O Gauge project...building an incomplete 1930s Lionel U.P. M-10000 streamliner to 2 rail

[Brian Austin]

I've been working on this for the past year or so, on and off.  I purchased the body shells missing motor, trucks and vestibules.  I could have spent a little more for a complete one, but I didn't want to mess with a runner.  🙂  I was excited to finally get it looking nicer with the addition of the aerodynamic shrouding for the trucks (made from aluminum stock from a soft drink can).  The pilot (won't call it a cowcatcher) was increased in size to better match the prototype.  I was really excited to take it to a friend's house for some exercise.  It runs fairly nice, if not super fast for an express train.  It is fairly hefty--it is made of heavy pot metal and thick stamped steel.  I've been fascinated by these prewar M-10000 sets since I saw the Greenberg's collectors books in the 1980s, so I'm super happy to finally have one of my own.  🙂  I will repaint and reletter the body, but I won't go crazy superdetailing it.  After all it's still a tinplate-era model with exposed screws and such.

 

 

Edited January 2 by Brian Austin

[Brian Austin]

Here you can see the motor, salvaged from an old cassette tape deck drives a LEGO driveshaft and universal joints.  I experimented with quick-disconnect electrical connectors.  I soldered HO rail joiners to the motor leads and truck electrical wiper wires and simply connect them to the short bits of brass rail so I don't have to unsolder later.  I've had to change the motor once or twice already.

[Old Buckaroo]

Very impressive the way you got this back running on the rails.   This reminds me of something out of the old "Model Railroader" magazines from the 1940's. If you ever want to be impressed with modeling skills using basic household throwaway items for that era (not a lot compared to today) seek some out.

[Little Timmy]

Somewhere in my pile of research books/ papers I have a newspaper clipping of the native Americans handing the engineers some fish. 

Apperently that train came through the Dalles Oregon in 1939.