That rock island paint scheme is amazing

The Rock is no longer a paperweight. Back to life, back to reality. That was one grungy locomotive. You worked your magic once again, Harry. 😁 Might need some new traction tires to keep her from wobbling down the track. Thanks for sharing. 👍👍👍

Harrison... you have SMT as a rescue mission for abused locos... great job mate...🤓👍🇺🇸

I'm a long time (since 1985) Lionel collector/operator but I have to say Marx trains were almost bullet-proof! I was not surprised to see that little Rock Island come back to life. I've been a subscriber for a while now and I'm very impressed with your expertise. Good work!

SMT, although it may not seem like you should do it now, but investing in an ultrasonic cleaner may be of aid to your work. Not only can certain solutions help with paint stripping, it can also help with cleaning parts from the motors of old corroded engines like this one. From what I know, its quite a great investment and can do quite some good cleaning with the solution of choice being reusable for quite a few more times, highly recommended because of ease of use and efficiency.

I have a friend that is into antiques and old model trains! His storage unit got flooded out and he gave me some old train stuff! The 2 Bachmann transformers still worked ok! 2 of the engines were destroyed and unremarkable! The 1 engine I was able to get running was a blue box athearn GP7! It actually had fine dried mud in it! I took it apart and cleaned it the best I could and is now one of my main layout engines!

i am always amazed at how you manage to give so many old electric trains a new lease on life; you do a great job!

Congratulations on this repair, it looked terrible at the start but you’ve won it over. Great work and a super result

Incredible job getting this beautiful locomotive running again! This was one of the most thorough restorations you’ve done in a while!

So glad you got it Fixed ,Rock Island is my Favourite Railroad

I love that paint scheme! Keep up the great work!

Haven't finished watching yet, but already have my line for SMT: "Disgusting, and I'm... loving it". Apologies to the Get Smart show.

SMT Mainline I found a lionel 2-4-2 locomotive back in the late 1970's in a ditch covered in mud under water, I pulled it out of the mud and took it home, I got the water hose and sprayed it down and washed all the mud out of it, while the locomotive was wet I put oil on all the motor parts and gears and let it dry fo about a week in around 80 degree weather, I then oiled the parts and put grease on the gears and put her on the track and turned on the power and she was a runner! I don't know how long it was in the mud in this ditch but I think the mud helped keep the motor safe...

Nice job. Good to see this engine saved. Love these old F units. 👍

I have this exact locomotive packed away in the attic with its original set, including the box. I haven't tried to run it in probably 50 years but I sure do remember that noise and smell from my childhood. Thanks to your video, I'm inspired to break it out and, hopefully, regenerating those childhood memories. Thanks!

'Mouse remnants" sounds great with a Canadian accent....

The build quality for this loco's drive-system seems pretty choice. Great job.

This looks like a miracle, great job!

Great job Harrison......one of your best efforts to date 👍

Thank you for bringing this old f-unit back to life and putting it back in-service. Neat paint scheme.

I just love finding old engine's, it doesn't matter where or whatever condition they are in. Taking care giving love and care, in order to bring life back into them once again if at all possible. To bring back a few more years back into something someone thought would never run again. People will discard them, throw away in the trash. If I can't I make dummies out of them. Or as scenery as engine's being repaired, of being scraped. Anything to make good use of them. Thanks again for the repair video. Always enjoyable to watch them countless times.

Fixer uppers can be fun! Thanks for sharing another experience Harrison!

I got a video from you in my recommended list and have been watching quite a few of your videos after that by now. It brought back some nice memories about my own little train set I had as a kid (Talking 40 years ago here). As I am European the big brands were (probably still are) Märklin and Fleischmann. I had a Märklin set. Being an a-technicall and poor idiot I never continued with it. I did somehow pick up my love for trains a few years ago when I bought Train Simulator 20xx with a bunch of DLC (American/Canadian routes are my fav) and more recently TSW/TSW2. I must admit it is oddly satisfying seeing you present a train that is basically a write off and restore it to a running condition. Hats off to you sir, magnificent job. Subbed, great content.

Due to your videos I have been repairing some of Dad's 60's&70's N scale locos. Tonight's success story is a rivarossi c liner. Needed to rest replace motor with newer can motor but it now runs well enough I will put a decoder in it. Have a second one to restore and a big boy to restore next thanks for the inspiration

Got that same sense of excitement when that motor turned (about 9:25)! A great piece of work and, as you said, a testimony to cleaning and lubricating. These older machines are so worth the effort. Cheers

For anyone looking for those fiberglass pencils: Fibre glass pencil: amzn.to/3tPeC8m (affiliate) Canada Fibre glass pencil: amzn.to/2VeB6CU (affiliate) USA Thanks for your support!

