Commuting (for years) to work I spent alot of time sitting at a remote crossing, waiting for long consists to roll by -slowly-...at least when there were open racks, I could look at the cars! Enjoyed this vid. Thanks Mike.
Thanks for watching! If you catch the modern enclosed carriers at the right angle you can sometimes make out the silhouettes of the vehicles inside and try to guess what they are!
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks Yes I used to do that, how'd you know? Until 2011 they were mostly Fords from St. Thomas (1 model...plant closed now) or Hondas from Alliston (Ont.), on their way to pass through the St. Clair tunnel. Toyotas from Woodstock as well.. (not sure the model..RAV 4's?) They built the new tunnel in the mid 90's to accommodate the newer Autoracks and stacked container cars, the old tunnel was too small. Rail transport still essential around here.. people tend to take it for granted.
Having been born and living in the Detroit area this is a subject near and dear to my heart ♥️ I have the Santa Fe tri level rack. I also have a Lionel enclosed auto rack (2 level) from the 90’s (?). Recently, I bought a HTF Menards auto carrier w/6 1/48 Buick sedans (glued (?) in position. All of them are about the same length but the enclosed auto carrier is shorter in height so it rides empty. The Menards carrier has a cast step below the lower corner which might hang up on a turnout in close quarters.
Thanks for another informative and interesting video! You made me go and check and the only auto carrier I have is the I assume 1972 black with yellow print. I got it for my bday Feb 1973.
I was hoping to learn how to remove the racks. I used to own 2 of a Lionel Santa Fe two-rack carrier made in 2005. (They both had die-cast Bettendorf sprung trucks). I also had a blue Great Northern MPC three rack carrier. I wanted to remove the racks to customize one (or two) but I never was able to do it, then eventually my house was damaged by a storm and my Lionel and MTH stuff was looted (among many other things). I've decided to start from scratch and got lucky enough to find a frame for said 2005 Santa Fe two-tier auto rack (this time with LTI plastic trucks). I want to use MPC or LTI racks on this frame, once I learn how to remove them from their original frame.
Excellent as always, Mike. Thank you for answering in the video the question I've had about whether I could fit 1/48 scale autos on the racks. Wouldn't work, I see, especially for Menards pickup trucks! I have MTH Rail King auto carriers but still might get a couple of these so I could make up a train.
I model the Penn Central in three rail O gauge. I have three Penn Central Auto racks Matchbox cars might be corrected scale but they are too small. I hunt toy stores and you would be surprised that for a couple dollars each you can find larger cars that will just fit inside the carrier. It looks much more realistic than with Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars that look to be the size of a golf cart.
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks as a model railroading kid of the '60s and '70s the Penn Central was my Railroad and it was such a shame that it failed and all the other Northeast railroads went under as well. Empty factories don't produce no traffic. And of course all the cold railroads died because we changed the oil just in time for the energy crisis to screw us. They just should have put scrubbers on top of all the coal plants and took the by-products like to sulfur and everything else and they should have sold it to the Eveready battery company.
@@frankmarkovcijr5459 It didn't help when the New Haven was forced into the PC. Passenger operations accounted for most of their million -dollar-a-day losses. As a young railfan, however, Conrail allowed me to see LV, Reading, EL, CNJ, and other schemes I would not have seen otherwise in Cincy.
Yes. See my response to the comment by Ryan Mannion: " Tri-level auto racks include 9123 C&O (Blue/Black) 1972-74, 9126 C&O (Yellow) 1973-75, 9129 N&W (Brown) 1975-76, 9139 PC (Green) 1976-77, 9145 ICG (Orange) 1977-80, 9216 GN (Blue) 1978, 9281 Santa Fe (Red) 1978-80, 9351 PRR (Tuscan) 1980, and 16208 PRR (Brown) 1989."
Measure the auto carrier using the S scale or 1:64th scale rulers. Hot Wheels autos are 1:64th scale and they fit on the Lionel auto carriers very well.
Personally, I find Hot Wheels to be slightly too small to look right. I am currently 3D printing some autos at around 1/55th and they look correct to me.
@@AndrewNeilFalconer Yes. I find the "humps" ok n the LTI cars are too far apart to properly secure Hit Wheels. They roll back and forth, altering the weight distribution and causing derailments.
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks if I could get 1/55 vehicles, I'd want 1969 Dodge Charger R/Ts, 1991-1995 Saturn S-series (sedans or coupes), 2005 Saturn ION coupes, or 1964 Impala SS-es.
