer returned to service, (PRR being my favorite road.) How you managed to keep track of all those tiny screws, pieces and parts is beyond me. Can’t say I like the sound feature. That noise would drive me insane in less than 3.6 seconds! But, you did a masterful job re-habing this model and I congratulate you for a job well done. (I was listening for frustration in your voice, but I never heard any! Wow!)
I’m not a big fan of sound either, but this one did at least sound a lot better in person than others I’ve heard before. I remember hearing the MRC sound in an early Athearn Genesis Big Boy, and it sounded about like someone dragging a tin can over sandpaper.
I'm trying to save money, not see new things I want!! 😂 I'm not a huge PRR fan, but man this makes me wanna fix the Penn Line E-6 I got in a parts lot, get a doner for the L-1 that came too, and get one of these! Outstanding job repairing it though!
I still prefer silent DC, I'd rather the here the wheels on the track and a quiet, smooth motor, maybe some music instead. To me the sound systems all sound tinny, PFM at one time made a subwoofer under layout concept- something to that. I do want to start adding supercapacitors to my smaller DC models, probably with a resistor as well.
Yeah, it’s hard to get a good depth of sound from these small speakers. It works for the jet engines in the Turbo Train set, but I go without sound for the rest of my stuff.
I think if sound mixing in decoders was better, and people used more/better speakers, it wouldnt be that hard to get decent sound. I've seen people making toy lightsabers that have impressive bass sound using rather small, high quality speakers. Maybe that is all it takes, or maybe we need people who know more about sound systems.
The 2-10-0 PRR decapod was the last new steam loco by Penn Line in 1954- their first was in 1947. It has always been my favorite- but I have the Bowser version with the larger diameter boiler. Crazy to think it was that old, $35 then, about $380 in 2024. Bankrupt by 1963, Bowser picked up molds at a sheriff sale - hundreds of thousands of dollars were lost on the Penn Line side, it's staggering to consider for the time.
I heard they spent a huge amount trying to get into slot cars, right when they were going out of style! Penn Line might have been around a lot longer if they stuck with trains.
What killed Penn Line was a free service/replacement guarantee that they extended to their line of slot cars. Slot cars were way more fragile and much more prone to being damaged by little kids. They lost massive amounts of money as a result. Should've stuck with trains!
@@jefflynnalex It is a shame, so much money just disappeared on bad motors and returns. It did leave room for Bowser to get all of those molds at a low enough price to be able to operate a company. They heightened the quality of the models beyond toys and published those eye-catching ads of Bowser models with the newly acquired Cal-scale brass parts- that is what hooked me. They even re-cast the boilers in 1993 and 1995, but even English's saw the decline and gave up on the steam line.
@@jefflynnalex Thanks! I think Bowser had a similar policy early on and nearly disappeared from poor financial decisions (Bill Bowser was a great mechanic but not much of a business man), but they were saved just in time when English purchased them.
Would have been neat if you could have 3D printed a large enclosure for the speaker to make it sound even better! It looks great though, and the DCC doesn't have a problem powering the old motor?
The old motor runs well within the decoder’s ratings, so that all worked out fine! I thought of making something for the speaker, but I figured it would sound cleanest with the vibration dampening foam alone.
I did a lot of work like this for viewers last year, but am mostly sticking to my own projects for this year. I've still done a small repair here and there for viewers, but I'm holding off on larger projects until next year. What work does your 2-6-6-2 need?
@DarthSantaFe well it fell off the layout a few years ago and the valve gear was damaged. It still runs but some of the rods now hang loosely. I'd like to find someone who fan repair it because it belonged to a friend of mine who passed away years ago. I even put his name on it. If you can give me an email address I could send you more detailed photos of the damage, if you're interested.