Nice job, Harrison.

Great work! I enjoyed that very much!

Excellenmt work, SMT!

it always gives me great enjoyment when you restore those old messed up HO trains......thanks much !

That’s impressive. You do great work.

You are the number 1 train surgeon 👍

Wow good job working on this locomotive. I would say what you probably thinking was in the shell of the locomotive is what you seen. I remember when I got my Tyco Chattanooga it was very dirty and had a bad smell to it musty basement etc . its truly amazing that marx locomotive works .

It was my pleasure to watch this vintage MARX F 3 engine. Good job & runner!

Serenity Harrison!!!!! I am wondering if one of the LaBelle lubricants 107 would work as well. I have the type "107" in my inventory.

that natural weathering looks sweet

Authentic weathering

Great loco and good job !

In the SMT shop manual this is in the Rescue chapter. Nice pull making it live again.🚂🚃🚃🇨🇦

Nice clean up!!

Very nice job of cleaning that mess!

I was handed down my grandmothers Marx set it's the Great Northern F3 still in it's original box with everything, hasn't ran in over 30 years and I thought of this video to try and get it back to it's former glory

On aircraft we use ACF50 to clean contacts. I put it in a pill bottle and it lasts forever, just a dip of a Qtip in it and it takes the crud off the commutator and it leaves a safe film the doesn’t effect operation, but won’t allow corrosion in the future.

Like a phoenix from the ashes!!! Well done. That was nasty !! Who knows what was all over that locomotive.

You have acquired a lot of Rock Island stuff I've noticed. Fun fact, the Rock Island is my favorite fallen flag.

Love to see these old locomotives run

I couldn't get my Marx F3 Rock Island to run with the original motor so I carved up the shell and got it to fit a old Bachmann F7 chassie and motor in it and it works. Wish I could have fixed the original motor but I couldn't. Also I have the same controller you have :) it's a great DC controller

I'd recommend running that one clockwise around your layout, at least until you can re-decal the right side. Well done on the unseizing.

Now this could be just me, but....I might have taken that motor and drive train and left it in an alcohol bath for an hour or two, then blown it dry with compressed air (we computer geeks ALWAYS have a can or two of that around), THEN libruicated it. But what you did obviously worked as well.

Bro love the way you worked an that locomotive

Now, just give it a rear coupler and re decal that RI lettering on the right side & she'll be a nicely weathered engine.

Hey, SMT... I notice you have bare wires connected to your transformer... have you considered using alligator clips? They're really helpful in most situations.

Super cool!

as cleveland brown would say “oh that’s nasty”

I got one of these from my cousin when I was like 10... that was 37 years ago... had a flame orange plastic body. I used to run it with the body off because the drive was so noisy it sounded like a V8 dragster at idle... with those traction bands at the time even as crude as it was, it would pull more cars than anything else on our layout... and that was a lot of cars since it was a whole room in the basement!

Nice work on getting this old Marx back in running condition. I have one comment that might help you with your soldering. Make sure to clean the tips and tin them as well. If you find that your gun is not getting hot enough try loosening the nuts where the tips are and re tighten them. Your soldering is dull meaning there could be cold soldering connections. Causing problems later on. I am 74 years old and have repaired many electronic devices and many are caused simply from cold solder connections. You might want to invest in a good soldering station instead of a high heat gun. Just saying.

Great to see that thing run again. Did u notice one of the wheels on the plastic side had a big chunk missing out of it?

Observing all your effort, I remember in the 60's there was a solvent that you could operate the whole power unit in. Amazing the amount of gunk that would come out into the liquid. You would let it dry, and lube after cleaning. Such a product would save you so much effort. I think they found it had carcinogenic properties, as I have not seen in in years. We would wash the shells with dish soap, careful not to damage pain and details. Those wheel profiles are definitely pre-RP-25 contour, requiring code 100 track, but it was years after North American manufacturers adopted the NMRA standard that the Europeans followed suit. The KM unit you did recently probably has deep flanges too, As a Marx collector, I need to add more Marx HO

Amazing! Again. 👍

That was a nasty one. Good work.