I have the bi 3️⃣level trailer train yellow📒🟡🟨 but it always is falling of and is unstable to the point we’re I can not run it ⚠️🏃♂️ .Is there any way to improve it further 👨🔧? Thank you 😃
@@ronkrzeczkowski94 Actually, it depends on geography. In the USA, O scale is generally 1/48 (1/4" to the foot), but then O gauge track at 1 1/4" is 5' gauge. That's why most international O Scale modelers use 1/43.5 (7 mm / foot) so O gauge track is VERY CLOSE to 4' 8 1/2" and why most diecast uses 1/43 instead of 1/48.
@@ronkrzeczkowski94 Examples of 1/43 scale O gauge European trains: www.hattons.co.uk/stocklist/1000396/1000590/1000635/0/dapol_o_gauge_1_43_scale_diesel_locos/prodlist
Commuting (for years) to work I spent alot of time sitting at a remote crossing, waiting for long consists to roll by -slowly-...at least when there were open racks, I could look at the cars! Enjoyed this vid. Thanks Mike.
Thanks for watching! If you catch the modern enclosed carriers at the right angle you can sometimes make out the silhouettes of the vehicles inside and try to guess what they are!
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks Yes I used to do that, how'd you know? Until 2011 they were mostly Fords from St. Thomas (1 model...plant closed now) or Hondas from Alliston (Ont.), on their way to pass through the St. Clair tunnel. Toyotas from Woodstock as well.. (not sure the model..RAV 4's?) They built the new tunnel in the mid 90's to accommodate the newer Autoracks and stacked container cars, the old tunnel was too small. Rail transport still essential around here.. people tend to take it for granted.
Nice video! I'm very glad to learn the prototypes behind the models!
Thank you!
Having been born and living in the Detroit area this is a subject near and dear to my heart ♥️ I have the Santa Fe tri level rack. I also have a Lionel enclosed auto rack (2 level) from the 90’s (?). Recently, I bought a HTF Menards auto carrier w/6 1/48 Buick sedans (glued (?) in position. All of them are about the same length but the enclosed auto carrier is shorter in height so it rides empty. The Menards carrier has a cast step below the lower corner which might hang up on a turnout in close quarters.
Thanks for the info about the Menards car. All of Lionel's non-scale enclosed auto racks are 2-tier, and they were first cataloged in 1990.
Oh yeah I have the one with the wheel chocks
Nice Auto rack👍♐
Great information 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for another informative and interesting video! You made me go and check and the only auto carrier I have is the I assume 1972 black with yellow print. I got it for my bday Feb 1973.
The 9123 was uncataloged in 1972 but cataloged for separate sale in 1973-74.
I picked up a tri level black ( maybe dark brown) T.S.A. National Convention 1973 in gold lettering variation from a recent train show.
Nice!
I was hoping to learn how to remove the racks.
I used to own 2 of a Lionel Santa Fe two-rack carrier made in 2005. (They both had die-cast Bettendorf sprung trucks). I also had a blue Great Northern MPC three rack carrier. I wanted to remove the racks to customize one (or two) but I never was able to do it, then eventually my house was damaged by a storm and my Lionel and MTH stuff was looted (among many other things). I've decided to start from scratch and got lucky enough to find a frame for said 2005 Santa Fe two-tier auto rack (this time with LTI plastic trucks). I want to use MPC or LTI racks on this frame, once I learn how to remove them from their original frame.
They simply clip on.
Excellent as always, Mike. Thank you for answering in the video the question I've had about whether I could fit 1/48 scale autos on the racks. Wouldn't work, I see, especially for Menards pickup trucks! I have MTH Rail King auto carriers but still might get a couple of these so I could make up a train.
Thanks! Don't overlook the Menards auto rack, either.
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks Thank you. Until now I didn't know Menards had one. It's on my list, if I can find one with the six pickups somewhere.
I model the Penn Central in three rail O gauge. I have three Penn Central Auto racks Matchbox cars might be corrected scale but they are too small. I hunt toy stores and you would be surprised that for a couple dollars each you can find larger cars that will just fit inside the carrier. It looks much more realistic than with Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars that look to be the size of a golf cart.
I am looking to add the PC car to my operation! Thanks for watching!