I keep looking at that model and I am confused as to it's actual make. It is definitely not an out of the box Penn Line. Many of the details that came molded into the Penn Line shell are separately applied to this shell. For many years after Bowser bought the PL inventory, they continued to sell PL locos under the Bowser name. At first Bowser just slapped a sticker over the PL logo on a kit box and sold the entire thing as a Bowser. Later, as inventory was sold off, Bowser began to gradually modify and upgrade the kits...so you'd have these hybrid locomotives that had some old PL parts and new Bowser parts. I am fairly certain that is what this is. Because Bowser wanted to maximize their parts inventory, in almost every case, when they modified a kit, the parts were still almost completely backwards compatible going back to PL models. It wasn't until the late 80s and 90s that Bowser started to completely remake the shells and chassis. Even so, most parts were still largely backwards compatible.
Some people did that on their own but I know, for a fact, that Bowser was also gradually modifying their kits with more and more separately added detail parts and that they were removing detail parts from old stock PL lead boilers (while leaving PL on the boiler). I spoke to Lew English about this almost 25 years ago. I brought in an L1 that had a damaged brass frame chassis and he traded me a brand new, clear coated, zinc L1 frame for the brass one...because they were all cross compatible. But my PL lead boilered Bowser L1 had a separately applied sand dome which was a Bowser modification. I also own three T1 models: An original PL, a Bowser/,PL hybrid with some brass details and a late model with all new zinc boiler and tender with many more brass details.
I find Bowser/Penn Line Steam locomotives to be in a league of their own. I started with one and now i have seven of these guys, five are running and two are being built or rebuilt. I have done a bit of research as i am still running them off DC. I have been advised by several buddie who are into DCC to not convert mine with the DC70s as they tend to be "Power Hogs" since they run off half an amp between 8 volts on my I1 and E6, and 9 volts on my K4s. I am looking into repowering some of my engines with Can Motors eventually, there is a kit available known as the "Helix Humper" but i have yet to find one. Im going to need a few. But would using a Can Motor make a Bowser DCC Conversion more efficient.? I ask this because i don't know how much this 2-10-0 will draw especially when under load.
Instead of a new motor, one option is to change out the original magnet for a neodymium cube. This will make the motor more powerful and reduce the current draw. There are decoders that can handle a continuous half-amp very easily, so I'd use one of those. With all that, your older Bowser and Penn Line steam engines will have no problem running on DCC.
Lead isnt dangerous, unless you eat it, or shoot in through a gun. I really wish people knew more about the advantages of lead-based metals that melt at such low temperatures, that you can pour them into plastic shells (slowly of course). It makes models a lot heavier! Either way, we still use red lead oxide in paint and primer, and I havent seen anyone die from spraying red paint!
Never thought I'd see:
A: You try DCC/sound
B: a PL loco with sound and it runs buttery smooth!
A very well done installation.
Thanks! I’m staying with DC for my own trains, but since I found this sound controller pretty cheap, I figured it would be useful to have on hand.
The tech 6 was my first DCC controller as well. Solid performing lil thing
Fantastic work I’m very grateful for you to be able to work on this and all the love and effort you’ve put into it! I’m excited to run it on my layout once again instead of it being a shelf warmer
OH MAN ... in the opening shot I said ... How can he ever put that together again ..Look at all those little screws and nuts and bolts ... Guy is unbelievable
A magnificent video and once again very well presented. The Penn Line engine is a classic. I love old school trains for their character, uniqueness, and dependability. I personally would have kept it original, but what you were able to accomplish by blending "Old with the New" adds to many possibilities and excitement to the rails. Thank you for sharing another amazing video.
Masterful. Anxious to run the locomotives you prepared for me.
Wow, what a terrific job. I always enjoy watching you getting these locomotives back into service.
I always love watching you work on stuff. The videos are very informative. I have learned quite a few things about steam locomotives from them. You should invest in an ultra sonic cleaning machine due to the number of items that you work on that need cleaning. :)
Nice to see a beautiful steamer returned to service, (PRR being my favorite road.) How you managed to keep track of all those tiny screws, pieces and parts is beyond me. Can’t say I like the sound feature. That noise would drive me insane in less than 3.6 seconds! But, you did a masterful job re-habing this model and I congratulate you for a job well done. (I was listening for frustration in your voice, but I never heard any! Wow!)
