Wow, thank you!

Thank you and I do hope you Get a layout going again. Well help with something to do :-)

Thanks for your kind words. Hope you get the 'Ol Gal running the rails again soon!

Thanks for stopping by for a episode or 2 and leaving a nice comment!!

Thank you S.F. Bob :-)

Thanks for all your support. Hope you got your 302's running like a well oiled machine.

I few people have mentioned that product. I shall have to try it out, Thanks!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks Sir!

Glad you like them!

Pretty cool how your running your Dad's trains from '47. Thanks for sharing a great story :-)

Thanks EC, Glad to help out. Keep these old gems running for the next generation, or 2 to enjoy. My humor...You should see me in person. I'm more like George Carlin (he he) ;-)

Hello Mike, glad I could help you out on your repairs. Bless you and your's also :-)

I read something about the wing flap motor story. Pretty interesting

Gilbert built the control valve motor for I think the flaps in the Grumman F6F Hellcat. They even had an advertisement mentioning this in the 1940s.

More to come!

Thanks for watching and sharing some good information. wonder why they would have no reverse in a switcher. that's its main job is go back and forth :-)

Yup!

Thank you Arlen

Thank you Jim :-)

Thanks 4ever! Lots of S scale modelers out there I am finding out.

I completely agree with you Sir!!

They're also relatively easy to come by at model train shows and can often be picked up for a low price even the earlier ones with the diecast boiler.

Thanks John :-)

Thank you Gary :-)

Thanks and welcome

Hanukkahween, I LOVE it!! Exposing kids to modeling trains is always a great idea! Hope it turns out great :-)

Greetings Mark. Thanks for sharing good information. It's nice to hear aftermarket parts are available for these old Gal's.

I didnt know they had parts for these. My buddy has a one of these Atlantics that I did some work on. Noticed that the upper board was cracked. I used a dab of glue to get it back together. I will have to see what I can find online

You are very welcome

Awesome!

Hello Chucky! Good to see ya aboard. :-)

Thank you :-)

WOW FRANK!! That's a lot of GREAT info. Thanks for sharing. :-)

@@classicmodeltrains Very interesting material, Ron, uh ? Thank you! Frank ~~

WOW! Cool find. I hope there not all rusted real bad. Sounds like a winter project is at hand :-)

Thank you Daniel!

Thanks!

Worm gear on the armature shaft and ring gear is around the axle shaft. I think were on the same page but the auto correct changed your "ring" word to "worm" I'm just guessing :-)

Thank you!

Thank you kindly Ray! :-)

Thank you very much!

They are quite stout

Greetings MC. I was under pressure to finish this video. Did not have time to re-wind that relay. As I was editing the video I remembered stink bug status. You guessed it, the previous owner assembled it poorly.

I'm glad you got that 'Ol Gal running again. sounds like quite a clean up job you had. Happy I could help you out :-)

Thanks!

Greetings Lynn! You and the Club sure get around alot! Very Busy. I can definitely throw a "shout out" to you and the club. You guys have done alot of promoting for me, and I Thank you Sir :-)

:-)

I always wanted to find a Automotive engineer and invite him into a dark back alley for a review of his idea's. Why would you NOT put a starter under the intake manifold? The oil filter should ALWAYS be engineered to lay on its side right above the front differential / drive line or what ever else they can put up there. I wonder if the engineers wanted it right and the Bean Counters always said "that's to expensive". My search for the truth shall continue :-)

@@classicmodeltrains I couldnt agree with you more on the invite a engineer to a back alley. I had more of the idea to shove their heads under the hood and slam their heads into the mess they made. Then tell them to fix it. Part of the reason I had to retire. That and the triple bypass helped make my decision.

@@matchboxcustomsandrestos Sorry to hear about the 3X bypass :-(

Thank you very much. Just finishing up a “S” video this evening. Next one will be a Lionel O-27.

@@classicmodeltrains ive learned a lot from tour channel and some memories from childhood with dad. Just awesome content!

A lot of people have mentioned the fingers suffering from corrosion. My next video I will point it out. Its great they can still be purchased

Thanks for your kind words K.V. That Bachmann fluid is the only stuff I can find anymore. I have an old bottle of Lionel smoke pellets also, just in case I run into one of those kind of smoke units :-)

@@classicmodeltrains a lot of the American flyer trains only ran on smoke fluid. Like the older Lionel engines those took the smell pellets

That's exactly what this looks like! Thanks for the great information :-)

Thanks

Once again, Thanks for sharing some great information. There is a couple of things in there I was not aware of. Thanks for commenting Frank :-)

Thanks for your kind words. I figured there should be a smoke unit extension. If its made of plastic, I can see why it's missing. Probably broke years ago. Those darn MU-2's w/ rivets. I'm working on a video about those. Small machine bolts need to be found to replace those rivets once there drilled out.

@@classicmodeltrains I look forward to your video on the mu-2 motors. You might enjoy my clankety man halloween video fro 2020

I agree!

