# An Incredible Find - Not LS



## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

High All;

I have today off because I must work tomorrow. I went to The Rail Yard (my favorite local hobby store) to buy some Kaydee "G" couplers. While there, one of the employees, Ron, was showing me a collection the store had purchased. The original collector even had Kalamazoo Toy Trains equipment, which the store has priced at $25.00 per car. Ron said it will still take another 4 to 5 pick up truck loads to get the whole collection relocated to The Rail Yard (and the shelves are already groaning!).

Anyway, while we were looking over some of the O gauge stuff, I saw a Lionel 1688 "Torpedo" 2-4-2 streamlined locomotive. This was the engine I had on my first train. It was priced at $99.00. "Not bad, but it's a pity the cars are not with it," I thought. After we looked at some other items, I happened to pass the display case, and there were the cars! The yellow Shell tanker, the Baby Ruth box car, and the long NYC caboose were in all their lithographed tinplate and latch coupler glory! Together the cars were another $99.00. I decided to take the plunge.

With the tax, the whole train cost about $208. I'll have to spend a little more for track and a lockon. The engine runs like a champ, but the E-unit needs some work. I brought the tender and cars home, and Ron will work on the E-unit. I probably should mention that although my birth date is 12/14/1945, this set and my original set were probably prewar production, based on the construction details.

For now the Kadees are on a back burner. I feel like I just got a piece of my childhood back! 
Keep on Trackin',
David Meashey


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## sbaxters4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Cool find Dave! Waiting for Picts....


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Scott;

I will take some photos once I get the locomotive home. That could be a few weeks, as Ron has vacation next week. He said he would call this weekend if the E-unit only needed cleaning or replacement contacts.

Yours,
David Meashey


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave,

The Rail Yard is a trap!! I wandered in there in February 2000 and walked out NOT with the consignment LGB 2018D, but rather a post war 2055, NH 6464 boxcar, and a four car New Haven streamliner set, plus track, transformer. When it was all said and done, I would have been better off with the 2018D!! Congrats on your Torpedo!

Almost stopped by the Rail Yard two months ago when I stayed over in Roanoke. For anyone traveling on I-81, do yourself a favor and stay over at the Hotel Roanoke. It overlooks the NS Mainline and there is a pedestrian walkway that takes you directly from the hotel over the tracks and in to downtown. It is also across the parking lot from the O. Winston Link musuem.


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

I know the attraction. 
I still have my first (Lionel 225E) and it works fine. 
My Dad's 252 electric, and cars, and the OLD style turnouts, restored it many years ago and gave it to my brother Pete (shown in the GR article), and he still runs it at Christmas. 

Not going to hijack your thread on Lionel........I'll start another.

Good deal on the Torpedo!


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

I am picking up this weekend our mechanically restored 259E, has been in the family its whole life. 

We also had a 265E loco just restored, part of the 6717 Rexall Drug streamliner set that my (late) granfather looted out of a WWII scrap bin for my father. 

I often think of trashing all the G and HO for pre-war O and Std Gauge tinplate.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Just an update.

No word came from The Rail Yard concerning the E-unit this weekend, So I suppose it could be several weeks before I can take a picture of the entire train. I may simply start a new thread at that time, as I suspect this one will be buried by then.

Anyway, this Christmas may see O-27 instead of Large Scale around our tree. I have a Marx Girard whistling station that I purchased in its original box about 26 years ago, and I also have a few Plasticville O/S buildings. It might be fun to have a "retro" train display this year. I could even run my American Flyer passenger set outside the Lionel freight set, like my family used to do when I was a small child.

Have fun,
David Meashey


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

BUMP![/b]

Just got word Tonight that the locomotive is finished. The E-unit had a dirty drum and pickup fingers. No surprize there, considering the age of this set. It will be Saturday before I can pick it up, but I will try to post photos this weekend. I got an oval of O27 track and a lockon this past Sunday, so all is ready to run.

This train does not have a whistling tender like my original set did, but that is not a problem. 26 years ago I bought a Marx Girard whistling station in its original box and with its original control button, and all for the princely sum of $15.00! I have lubricated the whistle motor on the station, and it sounds just like a pre-war Lionel whistle to me.

I also bought some Kalamazoo box cars and a caboose Sunday. They will become Brandywine & Gondor RR equipment. I've already added metal wheels and Kadees to the caboose. Still have to reletter it. The boxcars will become Private Owner billboard boxcars. One will carry barrels of Longbottom Leaf pipeweed; the other will transport kegs of Prancing Pony Ale. I have the graphics and slogans done, but have to paint the boxcars, and add metal wheels and Kadees. It may be a while, but I will post photos when done.

Yours,
David Meashey


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

*2nd BUMP!*
Well, I brought the locomotive home today. Of course the weather did not want to cooperate with my photo session. It was raining hard when I set up, so I used our carport. The rain stopped once I was ready to shoot, but it was too wet to move to the patio. Just wanted to explain why things are somewhat dark. The set still shows sufficiently, but I am now convinced that my older eyes prefer shooting large scale model trains to O27 trains.




























The last view includes the Marx Girard whistling station.

Yours,
David Meashey


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Looking good. Just got our 259E back, runs like a watch. 

Watch out, now you need a few pax cars, another engine, some switches....


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