I’m not a big fan of sound either, but this one did at least sound a lot better in person than others I’ve heard before. I remember hearing the MRC sound in an early Athearn Genesis Big Boy, and it sounded about like someone dragging a tin can over sandpaper.
Penn Line Was the Studebaker of model trains.
I've got 3 n scale katos F3s all apart ..now I don't feel so bad lol! Great video man.
Nice work.👍🤓
I'm trying to save money, not see new things I want!! 😂 I'm not a huge PRR fan, but man this makes me wanna fix the Penn Line E-6 I got in a parts lot, get a doner for the L-1 that came too, and get one of these! Outstanding job repairing it though!
I still prefer silent DC, I'd rather the here the wheels on the track and a quiet, smooth motor, maybe some music instead. To me the sound systems all sound tinny, PFM at one time made a subwoofer under layout concept- something to that.
I do want to start adding supercapacitors to my smaller DC models, probably with a resistor as well.
Yeah, it’s hard to get a good depth of sound from these small speakers. It works for the jet engines in the Turbo Train set, but I go without sound for the rest of my stuff.
I think if sound mixing in decoders was better, and people used more/better speakers, it wouldnt be that hard to get decent sound. I've seen people making toy lightsabers that have impressive bass sound using rather small, high quality speakers. Maybe that is all it takes, or maybe we need people who know more about sound systems.
The 2-10-0 PRR decapod was the last new steam loco by Penn Line in 1954- their first was in 1947. It has always been my favorite- but I have the Bowser version with the larger diameter boiler.
Crazy to think it was that old, $35 then, about $380 in 2024.
Bankrupt by 1963, Bowser picked up molds at a sheriff sale - hundreds of thousands of dollars were lost on the Penn Line side, it's staggering to consider for the time.
I heard they spent a huge amount trying to get into slot cars, right when they were going out of style! Penn Line might have been around a lot longer if they stuck with trains.
When I bought this from my grandma only paid $12 for it, for shipping lol
What killed Penn Line was a free service/replacement guarantee that they extended to their line of slot cars. Slot cars were way more fragile and
much more prone to being damaged by little kids. They lost massive amounts of money as a result. Should've stuck with trains!
@@jefflynnalex It is a shame, so much money just disappeared on bad motors and returns. It did leave room for Bowser to get all of those molds at a low enough price to be able to operate a company. They heightened the quality of the models beyond toys and published those eye-catching ads of Bowser models with the newly acquired Cal-scale brass parts- that is what hooked me. They even re-cast the boilers in 1993 and 1995, but even English's saw the decline and gave up on the steam line.
@@jefflynnalex Thanks! I think Bowser had a similar policy early on and nearly disappeared from poor financial decisions (Bill Bowser was a great mechanic but not much of a business man), but they were saved just in time when English purchased them.
Nice work!
Would have been neat if you could have 3D printed a large enclosure for the speaker to make it sound even better! It looks great though, and the DCC doesn't have a problem powering the old motor?
The old motor runs well within the decoder’s ratings, so that all worked out fine! I thought of making something for the speaker, but I figured it would sound cleanest with the vibration dampening foam alone.
Great job
Have you ever dabbled with nickel plating wheels and parts? This loco would benefit from it
F0 is the headlight
amazing
Are you still working on the advanced steam locomotive kit?
Yup! I’m going to be focusing on finally finishing that one and the Arbour 0-4-0.
How often do you do work for viewers? I'd love it if you could help me possibly repair a bachmann 2-6-6-2 I own.
I did a lot of work like this for viewers last year, but am mostly sticking to my own projects for this year. I've still done a small repair here and there for viewers, but I'm holding off on larger projects until next year. What work does your 2-6-6-2 need?
@DarthSantaFe well it fell off the layout a few years ago and the valve gear was damaged. It still runs but some of the rods now hang loosely.