Thanks. I would need to build a longer test track to pull 40 cars. But that would be impressive to see :-)

In a self inflicted purgatory of depression and hopelessness? That sounds terrible for a sweet little Grandmother. No...No... I kid. Billings, Mt Huh?

Thank you for your kind words, and welcome to the hobby. Sounds like you do all gauges like me. If I’ve ever wanted owners manuals I’ve had to search the google for them. The HO stuff has a ton of info at HOseeker.org. Lionel O & O-27 has tons of info online. I find the owners manuals don’t have a lot of good information in them. Just basic stuff. If your referencing repair manuals. There are a lot of books out there for repairing all the older larger stuff but I’ve never come across a repair manual for the cheaper HO stuff (yet). Thanks for watching and commenting Sir!! PS. The parts are a real tough. Lots of google searches. Depends on the manufacture of the item. Some the hobby shop would (should) have and others the company is out of business and no new replacement parts are available. I use eBay a lot for parts. Or buy a parts locomotive and rob needed parts off of it.

Yup. I try and vacuum the floor before I start, just to make it one more easier for when the search commences :-)

Siblings...always tearing up the treasures. Hope the set is still running :-)

I've had my eye on a N gauge set at a vintage store. They kinda want alot for it, but still thinking about taking the plunge. Never knew "what Choo takin bout Willis" was into modeling. Thanks for the great story!

Hello Regis! Thanks for your kind words. To do the work on the loco and film it probably about 10 hours. Plus another 9 hours to edit. If I was to just sit down and do another I suppose it would take 1 1/2 to 2 hours for cleaning and re-lubing.

A lot of work my friend!

Dang loco out switches. Get me every time :-)

Thank you. I did not know there were traction tire options. I figured these vulcanized wheels were the only game in town for this loco. I'm not sure if I added juice to the smoker or not. I must have because that would be a long time for it to just sit around in the wick.

Greetings, I did use brake parts cleaner in a previous video and it took the paint off the drivers. It works well for removing grease and what not, but just be aware of painted stuff.

Thanks for your kind words. I have yet to change out couplers on these A.F.'s so I'm not gunna be much good at answering your question. I suppose once I get a layout for "S" gauge and more rolling stock I will be doing some coupler modifications.

Yup Tyco is hard for me to find around here also. Sounds like you got a good system for refurbishing that old 3 rail stuff :-)

Reach out to me on my Facebook fan page "Classic model trains"

Hello Tom, I talked about it but have not yet had to do it. I dont know the gauge or how many winds. One day when I do have to re-wind a coil I will measure the wire gauge with a micrometer and count the turns as I remove it. I'm kinda looking forward to doing a rewind.

I'm not sure what you are asking about with a offset rake? I use pure water in the tank of the ultrasonic cleaner. Parts go in a baggie with 50/50 mix of degreaser and water.

​@@classicmodeltrainsI was referring to the comment you made about the engine being a bit jacked up in the rear. I couldn't tell if you leveled out the shell. Mine looks the same way, and I thought it was odd that yours was like that as well.

@@hampstrains Oh I got you now. Yes that motor angle is factory.

Hello William, I did not remove the wheels from the axel's. I do not have the special tools to do so. I did check the quartering, and all seemed right

Hello Greg, Thanks for sharing that story. It's always nice to learn new stuff about the old stuff :-)

Yes, When Ives went bankrupt around 1929, I believe, Lionel bought them out and " inherited " the patented reversing E - Unit technology and assembly parts and machines to manufacture.

Then why didn’t Lionel go to two rail track and reversing unit in locomotive rather than staying with reversing polarity track?

@@jockellis Lionel use three-rail tracks for a variety of reasons, but most of them fall under user safety. Since the rails are the train’s power cable, the primary concern is electrical shorts frying the electronics or causing fires. As such, the third rail keeps the live power separated from the ground.When Lionel began making model trains in 1900, there was no real standard for model trains, except for the 5-rail Marklin standard from 1891. At the time, every manufacturer had its track design, including both two and three-rail formats. Lionel was in the 2-rail camp until they released the first true, 3-rail “Standard Gauge” trains in 1906.Lionel used the center rail as the hot rail, reserving the outer two for ground. This configuration allows for complex track setups while ensuring that the circuit was simple enough for the technology of the day. A 2-rails system must reverse the polarity to avoid short circuits, which was impossible in 1906. This is the same reason many real subway systems use 3-rail tracks as well.The Third Rail Can Act as an Automatic Switch Through clever use of insulation, one of the rails can act as an automatic push-button switch. This setup lets the train activate crossovers, signals, and other accessories automatically as they draw near. This prevents derailments and adds a bit of realism to your models. Lionel’s “Standard Gauge” tracks became so popular that they became the de facto industry standard. So much so that Lionel had to keep the 3-rail design to remain compatible with preexisting accessories when they introduced the “O gauge” standard, which they would later update to the current “Super O” standard in use today. Only American Flyer used a competing 2-rail “S Gauge” standard. The alternating current electricity coming out of the wall outlet constantly reverses polarity. This reversal happens 60 times per second in North America and 50 in Europe. As such, it requires two live wires, a hot wire (usually black) and a return (usually white). For safety and reliability, a third wire connected to the literal ground is also present, though it is rarely used in model trains. However, the high voltage of the household current is too unsafe for the exposed metal toy tracks. Therefore, Lionel uses a variable voltage transformer to convert the electricity into something more manageable. It also lets you change the speed of the train, giving you full control over the model. The electricity then passes down the center rail to the motor in the train itself. After the motor, it uses the wheels to jump to the outer rails to make its journey back to the outlet, passing through the transformer one more time in the process.Lionel did some of the work for you though by using their 3-rail design. Every Lionel track component uses the same 3 rails, letting you combine them without worrying about shorting them. If linked properly, the electricity will remain going in the right direction regardless of how many switches you use. Two-rail systems require additional equipment to do what three-rail systems do naturally. This additional equipment would then constantly reverse the polarity to ensure no shorts occur anywhere down the line. This would make the trainsets more expensive or limit the possible track layouts.

