Hi SMT, I stumbled across your channel and boy am I glad I did…. I’ve been binge watching your video clips…I live in Bradenton Fla and am a retired Amtrak Conductor on the Northeast Corridor, and my Dad was born in Barre Vt, and his parents lived in the same house in Barre Vt since 1935. The railroad bug bit me when I was younger and took the Amtrak Montrealer to Montpelier Jct. Vt and well that’s all she wrote. After High School, applied to Amtrak and got hired as a train attendant on board the Auto Train and after 5 years, became a Conductor, on the corridor… I wanted to tell you that I went to Zitniks Trains because I had watched your video clip and while you were there a guy walked in and I said I know you, your the gentleman from a you tube video that a young man from Canada did… he said I am.. I can’t remember his name but I’m sure you know who I’m talking about very nice guy… Keep up the GREAT job, your very talented and knowledgeable and entertaining, and have a lot of great information to share. I have subscribed and rang the bell!! One of your many adoring fans, Bob Campbell Bradenton Florida
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your comment and kind words. Once the train bug gets inside us, it usually doesn't leave and it's nice to hear about someone following it through into career. The gentleman in the Zitnik trains video is Robert Sacco, he has a channel on youtube as well and was a great guy to get to meet. Thanks again for your comment! -Harrison
I've had the train bug from a VERY young age, I live in a town where the NS Pittsburgh line goes right through the middle of it, I've been seeing a lot of heritage units on the line as of late, saw Penn Central today! But yeah, the train bug never leaves us fully, my grandfather has also influenced it as he worked with both Conrail and Amtrak and has many stories to tell. #TrainLover4Life
I have a Bachmann Daylight as well as a MTH American Freedom Train 4449 and both run real well! I bought the daylight 4-6 years ago and run well to this day! Thanks SMT for you AWSOME channel!
shady??? these are real ppl! Ebay is actually my go to place to get model trains apart from stores. you can usually tell how sketchy it is and you can easily message the seller to find out about the legitimacy. I've sold some stuff on ebay as well.
@@Gfysimpletons when i used to sell stuff i packed as best as i could- lots of newspaper and paper towel stuffing to make sure the railings and couplers were secured. Also to make the package very tight so it wouldnt get thrown around during transport. 30 seconds of work can go a very long way
I have a giant number of 0 gauge Lionel and Marx I'll be selling soon on ebay. Time to downsize seeing I'm 73. I'm glad to see young folks still like toy trains. Thanks for the video.
Hi, I just happened on one of your vids a couple days ago and have been watching them ever since. I don't have any trains, but I have traveled on quite a few in my younger days - to name a few the El Capitan, the L&N Pan American, the SP Sunset Limited and several others - those days are gone forever. The only model train I ever had was one of those Aerotrains, back in 1952 - I burned out the transformer because I left it on so the train would be idling like the real locos - I was only 6, so I had no clue. My favorite trains were always passenger trains pulled by EMDs (don't know which are Fs and which are Es that well, tho ) and Alco PAs. I live in Southern Indiana, directly across from Louisville, KY & within sight of the K&I RR bridge which is owned by Norfolk Southern & also used by CSX; the NS tracks run right past my front door - maybe 20 metres about a dozen trains every day - the CSX are only visible when the trees are bare - they run to my left, going north. When I was burning up that transformer, I would visit my aunt; she had a back porch view of the L&N route - the C&O also used it for the George Washington for a nickel a spike - she had a hardware store down stairs with a sandbox in the back - I'd sneak out of that to go across the street and watch the trains, there were still some kettles running in those days, too. My father was a Railway Express clerk and I got to ride with him once from Cleveland to Buffalo and back in an REA car - not sure if it was the Nickel Plate or the Erie. I get a lot of pleasure watching you and all the stuff you can do with your locos and you remind me a bit of my grandson - not sure where you live - he's in Fergus. I enjoy watching you open all the great stuff people send you! Keep on posting!
The real trick to buying locomotives off of eBay is knowing the quality of your manufacturers (some are very good, some not so much) and carefully reading the item description.
Even then if the seller cant describe right. I saw a caboose I want for a specific company I had generations of family work and die on and the guys ad title stated its size was O scale the box it was in said n scale master series and his item description said it was a HO scale. 🤷♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
It's not that they are shady, motr of the fact that you may never get them or get a box with a brick in it The #1 problem with American ebay sellers is they have things listed cheap but jack up the shipping to stupid levels.
The shipping cost not usually the sellers fault. I use the International Shipping Program, as it’s the only method that gives me protection in the event of a delivery failure. That service is definitely expensive.
@@robby062 Shipping something inside the US to another person IN the US on some item that is $5 small should not cost $50 especially when the seller does not use any protection plan and states it in the shipping description. It's all American greed and nothing else.
I used to have a UP center cab switcher like that years ago. I've been looking for another one. That Proto Conrail looks sweet. I really like that Proto Rio Grande; it sounds very smooth.
I had one of those Centercab switchers made by AHM back in the early 70's when I was a young lad. Mine had the silver and orange with the GE logo on it that came in a set one year for Christmas.