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks as a model railroading kid of the '60s and '70s the Penn Central was my Railroad and it was such a shame that it failed and all the other Northeast railroads went under as well. Empty factories don't produce no traffic. And of course all the cold railroads died because we changed the oil just in time for the energy crisis to screw us. They just should have put scrubbers on top of all the coal plants and took the by-products like to sulfur and everything else and they should have sold it to the Eveready battery company.
@@frankmarkovcijr5459 It didn't help when the New Haven was forced into the PC. Passenger operations accounted for most of their million -dollar-a-day losses. As a young railfan, however, Conrail allowed me to see LV, Reading, EL, CNJ, and other schemes I would not have seen otherwise in Cincy.
Fun fact- there also exists a N&W tri-level auto rack that was included with the North American Express set from the MPC Era.
Yes. See my response to the comment by Ryan Mannion: "
Tri-level auto racks include 9123 C&O (Blue/Black) 1972-74, 9126 C&O (Yellow) 1973-75, 9129 N&W (Brown) 1975-76, 9139 PC (Green) 1976-77, 9145 ICG (Orange) 1977-80, 9216 GN (Blue) 1978, 9281 Santa Fe (Red) 1978-80, 9351 PRR (Tuscan) 1980, and 16208 PRR (Brown) 1989."
Measure the auto carrier using the S scale or 1:64th scale rulers. Hot Wheels autos are 1:64th scale and they fit on the Lionel auto carriers very well.
Personally, I find Hot Wheels to be slightly too small to look right. I am currently 3D printing some autos at around 1/55th and they look correct to me.
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks the wheelbase is an important dimension to check so the autos stay in place while the train is moving.
@@AndrewNeilFalconer Yes. I find the "humps" ok n the LTI cars are too far apart to properly secure Hit Wheels. They roll back and forth, altering the weight distribution and causing derailments.
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks if I could get 1/55 vehicles, I'd want 1969 Dodge Charger R/Ts, 1991-1995 Saturn S-series (sedans or coupes), 2005 Saturn ION coupes, or 1964 Impala SS-es.
There is also a green penn central tri level auto rack, I’m assuming it’s MPC era because it doesn’t have the wheel chucks
Tri-level auto racks include 9123 C&O (Blue/Black) 1972-74, 9126 C&O (Yellow) 1973-75, 9129 N&W (Brown) 1975-76, 9139 PC (Green) 1976-77, 9145 ICG (Orange) 1977-80, 9216 GN (Blue) 1978, 9281 Santa Fe (Red) 1978-80, 9351 PRR (Tuscan) 1980, and 16208 PRR (Brown) 1989.
I have the bi 3️⃣level trailer train yellow📒🟡🟨 but it always is falling of and is unstable to the point we’re I can not run it ⚠️🏃♂️ .Is there any way to improve it further 👨🔧? Thank you 😃
1) Keep it near the rear of the train. 2) Avoid reverse moves 3) Add weights to the car as low as possible (under the lowest deck is ideal)
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks Ok thank you. I love your videos they are very helpful and informative 😃
@@brickwilson3829 Thank you very much! Don't forget to tell your friends! ;-)
MPC is okay with me!
Yep!
I have a yellow C&O but it's missing the trucks. Which ones would work best to replace.
The standard MPC trucks will not work. I need to look up the part number. Stay tuned!
Wow I didn't know I picked a foot on kellogged one a few years ago 10 bucks put some hot wheels cars in mine
I have one of these. The trucks are broken and it’s green
That Menards truck is 1/43 scale. Bigger than !/48 scale. Very few if any cars and trucks are 1/48 scale.
Thanks for the info. That makes sense as most "O Scale" die cast is 1/43 (7mm to the foot).
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks "O" scale is 1/48, (1/4 inch to the foot). Not 1/43
@@ronkrzeczkowski94 Actually, it depends on geography. In the USA, O scale is generally 1/48 (1/4" to the foot), but then O gauge track at 1 1/4" is 5' gauge. That's why most international O Scale modelers use 1/43.5 (7 mm / foot) so O gauge track is VERY CLOSE to 4' 8 1/2" and why most diecast uses 1/43 instead of 1/48.
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks Is 1/43 scale sometimes called Q scale? I could not find anything to verify that but I remember that there is a Q scale.
@@ronkrzeczkowski94 Examples of 1/43 scale O gauge European trains: www.hattons.co.uk/stocklist/1000396/1000590/1000635/0/dapol_o_gauge_1_43_scale_diesel_locos/prodlist