Model Train Journal

I like GG1s. I have maybe six bronze GG1s and an aluminum one. Several have the famous (in the 2-rail world) Wolfer trucks - as near perfection in sprung brass as you can get.

Back when I was allowed to post on OGR I tried to help the Lionel truck problem - they are all crumbling, and no direct replacements were ever available. Hennings did some in urethane, from molds taken from the original. That, apparently, was a very short production run.

I proposed a lost-wax version of the Lionel truck - expensive, and would require cutting up a perfectly good Lionel truck. A nice forum participant lent me a good truck, but I just couldn’t cut it.

But a better solution is to simply adapt the Wolfer truck. I have a Wolfer truck set, extra, and when the price of these disabled models drops low enough, I will do the conversion, and document it.

The trucks themselves are available from Stevenson Preservation Models. They are exquisite! And worth the price!

I don’t check in here very often - you can find me on the 2-rail forum if you care to comment.

Looks like others are working on the same problem ?

3D Printing the JLC GG1 Sideframes
https://ogrforum.com/topic/3d-printing- ... 4404823044

HONDO74 wrote:Looks like others are working on the same problem ?

Interesting... a group of hobbyists getting together to create a needed product.

Yes. That’s the thread that triggered my post. When the original discussion started I proposed two brass cast alternates. They went with urethane castings - much less expensive. Very limited production.

I really haven’t checked in here very often - not a 3-railer. I was surprised to see almost zero activity here. OGR is a much more supervised and controlled environment - that seems to track with our collective desires. It is apparently wildly popular in comparison.

bob turner wrote:
I really haven’t checked in here very often - not a 3-railer. I was surprised to see almost zero activity here.

Hey, we're trying to keep it going...

I tried OGR the other day. I left after a minute. Every other thread was a sponsored add. I wanted to see photos of Christmas layouts and left after three pages of advertisements

robert. wrote:I tried OGR the other day. I left after a minute. Every other thread was a sponsored add. I wanted to see photos of Christmas layouts and left after three pages of advertisements

Hmm? I don't find the same thing. Maybe I am better at maneuvering around the advertisements.

This old post is interesting. URL=>
https://ogrforum.com/topic/trainstock-1 ... hi-railers

bluelinec4

The building our hosts so graciously allowed us to use for the past 22 years has been sold. It will be converted into self storage units and the new owners aren't as gracious as they want us out. So lets go out with a bang on January 18 and hopefully we can find a place to house us.

Ben

11/14/24@12:34 PM

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bluelinec4 posted:

Although our days might be numbered in our location we are always adding new things to the layout This is our latest addition The Daily Planet

https://youtu.be/i3kD6_lCbXg?si=QoWWRdYvALpfQy7R

Oh yeah 20 years of hard work is coming to an end soon. Not looking forward to taking it down I found that club through this forum in 2004 when the president posted the need for new members. If anybody wants to make it on Jan 18 come on down

I am all in favor of thread drift, but surprised that no one here has suffered zinc pest on their thousand dollar GG1. Sure seems to be a problem for others. I am offering the possibility of a metal (brass) solution.

Sorry about losing your home - the solution is to buy a building, or locate in a city park, as we have done in San Diego.

I guess they gave up. Good for me; I will probably find a JLC GG1 for cheap down the line. I have the brass trucks.

robert. wrote:I tried OGR the other day. I left after a minute. Every other thread was a sponsored add. I wanted to see photos of Christmas layouts and left after three pages of advertisements

I don’t even look on NK anymore since they decided to keep viewership of the B/S forum to members only. I’ve never seen anything so childish since doofus left MTJ. Nice Christian people over there punishing non members by limiting access to the B/S forum and limiting potential views of members trying to sell items on the B/S board.

Took me a minute - buy/sell, not bullshit.

They threw me off for demanding that my images not be used over and over in the same thread. I can still look, just cannot post. It is a good thing; I am always trying to share wisdom that I really do not have.

Like some guy was trying to un-insulate 2-rail trucks for his signaling system. I would have screamed “just turn one wheel set around” but the participants all had far more creative ideas. They definitely did not need me.

Took me a minute - buy/sell, not bullshit

Well there’s a fair amount of that over there as well

Bump.
I see there is a new JLC GG1 arriving at many 3-rail stations. A quick check on eBay reveals that so far nobody is trying to unload an older GG1 with crumbling trucks. Maybe I shall give up?

On the other hand, maybe I have enough GG1s. This is 1/4 of my fleet.

bob turner wrote:Bump.
Maybe I shall give up?

You could be like the Little Red Hen who made them without any help.
Do you have any experience casting Zamac?
Maybe a bismuth alloy could be used. You can cast some of the Bi alloys in silicon molds. I purchased some from RotoMetals for $4.99 per ingot. The alloy I chose has some lead in it, but it melts in boiling water.



https://www.rotometals.com/