4 definite runners and one in need of a little SMT TLC. Correct on the Aerotrain. Coaches basically made in the same way as buses as a cost saving measure by GM unfortunately from what I've heard they rode more like a truck or a city bus. Rock Island had one in intercity service the named the Jet Rocket and was quickly relegated to suburban commuter service and joined by the other Aerotrains when the other railroads that took a chance on them ( PRR,NYC and UP IIRC) traded them back to EMD and the Rock Island got them on the cheap.
@@trainliker100 and from what I've heard since they were built with intercity travel in mind the seats didn't flip and the Rock Island removed the tail car and turned the power at both ends of the trip so the inbound trip was backwards
I have several Life Like proto 2000 locomotives I bought between 1999 and 2002, and even though they were brand new, never used, every one of those pressure fit center axle gears on every locomotive had to be replaced. Never out of the box, never ran, yet just in storage those axles cracked.
That was a VERY common problem and almost all, or all, of that vintage had that problem. Had nothing to do with running, but rather about the plastic shrinking. The replacement part you get nowadays is Athearn # 60024 which gives you enough gears for six axles. It's a pretty easy fix.
That Proto 2000 Rio Grande unit is an SD7. Those are nice looking even by today’s standards and are great runners. The Proto six-axle units do not suffer from the split gear issue, but they sometimes have power problems with the axles, I believe you worked on an E9 in a recent video that suffered from the axle problem. Nice locomotives though…
4-axle of the same vintage also usually (or maybe always) developed cracked gears. The replacement part you get nowadays is Athearn # 60024 which gives you enough gears for six axles. It's a pretty easy fix.
Both the Rio Grande SD7 and Conrail SW9/1200 were both part of the LifeLike Proto2000 line, the line that essentially introduced 'high detail'(and indeed was far beyond the rest of the pack) plastic locos to the hobby; shortly later the Proto1000 line was introduced to the market.The external differences is the immediate obvious characteristic that identifies one from the other: 2000 has mostly applied and more crisp detail, 1000 detail is mostly moulded on. Internally there are differences as well, primarily in the different variety of motors proper to the two lines. The SD7 has been fitted with KD couplers indicating it near certainly has been used on a layout, and a fair amount probably given its 'tired' look(handling, etc.).
Hello Harrison… I hope your day is going well….Thank YOU, son so much for your kind words and I’m so happy you liked my story… I shared the Vermont part because your in Canada 🇨🇦, and spent a lot of time in your Montreal… Fun City!!! 😜 So I didn’t know how else to share this with you, but it does go with you EBAY Clip….. I’ve started modeling O scale now that I have time on my hands since retiring…. Anyway, I bought a Amtrak Meteoliner set off of eBay , Brand New, never been on the track or out of the box…. Well it arrived today, I was so excited…. The very first car I took out of the box, the truck fell out and dangled by the wires… 😳…. That’s issue 1, Issue 2 the headlight and ditch lights on the engine went dark after about a 30 mins running….. ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? So angry and upset, too bad your not closer, but Florida is a distance away…. BRAND NEW NEVER OPERATED AMTRAK F4OPH and 3 cars… GRRRRR…. I guess I’m going to a hobby store tomorrow…. Or buy a plane ticket to Canada… 😂🤣 Bob Campbell Bradenton Florida… Email me ? If you like… Campbellvisa@gmail.com
for the Union Pacific Switcher, I'm predicting there's a worm drive on a loose axle that can move forwards and backwards slightly, and in forward, it's being pulled forward, and in reverse, it's pressing back into something
Harrison, if you're ever in Arizona (US) for some random reason, search up "Obie's Trains" . It's an old hobby shop in Apache Junction and has a titanic load of O scale to N scale trains.
I have some brass. Ill say this much, they are pullers! Back in the day, AHM wasnt really good stuff, 4 wheel drive, junk can motor, no flywheels, ran like crap, couldnt pull much. Gun range targets to me.
get 3d printed axle centers for those bachmann daylights and they are good to go so long as they have the square holes that is if they have the circular ones then quartering will still be a pain and it will likely slip anyway if the tender has the kunckle coupler box instead of the horn hook then it likely has the square holes
Hey Man, I am big fan of your videos and model train. I am from India and funny thing about model train India is we dont have access to these model train models or sets or locomotives. But very soon there will start set will be available in amazon India. My eyes are on it. Very soon will try to buy.
I've done that. Plus replaced the dummy truck with a second power truck. The results were awesome. Though personally I find that the problem with Powertorque motors is mostly that the metal cast gear pins can be rough, the gears sometimes have small amounts of flash, and the overall attention that went into factory assembly was poor. I did once read an interview with someone who helped develop the PT motor, who said the high up bean counters at Consolidated Foods, Tyco's then parent company, nixed the original idea of dual motor trucks in favor of one power truck one dummy truck, and there were a lot of "Cost saving" measures in manufacture. In other words, PT motors had the potential to be good, and I find with cleaning the castings up, adding the second power truck, that they can be good running locos. Not Kato good, but near the top of the heap for what else was available in the 1970s and 1980s.
I got a model train from a train show and when I ran it on my layout It wouldn’t run. I took it to a model train expert and he said it was completely broken. Lesson learned, don’t be shady models!
