SMT : smoking is for steam engines. Alco : am I a joke to u?

Hey SMT! Well I’ll be darned, the Chesapeake and On-fire runs! Congrats on getting it to run! I have an explanation about why there was such a large gap between the manufacturing of parts of the loco. As you may know, 1939-1945 was the Second World War. During the war, all industries and factories were being used to support the war effort. A lot of die cast metals used for cars, trains, toys, etc. were melted for use in the production of artillery and heavy machinery for the frontlines. So, the main body of the locomotive might have been the first batch of production. However, production was cut short to support the war. After the war, and countries were rebuilding and industries were rebuilding, train manufacturers like Varney started up again. The new part from 1946 shows this restart in production of locomotives from Varney. That’s why there is such a large gap in manufacture years, all due to the war effort. Anyway, great video as always!

Ahhh, yes I love it when my locomotives almost burn down my house!!!!

The dates in the castings are most likely from when the casting dies themselves were created not when the parts were actually cast. But very cool to see an F unit casting that old!

A nice runner for its age Harrison. They certainly dont build em like that any more. Good on ya for calling out the seller and showing the video.

The difference in part dates could be due to the metal drives and retooling of factories during WW2, maybe the factory put model trains on hold to build plane or tank parts or something?

I love these since they are so heavy they make a cool sound when running! Great video!

Great to see you get that ancient F3 operating. Having been on both sides I can understand an eBay seller's dilemma especially if they run a storefront and get a large volume of refund requests, but you were in a unique situation having made your video. Nicely done

During WW2 kids still wanted toys at Christmas.Lionel was making binnacles for instance.They also provided trains printed on heavy cardstock that you had to assemble. Also there were toys made from wood etc.It was all part of the war effort and patriotism led the way.With surrender of Japan in 45 Manufacturers quickly retooled for civilian products and lionel,not to be outdone had trains for Christmas 45 in very limited supply and very high demand. Hobby shops did a land office business by 46 as things began to be back to normal and new products began to hit the market so you have a piece memorabilia from that time,congrats.

WooHoo! I love that loco. (I model the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road. I also like the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail Road too) Almost was late to this video. Almost about to go to bed. Nice Video SMT. P.S. At least the engine didn't catch your layout on fire.

Good video SMT but I would like to make a couple corrections... First your model represents an EMD F3 locomotive, a design which was mass produced by General Motors from July 1945 to February 1949 with a total of 1107 units delivered in the USA and four delivered in Canada. I suspect the numbers you found in the shells are actually part numbers, it would be impossible for Varney to create tooling in 1940 for a prototype that wouldn't exist for another 5 years. Second, I did a little research on you model by looking through back issues of Model Railroader magazine and found the first advertisement introducing this model in the December 1947 issue, that makes you model about 74 years old at the most. Excellent video otherwise, keep up the good work!

Glad this F unit C&O has a happy ending! Good job SMT!👍

Nice job, great to see her running again!

I think those numbers might be casting numbers and not necessarily production dates. The horns are part number: 1950. Grab irons are p/n: 1907.

Love your channel!

"it's doing a much better speed than it was"...."It's running much better!" Yes! And it isn't catching on fire!!!! SERENITY!!!!

Awesome video my friend! Not long ago I started to get more into restoring locomotives and generally working on them. In storage I have 2 Varney f unit shells. Apparently my grandfather owned them when he was young and repainted them. I don’t have the chassie or anything else they came with, and I never thought they were that old before I went through em! - JP

Great Video! Good to see it acting like a diesel loco again and not a steamer

The spaces between the commutator bars is insulated with mica. On bigger brushed motors there is usually a spec on the depth that hou should undercut the mica. It is generally a ratio of diameter of the commutator, length and width of the bars, and voltage/current. Great job on this one man. Keep it up!

Well Harrison that's awesome she runs. I did notice she has a diesel noise for a motor. Not bad for 73 years old . my steamers are 50 to 45 years of age I'm surprised . amazing how well the older locos run very good . great video to fix this one.

Awesome Harrison, I agree with you that it’s amazing to be running at all. It’s body shell looks like it may have considerable “mileage on it”. I’m impressed, that locomotive is older than me 😂😂😂 Thanks for sharing 👍👍👍😎😎😎 Cary

nice to see you got it working.