@@franktino6676 Thanks for telling me little I didn’t know except for dates. I’ve had AF for the past 71 years. I use both DC and AC voltage daily doing magnetic particle inspections; DC to mag with a bit of depth and AC to demag the speed reducer gears and pinions I inspect. But you still didn’t answer the question as to why Lionel wanted the reverse unit when it didn’t use it. Or was it to keep any other toy train manufacturer from using it?

Hello Tim! As a kid I only knew about Lionel & Marx O-27. When I got exposed to HO, that gauge made O-27 look "funny". Flyer "S" is 1/64 scale "O" gauge on 2 rail....so It looks more closer to prototype. Now I have picked up some Lionel true "O" gauge and that is impressive. To make a short story long, If I was to build another gauge layout I would go "S" gauge. Kind of an underdog.....but I like underdogs. I see there is a lot of classic stuff and action accessories available for AF-S. It would be great to collect these working antiques :-). That "heavy" passenger car is a beauty. Got 2 lightweight cars, same color, but the older couplers, so I could not make a long train for this Vid.

@@classicmodeltrains Just to clarify the scales: O scale is 1/48 (or 1/4" = 1foot) S scale is 3/16 (3/16" = 1 foot) and to make it even more confusing the Flyer Pre war made 3/16 O scale to run on 3 rail track!!! I also need to get an ultrasonic cleaner I have that engine and the front axle is gummed up so i either buy a wheel puller or an ultrasonic cleaner. Or both.

@@MygrandpasTrain I’m aware of the scales. I recently read S gauge is 1/64th scale size and is using O gauge 2 rail track. I could have misinterpreted it. perhaps I should measure the gauge of the O track and the S track and see if it’s the same.

@@MygrandpasTrain P.S. ultrasonic cleaners are awesome!! Worth the investment! :-)

Hello Jeb. The previous owner installed the chassis incorrectly. It has to be under those metal tabs that are bolted into the boiler shell.

Hello Sean, Thanks for commenting. The original light bulb and holder assembly was / has been replaced by a previous owner. They installed a LED. I removed the gear for the piston because I was hoping to gain better access to the main drive gear. The amount of automotive chassis grease was a bit much and wanted to clean it as easy as possible.

If you add more track, you DO NOT need to have a larger transformer. You do need to make sure all the track connector pins are clean and making good connection. Perhaps as the layout gets larger, run a buss line and "drops". I show how to do it in my video about making 50 year old track look expensive. sorta towards the middle to the end of the video.

@@classicmodeltrains Thank you. I'll check out your 50 year old track video.

American Flyer "S" gauge I believe have metal wheels and vulcanized rubber traction tires. I believe rubbing alcohol should be just fine on them.

thegilbertgallery.org, wingstracksguns.com, rfgco.com are a few I've been using. Hope this helps

I took it apart as much as I could to get my learning on. See what it takes, and does. Figure out the inner most workings. The hole in the end of the chuff cylinder could have been plugged with debris. But now I know it's not. It's good to hear they are engineered pretty bullet proof. Thanks for the information :-)

Thanks. I shall soon one day find out why there are called "E" units. My quest continues....... :-)

@@classicmodeltrains I was told Lionel had the first reverse unit and they called it a reverse unit and the Ammerican Flyer came along and called their reverse unit a reverse unit and Lionel said you can't do that, so American Flyer changed their name to E unit. But that still doesn't explain why they used E.

@@sharpenflat6002 as my research continued I found out Lionel offered there locos with or without a reversing solenoid in the prewar days. To signify if the loco had a reverser in it they would add a “E” to the end of the locomotives part number. Perhaps that’s where the slang came from. I have not heard anything about AF starting it, but my research shall continue on.

@@classicmodeltrains What does the "E" stand for? That is what I would like to know.

@@sharpenflat6002 I'm still working on that one. If I was in the marketing department I would have called it a "R" unit :-)

Not as far as I know, but were from the same "Neck of the woods"

Hello Alex

I don't know where to PM you at. I'm on Facebook. link is in the description

@Classic Model Trains so am I under A.E. Studt an messenger

I cant remember what I called it in this video. If I did call it a E-unit, I know that's wrong.