It's always a risk with used stuff. Some sellers at train shows will have test tracks which is always a good thing to ask about when buying a used locomotive.
Buying locomotives off of Ebay is definitely a roll of the dice. I have bought several that turned out to be good runners. I bought a Lionel steamer, however, that was overall in very good condition but had a broken drive gear at the middle axle and will never run unless I find a replacement axle at a train show or something.
It's an exciting place to look for unusual or specific things but generally I prefer hobby shops for buying used stuff since you can have a better look and sometimes even test the item. I find the prices are often better too.
Thank you for your reply. I agree with you regarding being able to see first hand at a LHS. I wish we had more hobby shops in our area and the ones we have are quite thin on HO scale stuff. But that is just the way it is. I find your videos very well done and look forward to every post. Thank you again!
It's not bad on the rolling stocks. I mean I got alot of them. Nowadays they jacked up the prices and I feel like it's not worth buying used rolling stock that cost to much. I finally got me Jupiter, yes its used. The smoke stack does fall off, but can be super glued. The 4 wheels does tend to fall off but will figure that part out. At least I'm happy for what I got. I also have Lionel SP4449 HO scale DC brand spanking new. You never know what good deals you might find.
Cool lot SMT, glad to see they're all runners! Incidentally, the Santa Fe blue and silver paint job is a prototype scheme, albeit a rare one but there are videos that show them just before and after the Amtrak takeover of passenger service, although I think that scheme was only applied to a handful of the roads F units so it may not be correct for the Alco you have. Also if decide to get replacement handrails for the Conrail unit, you might try Walthers parts and service since they have all of the former Life-Like tooling.
If you have free time you can search old trains and kids trains and you can find some things moms are selling when their kids grow up for fairly cheap. A little tlc and it works pretty well usually
It wasn’t mentioned if you cleaned the wheels or not. I’d suggest doing that (rubbing alcohol on a tissue or q tip) before tearing them open. Sometimes a degreasing and clean rail contact is all they need. The Silver Streak acted like carbon build up on the treads.
I think that FA-1 is an actual paint scheme, because I think some Santa Fe engines IRL had that paint scheme, I think it was called a Blue Bonnet paint scheme
An actual paint scheme, yes, but it was only applied to a handful of F7s destined for dual service (and which were only ever actually used to haul freight).
Hi SMT i like these all ho scale trains I got the one ho scale train Union Pacific and also I like ho scale collection you have beacuse i like you 🧑🚂 👱❤️
I wouldnt test your luck with the Silver Strek locomotive. I had one. I say had, because, I was running it one day and it all of a sudden stopped moving. I was just about to see what was wrong when I noticed that the motor was on fire and it was melting the body (it melted the ties on the track underneath it too). I rushed it to the sink and doused it in water and soap, but the damage was done. the body was melted in the middle and the motor casing was still hot for about 30 minutes after I soaked it. We let it sit for an hour to be safe and when it was all said and done, we threw it away. I wouldnt risk it if I were you.
If it had a Mk1 PowerTorque motor, they were prone to overheating if you ran them continuously for too long. They didn/ fix the problem until the Mk3 PowerTorque.
I experienced a few of these locos as a kid in the seventies. Interesting but bit sad. They were too jerky to switch with, lower gearing and some flywheels would have helped, but the manufacturers did not do that.
I had trouble with a power torque eventually I became obsessed with only replacing the the cover thing than examining the actual drive thing (only because it broke in 2 places)
SMT - An interesting video popped up when I was on You Tube today. The video was titled, " MODEL RAILROAD, 1950's from Sterling Films " . The video is a film of a club layout that has O scale, " Outside Third Rail " track & rolling stock. I think you might find it interesting! The video is 8:17 in length.
I have the D&GR Sd-9 and it is a beautiful locomotive but the shell does like to pop sometimes other than that it’s a fantastic model and when it runs she runs
$160 for a 1980s Bachmann engine apparently with no tender? What? If you're happy with what you got, then you did okay. I had one of those Conrail switchers and swapped the shell with something else.
Ebay is good unless you dont live in the US or Canada and buy something on Ebay from someone who is in the US or Canada, then your package goes through the Ebay global shipping department where it is liable to get slashed carelessly
Hey SMT I was wondering if you accept fanmail? I've got an old marx hudson that I feel would be in good hands with you. I even have a parts engine that I could send with it.
Online shopping is shady in general, even the ability to contact the seller directly doesn't really do anything unless you can see it in person and though a picture is worth 1000 words, it's whether those words are accurate or not. The pictures on online auctions are generally worse than every UFO picture in history and the sellers are generally sketchier than every drug dealer in history, meaning the buyer doesn't know how the seller acquired the item they're selling or whether they're going to prison because of any of their purchases.
When buying them you have to actually find someone who has good reviews or has sold lots of items. A lot of the time I look for people with good reviews and a video to show the train running
No, the aerotrains weren't very successful, GM only built two of them, yes they used modified GM highway bus bodies, they were mounted to a two axle frame with an air suspension system, it was supposed to make them smoother riding than other cars, but they actually rode rough and sometimes they shook violently. Both aerotrains and four of the cars (two per locomotive) are preserved at two museums. I've seen the one at the transportation museum close to St. Louis MO. it isn't in St. Louis, just close by I can't remember the town name it is in.
