Troubleshoot your locomotives on the floor!
I'm not going to write up a comprehensive tutorial on troubleshooting old Lionel, American Flyer, Marx, and Ives trains just yet. But I'm going to present a hard-learned lesson. When troubleshooting a...
View ArticleLionel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy yesterday
It was all over the various news sites, but Lionel, the train maker, filed Chapter 11 yesterday. A lot of the news stories got a lot of details wrong.
View ArticleA Christmas tree train on a budget
If you want a train for under your Christmas tree but don’t have a lot of money to spend, here’s how to find one and what to ask for. Find a store that deals in used Lionel trains, or find a local...
View ArticleThe price of Amazon
Slashdot posted a link to a New York Times piece that asserts that the full extent of Amazon’s existence hasn’t been felt yet, but it asserts that book pricing is becoming whimsical. My experience...
View ArticleHow I freed a seized-up garbage disposal
I’m sure all landlords have a story like this, but let me tell you my garbage disposal story. I don’t know what the last occupant put in that disposal, and I don’t want to know. What I do know is that...
View ArticleHow Ives-branded track clips ended up in Lionel sets
Ives-branded track clips for Lionel O27 track are relatively common, and although they are often mistaken for pre-1933 items, they were actually manufactured for several decades after the Ives brand...
View ArticleWhat’s an Allstate electric train?
Model electric trains from the 1950s and 1960s (and perhaps 1970s, but no later than 1975) branded “Allstate” are somewhat common, which leads to some further questions. Yes, it’s Allstate, as in the...
View ArticleThe Marx connection to Hafner
Hafner was a Chicago-based maker of clockwork-powered O gauge trains during most of the first half of the 20th century. The trains were inexpensive but durable. William Hafner developed the clockwork...
View ArticleUmm, no, as a matter of fact everything isn\’t OK…
The site's been down again. As far as I can tell it didn't stay up for very long on Saturday, but by 8 PM last Saturday, my DSL connection was the least of my concerns. I got the phone call nobody ever...
View ArticleAn insider\’s view of the Atari ST
I'm sure pretty much everyone who cares has already seen this on Slashdot or wherever, but I found this blog entry from one of the designers of the Atari ST fascinating.
View ArticleTips for using Dept. 56 and Lemax-type buildings with Lionel trains
A frequent question I see regards the proper scale of snow village-type buildings, like Department 56 and Lemax, and whether they’re suitable for use with Lionel electric trains. The answer is that...
View ArticleWhat size and voltage to use for Lionel train light sockets
Lionel used 15 different types of light bulbs in its O gauge electric trains in the postwar era, but in most cases–87% of catalog numbers, and a lot more than that in actual number of items...
View ArticleHow to tell if a Lionel tender has a whistle
One of the things Lionel did that set its electric trains apart from its competitors was integrating a whistle in the tender that was included with its steam locomotives. Because of the added play...
View ArticleFixing HO or N scale electric trains that won’t move and make noise
A common problem with HO, N, and other scales of electric train that run on DC power is that when you put them on the track, they light up but don’t move and instead make a weird noise. The cure is...
View Article6 options for removing paint from model trains
It’s not uncommon to find model trains with unwanted paint on them, or original paint that’s damaged beyond the point of being able to rehabilitate it. Fortunately, the price is usually low on these...
View ArticleFixing a Lionel 2034 that ran super slowly
The Lionel 2034 with the bent cab had another problem. It would run, but only in super slow-mo, and that was when it would run at all. If I was really patient, sometimes I could get it to run a little...
View ArticleFix a Marx 999 that derails a lot
Marx’s most popular locomotive might be the 999, because it can pull anything Marx made–6-inch tin, 7-inch tin, 3/16-scale tin, 4-wheel plastic, and 8-wheel plastic–without looking out of place. It...
View ArticleA weak VPN isn’t necessarily better than no VPN
A Slashdot story last week discussed how 90% of all SSL VPNs use weak, obsolete encryption. And one comment said, “So? A weak VPN is better than no VPN.” Not necessarily. Intelligence agencies love...
View ArticleMarx vs. Lionel
In the 1950s, Marx and Lionel took turns being the biggest toy company in the world, largely riding on the popularity of O gauge trains. Neither company particularly liked the other, but both owed some...
View ArticleFix a Marx 999 that derails a lot
Marx’s most popular locomotive might be the 999, because it can pull anything Marx made–6-inch tin, 7-inch tin, 3/16-scale tin, 4-wheel plastic, and 8-wheel plastic–without looking out of place. It...
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