Just think, some of that dirt you cleaned out could have been 80 years old. Great job as always.

Wow, a 1940 / 1946 Varney C&O, how cool. Now I'll have to subscribe to find out what you do with this adding better magnets!

Incredible runner for 1940, I love how simple, but effective that belt drive system is! Something I find really fascinating about the model being from 1940 is how new the real locomotive would have been at the time. I think the FTs came out in 1938(?), so this would've been the peak of full size railroad technology when the model was made. Funny to think that even Lionel wouldn't make a single diesel until the mid 50s!

Can we have a compilation of every time you have said “Well Folks”

Glad you got the loco going

Well done!

Great job on 10k

Nice save......glad to see the old girl up and running

Nice Loco,good job

The first prototype F3's were built in 1945 and the model is definitely an F3. Raised number boards, 3 port holes, chicken wire grill were all signs of a F3. So the 1946 stamp on the individual roof part probably applies to the entire loco as the entire loco is based on a post war prototype.

Good work SMT! :)

I really love the paint scheme on that engine

That was a great view at the end when the loco was coming toward the controller.(as u would call it backwards on the layout)...get better shots that way....that bridge in the background looked really cool!!!!👍👍👍

Great job Smt

Nice fix dude

I love the prototypical sound.

An Ho locomotive that is older than a lot of my postwar Lionel o gauge stuff, kind of amazed

Ten minutes and no detonation? Good job!!!

Nice they gave the option of torque vs speed on that unit from what you discovered

That's awesome!! I'm glad you were able to get it working again! I do have two questions, what brand is the round house at 10:00 and have you made a video on it? I'd love to see it!

I would guess the age gap in the parts is most likely either a repair, or the body was made just before WW2 and thus sat on a shelf as the factory would have been pressed into wartime production ( sort of odd they didn’t melt it for scrap steel ) then paired with a part made after the war and finally put out for sale, but that’s just a theory A TRAIN THEORY!!!

You are very correct about the date

You are probably right about the age difference in the locomotive body parts. The War Production Board forbade the manufacture of model trains from May 1942 to September 1945. The locomotive also doesn't have a operating headlight, but there probably was not a small enough bulb at the time. Plus the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration did not require locomotives to have their headlight on at all times until 1954. You can find photos of steam & early diesel locomotives with their headlight off during the daytime.

Just glad to see that thing run without smoking like a cigar! Lol 😅👍😎

Wow this loco Has a great story to tell his shelf mates Loco1: hey we heard you almost caught fire Loco2: yea are you okay? Chessie: yea I did but that kid fixed me Loco3: yea no matter what he fixes us all even the acella Chessie: who is that? Somewhere on a different shelf: HE SENT ME FLYING OFF OF THE TRACK AND ON TO THE FLOOR

Glad to see the locomotive works. I need repair a n scale smoker from eBay.

Definitely a Classic Runner!!

Cool looking engine

Nothing like the smell of burning locomotive in the morning really wakes you up

Nice!

That is a awesome locomotive

I just got one of those in an ebay auction, but mine has a 3-stage pulley on the motor and another on the other shaft but in reverse so depending on what v-groove you bot the m etal belt in you can either have low speed and lots of pulling power, medium speed and medium pulling power, or high speed and low pulling power.

From 40 to 45 there was a war on. Not too much demand for toy trains.

About the wide gap in mfg dates. I used to collect hot wheel and matchbox cars. Each model was modelled in a certain year and the mold usually has a stamp to reflect when the mold itself was created. So the shell saying 1940 and the engine hood saying 1946 is normal. Its the makers mark date on the mold. The mold for the body was made in 40 the mold for the hood was made 46 so that locomotive has both dates. I would guess it was built no earlier then 46 with that being most recent makers mark on a part. I learned

The first F units rolled off the assembly line in 1939. Assuming this is an early 40s model those MFGs were really on the ball!

Nice varney F unit I wish I had one!

You are lucky...there are so many d- bags selling ( and buying ) on Ebay now.... I always take video and post to yt as proof of condition.

Uncertain as to why an old collectible like this would not be thoroughly cleaned before running. That motor was filthy from almost 80 years of grime. Great video glad to see she's still a runner but man please tell me you are cleaning that hing lol.