The "National Museum of Transport" has a St. Louis address as 2933 Barrett Station Road, Saint Louis, MO 6312. Their Aerotrain engine and two cars are currently undergoing a cosmetic restoration. I also sort of remember it was actually in an adjacent town with a different name. Maybe it once was and the town got swallowed up by St. Louis. The other surviving Aerotrain, also with two cars is at the "National Railroad Museum" in Green Bay, WI. That museum also has a very nice 1 1/2" to the foot scale model that had been made by General Motors. You can see a photo here: i.pinimg.com/originals/3d/10/29/3d1029ae20c1772c68283f314cda6c7e.jpg
@@trainliker100 I just looked it up, and it is very confusing, it has got a St. Louis address but is listed as being in Kirkwood, which is a suburb just outside of St. Louis, and I remember when I was there, this was years ago so it might have changed by now, the sign said a different place name than St. Louis. Someone needs to make up their mind, is it in St. Louis or Kirkwood?
@@Skyfire_The_Goth It seems to be actually, technically, in the suburb of Kirkwood which is its own city. Separate from St. Louis. Sometimes areas have a name used as a town but are actually part of a larger city (you run across this a lot when you ship at the post office and address is for for "Xtown" and the zip code returns that address for "Ycity". I suspect the museum just feels that everybody knows where St. Louis is which is more recognizable, and they are casual about be specific.
Hi SMT,
I stumbled across your channel and boy am I glad I did…. I’ve been binge watching your video clips…I live in Bradenton Fla and am a retired Amtrak Conductor on the Northeast Corridor, and my Dad was born in Barre Vt, and his parents lived in the same house in Barre Vt since 1935. The railroad bug bit me when I was younger and took the Amtrak Montrealer to Montpelier Jct. Vt and well that’s all she wrote. After High School, applied to Amtrak and got hired as a train attendant on board the Auto Train and after 5 years, became a Conductor, on the corridor…
I wanted to tell you that I went to Zitniks Trains because I had watched your video clip and while you were there a guy walked in and I said I know you, your the gentleman from a you tube video that a young man from Canada did… he said I am.. I can’t remember his name but I’m sure you know who I’m talking about very nice guy…
Keep up the GREAT job, your very talented and knowledgeable and entertaining, and have a lot of great information to share.
I have subscribed and rang the bell!!
One of your many adoring fans,
Bob Campbell
Bradenton Florida
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your comment and kind words. Once the train bug gets inside us, it usually doesn't leave and it's nice to hear about someone following it through into career.
The gentleman in the Zitnik trains video is Robert Sacco, he has a channel on youtube as well and was a great guy to get to meet.
Thanks again for your comment! -Harrison
I live in Bradenton as well, 😃
@@wethepeople7961 hi
I've had the train bug from a VERY young age, I live in a town where the NS Pittsburgh line goes right through the middle of it, I've been seeing a lot of heritage units on the line as of late, saw Penn Central today! But yeah, the train bug never leaves us fully, my grandfather has also influenced it as he worked with both Conrail and Amtrak and has many stories to tell. #TrainLover4Life
Bnsf301
The "And we got a runner!" Always make me smile
that blue Santa Fe looked custom-done, and HOLY MOLY, was that a high quality custom
I have a Bachmann Daylight as well as a MTH American Freedom Train 4449 and both run real well! I bought the daylight 4-6 years ago and run well to this day! Thanks SMT for you AWSOME channel!
shady??? these are real ppl! Ebay is actually my go to place to get model trains apart from stores. you can usually tell how sketchy it is and you can easily message the seller to find out about the legitimacy. I've sold some stuff on ebay as well.
I’ve but over 300 engines off eBay. I swear I’ve never had a problem with any. Aside from the loose packing……
@@Gfysimpletons when i used to sell stuff i packed as best as i could- lots of newspaper and paper towel stuffing to make sure the railings and couplers were secured. Also to make the package very tight so it wouldnt get thrown around during transport. 30 seconds of work can go a very long way
“Apart from stores.” You just named the only two ways to purchase models other than getting them from a friend or something
I have a giant number of 0 gauge Lionel and Marx I'll be selling soon on ebay. Time to downsize seeing I'm 73. I'm glad to see young folks still like toy trains. Thanks for the video.
Hi, I just happened on one of your vids a couple days ago and have been watching them ever since. I don't have any trains, but I have traveled on quite a few in my younger days - to name a few the El Capitan, the L&N Pan American, the SP Sunset Limited and several others - those days are gone forever. The only model train I ever had was one of those Aerotrains, back in 1952 - I burned out the transformer because I left it on so the train would be idling like the real locos - I was only 6, so I had no clue. My favorite trains were always passenger trains pulled by EMDs (don't know which are Fs and which are Es that well, tho ) and Alco PAs.
I live in Southern Indiana, directly across from Louisville, KY & within sight of the K&I RR bridge which is owned by Norfolk Southern & also used by CSX; the NS tracks run right past my front door - maybe 20 metres about a dozen trains every day - the CSX are only visible when the trees are bare - they run to my left, going north. When I was burning up that transformer, I would visit my aunt; she had a back porch view of the L&N route - the C&O also used it for the George Washington for a nickel a spike - she had a hardware store down stairs with a sandbox in the back - I'd sneak out of that to go across the street and watch the trains, there were still some kettles running in those days, too.
