Toy trains Archives

Department 56 vs Liberty Falls

Dave Farquhar Toy trains June 2, 2016May 21, 20161:64 scale, 1990s, HO, ho scale, Liberty Falls

I had an interesting question come in the other day: What are the differences between Department 56 and Liberty Falls?

There are some significant differences between them but it turns out it’s entirely possible to use them together. Here’s how.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He has written professionally about computers since 1991, so he was writing about retro computers when they were still new. He has been working in IT professionally since 1994 and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He holds Security+ and CISSP certifications. Today he blogs five times a week, mostly about retro computers and retro gaming covering the time period from 1975 to 2000.

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Repair crumbling insulation with Plasti-Dip

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 30, 2016September 10, 2017super glue

If you’re fixing an old train or some other electrical device, some of the wires have crumbling insulation, and disassembly isn’t an option for whatever reason, then you can repair crumbling insulation with a $6 product called Plasti-Dip.

Dave Farquhar

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Cost comparison of Realtrax vs Fastrack

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 27, 2016November 25, 2018lionel, Lionel Fastrack, MTH, o gauge

Someone asked me recently for a cost comparison of MTH Realtrax vs. Lionel Fastrack. Both are similar O gauge track systems with plastic roadbed. MTH’s system has been on the market a few years longer, but Lionel’s is more popular, in spite of being more expensive.

Let’s figure out just how much more expensive it is.

Dave Farquhar

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Marx train set 452

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 18, 2016June 8, 2024452

A fellow Marx collector asked recently for information about sets containing the elusive Marx windup 490 (also sometimes called the mechanical 490), so I thought I would share what I know about set number 452.

Dave Farquhar

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Replace missing Lionel brakewheels with sew-on snaps

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 13, 2016May 10, 2016lionel, marx, Prewar Lionel, train show

I saw an old tip recently regarding using sew-on snaps to replace missing Lionel brakewheels. Reproduction brakewheels generally are available, but sew-on snaps work well, are readily available at any store that sells sewing supplies, and they’re cheap.

Dave Farquhar

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Cleaning Lionel track in a dishwasher

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 10, 2016October 22, 2022Cleaning Lionel, lionel

When faced with a big box of dirty old Lionel track, a common question is whether you can just clean it up by putting it in a dishwasher.

With a few caveats, the answer is yes, but I wouldn’t say I recommend it.

Dave Farquhar

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How to disassemble a Lionel 1001, 1060 or 8902 locomotive

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 4, 2016October 22, 2022christmas, e-unit, HO, lionel, Lionel O27, n scale, o27, philips, red wire, troubleshooting

Disassembling a Lionel 1001, 1060, 8902 or 8302 locomotive isn’t too difficult. The biggest problem is knowing where the three screws are that you have to remove.

These particular locomotives weren’t really designed to be repaired, but there’s some basic work you can do on them with household tools. The 8902 and 8302 locomotives can be cheap sources of a motor for other projects.

Dave Farquhar

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The Aero Monorail Company of St. Louis

Dave Farquhar St. Louis, Toy trains May 3, 2016March 29, 2022CVS, erector, lionel, Popular Mechanics, Standard Gauge

The Aero Monorail was a futuristic monorail train that first hit the market in 1932. Manufactured in St. Louis by the eponymously named Aero Monorail Company, it was designed to suspend over Lionel standard gauge track and run faster than the standard gauge train.

The stands came in two varieties: a pair of free standing towers, and a series of towers that slipped under Standard gauge track and used the same 42-inch diameter. The motor looked like an Erector motor and ran on 6-8 volts, either DC or AC.

Dave Farquhar

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Selling Marx trains

Dave Farquhar Toy trains April 29, 2016January 19, 2023american flyer, collectibles, greenberg, HO, lionel, marx, marx trains, o gauge, o27, old trains, receipt, tin, toy train

Since my advice on selling other makes of trains was popular, I thought I would give similar advice on selling Marx trains. Marx never got the respect that its competitors got, but its trains have built up a following over the years, and in the last decade as I’ve watched prices on competing trains slide, Marx has held its value.

Don’t expect to get rich selling off your Marx trains, but if you keep your expectations realistic, you’ll find an eager buyer, or ideally, at least two interested buyers so you’ll realize a good price at auction.

Dave Farquhar

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Restoring Marx 6-inch frames

Dave Farquhar Toy trains April 27, 2016August 30, 2017Ammonia, marx, Purple Power

Marx 6-inch cars in beat-up condition are cheap and easy to find, but you can dramatically improve their appearance by repainting their frames. If the body is scratched up it still won’t be a showroom car, but you can halve the number of scratches on it and it will look nicer. Here’s how you go about restoring Marx 6-inch frames.

Dave Farquhar

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