It's cool to run big trains, for sure! I've run 56, mostly scale and semi-scale, before I upgraded the curves. The outer loop had O96. at the wider end and the rest was O72. I upgraded to an O96/O72 hybrid on the rest of the curves and all O72 for the middle loop. It is around 84 feet around the outer loop. I can keep a good speed up, without worrying about locomotives running off of the track. I'll post a long train video, shortly.
@@NormanAllen-ps9ju Thanks! I’m glad that you enjoyed the run. They are great cars. I’ve been collecting the AMT passenger cars for a long time. I have enough to run 6 full trains, plus a couple shorter ones. Have a great Thanksgiving!
@@johnandrus3901 How are the rolling qualities of the AMT trucks compared to (postwar) Lionel? I always heard they didn't roll well. Or is it that they need periodic re-oiling?
@@RailRide The roll fairly well. You do need to keep them lubed, now and then. I'm thinking of going to a silicone spray lube, which dries quickly, as I don't really like getting lube getting on the tracks, which happens when you lubricate axles and bearings. The wheels are just a shade smaller in diameter than Lionel, but the tread is a tad wider. The truck side-frames are each separate pieces and hinged in the middle, so they are very forgiving on uneven track. The draw-bars are attached in the center and move separately from the truck. Their simplicity makes them easy to work on. The one major thing is that the cars are quite heavy. The frame is a separate casting, as are all of the pieces of the shell. Sides, doors, ends and roof. They're solid and can take a fair amount of abuse. So, all-in-all, the weight is the biggest factor, as far as pulling a long train goes. Sorry about the long-winded reply. I do tend to get going, when I talk about AMT passenger cars. I wish that I could just send a picture. Maybe I'll do a video on taking them apart and servicing them. Either way, thanks for the comment and question. It is much appreciated.
@@johnandrus3901 No problem with the length of the reply, it pretty much answered all the questions I may have had about them. Also I write replies that long all the time :D Every so often I see these at various shows and I think of how these cars would look with the roofs polished with some _Nevr-Dull_ then replacing the bulbs+frosted windows with overhead LED's and scratchbuilt interiors, but imagining the amount of drag with a full set of each car type sort of acted as a reality check. I sometimes wonder how the trucks might accommodate a ball-bearing upgrade, but that would likely require shop tools (that I don't have room for), to alter the sideframes. (also, adding to my collection is like a game of _Tetris_ now, so I'm being really choosy as of late)
@@RailRide I use Simonize on the roofs, whenever I feel the need. Turtle Wax is fine, also. Only use plain wax, no polishing type of wax or compound. The sockets for the bulbs are built into the chassis, but they don't stick-up too far, so you can get around that. I have 45 AMT passenger cars, so I would have to upgrade to LED's, over time. I've pulled ten of them, with a post-war F3. An upgrade to LED's would reduce the amperage that they draw, so the transformer would have a bit more amps, for the locomotive. With a good, dry lube and the reduced current from the LED's, I think that there would be no problem running a full consist. There are nine cars to each set and I usually only run six. Sometimes seven, but rarely. The locomotives handle that many, with no problem. If you find a handful of them for a good price, grab them.
Thanks, Dave. It is a 24x18 L. 9 feet wide at the short end and 7'4" at at the long end. I lose a lot of space, because of the slot car room, so it is narrower at the long end. My friend, who I bought the house from, subdivided the basement, many years ago. I thought about removing the room, when I bought the house, but I figured that I could use it for something, which is how the slot cars ended up in there.
I see what you're saying. I like running the passenger trains, though and they look real good, going around big curves. A lot of the older, post-war steam engines are top-heavy and will tip over on the shorter curves, so this helps them to stay on the track, at slightly higher speeds.. The track is fixed, the table tops are not. I like and appreciate your comment. Either way, I like constant running and the bigger curves just make the trains look a bit better.
Would love to see a 50 or 60 scale car freight on the outside loop. Looks like it can handle it without the engine chasing its tail.
It's cool to run big trains, for sure! I've run 56, mostly scale and semi-scale, before I upgraded the curves. The outer loop had O96. at the wider end and the rest was O72. I upgraded to an O96/O72 hybrid on the rest of the curves and all O72 for the middle loop. It is around 84 feet around the outer loop. I can keep a good speed up, without worrying about locomotives running off of the track. I'll post a long train video, shortly.
Your wide radius curves really impressed me as did your three sets of streamlined passenger cars !
@@NormanAllen-ps9ju Thanks! I’m glad that you enjoyed the run. They are great cars. I’ve been collecting the AMT passenger cars for a long time. I have enough to run 6 full trains, plus a couple shorter ones. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Looks great but do you need ear defenders?