My father was a Railway Express clerk and I got to ride with him once from Cleveland to Buffalo and back in an REA car - not sure if it was the Nickel Plate or the Erie.
I get a lot of pleasure watching you and all the stuff you can do with your locos and you remind me a bit of my grandson - not sure where you live - he's in Fergus. I enjoy watching you open all the great stuff people send you! Keep on posting!
The real trick to buying locomotives off of eBay is knowing the quality of your manufacturers (some are very good, some not so much) and carefully reading the item description.
Even then if the seller cant describe right. I saw a caboose I want for a specific company I had generations of family work and die on and the guys ad title stated its size was O scale the box it was in said n scale master series and his item description said it was a HO scale. 🤷♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
I saw a great northern 2-6-6-2 on there that I bought, so I'm guessing you made this video before I bought it lol
It's not that they are shady, motr of the fact that you may never get them or get a box with a brick in it
The #1 problem with American ebay sellers is they have things listed cheap but jack up the shipping to stupid levels.
The shipping cost not usually the sellers fault. I use the International Shipping Program, as it’s the only method that gives me protection in the event of a delivery failure. That service is definitely expensive.
They do it with model trains, and insulators and other stuff that I get on eBay. An item might be $6, but the shipping is $40.
@@robby062 Shipping something inside the US to another person IN the US on some item that is $5 small should not cost $50 especially when the seller does not use any protection plan and states it in the shipping description. It's all American greed and nothing else.
@@michaelmorgan7893 and 2-way radios (namely those cheap Chinese Baofeng radios) and video game related items.
That’s a completely different thing. I do see that happen as well. I was referring to international shipping from US.
Quite a mix there, cheap low end AHM, a Proto 2000 SW1200, a Tyco chrome engine and maybe another Proto SD9.
AHM is junk. I have a AHM Alco rs11 and it runs like shit!
I used to have a UP center cab switcher like that years ago. I've been looking for another one.
That Proto Conrail looks sweet.
I really like that Proto Rio Grande; it sounds very smooth.
I had one of those Centercab switchers made by AHM back in the early 70's when I was a young lad. Mine had the silver and orange with the GE logo on it that came in a set one year for Christmas.
12:25 The handrails are the hardest thing to preserve.
Yeah the older ones have metal handrailings and hold up better-the new ones have very thin plastic
Easy to make……….
I actually got a Life-Like proto 2000 SW-8 the other day and it has turned out to be one of my favorite locomotives. It’s an excellent runner!
Very nice!
4 definite runners and one in need of a little SMT TLC.
Correct on the Aerotrain. Coaches basically made in the same way as buses as a cost saving measure by GM unfortunately from what I've heard they rode more like a truck or a city bus. Rock Island had one in intercity service the named the Jet Rocket and was quickly relegated to suburban commuter service and joined by the other Aerotrains when the other railroads that took a chance on them ( PRR,NYC and UP IIRC) traded them back to EMD and the Rock Island got them on the cheap.
Yes, made exactly like bus shells, but widened somewhat. They rode horribly.
@@trainliker100 and from what I've heard since they were built with intercity travel in mind the seats didn't flip and the Rock Island removed the tail car and turned the power at both ends of the trip so the inbound trip was backwards
Great little lot. I have a few of the proto's and quite pleased with them.
Not the beat price but I like the locomotives.
I have several Life Like proto 2000 locomotives I bought between 1999 and 2002, and even though they were brand new, never used, every one of those pressure fit center axle gears on every locomotive had to be replaced. Never out of the box, never ran, yet just in storage those axles cracked.
That was a VERY common problem and almost all, or all, of that vintage had that problem. Had nothing to do with running, but rather about the plastic shrinking. The replacement part you get nowadays is Athearn # 60024 which gives you enough gears for six axles. It's a pretty easy fix.
That Proto 2000 Rio Grande unit is an SD7. Those are nice looking even by today’s standards and are great runners. The Proto six-axle units do not suffer from the split gear issue, but they sometimes have power problems with the axles, I believe you worked on an E9 in a recent video that suffered from the axle problem. Nice locomotives though…
I've now worked on two E9s which have had axel problems. Although it's never happened to any locomotives I got new.
I have a UP SD7 HO Scale! (Not sure what brand it was made by)
I also just got some track and a controller!
4-axle of the same vintage also usually (or maybe always) developed cracked gears. The replacement part you get nowadays is Athearn # 60024 which gives you enough gears for six axles. It's a pretty easy fix.
Both the Rio Grande SD7 and Conrail SW9/1200 were both part of the LifeLike Proto2000 line, the line that essentially introduced 'high detail'(and indeed was far beyond the rest of the pack) plastic locos to the hobby; shortly later the Proto1000 line was introduced to the market.The external differences is the immediate obvious characteristic that identifies one from the other: 2000 has mostly applied and more crisp detail, 1000 detail is mostly moulded on. Internally there are differences as well, primarily in the different variety of motors proper to the two lines.
