# Lionel in the garden



## SailorDon (Jan 6, 2008)

I transplanted a caladium in the garden alongside the track. It adds some color to my almost all green garden.
After the transplant, I took a photo of my oldest G-gage locomotive. The Lionel Gold Rush Special.
The livestock car is Bachmann and the drover's caboose is HLW.










This consist transforms the Gold Rush Special into my personal "Barbeque Special". 
The cattle (steak on the hoof) are in the livestock car and the wood fired boiler is the barbeque grill!








I need to add a reefer car to store the cold beer.


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## Engineercub (Oct 18, 2008)

Don, a whole train for one boxcar load? Your CEO is going to be real upset with you ;-P Nice pic of the BBQ Express hehe 

-Will


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Actually, I think that's a stock car, must be VERY heavy cattle! 

ha ha 

Greg


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## SailorDon (Jan 6, 2008)

Y'all are right. That first photo wern't no Texas size barbeque train.









I had to go out in the 92 degree heat and fix things up. Now somebody's probably going to mention that to get up a head of steam to pull all that steak on the hoof and ice cold beer







is going to use all the wood in the wood box (on top of the water tank). No wood left over for the barbeque.







Now I'm going to have to add a flat car full of wood. But not today. It's hot enough to boil water without a fire.










If anyone is curious about the new fence vs. old fence, that's due to hurricane Ike. A tree branch came down and took out a section of fence.


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## TheLordsServant (Jul 7, 2008)

Hey, I recognize that loco! We have one (or actually two, but the other's painted different. The D&RGW one we have came down with a bad case of gear shear, but the other one, which is painted bright green and lettered for Pennsy still runs fine. Actually not a bad loco, runs reasonably smooth, but boy do they make some noise. Nice to see we're not the only ones who bought those old locos.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

I had one of those also, but I could never keep the brass wheels clean enough to run properly. Glad your having better luck with yours.


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## SailorDon (Jan 6, 2008)

I've taken my Gold Rush Special apart a couple of times for maintenance. The plastic gears do not appear to be very durable, so I don't run this loco very often. I keep the gears lubricated with Teflon grease. It is noisy and the brass wheels are an issue. Dirt and/or oxidation collects real fast on the running surfaces. 









When I get a lot of spare time, I would like to try and re-gear the drive to make it more robust and add current pick-up shoes like the LGB Moguls. But like a lot of my other model railroad dreams, it will probably never happen.

Another problem I have had with this locomotive is that when pulling longer consists around tight curves, the front drivers jump the track. Two or three light and small cars is OK. I think the drag on the coupler makes the locomotive want to go straight, hence the more pull, the more "straight" and the more tendency to "jump the curve".

I think I read somewhere that this locomotive was designed by Delton for Lionel, but it might just be a rumor.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

I think I read somewhere that this locomotive was designed by Delton for Lionel, but it might just be a rumor 


Yes, it was in fact, way back in the day. I still have the body shell from mine, I sold off the chassis to a newbie kitbasher, and am still considering doing a Mack bash based on this engine shell, we'll see.


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## TheLordsServant (Jul 7, 2008)

Really the brass wheels aren't that bad, but that's just in my experience. And, no the plastic gearing is not very durable, I can tell you that for a fact. I would say that keeping the gears lubed with Teflon grease is definitely a good idea, but eventually, you probably will have gear trouble. I do like the gearing being external, very easy to tell if it needs lubrication or not.


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## SailorDon (Jan 6, 2008)

The Lionel Gold Rush Special is the worst of all my track powered rolling stock for stopping on dirty track. I only run it indoors.

I added a couple more plants to the garden and photographed the RPO with and without flash fill in. I think the flash fill in looks best.

*RPO IN THE GARDEN*




























I will leave the RPO out on the track tonight and hope that someone will fill it with bags of gold. Then I can buy more trains and track for the garden.









Just in case anyone is wondering, the last 2 photos are with flash fill in.


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## snowshoe (Jan 2, 2008)

I guess that engine will be converted to battery power. That will fix the running problem. Thats what i plan to do to my engines with this problem. great pictures, I like the engine although I would paint all black.