Yeah, I adding foam. The holidays and weather have slowed things down.
Runs perfectly! Nice upgrades!👍
Awesome my Friend a lot going on love it new sub and bell thanks for posting.😊😊👍👍👍
Thanks! It’s moving along, albeit slowly.
AMT cars. Nice 😊
@@thomaswalsh5097 Thanks! They are pretty sweet, for sure.
@@johnandrus3901 How are the rolling qualities of the AMT trucks compared to (postwar) Lionel? I always heard they didn't roll well. Or is it that they need periodic re-oiling?
@@RailRide The roll fairly well. You do need to keep them lubed, now and then. I'm thinking of going to a silicone spray lube, which dries quickly, as I don't really like getting lube getting on the tracks, which happens when you lubricate axles and bearings. The wheels are just a shade smaller in diameter than Lionel, but the tread is a tad wider. The truck side-frames are each separate pieces and hinged in the middle, so they are very forgiving on uneven track. The draw-bars are attached in the center and move separately from the truck. Their simplicity makes them easy to work on. The one major thing is that the cars are quite heavy. The frame is a separate casting, as are all of the pieces of the shell. Sides, doors, ends and roof. They're solid and can take a fair amount of abuse. So, all-in-all, the weight is the biggest factor, as far as pulling a long train goes. Sorry about the long-winded reply. I do tend to get going, when I talk about AMT passenger cars. I wish that I could just send a picture. Maybe I'll do a video on taking them apart and servicing them. Either way, thanks for the comment and question. It is much appreciated.
@@johnandrus3901 No problem with the length of the reply, it pretty much answered all the questions I may have had about them. Also I write replies that long all the time :D
Every so often I see these at various shows and I think of how these cars would look with the roofs polished with some _Nevr-Dull_ then replacing the bulbs+frosted windows with overhead LED's and scratchbuilt interiors, but imagining the amount of drag with a full set of each car type sort of acted as a reality check. I sometimes wonder how the trucks might accommodate a ball-bearing upgrade, but that would likely require shop tools (that I don't have room for), to alter the sideframes.
(also, adding to my collection is like a game of _Tetris_ now, so I'm being really choosy as of late)
@@RailRide I use Simonize on the roofs, whenever I feel the need. Turtle Wax is fine, also. Only use plain wax, no polishing type of wax or compound. The sockets for the bulbs are built into the chassis, but they don't stick-up too far, so you can get around that. I have 45 AMT passenger cars, so I would have to upgrade to LED's, over time. I've pulled ten of them, with a post-war F3. An upgrade to LED's would reduce the amperage that they draw, so the transformer would have a bit more amps, for the locomotive. With a good, dry lube and the reduced current from the LED's, I think that there would be no problem running a full consist. There are nine cars to each set and I usually only run six. Sometimes seven, but rarely. The locomotives handle that many, with no problem. If you find a handful of them for a good price, grab them.
I just came across this video ... Subscribed!!!
Thanks. I'll sub to your channel, also.
@@johnandrus3901 Thank You Buddy!!!!! 😁
Looks like a great layout in-progress
Looking good! 🚂😎
Fantastic! Love the wide curves. How big is the layout? It looks huge
Thanks, Dave. It is a 24x18 L. 9 feet wide at the short end and 7'4" at at the long end. I lose a lot of space, because of the slot car room, so it is narrower at the long end. My friend, who I bought the house from, subdivided the basement, many years ago. I thought about removing the room, when I bought the house, but I figured that I could use it for something, which is how the slot cars ended up in there.
I like your running sessions
@@OgaugeTrainsplusslotCars Thanks! I’m getting ready for foam and scenery. I’ll probably get my slot cars running in a few weeks. It should be fun.
@@johnandrus3901can’t wait for slot cars
I got sight of me Aunt Minnie in that there fourth Pullman. Family say they aint seen her since 43.
What are the dimentions of the whole layout? I'm interested in building something in my basement, but 0-72" is about as big as I can run...
It is a 24x18 L. The short side is 9 feet wide and the long, narrow end is 7'4". How wide do you plan to go?
Shorter rail cars wouldn’t require such big curves. You have a lot of square feet there. Track does not appear fixed down to table top.
I see what you're saying. I like running the passenger trains, though and they look real good, going around big curves. A lot of the older, post-war steam engines are top-heavy and will tip over on the shorter curves, so this helps them to stay on the track, at slightly higher speeds.. The track is fixed, the table tops are not. I like and appreciate your comment. Either way, I like constant running and the bigger curves just make the trains look a bit better.