Advice Wanted: New locomotive purchase

[G3750]

All:

I have the opportunity to purchase a 3rd Rail PRR I1se Decapod. It is (supposedly) NIB, never been run, and about 20 years old. It will require lubrication to run, I'm sure. I will not have the opportunity to test run it. The seller contacted me after his auction on eBay ended unsuccessfully.

Thoughts?

George

[healey36]

Not in my wheelhouse but I will say that while the I1's may not have been the best 2-10-0's they friggin' looked awesome and deserve a spot on the Panhandle.

What's the suspicion on its failure to sell? Price, condition (doubtful) or fear of twenty year-old electronics?

Healey

[G3750]

Not in my wheelhouse but I will say that while the I1's may not have been the best 2-10-0's they friggin' looked awesome and deserve a spot on the Panhandle.

What's the suspicion on its failure to sell? Price, condition (doubtful) or fear of twenty year-old electronics?

Healey

Thanks for weighing in, Healey.

As you said, there's no doubt the I1s belongs on the Panhandle. The April 2, 1927 Railway Age article describing the bridge mentions a requirement of being able to carry double-headed I1s locomotives pulling mineral trains.

As to why this is being sold or spent 20 years in the original box, I simply don't know. The original price was pretty salty. I made an offer of $200 less and it was immediately accepted. Maybe this is just general concern / anxiety on my part.

Twenty year old electronics is a non-issue, as this is going to get a TMCC upgrade almost immediately. I don't run conventional locomotives as a rule. Panhandle 1.0 had the ability to run conventional engines on its mainline. Panhandle 2.0 will only be able to do so on the River Route.

I will be giving this locomotive a good inspection, but as I said, I do not have the opportunity to test run it.

Thanks,

George

[chuck]

Sun Set 3rd Rail always look good. The issue may be with running.

These tend to be 2 rail models equipped with three rail wheels and often need O-72 or larger. They are also a bit "fragile" being brass. If it wasn't drop kicked and you have the real estate to handle the wide curves it should be OK.

Sound is pretty easy to add, TMCC might be an issue unless you can float the tender body off the frame and make the entire shell an antenna. You MIGHT be able to get away with using the loco had rails but you would need very fine wire with insulation. The die cast models can get away with garden hose sized railings but these tend to look silly on a nice scale brass engine.

[rex desilets]

Fragile? Nah. Just don't be rough with them. Seems some folks think diecast (with add-on parts!) can be treated like footballs whilst brass is fragile like Ming china. Don't fall for this.
The 3rd Rail Dec has the older gearbox instead of the contemporary belt drive. Some have found this problematic. Have not had a problem with mine.
Float the tender shell with Kapton tape and nylon screws to use it as an antenna or run an antenna wire, insulated, under the tender's coal pile.
Lovely model, especially weathered!!

[Roy]

I will be giving this locomotive a good inspection, but as I said, I do not have the opportunity to test run it.

Why can't you bench test the engine? Without a bench test, the motor and gearing, as well as the reversing gear, are a pig in a poke.

[G3750]

I will be giving this locomotive a good inspection, but as I said, I do not have the opportunity to test run it.

Why can't you bench test the engine? Without a bench test, the motor and gearing, as well as the reversing gear, are a pig in a poke.

I agree, Roy. There are several reasons. First, the locomotive is being transported by a 3rd party (not the seller) and they are in town for a very brief period (30 minutes). Second, I have to meet them at a specific place and time. Third, I don't have even a test track operational at this time.

However, I will bring a transformer with me and at least see if the wheels will turn.

I have a bit more information about the seller and his circumstances and some of my apprehensions have been alleviated.

As for the TMCC installation, I will be using a shop that's done a great job previously for me and for a friend (30+ locomotives). I've no concerns whatsoever about them installing TMCC, sound, rear electro-coupler, speed control and smoke control on this engine.

Thanks to all who replied. I truly appreciate your input.

George

[healey36]

George - What's your access to 1927 Railway Age? Hard copy? Digital archive? Mine runs out in the early 1920's...would sure like to fine another ten years of issues...

Healey

[G3750]

George - What's your access to 1927 Railway Age? Hard copy? Digital archive? Mine runs out in the early 1920's...would sure like to fine another ten years of issues...

Healey

Someone (another Panhandle modeler) photocopied the article on the bridge for me.

Are these on line somewhere? Available as hardcopy?

George

[robert.]

Take 10 feet of track and run it from your car battery. Use jumper cables clamped onto your track. It should move. I have a sun set s1 and the tether is a royal pita (It wont move if the tether is no in all the way). Make sure you get it in good. My sound is shot. died after half hour of running time. That half hour took almost 12 years. It runs on 072 but looks like a banana on a stick. 096 is pretty good. with 0120 it will pull every car i own.

[healey36]

George - What's your access to 1927 Railway Age? Hard copy? Digital archive? Mine runs out in the early 1920's...would sure like to fine another ten years of issues...

Healey

Someone (another Panhandle modeler) photocopied the article on the bridge for me.

Are these on line somewhere? Available as hardcopy?

George

Bummer...I was hoping you were going to tell me you had an online source.

Hathi Trust is an awesome resource, a consortium of university online documents. Here's their repository for Railway Age/Railway Age Gazette:

https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000677833

There are also folks on eBay selling CD versions for not a whole lot of money that cover a large number of years, this being an example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Railway-Age-Railroad-Gazette-American-Railroad-Life-History-Newspapers-DVD-E39/401047576750?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Mountains of stuff out there, but most of it tapers off around the 1920's, perhaps due to copyright restrictions.

Healey

[G3750]

I very much appreciate all the information and insights that have been passed along on this topic.

Given the other immediate tasks requiring funds (backdrop, additional bridge sections, piers, benchwork, etc.), I decided that the use of this money for this locomotive at this time just didn't make sense.

George

[Arthur P. Bloom]

With regard to providing a portable source of electricity to power a test track, there really is no need to juggle a pair of unwieldy jumper cables. You might consider bringing a fully-charged computer UPS of about 400 Watts with you. A transformer of the appropriate type can be powered for several minutes by the UPS. Or plug a portable inverter into the cigarette lighter of the vehicle, and run the transformer from the inverter. Lots of options.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

One might be careful about interpreting the results of testing it. As this engine has the older gearbox drive, and has not been run for 20 years, the grease may have tightened up there (and elsewhere) making it appear to not be able to run.

You may need to disassemble, clean, grease & lube it thoroughly to get it to run, and you should probably do all that regardless to make it run optimally.

[G3750]

I decided to pass on the locomotive. The financial stars and the short term objectives just didn't line up. I have too many things to do (and my train money is tied up in doing them) before I would have a chance to run this locomotive. There will be other opportunities.

George