[Stillakid]

Thought this would be a good subject for a thread

I picked up this, "Unknown" chassis in a "Parts Lot"
There were lots of needed goodies and a 302 loco(plastic shell), that was missing it's front trucks.

At first, I couldn't determine other than that it was switcher, what model it was. Though the switchers share many of the same parts, there are parts of the drive train that don't match up. So I pulled a wheel and on the back side found my clue

I have some cleaning and soldering to do today, but not a biggie:laugh:

Last night, I did find a shell!!!!!!!:thumbsup: Pricey, but considering what these go for, a steal.

So here we go I've included a picture of what I hope to accomplish

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[Reckers]

Jim, congratulations! Here's a couple more reference photos; sometimes an extra angle is helpful.

It looks like you are missing the piston for the chuff...I think I had one in that parts collection I bought. I'll see if there is one and send it, if you are missing yours. Does the boiler have jewels on it? I have a few of them, too. Also, what about your boiler front? I have one that goes to something with a keystone emblem in the center of the boiler front. Let me know and I'll start sorting thru my stuff. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[Stillakid]

Thanks!

Len, I've already put together a sheet with ALL the parts & numbers for the 342AC. I'll use the sheet to go thru my manual and look for like parts in other models. That should help when I start looking on evilBay, and when i turn to you. Untill I get the shell, I won't know where to go first

Thanks for the offer of parts!! If you don't mind, could we wait a week or so before I give you a list? I need to go thru all my "junk boxes" too:laugh:

Actually, what I really need to do, is go out and buy one of those nifty, 12 or 15 drawer parts bins and label what I have. It's a PITA, constantly looking and wondering

One of the leads of the magnet assembly broke, but T-man had explained how to make that repair with one of my "Other Brand" locomotives, so that was fixed. I also noticed that the drive wheels are not at a 90 degree off-set. I could see by the condition of the insulator, that someone had taken that wheel off and not aligned it properly:thumbsdown: Fixing this will be a challenge!!!

The armature has two really bad spots. Sanded with 400, but there are still 2 deep gauges(not concentric ridges) Burned up?

Anyway, I'm excited. I've always wanted a Switcher and finding the tender with light, would be cool to boot!!!!

Jim

 

[Stillakid]

I am so tempted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/american-flyer-train-parts-/170549266643?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item27b58748d3

 

[Reckers]

*laughing*.....no problem, Jim. Take whatever time you need and then let me know how I can help.

 

[Reckers]

Tim, thats a good technique: thanks for sharing it.

 

[tjcruiser]

So I pulled a wheel and on the back side found my clue

Hi Jim,

So what was the clue? I thought you mentioned in the other thread that you found a loco i.d. number somewhere on the frame?

I like Tim's armature cleanup drill/press tip. Tricky, and one has a "one shot" copper thickness tolerance, but the axial alignment of the drill press chuck makes that more accurate than by hand, perhaps.

Question ...

Are the armatures on all AF's always removable from the motor frame/assembly? That's not the case with many of the older Lionels I've been working on. In many loco motors, the armature is installed captive between the motor assembly cheeks, and prying those apart entails pretty extensive surgery. Other lionel motors have a brush plate that's removable to reveal a hole large enough to retract the armature. I don't know why they didn't do that on all motors. A bit frustrating.

Back to the 342 ... looks like a fabulous reincarnation project. I like that ... reincarnation vs. restoration!

Cheers,

TJ

 

[Stillakid]

Clues........

Timboy-Great idea, with luck, it will work for me:laugh: My problem is that there are 2, what appear to be, "burn spots", on the plate

TJ-The number(XA10504), on the chassis identified that it is a Switcher. The number(XA10104) on the flanged wheel with tapped hole, is common only to that model wheel set.

"Elementary my dear Watson, elementary!":laugh::laugh::laugh:(and a PITA to find!)

 

[Reckers]

TJ,

I only run AF steamers, so my sample pool is limited. That said, I've not met one yet that does not have a removeable armature. The game trains that were produced at the end of the original company era were not designed to be dismantled easily: they had metal tabs in the plastic slots of the boiler shell that used the plastic shell's own wall-strength to keep them in place. You can (by prying) open them up, but you risk cracking the plastic shell every time you do.

 

[tjcruiser]

Jim -- You get a Gold Star for using the wheel part # as your i.d. clue. Well done! With a bit of help from your AF reference books, huh? Great value/info in those.

Reck -- Interesting. I guess when AF and Lionel were building these things, they figured that the armature was pretty bullet proof. In my (very limited) experience with Lionel, I'd say that's pretty close to the mark ... I have yet to have/find a loco where the armature is broken in any way. That said, on these old girls, a good armature cleaning (and copper face re-smooth) certainly helps, and the "captive armature" motor casing design drives me a bit nuts. Oh well ... se la vie ...

TJ

 

[Reckers]

Jim -- You get a Gold Star for using the wheel part # as your i.d. clue. Well done! With a bit of help from your AF reference books, huh? Great value/info in those.

Reck -- Interesting. I guess when AF and Lionel were building these things, they figured that the armature was pretty bullet proof. In my (very limited) experience with Lionel, I'd say that's pretty close to the mark ... I have yet to have/find a loco where the armature is broken in any way. That said, on these old girls, a good armature cleaning (and copper face re-smooth) certainly helps, and the "captive armature" motor casing design drives me a bit nuts. Oh well ... se la vie ...

TJ

It's enough to make a guy move over to a better-built brand of locomotive?

 

[Stillakid]

342AC Shell Here!!

Received the shell today. It's in better shape than I expected
I'm still going to strip/prime/paint. The questions are....................

What Color(s)? Should I attempt some detailing? Should I wait to do the painting till after I get the Tender?:laugh::laugh::laugh:

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[Big Ed]

this would look nice.

 

[Stillakid]

BigEd, is that one of those, "Joisey" colors?

 

[T-Man]

Something simple for color?

This is the link where the picture came from.

 

[tjcruiser]

Hey Jim,

Before I scrolled down to see T-Man's pic, I was thinking the same thing ... matte black (not gloss) on main part of loco, but silver on the front section of the boiler. Traditional, but looks nice to me.

You're call, of course ... whatever works for you ... EXCEPT Ed's Alien Green!

Glad to hear the shell is in nice shape. Were you just lucky to find a shell-only, or are there lots of these poking around on ebay and the like?

You'll need a cowcatcher, too, right ?

Cheers,

TJ

 

[Stillakid]

Step 2............

Big Ed......Nooooooooooooooooooo!
T-Man.......Very nice! I did want to do the boiler front and cab different from the main body
TJ.......You're right! Next time I do the "Alien Green", it's going to BigEds:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

Well, the boiler is stripped, but I found the part number under the cab roof. The paint was so thick, I didn't notice it
I'm a bit confused though. The part # is PA9466, but the manual lists it as XA9466 I wonder if this is a "prewar", shell???

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[T-Man]

Looks Good! You're on a roll!

 

[Big Ed]

A very strange looking engine it is!
I don't see how they fit into the shell.:laugh:

Alien green, with a yellow pinstripe and wheels then?

 

[tjcruiser]

Jim,

Nice strip job! Very crisp detail in the casting.

Purely as a passing thought, I wonder if the preceeding letter on the shell i.d. has something to do with identifying which specific mold (tooling) it came out of? Maybe they had multiple tools running concurrently?

Cheers,

TJ