The SD7 has been fitted with KD couplers indicating it near certainly has been used on a layout, and a fair amount probably given its 'tired' look(handling, etc.).
I have 4 1980's old Bachmann and 3/4 are completely broken.
The old Mainline locos sold by Palitoy have the same sleeve on axle problem. I think Bachmnan came out of that mind, so explains a lot
Turned out to be a good lot. Really like that Conrail switcher
I'm pretty happy with it.
That was fun, we took bets to see how many would run I said all of them I won. Thanks. 🤗
Thank you!
Hello Harrison… I hope your day is going well….Thank YOU, son so much for your kind words and I’m so happy you liked my story… I shared the Vermont part because your in
Canada 🇨🇦, and spent a lot of time in your Montreal…
Fun City!!! 😜
So I didn’t know how else to share this with you, but it does go with you EBAY Clip…..
I’ve started modeling O scale now that I have time on my hands since retiring…. Anyway, I bought a Amtrak Meteoliner set off of eBay , Brand New, never been on the track or out of the box…. Well it arrived today, I was so excited…. The very first car I took out of the box, the truck fell out and dangled by the wires… 😳…. That’s issue 1,
Issue 2 the headlight and ditch lights on the engine went dark after about a 30 mins running…..
ARE YOU KIDDING ME????
So angry and upset, too bad your not closer, but Florida is a distance away….
BRAND NEW NEVER OPERATED AMTRAK F4OPH and 3 cars… GRRRRR….
I guess I’m going to a hobby store tomorrow…. Or buy a plane ticket to Canada… 😂🤣
Bob Campbell
Bradenton Florida…
Email me ? If you like…
Campbellvisa@gmail.com
I like the proto 2000 switcher locomotive it is a nice looking engine.
I agree
4:00
The original disneyland train was modelled after the aerotrain.
But they had to save money so they kitbashed with some old pickups.
Nice collection. It's a matter of how much fun did you have for your money!
for the Union Pacific Switcher, I'm predicting there's a worm drive on a loose axle that can move forwards and backwards slightly, and in forward, it's being pulled forward, and in reverse, it's pressing back into something
That's probably the problem.
Harrison, if you're ever in Arizona (US) for some random reason, search up "Obie's Trains" . It's an old hobby shop in Apache Junction and has a titanic load of O scale to N scale trains.
Not bad 6 runners and a almost runner 👍
Five out of six ain’t bad! Thanks again
Five out of six runners? Damn!!! That's a pretty good average!!! Nice lot, Harrison!
When I had ho I had a few proto 2000 locomotives.i never had a problem with them. They are dcc ready. Wish I could get them in n scale
The ones I've had my entire time in the hobby have been good but there have been a few used ones I've worked on with issues.
@@SMTMainline I had 2 sp7 2 shark noise I dont remember what others but I was happy with them. Wish I could have had them with dcc
U had a really nice geep until the cat knocked it off the shelf. Its done for.
Looks Cool! I like the High Nose Diesel Train!
I have some brass. Ill say this much, they are pullers! Back in the day, AHM wasnt really good stuff, 4 wheel drive, junk can motor, no flywheels, ran like crap, couldnt pull much. Gun range targets to me.
2:42 speaking of Chicago&NorthWestern
I was so lucky that I bought CNW SD60 and A SD40 on eBay. Those were the last ones left
Wow great new video today .With lot's of detail.
I got some brand new F3 B unit off of Ebay for about 80 dollars, and it had a decoder in it, and it's probably the strongest unit on my layout
I agree!! I got taken but a seller on an HO engine that “ran”. Well the motor ran but the frame was cracked and the engine did not run!!!!!
I love the fact seeing difference in CA dollars vs us dollars in prices is weird to see but still very cool lot you bought .
20% percent more at the moment.
@@SMTMainline ahh yeah i noticed. But still its neat to me to see websites how they look elsewhere etc. But I love the lot you chose.
Judging by that face this is going to be a very fun train video
Piko Still Makes that Athearn Hustler, it even has a rubber band drive!
get 3d printed axle centers for those bachmann daylights and they are good to go so long as they have the square holes that is if they have the circular ones then quartering will still be a pain and it will likely slip anyway if the tender has the kunckle coupler box instead of the horn hook then it likely has the square holes
Is there a specific site that sells those parts?
@@SMTMainline www.shapeways.com/product/PJUUQ9266/replacement-for-bachmann-ho-4-8-4-axle-centers?optionId=41598901&li=marketplace
Hey Man, I am big fan of your videos and model train. I am from India and funny thing about model train India is we dont have access to these model train models or sets or locomotives. But very soon there will start set will be available in amazon India. My eyes are on it. Very soon will try to buy.
Sounds good.
Here Is a Video Idea, Modernizing a power tork. Put all wheel pickups a new drive system with can moter and additional detail.
