Near death experience at 82 ..or the flight of a Mi-Loco Hudson

[Carey Williams]

Hello follow door stop collectors

Ebay can giveth or taketh depending on the packing of the item purchased ... oh the human element truly the weak link of humanity.

A Mi-Loco Hudson pops up with a buy it now .... the temptation is too great the mouse is clicked and the deed is done .

Link to purchase and photos of the engine before it's trip north.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ALL-NATION-034- ... true&rt=nc


Postal person delivers a nice heavy square ..if it fits it ships box ...too small for a Hudson ...oh look it pushed out the corner ... first sign of the spiral downward .

Oh yes a nice pile of shredded paper in and around the engine and tender that due to gravitation forces were pressed together with nothing separating them ..so every time the box was moved , thrown, kicked , tossed, gently placed ..the engine and tender could grid and bang together.... pilot of course pushed through the corner of the box ...no doubt in hope to escape the trip .


A Mi- Loco is not as heavy as a Mini-Scale ... but still warrants "doorstop" status by sheer weight alone ...so having the tender which is a brick in it's own right did battle with the engine ( no doubt tired of it's sub-servant position of being pulled for more than 8 decades) ...screws sheered , loosed ... broken handrails .. etc ....it is a miracle more damage did not occur ..both marker lights survive!

Carefully going through the box for all loose parts ..made an impressive site of the carnage.

Seller and I worked out a credit for the damage ... as Mi-Loco Hudson's ..do not grow on trees ....and I did some putting back together...more it needed ... it could have been a lot worse ... ... but to make it too the Octogenarian landmark ..to have a little common sense nearly snuff out your existence..is a crime .

The engine will need a repainting ....what is the preferred black paint to capture that matte ? low luster ? freshly pulled out of a mid 30's time capsule round house look ...

Dave any advice on matching the Scale-Craft white & silver and red for wheels and lining ? burnt maroon for roof top ?

Thank you very much for any sage advice

Cheers Carey

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Sept 1935 MR ad for Mi-Loco

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This is the up scale version of the Scale Craft ... but it has that fresh 30's look ..that I'd like to recapture for the ailing Mi- Loco

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[herronpeter]

The term re-kitted comes to mind. I have no clue what people are thinking about when they pack something!!

Hope you got a GOOD refund.

Peter

[ScaleCraft]

Heresy...but I use rattle cans. Krylon semi-gloss black (takes decals well) with Krylon semi gloss clear over them when done.
When black and decals are dry, fully, Krylon ruddy brown primer on the cab roof.
Wheels painted black or brushed with weathered or grimy black (lighter, shows up the undercarriage better in photos), scrape the sides of the tires off when dry.
I would imagine getting the screws to hold in the boiler might be a trick...especially at the front if they were ripped out in the damage instance.
Possibly solder a nut on the inside?
Is the frame okay?
Do all the flanges hit a glass top evenly?
I would glass bead it before paint, just to get all the stuff off and out of the corners, plus give it a tooth to hold the paint better.
One thing I do sometimes is to lightly file sharp edges...keeps it from chipping as easily.

[bob turner]

I agree, but I can no longer make Krylon work for me. The spray pattern is wrong, and it seems to pulsate. Plus, after the first use it is worthless. I have some Krylon from the 1990s that works perfectly.

Rustoleum is better, but the cans clog two months after the first use.

An auto product called "Dupli-Color" seems to work ok. I recommend gloss black, then decals, then Solvaset, then a Q-tip with some Future Floor wax to seal the decals. Then, if a dull finish is desired, Dullcote from a rattle can will work. Apply sparingly, and from a distance, until you are sure it will not eat your finish.

All time best for me is a mist-coat of Weathered black" from Floquil, applied with an air brush.

[ScaleCraft]

I have a little trick that often works with Krylon (altho Rustoleum is hopeless).
I have a radiator heater in my shop, electric, oil filled. I lay the can on it, gets it warm and atomizes very well.

[rex desilets]

<snip>
An auto product called "Dupli-Color" seems to work ok. I recommend gloss black, then decals, then Solvaset, then a Q-tip with some Future Floor wax to seal the decals. Then, if a dull finish is desired, Dullcote from a rattle can will work. Apply sparingly, and from a distance, until you are sure it will not eat your finish.

All time best for me is a mist-coat of Weathered black" from Floquil, applied with an air brush.

Listen to the man!!