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## jfrank (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey Sailor Don. Where have you been??????????? We have missed you at the local steamups. Right now you could probably get up steam without a fire it's so hot. Supposed to be 100 the next three days.


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## SailorDon (Jan 6, 2008)

John, 

I've been hiding inside where the A/C is running full time. Like you said, you can steam up in Houston by just setting your live steamer out in the sun. No butane, no propane, no coal, no alcohol necessary. 

Steve suggested that I buy an Aster Mikado that was listed in the MLS classifieds. I read the ad in detail, but I'm really looking for an alcohol fired live steamer modeled after the turn of the century (1900 that is) narrow gauge. All the alkies seem to be mainline models. 

I should really take the time to join y'all in a Steamin' at Steve's, but I have to wait until the temperature gets below 100 degrees.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Sailor,

Thanks for the pixes. Looks like a real nice setup. I have one of those old Lionels, but noplace (yet, coming soon) to run it. Enjoyed seeing one actually run.


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## SailorDon (Jan 6, 2008)

Les,

The first photos were taken before I even had the oval loop set up. It was just straight track on the retaining wall bricks. I carefully edited out the dead end tracks from the photos. I never tried to run on that open ended straight track. One false move and "Trains in the Garden" would have had a whole new meaning.









But this evening, I cleaned up the drive wheels on the locomotive and set it up to look the way it did 20 years ago when I bought it. The steel wheels on the gondola car were originally plastic. The caboose wheels are still plastic.




























As can be seen in the following video clip, this locomotive has major issues with running on track power. The first five or six times around the loop were OK, but after that, things deteriorated fast. I think the only hope is to convert to battery power. The brass wheels seem to build up a black coating very quickly, and it can only be removed with emory cloth or other abrasive.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Sailor,

Sorry to find those wheels crud up so fast. I'm going to run track power--it's all I can afford and about as much as I can understand.









But mine will be indoor, which might help, might not.

Thanks again for the pics and the vid. That engine looked nice until it started the stalling out bit. One thing undeniable about battery power, it takes care of a lot of problems.

Les


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

My favorite battery locos just have an on/off switch. I'm a sit and watch them run type guy, so that works for me.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Once I get stuff up and actually running, so I know more about the 'cobblies' (gremlins), I might go on and upgrade to battery. The wiring would be much simplified, for one thing.

The drawback for me is the initial startup costs: R/T, batteries, finding out which batteries are sufficient for the purpose, chargers, spare packs, possible need for battery cars in the smaller gauges and misc pose more of a burden than I'm prepared to assume. At this point, it's just another thing to have to figure out, and I'm sorta over-run with that aspect.


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## JFR (Nov 11, 2009)

Just got my gold rush out after in closet for the last 10 years or so. Using astrocraft brass track. After looking at those great pictures, I can't wait to get mine out of the box. I would be intersted in any way to keep wheels clean. I notice that black buildup..I guess , just keep the pad out. I have been using a brite pad to do my track, hope it will work on the loco. 

I'm new here, but enjoying all the comments and especially the pictures. Great Pictures. 


Never tooooo old 
Frank


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Who made the drovers caboose in the first picture.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

JJ, 
caption says HLW...that would be 1:24 scale...


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

The Lionel drives are the same for Thomas, James, the 0-6-0 and probably yours. They eat the plastic gear on the rear axle. Keep it WELL lubricated. 

The real problem is that Lionel doesn't have any more parts for Thomas. I got the last one. They MAY have similar parts for James and the others but with black wheel centers (easily fixed with paint). 

You an also improve the power pickup with a "brush" on the center drivers and even further with a homemade "slider" 

see link for details 

http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips4/thomas_tips.html


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## SailorDon (Jan 6, 2008)

Posted By John J on 13 Nov 2009 06:53 AM 
Who made the drovers caboose in the first picture. 
Hartland Locomotive Works. Click below for link.

*Hartland Locomotive Works caboose(s)*

I replaced the hook and loop couplers with Kadee couplers. Looks much better that way.


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