I've done that. Plus replaced the dummy truck with a second power truck. The results were awesome. Though personally I find that the problem with Powertorque motors is mostly that the metal cast gear pins can be rough, the gears sometimes have small amounts of flash, and the overall attention that went into factory assembly was poor. I did once read an interview with someone who helped develop the PT motor, who said the high up bean counters at Consolidated Foods, Tyco's then parent company, nixed the original idea of dual motor trucks in favor of one power truck one dummy truck, and there were a lot of "Cost saving" measures in manufacture. In other words, PT motors had the potential to be good, and I find with cleaning the castings up, adding the second power truck, that they can be good running locos. Not Kato good, but near the top of the heap for what else was available in the 1970s and 1980s.
The thumbnail photo is priceless
Lol yeah
Definitely
I got a model train from a train show and when I ran it on my layout It wouldn’t run. I took it to a model train expert and he said it was completely broken. Lesson learned, don’t be shady models!
It's always a risk with used stuff. Some sellers at train shows will have test tracks which is always a good thing to ask about when buying a used locomotive.
@@SMTMainline true
3:07 yeah that bullet train looks cool 3:50 along with that turbo train
that rio grande loco is beautiful
A long awaited video
What do you do with all the rolling stock you've gathered? Collection? Fix and flip? ...hoarding?
That rio grande sd40 high hood would be perfect with a dcc socket for my layout
That's an SD7...
From a decent mix you got quite a good deal. Also, I have seen some really shady deals where things were not as the picture showed
Buying locomotives off of Ebay is definitely a roll of the dice. I have bought several that turned out to be good runners. I bought a Lionel steamer, however, that was overall in very good condition but had a broken drive gear at the middle axle and will never run unless I find a replacement axle at a train show or something.
It's an exciting place to look for unusual or specific things but generally I prefer hobby shops for buying used stuff since you can have a better look and sometimes even test the item. I find the prices are often better too.
Thank you for your reply. I agree with you regarding being able to see first hand at a LHS. I wish we had more hobby shops in our area and the ones we have are quite thin on HO scale stuff. But that is just the way it is. I find your videos very well done and look forward to every post. Thank you again!
Santa Fe had red, yellow, and blue warbonnet schemes on its cab units. But that Lionel unit looked custom painted.
The big boy looks like it has been in the attic in a while loll
That lionel loco is an actual lionel loco, its based off of the O Scale Alcos released all throughout the 50s to 90s
It's not bad on the rolling stocks. I mean I got alot of them. Nowadays they jacked up the prices and I feel like it's not worth buying used rolling stock that cost to much. I finally got me Jupiter, yes its used. The smoke stack does fall off, but can be super glued. The 4 wheels does tend to fall off but will figure that part out. At least I'm happy for what I got. I also have Lionel SP4449 HO scale DC brand spanking new. You never know what good deals you might find.
I got a proto 2k from trains on ebay for 40 bucks a while back train came in perfect condition n runs great
Beginners should only buy the metal Mantua engines. The Shifter, Little Six, General, Mikado, and Pacific are the best!
Cool lot SMT, glad to see they're all runners! Incidentally, the Santa Fe blue and silver paint job is a prototype scheme, albeit a rare one but there are videos that show them just before and after the Amtrak takeover of passenger service, although I think that scheme was only applied to a handful of the roads F units so it may not be correct for the Alco you have. Also if decide to get replacement handrails for the Conrail unit, you might try Walthers parts and service since they have all of the former Life-Like tooling.
If you have free time you can search old trains and kids trains and you can find some things moms are selling when their kids grow up for fairly cheap. A little tlc and it works pretty well usually
It wasn’t mentioned if you cleaned the wheels or not. I’d suggest doing that (rubbing alcohol on a tissue or q tip) before tearing them open. Sometimes a degreasing and clean rail contact is all they need. The Silver Streak acted like carbon build up on the treads.
I think that FA-1 is an actual paint scheme, because I think some Santa Fe engines IRL had that paint scheme, I think it was called a Blue Bonnet paint scheme
An actual paint scheme, yes, but it was only applied to a handful of F7s destined for dual service (and which were only ever actually used to haul freight).
Others have said so too, apparently they are rare though.
Nice gaming chair
It's mint
ty,luv your shows
Hi SMT i like these all ho scale trains I got the one ho scale train Union Pacific and also I like ho scale collection you have beacuse i like you 🧑🚂 👱❤️
I wouldnt test your luck with the Silver Strek locomotive. I had one. I say had, because, I was running it one day and it all of a sudden stopped moving. I was just about to see what was wrong when I noticed that the motor was on fire and it was melting the body (it melted the ties on the track underneath it too). I rushed it to the sink and doused it in water and soap, but the damage was done. the body was melted in the middle and the motor casing was still hot for about 30 minutes after I soaked it. We let it sit for an hour to be safe and when it was all said and done, we threw it away. I wouldnt risk it if I were you.
I wonder if the previous owner put too much oil on the commutator motor bearing & that oil started on fire?
@@Petemonster62 I bought it new in box.
If it had a Mk1 PowerTorque motor, they were prone to overheating if you ran them continuously for too long. They didn/ fix the problem until the Mk3 PowerTorque.
Yeah I only buy atlas smooth running not a flaw I’ve been in it for over 50 years and I still love it❤️
I experienced a few of these locos as a kid in the seventies. Interesting but bit sad. They were too jerky to switch with, lower gearing and some flywheels would have helped, but the manufacturers did not do that.