I'd like to find someone who fan repair it because it belonged to a friend of mine who passed away years ago. I even put his name on it.
If you can give me an email address I could send you more detailed photos of the damage, if you're interested.
@@ravenhawk6910 My email address is darthsantafe@gmail.com, so if you want to send some photos then maybe we can get something figured out!
@@DarthSantaFe email sent. Thank you!
Invest in a heated ultra sonic cleaner. Use a jewery cleaner solution.
After watching some videos on them, they look like they can do some nice work, but I think I'd rather stick with the regular methods.
Damn
I keep looking at that model and I am confused as to it's actual make. It is definitely not an out of the box Penn Line. Many of the details that came molded into the Penn Line shell are separately applied to this shell. For many years after Bowser bought the PL inventory, they continued to sell PL locos under the Bowser name. At first Bowser just slapped a sticker over the PL logo on a kit box and sold the entire thing as a Bowser. Later, as inventory was sold off, Bowser began to gradually modify and upgrade the kits...so you'd have these hybrid locomotives that had some old PL parts and new Bowser parts. I am fairly certain that is what this is. Because Bowser wanted to maximize their parts inventory, in almost every case, when they modified a kit, the parts were still almost completely backwards compatible going back to PL models. It wasn't until the late 80s and 90s that Bowser started to completely remake the shells and chassis. Even so, most parts were still largely backwards compatible.
This one is a Penn Line, but a lot of the details were filed off and replaced. The lead body makes that easy to do with these.
Some people did that on their own but I know, for a fact, that Bowser was also gradually modifying their kits with more and more separately added detail parts and that they were removing detail parts from old stock PL lead boilers (while leaving PL on the boiler). I spoke to Lew English about this almost 25 years ago. I brought in an L1 that had a damaged brass frame chassis and he traded me a brand new, clear coated, zinc L1 frame for the brass one...because they were all cross compatible. But my PL lead boilered Bowser L1 had a separately applied sand dome which was a Bowser modification. I also own three T1 models: An original PL, a Bowser/,PL hybrid with some brass details and a late model with all new zinc boiler and tender with many more brass details.
I find Bowser/Penn Line Steam locomotives to be in a league of their own. I started with one and now i have seven of these guys, five are running and two are being built or rebuilt. I have done a bit of research as i am still running them off DC. I have been advised by several buddie who are into DCC to not convert mine with the DC70s as they tend to be "Power Hogs" since they run off half an amp between 8 volts on my I1 and E6, and 9 volts on my K4s. I am looking into repowering some of my engines with Can Motors eventually, there is a kit available known as the "Helix Humper" but i have yet to find one. Im going to need a few. But would using a Can Motor make a Bowser DCC Conversion more efficient.? I ask this because i don't know how much this 2-10-0 will draw especially when under load.
Instead of a new motor, one option is to change out the original magnet for a neodymium cube. This will make the motor more powerful and reduce the current draw. There are decoders that can handle a continuous half-amp very easily, so I'd use one of those. With all that, your older Bowser and Penn Line steam engines will have no problem running on DCC.
I realize this comment is a little late, but i just wanted to say that the motor looks like a Hornby x-04.
Solid lead boiler? Health hazard on wheels. Lovely
Yup! They used lead bodies starting in the 40’s and going through the 60’s. Bowser changed them all to zinc diecast after they acquired the tooling.
I'm sure he'll be ok as long as he doesnt eat any lead chips
I’ll try not to😂
Lead isnt dangerous, unless you eat it, or shoot in through a gun. I really wish people knew more about the advantages of lead-based metals that melt at such low temperatures, that you can pour them into plastic shells (slowly of course). It makes models a lot heavier! Either way, we still use red lead oxide in paint and primer, and I havent seen anyone die from spraying red paint!
It's suggested to not run those upside down
Yes, but it’s usually fine as long as the rods and valve gear are well fit and working smoothly.