This is making me want to get into the hobby

Ótimo vídeo!

Thank you for making this video, I have the exact same model, but it doesn’t work, this will be very helpful

Its a shame you couldn't take apart the trucks for a really good cleaning, but the work you did made everything alot better

Great job, that took a lot of cleaning.

SMT - The Robert Grossman Company sells parts for Marx trains - both O gauge & HO scale. They have a catalog on their website.

I had an N Gauge locomotive that would regularly pick up dust off the layout and I had to tape over the gear holes. I ended up using Scotch tape and then trimming it, and it worked.

Oddly enough, the one I had only had a front coupler too!

Great job rehabbing a super clogged and disgustingly dirty unit.

i know there are many youtube tutorials on how to deep clean the body, and the results are mind blowing!

I would love to see it on your next live.

To add what HJ Miller has said, a medium ultrasonic cleaner in th UK is about £30, from ebay, mine has improved my loco cleaning very well, i use a truck cleaning fluid, diluted 10 /1 with water, cheap and efective

Maybe you can get a nice set of decals for the Rock Island and put those on the loco? You MIGHT be able to get those from Microscale... And of course, SMT has it all put back together and she's quite the runner!

I just watched this. FYI if you get your hands on an old Revell HO engine, you’ll find it uses the same drive. I don’t understand why you aren’t working for a train store repairing trains. It’s a shame you can’t turn what appears to be a real talent into a good paying job or even opening your own facility. I’m impressed!!!

I have a unpowered B unit to this engine that’s in great condition! I use it as a track cleaner funny thing about it lol! Theirs a gap under it I slides a track cleaner brush on it and it works quite well

Those traction tires need to be replaced

Awesome engine! Its pre-weathered to Rock Island condition!

Cool It Works Great Job!!!!!

Neat harrison i bet your efforts have been payed off bud!

brilliant

When started to turn I was thinking you yelling It's Alive !

“Dear Mr. Mainline, We analyzed that gunk you sent us and the results are alarming. We found traces of ____(reply with a suggestion!) _____ and ____ remnants of a burnt Blockbuster membership card _____. Sincerely, RCMP” I never get tired of watching these restorations. Great job as always. I would have thrown it out or... given it away to some KZfaqr who fixes wrecked locos. ;)

Marx HO is very rare. I’ve only seen five or six of those units in my life. I’m 65. I did own one of those exact units about forty years ago. It ran smoothly at higher speeds. No real low speed on mine.

Wow that F3 looks done lol!!

Nice F3 locomotive, Rock Island, good job in repair the F3, and run in the HO scale layout. Where is you 🐱 ?. Scooby Doo is a good dog. Scooby Dum is a nice dog. Scrappy Doo my pup.

Invest in a ultrasonic cleaner. Drop the whole truck in and watch the dirt come out from the nooks and crannies. Use mid soap then lube as usual.

amazing

I have an old Marx caboose with a paint job that matches that old girl....

What I think with this engine is that it was probably discovered in some old junk box - in possibly an estate sale and the person who purchased the contents of that aged box discovered this engine inside, amongst others. Instead of looking at it and saying, realistically, it has a broken and cracked front end of the body, all faded paint, obvious rust....I'll just toss it in the trash....the instead thought was, "I'll just spend the listing fees, put it on eBay and I'm sure someone will want to buy it".... and for real, someone did. Thank God for eBay, eh?

with my experience with marx being mainly all i run on my o gauge tracks they usually dont take too much to get em goin after a prolonged set up period they tend to be pretty forgiving.

The patina looks great, I would dust it off and dull coat it.

And finally That conductive or contact lube has more uses then you'd think . At times I have trouble getting my phone to charge and I take the smallest drop and WAAA LAAAA charged . Just a little bit of something to think about .

The Rock Island Line is the road to ride, but if you want to ride it, you've got to buy your ticket at the station.

Where you go to purchase replacement brushes and clips?

Cool! I live in Rock Island Oklahoma..Along the old Frisco main. On 6th video today.

I cut clear.plastic to fit into the glass openings for appearance to look better

This loco needs an automotive parts washer to get it clean!

Great job on an engine that could well be 60+ years old to begin with. Don't stress the lettering loss...Bankruptcy looms ahead for the mighty Rock!😢

Have same one. Looking to get new chassis.

What is your opinion on using fine soft dremel tools for cleaning wheels and other places for better Electric conductivity?