I had trouble with a power torque eventually I became obsessed with only replacing the the cover thing than examining the actual drive thing (only because it broke in 2 places)
Pick up a spirit of 70 similar to your silver streak.Has the power torque motor it runs, but it's noisy.What do you suggest
Yeah I had that problem with my buckman daylight and that little wafer motor was crap
In the end you can always do a scrapyard-diorama...
Many eBay sellers jack up the shipping. Need to watch that
Ebay is just hilarious, always finding weird models with bizarre paint jobs
SMT - An interesting video popped up when I was on You Tube today. The video was titled, " MODEL RAILROAD, 1950's from Sterling Films " . The video is a film of a club layout that has O scale, " Outside Third Rail " track & rolling stock. I think you might find it interesting! The video is 8:17 in length.
Thanks for letting me know.
I would have gotten that German 2-6-0 that you kept scrolling past.
Can't wait to see this video
That conrail looks really sharp
I have that same switcher.
I have the D&GR Sd-9 and it is a beautiful locomotive but the shell does like to pop sometimes other than that it’s a fantastic model and when it runs she runs
I had an O scale Santa fa like that blue one back in the early 2000s
That strange 0-4-0 with the loop coupler is an old ATT/Mantua locomotive
$160 for a 1980s Bachmann engine apparently with no tender? What?
If you're happy with what you got, then you did okay. I had one of those Conrail switchers and swapped the shell with something else.
Yayyy I was so excited to see this!!!!
ya should try catching out on freight trains - ya might just like it - only way ta find out is by going for a ride - PS me love ho scale trains -
Have you ever repaired a pemco locomotive?
Harrison.Thoughts???workin on a Athern/Lionel?? HO NY Navy Yard #51blue shunter. Band-drive.Never seen it.
If it's a good price it's probably a good choice. Just be prepared to replace the bands since they wear out super fast.
Its alive! Alive lol She be a 1958.. My local shop give it to me cuz it was dead. Thanks for touching base.
Once in Duluth there was a Lionel of a train Union pacific passenger train
Perfect day for it today is my birthday
Happy birthday!
Judging by your face those locomotives look more confusing than they are shady
Ebay is good unless you dont live in the US or Canada and buy something on Ebay from someone who is in the US or Canada, then your package goes through the Ebay global shipping department where it is liable to get slashed carelessly
Hey SMT
I was wondering if you accept fanmail? I've got an old marx hudson that I feel would be in good hands with you. I even have a parts engine that I could send with it.
Online shopping is shady in general, even the ability to contact the seller directly doesn't really do anything unless you can see it in person and though a picture is worth 1000 words, it's whether those words are accurate or not. The pictures on online auctions are generally worse than every UFO picture in history and the sellers are generally sketchier than every drug dealer in history, meaning the buyer doesn't know how the seller acquired the item they're selling or whether they're going to prison because of any of their purchases.
When buying them you have to actually find someone who has good reviews or has sold lots of items. A lot of the time I look for people with good reviews and a video to show the train running
I saw your Video about Diesel 0-4-0's, I think you should do the same thing with Steam 0-4-0's
That was a good video
No, the aerotrains weren't very successful, GM only built two of them, yes they used modified GM highway bus bodies, they were mounted to a two axle frame with an air suspension system, it was supposed to make them smoother riding than other cars, but they actually rode rough and sometimes they shook violently. Both aerotrains and four of the cars (two per locomotive) are preserved at two museums. I've seen the one at the transportation museum close to St. Louis MO. it isn't in St. Louis, just close by I can't remember the town name it is in.
It's too bad they didn't work out because despite being impractical, they had a pretty good looking design.
The "National Museum of Transport" has a St. Louis address as 2933 Barrett Station Road, Saint Louis, MO 6312. Their Aerotrain engine and two cars are currently undergoing a cosmetic restoration. I also sort of remember it was actually in an adjacent town with a different name. Maybe it once was and the town got swallowed up by St. Louis. The other surviving Aerotrain, also with two cars is at the "National Railroad Museum" in Green Bay, WI. That museum also has a very nice 1 1/2" to the foot scale model that had been made by General Motors. You can see a photo here: i.pinimg.com/originals/3d/10/29/3d1029ae20c1772c68283f314cda6c7e.jpg
@@trainliker100 I just looked it up, and it is very confusing, it has got a St. Louis address but is listed as being in Kirkwood, which is a suburb just outside of St. Louis, and I remember when I was there, this was years ago so it might have changed by now, the sign said a different place name than St. Louis. Someone needs to make up their mind, is it in St. Louis or Kirkwood?
@@Skyfire_The_Goth It seems to be actually, technically, in the suburb of Kirkwood which is its own city. Separate from St. Louis. Sometimes areas have a name used as a town but are actually part of a larger city (you run across this a lot when you ship at the post office and address is for for "Xtown" and the zip code returns that address for "Ycity". I suspect the museum just feels that everybody knows where St. Louis is which is more recognizable, and they are casual about be specific.
Buying HO scale locomotives in Ebay.
I gonna buy N scale trains in Marketplace.
Locomotives.
Freight cars and passengers.
LOL I just bought a Conrail switcher that looks almost exactly like this one