Testing a MEGA Lot of Vintage Locomotives - Will They Run?

1,667,228
0
Published 2021-06-05
I purchased this mega lot of vintage ho scale locomotives off eBay a few months ago and I've wanted to test them out for a while now. This lot was a bit of a mixed bag with around 60 percent working with the rest in need of repairs however I suspect with a bit of work we can get them running again in the not so distant future.

All Comments (21)
  • @Proj2008
    Starting in the mid 1950s, Athearn produced shortened versions of streamlined and heavyweight passenger cars based on Southern Pacific and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe prototypes. The company also offered a variety of freight cars with sprung and equalized trucks. The cars could be obtained in simple kit form, or ready-to-run. A model of the Budd Rail Diesel Car was introduced in 1953 with a metal body, and reintroduced in 1958 in plastic. The comprehensive scope of the product line contributed to the popularity of HO as a model railroad scale, due to the ready availability of items and their low cost
  • @railfanbndp972
    Great job, man nice purchase. Love your channel lol I started watching at 49 subs. Stay safe.
  • @shaygetz52
    That Brunswick Green Mantua Pennsy loco is a nice find. First time I've ever seen one of those...
  • @CR7659
    $50 is a good deal for that box. If I were putting them out to sell almost every one would be at least $10. The "Penn Line" switcher says Revell right on the bottom. The ones with the metal underframe use a rubber band in the drive, which probably has disintegrated. There is also a plastic frame version with a drive more like a Marx or other engine, the motor sits on one truck and the two trucks are connected with a driveshaft. I'm not sure which came first. The B&O is a GP35, which was tooled in 1966. Early ones have coupler pockets that take the same metal coupler as freight cars. The undecorated Athearn looks like a U33B, the ID is the radiator at the rear has "wings" that stick out a little. A U30B would be flat there, and a U28 has different grilles. The early Athearn B&O F unit I think is roughly 1960-65, it has the earliest style of gear drive they offered. Before Athearn offered gear drives, you had units like the Penn Line one which actually uses an Athearn shell. In fact, even more confusing, when Lionel had Athearn make trains for them they offered that same Rio Grande paint scheme, but with a small Lionel logo on it. I have one. The Amtrak one I would check for stuck worm gears, assuming there's no big electrical issue. Even I still learn things about HO from this era, there were so many companies making so many things it's hard to keep it all straight.
  • @antonbruce1241
    That old B&O Athearn? I noticed when you first took it out of the box the metal clip on the motor top wasn't there. Just solder a wire to each truck tab and back to the motor top, and I bet she runs like crazy!
  • @MattKonsol
    Yeah that b&o athearn emd gp35 came out in 1966 though btw I hope you get those engines fixed
  • @joshhenry9542
    I have several varieties of penn line engines. When cleaned up and lubed they run surprisingly well. I get a kick out of those loud old Bachmann pancake motor engines. Many a model railroader started with those. Brings back a lot of nostalgia. Athearn blue boxes are fantastic products for the money, easy to tune up and get running very nicely for many years with very little maintenance.
  • @martinross5521
    $50 is a great investment for so many locos and I’m sure you’ll get them all serviced and repaired before long. Good to hear from NervCat at the close! Happy days 😻
  • @Graulas
    My Gilbert 433 showed life yesterday :)
  • @Gdayhomie
    Idc if they didn't work I'd die to have this many new locomotives
  • In looking for mostly geeps and about six or seven all in one lot for about 20 to 25 dollars
  • i always love that clip of nerf cat at the end whenever it’s put there
  • @Runawayrack
    Would you recommend cleaning tracks With alcohol wipes?