1940s!!!! Very early HO! Oldest i have is a 1962 brass 262. It kinda runs, but sounds like a coffee grinder...

it almost has that distinct roar that the UK old diesels had

Wow 1940 I didint even know that Diesel engins like that in real life were invented back in the 40s. Great video smt.

Can you do a video of you replacing/upgrading the magnets that would be a great how to!

That sure has the potential to be a beautiful train, just need to touch up the shell.

My oldest train I own is from the 60s Tyco Petticoat junction. Unfortunately it doesn't run anymore but its great train to look at

That looks like a nice loco for how old it is. Could use a paint job though! Thanks for the content.

Yo SMT where did you get the double decker GO cars? I have spent years of my life on the real ones

So classic

If SMT gets 100K Subs I think he should open a HO Repair shop (Just an idea lol)

Smoking isn’t healthy. Don’t smoke like Uncle Varney, kids.

Back in the early 1980s i had a Tyco steam loco that actually caught fire. The tender motor literally smoked. It was the end of that...

Main F style body cast in 1940 maybe as an FT or F2/early phase F3.seems Varney thought ahead maybe after seeing major changes to that area of the roof on F units so when they went back into production after the war that section was modular and could order parts to make various F unit models and phases

It also looked like that spring/band drive setup had different pulleys down below it could be set to for different speeds??

Buy a Nathan K5LA, put it on something to rest, Then get all of your Locomotives, put the horn on top of the locomotives, *Mini loud thingy*

It's probably been restored at some point hence the difference between the making of parts which wasn't uncommon.

Please tell me what speed controller you use

Cool, went from ALCO to EMD XD

1940? I told you Indiana Jones had his foot on the brake! Like Springsteen sang, Sprung from cages on Highway 9, chrome-wheeled, fuel-injected, and stepping out over the line...baby we were born to run.

😮what an easy fix Also could you possibly use a cotton swab to clean an engine like you did

I am surprised you did not check for the coils shorted to ground with a multimeter. The difference in dates for the parts was provably due to the war. Metals and manufacturing would have been redirected to military needs.

Now the Chesapeake and on Fire is back and my oldest train is probably my O-Scale American Flyer 0-6-0 from the 1920s to 30s I don’t really know.

NO. 4047 has a fitting ring to it if it hasn't been allocated one yet .

You may consider to change the belt on this unit. I can see a crack in it. If you don't change it, it will eventually break.

Nice metal body on the f unit at least I think it's a f unit

Another thing you might want to do is get a can of compressed air (look at electronic shops - we in I.T. use it to blow the crud and dust out of computers and keyboards), and hit the motor with some of that. It should blow some of that yuck right outta there.

the top piece was used on a couple different models

Early also I want this train

Tis as I thought. A dirty comutator. If you haven't still done so, definitely clean it with alcohol and a qtip and the power draw will drop significantly. I love those Pittman five poles are just a peach of a motor. My 50s tyco Pacific, brass Nickel Plate Road Hudson and Bowser Mountain all use that same motor and they run with very little power draw. A comutator may look clean at a glance but I can assure you a qtip will be black with the first cleaning.

Poor thing is older then me. Time for retirement.

The Holy Smoke test was a failure.

You know that Alco PA A-B unit you have, i have the same thing but mine runs super slow, how do I fix that?

Wait, that’s an AlCo, right? AlCo diesels were born to smoke. SEND IT!!!! 😁

A theory I have is since the part from 1940 was made then and the other was in 1946 may of been part of the war effort depending on when it was made. The factory might of stopped making trains and started making things that would help the military during WWII and they picked up where they started after the war explaining the different dates

WW2 probably stopped production for a few years .

Can we fix this? Yes we can. Bob the Builder. 😅

Oh yeah Chesapeake and Ohio is back on the track! I have a question I have a Union Pacific little diesel switcher from the 1960s made by Lionel ho giving by my grandpa it created a smoke show back between 2007 and 2008 could it be the combinator going bad because I looks at the armature I didn’t see any burnt marks could’ve been the plates where too dirty? Also I have a good name for your engine Chesapeake and I’m tired.

I was watching this when my tyco motor burned out... Coincidence? I think not!

Can we fit is! Yes we can!!!!

When are you gonna do another livestream with Dan?