[ScaleCraft]

Never use DullCote. I threw mine away long ago.
It yellows and cracks with age....plus, it's porous.
The porous makes not much difference to us here, but outdoors, your decals will fall off.
Krylon Clear fixes that.

[Carey Williams]

Thank you all for your advice on painting .... I'll post some photos when Mi-Loco is feeling better ...
I like the glass test ...will have to see if all drivers touch
Cheers Carey

[E7]

Carey, You seem to be a genuinely nice fellow, so I thought I'd share something that might ease your angst on your next Ebay purchase.

If I have ANY idea that the seller has NO CLUE regarding packing and shipping a locomotive (sometimes on other items), I use the "ADD NOTE" box at check out and TELL them how to pack the item. May sound a little cheeky, but it usually saves both parties some grief.

Goes something like this: Please double box the item and put padding on all 6 sides of the inner carton.
Also please immobilize the loco so it can't move within the carton. If not done, it can be very similar to a person in a car without a seat belt during an accident. Thank you!

Doesn't take long to type and has been VERY effective. You can cut and paste it if you like. No copyright.

The other thing is to be SURE the seller offers returns. I'm not keeping someone else's mess. It has worked for me every time but one, and that is a lot of times.

Good Luck,
Rich

PS: I ALWAYS address their packing in my feedback when they do a good job.

[Carey Williams]

Hello Rich

Thank you for your kind words and advice ..plus permission to use your satisfaction guaranteed proven verbiage...to encourage fine packing ..and un- broken vintage O scale .
The week before there was another near shipping disaster ... confession I collect tinplate ..Lionel before 1912 .. a 1905 Lionel catalog hits ebay for a buy it now at 100 ...bang mine ... these are big time rare .as an original. Seller throws it in an normal paper envelope no backing cardboard no plastic sleeve ... nutin ... fortunately it came though unharmed ..I'm sure the catalog enjoyed the ride on all the PO's automated sorting chutes ....
common sense just does not seem to be all that common these days .
Cheers Carey

A few pages of the catalog...the humble beginnings of model trains ......note Lionel was two rail ( 2 7/8" gauge) and DC at this time ...

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[webenda]

Thank you for the images Carey Williams.

A few pages of the catalog...the humble beginnings of model trains ......note Lionel was two rail ( 2 7/8" gauge) and DC at this time ..

Actually, Lionel was AC or DC at that time.

[texas&pacific]

Thanks for posting, and you are not alone.
As these vintage pieces come out of the garage, attics and closets, people generally have no idea how fragile they are in transit. I have had the heartbreak as well in seeing engines, rolling stock and (gasp) railroad china arrive broken, bent or smashed to pieces.
On many transactions, I found the following helps:
1) Contact the seller first, before you pay, with a polite note like: "I wanted to express my concern about packaging a heavy engine like this.
Could you please ensure that the engine is secured (wrapped and strapped with heavy tape) to a board or heavy cardboard wrap enclosure that extends beyond the front and rear of the engine to protect the front pilot and rear cab roof from getting smashed? I have had the terrible experience of getting engines that banged around inside the box in transit and had these details bent and broken. It is truly a "battering ram effect".
It would be a real disappointment to see this engine last so long and then get damaged in the shipping, which is often un-repairable. If correctly packaged the engine should be completely immobilized when the box is dropped (as it will be), and a foam or bubble wrap alone just won't do it.
Thanks for your understanding." Wait for a reply or confirmation the note was read.
2) Request tracking and insurance at the purchase price.
Often, just getting the attention of the seller with the 2 steps above sends the clear message, if it gets here broken - its going back for a REFUND - AND (for seller) SHIPPER CLAIM - WHICH IS A HASSLE.
This doesn't always work, but it may help save some vintage railroad models from loss. Hope it helps minimize any future "unpacking heartbreak."

[Carey Williams]

Thank you for the advice about "suggestions" to the shipper to give the vintage piece a fighting chance to arrive in the condition it started the trip in.

Perhaps I should have worded that the early Lionel runs better on Edison's preferred current.

Pre 1910... batteries / generators were the basic current sources for electric toy trains .... about 1911 transformers start becoming a much more common source to power toy trains.

I run my early pieces on DC ...they seem much happier and run cooler .
Here is a link to a Lionel 1902 Converse and pair of Lionel 1905 Jail cars running on 2 rail (2 7/8" ) with DC current .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma9Z4MhbHdU

Cheers Carey

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